Translator: Foxs' Wuxia
Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan crouched on a mountaintop on the northern bank of the Great River, looking at nearly ten House of Tang’s navy ships from the Yellow River sailing into Tongji Canal, all were highly mobile small warships, the troops on board were in high alert, acting like they were ready to meet a contingency at any moment.
Under the afternoon autumn sun, the sail mast reflected the twilight, it brought quite an intimidating my-Great-Tang-warships-are-able-to-move-unhindered-across-Yangtze-and-Yellow-Rivers’ momentum.
Drawing out a mouthful of cold air, Kou Zhong said, “Could it be that Li Shimin’s ability to prophecy with supernatural accuracy has reached this level that he knew we might return to Pengliang and thus dispatched his troops to intercept one step ahead?”
Sneering, Ba Fenghan said, “Who can intercept us? Oh! There’s another boat coming!”
Kou Zhong looked at the western extremity of the Great River, only to see dancing shadows of the sails, as more than twenty majestic-looking, ancient-leatherclad huge warships, with bows raised high and the sterns towering, were sailing along the river in this direction, under escort of more than a dozen smaller-scale warships, chasing the previous fleet of warships, slowly entering the Tongji canal.
The huge warships were loaded full of soldiers and heavy military supply wagons, the hulls were extremely deep into the water.
While the two were you look at me, I gaze at you, more than fifty multi-decked troop carriers and cargo ships fully loaded with military supply wagons carrying grain and goods were continuously sailing over, also under escort of more than a dozen barge-style smaller warships.
Kou Zhong’s scalp went numb, he looked at the flag flying on the giant warship. Smiling wryly, he said, “This is the water and land, amphibious combat troops under Li Shiji’s command. My Niang! Li Shimin did not order him to attack Chenliu!”
Ba Fenghan calculated silently. He sighed and said, “Your great plan of counterattack might come to the end of its life [lit. die of old age/die in one’s bed at a ripe old age] at this point. Li Shimin indeed can move troops like a deity, and he is able to seize key moments in all aspects. This batch of Tang soldiers could reach up to thirty-thousand men. With powerful navy providing assistance, and using the city of Kaifeng, with its tight grip on the waterway – as the command headquarters, advancing they can attack, retreating they can defend, unable to cope they can seal off the canal – they will be able to intercept any troops you are going to send up north. Let me be frank with you, whether you can defend and keep Chenliu is still unknown. The opponent is coming to attack with the current, you are going to defend against the current, plus Li Shiji is a fierce general, a veteran of a hundred battles, our situation is extremely unfavorable.”
Puzzled, Kou Zhong said, “I wonder if Li Shimin is underestimating Dou Jiande too much? This unit of navy’s elite troops ought to continue to the east, to protect Niukouzhu [lit. ox mouth islet, not sure if this is a city’s name], Banzhu [board/plank islet], Xingyang, Heyin, and various cities. To deal with Shao Shuai Army, won’t that be like killing chicken using the butcher’s cleaver?”
Shaking his head, Ba Fenghan said, “How could Li Shimin underestimate the enemy? There must be another army in his strategy to deal with Dou Jiande.”
Shaken, Kou Zhong said, “I understand now!”
“What is it?” Ba Fenghan asked in astonishment.
Kou Zhong spoke heavily, “I understand Li kid’s strategy in dealing with Dou Jiande. Actually, last night, when he intercepted us, he already leaked out some clues, which is using Hulao to fight Dou Jiande. Ay! Li kid surely has the aptitude to become a great general. He let Dou Jiande to cross the river to attack various cities east and west of Hulao. As long as he acquires control over the Great River, while I am unable to go up north, Dou Jiande’s main forces will become lone army penetrating deeply into the enemy’s territory. Moreover, after repeated battles in sieging the cities, it would be hard to avoid wear and tear. At that time, the soldiers weary, the horses hard-pressed, plus Li Shimin will send his troops to outflank his rear and cut off the supply route, the soldiers’ heart is bound to be rattled, then Li Shimin will have the chance to destroy them in one fell swoop.”
His countenance changed, Ba Fenghan said, “What do we do then? Do you want me to go ahead to warn Dou Jiande?”
Kou Zhong sighed and said, “Dou Jiande now is so confident that nothing can enter his ears, especially if the advice came from me; he thinks I’m framing him. Ay! Let’s cross the river first and talk about it later! If we can’t keep Chenliu, and the Great Tang’s navy go down south along the canal straight to Jiangdu, my Shao Shuai Army might be uprooted by Li Shiji, then we might be very unlucky to be done for earlier than Luoyang.”
Ba Fenghan sprang up and said, “The matter should not be delayed, we must go right away.”
Xu Ziling climbed the mountain step by step, his heart was tranquil and in harmony.
The sound of the bells signaling the evening class came down from the top of the mountain, which was dyed red by the sunset glow, each toll of the bell sounded like an incantation providing food for thought, knocking straight into the bottom of Xu Ziling’s heart.
Buddhism is a religion of peace, assuming that people inside and outside the Great Wall were believers in Buddhism who practice what they preach, then the land under heaven would be in peace and security, without any problem. However, this would never become a fact. Haunted by the group of demons, the two schools of Buddhist Way had no choice but to join hands to fight, to defend traditional values and drive out the devils.
However, the struggle was really contrary to the ideal of the Buddhist School, hence the reason each generation of Ci Hang Jing Zhai selected the most outstanding successor to bear this heavy responsibility, so that the empty gate did not need to be drawn into the foul wind and bloody rain [idiom: reign of terror] of the dusty world [mundane world].
The winds and clouds of Luoyang did not have any effect on the peace and tranquility of the Jing Nian Chanzong at all. If it were the Tujue people’s Wolf Army coming to attack, naturally it would be another matter altogether. Therefore, the heavy responsibility on Shi Feixuan’s shoulders, apart from to pursue happiness for all the people – was also to protect the sand gate [see footnote on the title chapter].
Ay! Shi Feixuan!
How he wished it was like the last time, where Shi Feixuan was waiting for his arrival inside the Jing [lit. still/quiet] of the Chanyuan [Zen (Buddist) Courtyard], so that he could pour out the contradiction and pain in his heart to her as much as he liked, to let her clear heart provide guidance to him, yet he knew that there was no longer a day where he and she would see each other again. This thought has made his soul broken, his spirit wounded.
Reaching the end of the stone steps, Xu Ziling ascended onto the mountain top. No human shadow was in sight at the plaza in front of the Hall of Great Strength [the main hall of Buddhist temple], the monks in the temple were gathered at the law-plaza in front of the Copper Hall, the sound of their chanting the sutras and striking the wooden fish filled the atmosphere of the mountaintop.
Xu Ziling composed himself, he entered the courtyard gate with his hands behind his back.
A man was slowly walking out of the Hall of Great Strength and down the stone steps. His spirit clear, his air elegant; he was precisely the Jing Nian Chanzong’s Zhuchi [manager/president] Liao Kong Dashi. His expression serene, he had a smile on the corner of his mouth, as if he was wholeheartedly waiting for Xu Ziling’s arrival.
Xu Ziling trembled inwardly; a familiar feeling, which he himself could not understand, welled up in his heart, a little bit like a wanderer who had left home to make his way in the world for many years, who had suffered enough setback – went home to see his close relatives, generating a full-of-sorrow-wanting-to-cry kind of moodiness, so that he stopped and stood motionless, with a blank stare on his face.
Liao Kong came close, put his palms together in greeting, and said with a smile, “Ziling, are you well?” [Note: I know it should be translated as ‘how are you?’ You’ll see the reason in the next sentence.]
Xu Ziling smiled wryly and replied, “Dashi is the one who’s really well, Xiaozi [this kid] has nothing to write home about [orig. lacking virtue (or benevolence) to be narrated].”
Liao Kong chanted one of the many names of Buddha in low voice; he kindly said, “Ziling, please come with me.”
Xu Ziling followed behind this extraordinary talent within this Zen school who could restore his youthfulness, circumventing the Hall of Great Strength, and stepping into a Buddhist hall next to the plaza where the monks of the temple were gathered.
The crowd of monks in evening prayer seemed to be completely oblivious of Xu Ziling’s presence, no one appeared to be paying any attention.
Xu Ziling did not dare to disturb their tranquil harmony, it was not until they entered the flagstone path, which was lined with bamboo trees on both sides – that he could not help asking, “Dashi seemed to be aware that I am coming to pay a visit, is that right?”
Liao Kong, unhurriedly and at ease, replied, “You can say that. A moment ago, when I sat in meditation in the Zen room, suddenly I had a dusty idea, I could not help but going to the mountain gate [(Buddhist) monastery’s main gate], who would have thought that I encountered Ziling?”
After passing through the monks’ residence, Xu Ziling once again stepped into a paved pathway with stone walls on both sides full of relief sculptures of Buddhist images, he could not help receiving the influence of the Buddhist path’s deep and peaceful unique atmosphere, which washed his heart and freed his mind from worries, which generated a far-away-from-the-dust-of-the-world feeling.
Xu Ziling let out a light sigh and said, “I am coming here to pay my respect to Dashi this time, it is with the hope that Dashi could pass on a message to Feixuan, to tell her that not only Xu Ziling failed the burden she entrusted to me, I also ruined my promise of not being drawn into the struggle between Kou Zhong and Li Shimin.”
Liao Kong chanted one of the many names of Buddha in low voice, but did not utter a single word of blame. He led him directly to the Fangzhang Yuan [Abbot courtyard], which was built on the edge of a cliff. They passed through the door but did not enter, but stepped into another small gravel path that led to another bamboo forest, and came to a high cliff outside the bamboo forest, from which they could gaze into the distance toward the City of Luoyang on the flat, empty plain down below, where he stood still and stared.
Xu Ziling, as if afraid to disturb him, cautiously and solemnly moved to a spot behind and slightly to his side, the night wind, like a tide, was blowing, brushing away the two men’s clothes that it fluttered.
Far away, Luoyang’s city lights had some kind of unspeakable distraught of decline.
Liao Kong spoke indifferently, “Feixuan already guessed that that kind of development might happen, she even pointed out that if this kind of situation appears, it’s certainly not because you cannot let go of the brotherly affection you have toward Kou Zhong, but she believed that this matter would be the most in line with the well-being of all the people in the world.”
Stunned, Xu Ziling said, “Did Feixuan really say that?”
Laughing involuntarily, Liao Kong calmly said, “Buddhists do not play a game of deceit. Ziling thinks pinseng [this impoverished monk] is misleading you, trying to placate you?”
Xu Ziling apologetically said, “Dashi, please don’t take offense, it’s just that ... ay! It’s just that Li Shimin is the person that Feixuan chose to inherit the Jade Annulus of He Clan, yet I am setting myself against him, which seems to be greatly against Feixuan’s intention and purpose.”
Liao Kong smiled and said, “Where’s the Jade Annulus of He Clan then?”
Taken aback, Xu Ziling just stared at him.
Liao Kong look at him, his pair of eyes deep and unfathomable, his precious appearance dignified, the tone of his voice gentle, he said, “Whoever hung the bell on the tiger’s neck must untie it [idiom: whoever started the trouble should end it], the matter of the future, who can predict? We are, after all, people of the empty gate, it’s difficult to directly intervene the mundane world’s fight and vendetta, therefore, we can only choose promising scholar to be our sand gate protector of the law [again, see footnote, in case you have not done so ...].”
Xu Ziling suddenly understood, “Li Shimin is the person Feixuan chose as the protector of the law.”
Liao Kong shook his head and said, “Li Shimin is just the one that Feixuan thinks the most capable to pursue happiness for all the people in the world; as for the protector of the law, there is another person, and that person is you, Xu Ziling.”
“What?” Xu Ziling blurted out.
Liao Kong smiled and said, “This decision of Feixuan’s has never given rise to any controversy within the Sand Gate, it even received Ning Daoqi’s nod of approval. Ziling’s obtaining Zhen Yan Dashi’s method was not accidental at all, it was pulled by the karmic force from the dark underworld, it was to fulfill your fate. There is cause, then there is consequence. There is consequence, then there must be cause. Cause and consequence follow each other, the sea of bitterness has no bound. Ziling is drifting along the sea of bitterness, in yourself, you must have myriad of distress. As long as you can maintain positive consciousness, so what if you are in suffering? So what if you are happy?”
Thousands gigantic waves were surging in Xu Ziling’s heart, unexpectedly he was the sand gate protector of the law that Feixuan personally chose. What is going on here? Momentarily he was confused, thousand kinds of emotions in his heart, Shi Feixuan thought too highly of himself!
Knitting his brows, Xu Ziling said, “Was it a misunderstanding that she never told me anything about protecting the law?”
Liao Kong replied, “If yes than it’s yes, if no then it’s no, why bother?”
Xu Ziling was at a loss, “I now seem to wreck a lot of protections of the law, ay! How should I say it? Feixuan has always been blaming me for failing to persuade Kou Zhong to withdraw from the power struggle, and now I am more involved in the struggle. If Feixuan really chose me to be the protector of the law, after knowing the present situation, she would certainly withdraw her decision. The thing she did not want to see is happening right now, once Song Que is coming to the north, the world will potentially enter the north-south-standing-opposite-of-each-other situation. Days of peace and security, I do not know what year and what day it will appear.”
Liao Kong chanted ‘Shanzai’ [good/benevolent] twice in low voice, he spoke calmly, “The matter of the secular world is tangled and complicated. Nobody, with meager wisdom, can make judgment on the myriad-of-changes-in-an-instant future! We can only set off from our own heart, to make a choice, Ziling can act also only based on your own heart; as for other things, no need to worry about. Ziling is distressed over the current situation, only because the opportunity for unity and peace has not yet appeared. When the opportunity comes, Ziling will know. Lao Na’s [lit. old cassock] words thus endeth; although Feixuan’s body is in Jing Zhai, her heart is still in Jianghu, nothing can be concealed from her. Ziling, you may leave!”
When Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan arrived in Chenliu, a nice surprise, which was completely beyond their expectation, was waiting for them. Xu Xingzhi already moved an army and sent a general, he summoned Xuan Yong and fifteen thousand Shao Shuai Army, and thus substantially strengthened Chenliu’s city defense. Not only he added and built Chenliu’s defensive facilities, he also, day and night, at the strategically situated and easy to defend points outside the city and on both sides of the canal, hurriedly built eight stone forts. With the morale rising to its peak, the army and civilians worked with one mind to fight for their survival.
In addition to Xuan Yong and his two capable deputy generals Gao Zhiming and Zhan Gongxuan, Bu Tianzhi commanded the Shao Shuai Navy consisted of three giant warships, twenty-four flywheel boats and thirty-three ocean-style battleships. They also waited for dawn with their head resting on a spear [idiom: fully prepared and biding one’s time before the battle] to guard the waterway in Chenliu region.
Coupled with Chen Changlin’s three thousand city defenders, the total number of Shao Shuai Army in Chenliu reached 20,000 men, although not enough to attack Kaifeng, it should be more than enough to defend Chenliu steadily.
Getting the wind and going out to meet the two men were Xuan Yong and Luo Qifei. All the trees around Chenliu have already been chopped down, so that the landscape was bare. Five li away from the city, the two had already been discovered by the sentries stationed on the hills and other high elevation places, who then signaled Xuan Yong and the others in the city using fire beacon.
After introducing Ba Fenghan to Xuan Yong and Luo Qifei and vice versa, Kou Zhong said in great astonishment, “How could you predict what will happen without being a clairvoyant? You knew Li Shimin is going to attack Chenliu and make preparation one step ahead?”
Xuan Yong cheerfully said, “How could we have the ability to predict without being a clairvoyant? But we can’t help but admiring Xu Junshi’s foresight. After Shaoshuai left, Junshi went to Zhongli to have a discussion with us. He believes that Li Zitong is not worth our concern, hence we can move massive military force to be stationed in Liangdu and Chenliu, to deal with any sudden change, so that when Shaoshuai needs it, we can send troops to attack Hulao and provide assistance to Luoyang. Otherwise, we would only stress the unimportant and neglect the important.”
Ba Fenghan mounted the spare horse that a soldier brought for them, he laughed and said, “Your Xu Junzhi [military advisor] ought to be promoted to be Xu Guoshi [teacher of the state].”
Kou Zhong laughed aloud and nodded, he said, “It makes sense, Xingzhi’s thinking is more thorough than mine.”
And then he turned to Luo Qifei and asked, “Any sign of activity in Kaifeng?”
Luo Qifei respectfully replied, “After the Tang Navy’s reinforcements arrived in Kaifeng, they hold back their troops without moving, so that it became standing-opposite-each-other situation with us. We are hesitating over what move to make, whether we should attack or defend; fortunately Shaoshuai is back to take charge, we no longer need to worry or argue whether we ought to defend or to attack.”
Kou Zhong asked in astonishment, “Who’s in command here?”
Xuan Yong replied honestly, “It’s Shuxia [subordinate]. The Xia Army stationed their troops in Wuzhi, they could cross the river any moment, if we do not coordinate with them, we might sit and waste a good opportunity.”
Kou Zhong was slightly startled; revealing a deep-in-thought expression, he leaped onto the horseback, and then smiled and raised his thumb in praise, saying, “You deserve to be called our Shao Shuai Army number one fierce general; in front of a powerful army you are not timid. In that case, who presides over the defense?”
While saying that, he urged his ride to start walking, thereupon everybody also urged their rides to follow.
“It’s Xu Junshi,” Xuan Yong replied, “He said we must get in touch with Shaoshuai first, to find out the situation clearly, and only then will we decide whether to advance or to retreat. Otherwise, once we lost the battle, the enemy will go down south along the canal, the Shao Shuai State might be pulled up by the roots. Shuxia also approved Junshi’s proposal.”
Kou Zhong cheerfully said, “You guys have talked things through, and made the move after deciding on a plan; it is indeed our Shao Shuai Army’s good fortune. Old Ba and I will have to rush back to Luoyang before dusk, I hope to be able to arrange everything within these few sichen. Ha! My tummy is extremely hungry.”
Xu Ziling sat on the top of another hill near Jing Nian Chanzong, looking toward Luoyang in the distance. In his heart, he was thinking about the ‘present moment’ xinfa that Ba Fenghan said he comprehended while in the desert.
He was aware that he was looking at Luoyang. It could be said that this part was as easy as a hand’s turn; you are looking at Luoyang, at the same time you know that you are looking at Luoyang. It was like there are two of me. One was the physical me, the other was the spiritual me, using the consciousness to control the corporeal body. It was indeed the highest level of concentration.
However, the most difficult part of this xinfa was that it would be difficult to hold it for long. There are myriad changes in an instant in the heart, in the blink of an eye other things might attract your attention and you are lost. Even bigger problem was that it was not amusing at all, therefore, it was Ba Fenghan’s style’s spiritual ascetic practice, which made him the most terrifying swordsman on earth, a person with qualifications to challenge Bi Xuan in the short term.
For example, right now he was overcome with intense longing toward Shi Feixuan. This was the state of mind that he was incapable of repressing, like a flood about to breach the dike, which very soon would break through the dam guarding his heart – the present moment.
He felt like crying. Furthermore, a guilty conscience toward Shi Qingxuan welled up on his heart. Since he already decided to strive to win her over, he should not think about Shi Feixuan anymore. However, he found it difficult to suppress his own feeling.
Why did Feixuan choose him to be the Sand Gate Protector of the Law? Did she think of him too highly?
How much better it would be if Shi Feixuan was by himself right now, then he could listen to her pleasant-to-hear voice, which was like the sound of nature – explaining her reasons, by means of her exquisite Buddhist logic, to interpret the subtle predestined affinity and karma of mankind and the earth that came into being under the pulling force of evil.
He did not ask for anything; he only hoped that before she obtained the Way, he could, just like the Cowherd and Weaving Maid in the sky – meet her every once in a while, purely for spiritual contact.
Suddenly he remembered Ba Fenghan’s ‘present moment’ again, and again he was aware that he was thinking about Shi Feixuan, while also aware of the Xu Ziling, who was having a guilty conscience toward Shi Qingxuan, and this was beyond the thought and the guilty conscience.
Xu Ziling suddenly understood; Ba Fenghan’s xinfa was indeed the supreme gate of enlightenment in self-cultivation. Moreover, he was able to infer that inside his heart, Ba Fenghan must be brimming with contradiction and pain, hence he had no choice but to use the ‘to prescribe the right medicine for an illness’ [idiom] move to drive away the demon in his heart, so that he could ‘wake up’ from this dream while he was awake – in life.
Thinking to this point, Xu Ziling’s spirit quickly arose, as if he was pulling out and depart from the present moment, the thought of pain and contradiction was a part of him, but at the same time, it was not part of him. That kind of feeling is subtle and hard to describe; it was both painful and painless.
Xu Ziling stood up excitedly, he gazed into the distant, at the city of Luoyang.
‘Dang! Dang! Dang!’
The bell of the Buddhist Hall was tolling unhurriedly from behind, shaking and rocking the air as if it was an object with a substance.
From without any moment, comparing it to the present moment, he knew even more clearly that he had made another breakthrough in the cultivation of the martial art way, reaching some kind of spiritual realm that he had never dreamed of.
The pressure of the war has tormented him so hard over the past dozen days or so, which caused him to develop a sense of guilt that he had let Shi Feixuan down. But now, he succeeded in removing this hindering-heart problem, his spirit and his physical body were one divided into two, and then from two it joined together into one.
This was precisely the embodiment of the ‘being’ and ‘nothing’ xinfa that he comprehended previously.
From being into nothing, from nothing into being.
Not only he was able to hear the insect buzzing and cicada singing all around him, he also simultaneously ‘enjoyed’ the spirit-wounded-soul-broken of pained and bewilderment feeling of longing for Shi Feixuan.
Xu Ziling laughed involuntarily, all worries were swept clean, he was aware that he was taking a step to leave. Unleashing his shenfa, the mother earth was continuously flying backward, crossing over the hillocks and the plains, he flew toward Luoyang.
Chapter title: this is literal translation. ‘Sha Men’ (sand gate/religious sect) – Buddhist monk (from Sanskrit: Sramana, originally refers to north India).
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