Qin Shubao Rescues The Duke Of Tang On The Road; Lady Dou Gives Birth To An Imperial Prince In A Temple

A song resounds:

Heaven and earth are without intention,
But men have purpose;
Heroic hearts would mend the flaws of the universe.
Why do eagles and cranes soar into the clouds,
While the phoenix droops its wings among thorns?

Deep runs affection, long endures resentment;
Anger makes two fingers point.
Can a fervent heart be checked by danger?
One risks one’s humble life to save another.
Why must one’s corpse lie in the streets of Xianyang?
Who resolves disputes merely to win worldly fame?
To right injustice is to ease the heart’s discontent.
Only then does indignation cease,
Only then does anger subside,
Only then is the heart at peace!

To the tune of “Qianqiu Sui Yin” (A Thousand Autumns).

All matters of life and death, profit and harm, between Heaven and earth are governed by destiny. Yet Heaven possesses principle without physical form, and even its thunderous wrath cannot always arrive in time. It must therefore employ those who can mend the heavens, acting in its stead to aid the weak and rescue those in danger.

At first, the Duke of Tang had supposed that his attackers were ordinary bandits who would naturally scatter at his approach. Unexpectedly, they were guards of the Eastern Palace dispatched by Yuwen Shu, all carefully selected for their courage and skill. Ordinary robbers could disperse when their attempts failed, but these men had received Yuwen Shu’s orders. Unless they killed the Duke of Tang and his family, how could they report back? Consequently, they fought desperately to kill him.

Moreover, they outnumbered the duke’s household guards by two to one. Forming a ring around the duke and his men, they fought with such ferocity that:

Sorrowful clouds gathered over the four fields;
Cold mist drifted through the sky.
Drums and cannon thundered like rolling storms;
Gleaming spears and swords surged like waves.
General faced general,
As though heavenly gods and earthly demons contended for glory;
Horse challenged horse,
Like sea monsters and mountain beasts fighting over prey.

Their mounts were Purple Chibo,
Five-Flower Steeds, Silver Xiezhi,
Fire Dragon Colts, Green Dappled Horses,
Flowing-Gold Steeds, Night-Shining Whites,
Jade Horses, Long-Tailed Horses, and Dilu Horses—
Every one a proud mount like a dragon,
A wondrous steed swift as a flying hare.

White horses rolled like ten thousand pear blossoms;
Red horses swept forward like clouds of apricot flowers.
Blue-green horses resembled dawn mist covering the mountains;
Yellow horses floated like clouds before the sun.

They wielded Pine-Pattern Sabers,
Sangmen Swords, Flame-Tipped Spears,
Square-Bladed Halberds, Five-Brightness Spades,
Flower-Pattern Axes, Metal-Studded Hammers,
Heavy War Clubs, Gilded Tridents,
And Horse-Felling Weapons—
Every one a frost-defying blade,
Every edge brighter than fresh snow.

Like drifting catkins, countless weapons whirled;
Like rolling willow blossoms, sword-shadows gathered.
Rainbows flew and lightning flashed,
Swords and halberds crossed the heavens.
Moons revolved and stars sped past,
Spears and lances dazzled the eyes.
It was as though seas overturned and heavens collapsed,
Until one side must triumph and the other fall.

They fought for a full hour, until the sun had already sunk westward. The Duke of Tang was constantly thinking of his family and sought to break out of the encirclement. When he fought eastward, the bandits swept east to block him; when he attacked westward, they crowded westward. Although he had not been wounded, he could not escape. The household guards left with his family regarded their protection as their foremost duty and dared not come recklessly to his assistance. The Duke of Tang was already in grave danger.

But destiny had decreed that he should be saved.

After completing the registration of their military prisoners at Chang’an, Qin Shubao and Fan Jianwei had traveled as far as the foot of Mount Lintong, near Zhishu Ridge. Hearing the sounds of fierce fighting rising from the forest, they climbed a high ridge and looked down. There they saw fifty or seventy bandits surrounding what appeared to be a group of government soldiers.

Shubao said to Jianwei:

“This shows how widespread the famine has become. Across Shandong and Henan, where the country stretches as far as the eye can see, it is understandable that bandits should be multiplying. But look at this! Less than a few dozen li from the capital itself, how can mounted robbers be permitted to run rampant?”

Fan Jianwei pointed toward the Duke of Tang and said:

“Those surrounded in the middle are not mounted bandits, but officers engaged in suppressing them. They are outnumbered and have been trapped here. Judging by their situation, they are already in desperate straits. Throughout the six prefectures of Shandong, brother, people praise you as Zhuan Zhu’s Equal. Surely you do not defend the wronged only within your own district? Now that you have encountered injustice upon the road, how can you stand aside and watch? If you employ your lifelong martial skills to help them in this battle, you will prove yourself a true hero and a man of honor.”

Shubao replied:

“Worthy brother, I have precisely that intention, but I fear you may be unwilling to help me accomplish it.”

Fan Jianwei said:

“I am the one urging you to go! Why do you say I might be unwilling to help?”

Shubao replied:

“Since you feel this way, worthy brother, take these military prisoners down the mountain first. Proceed beyond the pass, find lodgings, and wait for me there.”

Fan Jianwei said:

“If I remain here, I can still assist you. Why do you insist that I go ahead?”

Shubao said:

“My strength alone is sufficient to dispose of these bandits. If you remain to help me, who will take charge of the prisoners?”

Fan Jianwei replied:

“In that case, take care of yourself, brother.”

He then led the prisoners away.

Shubao adjusted his Fanyang felt hat, tightened his belt, took up his golden maces, and mounted his yellow horse. Taking advantage of the slope, he charged down the mountainside.

He resembled:

A fierce tiger emerging from its den,
Whose roar strikes terror into a hundred beasts.

With a tremendous shout, he cried:

“You mounted bandits, cease your insolence! Here I come!”

That single cry sounded like spring thunder bursting between his teeth and a thunderbolt crashing from the tip of his tongue.

But when the men saw that he was only one rider, they felt no alarm. Even the Duke of Tang, seeing him arrive, did not believe that he could accomplish much.

Thus the false bandits remained absorbed in their struggle against the duke, paying no more attention to this constable than to a speck in their eyes.

Only when Qin Shubao reached the battlefield did one or two men turn to oppose him.

Men already exhausted by fighting had now encountered a fresh opponent. Not only was Shubao fierce and courageous, but his weapons were exceedingly heavy. At the first exchange of blows, he knocked two men from their horses.

The assembled bandits raised a shout. They had no choice but to abandon Li Yuan and turn against Shubao.

Shubao remained perfectly composed as he began swinging his two maces.

Wielded singly, they resembled a line of white egrets;
Raised together, two flying waterfalls.
Thick snow seemed to whirl through the air,
And cold, surging waves were swept along by the wind

Wherever his horse advanced, the brigands gave way;
Wherever his maces struck, even mountains seemed to shudder.
As the battle raged, dust and mist threatened to conceal the sky.
The flood dragon escaped its trap,
While foxes and hares fled across the desolate fields.

Earlier, relying on their superior numbers, these ruffians had driven the Duke of Tang and his household guards back and forth as they pleased, displaying tremendous arrogance. But now that they had encountered Qin Shubao, they were attacked from within and without. Some fled east, others west; some ran south, others north. Some escaped into the deep mountains, while others hid among the trees.

The Duke of Tang reined in his horse in an open space and directed his household guards to assist Shubao’s attack.

Those who recognized the danger quickly enough escaped with their lives. Those who failed to do so inevitably suffered broken arms or bodily injuries.

The bandits were reduced to:

Fallen leaves scattered by the wind,
Thin ice melting beneath the sun.

One bandit who had been struck by a mace and knocked from his horse was surrounded by the household guards and dragged before the Duke of Tang.

The duke said:

“You scoundrel! How dare you gather such a pack of foxes and dogs to attack an official traveling upon the road? Take him away and behead him!”

Trembling, the man replied:

“Your humble servant is not a bandit. I am a guard of the Eastern Palace. Acting under Lord Yuwen’s orders, we were told that Your Lordship was an enemy of the Eastern Palace and commanded to rob you. We were merely carrying out orders from above. The matter was not of our own making.”

The Duke of Tang said:

“What enmity do I have with the Eastern Palace? Are you inventing excuses in the hope of escaping death? I had intended to have your miserable head cut off, but considering that you are a poor commoner who acted under compulsion, I shall spare you. Begone!”

Having been granted his life, the man fled as fast as he could.