The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 36 – Part 10

A young officer with thick brows and large eyes, his bearing bold and martial, spoke in a clear voice, "I report to the Cult Leader: the Cult Leader treats men with benevolence and righteousness, and has established great merit for our Order. Every man follows you with heart and soul. If you were to resign your post and withdraw, it would wound the hearts of all the brothers. We fought the Tartars in bloody battle, and though we say it was for the sake of all the people under heaven, to speak plainly, we risked our lives for you, Cult Leader. Dharma King Xie is of course an excellent man, or he would not have earned the trust of the former Cult Leader Yang, and he is your sworn father besides. But Dharma King Xie has deep enmities with the heroes of the world. I beg the Cult Leader to strive through difficulty, for the sake of our Order's revival, and continue as our leader. Even if you truly wish to retire to the woods and devote yourself to martial studies, avoiding the troubles of worldly affairs, I beg you to choose another worthy man, one of universal respect who has established great merit for our Order, so that all may submit willingly, no disputes arise, and the Ming Order does not fall again into mutual slaughter as talented men fight for the leadership, becoming a laughing-stock to the heroes of the world and giving the Mongol Yuan a chance to strike back."

Zhang Wuji recognised him as Li Wenzhong,¹ a general under Zhu Yuanzhang and his nephew. Zhu Yuanzhang had taken him as a sworn son and renamed him “Zhu Wenzhong,” making him a trusted confidant. Young as he was, his martial arts were unremarkable and he held no prestige within the Order, having distinguished himself only through battlefield merit. Yet he stood firm before the mat, speaking with composed assurance, showing he had prepared his words in advance.

Zhang Wuji said, “Brother Li, that man of universal respect and great merit you speak of, who might he be?” Li Wenzhong replied, “Cult Leader, you need only step outside the camp and ask the brothers beyond the tent. They will answer you themselves, and it is not I speaking nonsense.”

Zhang Wuji glanced at Yang Xiao and Fan Yao, then walked out of the camp. On the plaza, the Ming Order’s rebel army stood in ranked formation, helmets gleaming, armour bright, their dao and spears held ready. When they saw Zhang Wuji emerge, the leading officers cried in unison, “We greet the Cult Leader! May the Bright Lord protect the Cult Leader!” The soldiers slammed their dao and spears to the ground with a great crash, and tens of thousands bowed together, shouting, “We greet the Cult Leader! May the Bright Lord protect the Cult Leader!” Zhang Wuji clasped his fists and returned the salute, calling out, “May the Bright Lord protect all you brothers!”

Zhang Wuji thought, “We are all good brothers beneath the Bright Lord, sharing fortune and misfortune, life and death together. An army this fine could truly recover our rivers and mountains!” He asked aloud, “General Li Wenzhong spoke just now of a man of universal respect who has established great merit for our Order. May I ask who he means?” The officers and soldiers shouted as one, “The Duke of Wu, Zhu Yuanzhang! The Duke of Wu, Zhu Yuanzhang!” Their united cry truly shook the earth and moved the mountains.

Zhang Wuji turned to look at Yang Xiao and Fan Yao. The two stood with hands at their sides, slowly waving them in refusal. Zhang Wuji understood. He turned to the officers and soldiers and said, “To have such a good brother is truly a great blessing to our Order. I understand! Break ranks and drink!” The soldiers bowed and said, “We thank the Cult Leader!” Zhang Wuji called out, “Please bring forth Brother Zhu Yuanzhang, the Duke of Wu!” A general bowed and said, “I report to the Cult Leader: military affairs in Ying Tian are urgent, and the Duke of Wu has already departed to respond. He orders this subordinate to beg your pardon.” Zhang Wuji nodded and said, “Brother Zhu rides without rest, diligent in military affairs. What offence is there?”

He returned to the tent. Tang He,² Deng Yu,³ Li Wenzhong and the rest all said they had been summoned by the Duke of Wu and must hasten back to Ying Tian for battle. One by one they begged leave to depart. Zhang Wuji nodded and said, “First eat your fill of food and wine. When you return to Ying Tian, please greet Brother Han on my behalf. The matter of the new Cult Leader is grave, and we must consider it at length. I wish you victory from the first battle! In leading your troops, treat the people well, lest you betray our Order’s purpose of serving the nation and saving the people!” The officers agreed, finished their meal, bowed and took their leave, each leading away their soldiers.

Zhang Wuji and the others returned to the wooden pavilion to discuss what had passed. Zhou Dian was the first to cry out, “That wretch Zhu Yuanzhang wants to be Cult Leader! Isn’t this rebellion? Bat King Wei, let’s ride hard and cut off his head. Let’s see if he dares rebel then!” Fan Yao said, “Zhu Yuanzhang commands vast numbers of troops and is skilled at taking cities and territory. Just now Li Wenzhong, acting on Zhu Yuanzhang’s orders, came to show force before the Cult Leader, and he was quite full of himself. Brother Zhou, if I were to seize him and twist his neck, with a crack like that, would he still be able to speak such nonsense and make such grand claims?”

Zhou Dian laughed loudly and cried, “Excellent, excellent! Why didn’t you just do that to the lad? Crack, snap, twist and tear! Wuwu, wuwu, bobo, bobo!” Fan Yao asked, “Brother Zhou, what miraculous martial arts are wuwu and bobo?” Zhou Dian laughed, “You don’t understand! Wuwu and bobo aren’t martial arts, they’re the strange sounds that fellow would make with his neck twisted, from pain above and below, with shit rolling and piss flowing!”

Yang Xiao said, “To kill him would cost us no more effort than blowing ash from our hands. But Zhu Yuanzhang has recruited soldiers, bought horses, and taken prefectures and counties. He has killed so many Mongols that half their empire is smoke and dust, and nearly half the Han rivers and mountains have been recovered. This is a true and great merit. We drew blood and swore an oath, raising the righteous banner together, and what have we laboured for if not this great cause? Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Wenzhong, such men cannot be killed. Even if they betray the Ming Order, so long as they truly recover the Han rivers and mountains and drive the Mongol Tartars back north, we cannot touch a hair on their heads.”

Zhang Wuji nodded and said, “True! Compared to the Han rivers and mountains, the Ming Order is light. Compared to the millions of Han people, the cult members are light. The Ming Order can rise again after defeat, but if the Han rivers and mountains fall to foreign hands, to take them back will be a thousand times more difficult!” Yang Xiao, Fan Yao, Wei Yixiao, the Five Unbound Adepts and the others rose one by one. Each was a man who had spent his life labouring at great affairs. They turned the matter in their minds, and understood at once which was heavier and which lighter. To make the Ming Order heavy and the rivers and mountains light was selfish ambition, not the heart of a hero of great courage or a true xia.

Peng Yingyu said, “The Cult Leader’s words of gold and jade have truly pierced my heart. Whoever can lead the heroes of the world and drive out the barbarians, I, Peng the Monk, will follow him. Whether he wishes to be Cult Leader of the Ming Order or Emperor, I will support him!”

Zhang Wuji said, “What Great Master Peng says is right. Our present duty is to rescue Dharma King Xie. If Zhu Yuanzhang wishes to be Cult Leader, so long as he can drive out the Mongol Yuan and restore our Han rivers and mountains, I will let him have it!” Zhou Dian spat and said, “That fellow with the jutting chin and face full of black moles, he looks nothing like a Cult Leader. A common soldier, perhaps!”

Footnotes

1. 李文忠 – Lǐ Wénzhōng. A general under Zhu Yuanzhang and his nephew. Zhu Yuanzhang took him as a sworn son and renamed him Zhu Wenzhong. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

2. 汤和 – Tāng Hé. A general under Zhu Yuanzhang, one of the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩

3. 邓愈 – Dèng Yù. A general under Zhu Yuanzhang, one of the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty. See Wuxia Wiki. ↩