Gods 077: Bloodied Earth
Casualties continue to mount on both sides as the siege of Mianchi County drags on, while King Zhou gets help from some shady characters.
Transcript
Welcome to the Chinese Lore Podcast, where I retell classic Chinese stories in English. This is episode 77 of Investiture of the Gods.
Last time, the Zhou army thought it was going to be smooth sailing now that they’ve gotten through the five passes. But then at the county of Mianchi (3,2), they ran into a stone wall in the city commander Zhang (1) Kui (2) and his wife Gao (1) Lanying (2,1). With their magical powers, they slew a bunch of Zhou generals, including Flying Tiger and the Grand Duke of the North, Black Tiger. But then, the Chan Daoist warrior Yang Jian used a little magic of his own and tricked Zhang Kui into first killing his horse and then killing his own mother. Then, lotus boy Nezha just about incinerated Zhang Kui, but he managed to escape without being noticed.
So now, Zhang Kui, presumed dead by the Zhou army, was going to sneak into their camp at night and assassinate the Martial King and Jiang Ziya. That night, Jiang Ziya ordered his troops to make breakfast at midnight and prepare to lay siege to the city at 5 a.m.
As 9 p.m. rolled around, Zhang Kui used his earth-traveling powers to sneak to the gate of the Zhou camp. But as luck would have it, the Zhou officer on patrol that night was Yang Ren (4), the guy with hands for eyes. The eyeballs in the two hands that grew from Yang Ren’s eye sockets were magical, all-seeing eyes. So all the sudden, Yang Ren noticed that underground, Zhang Kui was sneaking past the camp gate with blade in hand.
“Zhang Kui, I see you underground!” Yang Ren shouted. “Here I come!”
Zhang Kui was shocked, but then he thought, “I can travel very fast underground. Let me sneak into the center tent and kill Jiang Ziya before this guy can catch up.”
So he pressed forward. Yang Ren was now in a panic. He spurred on his mount, the Cloud-Haze Beast, and rushed to the center of camp, where he rang the alarm and shouted, “There’s an assassin in camp! Everyone, be on guard!”
Within seconds, the whole camp sprang up. Jiang Ziya assembled his men, and all the officers armed themselves while torches and lights lit up the night.
“Where is the assassin coming from?” Jiang Ziya asked.
Yang Ren entered the tent and answered, “I saw Zhang Kui carrying a blade and crossing our camp gate underground. So I sounded the alarm.”
Jiang Ziya was shocked. “But yesterday Nezha burned Zhang Kui to death. Where did this Zhang Kui come from?”
“And he’s still here, listening to you right now,” Yang Ren said.
Yang Jian now said, “Let me sort it out tomorrow.”
So the Zhou camp remained on high alert the whole night. Unable to find an opening to make his move, Zhang Kui had no choice but to leave. Yang Ren’s eyes followed him every step of the way as he exited the camp, and tailed him all the way back to the city.
Once inside the city, Zhang Kui went to see his wife, Gao Lanying. She asked how the mission went, but he just shook his head and said, “The Zhou camp has so many skilled men. No wonder the five passes fell like knife splitting bamboo.”
When he recounted what happened, his wife told him, “In that case, you should send an urgent request to the capital to ask for reinforcements. Otherwise, how can this lone city hold out?”
Zhang Kui did as she suggested and dispatched a messenger to the capital. The next morning, Yang Jian came to the foot of the city and called out, “Zhang Kui, come out and face me!”
Zhang Kui rode out and cursed, “You scoundrel! You killed my mother! I will have it out with you!”
Yang Jian shot back, “You traitor! If I didn’t kill your mother, you won’t know how powerful we are.”
“If I don’t kill you, my hatred will not die!” Zhang Kui shouted as he charged. After a few exchanges, however, Yang Jian summoned his Sky-Barking Hound. When he saw the hound coming at him, Zhang Kui quickly dismounted and vanished the moment he hit the ground.
When Yang Jian got back to camp, he reported to Jiang Ziya and said, “Zhang Kui’s earth-traveling powers are just like Tuxing Sun’s. Looks like Yang Ren rendered a tremendous service last night.”
Jiang Ziya now ordered Yang Ren to patrol the whole camp to guard against a repeat of last night. Meanwhile, inside the city, Zhang Kui told his wife, “The Zhou camp has many Daoists. The two of us cannot defend this city. In my opinion, we should abandon it and return to the capital and make other plans. What do you think?”
“My lord, you’re wrong,” she said. “We have defended this county for many years, and our reputation has spread far and wide. How can we abandon it and flee? Besides, this is a key location. It’s a shield for the capital. If we abandon it, then the enemy will have control of the Yellow River. This will not do. Tomorrow, let me go fight them, and I will succeed.”
So the next day, Gao Lanying rode out and demanded battle. When Jiang Ziya heard that a female warrior was challenging for a fight, he asked who would go face her. The female general Deng (4) Chanyu (2,4) immediately volunteered. She went out and traded names with Gao Lanying, who immediately cursed her, “You and your father were commanded by the king to lead an expedition against the traitors. So how did you end up marrying one of them? How can you bear to return to your homeland?”
Deng Chanyu was furious at that insult and raised her twin cutlasses and attacked. Gao Lanying raised her own cutlasses to counter. The two of them, with Deng Chanyu all dressed in red and Gao Lanying all decked out in white, now faced off at the foot of the city.
After 20 bouts, Deng Chanyu turned and fled. Gao Lanying gave chase, not knowing her opponent’s special talent. When Deng Chanyu heard her foe drawing nearer, she suddenly turned and unleashed a flying pebble. It struck Gao Lanying in the face, bruising her lips and sending her fleeing back inside the city.
In the Zhou camp, Deng Chanyu returned in victory and Jiang Ziya recorded her service in the rolls. Just then, her husband, Tuxing Sun, arrived with his shipment of provisions. Once he checked in, Jiang Ziya told him to also stay with the army from now on. As Tuxing Sun left the command tent and met up with the other officers, he didn’t see Flying Tiger around. So he asked Nezha, who brought him up to speed on the heavy casualties against their latest foe. Nezha also added, “That Zhang Kui’s earth-traveling powers are even better than yours. The day before, he came to our camp to assassinate Commander Jiang. Thankfully Yang Ren foiled him. But he’s blocking our path forward.”
“How can this be?” Tuxing Sun wondered. “When my master taught me my earth-traveling skills, he said they were unrivaled. How can there be another here with this power? Let me face him tomorrow.”
He then went to ask his wife, Deng Chanyu, about it, and she confirmed what Nezha told him, and it made Tuxing Sun restless all night. The next morning, he went to see Jiang Ziya and offered to go fight Zhan gKui. Jiang Ziya consented, and sent Yang Jian, Nezha, and Deng Chanyu to go back him up.
So Tuxing Sun went to the foot of the city and demanded battle. Zhang Kui came out and asked the dwarf who he was.
“I am Tuxing Sun,” his foe replied and immediately attacked with his steel staff. Zhang Kui raised his saber and fought back. After a few bouts, Nezha and Yang Jian joined the fight. Nezha unleashed his Universal Ring, but as soon as he saw that, Zhang Kui hopped off his horse and vanished. But Tuxing Sun knew where he was, and promptly dove into the earth as well.
When Zhang Kui saw Tuxing Sun chasing him underground, he was stunned. The two now fought underground. But Zhang Kui was tall and couldn’t maneuver as quickly as Tuxing Sun, so he soon fled. Tuxing Sun gave chase for a while but couldn’t catch Zhang Kui, so he called it a day and returned to camp.
“That Zhang Kui really is adept at earth-travel,” Tuxing Sun told Jiang Ziya. “He really is a grave concern for us here.”
Jiang Ziya then thought of something. “When your master captured you before, he used a trick to turn the ground into steel. We must use that same power against Zhang Kui. Are you able to learn it?”
“Please write a letter, and I will take it to my master on Dragon Squeezing Mountain. He will lend me the charm to help us sack the city.”
Jiang Ziya was delighted, so he wrote a letter. Tuxing Sun took leave of his wife and set out at once.
Later that day, Tuxing Sun arrived on the mountain. With his master’s Flying Dragon Cavern in sight, Tuxing Sun was feeling elated to be back on familiar ground. He emerged from his earth-travel and continued forward. But suddenly, a man jumped out and shouted, “Tuxing Sun, stop!”
By the time Tuxing Sun looked up, a saber had come down through the air, slicing him in half through the shoulder. The man who had slain him was none other than Zhang Kui.
So, how did Zhang Kui come to be here? Well, after he fled from the fight, he went back to the city and lamented to his wife again about how tough the enemy was. She asked who was giving him fits this time, and he told her about Tuxing Sun’s earth-traveling powers.
“In that case, you should send another urgent dispatch to the capital for help,” she said. “We two can just hold out here and not fight them while we wait for reinforcements.”
Just as they were talking, however, an ill wind blew across the courtyard and snapped a flag pole in half. Both husband and wife were shocked at this ill omen. Gao Lanying immediately cast a divination and then told Zhang Kui, “You must hurry. Tuxing Sun is going to Dragon Squeezing Mountain to obtain the power to turn the ground into steel to defeat you. You must not delay.”
So Zhang Kui hurriedly set out. And as we had established earlier, he was able to earth-travel a bit faster than Tuxing Sun, so he arrived on the mountain first and lay in waiting. He waited for a day, and sure enough, he saw Tuxing Sun. So he snuck up on his foe and cut him down.
Zhang Kui now cut off Tuxing Sun’s head and brought it back to the city. He and his wife were delighted by his success, and they hung up Tuxing Sun’s head on the city wall. The Zhou army’s scouts soon spotted this and rushed back to report. Jiang Ziya was stunned, and did a little divination with his fingers. He then slapped his desk and shouted, “Tuxing Sun has died in vain! It’s my fault!”
As he lamented this loss, word had reached Deng Chanyu, who came to the command tent while weeping, asking to be allowed to go avenge her husband.
“You’re still grieving; you must not act recklessly,” Jiang Ziya said.
But there was no stopping Deng Chanyu. She rode out to the foot of the city and demanded to fight Zhang Kui. When Zhang Kui’s wife Gao Lanying heard that the female officer who wounded her the day before was back, she said, “That whore! I was just about to pay her back for that pebble. She’s destined to die here today.”
So Gao Lanying rode out with cutlasses and magic gourd in hand. As she emerged from the city, she uncorked her gourd and let fly her 49 magic needles. Deng Chanyu only heard the sound of her horse before her eyes were blinded by the needles. In the next moment, Gao Lanying came upon her and cut her down.
When word of this reached Jiang Ziya, he again grieved immensely. He told his followers, “That Gao Lanying has magic needles that can blind you. We must be on guard.”
So, he kept his army in camp while he tried to figure out another way to sack the city. The general Nangong Kuo suggested that they just try to brute force their way in with a good ol’ fashioned siege. Jiang Ziya agreed, so the Zhou forces swarmed toward the city walls. But after two nights in a row, they could not sack the city, and Jiang Ziya had no choice but to order his army to fall back to camp.
Meanwhile, Zhang Kui sent off another request to the capital to ask for help. His messenger crossed the Yellow River and snuck past Mengjin (4,1), where the 400 nobles had gathered their forces. When the messenger arrived in the capital, he delivered his message to the documents office, where it was received by the king’s brother, Wei (1) Zi (3).
Wei Zi rushed to the Deer Terrace and told King Zhou, “The Martial King has sacked the five passes and is laying siege on Mianchi County. Our forces have suffered casualties and cannot hold out for long. They’re teetering on the brink. You must send reinforcements immediately to help them defend the city. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to die to repay your kindness. This city is but 150 miles from the capital. And yet your highness is still here making merry rather than paying attention to your enterprise. Four hundred nobles from the North and South have gathered at Mengjin. They’re waiting for Ji Fa to join them and then they will march on the capital. The fire is now singeing your eyebrows. Seeing this report makes me feel like my body and my heart are on fire. I hope you will recruit talented men to tend to affairs of state, appoint top generals to repel the traitors, change your ways to win back the army and the people, and reform your governance so as to change heaven’s mind, so that you do not lose the ancestral temples of the Shang.”
King Zhou was both stunned and irate, and declared, “Ji Fa is too despicable. I shall personally led a campaign to rid this evil!”
But one of his other ministers, Fei (1) Lian (2), stepped forth and said, “Your highness must not! Right now the 400 nobles and their armies are gathered at Mengjin. If they get wind that you’re out on campaign, they’ll let you pass, and then cut off your path of retreat. Then you would be under attack from front and back. That’s not a safe play. You should post a notice to recruit talent and offer a big reward. Then talented men will naturally come. As the old saying goes, ‘When there’s a big reward, men of valor will show up.’ There’s no need for you to personally lead a campaign to tussle with traitors.”
King Zhou agreed with this advice and ordered a recruitment notice to be posted at the gates of the capital. And of course, as soon as the notice went out, all the city erupted in a hubbub as the people fell into a panic. One day, three men showed up and answered the call. So the soldiers escorted them to see Fei Lian.
The three men told Fei Lian, “We heard that the king is recruiting men of talent. We three know that our talents are meager, but since our lord has a need, we are willing to offer our services.”
Seeing that the three men exuded an uncommon air, Fei Lian invited them to sit, but they said, “We’re but commoners. How would we dare to sit in the presence of a high court official like you?”
“We’re seeking talent to protect the country,” Fei Lian said. “Even if we offered you high rank and handsome rewards, you should accept without hesitation, much less a mere seat.”
So the three men sat down, and Fei Lian asked for their names. They handed over their written introductions. They were all natives of Osmanthus Mountain. They were three members of what’s called the Seven Sages of Osmanthus Mountain. One was named Yuan (2) Hong (2), and he was a monkey demon. The second was named Wu (2) Long (2) and was a centipede demon. The third was named Chang (2) Hao (4) and was a serpent demon.
Fei Lian now brought them to see King Zhou. The king summoned them and asked how they would defeat the enemy. Yuan Hong replied, “Jiang Ziya has used deceit to assemble the nobles of the land in rebellion. In my opinion, we should first sack Western Qi and capture Jiang Ziya. Then all the nobles will submit to your highness again, hoping you will issue them amnesty. The land will know peace without a fight.”
King Zhou felt reassured by those words, so he appointed Yuan Hong as commander and made the other two men vanguards. He also assigned various other officers to accompany them. He then threw a banquet to see them off.
Now, one of the officers appointed to accompany this trio was named Lu (3) Renjie (2,2). He was a learned officer who had seen his share of heroes. He saw that Yuan Hong’s behavior was not exactly in line with customs, and he thought to himself, “This guy doesn’t look like command material. Let me see how he drills the troops, and then I’ll know for sure.”
Three days later, the trio went to drill the army. From what Lu Renjie could see, they were definitely not command material, and he worried that they would be no match for Jiang Ziya. But desperate times, desperate measures, so he just went along with it.
The next day, Yuan Hong went to see King Zhou, who asked, “What do you think about leading an army to go help Mianchi defend against the enemy?”
“In my opinion,” Yuan Hong replied, “there’s no need for the forces to go that far from the capital.”
“But why?” King Zhou asked.
“Right now, the Grand Dukes of the North and South are assembled at Mengjin,” Yuan Hong explained. “If I go to Mianchi, then they will cut off my provisions. And then I’d be under attack from front and back. That’s a recipe for defeat. Provisions are the lifeline of the army, and it’s needed before the army even marches. In my opinion, why not send 200,000 men to go cut off Mengjin, so that the nobles cannot encroach on the capital. Victory would be ours with one battle.”
King Zhou was pleased with that suggestion and gave it his blessings. So Yuan Hong mobilized 200,000 troops and sent his vanguard comrades out toward Mengjin.
Meanwhile, back at Mianchi County, the Shang commander Zhang Kui was eagerly awaiting reinforcements. One day, his scout came back and told him that the king had recruited a new commander named Yuan Hong and that he was setting out with 200,000 men … except, they’re not coming here. They’re going to camp out near Mengjin to keep an eye on the nobles there. Meanwhile, not a single man was coming to the aid of Mianchi.
“If the king won’t send help, how can this city hold out?” a shocked Zhang Kui wondered. “Right now we have the Zhou army in front of us and the nobles at Mengjin behind us. This is a surefire recipe for defeat. Why will he not send help here?”
When he consulted with his wife, she said, “The two of us should be able to hold off the Zhou army here. With Yuan Hong holding down Mengjin, the nobles of the South and North won’t be able to attack our rear. Let’s wait till we get word of Yuan Hong’s campaign. If he manages to defeat the Grand Dukes of the North and South, then we can join forces to attack the Zhou and we would win for sure. For now, let’s just find ways to keep up our defenses and not fight them. Once they have exhausted their men and supplies, we will beat them with one fight. That’s the safest course of action.”
Despite her assurances, though, Zhang Kui was not sure about what to do. Meanwhile, in the Zhou camp, Jiang Ziya was lamenting how many officers he had lost trying to take this seemingly meager little county. But just then, word came that a young acolyte was seeking an audience. When the lad came in, he said, “I am a disciple of Master Juliu Sun of Dragon Squeezing Mountain. My Daoist brother Tuxing Sun was killed by Zhang Kui on our mountain. My master knew that this was preordained and could not be helped. He has sent me here with a letter for you.”
Jiang Ziya opened the letter, and it said:
“From the Daoist Juliu Sun to Commander Jiang: Tuxing Sun was destined to die at Zhang Kui’s hand on the mountain. One cannot escape fate. I could only watch and weep. What a lamentable affair. Zhang Kui is adept at defending his city, so it would be hard to sack quickly. But his days are also numbered. You must not delay. Have Yang Jian take my charm and wait by the bank of the Yellow River. When Yang Ren and Wei Hu pursue Zhang Kui to there, he shall be captured. As for sacking the city, Nezha and Thunderbolt alone will be sufficient. You must personally lure Zhang Kui away, and then one battle will ensure success, and then the path will be smooth. Once your mission is complete, we will talk again.”
Jiang Ziya now sent the acolyte back home and issued orders as the letter instructed. That night, explosives sounded in the Zhou camp, and the army charged toward the city. Zhang Kui rushed to the top of the city walls to lead the defense, keeping the assault at bay. After a while, Jiang Ziya called back his army.
The next morning, Jiang Ziya went to see the Martial King Ji Fa and said, “Please accompany me out of camp to go have a look at the city, so that we can decide how to attack it.”
Well, it’s not Jiang Ziya had consulted Ji Fa about military strategy up to now, so this was an odd time to start. But Ji Fa rolled with it, and they rode out to near the city and took a look around.
Pointing to the city, Jiang Ziya said, “If your highness wishes to sack this city, you must employ a huge cannon. Then the city will fall in one fell swoop.”
While they were talking, guards on the city wall reported to Zhang Kui that Jiang Ziya and some guy in red were outside checking out the city. Zhang Kui went up to take a look and saw that it was indeed Jiang Ziya and Ji Fa.
“Jiang Ziya has gone too far,” he thought to himself. “Because I’ve been on the defensive for days instead of fighting him, he thinks he can bully me around even come right up to my city without worry. He thinks nothing of me.”
So he told his wife, “You defend the city, while I go out and kill them so as to rid us of this thorn.”
So while Gao Lanying kept watch from atop the walls, Zhang Kui rode out alone and shouted, “Ji Fa, Jiang Ziya, you’re done for!”
His two prey immediately turned and rode off toward the West. Zhang Kui gave chase, and not a soul from the Zhou camp came out to the defense of their lord and commander, so Zhang Kui kept up his pursuit without worry.
After he had ridden off for about 10 miles, however, drums started to roll from inside the Zhou camp, and the Zhou army’s battle cries shook heaven and earth as they charged toward the city. Gao Lanying was clad in full armor as she directed the city’s defense. Suddenly, she heard a loud blast coming from the Zhou camp. When she looked up, she saw Nezha descending in his three-headed, eight-armed form, riding on his hot wheels and wielding his fire spear. Gao Lanying quickly mounted her horse and started fighting against Nezha atop the walls.
Soon, Gao Lanying fell back to the foot of the wall, and Nezha followed. Just then, Thunderbolt soared up to the top of the walls, scattered the soldiers there, and smashed the chains holding up the drawbridge. The Zhou army now poured into the city.
Seeing things go south, Gao Lanying was just about to unleash her magic needles, but Nezha beat her to the punch and hit her squarely in the head with his Universal Ring. He then finished her off with a thrust of his spear.
Seeing their mistress slain and faced with the onslaught of a winged avenger and a superpowered kid with eight arms and three heads, the soldiers in the city promptly surrendered. Nezha then left Thunderbolt to watch over the city while he went to back up Jiang Ziya and Ji Fa.
Meanwhile, Zhang Kui was 10 miles into his pursuit when he suddenly heard the sound of explosives and the roar of battle everywhere. He was stunned and quickly gave up the chase. But now, Jiang Ziya shouted, “Zhang Kui, your city is lost! Why not surrender?!”
Panicked, Zhang Kui rushed back the way he came, but as evening descended, he ran into Nezha.
“Scoundrel, why aren’t you dismounted and waiting for your death?!” Nezha cursed.
Zhang Kui raised his saber and they fought for a bit before Nezha unleashed his sacred fire dome. Zhang Kui knew how powerful it was, so he earth-traveled away, while Nezha went off to protect the Martial King.
When Zhang Kui reached the foot of his city, he saw Thunderbolt standing atop the wall. He knew that the city was lost, but not the fate of his wife.
“Why don’t I go to the capital and join forces with Yuan Hong and then make plans,” Zhang Kui thought to himself. And so, he fast-traveled toward the Yellow River.
But his approach was being monitored from far away by Yang Ren, the guy with hands for eyes. Yang Ren turned to his fellow Daoist disciple Wei Hu and said, “Zhang Kiu is coming. Be on guard and don’t let him get away. Wherever I point, send your Demon-Taming Club there.”
To see if this trap will ensnare Zhang Kui tune in to the next episode of the Chinese Lore Podcast. Thanks for listening!
Music in This Episode
- “Sao Meo” by Doug Maxwell / Zac Zinger
- “Comfortable Mystery 3 – Film Noire” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100536; Artist: http://incompetech.com/)
- “Slow Times Over Here” by Midnight North (from YouTube audio library)
- “Ravines” by Elphnt (from YouTube audio library)