Chief Armaments Master of the Ming Dynasty

April 12th, early morning.

Dark clouds loomed over Pi Island, and the sea breeze, carrying salty, fishy vapors, howled in from the direction of the Iron Mountain Peninsula, sweeping over the island's low camps and bare hills.

The sky was overcast and gray, as if it were about to rain at any moment, or as if God had covered this bitterly cold land with a dirty old cloth.

Liu Xingzhi didn't sleep all night.

He sat before his brother's memorial tablet, gazing at the ever-burning lamp.

The lamplight flickered in the sea breeze seeping in through the crack in the door, casting the words "The seat of my late brother Liu Xingzuo" on the memorial tablet on and off.

Before the memorial tablet were three sacrificial animals—the best he could find. The island was short of food; even the living couldn't get enough to eat. The pig's head offered to the dead was obtained through trade with Korea.

My elder brother has been dead for a month. It's the 27th day after his death. According to the customs of Liaodong, the 27th day after death is a major memorial service, and relatives and friends must come to burn paper money, offer incense, and kowtow to the deceased.

Liu Xingzhi invited all the prominent figures on the island—acting general Chen Jisheng, grain supervisor Liu Yinghe, imperial eunuch and military supervisor Ma Shirong, as well as the battalion commanders, guerrillas, captains, and garrison commanders of each battalion.

Everyone said they would come.

Regardless of what people gossip about in private, Liu Xingzuo was, after all, a deputy general who died fighting for the imperial court.

The ritual of the 37th day memorial service was impeccable in terms of etiquette.

Liu Xingzhi stood up from the prayer mat, walked to the door, and pushed it open.

In the courtyard, his personal guards were already fully prepared and ready to go.

Two hundred men, all old brothers who had come from Liaodong, each wearing worn-out cotton armor and carrying a steel knife at their waist.

Their faces were rough and dark from the sea breeze, and their eyes were calm yet fierce.

Liu Xingxian stood at the front, with two knives at his waist.

Seeing his elder brother come out, he stepped forward to greet him.

"Brother, everything is arranged. One hundred and fifty axemen are lying in ambush inside and outside the camp. After three rounds of drinks, the signal will be to smash a cup."

Liu Xingzhi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the personal guards in the courtyard.

How many years have these people followed him? From Liaodong to Pi Island, they fought their way out of the Jurchens' swords, surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, and endured nearly ten years of hardship on this island.

He recognized every single one of their faces. Their wives and children lived in shacks on the south side of the island, waiting for the never-coming wages.

"Dengke," he called out.

Li Dengke stepped out of the queue, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Second Master."

"How is the seating arrangement at the banquet?"

"Liu Yinghe sat to the left of Chen Jisheng, and the imperial eunuch Ma Shirong sat to the right of the main seat. The other battalion commanders were arranged on both sides according to their rank. Our men were mixed in with the personal guards who were serving food and pouring wine, with at least three at each table." Li Dengke lowered his voice, "Chen Jisheng's personal guards were arranged at a separate table outside the camp, and were 'entertained' by Cui Yaozu and his men."

Liu Xingzhi nodded.

Inside and outside the tent. Completely isolated. Even if Chen Jisheng brought his personal guards, he couldn't enter the tent. Once inside, he'd be trapped like a turtle in a jar.

"Where is the Korean envoy?" he suddenly asked.

Li Dengke was taken aback for a moment, then whispered, "Second Master, they... weren't in the plan."

Liu Xingzhi was silent for a while, then said something.

"Pass down the order: all Koreans are not to move. They are to be politely escorted out of the country."

Li Dengke opened his mouth, but didn't ask why. He simply nodded and turned to relay the order.

Liu Xingzhi knew what Li Dengke wanted to ask—since they had already taken action, why not eliminate all the witnesses in one go?

He had his reasons. The imperial court is the imperial court, and Korea is Korea.

Pi Island was nominally Dongjiang Town of the Ming Dynasty, but in terms of food supplies and refugee resettlement, it had to deal with Korea in every aspect.

Killing a few North Korean envoys is easy, but what happens afterward? Although North Korea is weak, it still has the ability to stab someone in the back on Pi Island.

The first quarter of the hour of Si (9-11 AM).

The first group of guests has arrived.

The one who came was Mao Chenglu, the deputy general of the ASEAN.

After Mao Wenlong's death, Dongjiang Town was divided into four detachments. Mao Chenglu, relying on being a relative of Mao, was assigned to one detachment.

He was in his early forties, of medium build, with fair skin, and was better maintained than the other generals on the island.

He arrived from the camp on the east side of the island, dressed in mourning clothes and accompanied by a dozen or so personal guards.

Liu Xingzhi personally greeted them at the camp gate.

"Vice General Mao, please come in." He clasped his hands in a fist salute, his expression unchanged.

Mao Chenglu returned the greeting, his gaze lingering on Liu Xingzhi's face for a moment.

"Xingzhi, please accept my condolences. Brother Xingzu was a true man, and I respected him." He said this with genuine sincerity. After all, they were both veterans who had worked under Marshal Mao. No matter how many disagreements they had in private, when someone dies, it's always necessary to show respect.

"Thank you, Vice General Mao." Liu Xingzhi stepped aside to lead the way. "There is some wine prepared inside. Please take your seats."

Mao Chenglu's dozen or so personal guards were led to another temporary tent set up outside the camp.

Mao Chenglu didn't think much of it. He left his personal guards outside and only took one close deputy general with him as he followed Liu Xingzhi into the main tent.

The third quarter of the hour of Si (9:45 AM).

The second group of guests arrived as well. They included Liu Yinghe, the Grain Supervisor; Ma Shirong, the Imperial Eunuch and Military Supervisor; and several civil officials sent from Dengzhou and Laizhou. These men were all dispatched by the imperial court to Pi Island, ostensibly to assist in administration, but in reality to monitor it.

Liu Yinghe was a civil official in his early forties, whose face always bore the slickness of a bureaucrat. Ma Shirong, on the other hand, was a plump, fair-skinned eunuch who spoke in a soft voice and always looked at people with a sideways gaze, making people feel very uncomfortable.

"General Liu, please accept my condolences." Ma Shirong cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his voice high-pitched, like scratching porcelain with his fingernails.

Liu Xingzhi returned the greeting with clasped hands and led them into the tent.

Early noon.

The last group of guests arrived. Acting General Chen Jisheng. He didn't come alone. He brought more than thirty personal guards, all elite soldiers handpicked from the best, riding the island's finest warhorses, and set off from the camp full of vigor.

Chen Jisheng was dressed in plain clothes today, with a worn blue cloth robe over it.

He looked unwell—he had barely slept last night, constantly thinking about Liu Xingzhi's conversation from the previous day.

"This can't be rushed," he said at the time.

Looking back now, those words were too soft. He knew better than anyone whether Liu Xingzuo was innocent; but he couldn't figure out what the court meant.

Having spent over twenty years in officialdom, he knew that some things could only be waited for—wait for the storm to pass, wait for the higher-ups to speak, and wait for everyone to forget about it.

But Liu Xingzhi wasn't the kind of person who would wait. He could only gamble that Liu Xingzhi still regarded him as a general.

Chen Jisheng’s more than thirty personal guards were led to the mat tent outside the camp.

He brought only one personal guard with him and followed Liu Xingxian, who was leading the way, into the main tent.

The large tent was set up on the training ground of the camp. It was a temporary felt tent that could accommodate nearly a hundred people.

Inside, there were already more than a dozen low tables, each with a mat behind it. The main seat was placed in the center, slightly above the center, with three kinds of sacrificial animals offered in front of the memorial tablet, and incense smoke curling upwards.

When Chen Jisheng entered, there were already quite a few people sitting inside the tent.

Mao Chenglu sat at the head of the left side, Liu Yinghe and Ma Shirong sat at the right side, and the other battalion commanders and captains were seated in order of rank.

Everyone was dressed in mourning clothes, and the atmosphere was solemn and oppressive.

Liu Xingzhi stood beside the memorial tablet and personally performed the sacrificial rites for his elder brother.

"General Chen has arrived—" the announcer outside the door announced loudly.