Chapter 39 · Sacrificing to the Marshal's Flag, the Treacherous Minister Is Slain in Place of a Beast; Hoisting the Iron Cart, the Brave Warrior Perishes

A poem says: Retribution does not contend over early or late; Heaven in secret lends its support. Doubt it not — but look on the vows of the cunning: one becomes a sheep, another a pig.

Now it is told that Wang Gui took his orders and rode down the mountain, thinking to himself: "This errand is a hard one! Among the barbarians there are pigs, yet they will not sell me so much as one. If I go to seize one, with their six or seven hundred thousand men, how could I know where they keep their pigs? Let me not trouble myself with it — I will simply seize a barbarian soldier and carry him up as a pig, to hand in my commission. Let us see how that does." Having settled on this plan, he rode to the front of the camp. Without a word, brandishing his sabre in both hands, he charged straight in. The small sentries were caught quite off guard; he snatched up one with a single hand, tucked him beneath his arm, clapped his horse and galloped out of the camp and up to Lotus Leaf Ridge. As it happened, Niu Gao was coming down the mountain, and seeing Wang Gui carrying off a barbarian soldier, he thought to himself: "Ha! So a barbarian soldier may serve for a pig — then cannot he equally serve for a sheep? Let me not let him snatch the first merit. I will cut off that pig's head of his." Thereupon he drew his sword, rode up, and said: "Brother Wang, how fast you are!" Wang Gui replied: "Indeed." As the two spoke together, their horses passed shoulder to shoulder; Niu Gao gently drew his blade across the small sentry's neck, and the head fell to the ground. Wang Gui, still unaware, came up the mountain. Zhuge Ying saw him and said: "Brother Wang, why have you brought this headless fellow here?" Wang Gui turned to look and cried: "Ah! That head has been cut off by Niu Gao." He flung the corpse down and turned his horse, riding back down the mountain.

Halfway there, he saw Niu Gao, who had also captured a small barbarian. When Niu Gao saw Wang Gui, he reined in his horse, slipped aside, and said: "Brother Wang, please go on ahead." Wang Gui said: "In all the world there is no one with a heart as cruel as yours! You wished to win merit for yourself, and yet you cut off the head of the man I had taken?" Niu Gao said: "It was indeed your younger brother's fault! Brother Wang, do yield this one merit to me!" Wang Gui galloped on. Niu Gao came to the front of the great camp, and ordered his retainers: "Bind this sheep." Then he entered the tent and reported: "By your command I have taken one sheep to hand in my commission." The Marshal ordered the sheep put away. Niu Gao said: "This sheep can speak." The Marshal said: "Say no more." Niu Gao secretly laughed to himself and left the camp.

Then, once more, Wang Gui went to the barbarian camp and called out: "Fetch one more pig!" He brandished his sabre and charged in; the small sentries surrounded him and fought. Wang Gui pushed their weapons aside and scooped up another. When Nianhan heard the report, he seized his golden club, mounted his horse, and led his men in pursuit — but Wang Gui was already up on Lotus Leaf Ridge, where none could catch him. Wang Gui reached the gate of the great camp, bound the barbarian soldier, went in to see the Marshal, and said: "Your subordinate, by command, has taken one pig and here hands in his commission." The Marshal ordered Zhang Bao to put the pig away, and recorded the merit of the two men.

The next day the Marshal invited the Sacred Presence to the camp to sacrifice to the flag. The many great ministers, escorting the Emperor, left the Jade Void Palace and came to the great camp. The Marshal knelt to receive him and led them inside. The small barbarian was killed, and used as the pig and the sheep for the sacrifice. When the sacrifice to the flag was finished, the Marshal memorialized: "I beg the Sacred Presence to ascend the platform tomorrow and watch me do battle with Wuzhu. Let Marshal Wang record the merits, and Grand Tutor Li enter them on the roll." The Emperor approved, and the ministers escorted him back to the Jade Void Palace — this need not be told at length.

Now Wuzhu, in his camp, said to his strategist: "Yue Fei sends men down the mountain to seize men from my camp and use them as the offerings for his sacrifice to the flag — it is hateful beyond words! I too will now send men to seize two of his southern barbarians to sacrifice to my flag, and so vent my anger." The strategist said: "That cannot be! If one could go to his mountain and seize men, that hill would long since have been taken. I beg the Wolf Lord to forbear and not issue this command." Wuzhu thought: "What the strategist says is also quite reasonable. How can this mountain be climbed? I think — of what use are Zhang Bangchang and Wang Duo to me? Better to use them for the offering!" Thereupon he ordered the two men seized. Meanwhile he prepared the pigs and sheep for the sacrifice, and invited the various prince-brothers, together with the strategist, the counselors, the left and right prime ministers, the great and small marshals, and the many commanders, all to join in the sacrifice to the flag. Zhang and Wang were both killed, and he invited all to share the wine of good fortune. Long ago, in the martial arena, the two men had sworn to Heaven: "If we betray our sovereign, in a day to come we shall be turned into pigs and sheep among the barbarians." Little did they think that this very day the retribution would come upon them. After Wuzhu had sacrificed to the flag and was drinking in the hide tent with all his generals, a small sentry reported: "Marshal Hatie Long has sent the 'iron carts' to the camp." Wuzhu thereupon ordered him to lead his own troops and lie in ambush toward the southwest. Marshal Ha received the order and went off!

The next day Wuzhu himself led his great host to the foot of the mountain to offer battle. Marshal Yue disposed his generals to guard the important passes, and set up many rolling logs and stone missiles. Zhang Kui had charge of the ranks of fighting men; Zheng Huai had sole charge of the gong-men; and Gao Chong held the great command banner of the three armies. He himself, mounted and with spear in hand, took only the two — Zhang Bao before the horse and Wang Heng behind it — down the mountain to do battle with Wuzhu. At the opening of the flags in the Jin array, Wuzhu rode out and called: "Yue Fei! Now all under Heaven — Shandong, Shanxi, Huguang, Jiangxi — all belong to me. Your sovereign and ministers have not a full hundred thousand troops, and are now blockaded on this mountain by me. I think your provisions are insufficient, and you are but a fish in the cauldron. Why not surrender Prince Kang [to me], submit to my house, and you shall not lose the rank of a prince! What say you?" Marshal Yue shouted in a great voice: "Wuzhu, you are a man who knows not the bonds of humanity — you have imprisoned the Son of Heaven in the desert and hounded my sovereign to Huguang. Though my soldiers be few, my generals are brave. If I do not kill every one of you to the last, I swear I shall never turn back my army!" He bellowed once, spurred forward, raised his spear and thrust. Wuzhu, greatly enraged, lifted his gold phoenix axe, and they fought some dozen rounds. The barbarian soldiers on every side raised a deafening shout and all surged to seize Niutou Mountain. The many generals held off the several roads. Marshal Yue, remembering that Prince Kang was on the mountain and fearing to alarm the Sacred Presence, opened the axe aside, made a feint with the spear, turned his horse and rode back up the mountain. When Zhang Kui saw the Marshal return, he at once sounded the gong to withdraw the troops.

But the unsuspecting Gao Chong thought: "The Marshal fought with Wuzhu but a few rounds, and then at once returned up the mountain. This must be because this Wuzhu is a mighty warrior. Let me go and test him, and see how it goes." So he said to Zhang Kui: "Brother Zhang, hold this banner for me a while." Zhang Kui took the banner, and Gao Chong mounted, whirled his spear, and made his way down the mountain by the side. Wuzhu was just charging up the mountain and met him head-on. Gao Chong thrust his spear full in his face; Wuzhu raised his axe to parry. But the spear was heavy and he could not hold it; he bowed his head, and Gao Chong drew the spear upward — his hair was cut and his helmet fell, and Wuzhu was so frightened that his soul left his body. He turned his horse and fled. Gao Chong gave a great shout and galloped after him, charging into the barbarian camp.

That spear, thick as a bowl, thrust and struck as it went; those barbarian soldiers and generals fell, men slain and horses felled, beyond counting. Gao Chong, warming to the sport, charged into the eastern camp and out the western camp, as though entering an unguarded land, until he had driven the barbarians to cry out in anguish and the cries of grief shook the earth. When he had fought on until the afternoon, he rode out of the barbarian camp at a single rush; and as he was about to return to the mountain, he caught sight of a barbarian camp toward the southwest. Gao Chong thought: "This must be the place where their grain is stored. As the saying goes — grain is the very life of an army. I might as well go and set a fire there, burn the whole thing clean, and cut off their very life-root. Would that not be a fine thing?" So he clapped his horse, whirled his spear, and came to that camp; he levelled his spear and charged in! The small sentries hastily reported to Marshal Ha, and Hatie Long at once ordered the "iron carts" to be pushed out. The many barbarians, receiving the order, with a single shout set the "iron carts" rolling. Gao Chong, seeing them, said: "What are these things?" And he lifted his spear and with one thrust flung an "iron cart" over his head. One after another they came pushing on, and Gao Chong tossed up eleven carts in a row. When it came to the twelfth, Gao Chong thrust once more — but, alas, his horse, worn to the utmost, spat blood and sank to its knees, throwing Gao Chong to the ground, and he was crushed by the "iron cart" into a flat pulp. Later men made a poem lamenting him: For the realm he sacrificed himself on the field of battle; his loyal heart could vie with the sunshine. The carts he had not yet broken through when his own life was lost — what a pity that his horse was not a good one.

Hatie Long took the corpse and came to Wuzhu, saying: "This southern barbarian lifted eleven 'iron carts' in a row — truly he was like the King of Chu reborn, dreadful indeed!" Wuzhu ordered Marshal Ha to prepare more "iron carts," and had the small sentries raise a tall pole at the gate of the camp and hang Gao Chong's body upon it. At this time Marshal Yue was with his generals at the foot of the mountain, inquiring after Gao Chong's whereabouts, when suddenly they saw, at the gate of the barbarian camp, a corpse hoisted up on high. Niu Gao, seeing it from afar, cried out: "This is terrible!" and clapped his horse and charged down the mountain. Marshal Yue could not now hold him back, and hastily ordered Zhang Li, Zhang Yong, Zhang Bao, and Wang Heng to run down the mountain, and then commanded He Yuanqing, Yu Hualong, Dong Xian, and Zhang Xian to hasten to the rescue. The generals, receiving the order, went down the mountain together.

Now Niu Gao galloped to the front of the camp, and small sentries came up to block the way, but he swept his maces this way and that, and those small sentries rolled away like melons. He came to the tall pole, drew his sword, and with a single stroke cut the rope. The corpse fell to the ground. Niu Gao caught it and looked, gave a great cry, and toppled backward off his horse. The barbarian soldiers, seeing this, were about to seize him, when the four mounted generals — Zhang Xian and the others — and the four foot generals — Zhang Li and the others — came up together and drove the barbarians back.

Zhang Li and Zhang Yong guarded him front and back, Wang Heng helped Niu Gao back onto his horse, and Zhang Bao carried Gao Chong's corpse on his back, and they turned and went. Several commanders, learning of it, led barbarian soldiers in pursuit; but He Yuanqing and Yu Hualong wheeled about and fought a great battle, hammering and spearing, and wounded many men and horses, so the barbarian soldiers dared not pursue. The generals all together went up Niutou Mountain. When Wuzhu got word of it, he led his men flying to the spot — but they were already up the mountain. Wuzhu could only turn his horse back. He thought to himself: "These southern barbarians have such great daring, and truly such a righteous spirit; they have even cost me two officers and slain many soldiers." He could only order the small sentries to gather the wounded and the dead and keep close watch at the gate of the camp — this need not be told.

Then the generals rescued Niu Gao up the mountain. Niu Gao wept without ceasing, fainting several times in a row. Every man shed tears and every heart was grieved. Emperor Gaozong issued a decree: "General Gao has given his life for the realm. Wrap his body in the imperial robes and bury it here for the time being; when the realm is at peace, send it back for burial." Marshal Yue further ordered Tang Huai to lodge in Niu Gao's tent and, morning and night, urge him not to grieve too deeply. Tang Huai received the command, and from that time lodged with Niu Gao in his tent — of this no more need be said.

But one day Wuzhu sat blankly in his tent thinking, when suddenly he struck the table and cried: "How dreadful!" The strategist hastily asked: "Wolf Lord, what is so dreadful?" Wuzhu said: "I was thinking here how, the other day, I was all but killed by that one thrust of Gao Chong; and that he had the skill to lift eleven of my 'iron carts' in a row — is that not dreadful?" The strategist said: "However dreadful he was, he is now a flattened man. I have already thought of a plan to catch the southern barbarian Yue; I ask whether the Wolf Lord would have him alive or dead?" At these words Wuzhu was not pleased, and his countenance changed. He said: "Strategist, are you talking in your sleep? The other day I wished to seize two of his worthless soldiers for an offering, and you said: 'If one could seize his men, the Niutou Mountain would long since have been taken.' Two paltry soldiers you could not take — and today you come out with such big talk! Are you not dreaming?" Hamichi said: "In all matters one must not cling to a single view! To go up the mountain and seize his minor soldiers is indeed most difficult. But to seize Yue, the southern barbarian — for this your servant has a plan. Let that southern barbarian Yue be ever so gifted with heavenly powers, his life and death will both be in my hands." Wuzhu hastily asked: "Strategist, what wondrous plan have you to take Yue, the southern barbarian?" Hamichi, unhurried, raised two fingers and set forth the plan. And this tale lays the groundwork: A young and handsome man of talent reveals for the first time his budding mettle; several thousand barbarian soldiers, like a flock of sheep, enter the tiger's mouth.

It is precisely as the verse says: The thatched hut had already settled the division of the tripods for three kingdoms; aiding Han, he first worked the six hidden stratagems. What plan Hamichi had to capture Marshal Yue — listen to the next chapter for the answer.