When Li Chengliang's army breached Gule City, Juechang'an and Taqikse were both inside.
The father and son had not come to fight. They had come to fetch someone. Juechang'an's granddaughter had married the city lord, Atai. With the Ming army surrounding the city, the old man feared for his granddaughter's safety and rushed over with his son Taqikse, hoping to bring her home.
It was 1583, the eleventh year of the Wanli reign. The Ming army outside Gule City had already decided to take it, while Atai had no intention of surrendering.
Atai commanded a city built into the mountainside and dared to lead his men out to fight. Li Chengliang's troops had a hard time attacking, suffering repeated casualties. The siege was still underway when Juechang'an arrived.
He told his son to wait outside and entered the city alone. What he had come to do sounded simple: collect his granddaughter and leave. He wasn't asking Atai to surrender the city or offering to fight the Ming army on his behalf. He only wanted to take one child from his own family home.
Atai refused. Juechang'an never made it out. Taqikse waited outside for a long time, then went in to look for him.
