A Lament from Longxi

During the Zhenyuan era of the Tang dynasty, more than twenty years had passed since the An Lushan Rebellion, yet the realm was still far from peaceful. One man failed the imperial examinations and returned home to find his closest kin gone. Another held a high position, only to become a prisoner overnight. One was a brilliant strategist, yet willingly endured years of patience to lay a game no one knew about. One was a master of martial arts, yet did not know whom to fight for. One had peerless archery skills, yet could not bring himself to draw his bow against an old friend. One played the flute at the frontier, longing for someone far away. One commanded a mighty army, yet wished only to guard an empty camp. They came from different places and had different pasts, yet they found themselves seated around the same table in a tavern beyond Yumen Pass. Some wanted to survive. Some wanted justice. Some wanted to overthrow something. Some only wanted to wait for someone to return. The wind and sand at the frontier were fierce, blowing so hard that people could barely keep their eyes open. The sound of a flute drifted from afar, broken and indistinct. What happened afterward was never recorded in the history books. Only the tavern's hearth fire, they say, never went out.