Every soldier of the Anxi Army knew the general had a piece of armor, bestowed by the emperor. Before each ba…
Every soldier of the Anxi Army knew the general had a piece of armor, bestowed by the emperor.
Before each battle, he would polish it again and again.
Later, the backplate was riddled with arrow marks.
Scales were hacked away, replaced with scales from fallen soldiers.
The armor endured battle after battle,
gaining scale after scale from comrades.
The Third Garrison, the Seventh Garrison... the Thirty-Fifth Garrison...
Those "garrisons" renamed from "companies" to rally morale—wiped out again and again, reformed again and again...
Later, in quiet days, the general would face the direction of Chang'an,
polishing over and over the armor that no longer resembled its original form.
The general said this armor, blessed by his brothers-in-arms, shall never falter in battle.