Read The Book and the Sword 書劍恩仇錄 PART SIX
After two days and nights of being starved, frightened and angered, Qian Long's resistance was virtually worn away.
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PART SIX
1
After two days and nights of
being starved, frightened and angered, Qian Long's resistance was virtually
worn away. On the morning of the third day, a boy appeared and said:
"Master Dongfang, our master invites you to come and talk with him."
Qian Long recognized the boy
as Chen's attendant, and he followed him down to the floor below.
As he entered, Chen, smiling
broadly, advanced to greet him, and bowed. Qian Long returned the bow, and the
two sat down. Xin Yan served some tea.
"Bring some titbits to
eat," Chen ordered. A moment later, Xin Yan carried in a tray on which was
placed plates of spring rolls, prawns, chicken and ham. He set out two sets of
bowls and chopsticks and poured wine for them both.
"Please forgive me for
not being able to see you sooner. I had to go to visit a friend who was
wounded," said Chen.
"It is nothing."
"There is something I
wish to talk to you about, but please eat first," Chen added. He chose a
morsel from each plate, then put down his chopsticks and watched Qian Long wolf
down the food.
When he had finished, Qian
Long sat back, unspeakably contented, and raised his tea cup. He looked closely
at the tiny Dragon's Well tea leaves and took a leisurely sip, savouring the
feeling of the liquid seeping into his stomach.
Chen walked over to the door
and pushed it open. "All the others are downstairs standing guard. There
could not be a more convenient place for us to talk. No one will hear us,"
he said.
Qian Long's expression
hardened. "Why did you have me brought here?" he asked. "What is
it you want?"
Chen stepped forward and
stared into his face.
"Do you still not
recognize me, brother?" Chen asked after a moment's silence. The words
were soft, the tone intimate, but they hit Qian Long's ears with the force of a
clap of thunder, and he jumped. An expression of deep sincerity on his face,
Chen slowly extended his hand and took Qian Long's.
"We are blood
brothers," he said. "There is no need to continue the deception, my
brother, I know everything."
Chen pulled on a chord beside
a painting hanging on the wall and the painting rolled up to reveal a mirror.
"Take a look at yourself," he said.
Qian Long stood up and gazed
at himself in the mirror, wearing Chinese clothes: his face contained not the
slightest likeness to a Manchu. He looked at Chen standing beside him, and had
to admit that despite their difference in age, their faces were similar. He
sighed and sat down.
"Brother, we were not
aware of the situation before," said Chen. "We even took up arms
against each other. The spirits of father and mother up in heaven must have
been heartbroken. Luckily neither of us was hurt and nothing happened which
cannot be rectified."
Qian Long felt a rasping
dryness in his throat and his heart beating rapidly. A moment passed. "I
asked you to go to Beijing with me to work, but you refused," he said
finally. Chen turned and gazed out at the great river without answering.
"With your scholastic
abilities," Qian Long continued, "what reason would there be for not promoting
you? Such a situation would be of great benefit to our family and to the
nation, to both you and I. Why be so disloyal and unfilial as to continue with
this criminal course of action?"
Chen spun round. "I have
never accused you of being disloyal or unfilial, or of acting criminally, and
yet you accuse me of these things."
"Hah!" replied Qian
Long. "It is true that ministers must be completely loyal to their
emperor. But since I am already emperor, how could I be disloyal?"
"You are obviously a Chinese
and yet you submit to the Manchus. Is that loyalty? When our father and mother
were alive, you never attended to them properly. Is that filial
behaviour?"
Beads of sweat dripped off
Qian Long's forehead. "At the time, I did not know," he said quietly.
"I first heard about it when the former leader of your Red Flower Society,
Master Yu, visited me last spring. Even now, I'm not sure whether I believe
it."
"Look at yourself,"
Chen said. "What resemblance is there to a Manchu? How can you have any further
doubt?"
Qian Long brooded in silence.
"You are Chinese. The
homeland of the Chinese people has fallen into the hands of the Manchus, and
you yourself lead them in the oppression of our people. Is that not disloyal,
unfilial and criminal behaviour?"
For a moment, Qian Long was at
a loss for a reply. "And now I have fallen into your hands," he
finally said, haughtily. "If you are going to kill me, then kill me. There
is no point wasting words."
"But we made a pact on
the embankment at Haining that we would never do anything to hurt one
other," Chen replied softly. "How can I go back on my word? And
anyway, now that we know we are blood brothers, we have even less reason to do
each other harm." A tear trickled unbidden down his cheek.
"Well, what do you want
me to do? Do you want to force me to abdicate?"
"No," said Chen,
wiping his eyes. "You can continue to be emperor. But as the wise,
enlightened founder of a new dynasty."
"Founder of a new
dynasty?" Qian Long echoed in surprise.
"Yes. You will be a
Chinese emperor, not an emperor of the Manchus."
Qian Long suddenly understood.
"So you want me to drive out the Manchus?" he said.
"Yes, you will be emperor
just the same, but instead of being regarded as a criminal and cursed by future
generations, why not establish an outstanding and rejuvenating dynasty that
will last?"
Chen saw from Qian Long's
expression that his words were having the desired effect.
"Being the emperor you
are at present, you are simply basking in the glory of the former Manchu
rulers," he continued. "What is so special about that? Look at that
man."
Qian Long went over to the
window and looked down in the direction Chen was pointing, and saw a peasant in
the distance hoeing the ground.
"If that man had been
born in the Imperial Palace and you had been born in his farm house, he would
be emperor, and you would have no choice but to hoe the field."
Qian Long started at the
novelty of the idea.
"A man is born into the
world and his life is gone in a flash," said Chen. "If you achieve
nothing worthwhile, you decay and rot like grass and trees without leaving a
trace behind. The emperors of the past who established their own noble
dynasties were truly great men. Even a Tartar such as Genghis Khan could also
be considered to be outstanding."
Every word stabbed deep into
Qian Long's heart. If, he thought, if I really do as he says and throw the
Manchus out and restore the Chinese homelands, I would truly be the founder of
a dynasty and a man of greater achievements than any emperor before me.
Just as he was considering an
answer, he heard the sound of dogs barking in the distance. Seeing Chen frown
slightly, he looked out and spied four massive hounds galloping towards the
pagoda with two figures following.
In the wink of an eye, they
reached the base of the pagoda and there was a sharp challenge from below. Qian
Long and Chen, in the second-highest storey of the thirteen-storey pavilion
could not hear distinctly what was said, but they saw the two new-comers and
their dogs charge into the pavilion. A moment later, there was a loud whistle
indicating danger.
Seeing help had arrived, Qian
Long was overjoyed. Chen looked around carefully, but could see no other signs
of movement: the two intruders were alone.
He heard the shouts of
youngsters mingling with the barks and growls of the dogs, indicating Zhou Qi
and Xin Yan on the second floor were doing battle with the animals. All of a
sudden, there were two screams, and two swords were hurled out of the window.
Just then, 'Crocodile' Jiang wielding his mighty iron oar chased the four dogs
out of the pagoda and began beating them mercilessly. Someone on the sixth
floor and gave an ear-splitting whistle. The four dogs turned and raced away.
Noting the intruders had
reached the sixth floor, Chen realised it meant Twelfth Brother, Ninth Brother
and Eighth Brother had been unable to stop them. He groaned inwardly.
Suddenly, he saw 'Mastermind'
Xu leap out of the seventh floor window onto the narrow roof pursued by a tiny
old woman with a head of white hair and a sword slung over her back.
"Watch the dart!" Xu
yelled with a wave of his hand, and his opponent hastily withdrew. But it had
been merely a feint, and Xu took advantage of the trick to escape round the
corner.
The old woman chased after
him.
"Watch out!" Xu
yelled.
"You bastard
monkey," the old woman cursed. "You can't fool your grandma
again."
She made a grab for him, but
this time, it was no feint: a piece of tile Xu had picked up from the roof
hurtled towards her. Unable to avoid it, the old woman blocked the tile with
her hand and it shattered. The Twin Knights, standing guard on the eighth
floor, appeared to be fully occupied dealing with the old woman's partner, for
they gave Xu no help. Xu's kung fu was no match for the old woman's, and after
a few moves, he was forced to dodge out of the way again.
Qian Long watched with
pleasure as the two new-comers fought their way up, but Chen also seemed
strangely unconcerned. He pulled a chair to the window so that he could sit and
observe the battle. There were only two of them, he thought. In the end, they
could not overcome all the Red Flower Society's fighters.
Then he heard the sound of
more dogs barking in the distance intermingled with shouting and galloping
horses.
Footsteps sounded on the
stairs and Xin Yan raced in.
"The guards outside
report that more than two thousand Manchu troops are approaching, heading
straight for us," he told Chen, using the Red Flower Society's secret
language.
Chen nodded and Xin Yan raced
back downstairs. Qian Long did not understand what Xin Yan had said, but seeing
Chen's anxious expression, he knew it was unwelcome news. He looked into the
distance and spotted amongst the maple trees a white flag on which was written
one large word: "Li". Overjoyed, he realized Commander Li had come to
save him.
Chen leaned out of the window
and shouted: "Brother Ma, retreat into the pagoda and prepare the bows and
arrows!"
Suddenly the old woman rushed
into the room with the heroes close behind. Lord Zhou attacked her with his
great sword while Chen pulled Qian Long into a corner.
Xu motioned some of the others
to guard the windows, and Chen shouted: "Throw down your sword and we'll
spare you!"
The old woman could see she
was surrounded, but she continued to fight, completely unafraid.
"I've seen her sword
style somewhere before, I'm sure," Zhou Qi said to Xu.
"Yes, I thought it was
familiar too," he replied.
The old woman forced Lord Zhou
back a pace, then shouted at Qian Long: "Are you the emperor?"
"Yes, I'm the
emperor," he replied hastily. "Are all the rescue forces here?"
The woman leapt onto the table, then with her sword pointing straight out, flew
at him like a great bird, thrusting the blade at his heart. The heroes had assumed
she was one of Qian Long's underlings come to rescue him, and were caught
completely unaware by this fast move. But Chen, who was standing by Qian Long's
side, thrust his fingers at a Yuedao point on the old woman's arm. Her blade
slowed, giving Chen time to draw his dagger and place it in the way of the
sword. The two blades clashed, then both retreated two paces. Chen pulled Qian
Long back and placed himself in front of him, then saluted.
"What is your honourable
name, Madame," he asked.
"Where did that dagger of
yours come from?" she replied.
Chen was surprised by the
question. "A friend gave it to me," he said.
"What friend?" the
woman demanded. "You are a servant of the Emperor. Why would she give it
to you? What is your relationship with Master Yuan, the Strange Knight of the
Heavenly Pool?"
"He is my teacher,"
said Chen, answering the last question first.
"So that's it," the
woman said. "Your teacher may be peculiar, but he's an upright gentleman.
How could you have dishonoured him by becoming a running dog of the
Manchus?"
"This is our Great
Helmsman, Master Chen," 'Iron Pagoda' Yang shouted. "Don't talk such
nonsense."
The old woman's face took on a
puzzled expression. "Are you the Red Flower Society?" she asked.
"Correct," said
Yang.
She turned on Chen. "Have
you surrendered to the Manchus?" she screeched in rage.
"The Red Flower Society
is just and upright. How could we bend our knees before the Manchu court?"
he replied. "Please sit down, madame. Let us discuss this calmly."
Her expression softened
slightly. "Where did your dagger come from?" she asked again.
Having seen her kung fu style,
and hearing her questions, Chen had already almost solved the puzzle.
"It was given to me by a
Muslim friend," he said. The exchange of presents between boys and girls
was not an ordinary thing, and Chen was unhappy about discussing the matter in
front of everyone.
"Do you know Huo
Qingtong?" the old woman demanded. Chen nodded.
"It was Sister Huo
Qingtong who gave it to him," Zhou Qi interjected. "Do you know her?
If you do, we're all on the same side!"
"She is my pupil,"
the old woman said. "Since you say we are all on the same side, what are
you doing helping the Emperor, and stopping me from killing him?"
"We caught the
Emperor," said one of the Twin Knights. "If he is to be killed, it
will not be you who does it."
"Huh!" the woman
exclaimed. "You mean you caught the emperor and brought him here?"
"This is a
misunderstanding, Madame," said Chen. "We invited the Emperor to come
here. We assumed you were palace bodyguards coming to rescue him, that is why
we tried to obstruct you."
The old woman went over to the
window and stuck her head out. "Come down, husband!" she shouted at
the top of her voice. An arrow shot in through the window from below and the
old woman grabbed it by its tail, then turned in one movement and threw the
arrow so that it implanted itself in the table top.
"You untrustworthy
rascal," she screeched at Chen as the arrow quivered. "What is the
meaning of this?"
"Please don't be angry
Madame," replied Chen hastily. "Our brothers at the base of the
pagoda are not yet aware of the situation." He walked to the window
planning to tell the heroes to stop firing and saw that the pagoda was already
surrounded by Manchu troops.
"Third Brother," he
said to 'Buddha' Zhao. "Tell the others to guard the doorway, but not to
go outside." Zhao nodded and went downstairs.
"You must be Madame
Guan," said Lord Zhou to the old woman. "I have long respected
you."
Madame Guan nodded slightly.
"This is Lord Zhou
Zhongying," said Chen to her.
"Ah, I have heard about
you too," she said, then suddenly screeched out: "Husband, come down!
What are you doing?"
The others all jumped at this
unexpected outburst.
"Your husband is fighting
with Priest Wu Chen," said Lord Zhou. "Let's go and explain the
situation to them quickly."
Chen motioned to the Twin
Knights to guard Qian Long, and the rest raced up the stairs to the thirteenth
floor.
"Husband!" Madame
Guan shouted. "They're the Red Flower Society!"
Her husband Bald Vulture,
locked in fierce combat with the Taoist priest, started in surprise, and
hesitated in his attack. "Really?" he said.
There was a laugh from above
their heads and Master Lu Feiqing dropped to the floor.
"Excellent swordsmanship,
excellent," he chuckled, nodding appreciatively at both Bald Vulture and
at Priest Wu Chen.
"Do you recognize
me?" he asked Bald Vulture.
Bald Vulture looked at him
closely for a moment, then gave a shout.
"Ah! You're 'Hidden
Needle' Lu," he exclaimed.
"That's right," Lu
smiled.
"What are you doing
here?" Bald Vulture asked.
Lu turned without answering
and bowed before the old woman. "Madame, it has been many years since I
last saw you, but your kung fu is better than ever!"
"Ah," exclaimed Bald
Vulture again, staring at Lu's blade. "That's a very precious sword you
have there!"
Lu smiled. "It belongs to
someone else," he said. "I'm just using it temporarily." But let
me introduce you. He introduced all the heroes, to 'Bald Vulture' Lin and his
wife Madame Guan, the Tianshan Twin Eagles.
"I thought you two were
living happily in the Tianshan mountains," Lu said. "And here you
are, trying to kill the Emperor."
"You have all met my
young pupil, Huo Qingtong," replied Madame Guan. "This affair started
with her. The Emperor sent an army to attack the Muslims, but they couldn't
match the Manchu troops' strength and lost some battles. Later, the Manchu
grain supplies were ransacked…"
"That was the Red Flower
Society," interrupted Lu. "They did it to help Muzhuolun."
"Mm, I heard about
that," said Madame Guan. She glanced at Chen. "No wonder she gave you
that dagger."
"That was before. We met
when they came to recover their sacred Koran."
"You also helped to get
that back. The way the Muslims talk of you, you're all great heroes!" Her
tone suggested she disagreed. "After the Manchu troops lost their grain,
they also lost a battle and Muzhuolun suggested peace talks. But just as the
truce talks were getting started, the Manchu general got hold of some rations
and attacked again."
"Manchu officers have no
sense of honour," said Lu, shaking his head sagely.
"The ordinary people of
the Muslim areas have been brutally treated by the Manchu troops," Madame
Guan continued. "Master Muzhuolun asked us to help. We originally didn't
want to have anything to do with it…"
"It was you!" Bald
Vulture butted in accusingly. "Now you're trying to feign innocence."
"What do you mean, me?
Look at the way the Manchus are burning and pillaging across the Muslim lands,
oppressing the people. Don't you care?"
Bald Vulture grunted in
indignation and was about to argue further when Lu raised his hand.
"You two are just the
same as ever," he said with a smile. "As soon as you open your
mouths, you're arguing. Don't take any notice, Madame, please continue."
She eyed her husband
distastefully, then said: "We first thought of assassinating the Manchu
general, Zhao Wei, but there wasn't much point in killing one general, because
the Emperor would just send another and it would go on for ever. So we decided
to kill the Emperor instead. We went to Beijing, but heard on the road that he
had come down south. We followed him out of Hangzhou with our dogs using the
tunnel you used to bring him here. At the time, we were very puzzled as to why
the Emperor would suddenly want to travel around in tunnels."
"What? So you captured
the Emperor?" said Bald Vulture. Chen nodded. "You did pretty
well," Bald Vulture commented.
Suddenly, there was a roar
from the Manchu troops around the base of the pagoda.
"I'll go and tell the
Emperor to shut them up," said Xu, and ran downstairs. A moment later they
saw Qian Long stick his head out of the window on the seventh floor and shout:
"I'm here!"
"There's His
Highness!" called Bai Zhen down below and the troops all prostrated
themselves on the ground.
"I am all right up
here!" Qian Long added. "There is no need for such noise." There
was a pause, then he added: "All of you retire thirty paces!" They
complied immediately.
"Seventh Brother directs
the Emperor and the Emperor directs the troops," said Chen with a smile.
"That's much better than charging out and killing and slaughtering. The
Emperor is the most precious object under heaven. It is better to use him than
to kill him." The others laughed.
'Leopard' Wei, who was
watching the Manchu soldiers withdraw, saw several men in their midst with
hunting dogs on leashes.
"Ah, I was wondering how
they found their way here," he said. He took a bow from one of the
attendants, and shot off two arrows, and there were two long screams and two of
the dogs fell to the ground, dead. A roar went up from the Manchu troops, who
speeded up their retreat.
"Master Lu, Lord
Zhou," said Chen. "Please entertain the Twin Eagles while I go
downstairs and have another talk with the Emperor."
As Chen reached the seventh
floor, the Twin Knights and Xu bowed to him and retired. Qian Long was sitting
despondently in a chair.
"Have you made a decision
yet?" asked Chen.
"Since you have caught
me, you might as well kill me if you are going to. What is the point of
talking?"
Chen sighed. "It is such
a pity," he said.
"What's a pity?"
"I have always thought of
you as an extremely talented man and have pride in the fact my parents gave
birth to such a good son, my brother. But…"
"But what?"
Chen was silent for a moment.
"But although outwardly you appear to be a man of courage, you are
virtually hollow inside. Not being afraid of death is the easiest thing in the
world. But the formation of a grand designs, the making of great decisions,
that is something that can only be done by a man with true courage. That is
precisely what you are incapable of doing."
Qian Long was silent, but he
appeared to be moved by Chen's words.
"All you have to do is to
decide to restore the Chinese nation and we unruly fighters will immediately
follow your every instruction," Chen added. "I can strike my chest
and guarantee that they will not dare to do anything disrespectful towards
you."
Qian Long nodded several
times, but there was still an area of doubt in his mind which made it
impossible for him to speak out. Chen guessed his thoughts.
"All I want is to see you
throw the barbarian Manchus out of China," he said. "Then I will be
content," he said. "Then I will ask you to allow me to retire to the
seclusion of the Western Lake and live out the rest of my life in peace."
"What sort of talk is
that?" said Qian Long. "If this Grand Design was achieved, your
assistance would be required in planning affairs of state."
"We are getting ahead of
ourselves," replied Chen. "But once the Grand Design has been
completed, you must allow me to retire."
Qian Long slapped his hand
down on the table. "All right," he said. "We'll do as you
say."
Chen was overjoyed. "You
have no further doubts?" he asked.
"None. But there is one
thing I would like you to do for me. Your former Great Helmsman, Yu Wanting,
had several items stored in the Muslim areas and said they were proof of my
birth. Go and get them so that I can see them. Only then will my last doubts
disappear. Then we will discuss detailed plans."
Chen felt this was reasonable.
"All right," he replied. "I will start out tomorrow and get them
myself."
"When you get back, I
will assign you to the Imperial Bodyguard, then promote you to be commander of
the Beijing garrison," said Qian Long. "I will gradually transfer the
military power in every province into the hands of Chinese we can trust. I'll
make you Secretary of the Armed Forces with orders to disperse the key Manchu
Banner units, and then we can act."
Chen knelt down and performed
the ritual act of obeiscence of a vassal before his Lord, but Qian Long
hurriedly helped him up.
"An oath must be sworn in
front of the others over this," Chen said. "There must be no
reneging."
Qian Long nodded.
Chen clapped his hands once
and ordered Xin Yan to help Qian Long change back into his original clothes.
"Please ask everyone to
come to pay their respects to the Emperor," he said.
The heroes crowded in. Chen
told them Qian Long had agreed to chase out the Manchus and restore the Chinese
throne, then swore in a clear voice: "In future, we will assist Your
Highness, and together plan the Grand Design. If anyone should reveal this
secret, he will be damned by heaven and earth."
He drank a draught of a
specially prepared brew of Covenant Wine to seal the pact, and Qian Long did
likewise.
"Bald Vulture, Madame
Guan," said Lu. "Come and drink a cup of the Covenant Wine as
well."
"I have never believed
the word of any official, so why should I trust their leader?" said Bald
Vulture.
His right hand suddenly struck
the wall, smashing a section of it to rubble and pulled out a brick.
"Whoever breaks the covenant, betrays his friends, and destroys the Grand
Design will be crushed like this!" he shouted harshly, and with one
movement of his hand, the brick broke into a thousand pieces which tumbled to
the floor. Qian Long looked at the hole in the wall and down at the smashed
brick in fright.
"Even though you decline
to join the vow, we are all friends," said Chen. "But I trust Your
Highness will not vacillate and forget the covenant established today."
"Please rest easy over
that," replied Qian Long.
"All right. Let us escort
His Highness out," said Chen. Wei raced out of the pagoda and shouted:
"Come and meet His Highness!"
Half-suspicious, Commander Li
and Bai Zhen ordered the troops to move slowly forward, afraid that this was
yet another Red Flower Society trick. Suddenly, they saw Qian Long emerge from
the pagoda and prostrated themselves on the ground. Bai Zhen led a horse over
and Qian Long mounted.
"I have been drinking and
composing poetry with them here," he said to Bai Zhen. "I wanted a
few days' peace and quiet and you had to make a mountain out a molehill and rob
me of my pleasure."
The heroes returned to the
pagoda.
"We are extemely happy to
have met you all today," said Bald Vulture. "Especially Lord Zhou,
whom we have respected for so long, and Master Lu, whom we have not seen for
many years. But now my wife and I have some other minor affairs to deal with,
and will take our leave."
Madame Guan pulled Chen over
to one side. "Are you married?" she asked.
Chen blushed deep red.
"No," he replied.
"Are you engaged?"
"Not engaged
either," he said. Madame Guan smiled to herself. Then she suddenly screeched:
"If you are ever so ungrateful as to turn your back on the one who gave
you that dagger, I will never forgive you." Chen was so shocked by the
outburst he was completely lost for a reply.
"You scorpion!" her
husband shouted from the other side of the side of the room. "What are you
lecturing that young man about? Let's be going!"
Madame Guan turned round,
emitted an ear-splitting whistle and four dogs raced out of the trees. The
couple bowed before the heroes and took their leave.
"Let us go back upstairs
to talk," Chen said. They followed him back up to the top floor of the
pagoda.
"I promised the Emperor
that I would go to see my teacher and collect two important items from
him," said Chen. "But let us first go to Heaven's Eye Mountain to see
how Brother Wen and Brother Yu are doing and then make further
arrangements."
They left the pagoda and
Master Ma and his son returned to Hangzhou by themselves while the rest of the
heroes galloped off westwards.
2
The trees on the hillsides
were dense and dark. It was already deep autumn and Heaven's Eye Mountain was
covered in fiery-red leaves and yellowing grass. Lookouts sent word of the
approach of Chen and his comrades and Zhang Jin and the other heroes came down
to greet them.
Luo Bing was not among them,
and Chen's heart missed a beat, afraid that something had happened to her.
"Where's Fourth
Sister?" he asked. "And how are Brother Wen and Brother Yu?"
"They're fine,"
Zhang Jin replied. "Fourth Sister said she was going to get a present for
Fourth Brother. She's been away two days already. You didn't meet her on the
road?"
Chen shook his head.
"What present?"
Zhang Jin smiled. "I
don't know. Fourth Brother's wounds have healed well, but he spends all his
time in bed moping. Then Fourth Sister came up with this idea of going to get
him a present. I wonder who will lose out as a result?" The others
laughed.
They made their way up the
mountain and entered the courtyard of a large mansion. Wen Tailai was lying
dejectedly on a rattan couch. They told him briefly about what had transpired
and then went to the room next door to see 'Scholar' Yu.
As they stepped inside, they
heard the sound of sobbing. Chen walked over and pulled aside the bed curtain
to reveal Yu lying face-down on the bed, his back shaking uncontrollably. Even
girls like Luo Bing and Zhou Qi rarely cried, and they were shocked and
embarrassed by his behaviour.
"Fourteenth
Brother," Chen said quietly. "We've come to see you. How do you feel?
Are your wounds very painful?"
Yu stopped crying, but did not
turn over. "Great Helmsman, Brothers, thank you all for coming to see me.
Forgive me for not getting up to greet you properly. My health has improved a
lot over the past few days, but my face has been burnt so badly, it's so ugly
that I cannot face anyone."
Zhou Qi smiled. "What
does it matter if a man has burn marks on his face?" she said. "Don't
tell my you're afraid you won't be able to find a girl willing to marry
you?" Some of the heroes laughed at her lack of restraint.
"Brother Yu," said
Lu Feiqing. "Your face was burnt while saving myself and Wen Tailai. When
people hear of this act, do you think there is anyone who would not proclaim
you to be a hero? What need is there for such distress?"
"You are right,
uncle," said Yu, and burst into tears again.
The heroes returned to the
main hall. Chen and Xu talked together in low tones, then clapped their hands
and the heroes stood up.
"Brothers," said
Chen. "So far, things have gone very well for us. But in the future, we
will face even tougher problems. I will now give you your assignments. Ninth
Brother, Twelfth Brother, you two go to Beijing and see what you can find out
about the Emperor's plans and if he intends to break our pact. This will be
extremely difficult to execute. You must both exercise great caution." Wei
and Shi nodded.
"Now, the Twin
Knights," Chen continued. "Please go to the Southwest and make
contact with the fighters in Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. Eighth
Brother, you go to Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, Priest Wu Chen to Hubei and
Hunan. Thirteenth Brother and Brother Ma in Hangzhou will contact people in
Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi, while I would like to ask Master Lu to deal with
Shandong and Henan. I would like Lord Zhou, Master Meng, Brother Xu and
Mistress Zhou Qi to handle the northwest provinces. Fourth Brother and
Fourteenth Brother will remain here convalescing with Fourth Sister and Tenth
Brother to look after them. Xin Yan will accompany me to the Muslim areas.
"I am not asking you to
begin preparations for an uprising, but simply to improve relations with
members of the fighting community in all areas and to provide a basis on which
we can act later," he added. "Absolute secrecy is essential, so do
not reveal anything to anyone no matter how close or respected they are."
"We understand,"
they replied in unison.
"In exactly one year's
time we will all gather in Beijing. By that time, Fourth Brother and Fourteenth
Brother will be fully recovered and we can begin the great task!"
Cheers arose from the heroes.
They followed Chen out of the hall, elated by the prospect of the future.
Only Zhang Jin, assigned by
the Great Helmsman to stay at Heaven's Eye Mountain, was unhappy. Wen guessed
his thoughts, and went over to speak to Chen.
"Great Helmsman, my
wounds are almost healed, and although Fourteenth Brother's burns are serious,
he is recovering quickly," he said. "It is a bit much to ask us to
stay cooped up here for a year. The four of us would like to accompany you to
the Muslim regions. The trip would also help to take Fourteenth Brother's mind
off other things."
"All right, we'll do it
that way," Chen agreed. Zhang Jin ran joyfully in to tell Yu the news.
Lord Zhou took Chen aside.
"Great Helmsman," he said. "The fact that we have discovered
through Master Wen that you and the Emperor are blood relations is a matter
worthy of great rejoicing. I would like to add to it one more happy event. What
do you think?"
"You wish to hold a
wedding for Seventh Brother and Mistress Zhou, is that right?"
"Exactly," Zhou
replied, smiling.
Chen walked over to Zhou Qi,
his face wreathed in smiles, and bowed before her. "Mistress,
congratulations," he said.
She blushed deeply. "What
do you mean?"
"I should call you
Seventh Sister. Seventh Sister, congratulations!" He clapped his hands
loudly and the heroes immediately fell silent.
"Just now, Lord Zhou told
me he wants Mistress Zhou Qi and Seventh Brother to be married this evening. So
we have something else to celebrate!"
The heroes cheered loudly and
congratulated Lord Zhou and Xu. Zhou Qi hastily made for her bedroom in
embarrassment.
"Tenth Brother!" Wei
called to Zhang Jin. "Stop her. Don't let the bride escape!" Zhang
made as to grab her and Zhou Qi chopped out with her left hand to fend him off.
"Help!" he cried in
mock surprise, dodging to one side. "The bride's attacking me!"
A laugh escaped from her as
she charged out of the hall.
Just then, there was the sound
of bells outside and Luo Bing ran in carrying a large box.
"Oh good, everyone's
here!" she cried. "What's happened to make you all so happy?"
She looked enquiringly at Chen.
"Ask Seventh
Brother," said Wei.
"What's happened, Brother
Xu?" Luo Bing asked, but Xu was speechless for a moment. "Mm? That's
strange. Has the Kung Fu Mastermind gone silly?"
'Crocodile' Jiang dodged
behind Xu and held up his thumbs and made them bow to each other. "The
Mastermind is getting married today," he said with glee.
"Oh, how awful, how
awful!" Luo Bing exclaimed, absolutely delighted.
The others laughed. "What
do you mean, awful?" asked 'Pagoda' Yang.
"If I'd known, I could
have brought a sheep and some nice things back with me. As it is, I have almost
nothing to give them as presents. Isn't that awful?"
"Will you let us all see
what you've brought for Fourth Brother?" Yang asked.
Luo Bing smiled and opened up
the box. Glinting inside were the two jade vases which the Muslims had sent to
the Emperor along with their request for a truce.
"Where did you get
them?" the heroes asked in astonishment.
"I was chatting with
Fourth Brother and mentioned how beautiful the girl on the vases was, but he
didn't believe me…"
"I'll bet Fourth Brother
said: 'I don't believe she is more beautiful than you.' Am I right?"
interrupted Xu.
Luo Bing smiled but did not
answer. "Did you go to Hangzhou and steal them from the Emperor?" Xu
asked.
Luo Bing nodded, very pleased
with herself. "I got them so Fourth Brother could have a look. The Great
Helmsman will decide what should be done with them after that, whether we
should keep them or return them to Sister Huo Qingtong." Wen examined the
vases and tutted in admiration.
"I was right, wasn't
I?" asked Luo Bing. Wen smiled and shook his head. Luo Bing started, then
realised her husband meant that the girl on the vase could not be more
beautiful than she was. Her cheeks flushed.
"The Emperor has many top
fighters around him and such precious items as these vases must have been very
well guarded," said Priest Wu Chen. "How did you manage to steal
them?"
Luo Bing told them how she had
slipped into the Yamen, grabbed a eunuch and forced him to tell her where the
vases were, slipped poison into the food of some of the guards, and made cat
noises to distract the rest, then grabbed the vases. The heroes praised her
artistry, all except Lu Feiqing.
"Fourth Sister," he
said. "You are very brave, but was it wise to take such a risk alone just
for the sake of a remark you made to Master Wen? As it happened, the Imperial
bodyguards were fully occupied that particular night searching for the Emperor.
If they had been there, things could have turned out differently."
"Yes," Luo Bing
replied, then turned and stuck out her tongue at Wen.
The wedding ceremony took
place amidst great merriment, and the next morning the heroes made their way
down the mountain, wished each other well, and went their separate ways.
Chen and Lord Zhou were both
heading for the northwest and Chen suggested they travel together. But Zhou
said he wished to take advantage of their presence in the south to visit the
Shaolin monastery in Fujian province whose style of kung fu was related to his
own. So taking his wife and his assistant Meng with him, he headed south.
Chen, Wen, Luo Bing, Xu, Zhou
Qi, Zhang Jin, 'Scholar' Yu and Xin Yan travelled north through Nanking. By the
time they had crossed the Yangtse, Wen had completely recovered and Yu was
progressing well. As they continued north, the weather became cooler, the grass
and trees turned yellow as early winter set in. After passing through Kaifeng,
Yu was well enough to ride a horse, and the eight of them galloped together
along the highway. The north wind blew angrily, throwing dust and sand into
their faces.
Wen, riding the white horse,
galloped ahead of the others and stopped at an inn in a small village and told
the servants to kill a chicken and prepare a meal, Then he sat down near the
door to await the arrival of his friends. He ordered a pot of tea and wiped his
face with the hot flannel brought out to him. Suddenly, a figure darted out
from a room on the eastern side of the inn but immediately withdrew on catching
sight of Wen.
About an hour later, Chen and
the others rode up and Wen quietly informed them of what had happened. Xu
looked round towards the room and saw a section of the window paper was wet
with a black eyeball in the centre which immediately disappeared. He smiled.
"It's a novice," he
said. "As soon as he starts, he reveals himself."
"Go over and see
him," Chen said to Xin Yan. "If he has financial problems, lend him
some money."
Xin Yan went over to the room
and said in a loud voice: "All streams under heaven have the same source,
Red Flowers and green leaves are all one family."
This was the Red Flower
Society members' catch-phrase for identifying themselves to other members of
the fighting community. Even if the other party was not an associate of the Red
Flower Society, as long as he knew the phrase and asked for help, he would
receive it. But all was quiet in the room. Xin Yan repeated his call, and the
door creaked open and a figure dressed in black with a large hat pulled down
low came out and gave him a letter.
"Give this to your Master
Yu."
Xin Yan took the letter and
the figure rsn out of the inn, jumped onto a horse and galloped away. He gave
the letter to Yu who opened it and found the following written inside:
"What do ugliness and
beauty have to do with true love? I will follow you even over a thousand
mountains and ten thousand rivers. And tell your Great Helmsman that the Three
Devils of Guandong are on their way to the Muslim regions to get their revenge
on Huo Qingtong for killing their martial brother." Recognising the
calligraphy as being that of Li Yuanzhi, he frowned and handed the sheet to
Chen.
Chen studiously ignored the
first sentence, which obviously dealt with private romantic affairs. But he
immediately informed the others of the news about the Three Devils of Guandong.
"They are tough
fighters," said Wen. "I wonder if she can handle them?"
"We once watched Mistress
Huo fighting with that Guangdong Devil, Yan Shizhang, and she proved herself to
be a little better than him," Xu replied. "But if the Great Helmsman
hadn't stepped in to save her, I'm afraid she would have fallen victim to his
evil tricks."
"The eldest of the
Devils, Tang Yilei, is very strong, a formidable man," said Wen.
"Since the Three Devils
are already on their way, it would be best if someone went on ahead on Sister
Luo Bing's horse," Xu suggested. "From the look of things, the
military situation in the Muslim regions is tense, and Master Muzhuolun and his
people must be busy making defensive preparations. We shouldn't let Mistress
Huo be caught unawares by the Three Devils." Chen knew he was right, and
he frowned silently.
"Great Helmsman, I think
it would be best if you went on ahead," said Xu. "You speak the
Muslim language, your kung fu is good, and the Three Devils have never seen you
before. If General Zhao Wei has not withdrawn by the time you get there, you
can also help the Muslims."
"All right!" said
Chen after a moment's hesitation.
3
Chen was extremely concerned
at the news that the Three Devils of Guandong were out to get Huo Qingtong. The
image of her gradually disappearing into the dust of the Great Desert forced
its way into his mind once more, but remembering how familiar she had been with
Master Lu's pupil, he decided that he was fooling himself about her feelings
for him. But he was unable to forget her image.
The white horse was
extraordinarily fast, and in less than two days he arrived at Jiayu Fortress,
the western end of the Great Wall. He climbed up onto the battlements and
looked out at the Wall snaking away into the distance, holding at bay the great
wilderness. He felt a sense of excitement at the thought of once more entering
the border regions, and followed custom by throwing a stone at the wall. The
sandstorms outside the Wall were perilous, the way would be hard, and according
to tradition, if a traveller threw a stone at the wall as he passed through the
Jiayu Gate, he would be able to return alive.
He travelled by day, rested by
night. After he had passed the Jade Gate and Anxi, the desert changed colour
gradually from pale to dark yellow, and then slowly turned to grey as he
skirted the Gobi. The region was uninhabited, containing nothing but endless
expanses of broad desert.
He passed through the Stellar
Gorge, the main link between Gansu Province and the Muslim regions. It was
already winter and the first accumulations of snow coud be seen along the
gorge, providing a thrilling contrast of black and white.
"What a perfect place for
an ambush," Chen thought.
That night, he lodged in a
small hut and the next day found himself at the edge of the Gobi desert. The
Gobi was as flat as a mirror, completely different from a sandy desert with its
rolling dunes. Gazing into the distance, it seemed to him as if the sky and
earth touched one another. All was silent, and it seemed as if he and his horse
were the only beings in the universe.
The As he rode, day after day,
he considered the problem of how to find Huo Qingtong. As a Chinese, the
Muslims could suspect him of being a spy, so to gain their confidence he would
have to resort to deception. He decided to disguise himself as a Muslim, and at
the next settlement, bought a small embroidered cap, a pair of leather boots
and a striped gown. Riding on, he found a deserted place and changed into his
new clothes, burying the old ones in the sand. He looked at his reflection in a
nearby stream and was so pleased with his appearance as a young Muslim boy that
he let out a laugh.
But he met no Muslims on the
road. The Muslim villages and dwellings he came upon were all burnt to the
ground, obviously the good work of General Zhao Wei's army. He decided he was
unlikely to meet any Muslims on the main highway, so he cut off south, and
headed into the mountains. In such desolate wilderness, there was little chance
of finding any settlement, and after three days, his dry rations were finished.
But luckily, he managed to catch and kill a goat.
Two days further on, he met a
number of Kazakh herdsmen. They knew that the Muslim army had retreated
westwards in the face of the Manchu force, but had no idea where it had gone.
There was nothing for it but
to continue west. Chen gave the horse its head and made no attempt to divert
it. For four days he covered more than a hundred miles a day with nothing but
sand and sky before his eyes.
On the fourth day, the weather
turned hot. The burning sun scorched down on both man and horse. He wanted to
find somewhere shady where they could rest, but wherever he looked there was
nothing but sand dunes. He opened his water flask, drank three mouthfuls, and
let the white horse drink the same amount. Despite a terrible thirst, he did
not dare to drink more.
They rested for two hours,
then started out once more. Suddenly, the white horse raised its head and
sniffed at the wind, whinnied loudly, then turned and galloped off south. Chen
gave it its head. Soon, sparse grasses began to appear on the sand dunes around
them, then green grass. Chen knew there must be an oasis ahead, and his heart
leapt. The white horse too was in high spirits and its hooves flew.
After a while, they heard the
sound of running water and a small steam appeared before them. Chen dismounted
and scooped up a mouthful of water. As he drank, he felt a coolness penetrate
to his lungs and noticed a slight fragrance to the water. The stream was full
of little pieces of ice which jostled each other, emitting a crisp jingling
noise, like the music of fairies. After drinking a few mouthfuls, the white
horse gave a whinny and gambolled about happily for a moment.
Having drunk his fill, Chen
felt relaxed and content. He filled his two leather water flasks. In the midst
of the sparkling ice fragments, he spotted flower petals floating past, and
realized it must be flower beds further upstream which made the waters so
fragrant.
"If I follow the stream
up," he thought, "I may come across someone who can tell me where Huo
Qingtong might be." He remounted and started along the bank.
The stream gradually widened.
In the desert, most rivers and streams are larger close to their source as the
water is soaked up by the desert sands and eventually disappears. Having lived
many years in the Muslim areas, Chen did not consider it strange. The trees
along the banks of the stream also increased in number and he spurred his horse
into a gallop. As they turned a bend in the stream round a hill, a silver
waterfall came into view.
Chen felt invigorated by the
discovery of such a gorgeous place in the midst of the barren desert, and was
curious to know what vistas would present themselves above the waterfall. He
led the horse round and up, and as they emerged from a line of tall fir trees,
he stopped in amazement.
Before him was a wide lake fed
by another large waterfall at its southern end. The spray from the cascade
spread out in all directions, combining with the sunlight to create a glorious
rainbow, while a profusion of trees and flowers of many colours surrounded the
lake and reflected in its turquoise-green waters. Beyond was a huge expanse of
verdant grass stretching off to the horizon on which he could see several
hundred white sheep. A high mountain rose into the clouds from the western bank
of the lake, the lower slopes covered in green foliage and the upper slopes in
brilliant white snow.
He stood staring at the scene
for a moment. The sound of small birds singing in the trees and ice slabs in
the lake jostling against each other combined with the roar of the waterfall
into a work of music. Looking at the surface of the lake, he suddenly noticed a
circle of small ripples, and a jade-white hand emerged from the water followed
by a dripping-wet head. It turned and saw him, and with a shriek disappeared
back into the water.
In that moment, Chen had been
able to see that the head belonged to an extremely beautiful young girl.
"Could there really be
such things as water spirits and monsters?" he wondered. He pulled out
three chess pieces and lodged them in his palm just in case.
A string of ripples stretched
across the surface of the lake northwards, then with a splash, the girl's head
re-emerged amidst an outgrowth of flowers and bushes. Through a gap in the
leaves, he could see her snow-white skin, her raven hair splayed out over the
surface of the water and her eyes, as bright as stars, gazing across at him.
"Who are you?" a
clear voice asked. "Why have you come here?"
She spoke in the Muslim
language, and although Chen understood, he was unable to answer. He felt dazed,
as if drunk or in a dream.
"Go away and let me put
my clothes on," the girl said. Chen's face flushed and he quickly went
back into the trees.
He was extremely embarrassed
and wanted to escape, but he thought he should at least ask the girl for news
of Huo Qingtong. For a while he was undecided. Then the sound of singing, soft
but clear, floated over from the opposite side of the lake:
"Brother, brother,
passing by,
Please come back
Why have you run off so fast
Without a word?"
He walked slowly back to the
lake and, looking across, saw a young girl dressed in a brilliantly white gown
sitting bare-foot on a bed of red flowers by the water's edge. She was slowly
combing her long hair, still covered in beads of water, as flower petals drifted
slowly down onto her head. He marvelled that such a beautiful girl could exist.
The girl smiled radiantly and
motioned with her hand for him to come over.
"I was passing this way
and felt thirsty," Chen said in the Muslim language. "I chanced upon
a stream and followed it here. I did not expect to run into you, miss. It was
an unintentional error. Please forgive me." He bowed as he spoke.
"What is your name?"
she asked.
"I am called Ahmed."
This was the most common name
among Muslim men, and the girl smiled again.
"All right," she
said. "Then my name Ayesha." This was the most common name among
Muslim women. "Who are you looking for?"
"I have to find Master
Muzhuolun."
The girl looked startled.
"Do you know him?"
"Yes, I do," said
Chen. "I also know his son, Huo Ayi, and his daughter, Huo Qingtong."
"Where did you meet
them?"
"They travelled to the
central plains to recover the sacred Koran and I happened to come across them
there."
"Why are you looking for
Master Muzhuolun?"
Chen recognised the note of
respect in her voice. "Is he of the same tribe as you, miss?" The
girl nodded.
"They killed a number of
bodyguard agency escorts while recovering the sacred Koran, and friends of the
escorts are now seeking revenge. I want to warn them."
The girl had had a smile
constantly playing around her lips, but now it disappeared. "Are the men
that are coming to take revenge very terrible?" she asked. "Are there
many of them?"
"No, not many. They are
good fighters, but as long as we are prepared, there is nothing to fear."
The girl relaxed and smiled
again. "I will take you to see Master Muzhuolun," she said. "We
will have to travel for several days." She began to plait her hair.
"The great Manchu army came and attacked us for no reason and all the men
have gone away to fight. My sisters and I have remained here to watch over the
livestock."
As she talked, Chen gazed at
her in wonder. He could never have imagined such jade-like beauty, even in his
wildest dreams. Such a scene, such a situation was simply not of this world.
The girl finished combing her
hair, picked up an ox horn and blew several notes on it. A short while later, a
number of Muslim girls on horse-back galloped towards them across the pastures.
She went over and talked with them while the other girls weighed Chen up, very
curious as to who he was. She then walked over to a tent pitched between the
trees and came back leading a chestnut horse carrying food and other
essentials.
"Let's go." She
mounted in one effortless bound, and rode off ahead of him heading south along
the course of the stream.
"How did the Chinese
people treat you when you were in the Chinese areas?" she asked as they
rode along.
"Some well, some not, but
mostly well." Chen replied. He wanted to tell her he was himself Chinese,
but her complete lack of suspicion somehow made it difficult for him to do so.
She asked about what the Chinese regions were like. Chen chose a few
interesting stories to tell her, and she listened enthralled.
As the sky grew dark, they
camped for the night underneath a huge rock by a river. The girl lit a fire,
roasted some dried mutton she had brought and shared it with Chen. She was
silent throughout, and Chen did not dare to speak, as if words would desecrate
the sacred purity of the scene.
The girl began telling him
about her youth, how she had grown up as a shepherdess on the grasslands, and
how she loved flowers more than anything in the world.
"There are so many, many
beautiful flowers on the grasslands. As you look out, you can see flowers
stretching to the horizon. I much prefer to eat flowers than mutton."
"Can you eat
flowers?" Chen asked in surprise.
"Of course. I've been
eating them since I was small. My father and my elder brother tried to stop me
at first, but when I went out by myself to look after the sheep, there was
nothing they could do. Later, when they saw that it did me no harm, they didn't
bother about it any more."
Chen wanted to say that it was
no wonder she was as beautiful as a flower, but he restrained himself. Sitting
beside her, he became aware that her body exuded a slight fragrance, more
intoxicating than that of any flower. Light-headed, he wondered what lotion she
used that was so fragrant. Then he remembered the rules of etiquette and
discreetly moved to sit a little further away from her. The girl saw that he
had noticed the fragrance and laughed.
"Ever since I was young,
my body has given off a fragrance," she said. "It's probably because
I eat flowers. Do you like it?"
Chen blushed at the question
and marvelled at her simplicity and frankness. But gradually, his reticence
towards her faded.
The girl talked of
shepherding, of picking flowers and looking at stars and of the games that
young girls play. Since leaving home, Chen had spent all his time amongst the
fighting community and had long ago forgotten about these child-like matters.
After a while, the girl stopped talking and looked up at the Milky Way
sparkling its way across the heavens.
Chen pointed up. "That
constellation is the Weaving Girl star," he said, "and that one on
the other side is the Cowherd Star."
She was fascinated by the
names. "Tell me the story about them," she said, and Chen told her
how the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl fell in love but found themselves
separated by a silvery river, the Milky Way, and how a stork built a bridge
across to unite them once a year.
The girl looked sombrely up at
the stars. "I have never liked storks before, but seeing as they built a
bridge to bring the Cowherd and the Weaving Girl together, I have changed my
mind. From now on when I see them, I will give them something to eat."
"They may only be able to
meet once a year, but they have done so for hundreds of millions of years. They
are much better off than we ordinary people, doomed to die after a few
decades," Chen replied. The girl nodded.
The desert had grown very cold
with the coming of night and Chen went to look for some dead wood and grass to
build up the fire. Then they wrapped themselves in blankets and went to sleep.
Despite the distance between them as they slept, it still seemed to Chen that
he could smell the girl's fragrance in his dreams.
Early next morning they
started out again heading west, and after several days arrived at the banks of
the Tarin River. That afternoon, they chanced upon two mounted Muslim warriers.
The girl went over and spoke with them and after a moment the Muslims bowed and
left.
"The Manchu army has
already taken Aksu and Kashgar, and Master Muzhuolun and the others have
retreated to Yarkand," she reported to Chen. "That's more than ten
days's ride from here."
Chen was very concerned at the
news that the Manchu forces had scored a victory.
"They also said that the
Manchu troops are so numerous that our army's only option is to retreat and
stretch their lines of communication. When their rations are exhausted, they
will not have enough strength left to fight."
Chen decided the Muslim force
would probably be safe for a while using this strategy. Once Qian Long's order
to halt the war arrived, General Zhao Wei would retire with his troops. Huo
Qingtong was now far away from central China and had the protection of a large
army, so there was no longer any reason to fear the vengeful Devils of
Guandong, Tang Yilei and his two friends. With that thought, he relaxed.
They travelled by day and
slept by night, talking and laughing as they went. As the days passed, they
became closer and closer, and Chen found himself secretly hoping that the
journey would never end, that they could continue as they were forever.
One day, just as the sun was
about to disappear beneath the grasslands, they heard a bugle note, and a small
deer jumped out of a spinney of trees nearby. The girl clapped her hands and
laughed in delight.
"A baby deer!" she
cried. The deer had been born only a short time before and was very small and
very unsteady on its feet. It gave two plaintive cries and then leapt back into
the trees.
The girl watched it go, then
suddenly reined in her horse. "There's someone over there," she
whispered.
Chen looked over and saw four
Manchu soldiers and an officer carving up a large deer while the fawn circled
around them making pitiful cries. The dead deer was obviously its mother.
"Goddamn it, we'll eat
you too!" cursed one of the soldiers, standing up. He fixed an arrow on
his bow and prepared to shoot the fawn which, ignorant of the danger, moved
closer and closer to him.
The girl gave a cry of alarm.
She jumped off her horse, ran into the trees and placed herself in front of the
fawn. "Don't shoot, don't shoot!" she cried. The soldier started in
surprise and took a step backwards, dazzled by her beauty. She picked up the
fawn and stroked its soft coat. "You poor thing," she crooned. She
glanced hatefully at the soldier, then turned and walked out of the trees with
the fawn.
The five soldiers whispered
amongst themselves for a moment, then ran after her, shouting and brandishing
their swords. The girl started running too and quickly reached Chen and the
horses. The officer barked out an order and the five fanned out around them.
Chen squeezed the girl's hand.
"Don't be afraid," he said. "I'll kill these villains to avenge
the death of the fawn's mother." She stood beside him, the fawn cradled in
her arms. Chen stretched out his hand and stroked the animal.
"What you doing?"
the officer asked haltingly in the Muslim tongue. "Come here!"
The girl looked up at Chen,
who smiled at her. She smiled back, confident that they would not be harmed.
"No weapons!" the
officer shouted, and the other soldiers threw their swords to the ground and
advanced. Strangely, despite the usual preference of soldiers for young
maidens, they seemed cowed by her glowing beauty and made for Chen instead. The
girl cried out in alarm, but before the cry was fully out, there was a
whooshing sound and the four soldiers flew through the air, landing heavily on
the ground some distance away. They grunted and groaned, unable to get up, for
they had all been touched on Yuedao points. The officer, seeing the situation
was unfavourable, turned and fled.
"Come back!" Chen
ordered. He sent his Pearl Strings flying out and wrapped them around the
officer's neck, then sharply pulled him back.
The girl clapped her hands and
laughed in delight. She looked over at Chen, her eyes full of admiration.
"What are you doing
here?" he asked the officer in the Muslim language. The officer clambered
to his feet, still dazed. He looked around and saw his four comrades lying
morionless on the ground and knew he was in trouble.
"We, General Zhao Wei,
soldiers, orders, here, we here," he replied.
Well said, thought Chen.
"Where are the five of you going? You'd better tell me the truth."
"Not cheat," the
officer said, shaking with fear. "Orders, go, Stellar Canyon, meet
people."
His stuttering Muslim speech
was unclear and Chen switched to Chinese. "Who are you going to
meet," he asked.
"A deputy commander of
the Imperial Guard."
"What is his name? Give
me the documents you are carrying."
The officer hesitated then
pulled an official document from his pocket. Chen glanced at it and noted with
surprise that it was addressed to "Deputy Commander Zhang Zhaozhong".
Master Ma Zhen took Zhang away
to discipline him, he thought. How could he be on his way here?
He ripped the letter open and
read: "I am delighted to hear you have received Imperial orders to come to
the Muslim regions, and have sent this detachment to meet you." It was
signed by General Zhao Wei.
If Zhang is coming at the
Emperor's command, he must have been entrusted with passing on the order to
retreat, Chen thought. I shouldn't interfere. He gave the letter back to the
officer, released the paralysis of the four soldiers, then rode off with the
girl without saying another word.
"You are very
capable," the girl said. "Such a man as yourself would certainly be
very well known in our tribe. How is it I have never heard of you before?"
Chen smiled. "The little
fawn must be hungry," he said. "Why don't you give it something to
eat?"
"Yes, yes!" she
cried. She pured some horse's milk from the leather gourd into her palm and let
the fawn lap it up. After a few mouthfuls, the fawn bleated mournfully.
"She's calling for her mother," the girl said.
4
They travelled on for another
six days. On the morning of the seventh day, they spotted dark clouds in the
distance.
"Is that a storm
brewing?" Chen asked.
The girl studied the horizon.
"They're not rain clouds," she said. "It's dust from the
ground."
"How could there be so
much?"
"I don't know. Let's go
and look!" They spurred their horses forward, and as the swirling dust
cloud rose before them, they began to hear the sound of metal clashing with
metal drifting over towards them. Chen reined in his horse.
"It's an army," he
said. "We must get out of the way quickly." They turned and rode off
east, but after a while, another dust cloud arose in front of them and a column
of mounted troops appeared. Amidst the dust, Chen saw a huge flag inscribed
with the name of General Zhao. Having already clashed once with Zhao's armoured
troops at the Yellow River crossing, he knew them to be formidable fighters,
and he motioned to the girl with his hand and galloped off southwards. Luckily,
both their horses were swift, and after a moment's hard riding, the armoured
column had dropped far behind.
The girl looked anxious.
"I hope our army will be able to hold their own," she said. Chen was
just about to say something comforting when horns sounded in front, and rank
upon rank of soldiers appeared over a rise. To the left, there was a thundrous
ground-shaking roar and a vast carpet of cavalry moved across the hills towards
them. With one sweep of his left arm, Chen swung the girl onto his horse and
took out his shield to protect her.
"Don't be afraid,"
he said. The girl, still hugging the little deer, looked round at him and nodded.
"If you say there's no need to be afraid, then I won't be," she said.
As she spoke, her soft, orchid-like fragrance, enveloped him, and feelings of
tenderness rose within him despite the danger of their situation.
With enemy troops advancing
from the east, north and south, Chen urged the white horse westwards as her
chestnut horse followed along behind. After a while, they spotted Manchu troops
ahead of them once more. Very worried, Chen spurred the horse up onto high
ground to get a better idea of the Manchu positions and to look for a gap
through which they could escape. But he could see at a glance that they were
completely surrounded by the Manchu army. To the west, beyond the thousands of
Manchu foot soldiers in close ranks protected on both flanks by cavalry, was
the Muslim army, also an imposing force with a forest of spears and scimitars
rising above the striped gowns of the warriors. The two sides had halted,
obviously in preparation for battle, and Manchu officers rode back and forth
making final prepartions. The huge army gradually became deathly quiet. Chen
and the girl had by this time been noticed, and several soldiers approached to
question them.
"The gods have conspired
to deliver us into the hands of the Manchus," Chen thought. But the idea
of dying with the girl beside him gave him a strange pleasure. He grasped the
Pearl Strings in his right hand, the reins in his left, and shouted:
"Let's go!"
The horse galloped off towards
the end of the Manchu lines, and in the blink of an eye, had passed three
companies of troops. Rank upon rank of armoured soldiers, bows at the ready,
passed before them, and Chen knew that with one word from the Manchu
commanders, he and the girl in his arms would immediately become the
repositories of a thousand spears and ten thousand arrows. He pulled the reins
in tightly and slowly cantered along, not even glancing at the soldiers.
The morning sun had just
risen, and as they rode towards it, the troops stared in shock at the girl's
glorious beauty, her hair, face, arms and gown splashed with pale sunlight, and
each one, whether general or trooper, found his heart thumping furiously. They
watched as the two gradually rode off into the distance.
Even General Zhao, who was in
personal command, was overcome by a feeling of calm and peace, and he knew he
was in no mood for killing. Looking round, he found all his officers and
underlings likewise had expressions of serenity on their faces. They had
already replaced their swords in their scabbards, and were obviously awaiting
the general's order to retire.
"Return to camp,"
Zhao said in a far-away voice. The order was relayed back, and the tens of
thousands of soldiers turned and went back to their camp site more than ten
miles away beside the Black Water River.
Chen was covered in a cold
sweat and his hands shook with fear, but the girl looked un-worried, apparently
unaware of the great danger they had passed through. She smiled at him and
leapt over onto the back of the chestnut horse.
"That is our army in
front," she said. Chen put away his shield and galloped towards the Muslim
lines. A small detail of cavalrymen rode out to meet them, shouting and
cheering as they came, then jumped off their horses and bowed before the girl.
The officer in charge walked over to Chen and bowed before him too.
"Brother, you have
endured great hardship. May Allah the true God protect you," he said.
Chen bowed in return and
thanked him. The girl rode straight into the Muslim ranks without waiting for
Chen. She obviously commanded a degree of respect, for wherever the chestnut
horse went, the soldiers made way for it with cheers.
A brigade commander invited
Chen to the barracks to eat and rest, and Chen told him he wanted to see the
tribe's leader, Master Muzhuolun.
"The Master has gone to
observe the enemy's strength," the commander replied. "When he
returns, I will immediately inform him." Following the long journey and
the tense encounter with the Manchu army, Chen felt worn out, and after he had
been shown to a small tent, he immediately slept.
Some time after noon, the
commander returned to say that Muzhuolun was now not expected to return until
evening. Chen asked him who the white-gowned girl was.
The commander smiled.
"How could anyone be more beautiful than she?" he said. "We are
having a love-match meeting tonight. Why don't you come along, brother? You
will be able to meet our leader there."
Chen did not press him
further. Towards evening, he saw the young warriors donning their finery, each
face alive with excitement. The desert evening sky slowly deepened in colour
and a thin crescent moon rose above the horizon. Chen heard the sound of music
strike up and soon afterwards, the commander came into the tent.
"The new moon has
risen," he said, taking Chen's hand. "Let us go, brother!" The
two walked towards a huge bonfire where the young Muslim warriors were
gathering. All around, people were roasting beef and mutton, and preparing
various delicacies while others played musical instruments. A horn blew, and a
group of people emerged from a large tent near the bonfire, among whom Chen
recognised Muzhuolun and his son, Huo Ayi. Chen decided he would wait until the
official ceremony was over before revealing himself, and turned up the collar
of his gown to hide his face.
Muzhuolun motioned to the
crowd, and they all knelt down and prayed to Allah. When the prayer was ended,
he spoke.
"Those brothers who have
already taken legal wives, I am afraid I must ask you to go and stand
guard," he said. "Let your younger brothers have a pleasant
evening."
Three columns of warriors
formed up. Huo Ayi, flourishing his sabre, led them off into the darkness.
Having lived many years in the
Muslim regions, Chen knew that although marriages were arranged by parents
according to various considerations of wealth and property, the procedure was
still much more liberal than that of the Chinese. The love-match party was a
tradition among the Muslims that had been passed down for many generations at
which young, unmarried boys and girls could seal their romances and become
engaged. The initiative was taken by the girl, who would place a belt round the
neck of her chosen boy and lead him to dance.
After a while, the music
became softer in tone. The tent door flaps parted and out came a large group of
young Muslim girls who sang and danced their way towards the bonfire. They all
wore colourful clothes and small caps laced with gold and silver threads which
sparkled brightly in the firelight. Chen noticed two beautiful girls walking
over to Muzhuolun, one in yellow, the other in white, and with a start, he
recognised them as Huo Qingtong and the girl who had brought him to the Muslim
camp. Under the moonlight, they both looked extremely graceful and attractive.
The two girls sat down, one on either side of Muzhuolun.
A thought suddenly struck
Chen. "The girl in white must be Huo Qingtong's younger sister. No wonder
I kept thinking her face was familiar: it's the same face as that on the jade
vases, although the drawing does not even come close to reproducing her real
beauty."
His heart began to thump
wildly. From the day he had first met Huo Qingtong, his love for her had begun
to grow, but the familiar closeness between her and Lu Feiqing's pupil had
convinced him that she already had a suitor. Also, having spent the past few
days with such a matchless beauty, his romantic thoughts had turned completely
towards the white-gowned girl.
The music stopped, and
Muzhuolun's voice rang out clearly: "The prophet Mohammed teaches us in
the Koran in the 190th verse of the second chapter: 'Fight in the cause of
Allah those who fight you', and in the 39th verse of the 22nd chapter: 'To
those against whom war is made, permission is given to fight because they are
wronged, and verily, Allah is most powerful for their aid.' We are being
oppressed and Allah will certainly assist and protect us." A thunderous
cheer went up from the crowd. "Brothers and sisters!" he shouted.
"Enjoy yourselves fully!"
Singing and laughter rose all
about, accompanied by the music of Horse Head fiddles. Cooks distributed roast
meat, honeymelons, dried grapes and horse milk wine among the throng. Everyone
held in their hands a small bowl made out of salt rock in which they rubbed the
roast meat. After a while, the new moon rose up into the sky and the
merry-making became even more intense. Some of the young girls jumped up and
danced over to the boy of their choice, took the embroidered belt from their
waists and placed it round the boy's neck, then led him off to dance near the
bonfire.
Chen had grown up in a world
of strict conventions and had never before seen an occasion of such open-minded
and unrestrained merriment. With the singing ringing in his ears and emotions
swirling through his heart, he found his face beginning to flush after only a
few cups of horse's milk wine.
The music stopped momentarily,
then started again, even faster than before. Everyone looked curiously towards
Muzhuolun, and following the direction of their gaze, Chen saw the white-robed
girl had stood up and was floating gracefully towards them. The crowd was
greatly excited and a hubbub of discussion arose. Chen heard the cavalry
commander beside him say: "The Fragrant Princess has chosen a lover. But
who could possibly be worthy of her?"
That his beloved younger daughter
had found a boy she loved was a great surprise and a great joy to Muzhuolun. He
watched her intently with tears glistening in his eyes.
Princess Fragrance glided
round and round, passing along the edge of the circle that had formed. In her
hands, she held a brilliantly-embroidered belt and she softly sang:
"Please come out,
You who picked the snow lily
for me.
I am searching for you,
You who saved my little
deer."
The words hit Chen's ears like
a clap of thunder. A white hand touched his shoulder and the embroidered belt
fell around his neck. The Princess tugged gently and Chen, scared out of his
wits, followed her. The crowd cheered, and all around him people started
singing.
In the hazy moonlight,
Muzhuolun and Huo Qingtong failed to recognise Chen, and walked forward to
congratulate him along with the others thinking he was an ordinary Muslim.
Suddenly, they heard three blasts from a distant horn, the signal for danger,
and the crowd immediately dispersed. Muzhuolun and Huo Qingtong returned to
their seats. The Princess took Chen's hand and led him off to sit at the back
of the crowd. Chen felt her soft body leaning towards him, and a light
fragrance entered his nostrils, intoxicating his senses. He truly could not
tell if he was in a dream or in heaven.
5
All eyes turned in the
direction from which the horn blast had come. Two Muslim guards rode up and
reported to Muzhuolun: "The Manchu General Zhao Wei has sent an envoy who
requests an audience."
"All right," replied
Muzhuolun. "Bring him here." The two riders galloped off, and
returned with five other riders who dismounted about a hundred feet from the
crowd.
The Manchu envoy was robust
man and walked towards them with powerful strides. But his four attendents made
the Muslims jump in surprise. All four were giants, a good two heads higher
than ordinary men, and their bodies were broad and thick.
The envoy strode up to
Muzhuolun and nodded at him. "Are you the head of the tribe?" he
asked arrogantly. The Muslims were outraged, and several of the younger
warriors drew their sabres. The envoy ignored him.
"I am under orders from
General Zhao Wei to give you an ultimatum," he announced loudly in the
Muslim tongue. "If you know what's good for you, you will surrender
immediately, in which case your lives will be spared. Otherwise, our two armies
will meet at daybreak the day after tomorrow and you will be completely
annihilated. It will be too late then for regrets."
The crowd of Muslims sprang to
their feet in rage, but Muzhuolun, with a wave of his hand, ordered them to be
seated and turned to the envoy. "You come without reason or justification
and kill our people, steal our property. The True God on High will punish you
for your dishonourable behaviour. If you want to fight, we will fight. Even if
our army is reduced to only one man, that man will still never surrender."
The Muslims raised their
sabres and repeated his words in unison: "If you want to fight, we shall
fight!" they roared. "Even if our army is reduced to only one man, he
will never surrender!" The mood was sombre but determined. The Muslims
knew the Manchu force was powerful and that in a battle to the finish, the
chances were they would lose. But they were loyal believers in Islam, they
loved freedom and would be no man's slave.
The envoy looked about him and
sneered. "All right," he said. "The day after tomorrow, each and
every one of you will die." He spat savagely onto the ground in a
calculated insult, and three young Muslims leapt towards him. "Today, you
are an envoy, so you will be allowed to leave safely," one of them
shouted. "But when we meet on the battlefield, we will not be so
polite."
The envoy's mouth twisted in
anger, and his four giant attendants roughly pushed aside the three Muslim boys
and took up positions around him.
"Ha!" The envoy
cried in contempt. "You useless scum! We'll give you a taste of our Manchu
skills!" He clapped his hands and one of the four giants glanced round and
strode over to a poplar tree nearby to which several camels were tethered. He
grasped its trunk in his arms and after a few rigorous shakes, pulled the tree
bodily from the ground. Then he snapped the reins of one of the camels and gave
it a kick on its rump, sending it racing away in great pain. When the camel was
more than a hundred feet away, another of the giants sprinted after it and in a
moment caught up with the animal. He swung the huge camel onto his shoulders,
ran back towards the bonfire and set it back on its feet, then stood proudly
beside it. "Huh!" exclaimed the third giant in contempt, and drove a
fist at the camel's head. The animal swayed unsteadily and crashed to the
ground. The fourth giant grabbed hold of its two hind legs and swung it round
and round above his head, then with a shout let it go. The camel fell to earth
sixty or seventy feet away.
The giants, known as the Four
Tigers, were quadruplets, and their mother had died giving birth to them. Their
father was a poor hunter in the forests of Manchuria, and with his wife dead,
he had no milk to feed the four babies, but soon after, he heard a mournful cry
outside in the forest and found a female tiger caught in a trap. He and a
companion were tying the animal up when he happened to notice three tiger pups
lying close by. In a flash of inspiration, he killed the pups and took the
tiger back to his hut where he reared her, feeding her meat every day, and
milking her to feed his four sons. From the start, they were uncommonly big and
strong, and became more so as they grew. The only problem was that they were a
little stupid and impetuous.
The Muslims were startled by
this amazing show of strength, but unwilling to appear weak before the enemy,
they roared out their defiance.
"What are you doing,
killing a good camel? Are you inhuman?" someone shouted. The envoy curled
his lips into another sneer. The crowd became even more incensed, and it looked
as though he would be mobbed.
"So you're going to bully
an envoy, are you?" he shouted.
Muzhuolun restrained the crowd
with difficulty. "You are an envoy, but you ordered your men to kill one
of our camels, which is a great insult," he said. "If you were not
guests here, I would not let you get away with it. Leave immediately."
"Do you think we Manchus
are afraid of you scum?" the envoy shouted. "If you have a reply,
give it to me to pass on. I'm sure none of you would dare to go and hand it to
General Zhao Wei personally." Another roar went up from the Muslims.
Huo Qingtong jumped to her
feet. "You say none of us would dare to go to see General Zhao Wei. Huh!
Every single person here would dare, men and girls alike." The envoy
looked stunned for a second, then threw back his head and roared with laughter.
"If any of these girls didn't die of fright on seeing General Zhao Wei, I
would be amazed."
"Don't underestimate
us," replied Huo Qingtong angrily. "We will send someone back with
you immediately. Pick someone yourself. Whoever you choose will go. You will
see what spirit we followers of Mohammed have," The Muslims roared their
approval and everyone began shouting "Choose me! Choose me!"
"All right," said
the envoy coldly. He wanted to find the weakest, most useless girl who would
immediately burst into tears so that the Muslims would lose face completely.
His eyes roved over the crowd, searching back and forth, and suddenly lit up.
He walked over to Princess Fragrance and pointed at her. "Let her
go!" he said.
The Princess glanced at him
and slowly stood up. "For my tribe, for my brothers and sisters, I would
go anywhere without fear. Allah the true God will surely protect me," she
said.
Her apparent weakness had
given way to calm dignity. Faced with her stunning beauty, the envoy
involuntarily lowered his eyes, and he felt a tinge of regret at his choice.
Muzhuolun, Huo Qingtong and the other Muslims, although proud that she had not
displayed weakness, were nonetheless anxious. Huo Qingtong was particularly
worried. Her sister knew no kung fu, and could not be allowed to enter the
Tiger's Lair unprotected. "She is my sister," she said. "I will
go in her place."
The envoy laughed. "I
always knew the word of a girl could not be relied upon. If you don't have the
nerve, why bother sending anyone? War or surrender, I can take the message for
you."
"If we meet on the
battlefield and if you don't run away, I'll let you see whether us girls are
useless or not," said Huo Qingtong, livid with anger.
"I would naturally be
merciful with a beauty such as you," he replied, smiling. The Muslims
gnashed their teeth at his insolence.
"Sister, I will go,"
the Princess said to Huo Qingtong. "Don't be afraid." She pulled Chen
up by the hand. "He will go with me."
In the light of the flames
from the bonfire, Huo Qingtong suddenly recognised Chen and stared at him in
shock. Chen surreptitiously motioned with his hand indicating that she should
not reveal his identity yet, then turned to the envoy.
"We mean what we
say," he said. "I will go alone with her to see General Zhao Wei.
Unlike you, we do not require four giants to protect us. What use are these
giants anyway?"
"A camel can carry a load
of thousand catties, but a man can only carry one tenth as much," added
the Princess. "Should the man ride the camel or the camel the man?" A
great laugh went up from the crowd at this taunt.
"What are they laughing
at?" one of the four giants asked the envoy.
"They say that you are
useless even though you are large and strong."
Incensed, the giant beat his
chest with his hands. "Who dares to match himself against me?" he
roared.
"What use are you?"
the envoy said to Chen. "You've just a little stripling. Even if you were
ten times stouter, you would still not be as strong as he."
Chen decided this envoy needed
to be cut down to size to save the face of the Muslims. He took three steps
forward.
"I may be the most
useless member of our tribe but I am still better than you Manchus," he
said. "Tell those four hulks to come over here."
By this time, Muzhuolun had
also recognized Chen. "Daughter, look who it is!" he cried to Huo
Qingtong in surprise and joy. The girl did not answer. Muzhuolun looked over
and saw her eyes brimming with tears, and realised both his daughters were in
love with the same man. He wondered how Chen had met his younger daughter.
Next to the giants, Chen
looked like a small child. He had come forward, the Muslims decided, for the
honour of the Princess and the tribe, but was obviously no match for the
giants. Chen raised his hands to the crowd.
"Brothers," he said.
"These Manchurians are useless. Let me deal with them by myself."
The envoy translated his words
to the four giants, who angrily sprang forward to grab Chen. Chen stood solid,
smiling faintly, and the envoy hurriedly restrained the four.
"Since this gentleman
wants a contest, there will be no blame if anyone gets hurt," the envoy
said to Muzhuolun. "It must be one against one, no-one else is allowed to
interfere."
Muzhuolun grunted once.
"What fun is there in one
to one?" said Chen. "Tell the four of them to come at once."
"How many will there be
on your side?" the envoy asked.
"How many? Why, just
myself of course." A murmur ran through the crowd: he had gone too far
this time.
The envoy laughed coldly.
"Are you Muslims really so formidable? First Tiger," he said to the
largest of the four giants. "You first." First Tiger strode forward.
"You will take it in turns to punch each other. Neither is allowed to
block or retreat. The first one to fall loses."
"One is not enough,"
Chen said. "If we are going to fight, let them all fight together."
The envoy began to suspect
Chen had some plan worked out. "Don't worry," he said. "If you
beat this one, the others will come after you of their own accord."
Chen smiled. "All right.
It's all the same to me." The giant ripped off his upper clothing,
exposing ranks of huge, rippling muscles. Huo Qingtong glanced furtively at her
sister and saw her gazing intently at Chen, her eyes full of adoration and
love. Huo Qingtong sighed and looked over at Chen, and as their eyes met, he
smiled warmly. She blushed and looked away.
"We will draw lots to
decide who strikes first," said the envoy.
"You are the guests. You
may go first," replied Chen. He took two steps towards the giant and
thrust out his chest, "Hit me!" he said.
"Please come over
here," the envoy said to Huo Qingtong. "We two will act as judges. Whoever
moves his feet, uses his arms to deflect a blow, bends or dodges away will be
considered the loser."
Huo Qingtong walked over and
stood with the envoy as Chen and the giant faced each other, less than an arm's
length apart. The huge crowd stood silently about them, watching intently.
"The Manchurian gentleman
strikes the first blow," the envoy called out. "The Muslim gentleman
will strike the second blow. If both are still all right, then the Manchurian
gentleman will strike again followed by the Muslim gentleman. Right! The
Manchurian shall strike!"
The silence was broken by the
sound of First Tiger breathing deeply. Joints all over his body cracked loudly
as he concentrated his strength. Suddenly, the right side of his chest bulged
outwards and his right arm swelled to almost twice its normal size. Chen leaned
slightly forward. "Punch me," he said.
Several Muslim men moved
behind Chen to catch him. Muzhuolun and Huo Qingtong silently prayed to Allah,
but Princess Fragrance was unworried. If Chen said he was unafraid, there was
certainly nothing to be afraid of.
The giant crouched slightly,
then with a mighty roar slammed his right fist at Chen's chest. But at its
maximum extension, the fist only lightly grazed the lapel of Chen's gown.
Dumbfounded, the giant stared at Chen, neglecting even to withdraw his fist.
"Is that it?" Chen
asked. The giant blushed deep red and hastily retracted his arm.
To the crowd, it looked as if
the blow had struck home, and they were puzzled that Chen seemed unaffected.
Muzhuolun and Huo Qingtong, however, knew that he had made use of Inner
Strength Kung Fu to draw in his chest. Huo Qingtong smiled brilliantly and
breathed a sigh of relief. The envoy, also a kung fu expert, scowled in
annoyance.
Chen smiled. "Now it's my
turn," he said.
"Go ahead!" First
Tiger roared. He thrust out his hairy chest and Chen's fist shot out and
punched it lightly. The giant felt no pain, but was aware of a great force
pushing him backwards and put all his weight into countering it by leaning
forward. Suddenly, Chen withdrew his fist, and with no time to stabilise
himself, the giant toppled forward and crashed to the ground in a cloud of
dust. All this took place in the blink of an eye. There was a stunned silence
for a second, then the crowd erupted in applause and laughter. The envoy rushed
over to help First Tiger who was wailing as blood poured from his mouth: two of
his front teeth had snapped off.
Seeing their brother injured,
the other three giants charged at Chen with a single howl of rage. Chen skipped
around behind Third Tiger and shoved him at Second Tiger. Fourth Tiger lunged
at Chen with his arms out-stretched, but Chen ducked down and ticked his armpit
as he passed. Fourth Tiger was very ticklish, and he immediately rolled into a
ball, laughing hysterically.
Chen danced amongst the four,
making them look foolish without even hitting them. The envoy could see that
Chen was a martial arts master and tried vainly to stop the fight. But once
roused, the four Tigers were impossible to stop. They closed in on Chen again,
First Tiger from in front while the other three closed off his line of retreat
behind. Chen waited until First Tiger was within arm's length then toppled him
over backwards with a push, grabbed his leg and hurled him away so that he
landed head-first in the hole where the tree he had up-rooted had stood.
Fourth Tiger roared and kicked
out with his right leg, but Chen grabbed his trousers and shirt, lifted him up
and with a solid kick sent him flying through the air. The giant landed with a
thump on the corpse of the camel he had himself killed.
While Fourth Tiger was still
in the air, Second and Third Tiger charged at Chen from opposite directions.
Chen waited until they were almost upon him before leaping out of the way, and
the two giants smashed into each other and toppled like a great pagoda to the
ground. Before they could clamber to their feet, Chen tied their two queues
together, then with a laugh, he walked back to Princess Fragrance's side. The
Princess clapped her hands in delight as the other Muslims cheered and shouted.
The Four Tigers picked
themselves up and the envoy rushed over and struggled to undo the knot in
Second and Third Tigers' hair. The four giants looked across at Chen, not in
hate but in respect. First Tiger raised a thumb in Chen's direction.
"You're good," he
said. "I concede defeat." He bowed, and the other three giants
followed suit. Chen hurriedly returned the compliment. Seeing their simple
nature, he began to rather regret the way he had played with them.
Fourth Tiger suddenly ran over
and brought back the camel's corpse while Third Tiger led their horses over to
Muzhuolun.
"It was wrong of us to
kill your camel," he said. "We give these four horses to you in
compensation." Muzhuolun declined the offer with thanks.
The envoy was extremely
embarrassed by this turn of events. "Let's go!" he shouted to the
Four Tigers and leapt onto his horse. He turned to Princess Fragrance.
"Do you really dare to
go?" he asked.
"What is there to be
scared of?" she replied. She walked over to Muzhuolun. "Father, write
out a reply and I will deliver it for you." Muzhuolun hesitated. If she
didn't go, the whole tribe would lose face, but if he let her go, he would
worry endlessly. He motioned Chen over, and led him by the hand into the tent
with Huo Qingtong and her sister following behind. Once inside, Muzhuolun
immediately hugged him.
"Great Helmsman," he
said. "What fortuitous wind is it that has blown you here?"
"I was on my way to the
Tianshan Mountains on personal business and heard some important news which I
wanted to pass on to you. By coincidence, I met your daughter, who brought me
here." Princess Fragrance was dumb-struck at hearing her father call Chen
'Great Helmsman', and seeing the shocked expression on her face, Chen said:
"There is something I must apologise for. I did not tell you that I am
Chinese."
"Great Helmsman Chen is a
good friend of our tribe," Muzhuolun added. "He recovered our sacred
Koran for us. He has saved your sister's life and recently intercepted the
Manchu army's rations which slowed their advance and gave us time to collect
our forces. The favours he has rendered us are truly uncountable." Chen
modestly declined the compliments.
"I don't blame you at
all," the Princess said with a smile. "I'm sure you didn't tell me
who you were because you did not want to bring up all the things you have done
for us."
"That Manchu envoy was
unforgivably arrogant," said Muzhuolun. "It was fortunate that you
intervened, Great Helmsman. You certainly deflated his pride. He chose my
daughter to be our envoy. What do you think we should do?"
Chen was reluctant to meddle
in the affairs of the tribe. "I come from the interior of China and know
nothing of the situation here, sir," he said. "If you decide that she
should go, then I will do my utmost to protect her. If you feel it would be
better for her not to go, then we will think of some other way to deal with
him."
"Father, you and my
sister worry everyday about the affairs of the tribe," Princess Fragrance
interrupted. "Making one trip as an envoy is no big affair. And if I don't
go, the Manchus will laugh at us."
"I am just afraid that
they will want to harm you, sister," said Huo Qingtong.
"Every time you go out on
the battle field you risk your life, so it is only right that I should risk my
life this once," the Princess replied. She looked at Chen. "He is so
capable, if he goes with me I won't be the slightest bit afraid, not at
all."
Huo Qingtong could see how
deep her sister's feelings were for Chen, and an inexpressible emotion swept
through her heart.
"Father," she said.
"Let her go."
"All right then, Master
Chen, I entrust my young daughter to you." Chen blushed and Princess
Fragrance's eyes, as bright as autumn rain, gazed up at him. Huo Qingtong
looked away.
Muzhuolun wrote out a reply
which said simply: "We will fight. Allah will protect us." Chen
nodded his head in approval. Muzhuolun handed the note to Princess Fragrance,
then kissed her cheeks.
"Allah will protect you,
sister," said Huo Qingtong. "I hope you come back soon." The
Princess hugged and thanked her. A feast was organised to entertain the Manchu
envoy, after which there was music and dancing to see off the guests, then the
envoy raised his hand and galloped off with Princess Fragrance and the others
following behind. Huo Qingtong watched the seven figures disappear into the
darkness and felt a great emptiness in her chest as if her heart had
disappeared with them into the infinite desert.
"Your sister is very
brave," Muzhuolun said. She nodded, then suddenly covered her face and ran
inside the tent.
6
They galloped for most of the
night, and arrived at the Manchu camp at dawn. The envoy ushered Princess
Fragrance and Chen into a tent to rest then went off alone to see General Zhao
Wei. As he bowed before the general, he noticed a military official seated
beside him wearing the uniform of a Deputy Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard.
"My report,
General," he said. "I delivered the ultimatum and their reply was
perverse. They refuse to surrender and have sent someone to present you with
their answer."
Zhao Wei grunted. "These
people are truly ignorant unto death," he said, and turned to one of his
attendants. "Prepare for an audience," he ordered. Horns blew and
drums rolled and all the senior officers of the army gathered in the great
tent. Then three hundred armoured troops formed two lines outside and the
Muslim envoy was summoned.
Princess Fragrance walked
fearlessly in ahead of Chen. The officers recognized them instantly as the two
they had seen the day before crossing their lines, and all felt surprised. Zhao
Wei had planned to overawe the envoy with a show of military might, and was
taken aback for a moment when a beautiful girl appeared. Princess Fragrance
bowed before the general, then took out her father's note and offered it to him
with both hands.
One of Zhao Wei's bodyguards
moved forward to accept the letter. As he neared her, he was overwhelmed by her
sweet fragrance and lowered his head, not daring to look at her directly. His
eyes lighted on her flawless white hands, and he stood stock still, completely
flustered.
"Bring the letter
here!" Zhao Wei shouted.
The bodyguard started in
fright, then stumbled and almost fell. The Princess placed the letter in his
hands and smiled at him. The bodyguard gazed at her, oblivious of all else.
Only after Princess pointed at Zhao Wei and gave him a slight push, did he go
and place the letter on the table in front of the general.
Zhao Wei was furious at the
sight of his bodyguard so spell-bound. "Take him out and behead him!"
he roared. Several soldiers ran forward and dragged the bodyguard outside the
tent, and a moment later, a bloody head was brought in on a plate and presented
to the general.
"Put it on public
display!" Zhao Wei ordered, and the soldiers began to retire. But the
Princess was heart-broken at the sight of such cruelty and at the thought that
the bodyguard had died because of her. She took the plate from the soldiers and
gazed at the head, tears falling one after another down her cheeks onto the
floor.
The officers in the tent were
by now completely carried away by the sight of her, and any one of them would
have willingly died for her. "If she cried before my head, would not death
be welcome?" they thought. Suddenly, the soldier who had performed the
execution, greatly distressed at the sight of her crying, shouted: "I did
wrong to kill him. Don't cry!" He slashed his sword across his own neck
and fell to the ground, dead.
Princess Fragrance became even
more upset. Chen was uneasy about the situation: an envoy should not cry in
such a fashion, and he leaned forward to comfort her.
Zhao Wei was a man of great
cruelty and brutality, but even his heart softened at the sight of her tears.
"Bury these two properly," he said to his attendants. He opened the
letter and read it with a grunt.
"Right," he said.
"We fight tomorrow. You may leave."
"General," the
officer sitting next to him suddenly interrupted. "I think this girl may be
the one the Emperor wants."
Chen's attention had been
directed entirely at Princess Fragrance, but hearing the officer speak, he
looked up and saw it was Zhang Zhaozhong. At the same instant Zhang also
recognised Chen, despite his Muslim disguise.
They stared at each other,
amazed at finding the other in such a place.
"Well, Great
Helmsman," Zhang said, and laughed coldly. "Fancy meeting you
here."
Chen grabbed Princess
Fragrance's hand and turned to leave, but as he did so, Zhang bounded over and
struck out at him with all his might. Chen picked the Princess up in his left
hand, deflected Zhang's blow with his right and charged out of the tent with
Zhang close on his heels. None of the other officers or soldiers intervened to
stop Chen. All were dazzled by the Princess, and considered this Imperial
Guardsman was interfering in matters that should not concern him.
Chen ran for their horses, and
as Zhang closed in, he threw six chess pieces at him. "I'll keep him
busy," he shouted to Princess Fragrance. "You escape on the
horse!"
"No, I'll wait for you to
beat him."
Chen had no time to explain,
and dumped her on the saddle of the chestnut horse as Zhang dodged the
projectiles and attacked again. Not daring to face him head on, Chen crouched
down underneath the white horse and punched it in the belly. The horse kicked
out with its back legs in fright, straight at Zhang, who just managed to jump
clear.
"Go!" shouted Chen
as Zhang grabbed for Princess Fragrance, and her horse leapt forward just in
time. Chen knew he was no match for Zhang on equal terms, so he drew his dagger
and thrust out with it. Zhang caught his wrist and the two fell to the ground,
rolling together, neither daring to let go of the other.
The officers crowded out of
the tent to watch, and the Four Tigers, who had great respect for Chen and were
annoyed at the way he was being treated, ran over to help him.
Chen's strength was fading as
he grappled with Zhang, and when he saw the four giants running over he
thought: "Oh no, this is it." But instead of attacking him, the four
grabbed Zhang and pinned him to the ground, shouting: "Get away!" All
Zhang's skill was not enough to counter the immense strength of the Four
Tigers, and Chen leapt to his feet, mounted the white horse and galloped off
after Princess Fragrance. Zhang stared after them helplessly as they
disappeared into the distance.
The two horses raced like the
wind and were soon beyond the army's furthest guard posts. Chen's fight with
Zhang had been short but extremely intense, and after riding on for a while, he
gradually felt his control slipping. Princess Fragrance saw he was in
difficulty, and noticed his wrist was covered in black and purple stripes.
"They won't be able to
catch us now," she said. "Let's dismount and rest for a while."
Chen fell off his horse, and lay on the ground, shuddering and gasping. The
Princess pulled a container of sheep's milk from her leather satchel and rubbed
some onto his wrist. Chen gradually recovered, but just as they were getting ready
to start out again, they heard the sound of galloping hooves and saw several
dozen soldiers riding after them. They leapt onto their horses without
bothering to pick up their belongings and sprang forward. A moment later, Chen
noticed a dust cloud rising in front, and cursing their bad luck, galloped on
ahead of the Princess. As they rode closer, he saw that there were only seven
or eight riders in the group ahead, and his anxiety eased. He reined in his
horse and took out his Pearl Strings to prepare for the riders as they closed
in.
Suddenly, one of the riders
shouted: "Great Helmsman, how are you?" Chen looked through the dust
and saw it was a hunchback.
"Tenth Brother!" he
yelled, overjoyed. "Come here, quick!" As he spoke, the first arrow
from the pursuing Manchu troops flew towards them.
7
"Enemy soldiers are
chasing us," Chen shouted. "Hold them off for a while!"
"Excellent!" Zhang
Jin exclaimed. 'Leopard' Wei galloped up as well and the two charged at the
Manchu horsemen. As Chen watched in surprise, Wen, Luo Bing, Xu, Zhou Qi, and
Yu Yutong galloped passed him with cries of greeting on their way to engage the
Manchu troops. Xin Yan raced up behind, leapt off his horse and kowtowed before
Chen.
"I have arrived,
master," he announced, standing up.
Wen and the others quickly
killed or dispersed the Manchu troops, but in the distance they could see a
much larger force heading towards them. They rode back to Chen.
"Which way shall we
go?" Wen asked.
Chen looked at the size of the
pursuing enemy force and decided it would be best to try and lead them away
from the main Muslim army to the west.
"South," he said,
pointing with his hand. The others complied automatically. They were all riding
good horses, and slowly drew away from their pursuers as they galloped across
the featureless desert stretching out about them. Chen wondered why General
Zhao Wei would send such a huge force after the two of them, and suddenly
recalled Zhang Zhaozhong's remark: "I think this girl is the one the
Emperor wants." As he considered the significance of this, he noticed
another column of soldiers riding round to head them off from the south. The
heroes reined in their horses, uncertain of what to do.
"We must make some sort
of cover quickly, and wait until dark to escape," said Xu.
"Yes," Chen agreed.
"Travelling across the desert in daylight is impossible." They
dismounted and used their weapons and bare hands to dig a large hole in the
sand.
"You go in first,
sister," Luo Bing said to Princess Fragrance. But not understanding
Chinese, she simply smiled back and made no move.
The Manchu troops gradually
closed in upon them, and Luo Bing grabbed Princess Fragrance and jumped into
the hole with the rest close behind. Wen and the other heroes had brought bows
and arrows with them and they quickly fired off a volley of arrows, downing a
dozen or so soldiers. As one column of Manchu troops galloped up to the mouth
of the hole, Wen shot an arrow at the commander which hit him in the chest,
passed right through him and flew on for several dozen yards further before
falling to the ground. The other soldiers were so frightened by this
demonstration of power that they turned and fled.
The first attack had been
beaten back, but looking round them, the heroes saw they were completely
surrounded.
"This hole is deep
enough, but we should start making it bigger," Xu said. Seven or eight
feet below the loose sand was firm earth, and Chen and the others dug away at
the sides, piling the sand up on top as a defensive wall.
Zhang Jin pointed to the dead
Manchu soldiers lying just beyond the hole. "Let's go and collect their
weapons," he suggested to Xin Yan. The two leapt out of the hole and
collected seven or eight bows and a large batch of arrows from around the
corpses.
Only now did Chen have a
chance to introduce Princess Fragrance to the heroes. When they heard that she
was Huo Qingtong's sister, they all welcomed her, but the language barrier made
it impossible for them to talk to her. Chen rested for a while, and gradually
his strength returned. He ordered the other heroes to keep a close watch on the
Manchu forces and told them they would try to break out after nightfall.
8
Chen had been surprised to see
'Leopard' Wei, whom he has sent along with 'Pagoda' Yang to Beijing to discover
what the Manchu court was up to. "What are you doing here, Ninth
Brother?" he asked. "And where is Twelfth Brother?"
Wei jumped down from the edge
of the hole to report to the Great Helmsman.
"Twelfth Brother and I
went Beijing as ordered, but for a long time we discovered nothing," he
began. "Then one day, we happened to see that traitor Zhang Zhaozhong and
Master Ma Zhen in the street."
Chen nodded. "So they
went to Beijing," he said. "I was wondering how Zhang managed to
escape. Master Ma told us he would take him back to Wudang mountain."
"Have you seen Zhang
recently?" asked Xu, who was listening.
"Just a short while ago.
He is very dangerous." Chen told them what had happened at the Manchu
camp.
"Master Ma and Zhang were
walking alone talking animatedly, and they didn't see us," Wei continued.
"We suspected they may have joined forces against us, and carefully
followed them to a house in an alleyway. We waited until after dark, but they
didn't come out again, so we decided to go in to have a look. We two are no
match even for Zhang by himself, let alone he and his martial brother together,
so once over the wall into the courtyard, we lay dead still, not daring to even
breath. After a long time, we heard talking in a room nearby and went across to
investigate. Through a crack in the window, we saw Master Ma lying on a kang
while that traitor Zhang paced back and forth. The two were arguing. We didn't
dare to look for too long and squatted down to listen. It seems Zhang had
insisted he had to go to Beijing to sort out a few private financial matters
before he could go to Wudang Mountain, and Master Ma had agreed. A few days
after they got there, the Emperor returned to Beijing as well. Zhang said that
the Emperor had ordered him to go to the Muslim regions on important
business."
"What important
business?" Chen asked quickly.
"He didn't say exactly,
but he apparently had to go and look for someone." Chen frowned.
"Master Ma spoke to him very sternly and told him he should immediately
resign from his official post, but Zhang said he could not refuse an Imperial
edict. If he did, he said, he was afraid the whole of Wudang Mountain would be
stamped flat by the Emperor's troops. Master Ma told him that the whole country
was under the heel of the Manchus, and that by comparison the destruction of
Wudang Mountain would be nothing to grieve about. The more they argued, the
more adamant they both became. Eventually, Master Ma jumped off the kang,
absolutely furious, and shouted: 'I promised our friends of the Red Flower
Society!' to which Zhang replied: 'Those rebellious bandits. Why take them
seriously?' Then there was a metallic sound as if Master Ma had drawn his
sword. I had a look through the window crack and saw Master Ma with sword in
hand, his face black with rage, as he roared: 'Don't you remember our teacher's
last wishes? You ungrateful pupil! You are truly shameless, becoming a running
dog of the Manchu court. I will fight you to the death.' Zhang appeared to
soften. He sighed and said: 'If that's the way you feel, we'll leave for Wudang
Mountain tomorrow.' Master Ma then resheathed his sword and went to sleep on
the kang while Zhang sat on the chair nearby. He appeared undecided about
something. His body shook slightly. Twelfth Brother and I were worried he would
discover us, and wanted to wait for him to sleep before leaving. Almost an hour
passed, but still he didn't sleep. He got up several times and then sat down
again. Finally, he bit his teeth together and said softly: 'Brother Ma.' Master
Ma was by this time sleeping very soundly and snoring slightly. Zhang quietly
walked over to the kang…"
Princess Fragrance suddenly
let out a scream. She didn't understand what Wei was saying, but she could feel
the dark, sinister tone of his voice, and was terrified by it. She took hold of
Chen's hand and snuggled up to him. Zhou Qi glanced at her in hatred.
Wei continued. "Zhang
went to the kang, then lunged forward and sprang back again. Master Ma gave a
wail of agony and jumped up, blood pouring from both his eye sockets. Both his
eyes had been gouged out by the dog-hearted traitor."
Absolutely enraged, Chen leapt
up and slammed his fist into the side of the pit sending sand flying in all
directions.
"I swear I will kill that
traitor," he said through clenched teeth. Princess Fragrance had never
seen him so angry, and she tugged on his sleeve in fear.
Wei's voice shook as he went
on: "Master Ma went silent. His face looked horrible. He walked slowly
towards Zhang, then suddenly kicked out with his leg. Zhang leapt out of the
way, and Master Ma's foot slammed into the kang. Zhang looked a little shaken,
and tried to get out, but Master Ma made it to the door first and stood
straining his ears to hear Zhang's movements. Zhang suddenly laughed, and Master
Ma kicked out with his left leg in the direction of the sound. But Zhang stuck
his sword out in front of him and Ma's leg hit the blade and was cut clean
off." Zhou Qi ground her teeth and stabbed the walls of the pit with her
sword.
"By this time, Twelth
Brother and I could stand it no longer. We burst through the window into the
room and fought with Zhang for only a second before he escaped, probably scared
that we were not alone. We chased after him, but Twelfth Brother was hit by his
golden needles, and I had to help him back into the house. I tried to stop
Master Ma's bleeding, but he died after saying only a few words.
"What did he say?"
asked Chen. A cold wind suddenly blew down on them and they all shivered.
"He said 'Tell Brother Lu
and Yu Yutong to avenge my death!' Just then, some people outside who had heard
the fighting started shouting, so I helped Twelfth Brother out and we returned
to our lodgings. The next day, I went back to have a look and saw Master Ma's
body had already been taken away. Twelfth Brother had been hit by five golden
needles, but I extracted them for him and he's now convalescing in Twin Willows
Lane in Beijing.
"Zhang said the Emperor
wanted him to come to the Northwest to look for someone, and I thought perhaps
it could be your teacher, Great Helmsman. I remember you said once that there
were two important items relating to the Emperor being kept by your teacher,
Master Yuan. So I came out with the others to warn him."
"How is Twelfth
Brother?" Chen asked.
"His wounds are serious,
but luckily not fatal," Wei replied.
By now, the cold wind was
blowing hard, and thick, leaden clouds were gathering above them.
"It's going to snow
soon," Princess Fragrance said, and moved even closer to Chen.
Zhou Qi could control herself
no longer. "What did she say?" she demanded.
Chen was surprised by her
outraged tone. "She said it's going to snow."
"Huh! How would she
know?" She paused for a moment, then suddenly added: "Great Helmsman,
just who it is that you love? Sister Huo Qingtong is a nice girl and I won't
allow her to be cheated."
"Mistress Huo Qingtong is
indeed a nice person and we all have a great deal of respect for her…"
Chen began.
"Then why did you cast
her aside as soon as you met her beautiful sister?" Zhou Qi interrupted.
Chen blushed, and Luo Bing
came to his rescue. "The Great Helmsman, like the rest of us, has only met
Sister Huo Qingtong once. She is just an ordinary friend. You can't start
talking about whether he loves her or not."
"What are you supporting
him for?" Zhou Qi demanded, even more agitated. "She gave him an
antique dagger, and the way the Great Helmsman looked at her, it was plainly a
case of love at first sight…"
Princess Fragrance listened to
them talking excitedly and looked on with her big round eyes, full of
curiosity.
"Mistress Huo Qingtong
already had a suitor before she met me," Chen said. "Even if I had
such an intention, what would be the point of unnecessarily making things
difficult for myself?"
Zhou Qi stared at him in surprise.
"Is that true?"
"Why would I deceive
you?"
"Well, that's all right,
then," she said, immediately changing her tone. "You are a good man.
I was wrong to accuse you. I'm sorry." The others laughed at her
frankness. Zhou Qi took Princess Fragrance's hand and squeezed it. Suddenly,
they felt a wave of coldness on their faces and looked up to see snow flakes as
big as goose feathers floating down towards them.
"You were right,"
she said. "It's snowing!"
"If we don't get
reinforcements to rescue us, we are going to die here," said Luo Bing.
"Master Muzhuolun will
certainly send out scouts to look for his daughter and the Great Helmsman when
they fail to return," Xu replied.
"I`m sure they
have," Chen said. "But we have come so far south, I'm afraid they may
have difficulty finding us."
"Well then, we will have
to send someone out to get help."
"I'll go!"
volunteered Xin Yan.
Chen thought for a moment and
then nodded. He asked Princess Fragrance to write a note to her father, and Xin
Yan took a writing brush and some ink from his knapsack and gave them to her.
"Take Sister Luo Bing's
white horse," Chen said to Xin Yan. "We will make a diversionary
attack to the east, and you can make a break for it to the west." He then
gave him directions to the Muslim camp. On the signal, the heroes leapt out of
the pit and charged eastwards with shouts and battle cries leaving only Zhou Qi
and Princess Fragrance behind. Xin Yan led the white horse out of the hole,
jumped onto its back and galloped off westwards. The Manchu troops loosed off a
few arrows but none came even close to hitting him. Once the heroes were sure
Xin Yan had escaped, they retreated back to the pit.
By this time, the snow was
falling heavily and the ground about them had been transformed into a vast
white carpet. They settled down for the night, but all slept badly except for
Princess Fragrance was still fast asleep when dawn broke. Her hair and
shoulders were covered with snow which shuddered slightly as she breathed. Luo
Bing laughed gently. "This child is not the least bit concerned," she
said.
Time dragged by and Xu frowned
deeply. "Why is there still no sign of a rescue attempt?" he asked
slowly.
"Could Xin Yan have met
some trouble on the road?" said Wen.
"What I'm worried about
is something else," replied Xu.
"What is it?" Zhou
Qi demanded. "Stop mumbling and get on with it."
"Great Helmsman, who
makes the decisions in the Muslim camp?" Xu asked. "Master Muzhuolun
or Mistress Huo Qingtong?"
"Both, apparently. Master
Muzhuolun discusses everything with his daughter."
"If Huo Qingtong refused
to send out soldiers, then… things would be difficult," Xu continued. The
others saw what he was getting at.
"How could you say such a
thing about Sister Huo Qingtong?" Zhou Qi demanded, jumping up.
"Doesn't she already have a suitor? And even if she was jealous of her
sister, would she refuse to save the man she loved?"
"When women become
jealous, they are capable of anything," answered Xu. Zhou Qi began
shouting angrily, and Princess Fragrance woke with a start. The heroes had only
met Huo Qingtong once and although she seemed nice, they knew very little about
her. Xu's words seemed not unreasonable.
9
After breaking out of the
ring, Xin Yan followed the route Chen had indicated, galloped to the Muslim
camp and presented the letter to Muzhuolun. The old man had been frantic with
worry, and jumped up joyfully as he read his daughter's note.
"Call the troops
together!" he ordered.
"How many Manchu troops
were there surrounding you?" Huo Qingtong asked Xin Yan.
"Four or five thousand
altogether."
Huo Qingtong bit her lip and
paced from one side of the tent to the other, deep in thought. Horns sounded
outside as the soldiers began to gather, and Muzhuolun was just about to go out
to join them when Huo Qingtong suddenly turned to him.
"Father, we can't
go," she said.
Muzhuolun looked at her in
astonishment, uncertain if he had heard correctly. "What…what did you
say?"
"I said we can't
go."
He was about to fly into a
rage, but then remembered how clear-thinking and intelligent his daughter
usually was. "Why?" he asked.
"Zhao Wei is a very
capable general. He would not dispatch four or five thousand troops just to
capture our two envoys. It must be a trap."
"Even if it is a trap, how
can we stand by and let the Manchus kill your sister and our Red Flower Society
friends?"
Huo Qingtong hung her head and
said nothing. "I am afraid that if we go, we will not only fail to rescue
them, but will sacrifice several thousand more lives as well." she said
finally.
Muzhuolun slapped his thigh in
exasperation. "But she is your own flesh and blood!" he cried.
"And we owe Master Chen and the others a great debt. Even if we died
trying to save them, what would it matter? You…you…" He was both angry and
hurt by his daughter's ungratefulness.
"Father, listen to me. It
may be possible to save them and win a great victory as well."
Muzhuolun's expression changed
immediately. "Well, why didn't you say so earlier, child?" he said.
"How can we do it? I will do whatever you say."
"Father, are you truly
willing to do whatever I say?"
"I was talking nonsense a
moment ago. Don't pay any attention. How should we proceed? Tell me
quickly!"
"Well, give me the
Command Arrow. I will command this battle." Muzhuolun hesitated for a
second then handed it to her. Huo Qingtong knelt to receive it, then prostrated
herself on the ground, praying to Allah.
"Father," she said
when she stood up. "You and Brother must follow my orders."
"If you can save them and
beat the Manchus, I will do anything," he replied.
"All right, then it is
settled." She walked out of the tent with her father and over to the
troops, already waiting in ranks with their commanders.
"Brothers!"
Muzhuolun called out to them. "Today, we will fight the Manchus to the
death. The battle will be commanded by Mistress Huo Qingtong."
The soldiers raised their
sabres and roared: "May the True God protect her and lead us to
victory!"
"Right," said Huo
Qingtong flourishing her Command Arrow. "Everyone return to their tents to
rest." The commanders led their troops away. Muzhuolun was too stunned to
speak.
They went back inside the tent
and Xin Yan prostrated himself before Huo Qingtong and kowtowed frantically.
"Mistress, if you don't
send troops to save them, my master will surely die," he pleaded.
"Get up. I didn't say I
wouldn't save them."
"There are only nine of
them, of whom your sister does not know kung fu," he cried. "But the
enemy is numbered in thousands. If we delay even for a moment, they will be,
they will be…"
"Have the Manchu armoured
troops charged them yet?" Huo Qingtong interrupted him.
"Not when I had left, but
I'm afraid they will have done so by now." Huo Qingtong frowned silently.
Xin Yan cried even more mournfully and Muzhuolun paced about the tent,
uncertain of what to do.
"Father, have you ever
seen a wolf trap? A piece of mutton is fastened to a metal hook, the wolf bites
on it and pulls and the trap snaps shut. Zhao Wei sees us as the wolf and my
sister as the mutton. No matter how brave the Red Flower Society fighters are,
they could not stop four or five thousand determined soldiers. That means that
Zhao Wei has purposely decided not to order an attack." Muzhuolun nodded.
"The Manchus let this young man out on purpose to get us to send a rescue
force. Otherwise how could he have made it alone through so many troops?"
"Well, let us attack Zhao
Wei's forces from the side and catch them unawares," he replied.
"They have more than
forty thousand troops while we only have fifteen thousand," she pointed
out. "In a pitched battle we would certainly lose."
"So from what you say,
your sister and the others are bound to die," Muzhuolun exclaimed. "I
cannot bear to lose your sister, and I refuse to leave our friends in danger. I
will take five hundred men with me. If we can rescue them, it will be because
of Allah's help. If we cannot, then we will die with them."
Huo Qingtong said nothing.
Xin Yan began frantically
kowtowing before her once more, his forehead striking the ground heavily.
"If our master has done anything to offend you mistress, please forgive
him," he cried.
Huo Qingtong realised he
suspected her motives. "Don't talk such nonsense," she said angrily.
Xin Yan looked startled for a
second, then jumped up. "If you are determined to be so cruel, I will go
and die with my master," he said. He ran out of the tent, leapt on the
white horse and galloped away.
"We must go and help
them!" Muzhuolun pleaded.
"Father, the Chinese have
a saying that it is better to rely on a good plan than on bravery. We are
out-numbered, so we must make use of surprise if we are to gain victory. We
must beat Zhao Wei's trap with a trap of our own."
"Really?" said
Muzhuolun, only half believing her.
"Father!" she
exclaimed, her voice shaking. "Don't say that you suspect me too?"
Muzhuolun saw the tears
brimming in her eyes and his heart softened. "All right," he said.
"We will do as you say. Now send out the troops immediately."
Huo Qingtong thought for a
moment, then said to an attendant: "Strike up the drums." The drums
rolled and the commanders of each of the military units entered the tent. By
now, the snow was falling thickly outside the tent and was already several
inches thick on the ground.
Huo Qingtong flourished the
Command Arrow and announced: "The first unit of the Green Flag Brigade
will go to the western side of the Great Gobi Quagmire, and the second, third,
fourth, fifth and sixth units of the Green Flag will gather together the local
herdsmen and farmers around the other sides." She gave the commanders
their orders and the units departed one by one. Muzhuolun was unhappy that some
of their best troops had been sent off to do construction work rather than
being sent to the rescue.
"The first, second and
third units of the White Flag Brigade will go to Yarkand City and to the Black
River, and will make various preparations as I will indicate," Huo
Qingtong continued. "The first unit of the Black Flag and the Kazakh unit
will go up into the hills along the Black River. The Mongol unit will station
itself on Yingqipan Mountain." She gave each commander his individual
orders, after which they bowed and left.
"Father, you will command
the forces to the east. Brother, you will command the forces to the west, I
myself will command the second unit of the Black Flag Brigade and coordinate
things from the centre. The general campaign plan is like this…" She was
just about to explain in detail when Muzhuolun stopped her.
"Who is going to rescue
your sister and the others?" he demanded.
"The third unit of the
Black Flag will ride in from the east to save them. The fourth unit of the
Black Flag will do the same from the west. When you meet Manchu troops you must
do as I indicate in these orders." She quickly wrote out two notes and
handed them to the commanders. "Your units must have the best mounts
available," she added. The two Black Flag unit commanders bowed and
retired.
"You have sent thirteen
thousand of our best soldiers off to do unimportant work and two thousand young
boys and old men to effect a rescue. What is the meaning of this?"
Muzhuolun demanded.
"My plan is to…" Huo
Qingtong began, but Muzhuolun angrily cut her off.
"I don't believe you any
more! You love Master Chen, but he loves your sister, so you intend to let both
of them die. You… you're heartless!"
Huo Qingtong almost fainted
from shock. Muzhuolun stared at her for a second, then stormed out of the tent
shouting: "I will go and die with your sister!" He leapt onto his
horse and galloped away into the desert, brandishing his sabre.
Her brother saw how distressed
she was and tried to comfort her. "Father is very confused," he said.
"He didn't know what he was saying. Don't worry."
10
Xin Yan rode back to where
Chen and the others were waiting, crying all the way. The beseiging Manchu
forces did little to stop him as he passed, loosing off a dozen or so arrows as
a matter of form only. He jumped off the white horse, led it onto the pit then
sat down and began sobbing loudly.
"Don't cry, what's the
matter?" Zhou Qi asked.
Xu sighed. "Is there any
need to ask? Huo Qingtong refuses to send troops to rescue us."
"I kowtowed before her…I
pleaded…" Xin Yan sobbed. The others were silent.
Princess Fragrance asked Chen
why he was crying. Not wishing to hurt her, he said: "He couldn't break
through to get help." The Princess took out her handkerchief and gave it
to him.
The morning of the third day
dawned with the snow still falling heavily and the Manchu forces showing no
signs of attacking. Xu was greatly puzzled. He turned to Xin Yan and said:
"What questions did Mistress Huo Qingtong ask you?"
"She asked how may Manchu
troops were surrounding us and whether the armoured units had attacked
yet."
Xu was excited. "We're
saved! We're saved!" he exclaimed happily. The others stared at him
uncomprehendingly.
"I was stupid to have
doubted Mistress Huo Qingtong," he said. "Truly small-minded. She is
much, much wiser than I."
"What?" asked Zhou
Qi.
"If the Manchu armoured
cavalry attacked us, would we stand a chance?"
"Hmm," Zhou Qi
replied. "Yes, it's strange."
"And even if they didn't
have armoured cavalry, if so many thousands of soldiers charged at once, could
the eight of us hold them off? We would be trampled to mincemeat." The
others agreed the Manchus had been remarkably restrained.
Chen suddenly understood.
"Yes, that's it!" he cried. "They have held back on purpose in
the hope of luring the Muslim forces in to try and rescue us. But Mistress Huo
Qingtong has guessed it and refused to be tricked."
"Whether she's tricked or
not, we're still finished," commented Zhang Jin.
"No, we're not,"
Chen replied. "She is certain to think of a way out."
Their spirits were suddenly
revived, and leaving two of the heroes to keep guard, the others settled down
to rest at the bottom of the pit.