SWORDS FIGHTS ON MOUNT HUA (Book 3 of Legend Of The Condor Heroes)

Expedition To The West Part 5

"Of course we will win," Genghis Khan said, "That day I said I will treat you as my own son. Once Temujin says something, he won't forget it. You come with me on this expedition to the west; once we have captured Muhammad and Wanyan Honglie, we will go back home and consummate your marriage with my daughter." This was precisely what he was hoping for, so Guo Jing agreed immediately.

Genghis Khan rode his horse descending that hill, "Summon the soldiers!" he gave his command. Immediately his personal guard sounded the bugle while Genghis Khan speedily went back to his camp.

Along the way men were seen moving around like shadows and horses were galloping back and forth but not a single voice was heard; a sign of a highly disciplined army. Before the Khan even arrived at the Golden Tent, his thirty thousand soldiers had already neatly arranged on the prairie. The bright moonlight shone on row upon row of spears and blade, making the prairie glittered with silvery gleams.

Genghis Khan entered the Golden Tent and called his secretary, assigning him to write a war declaration. The secretary immediately composed a lengthy letter on a sheet or parchment; then he knelt down in front of the Great Khan to read his letter: "The Heaven has appointed me as the Great Khan over many nations, enlarged my territory by tens of thousands 'li's, helped me to crush countless countries. From the ancient of days there is no one who can be called my equal. Once my thunder strikes, how can you resist? Your country's existence until today depends on three things: unless you send a tribute, the great Mongolian army will ..."

The more Genghis Khan heard, the angrier he became; he kicked that white-bearded secretary upside down and cursed him, "Who are you writing to? Why would Genghis Khan used such flowery words toward a dog king?" Raising his horse whip he struck the secretary's face several times, and then called out, "Listen to me, what I say, you write down."

That secretary gingerly crawled back up, he took a fresh parchment and knelt on the floor, looking intently to the Great Khan's lips.

Genghis Khan walked to the tent entrance and opened up the curtain, looking toward his thirty-thousand strong cavalry. With a low and calm voice he said, "Write it this way, only six characters." He paused for a moment then shouted, "If you want to fight, then fight!" [ni yao zhan, bian zou zhan – 6 characters]

The secretary was stunned, thinking this kind of official document was so scandalously unusual, but his face was still burning from the whip earlier, how could he dare to object? He wrote those six characters in large letters immediately.

"Put my gold seal on it and send it by the fastest horse," Genghis Khan commanded. Mukhali put the seal on the letter and dispatch a 'qian fu zhang' [leader of a 1000 men unit] with his troops to deliver the letter.

The rest of the assembly learned about the Great Khan's letter, which only had six characters on it, their spirit rose. They heard the hoof beats of the messengers gradually disappear into the prairie, suddenly as if by prior agreement they shouted in one voice, "If you want to fight, then fight!" While outside, the thirty-thousand soldiers cheered, "He hu! He hu! [lit. 'hey! (or 'I say!) Shout!'] It was the Mongolian cavalry's battle cry. As the horses heard their masters shout they neighed loudly while lifting up their front legs. The noise on the prairie that night was deafening, as if they were in an actual battle.

Genghis Khan dismissed his army then he sat alone in his Golden Tent, deep in thought. The chair he was sitting on was taken from the Jins; a dragon snatching a giant pearl was carved on its back, while a pair of ferocious tiger heads was carved on its two armrests. It was the throne that belonged to the Jin emperor.

Genghis Khan reminisced his own youth, which was full of sufferings and difficult times; he recalled his own mother, his wife, his four sons and a beloved daughter; he also remembered his beautiful concubines, his ever-victorious army, his vast and boundless empire; at last he thought about the upcoming war against a powerful enemy.

Although he was getting old his hearing was as keen as when he was young; he heard a distant mournful cry of a warhorse, then the cry stopped abruptly. He understood it was an old horse with an incurable disease; its master could not bear to see it suffer, so he must have killed the horse. Suddenly he remembered, "I am also getting old, this time I am going to war, will I go back home alive? If I lose my life in the battlefield, my four sons will fight over the Great Khan position; it definitely will be a devastating fight. Ay, I wish I can live forever and not see death."

Even if one was an invincible, fearless warrior; once one's strength gradually faded, one's mind would involuntarily think about 'death'. He could not help but feeling trepidation; his heart trembled with fear.

"I heard in the south there exists a class of people called 'Taoist Priests' who can teach people how to become deity who will never grow old and never see death. I wonder if it is true?" he mused. Clapping his hands twice he called a guard to summon Guo Jing into the tent.

As soon as Guo Jing arrived Genghis Khan asked him about this matter. "I don't know about becoming immortal deity, but there indeed some people who can teach you how to meditate, to do breathing exercise, circulating your energy; in the end, it will prolong your life," Guo Jing answered.

Genghis Khan was delighted, "Do you know such person? Quickly go and find one to see me," he said.

"This kind of people won't come with any casual invitation," Guo Jing replied.

"Correct," Genghis Khan said, "I am going to send a high official to invite him to the north. Tell me, whom should I invite?"

Guo Jing thought, "Among the Taoist orthodox sects, the Quanzhen is the best. Among the Quanzhen Six Masters, Qiu Daozhang's [Taoist Priest] martial art is the highest, he is also the most amiable, perhaps he would be willing to come." Therefore, he mentioned the name of Changchun Zi [Eternal Spring] Qiu Chuji.