"General Red?" The He father and son exchanged glances. "General Red died before Zhong Shengguang?"
"Fierce generals gathered in legions under Zhong Shengguang's command, but if one were to name the supreme commander on the battlefield, none could claim the title but General Red." Speaking of renowned generals of the past, Sun Fuping's eyes held a reverent gaze. "In the latter twenty years, Panlong City's iron legion was forged almost entirely by his own hands. The posthumous letters of Panlong City's people that I obtained mention that he commanded troops like a god, looking down on the battlefield with disdain, shouldering the lion's share of pressure for Zhong Shengguang.
"Mm, did you know that after twelve years of defending the city, Zhong Shengguang was already covered in wounds and ailments, barely able to hold on? As the saying goes, 'Generals die in a hundred battles'—an iron will alone is far from enough; one must also possess an iron body."
"I've heard of this," He Lingchuan chimed in. "Supposedly, General Red once led several dozen men to scout behind enemy lines, only to run headlong into two thousand Xianyou soldiers. He fought two thousand with just a few dozen. Most of his retinue was wiped out, but General Red only fought more fiercely the more he killed. In the end, he routed the enemy until they scattered like rats, forging a legendary feat of pursuing two thousand men with just a handful of survivors. Who knows if he entered some kind of super armor state..." The unfamiliar phrasing made everyone's brows knit, so He Lingchuan quickly gave a cough. "Anyway, reinforcements finally arrived, and Panlong City won a massive victory. In Blackwater City, there are far too many legends about General Red—I could talk for three days and three nights without finishing them."
Exaggerated, yes, but people loved such exaggerated, blood-pumping tales.
"That was the Battle of Heisong Pass," Sun Fuping nodded. "Do you know what year that took place?"
"I'm not entirely certain," He Chunhua pondered for a moment. "Was it after negotiations between Xiluo and Xianyou broke down and Panlong City was besieged once more?"
"In the very autumn of the year Xianyou Kingdom resumed war against Xiluo, when the Panlong Wasteland became an enclave once more and Panlong City was reduced to an isolated outpost!" Sun Fuping said slowly. "The wording in the letters is quite fascinating as well, describing General Red as having 'burst onto the scene out of nowhere,' holding back the tides of enemies from all sides and steadying the morale of Panlong's army!"
As Sun Fuping led the rhythm, He Lingchuan chimed right in, dutifully playing the part of an attentive audience: "Indeed. How could such an unprecedented fierce warrior, the savior of Panlong City, have zero presence beforehand, only to suddenly 'burst onto the scene' at that very juncture?"
Like everyone in Blackwater City, he was intimately familiar with the legends of General Red. But legends were just legends; with nearly all records lost to history, who would actually scrutinize historical details from over a century ago?
Nian Songyu picked up the thread: "After reviewing historical records, the Grand Marshal believes that Zhong Shengguang offered the deity blood sacrifice first, and General Red burst onto the scene afterward. There is bound to be a connection between the two."
He Chunhua said, "So, apart from the Dafang Pot, the deity's assistance actually manifested in the person of General Red?"
Bestowing two forms of aid in one go—this deity was truly generous.
"At the very least, he was a crucial part of it," Sun Fuping continued. "The personal guard's posthumous letter also mentioned that General Red left Panlong City twice—once to Xiluo, and once reaching Xianyou Kingdom itself! The guard deeply regretted not following him, which would have given him the chance to be garrisoned in his homeland instead of being buried in the wasteland."
The He father and son were astonished. "General Red actually went back to Xiluo?"
"Wasn't Panlong City besieged and cut off as an isolated stronghold?" He Lingchuan clicked his tongue twice. "He could even travel to Xianyou... Mm, what did he go to Xianyou for?"
"That remains unknown." Nian Songyu shrugged. "When he went, when he returned, and what specifically he did—the materials in our possession make no mention of it."
"Even if he was the foremost general of the past three hundred years, his various deeds defy imagination. Perhaps he was an exceedingly powerful mystic himself, augmented by the dynastic fortune of the entire Panlong Wasteland." Sun Fuping let out a long breath. "However, I am more inclined to believe that General Red was no longer human, but possessed the body of a demigod!"
"The body of a demigod?" He Chunhua blurted out. "You mean... divine descent!"
"Precisely! Divine descent!"
The usually calm and steady Commandery Governor He was filled with astonishment and bewilderment, but he soon composed himself:
"Across all recorded history, there have only been three verified instances of divine descent." Still, General Red's military exploits were so overwhelmingly brilliant that attributing them to a deity made them far easier to accept. "It is said that the requirements for divine descent are exceedingly harsh, which is why there are so few documented examples."
He Lingchuan immediately searched his host body's memories for the words "divine descent," but after rummaging for a good while, he found only a vague impression. People often said that deities dwelt three feet above one's head, but in truth, gods existed beyond the firmament and could not directly descend into this realm.
Though the true entity could not enter, under extremely limited conditions, a god could possess a mortal body through "divine descent" to act, which served as an indirect arrival in the mortal realm.
Those who received a "divine descent" were also known as demigods.
"Indeed. Deities generally do not meddle in mortal affairs, but there are always exceptions," Sun Fuping said. "In the spring of the thirty-second year of Panlong City's defense, Xianyou and Baling rallied five vassal states to launch a joint campaign. They also petitioned the demon kingdom of the north for six hundred demon soldiers, launching an unprecedentedly massive assault on Panlong City. It is said the battle was fierce enough to 'level mountains flat'—Mount Yindou to the north was flattened entirely.
"In that battle, the six hundred demon soldiers and the two leading demon generals were wiped out to the last. Of the five National Preceptors dispatched by the seven nations, three died and one was severely wounded. As for the casualties among the rank-and-file soldiers, they went beyond counting. It is said that in the five years following the great battle, eight out of ten fertile fields across Xianyou Kingdom lay fallow, lacking enough able-bodied youths to till the land."
Nian Songyu sighed. "Even Xianyou Kingdom, as the victorious attacking party, could not bear such staggering losses. Only a few years after the Battle of Panlong City concluded, civil strife erupted, splintering it into several smaller states that remain embroiled in war to this day."
"The letters mention that General Red fell during this epochal battle. On the third day after his death, Panlong City fell, and Zhong Shengguang cut his own throat."
"So that was how it went," He Chunhua could not help sighing. "What a pity."
A pity that hundreds of thousands of loyal bones were buried in the Panlong Wasteland, yet ultimately failed to defy heaven and rewrite their destiny.
"Not only is it a pity, it's terrifying," He Lingchuan also sighed. "An army that seven nations could barely overcome has now become the heroic spirits we have to face. That said, no matter how formidable the Gale Army was, their strength was inextricably tied to the Dafang Pot. But in the end, Panlong City still fell. Could the Dafang Pot have lost its power?"
"That, we do not know." Sun Fuping spread his hands. "There are no records anywhere. It was hard enough just deducing this much from our limited materials. All of this is merely glimpsing a leopard through a bamboo tube—seeing only a single spot. The truth will likely remain unknown forever."
Nian Songyu stood up and stretched lazily. "Let's turn in early. Starting tomorrow, we might not get another peaceful night's sleep."
The meeting adjourned.
The He father and son shared a small room.
The room was tiny, barely able to fit two small cots. When two grown men lay down, there was scarcely room to stretch out their legs.
Yet the bedding was surprisingly dry and crisp, which He Lingchuan surmised was due to the arid desert air. There was a bit of sand on the floor, but none of those bothersome little critters.
Chapter 23