Tale of Zhen'er

A Lonely Song

   A sad melody floated into the night. Singing a tale of sorrow unaccountable, lamenting the unfairness of Heaven.
 
  Many tears were shed by the inhabitants of this frontier garrison. The flute crying out their complaints, suffered by those far from home. And tonight, they mourn the lost of their pillar, the old valiant General.

  He who lived and laughed and fought alongside his men. Sharing their pain and suffering with quiet dignity. Giving honour to their sacrifices, these men of the outermost border of the kingdom.

  The song slowly ended, fading into the darkness. Slender fingers gripping the jade instrument, overcame by emotions. Fresh tears fell upon the cold sands of the region.

  "Young General, sir, please care for your health."

  A nod was his only answer. The soldier shakes his head and fussed sadly over his worrisome young charge.

  Unbeknownst to them, a scout silently made his way to a waiting horse, riding hard to bring his observations to their bitterest enemy.

*****

"All I, Li Zhiyan, ever wished for, was a child to carry my family name. But I was not blessed by the ancestors with a long or fruitful marriage."

"Uncle, please conserve your energy."

"No, child. This, I must say out loud now, so I'll die with no regrets."

"My Lord, do not say such misfortunate words!"
"General Li, do not be hampered with despair!"
"Brother Li, do not give up!"

"Silence, you old fools! Let him speak!"

"Thank you, Healer Qi. I may be unblessed in my marriage, but I no longer claim myself  a fruitless branch. For, in my heart, I hold you dear as my own flesh and blood, Zhen'er."

A rattling cough shook the heavily injured body, as scarlet stains bloomed across his many bandages. A scarred hand shakily offered an ornate token, the symbol of his station, and the pride of the garrison.

"Zhen'er, forgive this old man for placing this burden upon you. The Capital may have forgotten us, and the ministry may have forsaken us. But we must not fail upon our oaths to protect the Empire!"

His strong emotions brought forth a new bout of coughing, until blood covered his lips.

"There's no one else that could have done what you did all of these years. Your counsel and strategies saved us all, time and again."

The medallion changed hands, accompanied by silent weeping by all the witnesses. Men, made far much older than their true years, worn away by harsh living and dangerous obligation to the throne they had given loyalty to.

"I name you General, Li Zhen."

*****

  The man sitting at the center of the war council tent smiled as he received the new information.

  Powerfully built, he carries an aura of command despite his careless posture. The full suit of armour gave truth to the strength slyly hinted with his easy movements. Blessed with good looks inherited from countless beauties married into his bloodline, willingly or otherwise. He draws attention and compel devotion from all that surrounds him.
 
  Murong Jūn is a force to be reckoned with. For the first time in living memory, a descendant of the kings of Xing has taken to the battlefield to wage bloodshed and death.

~~~~~~

This is my first ever attempt.
Not a native English speaker, and definitely not a Chinese speaker.
Un-beta, no plot aside from what I made up as I go along, and the timeline will be all over the place. No historical accuracy whatsoever, everything you see here came from me watching countless c-dramas, wuxia films, reading fanfictions and the few translated chinese novel that I sometimes come across.
This is just to write down all the crazy plot bunnies that overcrowded my brain.

Thank you for reading.