The Heavenly Sword & the Dragon Sabre – Chapter 39 – Part 8

Among the four hundred-odd men gathered there, Zhang Wuji noted that the monks of the Shaolin Order accounted for eighty or ninety. He thought, *Shaolin is the foremost faction in the wulin[^wulin], and the reputation is well earned. Even in qinggong[^qinggong] alone, their masters far outnumber those of other schools.* He issued his orders: "Second Uncle Yu, Fourth Uncle Zhang, Sixth Uncle Yin --- pray take the heroes skilled in qinggong and raise a great show of noise. Make as though every soul in the monastery were fleeing. Draw the enemy in pursuit, and once you reach the rear mountain, proceed thus and thus." The three Wudang xias[^xias] --- Yu, Zhang and Yin --- received the order with a single voice. Zhang Wuji apportioned the rest: who should lie in ambush, who bring up the rear, who storm the front, who strike from the flank, each task assigned in careful detail.

Yang Xiao and the others marvelled at the ingenuity of his design, and at the orderly array with which he marshalled them against the enemy, as though every move had been rehearsed beforehand. They did not know that he was drawing on the bequeathed methods of Yue Wumu, adapted only to suit the differences of terrain and the nature of his troops.

When the allocations were complete, Zhang Wuji added at last: “Abbot¹ Kongwen, Dharma Master² Kongzhi — I ask you two to lead the Emei Order’s disciples in tending the wounded and rescuing the fallen.” Zhou Zhiruo was not upon the mountain, and so the Emei Order had no leader of its own. Zhang Wuji knew the enmity between himself and that sect ran deep, and it would not do for him to issue them commands. He therefore entrusted the two venerable monks, Kongwen and Kongzhi, to lead them, trusting that the Emei disciples would not refuse their orders. When the command went out, the Emei disciples, both men and women, received it in silence, without demur.

Zhang Wuji raised his voice and proclaimed, “Today the sworn sons of the Central Plains have joined heart and strength to contend with the Tartars³ together. I ask the brothers of the Shaolin Order who keep the bell and drum — pray sound the drum and strike the bell!” The heroes raised a great shout of approval, drawing dao and jian, their spirits high.

The Blaze Banner carried out all the firewood and kindling stored within the monastery and piled it before the gates, setting it alight. In moments smoke and flame shot skyward. The Thick Earth Banner spread sand and mud across the rooftops of the Buddhist halls. The Blaze Banner then laid more firewood upon the mud and doused it with oil, kindling fresh fires there. In this manner the conflagration could not spread to the buildings themselves, yet from the foot of the mountain looking up, hundreds of temples appeared to be wreathed in roaring flames.

The Yuan army below had already been roused to vigilance by the sound of bell and drum. When they saw the fires upon the mountain, they cried, “It is no good — the southern barbarians are burning the monastery. They must be trying to flee!”

Yu Lianzhou led a band of over a hundred and fifty heroes renowned for their qinggong, racing down the left flank of Mount Shaoshi. Before they had reached halfway down the mountain, the Yuan army raised a great clamour and formed ranks in pursuit. The heroes scattered in disorder, so that the Mongol archers could not concentrate their volleys. The second wave was led by Zhang Songxi, the third by Yin Liting. Each man bore a great bundle upon his back, wrapped within which lay not boards but quilts and clothing. To the Yuan army it appeared a rout of desperate fugitives abandoning the monastery. Arrows struck the bundles but harmed no one. The Mongols, unable to see clearly through the smoke, could not judge their numbers, and so detached ten thousand men in pursuit, leaving one more ten-thousand formation in place against surprise.

Zhang Wuji said to Yang Xiao, “Bright Left Messenger Yang, the Tartar³ generals are no strangers to war-craft. They have not committed their full strength to the chase. This makes things harder for us.” Yang Xiao replied, “Indeed. The matter gives cause for concern.”

They heard the horns sounding from below. Two thousand-man formations of the Yuan army advanced up the mountain from left and right. The slopes were steep and rugged, yet the Mongol cavalry charged across them as though on level ground, their long spears and iron armour a martial spectacle. When the vanguard reached the half-mountain pavilion, Zhang Wuji raised a hand. The men of the Blaze Banner dashed out from both flanks and lay hidden in the grass. The two thousand enemy horsemen advanced another thousand-odd feet. Then Xin Ran gave a piercing whistle: fire-oil spurted from the spray-tubes, and flames burst forth, directed at the horses. The beasts shrieked and reared in anguish. The greater half rolled down the mountainside, and chaos reigned at once.

The Yuan army’s discipline was iron-clad. Though the vanguard was routed, the rear ranks did not stir. At the sounding of orders, three thousand-man formations dismounted and advanced on foot. The Blaze Banner sprayed flame again, killing and wounding several hundred more, yet the survivors pressed on with valour. Tang Yang, banner-chief of the Flood Banner, waved his black standard. Poisonous water spurted forth, and the Thick Earth Banner followed with clouds of venomous sand, driving the Yuan soldiers into scattered retreat. Several hundred who did reach the summit were all cut down by the keen blades of the Sharp Metal and Giant Wood banners.

Then came a rapid beating of drums from below. Five thousand-man formations raised enormous shields and advanced in line, an iron wall pushing slowly forward. Against this, neither flame nor venomous water nor sand could avail. Even were the Giant Wood Banner to charge its great logs forward, it seemed they could batter no more than a handful of breaches, of no account against the whole.

Abbot¹ Kongwen saw the peril was dire and said, “Cult Leader⁴ Zhang, I beg you withdraw at once and preserve the strength of the Central Plains’ wulin⁵. Though today is a defeat, we may yet return and fight another day.” In the very midst of their alarm, they heard a great tumult of golden drums from below. A rocket streaked into the sky, followed by a chorus of battle-cries on every side. Yang Xiao cried out in delight, “Cult Leader⁴ — our reinforcements have arrived!” From the mountain’s summit they could not see what passed below, but dust and smoke billowed skyward, with the clamour of men and the neighing of horses. The reinforcements, it seemed, came in great force.

Zhang Wuji called out in a loud voice, “Reinforcements have arrived! Charge down, everyone!” Upon the mountain the heroes brandished their weapons and charged forth. Zhang Wuji cried again, “Heroes, kill the officers first, then the soldiers!” The heroes took up the cry in a great chorus: “Kill the officers first, then the soldiers!”

The Mongol army was organised in units of ten, each led by a sergeant. Above these lay companies of a hundred, battalions of a thousand, and regiments of ten thousand⁶, each rank commanding the one below with the ease of mind directing arm, arm directing hand, hand directing fingers. Zhang Wuji’s order was to single out the Yuan officers for slaughter. Had the two armies met in open formation, line against line, such a stratagem would have been impossible, for officers customarily fought from the rear, overseeing their men. But now the Yuan army was scattered across the mountainside in loose combat. Though the Mongol soldiers were elite, their officers’ martial arts fell far short of the Central Plains’ finest. Several battalion-commanders⁷ and company-commanders⁸ fell, and the Mongol veterans, bereft of direction, at once dissolved into chaos.

Zhang Wuji and the others charged down to the mountainside. Below, they saw banners unfurling — to the south a standard bearing the character Xu, to the north one bearing Chang. He knew at once that Xu Da and Chang Yuchun had arrived. The two had been ordered to lead their troops in an assault upon the southern reaches of Yu Province, and when they received word from the Sack-Bearing Monk, Cannot Tell, that their Cult Leader was besieged upon Mount Shaoshi, they had marched day and night to his aid. The Ming Order faithful under Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were hardened veterans of many campaigns, and their numbers were great. They pressed the Yuan army back to the west.

The other Yuan regiment of ten thousand had pursued the heroes who feigned flight from the monastery, chasing them westward into a valley. Yu Lianzhou, Zhang Songxi and Yin Liting, leading several hundred heroes of superlative qinggong, fought as they retreated and drew the enemy into the valley. The Yuan regiment-commander⁶ saw that three sides of the valley were sheer cliffs, the terrain treacherous. Yet the enemy numbered few. Even were there an ambush within, he judged his forces ample to deal with it, and so drove his army on. Yu Lianzhou and the others reached the base of the cliff, where long ropes had already been cast down from above. Each man seized a rope and climbed. The regiment-commander, perceiving the trap, gave urgent orders to retreat — but from the valley mouth came a rain of fire, venomous sand, arrows and poisonous water. The Giant Wood Banner piled log upon log, sealing the valley’s throat.

At that moment the second Yuan army, routed from the first engagement, arrived upon the scene. Finding no way forward, they scattered in flight across the mountainside. Zhang Wuji and Xu Da reached the spot in turn, and both cried, “A pity!” Had the coordination been complete beforehand, both regiments of ten thousand might have been driven into the valley together and annihilated at a stroke. Zhang Wuji had not foreseen that the Yuan army would divide its strength in half, nor that the reinforcements would arrive with such swiftness. After all, the command of armies was not his natural gift. The methods of war set down in the Wumu Yishu⁹ were excellent, yet to learn and apply them upon the spot — it was impossible to wield them with such mastery as to win an instant and miraculous victory. Moreover, the circumstances of ancient and present differed. The Yuan army was far hardier and keener than the Jurchen troops of Wumu’s day. Had Xu Da and Chang Yuchun not arrived in the nick of time, not only would Shaolin Monastery have found catastrophe unavoidable, but the first Yuan regiment trapped within the valley would in time have been rescued by its comrades.

Xu Da at once gave orders for his troops to move earth and stone, sealing the valley mouth yet more firmly. Companies of archers climbed to the clifftop and rained arrows down into the valley from above. The Yuan army, trapped in a deadly place, could not fight back and could only shelter behind rocks and boulders.

Before long Chang Yuchun arrived with his own command, and met with Zhang Wuji. Old friends reunited after long parting, their joy was beyond measure. Zhu Yuanzhang, knowing that Xu Da and Chang Yuchun were close to Zhang Wuji, had deliberately detached their forces a fortnight past when he marched upon Dengfeng to press the palace. Chang Yuchun cried, “Clear away the earth and stone! Let us charge in and kill every last Tartar!” Xu Da laughed, “There is neither water nor rice in the valley. In seven or eight days at most, the Tartars will die of thirst or starve. Why should you and I trouble our hands?” Chang Yuchun laughed in turn, “It is cleaner to kill them with one’s own blade.” Though he was senior to Xu Da in years, he had long deferred to Xu Da’s cunning in matters of war, and said no more.

Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, both veterans of many campaigns, issued every order with sound judgement. Zhang Wuji knew himself far inferior to them, and at once deferred command to them, that they might hunt down the scattered remnants of the Yuan army. That night upon Mount Shaoshi the thunder of jubilation rose. The Ming Order’s righteous army and the gathered heroes celebrated their victory and toasted their triumph. For days the heroes had eaten only vegetarian fare within Shaolin Monastery, and their palates had long since rebelled. Now they drank deep and ate their fill of meat, abandoning all restraint.

During the feast Zhang Wuji asked after Chang Yuchun’s health, whether he was following the prescriptions he had given. Chang Yuchun laughed aloud: “Cult Leader, you need not worry. Old Chang is as strong as an ox. I eat three jin¹⁰ of meat and six great bowls of rice at every meal. In battle I can fight three days and three nights without sleep and think nothing of it.” The implication was plain: there was no need for any medicine. Zhang Wuji recalled Hu Qingniu’s words of old, and urged him earnestly to take his remedies and care for himself. Chang Yuchun assented with murmurs, though in his heart he thought it needless.

Xu Da filled a cup to the brim and offered it to Zhang Wuji, saying, “I salute the Cult Leader⁴. Pray drain this cup!” Zhang Wuji took it and drank. Xu Da continued, “Your subordinate has long admired the Cult Leader⁴’s loyalty to his companions and his matchless martial arts. I did not expect his skill in war to be so divine. It is a blessing indeed to our Order, and to all the common people.” Zhang Wuji laughed and said, “Big Brother Xu, spare me your flattery. Today’s great victory owes first to the swiftness of Big Brothers Xu and Chang in your arrival, and second to the bequeathed teachings of Yue Wumu¹¹. I myself have not a shred of credit.” Xu Da asked in surprise, “How so — the teachings of Yue Wumu¹¹? I beg the Cult Leader⁴ to enlighten me.”

Zhang Wuji drew from his robe a book of yellow paper, upon the cover of which was written Wumu Yishu⁹. He turned to the passage entitled “Army Besieged at Niutou Mountain”¹² and handed it over. Xu Da received it with both hands, read it through with care, and could not suppress his mingled astonishment and admiration. He sighed: “Yue Wumu¹¹’s mastery of war was beyond the reach of later men. Were Yue Wumu¹¹ alive today and leading the heroes of the Central Plains, what worry would we have of driving the Tartars³ back to the northern wastes?” With that he returned the book with the utmost reverence.

Footnotes

1. 方丈 – fāngzhàng. Abbot; the head of a Buddhist monastery. ↩ ↩²

2. 大师 – dàshī. Dharma Master; an honorific for senior Buddhist monks. ↩

3. 鞑子 – dázi. A derogatory Han-Chinese term for the northern nomadic peoples, here referring to the Mongols of the Yuan Dynasty. ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. 教主 – jiàozhǔ. Cult Leader; the head of a religious or martial order. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

5. 武林 – wǔlín. Lit. martial forest. The community of martial artists and their schools; the martial world. ↩

6. 万夫长 – wànfūzhǎng. A commander of ten thousand men; a regiment-commander in the Mongol military system. ↩ ↩²

7. 千夫长 – qiānfūzhǎng. A commander of a thousand men; a battalion-commander in the Mongol military system. ↩

8. 百夫长 – bǎifūzhǎng. A commander of a hundred men; a company-commander in the Mongol military system. ↩

9. 武穆遗书 – Wǔmù Yíshū. The Bequeathed Book of Wumu; a treatise on military strategy attributed to Yue Fei (posthumously titled Wumu), the great Song-dynasty general. ↩ ↩²

10. 斤 – jīn. A unit of weight, approximately 600 grams or 1.3 pounds. ↩

11. 岳武穆 – Yuè Wǔmù. The posthumous title of Yue Fei (1103–1142), the celebrated Song-dynasty general who fought against the Jurchen Jin. His military writings were held in legendary esteem. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

12. 牛头山 – Niútóu Shān. Ox-Head Mountain; the site of a famous battle in which Yue Fei was besieged yet ultimately prevailed. ↩