Chapter 2

“The defeat at the Chashi River was due to the rash engagement by the entire David Sullivan command. After the loss at Chashi River, there was still a chance to recover along the Dunzhou front, but he inexplicably retreated despite the disparity in forces. As a result, the three cities of Duanzhou fell, and tens of thousands of civilians in those cities perished under the curved sabers of the Biansha. ” The interrogator sighed deeply at this point, his voice filled with hatred. “The six prefectures of Zhongbo ran red with blood. David Sullivan led his troops south in retreat, and the battle at Dengzhou was the most suspicious of all! The Qidong Chijun garrison had already crossed Tianfei Gate to provide support, yet he abandoned the plan for a pincer attack, diverted several thousand cavalry to escort his family to Dancheng, and thus caused the entire Dengzhou defense line to collapse—was this not intentional? If not for the Libei iron cavalry racing three nights across the frozen river, the Biansha cavalry would have reached the gates of Qudu by now!”

William Sullivan was in a daze, drenched in cold sweat, as the interrogator disdainfully flung the confession, striking the back of his head.

“Better to be a dog than a man of Zhongbo. This time, David Sullivan is the traitor of Great Zhou. You deny it? You have no choice but to confess!”

William Sullivan was numb with pain, slumped over the bench, staring at the confession laid before his eyes. The ink was clear, every character a lash of shame, striking his face, telling the whole world.

David Sullivan betrayed his country, not even worthy of being called a dog.

He caused the six prefectures of Zhongbo to be choked with corpses, and the bodies buried in the Chashi sinkhole still lay uncollected, for the cities of Dunzhou had already been slaughtered to the last.

David Sullivan burned himself to death, but this blood-soaked account still needed a living person to bear it. David Sullivan had many wives and sons, all of whom died when the Biansha cavalry took Dunzhou; only William Sullivan, born too lowly, raised outside, survived by chance.

William Sullivan was dragged back, blood trailing from his heels. He faced the wall, gazing at the narrow window. The cold wind howled, snow lashed fiercely, and the pitch-black night seemed endless.

His mind was muddled, and in the sound of the wind, he was back in the pit.

Ethan Carter was already failing, his breathing labored, blood trickling down his armor onto the back of William Sullivan's neck, quickly turning icy cold. The cries around them had faded, leaving only unbearable groans of pain and the howling of the bitter wind.

William Sullivan was face to face with a corpse whose features were unrecognizable, his leg pinned beneath heavy bodies, a shield digging into his waist and belly, every breath thick with the stench of blood. He bit his lip, tears streaming, but dared not cry out loud. He stared in despair at the trampled face, unable to tell if it belonged to a soldier he once knew.

“Brother.” William Sullivan sobbed softly, “I... I’m so scared…”

Ethan Carter's throat moved, and he gently patted William Sullivan's head with his palm, saying, “It’s okay… it’s okay.”

William Sullivan heard a dying soldier singing, the song torn apart by the raging wind, drifting raggedly through the cold night.

“Fighting south of the city… dying north of the wall… dying in the wild, unburied… the crows may feast. [1]”

“Brother.” William Sullivan whispered beneath him, “I’ll carry you out… brother.”

Ethan Carter's body was like a twisted shield. He smiled faintly, his voice hoarse: “Brother can still walk.”

“Were you shot by an arrow?”

“No.” Ethan Carter's tears had dried, his voice light as air. “…The Biansha baldies can’t shoot straight.”

William Sullivan's fingers were soaked in blood and flesh as well. He struggled to wipe his face, saying, “Mistress made dumplings, waiting for you and my family to come. We’ll eat many bowls.”

Ethan Carter sighed, saying, “…Brother eats slowly, you… don’t snatch.”

William Sullivan nodded hard from below.

Snow gradually covered Ethan Carter's body. He seemed very tired, his voice so faint he couldn’t even move a finger. The song grew slower, and when it reached the line “the valiant cavalry die in battle,” Ethan Carter closed his eyes.

William Sullivan said, “My… my money is yours too, for marrying a wife…”

“Brother.”

“Brother.”

Ethan Carter fell silent, as if tired of hearing him, finally drifting off to sleep.

William Sullivan began to tremble all over. He forgot when the Biansha cavalry left, and forgot how he crawled out. When he pushed himself up on his arms, the snow was deathly still. The piled corpses beneath his knees were like discarded sacks.

William Sullivan looked back, and choked with sobs.

Ethan Carter's back was bristling with arrow shafts, his body curled up like a hedgehog. So much blood had flowed onto William Sullivan's back, yet he hadn’t felt a thing.

The sound of galloping hooves thundered closer, like muffled thunder. William Sullivan suddenly shuddered, jolted awake.

He wanted to retch, but found his wrists tightly bound, a sack filled with earth covering his body.

The sack grew heavier and heavier, pressing on his chest, so much that he couldn’t even make a sound. This was the prison’s usual “earth sack suffocation,” reserved for those they didn’t want to leave alive, leaving no wounds. If he hadn’t woken just now, by morning, William Sullivan would have been cold and dead.

Someone wanted to kill him!

Author’s note: [1] Quoted from “Eighteen Songs of the Nao Drum: Battle South of the City”

Chapter 2: Beaten to Death with Staves

The lights in the imperial prison were dim. William Sullivan's hands and feet were icy, his breathing growing more and more labored. The hemp rope was tied tight, and he kept rubbing his wrists together, but it was useless.

The earth sack pressed against his chest, as if he’d been thrown into a deep pool, his ears buzzing, his breath ragged, unable to breathe as if he were drowning.

William Sullivan rolled his eyes, staring at the candlelight outside the bars.