27th Day of the Winter Month, at Dusk Graduation draws near. Today I compiled the register of the graduating d…
27th Day of the Winter Month, at Dusk
Graduation draws near. Today I compiled the register of the graduating disciples and recorded each one's chosen path. Since their aspirations differ, the books to be gifted at graduation should differ as well, and I spent a long while choosing them. In the meantime, I heard Chengwu had arranged another match with Xiaomei. Perhaps he hopes to win just once before graduation. From the look of it, his chances remain slim.
28th Day of the Winter Month, Morning
A light snowfall today, a good omen for next year's harvest. Yet the fighting has not ceased this winter, and the people below the mountain suffer bitterly in the cold. Together with my fellow disciples, I went down the mountain to distribute firewood and help them endure the wind and snow. Qin Yuan and the others who study construction mostly took up repair work.
29th Day of the Winter Month, Evening
I heard from Master Su of Lone Cloud that Little Radish shows real promise in numbers and diagrams. Thinking back, the other masters at the academy have also praised the child more than once. When spring comes next year, Little Radish must be enrolled. Such talent must not be left to waste. Fu Xiao, Xiaomei, and Master Liu Sinong all think the same.
1st Day of the Twelfth Month, Morning
Luancheng has fallen. Many refugees fleeing from the north bear on their faces the tattooed words "Imperial Mercy," and the whole academy is incensed. More than ten among us skilled in mechanisms have asked to go to the Hutuo Camp. Hearing that our army is short of provisions, they have been told to bring as many devices as possible for hauling grain and clearing the way, in hopes of being of use. By dusk, the number of those volunteering for the camp had risen to thirty-seven.
6th Day of the Twelfth Month, Morning
Half a month has passed since the Master left. Only a letter has come, saying the fighting is dire. As he instructed, we began evacuating the villagers and dispersing the disciples, yet half refused to leave first, and instead asked to bring their mechanisms to the battlefield, saying, "Righteous men across the realm are all bound for the Hutuo. Now that we have finished our studies, how can we stand by with folded arms?" Before noon, the Master returned. Just as we had made ready and were about to leave for Zhongdu Bridge, Master Guan arrived with word that the enemy had already reached the foot of the mountain. At such a moment, they split their forces, bypassed Zhongdu Bridge, and came straight for the academy. What scheme could they be pursuing? Were they truly unafraid of being attacked from both sides?
6th Day of the Twelfth Month, Noon
The enemy burned and plundered all along the way, killing some and enslaving others. Yet when they reached the academy gates, they only surrounded us and urged surrender, demanding that the academy admit Khitan youths and teach Khitan script. They even claimed this would be the beginning of changing the hearts of all under Heaven, turning weapons into tokens of peace. Only then did we understand their design. They meant to make our academy the spearhead of their cause, to break the spirit of the worthy and the loyal in the Central Plains, and to replace the written tongue of our people. Their words are enough to sicken the heart. Now, by holding them here at the academy, we tie down their forces, blunt their claws and fangs, and strengthen the morale of our army.
10th Day of the Twelfth Month, Noon
The enemy poisoned the water and loosed toxic smoke... The academy's grain and fodder were utterly destroyed, and hunger now afflicts everyone within. I could not bear to watch the old and the young suffer, and tried to persuade them to leave the academy, but all answered as one: the enemy is given to burning and slaughter, and cannot be trusted. Thus not a single person would surrender.
10th Day of the Twelfth Month, at Dusk
I knew the Master's talk of the Myriad Engine was not the whole truth. When I asked him of it two days ago, he only smiled and said, "False, and yet true. I only pray it need never be used." But today, in the end, it was brought forth. This is the final entry.
11th Day of the Twelfth Month, Morning. Graduation.
Today I graduated together with my senior brothers and sisters, though I have not yet even entered school. I took with me Eldest Senior Brother's notes. Little Radish has already read them. Inside are many words once spoken by our senior brothers, senior sisters, and the masters. If one day I reach Hidden Mountain, I will deliver them to Master Crane's fellow disciples. If I fail to make it there, then I shall entrust them to some other wandering hero bound south.