The Turning Wheel (9): The Legend Begins

At the tail end of November, the dirt road leading away from Peixian was a sticky, miserable stretch caught between mud and frost. Liu Bang walked that path—the gray road where even the boundary between field ridges and trail had blurred into nothing. He led thirty prisoners toward Yushan, the land of death.

How many days has it been?

He no longer knew the exact date. Half a month? A full month? Time had lost all shape long ago, crushed to formless sludge beneath his feet. The only certainty was that they would never arrive by the deadline. And one other truth: the number of footsteps trailing behind him kept shrinking.

“Big Brother, two more have vanished.”

Lu Wan’s creeping voice came from behind. Liu Bang turned slowly. The column of prisoners, men lashed together like dried fish with rope. He shook the mud from his straw sandals and counted them with his eyes. One, two, three… Twenty-three. It had definitely been twenty-five the night before.

“……Two, then.”

“Yes. Looks like they gnawed through the ropes with their teeth and ran off in the dead of night.”

“What were the watchmen doing?”

“……Everyone was so exhausted they just collapsed.”

Lu Wan answered with a bitter face. Dark shadows hung beneath his eyes as well. Liu Bang could say nothing. He had no right to scold them—because he himself was exhausted to the bone.

All-day marches, nights spent in the open. Nothing but a bowl of thin gruel for food. Even though he had been buying a little wine and jerky with the travel money Zhi prepared and sharing it around, the human body had already reached its limit. The four soldiers who had followed him from Peixian were also completely spent, barely able to stand by using their spears as crutches.

“……Leave them.”

Liu Bang spat the order along with a puff of white breath.

“No time to chase them. We don’t have the strength anyway.”

“But Big Brother…”

“I know.”

Liu Bang clapped Lu Wan on the shoulder.

“I know it very well. That my neck is hanging by a thread.”

He smiled bitterly.

“……So let’s walk. We need to cover as much ground as we can before this mud freezes solid.”

The procession began moving again. Liu Bang stood at the front and reorganized the column once more. Gray skies. Withered trees. Winds that sliced like knives. And prisoners, with visible gaps beginning to appear among them. Yet when he met their hollow eyes, what rose inside Liu Bang was not anger.

Pitiful wretches.

A fierce compassion. And a strange sense of kinship. These men had committed no great crimes. Debtors. Men who threw punches while drunk. Men who had skipped their labor duty while scraping together medicine money for a child… The dog-like laws of Qin turned decent family heads into convicts over trifles. And once they became convicts, they were sent to Yushan. To build the First Emperor’s mausoleum. Tens of thousands were ground up like disposable tools every year for that insane tomb. And most who went there… never set foot on their homeland again. Crushed to death at work, dead from disease, beaten to death while trying to flee. Yushan had already become a vast graveyard built to create a graveyard.

And here I am, playing the grim reaper delivering these men to that tomb…

The realization pressed down on his shoulders like a thousand pounds of stone. As chief official, Liu Bang was obeying orders. He was upholding the law. He was faithfully carrying out the duties the county magistrate and the state had given him. But.

Is this truly right?

No answer came. Only the wind beat against his ears.

Night had grown deep. Liu Bang crouched in a corner of the campsite, warming himself by a small campfire. The prisoners, still bound by ropes, huddled together for body heat as they sat on the ground. No one spoke. Only rough breathing and the occasional suppressed groan broke the silence.

“……”

Liu Bang pulled a small wine bottle from his pack. Cheap turbid liquor bought in the last village. He took only the smallest sip—just enough to moisten his tongue. The sour, musty taste typical of cheap wine. Like vinegar watered down. Yet the hot energy sliding down his throat was the only luxury he could afford right now.

……Zhi.

Was it the wine, or the cold that pierced to his marrow? Simply recalling her name warmed the deepest part of his chest. That woman was truly impossible to predict. Suggesting they only talk on their wedding night, paying off her husband’s debts without a word, winning over his rough comrades, gathering the women to start a business, accepting Lady Cao and Liu Fei as family, debating on equal footing with the peerless Xiao He, and now even inventing that strange food called tofu. She was no ordinary woman. No matter how you looked at it, she was not some typical lady of the inner quarters.

“Huu.”

Yet Liu Bang loved that about Lü Zhi. No—love was too weak a word. Every night he held her hand as they slept. Hands as white as snow on the roof, as cold as ice. Sometimes in her sleep she would toss and tightly embrace the hand he held, but even then Liu Bang did nothing. He simply held that small hand in return and shared his warmth. That alone filled him with a strange sense of completeness beyond mere affection.

I miss her.

That slender frame. Porcelain skin. Hair black as midnight. And those mysterious eyes she sometimes showed—impossible to read, as though they pierced through something beyond this world. Deep, rich eyes.

He could not know what she knew. He could not guess what she was thinking. But one thing was certain.

She had said those words, brushing aside his refusal.

Options, huh…

The eyes with which he gazed down at the purse had never been deeper.

December. Liu Bang’s group entered the endless marshlands west of Fengyi—the place villagers called Fengxi Marsh. The sky was bruised a deep blue, the ground sodden with foul water. The reed forest tangled like a ghost’s hair, and from somewhere came the cry of an unnamed bird. The number of prisoners had now fallen to thirteen.

“Big Brother.”

Lu Wan approached, face caked in dirt, and stood beside him.

“This… is impossible now. Continuing like this is meaningless.”

“I know.”

Liu Bang stopped.

“……I know all too well.”

He turned his head weakly to look back. Thirteen prisoners. Eyes that had lost focus from utter exhaustion. Parched faces of men who had not fled—who had given up on fleeing. How much farther to Yushan? A month? Two months? In that distant journey, how many of them could possibly survive?

No.

Liu Bang shook his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠head.

The problem isn’t them.

The real problem was himself. Arriving at Yushan like this would mean nothing. He had set out with thirty prisoners. Now thirteen remained. More than half had escaped. According to Qin law, an official who lost prisoners would be punished by that exact number. Each loss made the crime heavier. Having lost seventeen, he was already as good as a condemned man. The moment he reached Yushan, Liu Bang would shed his official robes and be bound with rope. And then—snick. A dog’s death.

“……Damn it.”

Liu Bang muttered the curse under his breath. The prisoners, hearing his oath, showed no reaction at all; they simply stared blankly ahead.

That night, Liu Bang sat in a sheltered gap between rocks at the edge of camp and drank. It had been five days since the last village. This was the final bottle he had saved. Without hesitation he pulled the stopper and poured every drop down his throat.

Gulp. Gulp. A burning heat as though his gullet were on fire. Yet his mind remained cold as ice. As the wine took hold, the tangled threads of thought slowly began to unravel.

What now?

The choices were clear. One: continue on and die like a dog at Yushan. Two: run. Abandon the prisoners and flee alone. Either path led to ruin. Going to Yushan meant death. Fleeing alone made him an undeniable criminal. Qin law did not forgive fugitives. They would hunt him down by any means.

……Zhi.

Her face rose in his mind. A woman who was white and cold, yet harbored a strange warmth. Those eyes that had told him she believed in him.

“Go safely.”

In the final moment she had pressed a warm, soft seal upon his cheek and spoken those words. And he, though she might not have heard it, had vowed clearly. That he would return without fail. That he would return to her side alive.

……For you.

The hand gripping the bottle tightened harder than ever.

The next morning, thick fog blanketed the lake. Liu Bang had made his decision. He woke every prisoner and gathered them in one place. Thirteen men. All stood before him—clothes caked in mud, cheeks sunken, eyes vacant. Within those eyes swirled faint fear and a thread of expectation. Liu Bang swept his gaze over them once, then hurled the empty wine bottle onto the ground.

Crash!

The shattering sound tore through the silence. The bottle exploded against the rock, scattering sharp fragments. Water birds hiding in the fog burst into flight with a frantic flutter.

Silence. No one moved. It seemed even the wind had stopped.

“What… are you saying…”

After a long pause, a young prisoner asked in a cracked voice.

“I said I am releasing you.”

Liu Bang nodded calmly and continued.

“From this moment, move as you wish. Return to your villages or hide in the mountains. I will not pursue you anymore.”

“……Have you lost your mind?”

“Yes, I have. Only a madman would do this.”

He drew the sword at his waist. The blade he had bought with his first salary as chief official. The sword to which he had given the grandiose name Crimson Firmament Sword, carrying his vow to succeed one day. The very sword he had swung meaninglessly beside Zhi while quietly watching her fold laundry.

Even if I cannot return, I must at least make the money you gave me count, Zhi.

Without hesitation Liu Bang slashed through the thick ropes that bound the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠prisoners.

“……!”

The prisoners gasped. The severed ropes fell to the ground like dead snakes. The bonds that had held their wrists, the law of Qin itself, had been cut away in vain. They were free.

“Why… why…”

Old Man Wang, the elderly prisoner, stepped forward rubbing his trembling hands.

“Why are you releasing us?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Liu Bang gave a bitter smile.

“If we continue to Yushan like this, you will all die.”

“But you are an official. If you let us go…”

“It will mean execution, yes.”

Liu Bang shrugged as though speaking of someone else’s fate.

“But more than half have already fled. Bringing thirteen now changes nothing. My neck will fly either way.”

Liu Bang sheathed the Crimson Firmament Sword.

“So I want to do something that means at least a little. If I’m going to die anyway, I should leave a name behind.”

“If it’s something meaningful…”

“It’s saving all of you.”

Liu Bang looked around at the prisoners.

“I was not escorting you to kill you. I only did it because it was an order. But this is the limit. I will no longer drag my fellow countrymen from Peixian to their deaths with my own hands.”

Silence fell. The prisoners simply stared at him with dazed faces.

“So.”

Liu Bang raised his voice, refusing to look away from their eyes.

“Go now! Get out of here! Forget me and go see your wives and children at least one more time!”

His shout seemed to shake the very earth. Only then, as though reality had finally struck them, one young prisoner began to move. One, then another. Three men started running. At the edge of the reed-choked marsh they looked back at Liu Bang once more. And then—

“……Ugh.”

They turned and walked back to the group. Liu Bang watched without a word. Only after the returnees hung their heads did he speak.

“What is it? Why aren’t you leaving?”

“……We’re not going.”

The young man who had moved first clenched his fists tightly. Then Old Man Wang stepped forward.

“We will follow you.”

“……What?”

“You saved our lives. You staked an official’s life to save criminals. Even beasts remember kindness—how could we turn our backs as men?”

Old Man Wang knelt in the mud. Bowing low, he lowered his voice.

“All we have left is these bodies. So please take us as your subordinates. We will follow you anywhere in this world.”

At those words the other men knelt one after another. The wet sounds of knees striking mud continued without pause. Liu Bang simply stared at the scene, stunned.

“Ha.”

It was absurd. Did they truly wish to die? Unlike them, Liu Bang was an official whose name was properly recorded in the registers. The Qin ledgers might forget escaped petty criminals, but ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they would never forget a fugitive official. Following him would mean living as outlaws forever. Moreover, logically, thirteen men fleeing together was far more dangerous than fleeing alone. Common sense said they should scatter here, survive separately, and plan for the future. By all common sense.

“……Good.”

Yet at that moment a smile rose to Liu Bang’s lips. Something in his chest was boiling fiercely. The thing he had buried deep inside, telling himself to give up and know his place—the thing he had not dared to name, ambition—was breaking free of its shell.

“If you will not leave me, then I will not abandon you either.”

His voice had grown far more majestic than before. The four soldiers who had been watching nervously soon set down their spears and knelt as well. Liu Bang looked around at them, then drew out the still-heavy purse Zhi had given him.

“In that spirit, today we drink our fill!”

Without hesitation Liu Bang pulled out the bundle of coins. Clink! The clear, bright ring of metal echoed across the desolate reed marsh.

“……Huh?”

Lu Wan, who had been staring at his big brother in a daze, turned deathly pale.

“D-drink? Big Brother, we are fugitives now…”

“So what? It’s not as if they’ll brand my forehead this very instant.”

Liu Bang turned from Lu Wan and looked once more at the prisoners—no, at his new subordinates.

“From now on you are no longer convicts. You are heroes of Peixian! You are brothers who will share life and death with this Liu Ji! So, to celebrate becoming brothers, your big brother will feed you fine wine and food until your stomachs burst!”

“……”

The men simply gazed up at him, stunned.

“……Waaaaah!”

Then the youngest of the four soldiers thrust both arms into the air and shouted. The cheer spread like wildfire from mouth to mouth.

“Waaaaah!”

“Long live Big Brother Liu! Long live our leader!”

The honest voices hidden beneath their half-dead appearances finally burst forth. Liu Bang looked at them with a satisfied smile and gripped the purse even tighter.

Zhi, you said having money increases your options.

He did not know whether she had foreseen this moment. What calculations had passed behind those sharp eyes, he could not begin to guess.

Yes. It is exactly as you said.

But the four hundred coins she had given him had indeed added a new choice. The money she handed over had become a fresh rope binding the men’s hearts as one.

So this is my choice. To survive by any means and return to your side.

Liu Bang renewed his vow. To return alive to Peixian and hold those cold hands. By any method necessary. To survive this wretched situation and meet Zhi again.

Liu Bang turned to the still-dazed Lu Wan. A far lighter smile now rested on his face.

“Hey, Wan.”

“Y-yes, Big Brother.”

Liu Bang tossed him the heavy purse.

“Take the soldiers to the nearest village and buy every drop of wine they have. On the way, catch a few dogs and sheep as well.”

Then he raised the Crimson Firmament Sword high overhead and shouted in a voice that shook the reeds.

“Today, eat and drink until you burst! After that, we head for Mangdang Mountain!”