O Campeão Militar da Dinastia Ming

The seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty. Anqing Prefecture, Huaining County, twenty li outside the county town.

A procession, dressed in neat and festive attire with red silk sashes at their waists, moved slowly forward. Banners fluttered in the wind, and at the head of the procession, a man held high a placard reading “Silence, Make Way,” advancing briskly. Judging by the ceremonial formation, it appeared that a high official from the capital was traveling along the road.

The clang of several bronze gongs rang out, scattering birds from the woods on either side of the official road.

At the center of the orderly procession, a young man of about twenty, clad in shining armor, sat upright upon his horse. His spirit was bright, and his brows exuded a heroic air. From time to time, he conversed with his companions, his gestures and bearing revealing the poise of a scholar-general.

This young scholar-general was named Wang Lanping, a native of Huaining County in Anqing Prefecture. At this time, he was second only to Li Zicheng in renown throughout the Ming Empire. In the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, he had taken first place in the imperial military examination—champion among all martial candidates. In the prime of his youth and talent, the emperor had specially decreed that he return home in glory, both to display imperial favor and to inspire martial spirit among the people in these troubled times.

Wang Lanping’s life story carried a certain flavor. On the night of his birth, thunder crashed, lightning flashed, and fierce