Chong Houhu and his wounded son fled for their lives the whole night through. Gathering the remnants of his troops, Chong was deeply grieved to find that only one-tenth of his men were left, most of them severely wounded.
General Huang Yuanji came forward to offer him comfort.“Why are you so full of worries again,Grand Duke? I still hold that victory and defeat are commonplace events in a general's life. Though we were defeated last night, we can still gather new forces.” He urged Chong,“Why not send an urgent dispatch to the West Grand Duke and request reinforcements as soon as possible, so that we may continue our combat and seek our revenge? What do you think?"
Chong Houhu pondered a while. “Since the West Grand Duke takes no action while we've suffered defeat and seems indifferent as to whether we win or lose, I'm reluctant to ask him for help," he said,“lest he be acquitted of the crime of disobeying His Majesty's orders."
As the discussion went on, a report was delivered,“A huge army is marching towards us at great speed.”Not knowing where the army was coming from, or whether it was friendly or hostile,Chong Houhubecame scared. He hurriedly mounted his horse, and looking ahead wildly, saw a general with a face black as the bottom of a cauldron, a red beard and round golden eyes. He was wearing a coronet embroidered with clouds, flames, and flying birds, a suit of mail and a bright red robe. He was riding a fieryeyed monster, and held two golden axes in his hands. Chong Houhu soon realized that this wasnone other than his own younger brother Chong Heihu, the Black Tiger, the Marquis of Caozhou.
This new arrival setChong Houhu's heart at ease. After exchanging greetings,Black Tiger said,“When I learned that you had suffered defeat on the front, I rushed here with my army to help you. How good it is to be with you once again.”
Chong Yingbiao saluted his uncle from his saddle. “You must be tired after marching so far," he asked his uncle with concern.
But Black Tiger Chong Heihu only replied,“My army will join yours under one command. Let's go back to Jizhou and see what we can do there."
Chong Heihu had brought3,000 Flying Tiger Soldiers with him, and there were another 20,000 following later on. The two armies marched to Jizhou, encamped and prepared themselves for battle. Meanwhile, in Jizhou, Su Hu had heard
about the arrival of Chong Heihu. He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
“ Black Tiger's highly skilled in combat and learned in the art of war. There's no rival for him among the generals in this city!" he finally said, and asked his generals,“What shall we do?”
“Generals areaccustomed to fighting against invading armies, just as earth is commonly used to cover water.We mustn't be timid before Black Tiger,”Su Quanzhong commented.
“You're too young and inexperienced. Don't you know that Black Tiger Chong Heihu was tutored by a magician? He can chop off the head of a great general as easily as pulling something out of a bag,"Su Hu warned. “You mustn't underestimate him.”
“Father! By praising the enemy, you're only compromising yourself!” Su Quanzhong replied. “I'll meet the challenge at once and not return until I capture Black Tiger.”
“You'll suffer from your mistakes and soon regret what you've done," Su Hu warned again.
Despite these warnings,Su Quanzhong leaped upon his horse and galloped out of the city, shouting,“Tell Black Tiger to come out and fight at once."
Hearing the report, Black Tiger was secretly glad. “I'm here first to avenge my brother's defeat and second to try to save Su Hu," he thought. “I must help him for friendship's sake."
Before the camp, Black Tiger watched Su Quanzhong display his martial skills and called to him,“Dear nephew! Go back and tell your father to come and see me. I've something important to tell him."
But Su Quanzhong was young and uncultured and longed to engage in combat with Black Tiger, because his father had praised him as a brave fighter. He did not take the cue.
“We're enemies, though my father was friends with you.You had better leave this place at once, lest you lose your life," he shouted back.
“How dare you speak so rudely to me, you little beast," Black Tiger cursed him furiously and lunged forward with his gold axes at Su's face.
Su met the blows with his halberd. Thus began a fierce combat between the two heroic generals. Su Quanzhong did not know that since his childhood Black Tiger had been the disciple of a mystical sage, who had given him a magic gourd,which he always carried on his back and enabled him to perform miracles. But Su Quanzhong had only his bravery to rely on and looked with contempt upon anyone who chose to fight with short-handled axes. He exerted every effort to fulfill his ambition of taking Black Tiger alive.
Their violent combat caused Black Tiger to perspire all over. He said to himself, “I admire Su Hu for having such a good son. A brave general's son must certainly be a brave general."
He made a feint with his axes, pulled his horse around and fled. Su Quanzhong laughed at his cowardice, and urged his horse after him. Seeing that his enemy was unwilling to give up, Black Tiger stealthily removed the lid from his gourd and began to mutter incantations under his breath. Suddenly a stream of black smoke rushed out of the gourd, filling the sky,and a flock of Heavenly Eagles could be heard calling loudly as they flew back and forth. The eagles opened their iron beaks and swooped down to peck at Su Quanzhong. He tried to defend himself with his halberd, but he could not protect his horse at the same time. When one of his horse's eyes was pecked out, the horse fell. Su was thrown onto the ground and taken captive by Black Tiger.
When Su Quanzhong was brought before Chong Houhu, he did not beg for mercy, but continued cursing and swearing. Chong Houhu lost patience with him and ordered the executioners to behead him at once. But Black Tiger saved him, sug
gesting that he be escorted to the capitaland dealt with personally by the king.
Hearing the bad news, Su Hu groaned to himself. “What can I say now? My son didn't listen to my warning, and as a result was taken captive today. I've been a hero all my life,but now my son's been taken captive, and with such a strong enemy, Jizhou's bound to be taken before long. Why have I ended up in such a miserable situation?”he wondered to himself. “Is it because I've given birth to a daughter? The bloody king's been deluded by the minions, and demands her as a concubine. Because of my refusal, my family and the innocent citizens of this city shall meet their ends. The disaster's due solely to her, my daughter.
“It will be my greatest humiliation if the city's taken and my wife and daughter are sent to Zhaoge as prisoners. They would be tried and put to death and their corpses would be displayed in the market. I would certainly be ridiculed and despised by all the marquises in the kingdom. I'll be a greater hero if I kill them first and then put myself to the sword."
Thus thinking, he took his sword and rushed to the rear palace. When Daji saw him, she ran upand greeted him with a sweet smile.“Dear papa! Why do you come here with your sword in hand?”
How could Su Hu possibly raise his sword against Daji? She was his beloved daughter, not an enemy in battle. He broke into tears. “My darling daughter! Because of you, your elder brother has been taken captive. Because of you, this city
is surrounded at this very moment. Because of you, your parents shall lose their lives. Because of you, our entire family will perish...."
But before he could finish, a challengefrom Black Tiger was reported, and he immediately returned to the court. He held a conference with his staff. “Since Black Tiger’s skilled in witchcraft, we mustn't answer his challenge," he remarked.“We had better defend the city wall with arrows,stones and rolling logs."
At the foot of the city wall, Black Tiger was also confused. “Brother,if only you would only consult with me, I could withdraw my troops. Why do you fear and refuse to see me? I don't understand!" He had to return to the camp.Chong Houhu suggested that they attack the city with tall ladders, but Black Tiger had a better idea. “There's no need to launch an attack. Let's rather surround the city and block
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their supply lines. They'll be left inside without anything to eat, and we can take the city without an effort. Besides, we can rest now while waiting for the arrival of the West Grand Duke."
Su Hu was thus hopelessly besieged. One day, it was reported to him that General Zheng Lun had brought in provisions, and was waiting outside for further orders.“Though we've got rice now, what use is it!" he sighed, then said,“Tell him to come in.”When Zheng Lun came in, Su Hu described the whole situation to him. “No one can beat Black Tiger since he's both brave and skilled in magic," he con-
cluded. “There's no one that I can turn to for help in the whole kingdom. There are four in my family, but my son's already been taken captive. I've decided to kill my wife and my daughter first, and then myself; otherwise, we'll be ridiculed by the future generations. You generals may as well pack up and find yourselves a new master!"
“Marquis! Are you drunk? Are you mad? Or are you possessed? Even if the other three dukes and all the 800marquises joined forces, I wouldn't even glance at them. How can you be so cowardly?”Zheng said in anger. “I’ve been in your service since my youth and owe my present position to you. I'll always do my best for you.”
“I see that General Zheng's been possessed by an evil sprite, and that's why he's speaking nothing but nonsense," Su Hu declared to his other generals. “Let's forget about the 800 marquises for now. But this Black Tiger alone is a headache. Tutored by a sage in magic arts he's a source of alarm to both gods and demons. He's also a great strategist and can stand up to 10,000 men without fear. You mustn't underestimate him."
“Let me go and fight him. If I can't take Black Tiger, I'll have my head cut off and presented to all the generals assembled here." Zheng shouted and drew. Without waiting for further orders, he jumped onto his fiery-eyed monster,grasped
his two Demon Subduing Clubs and left the city at the head of his army. His 3,000 Crow Soldiers, dressed in black, resembled a huge black cloud rolling swiftly over the plains.“Come out here, Black Tiger,” he shouted at the top of his voice when he got to the enemy camp.
Black Tiger rushed out with his Flying Tiger Soldiers, and found himself in front of a general with a date-purple face and a shining beard. He was wearing a scarlet robe, gold chain mail and a jade belt, mounted as Black Tiger himself was on a fiery-eyed monster.
“State your name before combat,”Black Tiger called out,as he did not know Zheng Lun.
“I’m General Zheng Lun of Jizhou. You must be Black Tiger. You think you're very brave, seizing my young master.Set him free at once, dismount and surrender! If you dare say no, I'll turn you into dust. ”
“You dolt! Su Hu's committed a capital crime, and you're his accomplice. How dare you speak such arrogant nonsense."
Black Tiger urged his mount forward and slashed at Zheng Lun with his axes. Zheng Lun met the charge with his clubs. They fought twenty-four rounds vigorously, neither giving way.
As they struck back and forth Zheng Lun caught sight of a red gourd on Black Tiger's back. “My commander told me that Black Tiger was taught by a sage in magic powers. This must be his secret weapon. As the saying goes,‘In a fight always make the first move.'I must use mine first," he thought to himself.
Zheng Lun himself was a disciple of the Woe Evading Sage of the West Mount Kunlun. Predictingthat Zheng Lun would someday be created a god, the immortal taught him a magic skill whereby he might exhale a magic vapor and snatch the souls of his enemies. After a period of apprenticeship,Zheng Lun left the mountain and came to Jizhou.
And now in the midst of combat,Zheng Lun waved his club in the air, and immediately his Crow Soldiers lined up like a long snake. They shouted battle cries and, carrying hooks and chains, raced up like a piece of dark cloud. Before Black Tiger knew what was happening, two strong beams of light gushed forth from Zheng Lun's nostrils with a noise like the clanging of a huge bell. Black Tiger suddenly became dizzy, his vision blurred. Tumbling from his monster, he passed out and was seized and tied up by the Crow Soldiers. When he regained consciousness he realized that he was trussed up as a prisoner of war. He was furious. “That scoundrel really has some crafty tricks. How did he manage to capture me?”
Hearing the drums rolling outside the city, Su Hu groaned. “Poor Zheng Lun! He must be done for.” But his doubts andworries were suddenly interrupted by a report that General Zheng Lun had won the battle and had taken Black Tiger alive.
Zheng Lun arrived and reported how he had captured Black Tiger Chong Heihu. Even as he spoke, his soldiers brought in the captive to the stone steps at the front of the court. Su Hu hastily left his seat, curtly dismissed the guards, untied Black Tiger and knelt before him.“I've offended His Majesty and committed a grave crime. Zheng Lun's rude and should be dealt with severely."
"I've never forgotten that we're sworn brothers. I'm ashamed to be a captive and greatly appreciate your courtesy," Black Tiger said in response.
Su Hu invited Black Tiger to take the place of honor, and ordered Zheng Lun and other generals to come and pay him their respects.
“General Zheng's skilled in the most ingenious arts. His capturing me today's filled me with the utmost respect for him," Black Tiger remarked.
At the feast that followed,Su Hu told Black Tiger the whole story of how King Zhou had demanded him for his daughter as a concubine. Black Tiger said,“The main reasons for my coming here are to discuss my brother's defeats and your way out of trouble. But I never expected that your son would be so naive, and so stubborn that he refused to understand me and take my message back to you. I was forced to take him. I'm actually trying my best to help you."
“I'll never forget your friendship, Brother," Su Hu said earnestly.
Hearing the report of how his brother had been taken, Chong Houhu was taken aback. “Who would have thought that such a miracle could take place?”He began dispatching his men for further news when the report came that a messenger had arrived from the West Grand Duke. Though Chong Houhu was upset, he ordered his men to let the messenger in. This messenger was none other than San Yisheng, supreme minister and a well-known scholar from the West Grand Dukedom. After San Yisheng had offered his respects, Chong Houhu began to reproach him. “Minister! Why does your master ignore His Majesty's orders and remain in the comfort of his palace indulging in pleasure?” he said in anger. “Your master's guilty of disloyalty to both His Majesty and the country. What have you got to say to me today?”
“My master always says‘War's a calamity,'and should be resorted to only in desperate need. You're involved in a war on account of a trivial incident. It'll result in a great waste of manpower and money. People are panic-stricken; all the houses and farms are left empty and unattended. How terribly the people and the soldiers have suffered! For this reason, my master's sent me here with a letter, exhorting Su Hu to cease resistance, and give up his daughter on condition that he retains his title as the Marquis of Jizhou. If he remains stubborn, then we'll use a stronger force which he'll be unable to resist,”San Yisheng explained.
Chong Houhu burst into a great roar of laughter. “Ji Chang's making excuses, since he realizes that he's guilty of disobeying His Majesty 's orders,” he mocked. “I've already fought Su Hu a few times, but suffered heavy losses. How can that brigand be persuaded to send his daughter to the king by just reading a letter? Go and see Su Hu, and let 's just sce what happens."
San Yisheng left the camp and advanced to the foot of the city wall. “Here's a messenger from the West Grand Duke.bringing a letter to you," he shouted to the soldiers above,and minutes later the city gates were opened, admitting him.He was brought before Su Hu,who was dining with Black Tiger.
“What instructions do you bring me in this humble city,Officer?”Su Hu asked him.
“I've come here by order of the West Grand Duke. As you offended His Majesty by writing that poem, my masterwas ordered to punish you. But he knows that you're loyal,and refuses to cooperate with Chong Houhu. He sent me with a letter to you, and hopes you'll read it carefully,"San Yisheng said as he took out the letter.Su Hu took the letter and began to read:
Knowing that you are virtuous and loyal I cannot rest unconcerned in my palace and allow you to continue in your misfortune. But I know that you may turn your misfortune into future if you place your trust in me and accept the advice that I offer you in this letter.
There will be three advantages if you send your daughter to the royal palace:(1) As long as she enjoys the favor of the king, her father will be honored as a royal relative with a high stipend;(2) Jizhou will remain untroubled by war, and Su Hu's whole family will enjoy peace and the respect of the court forever; and,(3) The people will no longer suffer, nor will soldiers in the army be slaughtered.Yet, if you choose to remain obstinate, three terrible things will happen: (1) Jizhou will be taken and occupied, and neither your home nor the temple of your ancestors will be spared; (2) Every member of your family will be exterminated; and,(3) The innocent people and soldiers will suffer disaster. A hero should concern himself with matters of great importance and ignore everything which smacks of the trivial. You should not destroy yourself like a common fool.
We are both ministers of the Shang Dynasty. Thus,I must speak the truth and offer my advice so that you may make a quick decision... .
After reading the letter over, Su Hu remained silent, only nodding his head. San Yisheng noticed this. “You needn't hesitate any more, sir! The war'll be over if you agree, but continue if you don't. Why do you remain silent?” he urged.
Su Hu turned to Black Tiger,“Brother, please read it.It's full of reason and truth and in the best interests of the nation and the people. How could I dare to oppose his wishes!”He then invited San Yisheng to join the feast and put him in his own mansion for the night. The next day, He asked San Yisheng to deliver his reply to the West Grand Duke along with gifts of gold and satin.
When San Yisheng left, Su Hu said that he would personally escort his daughter to the palace and make amends for his errors. The power of a single letter was much greater than that of 100,000 soldiers! At this, Black Tiger said to Su Hu,“The West Grand Duke’s a reasonable man. You should pack your bags and make ready to send your daughter to His Majesty as soon as possible. For this is a noble act of obeisance to the Shang Dynasty."
Both Su Hu and Black Tiger were greatly pleased with themselves.
