CHAPTER IV: Shen Lian

My name is Jeremus, I was a servant to a Greek general named Alexios before I was exiled to the eastern lands. Then I found myself in the land of silk, and became a personal assistant and a keeper of his histories named Shen Lian.

The year is 1212, This is the late period of Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms in China. The Song and Jin dynasties were at war all year round, but the Mongols quietly unified the entire grassland. Xin Qiji, governor of Jiangxi Province, saw that the Jin army was attacking fiercely and the Song Dynasty was losing one city after another. He wrote in a letter to his son: "When the Song Dynasty army recovers the lost land, don't forget to tell your father." Song Renzong Zhao Kuo mobilized troops from all over the country to resist the Jin Dynasty, and Shen Lian was a general who commanded 5,000 elite soldiers. On that day, Minister of War Jinghao came to Shen Lian's barracks with the imperial decree.

Jing Hao walked into the tent, unfolded the imperial decree in his hand, and read the words on the imperial decree to Shen Lian. "Following the wishes of the heavens, I will tell you the emperor's order. The emperor orders you to take down Yingtian Mansion within five days. If you fail, you will be killed immediately." Shen Lian received the imperial edict, and Jing Hao said, "Master Shen, shouldn't you write a letter of guarantee?" Shen Lian picked up the brush on the table, wrote his name on the letter of guarantee and then stamped it. The next day, Shen Lian ordered the soldiers to beat the war drums, and then gathered all the soldiers to march towards Ying Tianfu.

At night, Shen Lian ordered the army to forbid lighting bonfires, and Shen Lian's army lurks in the forest outside Yingtian City. It was midnight now, and the army in Yingtian City had already rested, only a dozen or so people were patrolling the city wall. Shen Lian took up a bow and arrow and shot a flaming arrow into the sky, and 5,000 soldiers rushed out of the forest with spears and broadswords, and the soldiers came to the city wall with huge ladders on their shoulders. They climbed the ladder to the wall. Soldiers of the Song Army killed Jin soldiers who were on night duty with spears. Then several soldiers came to the dormitory of the Jin Dynasty army holding the explosives high. Shen Lian only heard an explosion, and he understood that the war had been won. No one in the Song Dynasty army was injured, and the Jin Dynasty army had been completely destroyed.

Only one night later, Shen Lian's army occupied Yingtian Mansion. A few weeks later, Jing Hao, Minister of the Ministry of War, believed that Shen Lian's army was too powerful and threatened his own interests, so he told Song Renzong Zhao Kuo, "Shen Lian's army is really too strong. Now the entire Song Dynasty army will all follow him." Zhao Kuo was very flustered after hearing this, and asked: "How can we kill Shen Lian?" Jing Hao said: "It's very simple, we just need to tell others that Shen Lian colluded with the Jin Dynasty in an attempt to rebel. In this way, we can justifiably kill him."

Both Zhao Kuo and Jing Hao laughed. A month later, Jing Hao came to Yingtian Mansion with a forbidden army, and Shen Lian, who knew nothing, went out to meet Jing Hao. Jing Hao said loudly: "Shen Lian colluded with the Jin Dynasty in an attempt to rebel, the Emperor of the Song Dynasty ordered me to arrest you to Lin'an." Shen Lian said: "I have dedicated my life to serving the country, but today I was framed by you!" Jing Hao said: " Catch him quickly!" Shen Lian rode a fast horse and escaped from Ying Tian Mansion.