The Loss
Siu Yeung Wayne Leung, Group 4: Fiction, St. Joseph’s College
here was a saying in China ‘He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a great man.’ Stationing
there had always been a dream for young men.
In the year 1620, the declining Ming Dynasty faced its greatest threat from the outside, the
Jurchens, after losing a series of decisive battles, the Great Wall became the Ming Dynasty’s last
frontier.
In a small village near Beijing, where the villagers led an austere life, a crowd gathered round the
long forgotten government notice board. A soldier was at the centre of the crowd, he was about twenty of years,
wearing a hamlet and armor reflecting the radiance of the sun, his hand holding a badge and a letter.
‘
By the order of His Majesty, may the village chief come out!’ He sputtered. The crowd then split into two,
giving way for the honorable retired veteran who fought against the Japanese. The village chief lingered slowly
forward, he was old, at least eighty years old, his hand was shaking, his head held low, the wrinkles on his
forehead was never so discernible, tears were running down his face. The solider, being impatient, stepped
forward and dragged the old man up front.
‘
Dear Sir, your son Tian An sacrificed his life for the sake of his people, the Emperor would like to express
his deepest condolences to you.’ Although there was no trace of sympathy in his words, the weeping sound of
some villagers could be heard and the solemn atmosphere somehow affected the soldier with a sense of guilt, he
forced the badge and letter into the old man’s arm. The old man stood there in stark silence, he could not utter a
word, the death of his son was too overwhelming for him. The soldier, ignoring that, went on, ‘Here are the
selected men for the recruitment of the army, the family of Lee, An, Xin, Liang……’
‘
Yes!’ three joyful cries suddenly filled the air, when the crowd turned their heads to see, the three brothers
had already trotted out and was standing in front of the soldier.
‘
Here we are!’ they blurted out with no vestige of fear or grief, they were, however, very excited and
thrilled about the fact that they were actually enlisted in the army. Their parents, holding tightly to each other,
stared at their frantic sons, then at the sorrowful old man. They fervently prayed that at least one would survive
and return home safe. There was no need for words. It was as if they wore their despair on their face.
‘
No,’ they turned and it was the old man, ‘the worst thing about war is not your sons being killed on the
battlefield, but to lose their hearts outside the battlefield.’
The villagers bade valediction to the selected ones, and the three brothers waved their hands scintillatingly
and shouted, ‘Bye Mum! Bye Dad! One of us will be back, we promise!’ and their parents could see the shadow
of their sons getting further and further, they understood, it was the shadow of no return.
After three days of chariot ride, the three brothers reached their destination.
‘
Here we are!’ the charioteer announced, the three brothers rushed out of the chariot, hurried to climb the
towers and there they were, high above the mist, overlooking the undulating hills, their feet on the Great Wall.
‘
Lee An, Lee Xin, you two are assigned to the First Archery Unit, Lee Liang, you are under me, the
commander of the Third Infantry Unit and the commander in chief of this gate, Chu Jin.’ A gigantic man
announced, the countless scars on his muscular chest and hands revealed the myriad fiendish wars that he had
been through. His raging eyes were devoid of any emotions but vengeance, none in the army ever dared to look
straight at him.
Suddenly, a scout rushed in, ‘they are here, the Jurchens are marching towards us!’ he exclaimed. The news
stunned the entire camp there. Chu Jin, took a deep breath, then roared, ‘Sound the trumpets, hit the drums, put
on your armor, quick, there’s no time to waste!’ The Lees, startled and realized that it was no joke, hurried to
their own place, An and Xin picked up their bows and arrows, whereas Liang got a sword and lined along with
thousands of men beside the gate.
Catapults and flags began to loom out of the heavy mists, An and Xin were stationed side by side, their
hands trembling, their hearts sinking to the bottom, fear pervading all over their body. At the same time, down
below them stood twenty lines of infantry units, in front of them was no one but the Commander, Liang was
among the first line, he knew perfectly well. At the instant he was assigned to the infantry unit, the die was cast.
He held his sword tight, murmuring a prayer dedicated to his ancestors. The earth was shuttering at a crescendo,
the atrocious cries of the Jurchens could be heard everywhere. Then, fire meteoroids streaked the sky, the battle
had begun. The Commander cried, ‘lads, here we strike!’ He ordered the gates to be opened and led his men into
the enemy. An and Xin aimed to shoot while eluding the catapult attacks.
‘
Hey! Down there!’ shouted a senior officer, a ladder was stacked just in front of the two brothers and a
T