The Peach Blossom Fan

by K'ung Shang-jen

  As he sails for Chenkiang.

  [Gazing north, he says]: And Liu Tse-ch’ing rushes north to assemble the troops of the three garrisons for battle. [Sings]:

  Dust and smoke will cover the earth,

  While the Commander-in-Chief scratches his head,

  And his adviser wrings his hands.

  [Speaks]: I shall report to His Excellency and try to help him find a solution. [Sings]:

  The Commander-in-Chief, mighty above all generals,

  Is charged with a mission of vital import;

  But towered warships and iron-clad steeds

  Converge with covetous speed on the delights of Yangchow.

  Illustration: General Kao Chieh (waving his spear at General Liu Liang-tso): “Cease bragging, upstart booby!”

  SCENE 20

  THE DEFENCE ASSIGNMENT

  1644, SIXTH MONTH

  Kao Chieh [enters with armed guards and sings]:

  Where now shall I spur on my mount?

  The river is sealed, its cities guarded

  By companies of fierce bowmen.

  Sound the retreat

  For the safety of Yangchow’s walls.

  [Speaks]: After crossing the river with my troops, I wished to capture Soochow and Hangchow, but Governor Cheng Hsüan blocked my advance with armed ships and a powerful cannonade, so I had to return to Yangchow. I wonder where my enemies of the three garrisons are at present?

  Messenger [entering]: Your Excellency, all the regiments of the three garrisons are marching south to attack us. Their advance patrols have reached this neighbourhood.

  Kao: Alas, this is appalling. I can neither go north nor south, neither forward nor backward. Enough, enough, I shall have to return to the Commander-in-Chief and implore his aid. [Walks and sings]:

  I hasten to beg his forgiveness,

  But what shall I say in my shame?

  I have invited my doom:

  Heaven seems to will my death. [Exit.]

  Shih K’o-fa [entering with guards, sings]:

  The situation worsens:

  What help is there?

  I have lain awake night after night;

  Sleep has forsaken me.

  Hou [entering, sings]: All my talents, alas, seem limited to paper.

  Shih: Kao Chieh retired without a word, and the other generals refuse to obey my orders. Our troops are too few to defend the north of the river. The skies are falling upon us. What shall we do?

  Hou: I have just heard that Governor Cheng Hsüan has blocked Kao’s advance and prevented him from going south. He has returned to Yangchow.

  Shih: What of the other garrison generals?

  Hou: On discovering his return, they have mustered all their forces to attack him here. Their patrols are already in the vicinity.

  Shih: This makes matters even worse. [Sings]:

  A dynasty of three hundred years

  Has sunk to this.

  How can I, single-handed,

  Support the falling skies?

  I am reduced to words to ward off trouble.

  Shih and Hou together [singing]:

  Smoke and dust fill the eye;

  Across the meadows corpses lie,

  While on a single column we rely.

  [An Orderly beats a drum; Shih’s attendant asks him the reason.]

  Orderly: General Kao is standing with his soldiers outside the gate. He asks to see the Commander-in-Chief.

  Shih: So the worst is true. Tell him to come straight in. I’ll hear what he has to say.

  [Shih mounts a platform, and the gate is opened. Guards stand on either side.]

  Kao [rushing in]: Your Excellency’s humble servant Kao Chieh, having relinquished his post without orders, deserves ten thousand deaths. I crave Your Excellency’s most generous pardon.

  Shih: You were formerly a bandit, but His Majesty most graciously accepted your surrender and even promoted you to an earldom. Why did you rashly desert and become a rebel? Since you were unable to cross the river, you have returned to me. This wavering between rebellion and surrender is an outrage to military discipline. You deserve the severest punishment, but since you have repented so soon, you are pardoned for the present. [Kao kowtows and rises. Shih continues]: What else have you to say?

  Kao [kneeling]: I left my post because I was unwilling to apologize. Now that the three garrison generals are aware of my return, they wish to renew the attack. Though my army is strong, I doubt if it is equal to such odds. I hope Your Excellency will vouchsafe me protection. [To Hou]: Your Honour Hou, please say a word in my favour.

  Hou: Since you were so stubborn then, how can the Commander-in-Chief protect you now?

  Shih: Precisely. At this juncture I do not see how I can protect you. [Sings]:

  After a quarrel over a seat,

  You rashly resorted to arms.

  Now there are three to one;

  The future of your army hangs upon a thread.

  [Shih and Hou repeat the previous duet.]

  Kao: If Your Excellency spurns me, I may crack my head open at your gate, but I shall never yield to my foes.

  Hou: This is very unlike your boast at the Yellow Dyke.

  Kao: But then they had fewer troops. Now that they have mustered three whole garrisons, I have not the nerve to meet them.

  Hou: I have a plan, if you will agree to it.

  Kao: I shall agree to any plan except apology.

  Hou: The bandits are rushing south; they will soon be on this side of the Yellow River. General Hsü is no longer able to hold them back, and has asked most urgently for reinforcements. The Commander-in-Chief is anxious to send them. Why not volunteer on his behalf? By marching to Kaifeng and Loyang, you will relieve General Hsü and pave the way for greater tasks in future. The other garrison generals will have no further excuse for fighting you. What do you think of this?

  Kao: I shall have to consult my staff.

  [Sounds of shouting from behind the stage.]

  Shih: I hear war-cries outside the city.

  Messenger [enters to report]: The three garrison generals are leading their troops to challenge General Kao.

  Kao [greatly alarmed]: I shall obey the Commander-in-Chief.

  Shih: In that case I’ll order the garrison generals to withdraw. [Shih throws down his arrow of command. Orderly kneels to pick it up.]

  Shih: Kao’s insubordination deserves punishment; but since reinforcements are required at the front, and he was among those to escort the Imperial Chariot, he is pardoned. He will be sent to defend the Yellow River area so that he may redeem himself with a worthy task. The three garrison generals should forget their feud and concentrate on operations of national importance. They are to return to their posts pending further orders.

  Orderly: Your Excellency shall be obeyed. [Exit.]

  Shih [to Kao]: Oh General Kao, beware of your own temper. [Sings]:

  The Yellow River cannot be your sole defence,

  Your plans must have a beginning and an end.

  [Speaks]: Bear in mind that General Hsü is not easy to deal with. [Sings]:

  Be cautious on convivial occasions;

  A quarrelsome tongue is disastrous as spear or sword.

  [Says to Hou]: The defence of the Yellow River is essential. Since General Kao has more energy than intellect, I shall be responsible if anything goes wrong. He is proceeding to your native province of Honan, and you have long been anxious to visit your family; only the dangers of the journey have deterred you. Now, if you accompany his army, you will fulfill your wish while supervising the campaign. Furthermore, you will be able to protect your home.

  Hou: I thank Your Excellency for this wise proposal. I shall bid farewell and make instant preparations to accompany General Kao.

  Kao [bowing]: I shall also take leave of Your Excellency.

  Shih [to Hou]: Since you are accompanying him, I feel as if I were defending the river in person. But unforeseen difficulties may arise. Please take every precaution. I hope to
receive good news from you. Truly, a man has no say over victory or defeat, only Heaven will ordain his rise or fall.

  [Exit Shih. Flourish of trumpets and drums. The gate is closed after Hou and Kao walk through.]

  Kao: Master Hou, do you hear the war-cries? I fear they will stop to challenge us.

  Hou: Never mind. They know that you have been sent to the front, and this should appease them. Besides, they will have to take the eastern route when they withdraw. We had better march out through the Northern Gate. By travelling through T’ien-ch’ang and Liu-ho districts, we are not likely to be molested.

  [Soldiers enter with banners.]

  Kao: Let us proceed.

  Hou [sings]:

  It is so long since I have heard from home.

  Like a lone lost raven, I have dreamt of that distant garden.

  Now I return with fellow-travellers, like a floating cloud;

  The yearning of three years is about to be assuaged.

  Kao [sings]:

  At the head of our great army,

  We shall pass many a misty town and willow-clad station.

  I must dissemble my ancient pride,

  While we creep through perilous gorges.

  Hou and Kao together [singing]:

  Looking back, we no longer see

  Level hills and desolate temples.

  Kao:

  Over the trees, the setting sun glows on our waving banners.

  Hou:

  Northward bound, I shall tread familiar ground.

  Kao:

  I shall defend the mighty river’s bend.

  Hou:

  Though this may prove to be our journey’s end.

  INTERLUDE (Supplementary Scene):

  A QUIET CHAT

  1644, SEVENTH MONTH

  [Gongs, drums, and war-cries are audible behind the stage. An old man in white cap and hempen clothes enters, a bundle on his back.]

  Old man:

  When will the warring host stop galloping?

  I am alone in this vast universe,

  A white-haired traveller by the riverside,

  My sleeves all drenched with tears of crimson blood.

  [He pauses and wails aloud. A young man dressed as a mountaineer enters with baggage on his back.]

  Young man:

  Smoke hides the village in the fading sunlight,

  And rainclouds loom over the cold dark river.

  [A merchant also enters with baggage on his back.]

  Merchant:

  Every year I have travelled on this road,

  But war has made it hazardous and strange.

  Young Man: Greetings! As we are both going to Nanking, we had better keep company, for the hour is late.

  Merchant: Yes, during bad times like these, with battles raging and soldiers running amok, the road has become dangerous. We had better stick together. Why does that old gentleman stand weeping and wailing apart?

  Young Man [to old man]: Are you lost, sir, or is a member of your family missing?

  Old Man: No, no. I have come all the way from Peking. While passing through Honan I fell in with the troops of Kao Chieh, a frightful rabble. It was very hard to slip past them. Though I have safely crossed the river, I am haunted by tragic memories. Seeing so many refugees on the road flying for their lives, I could not help weeping. [Wipes his tears.]

  Young Man: So that is what upsets you. It is indeed lamentable.

  Merchant: I long to hear about recent events in Peking. Let us find an inn for the night so that we may rest and discuss them.

  Old Man: Right willingly. My legs are getting weak. I need an early rest.

  Young Man: Yonder there’s an inn whose walls still seem to be standing. We might try that.

  [They enter, deferring to each other.]

  Old Man [looking up]: That’s a fine bean trellis.

  Young Man: Let us set down our baggage and sit beneath this bean trellis for a comfortable chat.

  Landlord [entering]: The inn is newly plastered, but I don’t get any younger. Do you want any supper, gentlemen?

  All: No thanks!

  Young Man: Please bring some wine with pickled beans and melon. [To others]: Let me be your host.

  Old Man: I should not put you to such inconvenience.

  Merchant: All men are brothers within the four seas. Let’s accept his hospitality, and take our turn later.

  [Landlord brings wine and refreshments. The three sit drinking.]

  Old Man: We have met by chance, and I should be glad to learn your honourable names and your errands in Nanking.

  Young Man: My name is Lan Ying, and I’m a painter by profession. I’m going to Nanking to visit some friends.

  Merchant: My name is Ts’ai Yi-so, and for generations my family have been booksellers in Nanking. Having collected some debts in this neighbourhood, I’m on my way back. May I know your honourable name? What made you leave Peking in so desperate a plight?

  Old Man: I was an officer of the Imperial Guard in the old capital. Chang Wei is my name.

  Ts’ai: Forgive me for not realizing that Your Honour was an officer.

  Lan: Please tell us why you have travelled so far south.

  Chang: On the nineteenth day of the third month, the bandits entered Peking. His Majesty, the late Emperor Ch’ung-chen, hanged himself on Coal Hill, and the Empress Chou took her own life, the blessed martyr. On climbing down from the city wall with a few of my guards, we discovered their mortal remains and carried them outside Tung Hua Gate, where I performed a simple funeral ceremony. I myself guarded the sacred tablets.

  Lan: But where were all the high ministers and officials?

  Chang: Not one was to be seen. When the bandit chief Li Tzu-ch’eng was searching for court officials to procure supplies for his men, he found me and put me in prison under prolonged torture. At last, when I had surrendered all my family possessions, I was allowed to wear mourning and tend the sacred tablets. All other officials had fled or gone into hiding or been imprisoned or killed. In some cases individuals were sacrificed, in others whole families were martyred.

  Lan: Such loyal officials are worthy of the highest admiration!

  Chang: But many turned traitor and paid homage to the bandit usurper.

  Ts’ai: Such curs deserve no mercy.

  Chang [weeping]: How heart-rending that the coffins of the Emperor and Empress should be buried by the road with none to tend them! [All burst into tears.] Finally, on the third of the fourth month, the Ministry of Ceremonies obtained permission to move the coffins to the Imperial Mausoleum. I led the procession with the funeral banner. Fortunately, on reaching Ch’ang-p’ing district, a local official collected three hundred strings of cash to re-open the old tomb of Lady T’ien and bury the coffins there, while I remained to look after the burning of incense. When summer began, the bandits were driven from the capital. Funds were raised, and the memorial hall, monuments, walls, and causeways were built for the Emperor Ch’ung-chen’s tomb, like those of the other twelve Emperors. That surpassed all expectation; in my relief I did not wait till the buildings were completed. With my own hand I wrote inscriptions for the monument and the sacred tablets. Then I started on my journey south to make a report to the people and government in Nanking.

  Lan: Well done, well done! If you had not been there, sir, the Emperor Ch’ung-chen would have had no one to watch over his tomb!

  Ts’ai: What happened to the Heir Apparent and his two brothers?

  Chang: There has been no news of the two princes, but I heard that the Heir Apparent travelled south by sea. Perhaps he was killed on the way. [Weeps.]

  Lan: I heard that a message was sent from Peking to Minister Shih K’o-fa, censuring the ministers and generals of the fallen regime for making no effort to attend the burial or to avenge his late Majesty. Minister Shih wrote a reply and sent the high official Tso Mao-ti in deep mourning to Peking to pay homage to the late Emperor.

  Chang: I met Tso on the way. We clasped hands and nearly c
ried our hearts out.

  [Loud thunder and wind offstage.]

  Landlord [entering with a lamp]: A storm has risen. You had better come quickly indoors.

  All [cover their heads with their long sleeves and rush indoors, exclaiming]: What a violent downpour!

  Chang: Now that it is evening, I shall have to burn incense.

  Ts’ai: For whom will you pray?

  Chang: His Majesty has not been dead a year, so I am still in mourning. Every day and night I burn incense, kowtow, and bewail him. [He produces incense burner and incense, places them on a bench, washes his hands before lighting the incense, and kneels facing the north, bowing twice. While kneeling, he says]: Great Emperor and most sage Majesty! On this fifteenth day of the seventh month, your orphaned servant Chang Wei prostrates himself and offers you incense.

  [Wind and thunder offstage; Chang prostrates himself and cries aloud.]

  Lan [to Ts’ai]: Come, we two from the outer wilderness should also join in worship and lamentation.

  [All kneel and cry together, then prostrate themselves, rise, and bow twice.]

  Lan: Old Master, you must be exhausted after so long a journey. You should retire to rest.

  Ts’ai: Let us do likewise.

  [All unpack their baggage.]

  Lan: The rain and wind continue. We may be prevented from travelling tomorrow.

  Chang: It rains or shines according to Heaven’s will. Man cannot foretell.

  Ts’ai: Does Your Honour remember the names of those martyred officials you mentioned?

  Chang: Why do you ask this?

  Ts’ai: I should like my bookshop to publish some popular ballads to celebrate their patriotic deeds.

  Chang: That is a fine idea. I have kept their names in a notebook. Tomorrow I shall give it to you.

  Ts’ai: Thank you kindly.

  Lan: But those who surrendered to the bandits and became their tools should be exposed to public execration.

  Chang: I have noted their names also; you shall have them tomorrow.

  Ts’ai: I’ll be duly grateful.

  [All fall asleep. Ghosts moan behind the stage. Chang wakes up and listens.]

  Chang: How strange. There are sounds of moaning and wailing in the midst of the storm. What can they be? [Several hideous ghosts enter, leaping and howling. Chang peers through the window, exclaiming]: Terrible, terrible. The ghosts of those who died in battle, some without heads and others without feet. But why are they here? [Exeunt ghosts. Chang falls asleep. Soft music behind the stage. Chang wakes and listens]: I hear music outside the window and the galloping of horses. [He opens the door and sees a procession, first the dead Emperor and Empress in chariots, followed by ministers and officials with banners on horseback. The soft music continues. Chang goes out and kneels]: Long live Your Majesties! Your orphaned servant Chang Wei is here to salute you. [Exit the whole procession. Chang rises and calls aloud]: Your Imperial Majesties, why cannot your orphaned servant follow your retinue? [Bows and weeps. Lan and Ts’ai wake up.]