Xiang Yu indicated that he would do so.
All through the night, Liu Bang sent his spies to monitor troop movements in Xiang Yu’s camp. When he learned that all was quiet, Liu Bang rode in his chariot to see Xiang Yu at Hongmen the next morning. He took with him his strategist, Zhang Liang, his brother-in-law and bodyguard, the former butcher Fan Kuai, and just over a hundred cavalrymen. They were all aware that their very survival depended on the outcome of this visit.
Face-to-face with Xiang Yu alone in his tent, Liu Bang began by making his apologies. Then he said, “General Xiang, you and I made a pact one year ago to combine our efforts to defeat Qin. You were responsible for fighting the enemy to the north of the Yellow River and I to the south. I myself never dreamed that I would be so lucky as to be the first to enter the pass and to have the honor of welcoming Your Highness today. Unfortunately, some small-minded people have made certain remarks that have estranged us from each other.”
Xiang Yu replied, “This misunderstanding arose because of words said to me by someone from your own camp, Officer Cao. Otherwise, why should I have been angry with you? Since this matter has now been resolved and my uncle Xiang Bo tells me Cao was lying, let me invite you to a banquet that I have arranged on your behalf.”
They sat at a round table in the banquet hall with Xiang Yu and his uncle Xiang Bo facing east, Liu Bang facing north, Old Man Fan facing south, and the strategist Zhang Liang facing west. They drank a few toasts to one another, but the mood was guarded.
Seizing the moment, Old Man Fan threw several pointed glances at Xiang Yu. When the young warrior did not respond, Old Man Fan raised his jade jue three times as an urgent signal that this was the time to kill Liu Bang. (A jue is a bracelet-sized jade ring with one end open, an ornament worn on a belt in ancient China. The character jue resembles and sounds like two other characters pronounced in the same way. One means “to resolve or decide”; the other means “expertise” or “to bid farewell.” By raising his jue, Old Man Fan was telling Xiang Yu, “Be resolute and use your sword to kill Liu Bang, thereby getting rid of him forever.”)
Xiang Yu, however, would not respond and simply went on eating and drinking. Exasperated, Old Man Fan rose and went outside. He summoned Xiang Zhuang, the youthful first cousin of Xiang Yu, and said to him, “Our leader, Xiang Yu, is too softhearted to kill Liu Bang, but it is imperative that he does so right away. I suggest that you go in now. First pour some wine and drink to Liu Bang’s health. Then offer to perform a sword dance. While dancing, approach Liu Bang and kill him. Otherwise, I’m afraid we’ll all end up as his captives one day.”
Cousin Zhuang did as he was told. After greeting Liu Bang and drinking a toast to his health, he turned to Xiang Yu and said, “In our camp, we have nothing to entertain important guests such as those visiting us today. I beg for permission to perform a sword dance.”
Permission being granted, Cousin Zhuang drew his sword and began to dance. Grasping his intentions, Uncle Xiang Bo rose from the table, drew his sword also, and began to accompany his nephew in the dance. The two men danced at cross purposes, but each time Cousin Zhuang thrust his sword in the direction of Liu Bang, Uncle Xiang Bo would make a counter move and shield Liu Bang with his own body.
Increasingly nervous, Strategist Zhang Liang left the room and hurried outside to look for Liu Bang’s bodyguard, the powerfully built mountain of a man, the former butcher Fan Kuai.
“How are things progressing at the banquet?” Fan Kuai asked.
Drawing him aside, Zhang Liang whispered softly, “Not good at all. In fact, our situation is desperate. Xiang Zhuang wu jian, yi zai Pei Gong: ‘While Xiang Zhuang ostensibly performs a sword dance, his real intention is to kill Liu Bang, Lord of Pei.’” (We’ll return to this proverb at the end of this story.)
Fan Kuai immediately picked up his sword and shield and strode briskly toward the banquet hall. Two guards at the door crossed their spears and refused him entry. Fan Kuai leaned his muscular body against the guards, toppled them to the ground, and forced his way in. He raised the flaps of the inner tent and appeared suddenly at the entrance: a massive hunk of a man with his hair standing on end and his eyes practically popping out of their sockets, as if he could mu zi jin lie, “split the corners of his own eyes wide open with the blazing anger in his gaze.” Without uttering a word, he glared at Xiang Yu. The music and sword dancing stopped.
Placing one hand on his sword, Xiang Yu half rose and demanded in alarm, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Zhang Liang, who had followed Fan Kuai into the hall, said, “He is His Lordship Liu Bang’s bodyguard. His name is Fan Kuai.”
Xiang Yu eyed Fan Kuai’s impressive physique with admiration and exclaimed, “What a fine specimen of a man! Get the big warrior a liter of wine!”
They brought him wine, and Fan Kuai knelt briefly in acknowledgment. Then he stood up and drank the wine in one gulp.
Xiang Yu then said, “Now get him a shoulder of pork!”
They handed him a huge joint of freshly roasted pork. Using his shield as a temporary plate, Fan Kuai placed the meat on it, cut off pieces with his sword, and devoured the whole lot.
Amused by the spectacle, Xiang Yu asked, “Big Warrior! Can you drink more wine?”
Fan Kuai suddenly shouted, “Your humble servant is not even afraid of death, so what is a cup of wine to him? Let me remind you instead of the Second Emperor, who had a heart as cruel as a tiger and as rapacious as a wolf. However many people he executed, it was never enough. Finally, All Under Heaven rose up against him. The King of Chu made a covenant with the revolutionary generals: that he who entered first would be king of the Land Within the Passes. Our Lord Liu Bang entered first. Because of you, he has not touched a single object in any of the palaces. He also sealed the treasuries and moved out of Xianyang to await your arrival. The reason he guarded the passes with troops was to prevent the entrance of bandits and criminals. Despite all this, not only have you not rewarded him with a noble title, you have listened to the gossip of small-minded people and are even thinking of killing him. This type of conduct is a continuation of that which destroyed Qin. Your Highness should not behave thus!”
There was a brief silence. Xiang Yu kept a blank expression on his face and merely said, “Be seated.”
Fan Kuai took the seat next to Zhang Liang. After a while, Liu Bang left to go to the toilet and beckoned Fan Kuai to follow him. Outside, they were joined by Zhang Liang.
Liu Bang said, “I should leave right away. However, I have not said good-bye to Xiang Yu.”
Fan Kuai replied, “Major undertakings should never be hindered by minor scruples. When you are under such peril, why worry about something as trivial as bidding your host farewell? At present, ren wei dao zu, wo wei yu rou, they are like ‘the knife and chopping board,’ whereas we are ‘fish and meat about to be minced.’ When your very life is at stake, why bother to say good-bye at all?”
Liu Bang agreed. Before going, he ordered Zhang Liang to stay behind and render thanks on his behalf. He said, “I’ve brought gifts, but seeing that they are unhappy with me, I have not dared present them. Will you please do so for me?”
Zhang Liang said, “Of course!”
In order to escape as fast and far as possible, Liu Bang did not summon his chariot driver or cavalry escort but simply mounted a horse, accompanied by Fan Kuai and three other trusted aides who followed on foot with their swords and armor. Instead of following the major highway, they decided to take a shortcut at the foot of Mount Li. Before galloping off, Liu Bang said to Zhang Liang, “Since we’re taking the shortcut, our camp is only five or six miles from here. Don’t be in a hurry to return to the banquet. Tarry awhile. Wait until you think we’re safely back. Only then should you speak to Xiang Yu.”
Zhang Liang waited for a good long while before going back to Xiang Yu, saying, “His Lordship Liu Bang has a very limited capacity for wine. Hence he was not able to bid you farewell in person. He wishes
to render his apologies and has asked me to present to Your Highness this pair of white bi [a round flat piece of jade with a hole in its center]. He is also presenting General Fan Zheng (Old Man Fan) with this pair of jade wine cups.”
Xiang Yu asked, “Where is Liu Bang?”
Zhang Liang replied, “His Lordship Liu Bang thinks that you are displeased with him and may reprimand him. Hence he left by himself and is probably back at his camp by now.”
Xiang Yu accepted the jade bis and placed them at his side. But Old Man Fan took the cups and angrily threw them on the ground. Then he drew his sword and slashed them to pieces. In an agitated voice he shouted, “Useless younger generation! You are unworthy of me! Mark my words! The one who steals your kingdom from you Xiangs is bound to be Liu Bang. And we will all end up as his prisoners in the not too distant future!”
The proverb Xiang Zhuang wu jian, yi zai Pei Gong, “While Xiang Zhuang ostensibly performs a sword dance, his real intention is to kill Liu Bang, Lord of Pei,” alludes to words or actions that contain a hidden motive. The idiom was used recently in a Chinese newspaper’s obituary published after the death of Young Marshal Zhang Xueliang in October 2001.
The Young Marshal was the son of a Manchurian warlord. He nursed a lifelong hatred toward the Japanese because his father, the Old Marshal, had been murdered by Japanese agents. Hoping to persuade the Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek to scrap his anti-Red campaign and form a united front with Mao Tse-tung’s Communists against the invading Japanese, he devised a devious plan.
In December 1936, the Young Marshal sent his troops to seize Chiang Kaishek while the latter was staying at the hot springs resort in Xi’an. Chiang escaped barefoot through a window, leaving behind his false teeth, his diary, and his shoes. He was discovered four hours later, injured and shivering behind a nearby rock, and taken into custody.
The kidnapping shocked the world and became known as the Xi’an Incident. It ended two weeks later when Chiang Kai-shek was released unharmed after promising to join forces with Mao’s Communists in fighting the Japanese. This had been the Young Marshal’s sole purpose for his daring escapade. Afterward, he surrendered voluntarily to his leader, Chiang Kai-shek. By subjugating himself, he gave his leader back the face that Chiang had lost by being kidnapped. However, Chiang never forgave him and placed him under house arrest for the next fifty-four years.
Using the proverb “While Xiang Zhuang ostensibly performs a sword dance, his real intention is to kill Liu Bang, Lord of Pei” Chinese newspapers claimed that the Young Marshal’s kidnapping of Chiang Kai-shek provided a decade of cooperation between Nationalists and Communists that allowed the Communists to recover their strength and eventually take over mainland China.
After the Young Marshal’s death at the age of 101 in Honolulu, the Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, hailed him as a great patriot. It is widely believed that the Xi’an Incident altered the course of Chinese history by giving the Communists breathing space at a crucial stage in their development, allowing them to consolidate their power and drive out the Nationalists thirteen years later.
Why did Xiang Yu not kill Liu Bang during the course of the banquet at Wild Goose Gate? I believe it was because he did not wish to lose face in front of his own army. Liu Bang had come to Xiang Yu voluntarily, accompanied by only a hundred cavalrymen, making abject apologies and handing over unconditionally the great city of Xianyang, which he had just conquered. By humbling himself, he had given Xiang Yu a big dose of face in front of the latter’s troops. Chinese etiquette and honor demanded that Xiang Yu should reciprocate by inviting his visitor to dinner, thus giving back some face in return. This is known as ke qi, “courtesy” or “qi toward guests.”
By becoming a guest at Xiang Yu’s table, meekly enjoying his hospitality and sharing his food, Liu Bang placed Xiang Yu in a difficult situation. To kill him, Xiang Yu needed an excuse to justify his violence. At that moment he could think of none. For a host to suddenly turn on his guest who had just given him face would have been rude, shameful, and despicable.
Face means “self-respect” or “honor.” The concept is deeply ingrained in the Chinese psyche and signifies a person’s sense of self-worth. In China, face can be lost, sold, bought, borrowed, given, or denied. Most of all, face must be preserved, especially in front of an audience composed of one’s own henchmen. To please the Chinese, it is vitally important to give them face at every opportunity. On the contrary, making someone lose face is perceived as having done something unforgivable. This is what I inadvertently did when I wrote my autobiography. It is my family’s perception that I made them lose face when I wrote my book. Because of this, some of them are angry and probably will never speak to me again. The fear of causing family members to lose face may be the principal reason why so few true autobiographies have been written in China.
CHAPTER 14
Dressed in the Finest Brocades to Parade in the Dark of Night
Yi Jin Ye Xin
The Chinese term lao jia, “old family home,” is difficult to translate because it encompasses the city as well as the dwelling you used to live in before the age of ten. You might have loved or hated it while you were there; it doesn’t really matter. But despite your feelings for it at that time, this particular place will become special as you grow older and will affect you in a way no other place can duplicate. It is different from any other location in the world. You might even say that its shadow has become part of your soul. No matter how old or how young you are, when you go there again, it will conjure emotions and invoke memories that are unique.
For me, that city and place is Shanghai. Although I was born in Tianjin, a northern city one thousand miles away, my mother, father, aunt, and grandparents were all from Shanghai. My father took me to Shanghai when I was five years old, and I lived there for the next five years.
Readers ask me, “Where is your home?” And now it has become a very difficult question to answer. I have lived in many places, including Hong Kong, London, and Los Angeles. But no city can ever replace Shanghai in my heart. This is the spot where my psyche was formed, so to speak. Every metropolis afterward became an anticlimax, no matter how glamorous or romantic.
My parents wrenched me away from Shanghai and my Aunt Baba when I was ten years old. They placed me in a succession of boarding schools in Tianjin, Hong Kong, Oxford, and London. Throughout that time, I dreamed of running away and returning to my lao jia and my Aunt Baba in Shanghai. The dream persisted even after I entered London Hospital Medical School. As a medical student, I belonged to the Chinese Students’ Union. A group of us from Shanghai used to get together on Saturday afternoons and go ice skating at a nearby rink. Afterward, we would eat great bowls of soup noodles, drink jasmine tea, and speak to one another nostalgically about boat rides on the Huangpu River or walks along the Bund.
Although many spoke of going back, only one of our group actually returned to Shanghai during the 1960s. We never heard from him again. His disappearance distressed me greatly and shattered every fantasy. I finally recognized that the one thing that remained of my lao jia was probably the comforting image of a safe haven existing solely in my mind. Everything else had vanished.
It took many years for me to learn the painful lesson that I can never go back to my lao jia again. My grandfather told me long ago that the only thing that does not change is that everything changes. Some people never seem to grasp this simple truth. For them, the yearning for their lao jia persists throughout their life, so much so that nothing else can be as meaningful as going home in triumph. Such a person was the ancient warrior Xiang Yu. When he became the most powerful man in China, he chose to go home and show his people that he had made good rather than remain in Xianyang and consolidate his power. “Otherwise,” he claimed, “life would be like yi jing ye xing, ‘dressing in the finest brocades to parade in the dark of night.’”
As soon as he was safely back in his own camp, Liu Bang executed the informer Cao. A few days later Xiang
Yu entered the capital city of Xianyang. In contrast to Liu Bang’s policy of qiu hou wu fan, “not disturbing the finest downy hair,” Xiang Yu went on a wild spree of murder, looting, and arson.
Xiang Yu had been only ten when Qin annexed Chu and his grandfather Xiang Yan committed suicide on the battlefield. Since then he had nursed a burning hatred against the Qin emperors. This feeling had been exacerbated when his Fourth Uncle Xiang Liang was killed while fighting the Qin army two years earlier. Now he found himself the supreme warlord of All Under Heaven at the age of twenty-six.
In his heart he had no thought of benevolence or righteousness, only hatred and revenge. In his eyes the Qin people were not individuals with hopes and aspirations similar to those of the people of Chu, they were merely the enemy. He did not care that the surviving King of Qin, Zi Ying, was as much a victim of Zhao Gao as everyone else. To Xiang Yu, King Zi Ying was the head of the evil force that had killed his grandfather and beloved Fourth Uncle and as such needed to be exterminated. He did not recognize that the magnificent palaces, bridges, temples, tombs, and gardens stretching in front of him for a hundred miles represented the blood, toil, and tears of years of disciplined organization and hard labor. To the young warrior, they were only the trappings of his adversary and therefore had to be demolished. He never realized that he was standing at the threshold of a new era and was, at that moment, the overlord of tian xia, “All Under Heaven.” The whole empire was clamoring for change, and Xiang Yu was perfectly placed to bring this about, but he chose a different path.
He began by killing the surrendered King Zi Ying, his entire family, and Qin’s chief officials. He plundered the palaces and ransacked the treasuries, appropriating for himself all the gold and silver ingots, jewelry, ornaments, precious objects, and beautiful women. He set fire to and burned the palaces and courts of the Qin emperors, including the imperial library with its unique collection of ancient books. An area extending for a hundred miles was soon ablaze. Buildings at that time were constructed of wood. They burned quickly, but it still took three months before the flames of Xianyang finally subsided. He dug open the entrance to the First Emperor’s tomb, which had just been completed, seized the best weapons of the buried terra-cotta army, and torched the subterranean chambers.
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