by Tang Xianzu
LU SHENG:
It’s an iron bull to control floods.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Come forward, Pei Guangting. Since you are good at writing essays, you may write an essay entitled In Praise of the Iron Bull to commemorate Lu Sheng’s merits.
PEI GUANGTING:
Your Majesty, may I present the essay now?
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Yes, you may.
PEI GUANGTING:
As Heaven is the originator, it ranks the first; as Earth is subordinate to Heaven, it ranks the second. What originates everything creates the sacrificial bull; what is subordinate to everything is the bull. The bull is the originator of water; iron is a resource of metal. The iron bull is figured with a singular spirit, four firm hoofs, an erect head and two sturdy horns. It was melted in a huge furnace and tempered in the universe. It conforms to the great Tao and displays the power of gods. It reaches the border of Zhou to the east and Guo to the west. It stands on the way to the Hangu Pass, looking as if it were following the immortals; it is near the fortress of Taolin, looking as if it were an animal returning home. When Li Bing was a commander in Shu, he set a stone wild bull in the river; when Zhang Qian opened a road, he watered a bull on the brink of the Hanshui River. The metal stops both water and fire while the bull stays in both mountains and rivers. Therefore, Mount Hua is planted here without feeling heavy and river waters are controlled without leaking because the iron bull is here. Herewith is my eulogy of the iron bull: With distant spirit and chaotic air, the bull is tempered in the furnace and planted in thick earth. The river god splits the mountain with its horns in the west while the Yellow River roars toward the east. The iron bull stands erect with god’s blessing and guards the high riverbanks with men’s power. When His Majesty names the new river Eternal Benefit, articles of tribute will flow in forever.
EMPEROR XUANZONG (Smiles):
What a wonderful eulogy! Lu Sheng’s name will be engraved on the tablet. Your magnificent merits will benefit future generations.
LU SHENG:
Long live the Emperor!
EMPEROR XUANZONG (To the tune of Sanduanzi):
High is the river source
That brings currents from the heavenly stream.
Powerful is the intelligent source
That inspires the fluency in your essay.
Lu Sheng,
With your willows you may equal Earl Shao with his pear trees.
Pei Guanting,
Your eulogy of the iron bull is as lucid as the river water.
ALL:
True indeed!
King Yu had a tablet made in commemoration of King Yao alone.
(Sound of a galloping horse within)
YUWEN RONG (Gazes afar):
A horse is galloping along the riverbank. Is there anything urgent?
(Enter Messenger)
MESSENGER:
I gallop from afar to make an urgent report. Master Yuwen, the messenger kowtows to you.
YUWEN RONG:
What’s the military situation? Tell me slowly.
MESSENGER (To the tune of Zhanshuangji):
On the border,
On the border,
The Tubo troops come to invade.
YUWEN RONG:
General Wang Junchuo is taking command there.
MESSENGER:
General Junchuo,
General Junchuo,
It’s hard to speak of him.
YUWEN RONG:
Do you mean he is killed?
MESSENGER:
For the moment,
The rumour is very much in the air.
YUWEN RONG:
There is the Yumen Pass to stop the Tubo troops.
MESSENGER:
They’ve broken through the Yumen Pass
And crossed from that side of the pass.
YUWEN RONG:
Do you mean to say that they have crossed from that side and occupied this side?
MESSENGER (Rises to his feet):
If they are not on this side,
What am I to report to you?
(Exit)
YUWEN RONG (To Emperor Xuanzong):
Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the border area. Tubo troops have crossed the Great Wall and Wang Junchuo was defeated. We are waiting for your edict.
EMPEROR XUANZONG (In a panic):
What shall we do then?
(To the tune of Shangxiaolou)
As the border is defenceless,
I am thrown into a panic.
How far is it away from Chang’an?
It is hard to assign a general.
Among the feeble officials,
Who has studied the arts of war and will go into battle?
YUWEN RONG (Giggles aside):
Lu Sheng has done a deed of merit in digging the canal, and now there’s another hard nut for him to crack.
(To Emperor Xuanzong)
I’ve consulted the officials here. Lu Sheng alone is capable of going into battle.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
You are right.
LU SHENG:
I am not capable of fierce battles.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
I know your capability. You should not decline the appointment. You are appointed Supervisory Minister, Administrator and Military Commander of the Four Regions in Hexi and Longyou, and Marshall of Quenching the West. You are to set off by night without delay. I’ll give you my war robe for you to wear before my very eyes. That’s my edict!
(Lu Sheng responds and rises to his feet)
(Sound of drums within)
LU SHENG (Changes into the war robe and thanks Emperor Xuanzong):
Lu Sheng, the newly-appointed Supervisory Minister, Administrator and Military Commander of the Four Regions in Hexi and Longyou, kowtows to Your Majesty.
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Rise to your feet. With you as the commander, I’ll have no worry for the west.
(To the tune of Shuabaolao)
As there are troubles in the border area,
A new general is dressed in the war robe.
Even if you are a civil official,
You have to fight on the battlefield.
PEI GUANGTING:
Fighting on the battlefield
Is more strenuous
Than digging a canal away from the capital.
YUWEN RONG:
I have fought a battle of wits with you
And it’s your turn to show how brave you are.
ALL:
By the imperial edict,
You are to leave at once
And hope to become a lord.
(Sound of drums and flute music within, for the boat to set sail)
EMPEROR XUANZONG:
Lu Sheng, Lu Sheng,
(To the tune of Coda)
I’ll make a tour to Luoyang
And wait for your news of victory.
By that time,
I’ll grant you one title after another.
(Exit)
LU SHENG (Kowtows):
Long live the Emperor!
(Rises to his feet)
Give my order to the officers: as the situation is urgent on the border, we must follow the imperial edict to set off at once without taking leave of our wives. As the saying goes,
I was driven by hunger in the past,
But am pressed by wealth and rank at present.
(Exit)
(Enter Miss Cui with Meixiang)
MISS CUI:
The Milky Way is the scarlet wall,
That separates the Lu’s Jade Hall.
Who is bringing the news to Wang Chang,
The man who knows the lovebirds, thirty-six in all?
I am going with Meixiang to look for my man. Oh, where has he gone?
(To the tune of Saiguanyin)
Where is my man?
He forgets the inn in Qinghe
And discards his wife Cui from Boling.
MISS CUI, M
EIXIANG:
Without a feeling heart,
The river water flows straight to the west.
MEIXIANG (Makes inquiry):
Brothers on the riverbanks, do you know where my master is?
VOICE WITHIN:
Emperor Xuanzong has ordered your master to fight the Tubo troops.
MISS CUI (Weeps):
I see.
(To the previous tune)
I grow wan and sallow for my man.
The wild geese fly low near the riverbank;
Beyond the willows the sun sets in the mist.
MISS CUI, MEIXIANG:
The neighing seems to come
From the west of the bridge.
MISS CUI:
Meixiang, let’s hurry and try to be in time to see him off.
(Walks on)
(To the tune of Renyueyuan)
I tumble on the ground,
But what am I to do?
Man and wife are about to separate —
At short notice
He is rushing to the battlefield.
MISS CUI, MEIXIANG:
As the man has gone a long way off,
Where is the wife to pursue,
With tears in her eyes?
MISS CUI:
It’s impossible to catch up with him. Let’s go back to the prefecture and make other plans.
(To the previous tune)
You may go if you like
And who is going to stop you?
What harm will women do in the army?
When I go home, where will you stay tonight?
Together man and wife should dwell.
MISS CUI, MEIXIANG:
Sadly, the wife will stay alone,
Except to be with you
In a dream of her own.
Going to the front when the canal is done,
The man is gone and water flows on and on.
Where can I look beyond the mountains?
Only the moon returns now that he is gone.
Scene Fifteen
Sending a Spy to the West
(Enter two Assistant Generals)
ASSISTANT GENERALS:
The terrace frost threatens grass and trees;
The military valour stays with the flags.
We are Assistant Generals in the office of the Hexi Administrator and Military Commander. As Grand Military Commander Lu is going to hold office, we have to wait on him here.
(Enter Lu Sheng, followed by his attendants)
LU SHENG (To the tune of Jinlongcong):
As Hexi and Longyou are close to the Tubo troops,
Warriors are wounded or killed on the battlefields
And the Yumen Pass is nearly broken.
The emperor is anxious about the west
And makes me commander at the terrace,
For me to fight near Mount Tianshan.
(In the pattern of Collected Tang Poems)
I became commander when I was thirty years old
And left my office with the red flags half-rolled.
The vanguards fought on the north of the Jiaohe River
And would conquer the Loulan stronghold.
I am Lu Sheng from Shanzhou. As the Hexi General Wang Junchuo died in fighting the Tubo troops, Hexi and Longyou are in danger. His Majesty is thrown into a panic and orders me to take command and fight in the west. According to the art of war, “When the ruler and the subordinates are in harmony, the nation is unshakable.” I intend to send someone to sow discord among the Tubo camp. When Prime Minister Xi Naluo is purged, Re Longmang will be left without assistance and be defeated easily. This is a top secret. I’ve found out that a scout in the army by the name of Tubo Han can speak thirty-six Tubo dialects. He comes and goes between the Tubo tribes and the Hans as if in a no-man’s land. I have summoned him.
(Enter Scout with a small banner on his back)
SCOUT (To the tune of Tune One):
The vast land on earth
Is severed by mountains and rivers.
As the West Liang region here
Is close to the frontiers,
I am like a wild flower,
With a petal on this side.
(Kowtows to Lu Sheng)
LU SHENG:
Are you Tubo Han? Do you speak both the Tubo dialects and the Han language?
SCOUT (Dances):
(To the tune of Tune Two)
Tubo Han,
I am Tubo Han,
A scout worthy of the name.
LU SHENG:
Are you a Tubo or Han descendent?
SCOUT:
A descendent from southern Tubo, I come to the uninhabited Ganshui and Liangzhou, far away from my native Menmo Mountain. You have enlisted me and I get several portions of salary. I am nimble; I am eloquent. I have been to Yangtong and Dangxiang; I have been to Kunlun and Bailan. I know such Tuluhun words as gudugulu; I know such Bieshiba words as bilibanlan. I speak Tieli words like yiliugala; I speak Shandan words like tiliutulu. I can brave dangers to enter enemy camps in the cold desert, wearing a felt hat on my head and a mask on my mouth. I can travel by night and sleep by day, braving wind and storm.
LU SHENG:
“Keep an army for a thousand days and use it once in a while.” When I need your service today, are you ready to go?
SCOUT (To the tune of Tune Three):
Unless you let me knock an elephant’s tusks
Or break a leopard’s tail,
What else can’t I do?
LU SHENG:
The Tubo Prime Minister Xi Naluo is wise and resourceful. He is a sworn enemy of our country. I’d like to ask you to enter the Tubo camps as an agent to tell the Tubo King that Prime Minister Xi Naluo intends to usurp the throne because the Tubo King is old. In this way the Tubo King might kill Xi Naluo. Can you accept this mission?
SCOUT:
It is a difficult task
For me to drive a wedge between them,
As if between the teeth of a tiger.
Shall I go
Or shall I refuse?
Your Excellency,
You tell me to spread the rumour about a rebellion,
But what shall I do
And how shall I contact you?
LU SHENG:
Whenever you meet any Tubo soldiers, you just say that Prime Minister Xi Naluo is going to start a rebellion. Suspicion will naturally arise. What contact do you need?
SCOUT:
Heavens!
You tell me to scoff the heaven pillar with my lips
And turn the sea beams with my tongue,
But my words aren’t what’s to be sung.
LU SHENG:
Since it’s difficult to spread the rumour, I have a scheme ready for you. Just write the words “Xi Naluo is to rebel” on a thousand slips of paper and paste them in the Tubo camps. And then the job is done.
SCOUT:
That will do.
(To the tune of Tune Four)
I look at the slips of paper,
And look at the slips of paper closely.
Well, how can I carry a thousand slips of paper with me?
LU SHENG (Thinks):
That’s true. I’ve found out that a stream at the foot of Mount Muye flows into the Tubo King’s tent palace. Write the words “Xi Naluo is to rebel” on the tree leaves with a bamboo needle, as if the leaves were bitten by insects. Carry the leaves to the upper stream and let them flow into the tent. The Tubo King will think that the heavenly gods have done the job and will surely be in suspicion. This is the scheme of “Red Leaves in the Royal Ditch”.
SCOUT:
Wonderful, wonderful!
You do not use intelligent pretty girls,
But use red maple leaves in cold rills.
I’m going to the shoals
And rouge-coloured hills.
I’ll set off at once.
LU SHENG:
I’ll give you a red ribbon, ten cups of wine and three thousand coins to buy rations. When the job
is done, you will be appointed Chief of a Thousand Households.
SCOUT:
I leave the pass with a wonderful scheme,
Ready to come and go by night.
When I reach the Muye Stream,
I’ll take advantage of the flowing water
And deceive the short-witted Tubo King.
LU SHENG:
Repeat to me what is to be written on the leaves.
SCOUT (To the tune of Coda):
I do not write with a pen but with a bamboo needle,
Mimicking the divine spirit of insects or ants.
I do not write about the woes of palace maids,
But about the rebellion of the Tubo Prime Minister.
(Exit)
LU SHENG:
The scout is gone with a firm resolve and he is bound to succeed. I’ll get troops ready and
advance when opportunity arises.
With wise and brave men in the enemy camp,
The best way to defeat them is to sow discord.
I shall soon see victorious flags
And hear good news as my reward.
Scene Sixteen
Grand Victory
(Enter Re Longmang)
RE LONGMANG (To the tune of Northern Yizhihua):
Our troops have fought across Mount Helan
With bloody battles near the border fortresses.
To expand the Tubo King’s territory,
We have trampled on Han’s shields.
Dressed in felt,
Embroidered hats and lion bands,
We rival the Han generals of great power.
Our swords are wiped with autumn water;
Our tents are domed in the shape of a lotus-flower.
I am Re Longmang, a Tubo general. I have occupied the Yumen Pass and taken firm command of the troops. I shall be pushing on to Ganshui and Liangzhou and threatening Guanxi and Longyou. As our Prime Minister Xi Naluo is both intelligent and resourceful, planning each move with nine possible consequences in mind, I have sent for his consultations. I know that a good general must rely on the assistance of a good prime minister since ancient times. Nothing can be achieved with single-sided efforts.
(To the tune of Shuanglingjiang’ershui)
Prime Minister Xi Naluo,
Prime Minister Xi Naluo comes to my mind.
He is a man of men,
Without equals in the Tubo court.
He has high inspirations,
Well-versed in military classics
And the arts of war.
He gets along well with me
And I do better with his help.
With one in the border area
And the other in the court,
The two dragons may disturb the sea.
ALL:
Are you afraid of the vast territory and the wise people of Tang?