by Tang Xianzu
RE LONGMANG:
The Hans are said to be wise,
But I do not see how they are wise.
The Tang Dynasty has a vast territory,
And we shall grab from them a vast territory.
I shall turn Mount Tianshan and break Han cliffs.
(Enter a Tubo soldier with a flag of command on his back)
TUBO SOLDIER:
Jilishamani, Salihamachi. I report to the general: Prime Minister Xi Naluo has been put to death by the King because he was plotting a rebellion.
RE LONGMANG (Surprised):
What did you say?
TUBO SOLDIER:
Prime Minister Xi Naluo has been put to death by the King because he was plotting a rebellion.
RE LONGMANG:
Who has seen it?
TUBO SOLDIER:
The Bodhisattva has seen it.
RE LONGMANG:
How has the Bodhisattva seen it?
TUBO SOLDIER:
You know, a stream at the foot of Mount Muye flows into the King’s tent palace, carrying a thousand leaves with the words “Xi Naluo is to rebel” bitten by insects. When the King saw these leaves, he sent men to search the mountain but no one was found. The King said that the heavenly god has sent a message. He told the Prime Minister to drink some horse-milk wine. A copper hammer hit him on the back of his head and his brains dashed out.
RE LONGMANG:
Then, is the Prime Minister dead?
TUBO SOLDIER:
Naturally.
RE LONGMANG (Weeps):
Oh my dear Prime Minister Xi Naluo! Gracious heavens! Gracious heavens!
(Enter Tubo Messenger)
TUBO MESSENGER:
Report, report, report! Marshal Lu of the Tang Dynasty is leading his army toward us!
RE LONGMANG:
What’s to be done? What’s to be done?
(To the tune of Coda)
In haste I mount the steed in front of the camp
And open the camp gate amid drumbeats.
Gracious heavens!
Can I mount the steed
And carry another day?
(Exit)
(Enter Lu Sheng, followed by soldiers)
LU SHENG (To the tune of Qingjiangyin):
The Tang Dynasty abounds in valiant warriors;
The enemy cannot hinder their movements.
The soldiers hurry on
With the formation stretching long.
To conquer the Tubo troops,
I’ll capture the vanguard Re Longmang.
To conquer the Tubo troops by imperial edict, I have killed Prime Minister Xi Naluo by schemes. It’s time to capture the Tubo general now that he is isolated. Soldiers, march on!
(Exeunt all)
(Enter Re Longmang, followed by Tubo soldiers)
RE LONGMANG (To the tune of Qingjiangyin):
From the west
Comes the Tubo general —
General Re Longmang.
Tubo drums beat;
Tubo cymbals sound;
Tubo horns ring all around.
(To Lu Sheng)
Who are you?
LU SHENG:
I am Marshal Lu of the Tang Dynasty.
RE LONGMANG:
Do you know me, General Re Longmang?
LU SHENG:
It’s just because I know you that I can capture you.
RE LONGMANG:
Are you as valiant as Wang Junchuo?
LU SHENG (Sneers):
Where is your Xi Naluo?
(Fights with Re Longmang)
(Tubo soldiers are defeated. Exeunt all)
(Re-enter all. A fight ensues. Tubo soldiers are defeated. Exeunt all)
(Enter Lu Sheng, followed by his soldiers in battle cry)
Ah, now that Re Longmang has been defeated, our troops will chase the enemy and recapture cities and towns until we push to the west of the Yangguan Pass. It is true indeed,
Even if he ran away to Suyama, the top of sky,
I’d chase after him and catch him there.
(Exeunt all)
(Enter Re Longmang, followed by his defeated soldiers)
RE LONGMANG (To the tune of Tuobushan):
I was in high spirits
And looked down upon the Tang troops.
I am now put to the rout,
A case of “tit for tat”.
Warriors, what about our men?
(Weeps)
(To the tune of Xiaoliangzhou)
The warriors die but their spirits remain,
Crying in wild shrieks and howls.
All the soldiers, a hundred thousand in all,
Are now lost,
With arrows remaining on the bows.
(An uproar within)
VOICE WITHIN:
The Han soldiers are coming!
RE LONGMANG:
Withdraw, withdraw, withdraw! I’ll stop the chasers!
(To the tune of Yao)
We expect Tubo reinforcement,
But the Tang soldiers have arrived,
Giving us no escape.
On the bloody battlefield
And amid battle cries,
I can hardly conquer the Hans.
All is lost, all is lost! The Qilian Mountain a thousand miles away is the border between the Tubo and Tang. I have to think a way out.
(Wails of wild geese within)
I have a way out. I’ll tear a piece of silk and write a letter to be tied on the foot of a wild goose, begging him to let me go home. There remains the possibility that he’ll let me go. Heavens, heavens, heavens, it’s a pity that Prime Minister Xi Naluo is dead!
(To the tune of Shuahai’er)
The general and the prime minister can never stay apart,
Because it is difficult to fight single-handed.
Like leaves driven by wind or sands floating on waters,
I am in a trance, with no way of escape.
I’m like a defeated jade dragon with shredding scales,
And like a routed beast with wet furs.
I have to beg the wild goose
To wail for me,
Asking for forgiveness.
(To the tune of Coda)
With attacks from the southern Hans
And roars from the Tubo soldiers,
Home is a long way from here.
My troops are ashamed of my previous victories,
Which come to nought with the last battle.
I look from the Tianshan Mountain
And see battle scenes like boundless seas.
Like a turtledove hit by a pellet,
I have to send letters by wild geese.
Scene Seventeen
Carving the Merits
(Enter Lu Sheng, followed by his soldiers)
LU SHENG (To the tune of Yexingchuan):
We drive along the border fortresses in great speed,
With warriors roaring all the way.
The Yinshan Mountain with its darkened moon,
Yellow clouds and white grass
Is the ancient road toward lordship.
At sunset drums and bugles echo in the camp
When thousands of Tubo soldiers surrender their cities.
Our troops clean their weapons in Fish Sea
And feed their horses on Dragon Hill.
I am Lu Sheng. Taking command of a hundred thousand victorious troops, I have recovered the Yangguan Pass. I have sent speedy report of victory to the court while I push on in the flush of victory for a thousand miles into the Tubo land. However, I must be on guard against tricks and schemes because Re Longmang is known as an expert in the arts of war. I must close the encirclement and guard against any ambush until I capture Re Longmang to crown my victory.
(The soldiers respond and march on)
LU SHENG (To the tune of Xinujiaoxu):
By skilful military strategies,
The Tubo fortresses outside the Great Wall
Fall into our hands one by
one.
SOLDIERS:
The commander’s orders
Come in stormy power.
On and on,
In cities along the thousand-mile borders,
Tang’s flags wave on the city-walls.
One after another,
The passes and fortresses are added
To the Han maps.
(Enter Messenger)
MESSENGER:
Report, report, report! As crows are startled in the dale, there might be ambush ahead.
LU SHENG:
That’s true. “Where there are black clouds above, there is ambush below.” Make a search at once.
(Enter a Tubo captain, followed by his soldiers)
TUBO CAPTAIN:
Shalala, kelele!
(Starts to fight with the Han soldiers and is defeated. Exit)
LU SHENG:
What a bandit! I nearly fell into his trap.
SOLDIERS:
This small potato cannot stir up much troubled waters.
(To the tune of Heimaxu)
What a curse!
For these remaining Tubo troops,
We have made a thorough search.
Like rustles of leaves in the wind,
We have thrown them into utter panic.
LU SHENG:
What destitution!
Blood has stained our swords;
The wind is blowing at our war robes.
(Wails of wild geese)
LU SHENG (Shoots at the wild geese):
To shoot at the wild geese around,
I stretch my bow
And hit one to the ground.
SOLDIERS (Hail):
Here is the wild goose, General. On the foot of the goose, there is a piece of silk with a few lines written on it.
LU SHENG (Reads):
Here you are in Tianshan,
Which divides Tubo and the Han.
Do not kill all the birds,
Which may requite when they can.
(Smiles)
Stay back, all of you.
(Aside)
This is a letter from Re Longmang, begging me to withdraw my troops. “Do not kill all the birds, which may requite when they can.” Yes, when all the birds are killed, the best bow will be shelved. Since Re Longmang is a true warrior, I’ll let him go.
(To the soldiers)
What’s the name of this mountain?
SOLDIERS:
It’s called the Tianshan Mountain.
LU SHENG:
How far is it away from the Yumen Pass?
SOLDIERS:
Nine hundred and ninety-nine miles.
LU SHENG:
Where is the missing mile?
SOLDIERS:
A slab of rock on the Tianshan Mountain occupies one mile.
LU SHENG:
Has anyone else ever marched as far as this mountain?
SOLDIERS:
Never before.
LU SHENG (Smiles):
No wonder that an ancient poem reads like this:
There remains a slab of stone,
That will for ever stay alone.
I have started my career as a scholar and crushed the Tubo troops here at the blessing of His Majesty. Therefore, I am fully contented. Brave warriors, let’s cut a slab from the Tianshan Mountain and make a victorious return after carving our meritorious deeds on it.
(The soldiers respond and begin to cut and carve a slab of rock)
SOLDIERS (To the tune of Yuanlinhaofan):
On the towering Tianshan Mountain overhead,
We apply our hoes and spades
To cut a slab of rock.
Taking the mountain as paper and the axe as pen,
We carve the name of our distinguished commander.
LU SHENG:
I’ll make the inscription.
(Reads)
At the imperial edict of Tang to quench the west, the troops went west, marched in the desert for a thousand miles and killed a million Tubo soldiers. The troops have reached the Tianshan Mountain and will return victoriously after carving a slab of rock. This rock will remain forever and ever. The inscription is made by Lu Sheng, Marshall of Quenching the West, on this day, this month, and this year of Emperor Xuanzong’s reign.
(Lays down his pen and laughs heartily)
Brave warriors, what will people think of Lu Sheng with the passing of centuries and millenniums?
SOLDIERS (Respond):
Naturally.
(To the tune of Tetelingfan)
Above is inscribed the year of Tang’s Emperor Xuanzong;
Below is inscribed the title “Marshall of Quenching the West”.
We went all the way up the Qilian Mountains,
Making twists and turns along the Yellow River.
These lines of inscription
Are carved on a slab of rock
With countless picks and chisels.
With Tang on this side
And Tubo on that side,
The milestone will forever stand on Tianshan.
LU SHENG:
Although we have made the inscription, I am afraid that our merits will be buried in moss after storms or disruptions.
SOLDIERS:
Since the gods will bless His Majesty and you are valiant, the rock will remain unshakable forever and ever.
LU SHENG (To the tune of Shuanghudie):
In disregard of the moss and storm,
The lines of inscription
Tower to the sky.
In disregard of the slides and disruptions,
They will shine forever over the mountains and rivers
And scare away the spirits and devils.
Even if the rock becomes a wordless monument,
Once washed, it proves a relic of the past.
(Enter Messenger)
MESSENGER:
The native country has a vast territory;
The new grace shines as the sun and the moon.
Master Lu, on seeing your report of victory, His Majesty decreed three days of banqueting for the officials and officers. You have been conferred the title of Marquis of Conquering the West and granted the land tax of three thousand households. When you return to the capital, you will be conferred the titles of Prince Instructor, Defense Minister and Honorary Prime Minister. As His Majesty has sent an envoy to accompany you to the capital, will Your Excellency set off at once?
SOLDIERS:
Congratulations! Congratulations!
LU SHENG:
I should return at once when I hear the favours from His Majesty, but I must make arrangements for everything in the border areas. Within the distance of a thousand miles from the Tianshan Mountain to the Yangguan Pass, you must build three large cities connected with garrison towers. You can cultivate the fields and feed the horses in times of peace; you can reinforce and support each other in times of war. You must follow my instructions.
(To the tune of Chenzuidongfeng)
You must safeguard the Tianshan Mountain
And never neglect the Lulong region.
Within the distance of at least a thousand miles,
The bugles must be heard clearly,
The troops in garrisons must be on watch
And always keep high vigilance.
SOLDIERS (Kneel):
We shall follow your instructions
And obey the imperial rules and regulations
Laid down by the administrations.
LU SHENG:
In that case, I’m going to change my clothes.
(Enter a eunuch with a kerchief and a robe)
LU SHENG (Changes his clothes):
(To the tune of Jinhuaxiang)
Since you will follow my instructions,
How can I disobey the imperial edict?
My soul has long crossed the palace bridge.
(Sighs)
I shall take leave of the warriors
And take off my battle robe.
After three years of hardshi
ps together,
I shall leave you behind
And go to the Yangguan Pass in woe and tears.
(Walks on)
(To the tune of Jinshuizhao)
The road to the Yangguan Pass
Is the way by which I come and go.
The road to Chang’an
Is not easy to take.
Although I can return before I am too old,
I have been worn with wind and sands.
I have suffered and enjoyed in the army,
Listening to the wild geese in autumn
And the bugles by night.
Amid ringing bells,
Amid ringing bells
And beating drums,
I return on the saddle of a battle steed.
I shall be regarded as Huo Qubing, a famous general,
And return as Ban Chao, an envoy abroad.
(Sound of drums and bugles within)
SOLDIERS (To the tune of Coda):
With drums and music echoing in the camp,
The general who has fought on the border will return.
LU SHENG:
Brave warriors,
Do not forget my merits in these years;
Guard well this famous mountain with its monument.
Ministers serve in the palace court,
But I have fought in the battlefield.
I’ll be conferred the title of a lord
And have a position firmly sealed.
Scene Eighteen
Good News for the Wife
(Enter Miss Cui, followed by Maidservant and Meixiang)
MISS CUI (To the tune of Taoyuanyiguren):
The young Master Lu had a happy marriage —
He married Miss Cui and lived in Qinghe.
Man and wife lived a distinguished life.
But were suddenly separated.
ALL:
May heaven bless us
So that he will return home and live a peaceful life.
MISS CUI (In the pattern of Changxiangsi):
As there was a Miss Cui in Boling,
So there is a Miss Cui in Qinghe.
The lovesick Cui Hui is now born again,
But who is she in love with?
You have gone to Guanxi
And crossed the river in Hexi.
While you look south and I look north,
How the dangling bell tinkles!
Auntie, I have never heard from Master Lu since he went to fight in the west. I don’t know how he is doing with his military affairs.
MAIDSERVANT:
He is bound to win by the blessing of His Majesty. However, you have grown wan these days.
MISS CUI (To the tune of Tanpojinziling):
I have no taste for tea or meals,
Never in a mood to dress and make up.
MAIDSERVANT:
Anyway he is an official.
MISS CUI:
On business he keeps his mind,
But leaves his wife behind.
