Princess of the Jurchen Empire 1

Giant Wang Li

 Today, in these stuffy, August days, I remembered a story that I saw in a dream as a child.  Then it was also August and I was the same age as the princess of the Jurchen Empire when she was hidden in the secret city of Zhen.  Yes, it was also August then, it was stuffy and foggy.  And that was many, many centuries ago.  The princess was carried to the secret city to place her small, childish hands on the scales of time.
 So, the scales of time... By the way, the scales of time are in the secret city of Zhen even now.  Long ago, the grandfather of the Jurchen Emperor built this underground city so that the nation could survive.  Grandfather had the gift of foresight.  He saw the future!
 The army is broken, there are a few surviving soldiers, but a handful of civilians, where to go?  The enemy is on the heels.  Order: "Cut under the root!"  soldiers of the enemy army understand literally.  Under the root means not to leave anyone alive - no one, no old women, no babies.  The nation must disappear!  But the Jurchens left.  There were few of them left, they went through blood and pain. In the small crowd there were, among others, old women, old men, and babies.  The mothers clamped the mouths of the babies, but the babies didn’t cry anymore - they were weak from hunger. The soldiers covered the rear. Unfortunately, the prediction came true, and now the grandson of the great grandfather, the Jurchen Emperor, ordered before his death to save the remnants of the nation at any cost and take him to a secret city.  The emperor was dying.  Suffering from a wound, he nevertheless held on, he waited for the general to return.  The general was a childhood friend of the emperor, only he was trusted by the great emperor.
- Save the remaining children!  We need to take them to the secret city!
 Is my daughter still alive?
 -Yes, my lord!  She is very weak, but conscious!
 - Blessed be the Buddha! - the emperor fell silent, every word was given to him with difficulty, - bend down, I will tell you a secret!
 The story took the last strength from the emperor.  At least an hour passed, only then the ruler of the Jurchen Empire spoke again.
 -Find the tallest and toughest warrior, put him to the test.  Cut off part of the earlobe. If the warrior passes the test with honor, take an oath from him and tell him everything.
 My daughter must be taken to the secret city, like all other children.  No one must know that a warrior is carrying a princess.  I know that spies report everything to an insidious enemy.  To confuse the tracks, a warrior must carry six children.  Do you understand?
 - My lord, six is ;;not enough, among the six it is easy to find a princess.
 -Yes, you are right.  Let him carry eight.  Eight is the number of happiness and good luck!
 The first halt should be made near the stone of the bird, the second - near the sacred lake, the third halt - near the red gate.  I...
 -My lord, wait, I'll call the doctor!
 The emperor came to his senses after three hours.  He could no longer speak loudly, he whispered and whispered, and the general wiped his tears and listened.  The general remembered, of course, that men do not cry, but he could hardly restrain his sadness and pain.  Finally, the emperor was convinced that his friend remembered everything, after which he leaned back on the pillow, smiled happily and breathed his last.  His people, his fallen army and the inhabitants of his empire who died at the hands of the enemy, were waiting for their master on the border of light and darkness.  They celebrated his departure from the world of the living with jubilation.  The dead people extended their hands and helped the emperor to cross the border between the worlds.  When the border was passed, the emperor saw his empress.  She smiled and called him!  His people, his army knelt before the greatness of the dead emperor, but the emperor was now happy.  The pain has finally left him!  This is how the emperor of the Jurchen nation passed away.
 The general saluted the fallen ruler of the empire.  The priests who survived were invited.  Nothing further depended on the general.  The emperor will be taken to the valley of sorrow and buried.
 Now the general faced the most difficult, the remnants of the army must cover those who go to the secret city.  The soldiers were ready to give their lives, if only women with children and the elderly were safe.
Wang Li - a giant warrior carried children.  His earlobe was bandaged, and blood was still oozing from under the bandage, but this was not what caused the soldier pain.  His heart was now there, on the battlefield, where his friends, soldiers of the army, were dying one after another.  However, the order of the emperor was sacred to him.  Wang Li carried the children carefully, but his special concern was the princess.  The warrior tried several times to check if the princess had a pulse, but immediately stopped himself.  If there are spies among those who go with him, they should not know that Wang Li is carrying a special girl among other children. The children were sleeping, they were given sleepy grass to drink before leaving, so these children did not cause trouble.  Other children who were in the arms of their mothers and grandmothers screamed and cried, and the children who slept in four knapsacks carried on the back of the giant Wang Li slept soundly and nothing disturbed them. Finally, the fugitives reached the limits of the earthen hill.  Wang Li lowered the knapsacks to the ground and began to rake the ground with his hands, three old men rushed to his aid, they were still strong men, who, unfortunately, were not taken into the army.  Soon a passage appeared.  Eileen, the widow of Wang Li's friend, wiped the giant's hands with a wet rag.  Among the children that Wang Li carried were her children, a boy and a girl - twins.
 Wang Li went last.  He looked back anxiously, but, nevertheless, patiently waited for the old women, women with children and old men to come downstairs.  Eileen was next to last, she was waiting for Wang Li.  Before stepping into the ground, the giant carefully, one by one, handed over the sleeping children to Eileen.  The children were again put in knapsacks.  They walked in complete darkness, but this did not disturb the giant. In order not to stumble upon those walking in front, they called out to each other in a whisper all the time.  The children in the arms of their mothers and grandmothers were silent, the darkness had a calming effect on them.  Wang Li knew that if they reached the bird stone, they would be safe. Finally, a dim, pulsing light appeared ahead.