– Is this him? – asked a male voice.

– Yes, – a woman answered briefly. Lacius recognised the voice. It was Chow Li’s.

– Oh – oh – oh, – a groan escaped from his chest, but Lacius couldn’t get up himself. They helped him by putting something under his back. It was convenient. A man, sitting on the chair, spoke abruptly and sharply, and Lacius did not understand some of the words. Chow helped. She translated almost everything into the Xiongnu language.

– Your people are no different from us. They have the same arms and legs. Inside is the same heart. And there is nothing new in their heads. The only difference is skin, – the man nodded to the side, and Lacius stared with a glazed look at several headless bodies of his comrades in the corner. They were cut into pieces. The man wanted to see what was inside them. – We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon. – Everything here will burn, – the hangu man added, and Lacius nodded his head. He correctly guessed why the bodies were taken to the city. – Chow says you built this city. She says you know a lot. Tell me why do I need you? – the stranger spat out the last phrase and leaned back. In the dim light of the oil lamps, only his mustache and beard were visible. The dark hollows, where the eyes should have been, hid his gaze, and his entire face was a semicircle of dark and light spots.

– I killed Ji Yui, – said Lacius.

– Was it you?! – there was just a note of slight surprise in the voice and that’s all.

– Yes, I… I know how to build towns and fight…

– We all know how to fight. Others know how to build. I want to cut out your tongue. You sound like us. But you don’t look like a Xiongnu.

– You don’t. I need it.

– Are you afraid of death? – followed again mockery and disdain. Lacius felt thoughts begin to appear in his head. What could he answer to this young military leader? That before him, he had already seen hundreds of people like him, and even better? No, this one is too self – confident and will not understand. You can hear in his voice that he wants to see humiliation and fear. Was it really not enough for him to kill the Xiongnu? Lacius was silent, realising for the first time that his courage had long ago given way to cunning and resourcefulness. For him, fighting was a joy, not humiliation and pain, as it was now. Maybe the gods kept it for ridicule? What to do, what to say? After all, this has never happened before. Decisions were always made quickly and correctly. Now he regretted something, doubted and all the time saw himself as if from the outside. Yes, this hangu warrior was right – Lacius didn’t want to die.

– You’re probably right. I’m afraid, – he finally answered.

– He – he, – came a satisfied laugh. – So your blind friend lied that you weren’t afraid of anything. You’re afraid. This is good. Tomorrow he will sing you the last song.

– Is Paul alive?

– Alive, alive. He sings beautifully. Hey, – the warrior called to the guards, – take him away!

– You are also afraid of death, – said Lacius, carefully choosing the words of the foreign language and trying not to lose consciousness. Strong arms grabbed him and lifted him to his feet. There were only a few moments left. – Your Emperor will kill you. You disobeyed him. I know that. There is no one higher than the Emperor, – they pulled him back, and as he walked, he uttered his last words: – Remember, Wu Zi executed one of his brave warriors. Why? Because the brave warrior violated his order, fought with the enemies, and killed all of them. But Wu Tzu said: – We all must listen to orders, – and the brave man was killed. Lacius himself did not know why he remembered this story from Chow Li, but the young general suddenly raised his hand and ordered his men to stop.

– You are cunning. How can you help me, luoma ren⁶?

– Our warriors also sometimes violated orders, – Lacius continued, breathlessly, not believing that he was still alive. – They were also ordered to be executed. But sometimes they managed to escape.

– How? – a short and tough question sounded. Lacius looked at Chow Li. She was sitting on the floor next to the general’s chair with such an expression on her face as if everything that was happening did not concern her.

– Zhi – Zhi visited the Han Empire several times, – Lacius continued. – He was unlucky. There he made several mistakes. One day he was wearing a beautiful gold necklace. The Emperor’s wife liked it. She told this to her chief eunuch. He conveyed the words to Zhi Zhi. Zhi Zhi did not want to part with the necklace. He did not take it off and did not give it to the eunuch. He didn’t believe him. After this, the Emperor did not communicate with Zhi Zhi anymore and spoke only with his brother Huhanye. They say that the Emperor listens only to his wife.

– I took the Emperor’s two rings from your Zhi Zhi and his son. They are very expensive. With blue stones. Do you think they should be given to the Emperor’s wife?

– No, – Lacius squeezed out with difficulty.

– Then what? Zhi Zhi’s head? – General Tang exclaimed disappointedly.

– No, not your head…

– And what?

– Zhi Zhi often said that the Emperor loved large paintings of the battles of his warriors. He loves it very much.

– Paintings? Did you say paintings? – Chen Tang leaned back in surprise and froze. Then he looked at Chow Li. She was motionless and calm, like a statue. —What do you want to say? Do I need to paint a big picture? No, it’s too simple. There will be no Emperor there, there will be no his troops.

– Not one. If there are many… Many paintings? Twenty or thirty? – it was difficult for Lacius to speak. – And connect them together? The first shows an attack on the fortress… Then – on the walls… The next on – the gate on fire. And in the end… – he sighed, gathering his strength, – in the end – the death of Zhi Zhi and his family. There will be a bigger picture. Long… It will definitely surprise the Emperor. I myself have seen… such pictures… more than once. But first you should show it to Уmperor’s wife. She is first. Then she will tell him. He won’t be able to refuse. And he will go look. The Emperor listens to his wife… – there was no strength to speak anymore, and Lacius dropped his head on his chest.

– How do you know all this?! Who told you? – Chen Tang was sincerely surprised. He didn’t know that over the course of several years, Chow Li had told Lacius so many times about the relationships in the imperial palace that he even remembered some of the names of important officials. – Ha! Then at the end you need to put all your warriors in breastplates and women’s dresses that you wear. Yes, this will surprise the Emperor! You will stand next to the painting and raise your shields like this! Wow, this might surprise the Emperor! – Tang was silent for some time, wondering something in his mind. Then his face became gloomy again and he, resting his hands on his knees, asked, – You are cunning, luomaren, but who will draw such pictures? – And so quickly?

– There are several people among our warriors. They will be able to draw them in ten days.

– You’ll show me these people. Let them draw me a few small pictures. I want to see it myself!

– Of course… But… they are all in the earth pit. We didn’t drink for several days. Hands are tied. You need to untie them quickly. The hands will get over… and tomorrow they will be able to draw.

– Fine. Let’s untie them and give them water!

– Thank you, General! – Lacius squeezed out, remembering Chow’s frequent stories about the vanity of Han officials. He caught himself thinking that he did not feel humiliated. Has he really ceased to be a Roman, as the fortune teller in Syria promised him? Probably, yes. Having gathered his strength, Lacius added: – General, you are a brave and intelligent warrior. But you are also a noble and wise person. This is very rare.

There was no answer. Several short orders were heard, Lacius was taken to the steps and given a cup of hot brew. Holding it with difficulty with trembling hands, he pressed his lips to the scalding liquid. It was meat broth! When he finished it and looked up, Chow Li stood in front of him.

– Thank you, – he said sincerely.

– For what? – she asked in surprise.

– For not tying my legs, – Lacius nodded at the ropes that were still dangling from his arms. – Only hands.

– Do you think I asked someone not to tie your legs? – she laughed. – I didn’t even know if you were alive or not.

– It’s a pity. I thought it was as a sign of gratitude for the fact that I untied you there…

– No, probably the warriors simply didn’t have enough leather belts for you. They say they left you against the wall. But that’s not what I’m talking about. General Tang has ordered you to collect all the shields, breastplates, and helmets you fought with. They will give you ten people. We need to do everything tomorrow morning. Take them off even from the dead. Then it will be necessary to make them look like new in order to surprise the Emperor and his wife.

– What about my people? When will they be released?

– They’ve already been untied. Don’t worry. The main thing is that they really know how to draw.

– Wait, – he asked, seeing Chow Li turn around to leave. – What about those who gave up? Are they alive?

– Xiongnu – no, Romans – yes. They carry corpses into the city.

– So we’re alive, – Lacius breathed, and everything swam before his eyes again. He didn’t remember where or how he spent the night, grinding his teeth and groaning in pain. The dream was oppressive and heavy. The gods were silent. And only the black medallion on a thin leather strap occasionally tapped on the floor when its owner turned over from side to side.