The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 25 – Part 6

Chang Yuchun invited the assembled heroes into his stronghold, where oxen were slaughtered and sheep butchered and a great feast laid out. He told them what had befallen him since their parting. In recent years drought and flood had visited Huainan and Huaibei in succession, and the common people had suffered beyond bearing. With no honest livelihood to be had, Chang Yuchun had gathered the brothers of the Order and turned to the greenwood,¹ raiding homes and holding up travellers. When the mountain stronghold grew thick with grain and silver, they distributed it among the poor. The Yuan army had attacked several times, but could not overcome them.

The company rested that night in the stronghold. The following day they set out northward with Chang Yuchun, reckoning that the Yuan army, freshly defeated, would not dare return for two or three months.

After several days they reached the outskirts of Butterfly Valley.² The Order’s cult members who had arrived before them, learning that the Order Leader was at hand, formed a long procession and came out of the valley to welcome him. By then the officers of the Great Wood Banner³ had long since built many thatched cottages and timber lodges within Butterfly Valley to house the cult members gathering from every quarter. Wei Yixiao, Peng Yingyu, Cannot Tell and the rest had arrived earlier still, and reported that they had found no trace of that young lady Zhao.

After Zhang Wuji had received the cult members from each contingent, he prepared sacrificial offerings and went in turn to the graves of Hu Qingniu and his wife, and of Ji Xiaofu, to pay his respects. He remembered how wretched and haggard he had been when he left the valley not long before, and how now on his return the valley was ablaze with colour, the scenery beyond measure. It was as though a world apart lay between.

Three days later was the fifteenth of the eighth month. A high altar had been raised in Butterfly Valley, and before it a great fire blazed. Zhang Wuji ascended the altar and proclaimed to all the cult members his intention to set aside all old grievances with the schools and factions of the Central Plains, and to unite against the Yuan and resist the Tartars. He then promulgated the Order’s rules, reaffirming the doctrine of doing good, forsaking evil, and crushing the violent to protect the innocent. The cult members bowed to the decree with one accord. Each man lit a bundle of incense before him and swore that he would not dare disobey the Order Leader’s commands.

That day the light of the torches before the altar reached to the heavens, and the fragrance of incense drifted across the valley. The splendour of the Ming Order far surpassed anything that had gone before. The older cult members, seeing this flourishing sight, recalled how for decades the Order had been torn apart by schism and brought to the very brink of destruction, and could not help but weep for joy.

In the afternoon a subordinate cult member came to report, “Zhu Yuanzhang,⁴ Xu Da⁵ and the brothers of the Flood Banner⁶ beg leave to see the Order Leader.” Zhang Wuji was greatly pleased and went out to greet them in person. Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da, with Tang He,⁷ Deng Yu,⁸ Hua Yun,⁹ Wu Liang¹⁰ and Wu Zhen¹¹ and the rest, stood respectfully outside the door. When they saw Zhang Wuji come out, they all bowed and said, “We pay our respects to the Order Leader!” Zhang Wuji had often thought of the day Xu Da had thrown himself into harm’s way to save him, and now, seeing them all, his joy was beyond measure. He returned their courtesy at once, taking Zhu Yuanzhang by the left hand and Xu Da by the right, and led them both inside. He bade the rest be seated. The men first offered their apologies for their presumption, and only then sat down.

Zhu Yuanzhang had by then returned to lay life and no longer dressed as a monk. He said, “We received the Order Leader’s decree and set out for Butterfly Valley at once. We should have arrived long ago to await your command, but on the way we encountered a most peculiar matter. We followed the trail to investigate, and so missed the assembly. We beg the Order Leader’s forgiveness.” Zhang Wuji asked, “What was this matter, then?”

Zhu Yuanzhang said, “In the first ten days of the sixth month we received the Order Leader’s decree, and the brothers were overjoyed. We discussed what gifts we might prepare to honour the Order Leader. Huaibei is a hard land, with nothing of worth to offer, and since the assembly was still some way off, we agreed to seek our fortune together in Shandong. Fearing that the local officials might recognise us, we disguised ourselves as mule-cart drivers for hire, and I was their foreman. That day we reached Guide Prefecture¹² in Henan, and took on several passengers from Shanxi bound for Heze¹³ in Shandong. We had not gone far when a band of men came riding up behind us, brandishing blades and thrusting with spears, fierce and savage. They drove all our passengers out of the carts and ordered us to take on new fares. Brother Hua was for fighting them then and there, but Brother Xu gave him a look and told him to size up the situation before making a move. That band drove our nine great carts into a mountain hollow, where more than ten other carts were already waiting. Sitting on the ground were all monks.” Zhang Wuji asked, “All monks?”

Zhu Yuanzhang said, “Indeed. Every one of those monks was downcast and listless, yet several among them bore an uncommon bearing. Some had temples that bulged high, and some were broad-shouldered and tall. Brother Xu whispered to me that these monks were all men of formidable martial skill. That band of ruffians ordered the monks into the carts, and we were to drive, with them escorting us all the way north. I suspected something was afoot, and secretly told the brothers to stay alert and show no sign of suspicion. Along the way we listened carefully to that band’s talk, but they were exceedingly secretive and would not speak a word before us. Later Brother Wu Liang took the risk of eavesdropping beneath their window at night. After four or five nights of listening, he at last gleaned something: those monks were all from Shaolin Monastery¹⁴ on Mount Song¹⁵ in Henan.” Zhang Wuji had already half-guessed as much, but still gave a start.

Zhu Yuanzhang went on, “Brother Wu Liang also overheard one of them say, ‘The Master’s stratagems are truly beyond reckoning. The finest martial artists of Shaolin, Wudang and the six schools are all in our grasp. Since ancient times, who has accomplished the like?’ Another said, ‘That is not the half of it. With a single arrow he has brought down two hawks, and ensnared the Ming Order’s chief demons as well.’ The seven of us pretended to relieve ourselves, and in the privy we discussed the matter in whispers. We all agreed that since our own Order was implicated, and the matter had fallen into our hands by chance, we must get to the bottom of it and report back to the Order Leader.” Zhang Wuji said, “Your judgement was sound.”

Zhu Yuanzhang said, “From then on we played the dull-witted cart driver all the more convincingly. Brother Tang He and Brother Deng Yu staged a brawl over five qian¹⁶ of silver, clumsily flailing at each other to make plain they had not a scrap of martial skill. That band of ruffians clapped their hands and roared with laughter, and paid us no further heed. We called them ‘My lord’ and ‘Good sir’ at every turn, and flattered them to their faces. Brother Wu Zhen considered obtaining some numbing drug and laying those ruffians out on the road, so that we might rescue the Shaolin monks. But we reasoned that we knew nothing of how the affair had come about, and that these men were cunning and capable, their martial arts formidable. One misstep, and we should startle the snake in the grass and spoil everything. So we never dared act. When we reached Hejian Prefecture,¹⁷ we fell in with six more carts, likewise under escort. These carried laymen rather than monks. At mealtime I overheard one of the Shaolin monks greet a new arrival, ‘Song daxia, so you are here too!’”

Zhang Wuji rose to his feet and asked at once, “He said Song daxia? What did the man look like?” Zhu Yuanzhang said, “He was of a slightly stout build, fifty or sixty years of age, with a long beard in three strands and a refined and elegant countenance.”

When Zhang Wuji heard that the description matched Song Yuanqiao exactly, he was at once alarmed and overjoyed. He asked after the appearance and bearing of the others, and sure enough, Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi and Mo Shenggu were all among them. He asked further, “Were any of them wounded? Or in shackles?”

Zhu Yuanzhang said, “No shackles, and no wounds that we could see. They ate and drank and spoke like ordinary men, only they seemed spiritless, and walked with a somewhat unsteady gait. When the Shaolin monk addressed that man as Song daxia, he gave only a bitter smile and said nothing. The Shaolin monk would have spoken further, but one of the escorts came over and pulled him away. After that the two groups kept more than ten li¹⁸ apart, and no longer ate or lodged together. From then on I saw no more of Song daxia and the rest. On the third day of the seventh month we delivered the Shaolin monks to Dadu.”¹⁹

Zhang Wuji said, “Ah, to Dadu, then. It was the court’s doing after all. What happened next?” Zhu Yuanzhang said, “That band of ruffians led us and delivered the Shaolin monks to a great temple in the western quarter of the city, and told us to sleep there too.” Zhang Wuji asked, “What temple was it?” Zhu Yuanzhang said, “As I entered the monastery I looked up at the plaque above the gate and saw it was called Wan’an Temple.”²⁰ “For that one glance I took a whip across the back from one of the ruffians. That night we brothers consulted in secret. We were sure those men would not let us live, and that they would kill us all to silence us. So as soon as it grew dark, we slipped away.”

Zhang Wuji said, “The affair was perilous indeed. It is fortunate those ruffians did not give chase.”

Tang He smiled and said, “Brother Zhu had foreseen as much, and made preparations beforehand. We seized seven mule dealers from a nearby horse market, swapped clothes with them, and then killed the seven men in the temple, slashing their faces beyond recognition so the ruffians could not identify them. We also killed the cart drivers who had travelled with us, and scattered silver across the ground, to make it look as though two bands had fallen to fighting over money. When those ruffians returned to the temple, they would have no cause for suspicion.”

Zhang Wuji’s heart gave a start. He saw that Xu Da’s face showed distress, and Deng Yu looked deeply uneasy, while Tang He recounted the tale with obvious satisfaction. Only Zhu Yuanzhang remained utterly impassive, as though nothing of consequence had happened. Zhang Wuji thought to himself, This man’s hand is ruthless indeed. He is a formidable character. He said aloud, “Brother Zhu’s scheme was clever, but from this day forth we must never again kill the innocent without cause.”

This was the Order Leader’s decree, and Zhu Yuanzhang and the rest rose at once, bowed, and said, “We obey the Order Leader’s command.” In later years, when Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Deng Yu, Tang He and the rest marched to war, they did indeed hold strictly to Zhang Wuji’s injunction against the wanton slaughter of the innocent, and so won the hearts of the people and laid the foundation of a dynasty.

Zhang Wuji said, “The seven of you, Brother Zhu, have done great service in discovering where the masters of Shaolin and Wudang are held. Once we have set in order the affairs of the uprising against the Yuan, we shall go to Dadu and rescue them.” With public business concluded, he spoke next with Xu Da and the rest as old friends, recalling the day they had stolen and slaughtered Squire Zhang’s ox, and they all clapped their hands and laughed aloud.

Footnotes

1. 绿林 – lùlín. Lit. “green forest.” The world of outlaws and bandits who live outside settled society, often romanticised as robbers who prey on the rich and aid the poor. ↩

2. 蝴蝶谷 – Húdié Gǔ. Butterfly Valley. A secluded valley in Huaibei that serves as a gathering place for the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 巨木旗 – Jù Mù Qí. The Great Wood Banner, one of the Five Elements Banners of the Ming Order, responsible for construction and engineering. ↩

4. 朱元璋 – Zhū Yuánzhāng. Later the Hongwu Emperor, founder of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1398). At this time a former monk turned rebel leader under the Ming Order. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

5. 徐达 – Xú Dá. A key general in the founding of the Ming Dynasty and one of Zhu Yuanzhang’s earliest companions. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

6. 洪水旗 – Hóng Shuǐ Qí. The Flood Banner, one of the Five Elements Banners of the Ming Order, wielding water-based weapons and poisons. ↩

7. 汤和 – Tāng Hé. A companion of Zhu Yuanzhang and later a founding general of the Ming Dynasty. ↩

8. 邓愈 – Dèng Yù. A companion of Zhu Yuanzhang and later a founding general of the Ming Dynasty. ↩

9. 花云 – Huā Yún. A companion of Zhu Yuanzhang and a noted warrior. ↩

10. 吴良 – Wú Liáng. A companion of Zhu Yuanzhang and later a founding general of the Ming Dynasty. ↩

11. 吴祯 – Wú Zhēn. Younger brother of Wu Liang, also a companion of Zhu Yuanzhang and later a founding general. ↩

12. 归德府 – Guīdé Fǔ. Guide Prefecture, in modern Shangqiu, Henan. ↩

13. 荷泽 – Héze. A county in southwestern Shandong. ↩

14. 少林寺 – Shàolín Sì. Shaolin Monastery. The renowned Buddhist monastery on Mount Song, Henan. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

15. 嵩山 – Sōngshān. Mount Song, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of China, in Henan province. The site of Shaolin Monastery. ↩

16. 钱 – qián. A Chinese unit of weight, one-tenth of a liang (approximately 3.7 grams). Used for weighing silver as currency. ↩

17. 河间府 – Héjiān Fǔ. Hejian Prefecture, in modern Hebei. ↩

18. 里 – lǐ. A Chinese unit of distance, approximately one-third of a mile or 500 metres. ↩

19. 大都 – Dàdū. The Yuan Dynasty’s capital, modern-day Beijing. Lit. “Great Capital.” ↩

20. 万安寺 – Wàn’ān Sì. Wan’an Temple. A large temple in Dadu where the Yuan court held captive the masters of the orthodox schools. ↩