Heroes Rise To Action In Qizhou City; The Duke Of Tang Encounters Bandits At Zhishu Ridge

A Poem Says:

What can one do when no one knows one’s worth?
In vain, heroic spirit rises to the stars.
The frosted blade lies dark, its wondrous gleam concealed;
Dust covers its starry patterns, dimming their brilliance.
The sword’s edge grieves beneath its sheath, worn flat;
Who will polish its clear reflection in the water?
The extraordinary man of Huayin is hard to meet;
One can only sing with a worthy man at an inn.

This poem is entitled “The Ballad of the Precious Sword.” It speaks of worthy men whose talents lie buried, with no one to bring them to light, all because the world lacks good government and cannot accommodate heroes. Even a man of Li Yuan’s abilities could find no place at court. Who, then, would recognize and appreciate the heroes among the common people? They could only mingle unnoticed in the dust, awaiting their opportunity to act.

Moreover, since Heaven had decreed that Tang should rise and Sui should fall, it had secretly prepared a company of men who would bring about Yang Guang’s destruction and others who would become Li Yuan’s meritorious ministers. They would not merely establish his dominion through sword and spear upon the battlefield, but would also save him from danger through unexpected encounters. Who was this hero? His surname was Qin, his given name Qiong, and his courtesy name Shubao. He came from Licheng in Shandong. His grandfather was Qin Xu, a commanding general of Northern Qi, and his father was Qin Yi, a General of the Martial Guard of Northern Qi. His mother was Lady Ning. When he was born, Qin Xu said:

“At present, our state of Qi faces pressure from Chen in the south and borders Zhou in the west. Warfare never ceases. May we, grandfather, father, and grandson, together establish peace throughout the realm.”

He therefore gave the child the infant name Taipinglang, meaning “Lad of Peace.”

When Taipinglang was just three years old, the ruler of Qi ordered Qin Yi to lead troops to defend Qizhou. Qin Yi brought his family to his post, while Qin Xu attended the sovereign at Jinyang. Unfortunately, the ruler of Qi appointed unworthy men, his government became cruel, and the people rebelled. The ruler of Zhou sent an army against Qi, and the Qi forces suffered a crushing defeat. The ruler of Qi fled toward Qizhou, leaving Qin Xu and Gao Yanzong to defend Jinyang. They held out for a long time, but when the city fell, Yanzong was captured, while Qin Xu died fighting loyally to the end.

A historian composed a poem in his praise:

Bitter battle darkened the clouds of war;
He gave his life freely to repay his country’s grace.
The precious sword that would swallow Wu still held regret;
His fierce spirit survives, its oath unbroken.

When the ruler of Qi reached Qizhou, he feared the Zhou troops pressing ever closer. He ordered Chancellor Gao Anagong to assist Qin Yi in defending the city, then proceeded himself to Fenzhou. Within days, the Zhou army arrived in pursuit, and Gao Anagong proposed opening the gates and surrendering.

Qin Yi said:

“The court feared that my forces alone were too weak, and therefore ordered Your Excellency to defend the city with me. We now hold a position of rest while the attacking enemy is weary. This is precisely the time to resist firmly and blunt their advance. Your Excellency is a great minister of the state. How can you suddenly harbor divided loyalties?”

Anagong replied:

“General, you truly fail to recognize the situation! The Zhou troops have swept forward like a knife splitting bamboo. So many fortified cities in Bingzhou and around Ye could not hold out for long. How much less can these walls? Even I, who have received such generous favors from the state, must adapt to circumstances. Why must you be so obstinate?”

Qin Yi declared:

“My father and I have sworn to die for our country!”

He ordered his subordinates to guard the city gates, then went to see his wife.

“The sovereign sent Gao Anagong to assist me, but unexpectedly he has only hindered me. Our defeat is now inevitable! I have sworn to defend the city to the death, hoping to meet my forefathers in the world below. I entrust the continuation of the Qin family line to you.”

Before he had finished speaking, someone reported from outside:

“Chancellor Gao has opened the gates and admitted the Zhou soldiers!”

Qin Yi hurriedly seized his solid-iron spear and rushed out, only to see Zhou soldiers surging forward like a bursting river. Although Qin Yi commanded several hundred picked troops, how could they withstand such an assault? Blood soaked through his layered robes, wounds covered his body, and fewer than one in ten of his men remained.

General Qin cried out:

“Your servant’s strength is exhausted!”

Drawing a short blade, he killed several more enemies before cutting his own throat.

A hundred barriers fell within a moment,
Yet bloodshed could not break the general’s will.
Though walls and towers crumbled, his resolve grew firmer;
His spirit turned to cloud and rose among the white clouds.

Meanwhile, Lady Ning gathered some family valuables and fled the official residence. Disorderly soldiers already filled the streets and alleys, and her maidservants and household servants had all scattered in terror. Leading Taipinglang by the hand, she was at a loss what to do. Turning into a quiet, secluded lane, she found every household shut tight. Hearing a small child crying inside one house, she knew someone was there and knocked at the door. Within were a woman and a child of two or three years. The woman explained that she was a widow surnamed Cheng, and that the child was called Yilang. There were only the mother and son, with no one else in the household. Lady Ning asked to stay there temporarily.

Once the disturbances subsided, she exchanged some of the gold and jewels she had brought for money and found a house in a small lane opposite the Cheng residence. The two families thereafter maintained close relations. By this time, the state of Qi had fallen. Who would honor the officials who had died loyally for Qi? They could only mingle with the ordinary people of the former state. Fortunately, the children of the two households were a pair of mischievous boys. By the age of twelve or thirteen, they were already causing disturbances throughout the streets and alleys. Later, because of a year of poor harvests, Cheng Yilang and his mother returned to their former home in Dong’e, while Lady Ning and Shubao remained in Licheng.

When Qin Qiong grew up, he stood a full zhang tall, with a waist ten spans around, broad eyes and a wide mouth, a swallow’s chin and a tiger’s head. He was exceedingly reluctant to study, preferring to wield spears and staffs, wrestle, and practice boxing. In the streets and marketplaces, he delighted in defending the wronged and fighting injustice. Once he undertook to help someone, he disregarded even the danger of death.

Lady Ning often spoke to him through tears:

“Of three generations of the Qin family, you alone remain. You are descended from generals, so I will not forbid you to handle spears and staffs. But you must not risk your life out of pride or anger. You must care for your aged mother and continue the Qin family line.”

For this reason, whenever Qin Qiong was making trouble in the streets and heard his mother calling, he would abandon whatever he was doing and return home. Seeing that he was brave and righteous yet obedient to his mother’s teachings, people thought he resembled Zhuan Zhu of the state of Wu and gave him the nickname “Zhuan Zhu’s Equal.” Better still, he had recently married a woman surnamed Zhang, whose dowry included considerable savings. He was thus able to distribute money, gather friends, assist the weak, and rescue those in distress.

At first, he befriended the heroes of the surrounding districts. One was Fan Hu, courtesy name Jianwei, chief constable of Qizhou; another was Fang Yanzao, a scholar of the prefecture; there was also Wang Bodang, and Jia Runfu, who operated a trading business dealing in whips and staffs. Whenever they met, they would either practice with spears and staffs or discuss military strategy. They also received and entertained traveling heroes, keeping one another informed of their arrival, and there were many such men.

Generally speaking, a man without abilities who relies entirely on a few coins to make acquaintances will be treated as a joke, and nobody will think highly of him. A man who possesses some ability but is arrogant and uses his skills to overpower others will be laughed at for his recklessness, and nobody will respect him. Thus neither kind of man can establish a reputation.

As for Qin Qiong’s abilities, he was skilled with the spear and bow, and possessed another exceptional martial skill. Passed down from his ancestors were two maces of gilded metal and refined silver, weighing together some hundred and thirty jin. When he first began swinging them, they resembled two monstrous pythons churning the waves; as he continued, they became a flurry of falling snowflakes. In this art, he ranked among the very best.

As for his friendships, it was not merely that he sympathized with heroes fallen upon hard times and associated with the outstanding men of his day. His mother, Lady Ning, and his wife, Lady Zhang, also possessed the generous spirit of those who would cut off their hair to entertain guests or sell their possessions to provide a worthy man with a horse. Consequently, throughout the lands north of the Yangtze, people bit their fingers in amazement when speaking of Qin Qiong’s martial abilities, and their hearts rejoiced when speaking of his character.

As the verse says:

His extraordinary talents astonished the world;
His profound loyalty won men’s admiration.
Do not lament the lack of kindred spirits;
Throughout the world, all are his brothers.