Yama Rising

There was silence in the annex hall as everyone listened intently to the two professors, “Khmer Empire, also known as Funan and Chenla, is lorded over by General Guo Ziyi.”

“And here, the Lord of Siam is none other than Chang Yuchun. He was a famous general of the Ming Dynasty, and his accomplishments are no less than any of the other envoys.” Professor Li spoke with great enthusiasm, “In the fifteenth year of Emperor Shun of Yuan’s reign, he submitted to Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He was known for his bravery and prowess in battle, which earned him the nickname of ‘Chang Hundred Thousand’, because he was said to be as effective as a force of hundred thousand troops. Unfortunately, he died of illness at the tender age of forty, where he was posthumously granted the title of ‘Prince of Kaiping’ and given the posthumous name ‘Zhongwu’. He was then conferred the highest honour of a burial in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!”[1]

Professor An continued, “He defeated the famous Yuan general known as Bayan of the Merkid at the Battle of Quzhou.[2] He also crushed the barbarian Haiya at the battle of Caishiji. He even participated in the battles against Zhu Yuanzhang’s rival, Chen Youliang, where he went on to eliminate them and capture the Yuan Dynasty’s capital back then. He deserved every bit of the highest honour that was conferred upon him…”

None interrupted him as he continued, “The next person is Lord Ma Fubo of Bagan. Bagan is the ancient capital of Birmania. I won’t repeat what has already been mentioned of him. He might not have been as reputable as some of the others over here, but his exploits were by no means any less incredible than the rest!”

“Next, the founding general of the Sui Dynasty, Lord of Sanfotsi[3], General Han Qinhu! [4]

Arthis chimed in, “I’ve heard of him.” Professor Li nodded with great emotion, “It’s quite something that Lady Arakshasa would have heard of his name. There are quite a number of generals who have made a name for themselves during the Sui Dynasty era, but this is definitely one of the most illustrious one of them all. He has served as a governor, assassin and county magistrate. He was also able to quell any uprising from Northern Qi. In the eighth year of the Sui Dynasty, he led an army to cross the Yangtze River by night, attacked Cai Shi, conquered the Vermillion Gate, occupied Jiankang City, and captured the last ruler of Chen, Chen Shubao. [5] He was conferred the title of the ‘Pillar of the State’, ‘Great General’, and named the duke of Shouguang County. He was also appointed as the governor of Liangzhou. Unfortunately… the thirty-odd years of the Sui Dynasty wasn’t long enough for this esteemed general to truly shine…”

Qin Ye glanced at Arthis with some measure of astonishment.

For some strange reason, the more Professor Li spoke, the more peculiar Arthis’ expressions became, until finally, she revealed a faint, embarrassed smile.

“What’s the matter? Is he different from the Han Qinhu which you remember? Haven’t you heard of the person that Professor Li is describing right now?” Qin Ye whispered to Arthis.

Arthis glanced back at Qin Ye, and then gnashed her teeth, “It’s somewhat different…”

Eh?

Is there a story here that I should know about? Qin Ye’s eyes began to glow brightly, and he immediately pressed the issue, “Pray, tell.”

I’ll tell your mother!

Shouldn’t you know better to keep your mouth shut rather than to ask these things? Do you think we can still be friends after I reveal these things to you? This is quite the unexpected turn of events…

Arthis fervently repressed her great desire to give Qin Ye a flying slap to the face, and she simply coughed awkwardly, “Isn’t Han Qinhu a jungler? I’d heard that he can even transform into a leopard… How would I know why the Han Qinhu mentioned by Professor Li is so different from the one I’ve seen?!”

The smile on Qin Ye’s face faded away, and he stared at Arthis with a stiff expression for a long time, before finally muttering icily, “Is the Honour of Kings really that fun?”[6]

Arthis nodded her head as though she were pounding garlic.

“Very well. Then… you’d better keep your mouth shut for the upcoming hero reviews - especially when they talk about the Prince of Lanling later on. I don’t want to hear anything about the Prince of Lanling being an assassin and having the ability to turn invisible. Speaking of which, can you bloody hell stop being a deadweight in Hell?! The average IQ of Hell has gone down by five because of your existence alone!”

Naturally, the two professors were oblivious to the contents of the conversation that transpired between King Yanluo and Prime Minister Arthis. To their minds, this was no more than a discussion of great importance. Thus, as soon as the discussion was over, Professor An cleared his throat and continued, “The next person is more well-reputed than Han Qinhu. He’s none other than Ban Dingyuan, more commonly known as Lord Ban Chao!”[7]

This was a name that was familiar to most Cathayans. They might not necessarily have heard of his accomplishments, but they would most certainly heard of his name being spoken of at some point or another.

After all, there was a theme that seemed to undergird every single person being mentioned right now - a great general of their time.

“Lord Ban Chao…” Professor An’s face reddened slightly, and his voice grew hoarse, “I’d never expected him to be appointed the Lord of Malaya after his death. This valiant warrior started out by leading a team of only thirty-six men to open and secure trade routes to the Western Regions[8]. He was generally outnumbered, but he always leveraged on his strategy to come out on top of his opponents. From there, he would go on to lead the Han forces against forty or fifty over countries in the western region! Your Majesty, it would be erroneous to downplay his achievements by saying that the west were no more than nomadic tribes back then. After all, even nomadic tribes had several thousand people under their charge! This is a feat that was completely unprecedented, and had never occurred again thereafter! He was the only one who managed to achieve something like that in the last five millennia!”

“In the fifth year of Han Yongping’s reign, Ban Chao’s brother, Ban Gu, was summoned to the capital to serve as a scholar and historian, and his mother followed him and lived together with him. Ban Chao was said to have a wide forehead and a thick neck like that of a tiger. He was so ferocious that his enemies would describe him as a man on wings who ate flesh. In the seventh year of the reign of Emperor He of Han, Ban Chao was by way of edict officially appointed as the Marquis of Dingyuan, together with a multitude of other titles and conferments.”

Everyone sighed in exclamation. Every single one of the great generals had accomplishments so great that their names were firmly etched in the annals of history. Even the mention of these names would feel like a boulder weighing heavily on their hearts.

“Next up is Lord Gao Changgong. Perhaps this name of his isn’t as familiar to all of you, but I’m sure everyone must be familiar with his other name - the Prince of Lanling.”

“He’s one of the four most beautiful men of all times, and he was nigh undefeated in his entire life. Furthermore, it was precisely because he was so beautiful that he would have to cover his face with a mask whenever he went to battle. Unfortunately, even though he possessed extraordinary intelligence, and was incredibly courageous and fierce in battle, he was lacking in his lineage. Therefore, the historical records of this man dwindled over time. Nevertheless, by our estimates of his achievements, this man is no less than any of the others mentioned before this!”

Professor Li calmed his heart down with several deep breaths. The fact that these esteemed historical figures existed in the netherworld filled him with great excitement, almost as though he had been transported thousands of years back in time to be given the opportunity to witness the full extent of Cathay’s heyday. He looked at the map and pointed to the next place, “The Lord of Singapura, is none other than Marquess Wu of Qinghe, also known as Wang Meng! Everyone, this man… is simply amazing. If not for the effluxion of time, his reputation would never be lower than any of the other eleven!” [9]

Qin Ye stiffened up.

Alright, alright, alright… If what you’re saying is right, and every single person appearing here is like an SSR hero, then what in the world am I still doing fooling around with them?![10]

The more I listen to these professors… the more I think surrender is the best option!

He silently stole a glance at Arthis, only to realize that she was already staring daggers at him. She was evidently already onto his thoughts. Qin Ye immediately sat upright.

Professor An even tossed in a rare joke, “Wang Meng is equally proficient in both his intellect and his mastery over military affairs. I’m not going to go into too much details, but my assessment of this man is that he’s in the same class as Zhuge Liang when it comes to matters of governance and internal affairs. He also played an instrumental role in crushing the Former Liang and destroying the Former Ya. Anyone who pays close attention to historical records of that time would be able to tell you that this man is one with 100 points in governance and at least 70 points in military affairs.”

“Next up, is the Lord of Luzon, Yang Jiye, a feudal official of the Felipinas. I’m sure you would all have heard of General Yang, haven’t you? In order to immortalize the work of his life, an amazing bell tower was erected together with two huge steles etched with his incredible achievements. Your Majesty… of everyone mentioned thus far, this man is most likely to return to Cathay and pledge allegiance to Hell!”

Qin Ye drew a deep breath and nodded solemnly.

God, please don’t throw a spanner in the works now… I sincerely pray that nothing untoward happens to General Yang’s family…

Professor Li looked at the map and stilled his nerves, “This next one might seem unfamiliar, but the truth of the matter is that it’s… actually really close to our hearts.”

Everyone looked to the place he was pointing to.

That place was now known as Boutan.[11]

But on the map, it was written - ‘Chaghan, Lord of the Bamboo Region’!

“Boutan used to be known as the Bamboo Region.” Professor Li took over, “Chaghan was also known as the first general of the Yuan Dynasty! We needn’t go into detail about just how much land the Yuan Dynasty owned. The point here is that this man… basically exterminated two of the Yuan Dynasty’s largest rival powers at that time, the Western Xia and the Jin Dynasty.”[12]

“One of the main reasons why he’s not more well-known has to do with the special status of the Yuan Dynasty. The truth of the matter is that most people don’t even wish to recognize the existence of the Yuan Dynasty, since that was the first time that Cathay had been ruled by foreigners for a hundred years or so. Furthermore, it’s not disputed by any historical records that the people of Cathay at that time, otherwise known as the people of the Middle Kingdom, lived an incredibly hard life during that time. The Yuan Dynasty took on the world, but was unfortunately unable to conquer the world, thereby falling just as quickly as it rose. Under the confluence of these factors, his reputation was almost concealed by posterity.”

“But, had he still been around at the material times, it would have been anyone’s guess whether Lord Chang Yuchun would even have been able to found the Ming Dynasty together with Zhu Yuanzhang in the first place.” Professor Li revealed a somewhat profound smile on his face, “His name is somewhat foreign to us all, but… I’ll tell you his other name that I’m sure everyone will recognize.”

He smiled faintly, “Minmin Temur.”[13]

Everyone was taken aback. Qin Ye’s gaze flickered wildly as he slammed his hands on the table, “Zhao Min?! From the Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber?!”[14]

“That’s right!” Professor Li smiled with great joy, “Zhao Min, the heroine of Jin Yong’s Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, is exactly based on the image of Minmin Temur, the daughter of Lord Chaghan Temur!”

“No wonder his name sounded so familiar.” Qin Ye smiled with great emotion, “To think that it would actually be my father-in-law…”

Everyone was momentarily lost for words.

The seven division heads of Yin Construction stared at Qin Ye as though they had just seen ghosts. Arthis remained completely expressionless. Gu Qing coughed dryly and adjusted his glasses as he fervently repressed the multitude of words that were on the verge of erupting from his lips.

“Cough… I was just kidding. Please carry on… carry on…” Qin Ye muttered awkwardly.

With only two feudal officials remaining, Professor An took a deep breath and continued, “The next person is the one who is most likely to return to his homeland. If we were to say that Yang Jiye had a 70% chance of return, then the possibility of this man’s return would be even higher, at 85%!”

“Yu Qian, also known as Yu Shaobao, the Lord of Licchavi."[15]

“No…” Arthis was just about to chime in when Qin Ye’s eyes gleamed brightly, and he grabbed her sleeves tightly in an instant.

Arthis shook his hand away and stared at Qin Ye somewhat reassuringly, as if to say that there’s no such character in Honour of Kings. And then, she dropped the bombshell, “He… isn’t he that person who collaborated with Guo Degang for crosstalk? Isn’t he pretty good?”[16]

Professor Li and Professor An looked as though they were struck by a curse of silence as they glared at Arthis with a grievous look.

On the other hand, Qin Ye simply leaned back and gazed vacantly at the ceiling above - Arrrrggghh… I knew it would be like this. As soon as the name of Yu Qian was spoken, I just knew exactly what she was going to say…

“Cough… well, about that… Lady Arakshasa, we were just talking about Yu Qian of the Ming Dynasty…” Professor Li sought to clarify his earlier statement with a pained expression on his face, “The Ming Dynasty praised him for being loyal and righteous. Together with Yue Fei and Zhang Huangyan, they were known as the three heroes of West Lake. Had it not been for Lord Yu Qian, the Ming capital would have lost much to the Oirat invaders during the Tumu Crisis!”[17]

Professor An was incredibly emotional at this point, “Yang Jiye aside, this man is next in line for the title of a national hero. No amount of words could possibly describe his contributions to Cathay as we know it. Your Majesty, I won’t go on at length about his accolades and accomplishments, but if you’re going to meet with the feudal officials out there, I would sincerely recommend linking up with Yu Qian and Yang Jiye as soon as possible! They’re the ones who will most likely stand on our side!”

Qin Ye nodded his head and looked at the last name on the list.

It was a familiar one…

“Special garrison, official of Sindhu… Gao Jianli.”[18] Qin Ye took a deep breath and went on, “Sindhu is a part of Hindustan. This is the only feudal official stationed in another underworld…” [19]

Just then, he paused, lowered his head slightly, and shot Arthis a deadly glare, “Shut up! Don’t you dare say a single word!”

1. wikipedia.org/wiki/Chang_Yuchun

wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Ancestral_Temple

2. wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayan_of_the_Merkid

3. Sumatra. wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanfotsi

4. Unfortunately, there’s no english wiki entry on this man, but you can glean a little bit of information about him off the wiki page for Sui Dynasty.

5. You can read more about how the conquest happened here - wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Shubao

6. This is a Chinese MOBA.

7. wikipedia.org/wiki/Ban_Chao

8. This would refer to modern day Central Asia.

9. wikipedia.org/wiki/Wang_Meng_(Former_Qin)

10. SSR is a term of reference to the rarity of cards in games where lootboxes abound. The ranks are generally as follows - N: Normal; R: Rare; SR: Super Rare; UR: Ultra Rare; SSR: Superior Super Rare.

11. Bhutan.

12. wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaghan_Temur

13. wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhao_Min

14. This is a reference to the famous wuxia novel by Jin Yong.

15. Nepal. wikipedia.org/wiki/Licchavi_(kingdom)

16. Guo Degang is a famous chinese crosstalk comedian and actor. wikipedia.org/wiki/Guo_Degang

17. wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumu_Crisis

18. wikipedia.org/wiki/Gao_Jianli

19. Sindhu Kingdom is in fact an ancient kingdom that occupies the northwestern part of India as we know it. wikipedia.org/wiki/Sindhu_Kingdom