[Chapter Summary]
Huangfu Jing led his army to Dengzhou to prepare for war with the Chosŏn army. At the beginning, the Yuan Dynasty army had courageous morale and occupied the upper hand in the war. Chief Commander Huangfu killed countless enemy soldiers and even knocked Marshal Wu of Chosŏn into the sea. Marshal Wu was so angry that he returned to Chosŏn and sought out evil monks to help him in the battlefield. After a fierce battle, the evil monk used a magic weapon to eventually get Chief Commander Huangfu and Regional Commander Wei Huan captured. But after their arrest, Chief Commander Huangfu and his men receive a revelation from a female deity. They were still heartily waiting for rescue.
The poem goes:
The evil monk mastered dark arts of invisibility and paralysis
The brave and heroic warrior unexpectedly fell into capture
Bending low like an inchworm, he dwelled in foreign land for now
But his loyal heart did not abandon its original vow
The story goes that once in Shandong, Huangfu Jing already heard that the Chosŏn troops were fiercely attacking Dengzhou . He promptly led a small number of troops and rushed to Dengzhou to provide support and rescue. The guard of Dengzhou, Yin Yaoxian, first came to meet him on the left side of the road. Huangfu Jing rode to the yamen office, ordered that a flag with the character “shuai” (chief) be erected on the wall to boost morale of the army.
Military orders were issued without hesitation
Five hundred soldiers instantly moved to their positions
After gathering the soldiers and battle steeds in Dengzhou
They hoisted a huge red flag high into the air
Chief Commander Huangfu straightway ascended the command hall
A complete feast spread out with fine wines and delicacies
Guard Yin hastily presented wine to Commander Huangfu
Keeping his head down in fear of making eye contact with his stern majesty
After a while, the feast cleared and fragrant tea was served
The chief commander stood up, shaking out his battle suit and declaring:
“Uh-huh! Hear me, generals all: follow your chief commander at once to the watchtower to check on Chosŏn’s movement!”
In unison soldiers acknowledged the order and descended the hall-steps
At once Huangfu saw his personal attendants bring along the steed
Riding the horse, the chief military commander peered over
Countless soldiers and generals lined both sides in formation
Flutter upon flutter, yellow brocade canopy danced aloft in the air
Wave after wave, red battle flags advanced over the earth
Scarcely had his steed reached the earthen fortress nearby
On the watchtower—the great talent commander took a seat at once
Regional Commander Wei Huan urgently observed
Stuck by sharp suspicion, he opened his mouth:
“Ah! Chief Commander, please look at the Chosŏn troops!”
Chief Military Commander Huangfu observed carefully
Leaning towards the city wall, hand resting on the tower post
It was already dusk at this moment
His gaze stretched ten thousand miles towards the deep and vast gloom
He only saw warships floating on the surface of the water
Up and down, lining up in thousands of rows
Millions of red lamps drowned the starlight in their glare
Countless bare blades reflected the flickers of the water
Flap-flap, the vermillion brocade flag swayed with gentle ease
Clang-clang, the gong of gold rang out in grand sound
Gloomy clouds gathered from four corners, pythons weeping
Darkness started to tumble, tigers and panthers fighting
Horses in the ranges made horrible sounds of grief
Flying ship approached from far away with no end in sight
ChosǑn soldiers sat in their tents and delivered orders loudly
Warrior generals rushed into the cold holding lances bravely
Iron armors shielded against the bitter cold winds
Metal lances gathered in clusters facing a lost path
An increasing number of soldiers occupied the Shamen Islands
Their tremendous momentum was hard to suppress
As soon as he saw this, the chief commander became furious
Raising his helmet with an angry look, he bellowed out:
“Generals, are you afraid of the Chosŏn army?
All the generals concurred that there was no need for panic:
“We can defeat the enemy even though we are outnumbered !
Having you, our chief commander, demonstrate your mighty power
Why would we be intimidated by the millions of Chosŏn soldiers?”
Reginal Commander Wei Huan raised himself and called the chief commander:
“We shall be cautious when tracking the troops’ movement
It is said since ancient times that arrogance leads to defeat
I am afraid we will lose our own army if we underestimate Chosŏn
After first scrutiny, I think it is suitable to take them by strategy
How about setting tomorrow as the day we make the decisive battle?”
The chief commander nodded his head and expressed agreement:
“It is sufficient to see that you have an even more determined mine”
After an order to return to the residence of the chief
Thousands of people escorted him to go down the high tower
Turning away from the whole night’s rest of the army
Let us talk about the next daybreak with the sky lighting up again
The story goes that Huangfu Jing led his army to Dengzhou on the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month. The next day, in the early morning,[1] he gathered the generals in the hall. The general of defense, Yin Yaoxian, already prepared hundreds of warships in case of a battle. Now, Huangfu Jing ascended the command throne, as officers in full battle array proceeded to courtly homage.
Chief Commander Huangfu sat in the middle of the main hall
One after another, warriors stood in line formation
Rolling and rolling, the helmet crests fluttered like red flames
Layers upon layers, scales on the armor gleamed under sunlight
Hero after hero, each was a champion and lord
Man by man, all stood dauntless and stout
With great salute—in the solemn hall—
They stood ready to obey, aligned like geese in flight
Chief Commander Huangfu sat in the center seat
With gold helm and gemmed armor, majestic in appearance
Officers held reverently the gold seal
Warriors rose high the gleaming lances
Seeing their salute, Huangfu ordered to forego formalities
Slightly bending his strong body, he began to ask:
“Hem! Listen, all generals: which of you are going to gain the top merit and show the valor of our army?”
Upon this inquiry, one hero suddenly stepped forth
Bowing deeply in front of the chief commander’s hallway
A mighty bearing truly qualifies one as a general
A strong morale can inspire one to succeed
The chief commander sat in his seat and watched intently
Recognizing that this was General Wei Zhenzong[2]
A feeling of happiness sprouted—a look of joy emerged—
He personally handed over the command arrow for Wei to accomplish feats:
“As vanguard, you must prevail in the first clash
Do not dare retreat to the city if you were defeated
I, the chief commander, will personally oversee your battle in the watchtower
For you, my general—the flourishing drums will rally morale with might”
The regional commander bowed and acknowledged the order
Taking a sharp gilt-tipped command arrow[3]
He Immediately put on helmet and donning armor
leaping onto the horse’s back, exuding power and prestige
Carrying a serpent-headed lance in his hand
Leading more than five hundred majestic heroes
After three cannon shots, they departed from the commander’s hall
Together they went outside the city and boarded the warships
The Chief Commander of the East Expedition propped his body
Placing orders to the initial calvary be on a lookout
Both the first and deputy generals immediately mounted their horses
Together they escorted the Chief Commander Huangfu
Straight up the ramp-path, they ascended the city wall
Under yellow brocade canopy —sat still the loyal and upright commander
[1] The original text is wu geng 五更 [the fifth geng], which is roughly 3:00-5:00 am. See also San geng and Chinese Zodiac Time. [2] Wei Zhenzong 衛振宗 is the courtesy name of Wei Huan 衛煥. [3] See jinpi sanchi jian 金批三尺箭. Here it refers to lingjian 令箭 [command arrow], which is not a real arrow. The discrepancy probably lies in the author Chen Duansheng’s lack of real military knowledge.
