219 B.C.

Dear Wife, These might be my last words…… The emperor has forced us all into labor

and hardship, the heat is killing and the cold is chilling. I wish I would make it back home. How are things?? Is our daughter doing fine?? The soldiers have whipped me too far. All my back is ripped off and I wonder how am live through this. They just took me from our village. I wish our forces would retaliate. I am in immense pain I can’t even move my body up and down.

One time a Mongol attack was upon us. Many of us were killed and captured. The soldiers even got killed too. There was bloodshed all over. Blood was everywhere, soldiers and workers dead. I was lucky enough to survive that attack. After that, the soldiers were killing us and dumping us into the wall. I wish we could kill them all. Well, hopefully my children will thrive in the better and more freely state.

One of my best friends got killed being too slow and died because of his injuries. My morale was broken; I would never recover from that incident. They kept on whipping him to the point where no skin was there. We could see his bones and organs. I looked at his face, blank… emotionless. The soldiers then took his body and slammed it against the table. They started stabbing at his body and smashing his body with a hammer. They decapitated his head and stuck it up on a bamboo stick. They held it up high so everybody could see it. “One who shall define the king will die among thy comrades,” said the soldier.

I was so scared I couldn’t move anymore. The soldiers kicked me and pushed me to work. I was too weak to work on the wall; I had no muscle or fat. We only got 2 bowls of rice each day. Some of us even turned to cannibalism. Well I didn’t and I never would. The food was filthy, mouse poop all over the bowls and rice. I couldn’t stand the smell; it made me want to vomit!!

The “emperor” or shall I say “tyrant” came to our section and inspected us. His eyes were full of hate, like he had no soul in him. He told one of us to come over there; they took me and dragged me to the “tyrant”. “How dare you look into eyes!!!” exclaimed the emperor. He kicked and slapped me. Then he told the guards to come and throw me into the wall. Instead, one of the soldiers protested and got thrown into the wall for talking back to the emperor. I was saved by that soldier, bless him.

Well, these are my last words. I love you honey and I will always be there for you and forever, will we be together. I love you; keep our daughter safe and your awaiting baby safe. Goodbye, see you in the afterlife………

Love your dearest husband,

Patrick