The Grand General
Hugo Rao, Gro
nce upon a time in Ancient China, there was a grand general named Ho Yi. He was fierce
and his subjects were afraid of him. Ho Yi cared for his country.
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up 2: Fiction, Harrow International School Hong Kong
Ho Yi was himself afraid of enemies from surrounding countries coming to invade his
.
He decided to build a strong tall and long wall to stop any potential attackers. To
e this, he called every man in the country to help. They had to carry rocks and
boulders from very far away, up mountains, down hills, through rivers, across villages.
O
One day a boy named Ping arrived from far away. He had no friends and felt lonely. Each day, he
woke up early to join the group. He was dedicated and hard working. He helped carry the rocks and
pass them to the next soldier in the chain. He did not talk much but was always helpful. He became
friends with his neighbor Po. Po lived in a village near by with his family. Each night he would walk
home to join them for dinner, to eat and sleep. Ping, on the contrary, would join the other army
members sleeping in a make do tent next to a log fire close to the wall. He was cold and afraid, but kept
quiet.
One morning a message from the general Ho Yi:
“
The enemy is approaching and all the members of the army should be ready.” The wall was not
finished. Some parts were lower than others; some parts had gaps where the enemy could come
through.
That night, coming closer, they could see torches and many men galloping towards them. Both
Ping and Po stood together, upright with all their courage and their weapons.
The enemy climbed the wall, soldiers fired weapons at them in all directions; some were lit with
fire. Many people around Po and Ping were hurt. There was a lot of blood, cries of pain and much
despair. It was horrible. Suddenly, an arrow hit Ping’s leg. He yelped in anguish. Po dragged his friend
to safety behind the wall and took care of his wound. He gave him spare water and food and wrapped
his leg with is scarf to stop the bleeding.
Meanwhile, the fighting was still ongoing and it was not looking so promising for Ping and Po’s
army. Were they going to be defeated despite their hard work on the wall?
Ping called for his friend, “I have a secret to share with you”, he whispered, “ I come from
Mongolia and was a soldier there for many years. I was hungry, tired and scared, as my general was
mean. I escaped to seek a better life and came to China. I know these enemies and their tactics. If you
take me to your general, I can help turn this battle around.”
“
Really!” exclaimed Po surprised. He never thought his friend Ping could have been an enemy.
Now he understood why he was so quiet and secretive.
Ping continued: “ They have ropes to climb along the side of the walls and they wait until nightfall
to climb discreetly and very quietly whilst the opponent is resting. They will surprise you in the dark
and our army needs to be ready. You need more men and soldier along the wall, staying up at night.”
“
Maybe with sharp daggers, we can cut the ropes,” Po thought as he listened to his friend’s advice.
We should take turns to keep a watch throughout the night.”
After thanking his friend many times, Po then ran to find his general. As soon as he arrived, at Ho
Yi ‘s palace, he ran to his office, ignoring all the guards. He swung open the heavy double doors of Ho
Yi’s study. Before the general could protest, Po had told his story so fast and convincingly. The general
did not interrupt, as he knew these were important clues.
He ordered for his army to follow Po’s instructions and also requested that once Ping was feeling
better he should come to meet him at his palace. China was maybe going to be saved because of these
two soldiers. They were the heroes of the first battle alongside the wall.
***