The Strategist

In the thirteenth year of the Chongzhen reign, Zhang Renxin rescues the Prince of Zhou from the besieged city of Kaifeng. The court praises his loyalty and courage, but he places the prince under house arrest and secretly keeps the imperial seal. On the night the rebel army surrounds the capital, he kneels before Chongzhen and pleads, “I am willing to defend the city to the death.” But as soon as he turns away, he murmurs to his trusted aide, “Take control of the nine gates at once. Keep the relief forces locked out.” Beneath the old locust tree on Coal Hill, he uses the imperial seal to rally the defeated troops, then purges the leaders of the Donglin faction. On the eve of Hong Chengchou’s surrender to the Qing, Zhang taps his scabbard and walks into the prison: “Lord Hong, did you know I deliberately let Li Yan escape?” Ten years later, the new dynasty is established and the ministers compete for credit. But he burns every military token aboard a painted boat on Lake Tai. “This realm,” he murmurs to the empty lake, “should be returned to the people.”