Victorious Forever

A Story by Bad Wolf

Based on the Chinese Princess Pingyang. The story is fictional but the named characters are not. Original.

Some call me the Warrior princess, though I prefer a much simpler name.

Yes, I am a princess. My father is the founder of the Tang dynasty. The people supposedly adore me for overthrowing the Sui dynasty and bringing justice and prosperity to the land of the Middle Kingdom.

My name, the name I go by, is Pingyang. I was born in 598 AD in the city of Nantong. Nantong, a city that I will always look back on with fond memories, was founded in the 5^th or 6^th century, and is located in the Yangtze River Delta. This city was one of the first trading cities and known by people from miles around as the “Pearl of the River and Sea”. It is located on the eastern coast of the Middle Kingdom, bordering the Yangtze. As a child I would stare out at its stormy waters, which lead to the sea, and think of adventure, courage, and excitement.

Life when I was young, in the Sui dynasty, was intolerable. Emperor Yang was a corrupt and cruel tyrant, and the people lived in despair and poverty. I could not stand watching the people suffer, and my childhood daydreams of battle and chivalry came back to me as I watched.

Peasants began to rebel in pockets of the country. My father, Li Yuan, who had always seen better for our land and people, sent me a message containing the following:

My dear Pingyang,

Now is the time for honorable actions to be taken. A bold attempt is half success. You are seeing as I, and do realize the same.

Victory is gained not by idleness. Join the cause.

Love, your father Li Yuan, and your mother Dou.

" I have contacted your brothers Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin.

I decided to join. I had realized that when dishonor occurs, it is up to the strong, the brave, and the pure of heart to fix the injustice.

But even more potently, I wanted to discover what success and victory felt like. Stories from my father, uncles, and brothers were only stories. Tall tales, myths, fables. To truly find victory, I must discover it for myself.

The Sui Tyrant Yang caught wind of my father’s plan to bring glory back to the Middle Kingdom. He imprisoned everyone in my family, but thankfully my husband, Cai Shao and I managed to escape. At Chang’an, we decided to each lead our own armies.

At first the soldiers treated me with disrespect. “She is only a girl”, they would say. Every time I walked past their tents, they would jeer, spit gobs of bile on the ground and use inferior language to describe me and our tour for justice.

That is not to say that they were not great men and great soldiers alike. They were fast learners and began to gain some degree of respect for me. . They must have seen my own intrinsic desire to succeed and be great. Even though each day I wore beautiful silk dresses and pinned my hair up perfectly, the soldiers learned to see through my disguise of a woman; and see the true me, the fierce lioness with the heart of a warrior.

After finishing our morning drills one day, we heard and felt the noise and rumbling of footsteps in the distance. My soldiers jumped up, anticipation in their eyes. I rose from my seat, my hanfu decorated with lilies swirling around me.

I looked my soldiers in the eyes. As if in a trance, my eyes swept over the mass as time seemed to stand still.

Then once again, the sound of hoof beats aroused me. The army looked back at me. I didn’t even have to say a word before, at once; they dispersed to don their armor.

Once on the battlefield, my army lined up in perfect formation. From my stallion, I looked and saw only row upon row of gleaming armor. Identical figures lined up in perfect unison came to my eye. I had trained them well.

Then a voice rang out form the front of the enemy’s troops. “We challenge now the army before us, the Army of the Lady Li; usurper to the throne and opponent to the good and just Emperor Yang.”

The armies stood silent before each other. Then, as from some unspoken command, both simultaneously charged at one another.

Shouts and screams rose from the battlefield. Through the day the metallic ring of sword on sword, metal upon metal, and the heavy, dull clank of armor was ever present in the ears of them all. As the day wore on, the soldiers began to grow tired. Many men fell to the ground and did not rise.

After the midday meal, I rode on my pure white mare into the battle. Those wounded, lying on the ground, helpless, looked up and saw the shape of a majestic horse with a woman on its back blotting out the sun. One man told me later that rays form the sun were streaming out from the silhouette, and that in his delusions he pictured me as a savior, a goddess.

Weary and bedraggled, my soldiers rose to their feet. I gestured to the other army.

“Arise”, I said. “Your time is now”. One by one, the message spread through the crowd. Energized, rejuvenated, my army took to the field.

Once again, swords clashed. I was in my tent, discussing strategy with a commander. Then came a voice at the door informing me that there was a message from the general of the Sui army. It read:

General Pingyang:

An army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep. However a defeated bear cub is not tired of wrestling.

With this word of warning, I submit myself to your mercy. May God bless our souls.

From, your opponent, the General of the Sui

VICTORY!

There is nothing sweeter. Joy flooded through my heart as tears welled up in my eyes. Relief crashed through my body like waves upon the ocean shore. A teardrop was absorbed by the soft white paper as I sank down in my chair.

The general opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it before uttering a sound. He left the room silently. I sat in my chair, doing nothing, just looking and thinking of nothing.

Then a great chorus of cheers came from the outside, and I knew my moment was here. I stepped outside. Victory was mine and would stay in my heart, my hope, my soul and smile forever.