The Return of the Condor Heroes Chapter 20 – Part 7

By now the several hundred Mongol soldiers on the wall had been cut down until hardly any were left. Only the three bravest commanders of a hundred, spears and shields in hand, still fought on at bay beside the battlements. Below the wall the commander of ten thousand sounded his horn and led a fresh wave against the city, meaning to bring the three commanders of a hundred off the wall. Guo Jing let out a long, ringing cry and strode forward. One of the commanders of a hundred thrust his spear at him. Guo Jing caught the shaft and shoved it forward, and in the same moment his left foot flew out and struck another commander’s shield. Brave as the two men were, how could they withstand the divine strength of that shove and that kick? They went tumbling head over heels off the wall and died there, sinews torn and bones broken.

The third commander of a hundred was older, his hair already grey. Knowing he could not live through the day, he swung his long dao, hacking wildly up and down like a maddened tiger. Guo Jing’s left arm shot out and seized the wrist of his dao hand. His right palm was about to chop down when he suddenly checked. The commander had recognised Guo Jing’s face too. “Golden Blade Prince Consort, it’s you!” he cried.¹ He had served under Guo Jing in the western campaign years before, and when Huang Rong took Samarkand by her stratagem, he had been one of the first warriors to fly down into the city.

The old days came back to Guo Jing. “Ah, you’re Erduo, aren’t you?” he called. The commander, seeing that Guo Jing remembered his name, felt hot tears fill his eyes. “Yes, yes, it’s me.” Guo Jing said, “Very well. For the sake of old times, I’ll spare your life today. If I catch you again, don’t blame me for showing no mercy.” He turned to the men about him. “Bring a rope and let him down!” Two sturdy soldiers brought a long rope, tied it round Erduo’s waist and lowered him to the foot of the wall.

Erduo was a famous warrior in the Mongol army, a veteran of many campaigns. When the Song soldiers on the wall suddenly let him down on a rope, the Mongol troops below were baffled, unable to think what had happened, and they all fell back several hundred feet. The arrows from the wall stopped too, and for a while both armies ceased fighting. When Erduo reached the foot of the wall, he prostrated himself towards Guo Jing and cried out loud and clear, “Since the Golden Blade Prince Consort is here, I would not dare offend your august presence again, though I died ten thousand deaths.”

Guo Jing stood on the wall, terrible in his majesty. “Hear me, Mongol commander-in-chief,” he shouted. “In years gone by, the Great Song and Mongolia were allies of one heart and joined forces to destroy the Jin.² Why has Mongolia now invaded our lands and harmed our people? The people of the Great Song outnumber you Mongols dozens of times over. If you do not withdraw at once, the righteous armies of our Great Song will gather from every side, and I promise you that this army of yours, more than a hundred thousand Mongols, will die with no ground to be buried in.” He spoke in Mongolian, his breath deep and full, sending every word down to the foot of the wall. The wall was high and the two armies far apart, yet the tens of thousands of Mongol soldiers and officers heard every word clearly, and they looked at one another, pale with alarm.

A commander of ten thousand brought Erduo before Kublai and reported what had happened. Erduo told how he had followed Guo Jing on the western campaign, how the Golden Blade Prince Consort had handled troops like a god and beaten every enemy, and he told it vividly. Kublai’s face darkened. “Take him away and cut off his head!” he barked. “I am wronged!” Erduo cried. The commander of ten thousand said, “In your wisdom, Fourth Prince, you will see this Erduo has rendered great service in battle…” Kublai waved his hand. Four guards had already dragged Erduo away, and they struck off his head and brought it to him. The generals were all struck with terror.

Kublai said to the commander of ten thousand, “Erduo is to be compensated as one fallen in battle, and his wife and children are to receive ten jin³ of gold, thirty slaves and three hundred head of livestock besides.” The commander of ten thousand was utterly at a loss. “Yes, yes,” he said. Kublai said, “I have this man killed, and then I reward his family. None of you understands the reason, is that not so?” The generals all bowed. “We beg the Fourth Prince to enlighten us.” Kublai said in a ringing voice, “This commander of a hundred knelt to an enemy general and boasted of the enemy’s prowess, shaking the army’s spirit. Should he not be beheaded? But he was first onto the wall and fought bravely to the last man. Should he not be rewarded?” The generals all prostrated themselves.

But even so, the Mongol army’s spirit was broken. Kublai knew that even if they threw everything into attacking the city again today, it would only cost more lives for no gain. He saw the Mongol dead heaped in their thousands below the wall, every one of them a crack soldier who had fought a hundred battles, and he burned with resentment. Yet the walls of Xiangyang were strong and its defences tight. There was truly no gap to exploit. He could not help sighing, and he gave the order to fall back forty li.⁴

Two guards on his left and right exchanged a glance. “Let us take some of the Fourth Prince’s cares off his shoulders,” they said together, “and blunt these southern barbarians’ edge a little.” They swung onto their horses, galloped to the foot of the wall and drew their iron bows, and two wolf-tooth arrows fletched with eagle feathers sped at Guo Jing.

Both men were superb horsemen and deadly archers: their horses ran like the wind, and their arrows flew like lightning. The shout from above and below the wall had scarcely gone up when the arrows were already at Guo Jing’s chest and belly. It seemed he could not possibly dodge them. But Guo Jing drew his hands in towards each other, and there was a feathered arrow caught in each. He set them to an iron-cored bow, drew and loosed, and the arrows flew down hard and fast. Before the two Mongol guards had even turned their horses, the arrows were on them and passed clean through their chests, and both men pitched headlong from the saddle. The Song soldiers on the wall cheered like thunder and beat the war drums to spur them on.

Kublai, in low spirits, led the army north. When they had marched several li, Yang Guo said, “Your Highness need not be troubled. I’ll go into the city now and take Guo Jing’s life.” Kublai shook his head. “This Guo Jing has wisdom and courage both. His fame is well earned. Now that I have seen him, the thing seems thornier than ever.” “I lived in Guo Jing’s house for several years,” said Yang Guo, “and I’ve done him service too. He’ll have no guard up against me at all. As the saying goes, the spear in the open is easy to dodge; the arrow from the dark is hard to guard against.” “During the attack just now you were standing beside me,” said Kublai. “I’m afraid he may have seen you from the wall.” “I’d already thought of that,” said Yang Guo. “During the attack, Miss Long and I both had big hats pulled down over our brows and fur coats bundled up round our necks. He can’t possibly have recognised us.” Kublai said, “If that is so, I hope you achieve this great deed. As for the rewards I promised, I shall not go back on my word.”

Yang Guo murmured his thanks, and he was turning to leave with Xiaolongnü when he saw a strange look on the faces of State Preceptor Jinlun, Xiaoxiangzi, Yin Kexi and the rest. A thought struck him. They’re all afraid that if I go and kill Guo Jing, I’ll win the title of Foremost Warrior of Mongolia, so they’re bound to get in my way. He said to Kublai, “Your Highness, I’m going to kill Guo Jing to avenge a private wrong, and also to trade his head for a medicine that will save my life. If, by Your Highness’s good fortune, the great deed is done, I must on no account accept the title of Foremost Warrior of Mongolia.” “And why is that?” asked Kublai. “My martial skill is far below that of everyone here,” said Yang Guo. “How could I dare call myself the Foremost Warrior? Your Highness must grant me this before I dare set out.”

Kublai saw that he spoke in earnest and meant every word, and from the faces of the others he had already guessed what was in his mind. “If that is how it is,” he said, “every man has his own aims. I shall not force you.” Hearing Kublai say this, the State Preceptor and the others did indeed look relieved.

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Yang Guo wheeled his horse round and rode off towards Xiangyang side by side with Xiaolongnü. On the way they threw off their big hats and fur coats and went back to Han dress. By the time they reached the city it was getting dark. The gates were shut fast, and troop after troop of soldiers with torches patrolled the wall. Yang Guo called out in a loud voice, “My name is Yang Guo. I’ve come especially to pay my respects to Elder Master Guo Jing.” The officer guarding the wall heard the call, and seeing that he had only one woman with him, sent word at once to Guo Jing.

Before long two young men came up onto the wall and looked down. One of them called, “So it’s Big Brother Yang. Just the two of you?” Yang Guo saw that it was the Wu brothers. Guo Jing killed my father, he thought. I wonder whether the Wu brothers’ father was there helping him. “Big Brother Wu, Second Brother Wu,” he said, “is Uncle Guo in the city?” “He is,” said Wu Xiuwen. “Come in, Big Brother Yang.” He ordered the soldiers to open the gates and lower the drawbridge, and let Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü into the city.

The two Wus led them to a large house. Guo Jing came hurrying out of the door, beaming all over his face. He bowed to Xiaolongnü with joined hands, then took Yang Guo by the hand and laughed. “Guoer, you’ve come at just the right time. The Tartars are pressing the city hard, and with you two here I’ve gained two strong arms. It’s a blessing for every soul in the city.” Since Xiaolongnü was Yang Guo’s shifu, Guo Jing treated her with the courtesy due to one of his own generation, ushering her in with every politeness, while towards Yang Guo he was warm and affectionate.

With his left hand in the man’s grasp, Yang Guo thought how this was the man who had killed his father, and here he was putting on such a hypocritical show. He longed to draw his jian and stab him dead on the spot, but he was wary of Guo Jing’s martial skill and dared not act rashly. Forcing a smile, he said, “Uncle Guo, I trust you are well.” His heart was so full of hatred that he did not kneel and kowtow. Guo Jing, big-hearted and easy-going, did not notice such a small thing.

When they reached the hall, Yang Guo asked to go in and pay his respects to Huang Rong. Guo Jing laughed. “Your Aunt Guo is very near her time, and she hasn’t been well these past few days. You can see her another day.” Yang Guo was secretly delighted. Huang Rong is cleverer than anyone, and my only worry was that she’d see through me. And now she’s unwell. Heaven really is helping me.

As they talked, a staff officer came in and reported, “Grand Commandant Lü invites Elder Master Guo to a banquet to celebrate today’s great victory over the Tartars.” Guo Jing said, “Tell the Grand Commandant I thank him for the invitation, but I have guests come from afar and cannot attend.” The staff officer saw that Yang Guo was very young, with nothing out of the ordinary about him, and he could not understand why Guo Jing thought so highly of him that he would turn down the commander’s victory feast to keep this youth company. Full of wonder, he went back and reported to Lü Wenhuan.

Guo Jing laid on a simple family feast in the inner hall to welcome Xiaolongnü and Yang Guo, with Zhu Ziliu, Lu Youjiao, the Wu brothers, Guo Fu⁵ and others to keep them company. Zhu Ziliu thanked Yang Guo again and again: it was thanks to him, he said, that he had got the antidote from Huodu⁶ and been cured of the poison in his body. Yang Guo smiled faintly and said a few modest words. The Wu brothers pretended not to hear.

Footnotes

1. 金刀驸马 – Jīndāo Fùmǎ. Guo Jing’s Mongol title from his youth. After he helped Genghis Khan’s armies, he was betrothed to the Khan’s daughter Huazheng and given the golden dao as a symbol of his status. Though Guo Jing ultimately married Huang Rong, Mongol veterans of his generation still remember and revere him by this title. ↩

2. 蒙宋灭金 – Mongol–Song alliance against Jin. Southern Song and Mongols allied to destroy the Jin dynasty before the Mongols turned on the Song. ↩

3. 斤 – jīn. Traditional Chinese unit of weight, approximately 500 grams or 1.1 pounds. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

4. 里 – lǐ. Traditional Chinese unit of distance, approximately 500 metres or a third of a mile. ↩

5. 郭芙 – Guō Fú. Her name meaning “lotus”. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 霍都 – Huòdū. A Mongol prince, known as Prince Huodu; a disciple of State Preceptor Jinlun. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩