The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 25 – Part 7

That evening Zhang Wuji held a great assembly of the Order's adherents. Fires blazed and incense was burned as he proclaimed that every contingent must rise in concert against the Yuan, each force supporting the others so that the Yuan army would be stretched thin running to and fro, and then the great enterprise could succeed.

The plan was settled as follows. Order Leader Zhang Wuji, together with Bright Left Messenger¹ Yang Xiao and Wei Yixiao the Blue-Winged Bat King, would command the central altar as supreme leaders of the entire Order. Yin Tianzheng the White-Browed Eagle King would lead the Tianying Order’s adherents to rise in the lands south of the Yangtze. The Cloth Bag Monk Cannot Tell would lead Liu Futong, Du Zundao, Luo Wensu, Sheng Wenyu, Wang Xianzhong and Han Jiao’er to raise the standard in the Yingchuan region of Henan. The Monk Peng Yingyu would lead Xu Shouhui, Zou Puwang, Ming Wu and others to rise in the prefectures of Gan, Rao, Yuan and Xin in Jiangxi. Cannot Tell had previously supported the rebel Bang Hu in Runing and Xinyang Prefecture, and Peng Yingyu had supported Zhou Ziwang’s uprising in Yuanzhou. Both had been crushed. They were now ordered to rally the remnants of those forces for a new rising. Daoist Tieguan would lead Bu Sanwang, Meng Haima and others to rise in the Jingxiang region of Hunan and Hubei. Zhou Dian would lead Zhi Ma Li, Zhao Junyong and others to rise in the Xuzhou, Suzhou, Feng and Pei regions. Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Tang He, Deng Yu, Hua Yun, Wu Liang and Wu Zhen, together with Chang Yuchun’s mountain force and Sun Deya’s men, would raise troops at Haozhou in Huaibei, with Han Shantong as their supreme leader. Leng Qian would coordinate with the Order’s western adherents to cut off the Mongol reinforcements marching from the Western Regions. The Five Elements Banners would remain under the central altar’s command, dispatched wherever the fighting was fiercest.

(Note: In this account, Zhang Wuji, Yang Xiao, Yin Tianzheng, Yin Yewang and Wei Yixiao are fictional characters. The remaining persons and the locations of their uprisings are based broadly on historical records.)

Much of this strategy was devised by Yang Xiao and Peng Yingyu. When Zhang Wuji proclaimed it, the assembled Order adherents raised a thunderous cheer.

Zhang Wuji then took out the Holy Fire Tablets,² bearing the Three Great Commands and Five Minor Commands, handwritten by the former Order Leader Yang, which he had found in the secret passage beneath Bright Summit. Had all obeyed these eight commands in years past, the Order would never have faced its recent calamities. He mounted the high altar and said in a clear voice, “Our Order’s purpose is the universal salvation of the people. That we must not oppress or harm the common folk, that we must not quarrel among ourselves, these are easy to observe. But the First Great Command of the Holy Fire Tablets is the matter of gravest import. Brothers, listen well.”

He drew a deep breath and projected his voice so that every one of the several thousand adherents in Butterfly Valley could hear the First Great Command:

“You shall not become officials or monarchs. From the Order Leader down to the newest initiate, all shall hold the salvation of the people as their sole purpose, and shall never seek private gain. Therefore: you shall not sit for the imperial examinations, you shall not accept appointment by the court, you shall not become generals or chancellors, you shall not hold any office great or small, and you shall never establish yourselves as monarchs or claim territory as emperors. In resisting the foreign rulers, you may temporarily use the titles of Prince or General for the sake of rallying support. But once the great enterprise is accomplished, from the Order Leader to every adherent, all must withdraw to the status of common folk, dwelling in obscurity in the fields and wilderness, devoting themselves with diligence to the salvation of the people, the deliverance of the world, and the practice of good and the suppression of evil. You shall not accept honours, titles or lands from any court. Only those who remain common folk can defend the people against officials and slay corrupt officers to protect the people. The moment one becomes… an official or a monarch, one has placed the common folk beyond one’s concern.”

He read the First Great Command of the Holy Fire Tablets with utter sincerity, and all who heard it were solemn.

Zhang Wuji continued, “At present we are all common folk of the wilderness. The First Great Command is easy to keep. But once we have established our enterprise and taken the great cities, remember: you must never call yourselves emperor or king. To act against the common people is to act against me, Zhang Wuji.”

Yang Xiao added, “Brothers, you must steel yourselves now. When the time comes and you have won merit, when you hold great power and command cities and armies, letting go will be harder than you can imagine.”

All swore the oath with fervour: they would remain common folk, never seeking power or profit.

And indeed, in later years, when the Ming Order’s adherents conquered cities and established their domain, Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and the rest took Yingtian Fu as their capital and Zhu Yuanzhang styled himself King of Wu. He dared not call himself emperor. History records that a scholar advised Zhu Yuanzhang: “Build high walls, store grain abundantly, delay claiming the kingship.” In truth, it was the constraint of the Holy Fire Tablets’ First Great Command that held him back. Only later, when Zhu Yuanzhang sought to break free of the Ming Order and the Holy Fire Tablets’ restrictions, did he found the empire and take the title of emperor, enfeoffing lords and granting titles. But those are later events.

Zhang Wuji said, “The strength of our Order alone cannot shake the Yuan dynasty’s hundred-year dominion. We must unite the heroes of the wulin,³ pooling wisdom and strength, and only then can the great enterprise succeed. At present, half the leaders of the Central Plains are captives of the court. The central altar shall devise their rescue. Tomorrow the brothers scatter in all directions. Wherever opportunity presents, strike at the Tartars. The central altar will also proceed to Dadu to rescue the captives. Today we feast together here, but after this, who knows when we shall meet again. Let brotherhood be your bond, the great cause your priority. You must never quarrel for power or slaughter one another. Should any such injustice occur, the central altar will show no mercy.”

All cried in unison, “We dare not disobey the Order Leader’s command!” Their shout echoed through the valley.

They drew blood and swore the oath, burned incense and pledged their lives, vowing to die rather than betray the righteous cause.

That night the moon was bright as day. The assembled adherents of all factions sat upon the ground, and the officers of the central altar brought out round cakes with plain fillings to share among them. Seeing that the round cakes resembled the moon, the people called them yuebing,⁴ moon cakes. Later legend holds that the Han people agreed to eat moon cakes on the Mid-Autumn Festival and slay the Tartars, and this tradition originated from that night when the Ming Order swore its oath and settled its strategy.

Zhang Wuji then proclaimed, “Our Order has transmitted through the generations the rule of abstaining from meat and wine. But with famine everywhere, we must eat what we can. Moreover, our foremost task today is to drive out the Tartars. If the brothers do not eat meat, their spirits will flag and they will lack the strength to fight. From this day forward, the rule against meat and wine is abolished. In matters of conduct, we hold to the great principles. Dietary prohibitions are secondary.” Thereafter, the Ming Order’s moon cakes were filled with pork.

At dawn the following day, the leaders of all factions took their leave. Though each was a bold and generous hero, they knew that bloody battle would rage across the land, and who would live and who would die none could say. Even if the great cause succeeded, of the heroes gathered that day in Butterfly Valley, perhaps not half would survive. Each felt the weight of parting. Before the altar the sacred fire burned high, and someone, no one knew who, began to sing in a clear, ringing voice:

They burn my mortal frame, the holy fire blazes bright. What joy is life, what sorrow death, when all is wrapped in light?

The company joined in, voices rising together:

They burn my mortal frame, the holy fire blazes bright. What joy is life, what sorrow death, when all is wrapped in light? To do good, to banish evil, for this the Light was given. All joy and grief, all love and loss, return at last to the dust of heaven. All things we do are for the people, seeking nothing for our own. We pity the world, so many sorrows, so many sorrows unknown! We pity the world, so many sorrows, so many sorrows unknown!

The refrain We pity the world, so many sorrows, so many sorrows unknown! drifted through Butterfly Valley. The heroes, white-robed as snow, walked one by one to Zhang Wuji, bowed deeply, then strode away with heads held high, never looking back. Zhang Wuji thought of all these fine men. In the next ten or twenty years their blood would drench the Central Plains from end to end, and tears filled his eyes.

The song grew fainter. The warriors dispersed. Butterfly Valley, which had been alive with noise for days, fell silent once more. Only Yang Xiao, Wei Yixiao, Zhu Yuanzhang and a handful of others remained.

Zhang Wuji enquired in detail about the location of Wan’an Monastery⁵ and the appearance of the guards. Then he said, “Brother Zhu, this region of Hao and Si is on the verge of great upheaval. You must not miss the moment to rise. You need not accompany me to Dadu. We part here.”

Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and the rest said, “We pray the Order Leader succeeds in all. We await your good tidings.” They bowed in farewell and left the valley to begin their uprising.

Zhang Wuji said, “We must also be on our way. Xiaozhao, your chains make travel difficult. Wait for me here.” Xiaozhao agreed reluctantly, but she walked with him out of the valley, three li,⁶ then another three, unwilling to part.

Zhang Wuji said, “Xiaozhao, the further you walk, the further you will be from home. You will not even know the way back.”

Xiaozhao said softly, “Order Leader, when you reach Dadu, will you see that young lady Zhao?”

Zhang Wuji said, “Perhaps I shall.”

Xiaozhao said, “If you do see her, will you ask her something for me?”

Zhang Wuji asked in surprise, “What would you ask of her?”

Xiaozhao stretched out her arms, the chains clinking. “Ask the young lady Zhao to lend me the Heavenly Jian⁷ just long enough to cut these chains. Otherwise I shall be bound like this all my days.”

Zhang Wuji, seeing her piteous expression, felt compassion. “I fear she will not lend me the jian, let alone lend it all the way here.”

Xiaozhao said, “Then… take me to her. Ask her to wave the jian once, and it is done.”

Zhang Wuji laughed. “However you put it, you still want to come with me to Dadu. Left Messenger Yang, can we take her?”

Yang Xiao, knowing that Zhang Wuji’s words already showed his intention to bring her along, said, “It is no harm. The Order Leader needs someone to attend to his clothes and tea. Only the sound of those chains will attract attention. Let her feign illness and ride in the cart, and not emerge in public.”

Xiaozhao was overjoyed. “Thank you, Order Leader! Thank you, Left Messenger Yang!” She glanced at Wei Yixiao and added, “Thank you, Dharma King Wei.”

Wei Yixiao said, “What are you thanking me for? You had best be careful. When I fall ill, I suck people’s blood.” He bared his teeth in a ghastly grin. Xiaozhao knew he was teasing, but could not help a flicker of fear. She stepped back three paces. “You… do not frighten me.”

Footnotes

1. 明教 – Míng Jiào. The Ming Order, so named for its devotion to the Light. A martial and religious order descended from Manichaeism, long persecuted by the Yuan court. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 圣火令 – Shènghuǒ Lìng. The Holy Fire Tablets. Twelve bronze tablets inscribed with the commands of the Ming Order’s founder, carried by the Order Leader as the symbol of authority. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 武林 – wǔlín. Literally “martial forest.” The community of martial artists and their affairs. ↩

4. 月饼 – yuèbǐng. Moon cakes. Round pastries traditionally eaten at the Mid-Autumn Festival. Legend holds that the custom of eating moon cakes to slay the Tartars originated from this night. ↩

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

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

7. 倚天剑 – Yǐtiān Jiàn. The Heavenly Jian. One of the two legendary weapons forged by Guo Jing and Huang Rong from the Heavy Iron Sword, said to contain the Nine Yin Manual within its scabbard. Its rival is the Dragon-Slaying Dao. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩