and he dragged out a dagger, the same dagger he used twenty years ago, it was stained all over with the blood of
the Jurchens.
‘
Brother, you are drunk, nothing is…’ then Xin stabbed the dagger at the chest of his brother without letting
his brother finish his sentence.
‘
Nothing is more important than human lives! You have changed brother, from that very first day of our
career.’
An stood up, blood percolating, he looked back at his desk, at the victories that he seized throughout his
life he laughed and kept murmuring until his last breath, ‘My name will be honored and remembered, my name
will be heard throughout China……’ Then he staggered towards them and fell.
Xin removed the dagger from his brother’s corpse, looked up to the sky, saying, ‘Father, mother, I am sorry,
I cannot keep my promise, we cannot keep our promise,’ Then he stabbed himself and expired.
A few days later, the same soldier that recruited the brothers and announced the death of Lee Liang came
to the village of the Lees.
‘
May his honor, the Lee family come out’ announced the soldier, the parents, now old with white hair
crawled out from their elegant palace, ‘Dear Sir, your sons Lee An and Lee Xin sacrificed his life for the sake of
his people, the Emperor would like to express his deepest condolences to you,’ the soldier, now with beard on
his cheeks, still showed no feelings or sadness in his words. The mother flinched and fainted and the father
quickly caught hold of her, ‘How did they die, aren’t they both high ranked commanders?’ The father asked.
‘
Your honor sir, rumors have it that Xin assassinated General An, and then XIn committed suicide,’ replied
the soldier.
‘
You are lying… you are lying’ cried the father, then he threw up blood and with a huge sorrowful cry,
passed away, with his wife following him the day after.
* * *