|
Journey to the West Journey to the West is one of the
Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It
was written in the 16th century during the Ming
Dynasty. Its authorship is attributed to Wu Cheng'en.
In English-speaking countries, the work is widely
known as Monkey, the title used for a popular and
partial translation by Arthur Waley. From Chapter 4 The Great White Planet led the Handsome
Monkey King to the outside of the Hall of Miraculous
Mist. He went straight in to the imperial presence
without waiting to be summoned, and did obeisance to the
throne. Sun Wukong stood bolt upright beside him, not
bothering with any court etiquette, but just
concentrating on listening to the Great White Planet
make his report to the Jade Emperor: "In obedience to
the Divine Edict, your subject has brought the demon
Immortal here." The Jade Emperor lowered his curtain and
asked, "And which of you is the demon Immortal?" "Me," replied Sun Wukong, only now making a
slight bow. The faces of the officials went white with
horror as they exclaimed, "What a savage monkey! He has
the impudence to answer 'Me,' and without even
prostrating himself first! He must die!" In reply to this the Jade Emperor
announced, "Sun Wukong is a demon Immortal of the lower
world who has only just obtained human form, so he is
not acquainted with court procedure. We shall forgive
him this time." "We thank you for your mercy," said the
immortal ministers. Only then did Sun Wukong express his
respect by bowing low and chanting "na−a−aw" at the top
of his voice. The Jade Emperor ordered his immortal
civil nd military officials to find a vacancy in some
department for Sun Wukong. The Star Lord Wuqu stepped forward form the
side and reported, "There are no vacancies in any of the
palaces, halls, and departments of Heaven except for a
superintendent in the Imperial Stables." "Then make him Protector of the Horses,"
ordered the Jade Emperor. All the ministers thanked him
for his mercy, apart from Sun Wukong, who just expressed
his respect with a loud "na−a−aw." The Jade Emperor then
told the Wood Planet to take him to the Imperial
Stables. The Wood Planet accompanied the delighted
Monkey King to his post and then went back to the
palace. The Monkey King then called together the deputy
and the assistant superintendent, the book−keeper, the
grooms, and all the other officials, high and low, to
find out about the duties of his department. He found
that he had to look after a thousand heavenly horses.
The Monkey King looked through the register and counted
the horses. In the stables the book−keeper was
responsible for ordering the fodder, the head groom was
in charge of currying the horses, chopping up and
cooking the fodder, and giving them water; the deputy
superintendent and his assistant helped to oversee the
work. The Protector of the Horses looked after his
charges, sleeping neither by day nor by night. It is
true that he fooled around by day, but at night he
looked after the animals with great diligence, waking
them up and making them eat whenever they fell asleep,
and leading those still on their feet to the trough. At
the sight of him the heavenly horses would prick up
their ears and paw the ground, and they became fat and
plump. Thus more than half a month slipped by. On one morning that was a holiday all the
officials of the stables held a feast both to welcome
and congratulate the Protector of the Horses. In the middle of the party the Monkey King
suddenly put down his cup and asked, "What sort of
office is this 'Protector of the Horses?'" "What the name suggests, that's all." "Which official grading does it carry?" "Unclassified." "What does 'unclassified' mean?" "Bottom grade," the others replied, going
on to explain, "It is a very low and unimportant office,
and all you can do in it is look after the horses. Even
someone who works as conscientiously as Your Honour and
gets the horses so fat will get no more reward than
someone saying 'good'; and if anything goes at all wrong
you will be held responsible, and if the losses are
serious you will be fined and punished." The Monkey King flared up on hearing this,
gnashed his teeth, and said in a great rage, "How dare
they treat me with such contempt? On the Mountain of
Flowers and Fruit I am a king and a patriarch. How dare
he trick me into coming here to feed his horses for him?
It's a low job for youngsters, not for me. I won't do
it, I won't. I'm going back." He pushed the table over
with a crash, took his treasure out of his ear, and
shook it. It became as thick as a rice bowl, and he
brandished it as he charged out of the Imperial Stables
to the Southern Gate of Heaven. As the celestial guards
knew that his name was on the register of immortal
officials they did not dare to block his path, but let
him out through the gate. He descended by cloud and was back on the
Mountain of Flowers and Fruit in an instant. Seeing the
four Stalwart Generals and all the kings of the monsters
drilling their troops there he shouted in a shrill
voice, "Children, I'm back." The monkeys all bowed to
him, took him into the heart of the cave, and asked him
to sit on his throne, while they prepared a banquet to
welcome him back. "Congratulations, Your Majesty," they all
said. "After over a dozen years up there you must be
coming back in glory and triumph." "What do you mean, over a dozen years?"
asked the Monkey King. "I've only been away for a
fortnight or so." "Your Majesty can't have noticed the time
passing in heaven. A day in heaven lasts as long as a
year on earth. May we ask what office you held?" "It hurts me to tell you," replied the
Monkey King with a wave of his hand. "I feel thoroughly
humiliated. That Jade Emperor doesn't know how to use a
good man. A man like me−−'Protector of the Horses'. That
meant I had to feed his animals for him and wasn't even
given an official grading. I didn't know this at first,
so I fooled around in the Imperial Stables until today,
when I found out from my colleagues how low the job was.
I was so angry that I pushed the table over and quit the
job. That's why I've come back." "Quite right too," the other monkeys said.
"Your Majesty can be king in our cave paradise and enjoy
as much honour and pleasure as you like, so why go and
be his groom?" Then they gave orders for wine to be
brought at once to cheer their king up. As they were drinking someone came in to
report, "Your Majesty, there are two Single−horned Devil
Kings outside who want to see you." "Ask them in," said the Monkey King, and
the two formally−dressed devil kings hurried into the
cave and prostrated themselves. "Why have you come to see me?" asked the
Handsome Monkey King; and they replied, "We have long heard that
Your Majesty is looking for men of talent, but we were
unable to see you before. Now that Your Majesty has been
given heavenly office and come back in triumph, we would
like to offer you this yellow robe as a token of our
congratulations. We also hope that you will not reject
us although we are low and worthless, but will accept
our humble services." An exultant Monkey King put on the
yellow robe and his happy subjects bowed to him in order
of precedence. The two devil kings were appointed
Commanders of the Van, and when they had thanked the
Monkey King for this they asked, "What office did Your
Majesty hold while you were all that time in Heaven?" "The Jade Emperor has no respect for
talent," replied the Monkey King. "He made me something
called 'Protector of the Horses.'" "Your Majesty has such miraculous powers:
you should never have been feeding his horses for him.
You should have been made a 'Great Sage Equaling
Heaven,' shouldn't you?" The Monkey King was beside
himself with delight at this suggestion, and he kept
saying how splendid it was. "Get me a banner made at once with the
words 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven' in big letters on it,
and put up a pole to hang it from," he ordered his four
Stalwart Generals. "From now on I am to be called 'Great
Sage Equaling Heaven,' not 'Your Majesty' or 'King'.
Pass this order on to all the other kings of the
monsters." We will leave him at this point. When the Jade Emperor held his morning
court the next day the Heavenly Teacher Zhang led the
deputy and assistant superintendents of the Imperial
Stables to the vermilion steps, bowed low, and reported,
"Your Majesty, Sun Wukong, the new Protector of the
Horses, left Heaven yesterday because he thought his
office was too humble." Just as he was speaking the Heavenly
Guardian Virudhaka came from the Southern Gate of Heaven
with his heavenly soldiers and reported, "The Protector
of the Horses has gone out through the gate. We do not
know why." On hearing this the Jade Emperor commanded,
"Let the two divine officials return to their posts; we
shall send heavenly soldiers to capture this devil." The pagoda−bearing Heavenly King Li Jing
and Prince Nezha stepped forward from the ranks of those
attending the audience, and they memorialized, "Your
Imperial Majesty, we beg you to command us, your
incompetent servants, to subdue this fiend." The Emperor
was delighted with this suggestion, and he appointed the
Pagoda−bearing Heavenly King as Demon quelling High
Marshal, and Prince Nezha as Great God of the Seas. He
told them to take their forces down to the lower world
at once. Heavenly King Li and Nezha kowtowed, took
their leave, went straight back to their own palace, and
assembled their troops, commanders and officers. They
put the Mighty Miracle God in charge of the vanguard,
and General Fishbelly in command of the rear, while
General Yaksa was made adjutant. Within an instant they
were outside the Southern Gate of Heaven, and they went
straight to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. They
chose a piece of level and open ground on which to
construct a fortified camp, and ordered the Mighty
Miracle God to issue the challenge to battle. On
receiving this order the Mighty Miracle God tied on his
armour firmly and went to the Water Curtain Cave,
holding his flower−spreading battle−axe. When he got
there he saw huge numbers of devils−−wolves, tigers and
leopards−−wielding spears, brandishing swords, leaping
around, fighting each other, and making a great noise
outside the little entrance to the cave. "Accursed beasts," shouted the Mighty
Miracle God, "tell the Protector of the Horses at once
that I am a heavenly general come on the orders of the
Jade Emperor to subdue him. If you make him come out and
surrender immediately it will save the lot of you from
being wiped out." The devils went rushing into the cave and
reported, "Disaster, disaster." "What disaster?" the Monkey King asked. "There's a heavenly general outside who
says he's come on the orders of the Jade Emperor to
subdue you. If you go out and surrender immediately, he
says he'll spare our lives." "Fetch me my armour," said the Monkey King.
He then donned his golden helmet, tied on his golden
armour, put on his cloud−walking shoes, and took his
As−You−Will gold−banded cudgel in his hand. He led his
troops out of the cave and drew them up in battle array.
The Mighty Miracle God gazed wide−eyed at the excellent
Monkey King: On his body was gleaming golden armour, On his head a dazzling golden helmet, In his hand a gold−banded club, On his feet a pair of cloud−walking shoes
to match. His devil eyes shone like stars, His ears were long and hard. His sturdy frame could be transformed at
will, His voice rang clearly as a bell. The sharp−mouthed Horse Protector with
protruding teeth Wanted to become a Sage Equaling
Heaven. The Mighty Miracle God shouted in a harsh
voice, "Insolent ape! Don't you recognize me?" The Great Sage Sun Wukong replied at once,
"I've never met you before. How should I know which
wretched little deity you are? Tell me your name at
once." "I'll get you, you conceited baboon. So you
don't know who I am? I am the Heavenly General Mighty
Miracle, the commander of the vanguard for Heavenly King
Li, the Pagoda−bearer. I have come here on the orders of
the Jade Emperor to accept your surrender. Take off your
armour at once and submit to the mercy of Heaven, or
I'll wipe out every animal on the mountain. And if you
so much as hint at a refusal, I'll smash you to powder." "Stop talking so big, you lousy god,"
retorted the furious Monkey King, "and give that long
tongue of yours a rest. I'd just love to kill you with
this cudgel of mine, but if I did there'd be no one to
deliver my message for me, so I'll spare your life.
Hurry back to Heaven and tell that Jade Emperor that he
doesn't know how to use a good man. Why did he make me
waste my infinite powers on feeding his horses for him?
Take a look at what's written on my standard. If he's
willing to give me this title officially, I'll call off
my troops and let Heaven and Earth continue in peace;
but if he refuses I'm coming up to the Hall of
Miraculous Mist to knock him off his dragon throne."
When the Mighty Miracle God heard this he looked hard
and saw that a tall pole had been planted outside the
entrance to the cave, on which hung a banner reading
GREAT SAGE EQUALING HEAVEN. "Heh, heh, heh," he mocked, "you ignorant
ape. What shameless effrontery, to want to be a 'Great
Sage Equaling Heaven!' Take that!" He swung with his
battle−axe at the Monkey King who, quite unflustered,
parried with his gold banded cudgel. It was a fine
battle. The Mighty Miracle God was no match for his
opponent. He hastened to block the Monkey King's first
blow with his axe, which broke in two with a crunch. He
fled for his life as fast as he could, and the Monkey
King said mockingly, "You bag of pus, I'll spare you
this time. Hurry back with my message, and look sharp
about it." The Mighty Miracle God returned to his
camp, went straight to the Pagoda−bearing Heavenly King
Li Jing, knelt before him, and said with an awkward
laugh, "The Protector of the Horses has really
tremendous magic powers. I was no match for him. He beat
me, and now I have come to take my punishment." "This fool has ruined our morale," exploded
the Heavenly King Li in a fury. "Take him away, and off
with his head." Prince Nezha, who was standing to one side,
stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Do not be angry, Your
Majesty. Forgive the Mighty Miracle God, and let me go
and do battle; then we'll see who's boss." The heavenly
king accepted his advice, and told Mighty Miracle God to
go back and look after the camp while he awaited his
punishment. When he had put on his armour and helmet,
Prince Nezha charged straight out of the camp to the
Water Curtain Cave. Sun Wukong, who was just going to
pull back his troops, saw the ferocity of his onslaught.
Sun Wukong went up to him and asked, "Whose little boy
are you then? What do you mean, charging up to my door?" "Stinking monkey fiend," shouted Prince
Nezha, "don't you know who I am? I am Nezha, the third
son of the pagoda−bearing Heavenly King, and I have been
commanded by the Jade Emperor to come here and arrest
you." "You do talk big, don't you, little
prince," said Sun Wukong, laughing at him. "But as
you've still got all your milk teeth and are still wet
behind the ears I'll spare your life and I won't hit
you. Do you see what it says on my standard? Go and tell
the Jade Emperor that if he gives me that title I'll
call off my armies and submit to him once more. But if
he doesn't do what I want him to, I'll surely attack the
Hall of Miraculous Mist." Nezha looked up and saw the
words "Great Sage Equaling Heaven." "You wicked monkey! How dare you give
yourself a title like that, whatever your magic powers
may be! Don't worry, all you're getting is my
sword." "Give me a few swipes, then," replied Sun
Wukong, "I won't move." "Change," yelled Nezha in a passion, and at
once he had three heads and six arms, which made him
look most ferocious. In his hands he held six weapons, a
demon−beheading sword, a demon−hacking cutlass, a
demon−binding rope, a demon−quelling pestle, an
embroidered ball, and a fire−wheel−−and wielding all
these he rushed straight at Sun Wukong. At the sight of him Sun Wukong exclaimed
with astonishment, "Well, my boy, you certainly know a
trick or two. But just behave yourself and watch what I
can do." Our dear Great Sage shouted "Change," and he
too had three heads and six arms. He shook his
gold−banded cudgel, and it turned into three cudgels,
which he gripped with his six hands to ward off Nezha's
blows. It was a great fight, and it made the earth shake
and the mountains tremble. Prince Nezha and Sun Wukong
both used their divine powers to the full as they fought
thirty rounds. When the six weapons of the prince turned
into thousands and tens of thousands, so did Sun
Wukong's gold−banded cudgel. The air was filled as if
with drops of rain or shooting stars, and there was no
way of telling who was winning. As Sun Wukong was deft
of hand and quick of eye, he plucked one of the hairs
from his body in the midst of the fray and shouted
"Change!" It changed into his own double to mislead
Nezha while his real self leapt round till he was behind
Nezha and struck at his left shoulder. Nezha was in the
middle of performing a spell when he heard the whistle
of the cudgel through the air and twisted away as fast
as he could. But he was unable to avoid the blow and had
to flee wounded. He brought his magic to an end, put his
six weapons away, reverted to his true appearance, and
abandoned the field of battle in defeat. This had all been observed by Heavenly King
Li, who was on the point of sending reinforcements when
his son appeared before him and reported in fear and
trembling, "Father, the Protector of the Horses is very
powerful. My magic was outclassed and he has wounded me
in the shoulder." The color drained from the face of the
horror−struck Heavenly King as he said, "If the creature
has magic powers like that, how are we going to defeat
him?" "Outside the gates of the cave," the prince
went on to report, "there is a banner on a pole that
reads 'Great Sage Equaling Heaven'. He bragged that if
the Jade Emperor gave him this title he would call
everything off; otherwise he said he would attack the
Hall of Miraculous Mist." "In that case," said the Heavenly King,
"we'll disengage now, go back to Heaven, and request
that more heavenly troops be sent to capture this
wretch. There is plenty of time." The prince, in pain
and unable to go on fighting, went back to Heaven with
the Heavenly King and put in this request, but of that
no more for the moment. Watch as the Monkey King returns to the
mountain in triumph to receive the congratulations of
the seventy−two kings of the monsters and his six sworn
brothers. There was great drinking and singing in the
cave paradise. Sun Wukong said to his six sworn
brothers, "As I've called myself Great Sage Equaling
Heaven, you can all call yourselves great sages too." "Honorable brother, you're right," roared
the Bull Demon King. "I shall call myself the Great Sage
Matching Heaven." "I'll be the Great Sage Overturning the
Sea," said the Salamander Demon King. "I'll be the Great Sage Throwing Heaven
into Confusion," said the Roc Demon King. "I'll be the Great Sage Who Moves
Mountains," said the Camel Demon King. "I'll be the Great Sage Who Travels with
the Wind," said the Macaque King. "And I'll be the Great Sage Who Drives Away
Gods," said the Lion King. The seven great sages then
did just as they pleased and gave themselves the titles
they chose, and after enjoying themselves all day they
went home. Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha led their
forces straight to the Palace of Miraculous Mist and
made this request: "We, your subjects, took our forces
down to the lower world, under your Divine Edict, to
subdue the immortal fiend Sun Wukong. But to our
surprise we found that his magical powers were too
far−reaching for us to be able to defeat him. We
therefore hope that Your Imperial Majesty will send more
troops to exterminate him." "How could a mere monkey goblin have such
great powers that you actually need more troops?" asked
the Jade Emperor. Prince Nezha then came forward and
memorialized, "We beg Your Majesty to spare us the
deaths we deserve. That monkey fiend has an iron cudgel that
he used to defeat the Mighty Miracle God and wounded me
on the shoulder. He has set a banner up outside the
entrance to his cave that reads 'Great Sage Equaling
Heaven,' and he says that if you give him this office he
will stop fighting and submit; otherwise he will attack
the Hall of Miraculous Mist." When the Jade Emperor heard this he asked
in horror, "How dare that monkey fiend talk so wildly?
Send all the generals to execute him at once." As he spoke the Great White Planet stepped
forward from the ranks of officials. "That monkey fiend
knows how to talk," he suggested, "but he has no idea
about real power. If more soldiers were sent to fight
him, they might not be able to overcome him at once and
their energies would be wasted. But if Your Imperial
Majesty were to show your great mercy, you could send
down a pacificatory amnesty and let him be a Great Sage
Equaling Heaven. It would only be an empty title that he
was given, just an honorary appointment." "What do you mean by an honorary
appointment?" asked the Jade Emperor. "He would be called a Great Sage Equaling
Heaven, but he would not be given any responsibility or
paid any salary. He would be kept between Heaven and
Earth, where his evil nature would be under control and
he would be kept from wickedness. Thus Heaven and Earth
can be at peace, while sea and sky enjoy tranquillity."
The Jade Emperor approved this suggestion and ordered
that a new edict should be issued for the Great White
Planet to deliver. The Great White Planet left once more
through the Southern Gate of Heaven and went straight to
have a look at the Water Curtain Cave on the Mountain of
Flowers and Fruit. It was quite different from before.
There was an awe−inspiring and spine−chilling
atmosphere, and every kind of fiend was present. They
were roaring and leaping around with their swords,
spears, cutlasses and staves. As soon as they saw the
Great White Planet they all went for him. "Will your commander please come forward,"
said the Planet. "I would trouble you to inform your
Great Sage that I am a heavenly envoy sent by the Jade
Emperor, and I am carrying a divine edict with an
invitation for him." The fiends rushed in to report, "There's an
old man outside who says he's come from Heaven with an
edict of invitation for you." When Sun Wukong heard this he said, "I'm
glad he's come. I expect he's that Great White Planet
who came before. Although I wasn't given a decent job
last time I went to Heaven, I did get up there and learn
my way around. If it's him again, his intentions must be
good." He told his commanders to put on a big display of
banners and drums and to turn out a guard of honour to
welcome him. Then the Great Sage, wearing his helmet,
his yellow robe over his armour, and his cloud−walking
shoes, hurried out of the cave at the head of his monkey
host, bowed in greeting, and shouted in a loud voice,
"Please come in, venerable Planet. Forgive me for not
being here to welcome you." The Planet walked straight into the cave,
stood facing the South and said, "Great Sage, when you
left the Imperial Stables because you found the post too
humble, the officials of that department naturally
reported the matter to the Jade Emperor. The Jade
Emperor decreed that all officials have to work their
way up from the bottom, and asked why you objected to
its being humble. After this Heavenly King Li took Nezha
down to the lower world to do battle with you. Your
divine powers, Great Sage, were more than they expected,
and they suffered defeat. On their return to Heaven they
reported that you had set up a banner and wanted to be a
'Great Sage Equaling Heaven'. All the generals wanted to
punish you; but I, Great Sage, ran the risk of
punishment by suggesting that the armies should not be
called out, and that Your Majesty should be given a post
instead. The Jade Emperor approved my memorial, and
that is why I have come here to invite you." "I am most grateful for this honour after
the trouble I caused you earlier," replied Sun Wukong,
"but I am not sure whether there is such a title as
'Great Sage Equaling Heaven' in the upper world." "After obtaining imperial approval for this
title," said the Planet, "I came down bearing a decree.
If anything goes wrong, I'll bear the responsibility." A highly delighted Sun Wukong tried his
hardest to persuade the Planet to stay to a banquet, but
without success, so he went with him by propitious cloud
to the Southern Gate of Heaven. The heavenly generals
and soldiers all greeted them with respectfully folded
arms, and they went straight to the Hall of Miraculous
Mist. The Great White Planet did obeisance and said, "In
obedience to the imperial edict your subject has
summoned Sun Wukong, the Protector of the Horses, and he
is present." "Let Sun Wukong come forward," said the
Jade Emperor. "We do now proclaim you Great Sage
Equaling Heaven. Your rank is now very high. Let there
be no more mischief from you." The monkey simply chanted
"na−a−aw" to express his thanks to the Emperor. The Jade
Emperor then ordered the two officials in charge of
public works, Zhang and Lu, to build a residence for the
Great Sage Equaling Heaven to the left of the Peach
Orchard. In the residence there were to be two offices:
a Tranquillity Office and a Calm Divinity Office. Both
these offices were to have immortal clerks and senior
and junior assistants. He then told the Star Lords of
the Constellation Five to escort Sun Wukong to his post,
and in addition gave him two bottles of imperial wine
and ten golden flowers, and admonished him to settle
down and keep out of mischief. The Monkey King accepted
the order and went that same day with the Star Lords of
the Constellation Five to his residence, where he opened
the bottles of wine and drained them dry with the help
of all present. He then saw the star officials off and
returned to his own palace. From then on he lived in
happiness and content, and enjoyed untrammelled pleasure
in the Palace. Truly, His immortal name was for ever inscribed in
the register of eternal life, To be transmitted for ten thousand ages,
free of the wheel of rebirth. Chapter 5 After Chaos Among the Peaches the Great
Sage Steals the Pills In the Revolt Against Heaven the Gods
Capture the Demons The story goes on to relate that the Great
Sage Equaling Heaven, a mere monkey devil after all, was
quite satisfied that his name was on the register of
office without caring about the grading of his job and
his own rank, or the size of his salary. The immortal
clerks in the two offices in his residence were in
constant attendance on him, he had three meals a day and
a bed to sleep on at night, and he lived a free and easy
life without worries. In his spare time he would visit
the other palaces, get together with his old friends,
and make new ones. When he saw the Three Pure Ones, he
would address them as "venerable," and when he met the
Four Emperors he called them "Your Majesty." He was on
fraternal terms with the Nine Bright Shiners, the
Generals of the Five Regions, the Twenty−Eight
Constellations, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, the Gods
of the Twelve Branches, the Five Ancients of the Five
Regions, the star ministers of the whole sky, and the
countless gods of the Milky Way. Today he would wander
East, and tomorrow he would go West, coming and going by
cloud, and never staying anywhere for long. When the Jade Emperor was holding his
morning court one day the Immortal Xu of Jingyang came
forward from the body of officials, kowtowed, and
suggested, "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven is spending
his time in idle travel, and is making the acquaintance
of all the stars in the sky, calling them all his
friends irrespective of their rank. It would be as well
to give him some responsibility, and prevent his
idleness leading to trouble later on." The Jade Emperor's response to this
suggestion was to send for the Monkey King at once. He
came in a cheerful mood and asked, "What promotion and
reward have you summoned me here to receive, Your
Majesty?" "Seeing that you are idle and have nothing to
do," replied the Jade Emperor, "we are giving you a job.
You are to administer the Peach Orchard, and you will
give it your attention day and night." The Great Sage
was overjoyed, and after expressing his thanks and
chanting "na−a−aw" he withdrew. In his eagerness to be
at work he went straight to the Peach Orchard to have a
look round. When he got there he was stopped by a local
tutelary god who asked him, "Where are you going, Great
Sage?" "I've been put in charge of the Peach Orchard by
the Jade Emperor, and I've come to inspect it." The
local god hastened to greet him formally, and he called
the men who weeded, brought water, looked after the
trees, and swept the grounds to come and kowtow to the
Great Sage. When Sun Wukong was taken inside this is
what he saw: Charming Every tree. Charming and luxuriant the full blossom; Every tree weighed down with fruit. The fruit−laden branches bend like
carding−bows; The blossoming trees are covered with
powder and rouge. Always blossoming, always in fruit, they
are ripe for a thousand years; They know no summer or winter, but linger
for ever. The early ripeners Look red−faced and tipsy; The ones still growing Are green in stalk and skin. When the dew forms, their flesh has a touch
of blue, While the sun picks out their vermilion
beauty. Below the trees exotic flowers grow, Bright and unfading throughout the year. On either side stand towers and pavilions, And a rainbow always arches the sky. These are not the common breeds of the Dark
Earth Capital, But are tended by the Queen Mother of the
Jade Pool. After taking a good look at this the Great
Sage asked the local god, "How many of these trees are
there?" "Three thousand six hundred all together," the
local god replied. "The ones growing at the front have
tiny blossoms and small fruits, and they ripen every
three thousand years. Anyone who eats them becomes an
Immortal and understands the Way, and his body becomes
both light and strong. The twelve hundred in the middle
have multiple blossoms and sweet fruits, and ripen every
six thousand years; whoever eats them can fly and enjoy
eternal youth. The back twelve hundred are streaked with
purple and have pale yellow stones. They ripen once
every nine thousand years, and anyone who eats them
becomes as eternal as Heaven and Earth, as long−lived as
the Sun and Moon." The Great Sage was beside himself
with joy on learning this, and that day he checked the
number of the trees and looked over the buildings in the
orchard before going back to his residence. From then on
he went to admire them every three or four days. He
dropped his friends, and made no more pleasure jaunts. One day he noticed that the peaches near
the end of the branches of one old tree were all but
ripe, and he felt like trying one; but as the local god,
the workmen, and the immortal clerks from his residence
were close on his heels it was impossible. Suddenly he
had an idea, and he said, "Go and wait for me outside
the gates while I take a nap in this summer−house." All the Immortals thereupon withdrew, and
the Monkey King took off his official hat and clothes,
climbed one of the bigger trees, and chose some large,
ripe peaches. When he had picked a good number he sat at
his ease in the branches and ate his fill of them, then
jumped down from the tree, pinned on his hat, put on his
clothes, and shouted for all his attendants to go back
to his residence with him. Two or three days later he
thought of another trick to steal some more peaches, and
he ate his fill of them. One day the Queen Mother arranged a
banquet, opening many precious pavilions for a feast of
peaches by the Jade Pool. She sent the Red Fairy, the
Blue Fairy, the White Fairy, the Black Fairy, the Purple
Fairy, the Yellow Fairy, and the Green Fairy to the
Peach Orchard with their baskets to pick peaches for the
feast. The seven fairies went straight to the orchard
gates, the workmen of the orchard and the immortal
superintendents of the two offices of the Equaling
Heaven Residence were guarding the gate. The fairies went up to them and said, "We
have come on the orders of the Queen Mother to pick
peaches for a feast." "Wait a moment please, Immortal
Beauties," said the local god. "Things are different
this year. The Jade Emperor has appointed the Great Sage
Equaling Heaven to be the guardian of this orchard, and
we must ask him before we can open the orchard to you."
"Where is the Great Sage?" the fairies asked, and the
local god replied, "Inside the orchard. As he was
feeling tired he is having a nap by himself in a
summerhouse." "In that case, please find him without
delay," requested the fairies, and the local god took
them into the orchard. But all they could find of him in
the summerhouse were his hat and clothes. They had no
idea where he could have gone, and looked everywhere
without success. The Great Sage had in fact made himself
only two inches long after eating some of the peaches
for fun, and he was sleeping under a large leaf at the
top of one of the big trees. "We have come by decree, and we can't go
back empty−handed, although the Great Sage is nowhere to
be found," said the fairies. One of the immortal
superintendents who was standing nearby replied, "As you
Immortal Beauties have come by order of the Queen
Mother, we must not delay you. Our Great Sage is always
wandering off, so I expect that he has gone away to
visit some of his friends. You had better pick the
peaches; it will be all right if we inform him." The fairies did as he suggested and went
into the orchard to pick peaches. First they filled two
baskets from the trees in front, and then they picked
three basketfuls from the trees in the middle; but when
they came to the trees at the back, they saw that
peaches and blossoms were few and far between. Only a
few unripe fruits with furry stalks and green skins were
left. All the ripe ones had been eaten up by the Monkey
King. The seven fairies looked everywhere, but all they
could see was a single red and white peach on a Southern
branch. The Blue Fairy pulled the branch down, the Red
Fairy picked the peach, and then they let the branch go
again. This woke up the Great Sage, who had changed
himself into this peach to take a nap on this branch. He
resumed his own form, took his gold−banded cudgel from
his ear, shook it till it was as thick as a ricebowl,
and shouted at them, "Where are you from, you thieving
fiends?" The seven fairies fell on their knees in
confusion. "Please don't be angry with us, Great Sage.
We're not fiends but seven fairies sent by Her Majesty
the Queen Mother of the West to pick peaches of
immortality and open the precious halls here for a Feast
of Peaches. When we arrived here we saw the local god
and other deities of the place, but we could not find
you, Great Sage. We could not delay carrying out the
Queen Mother's orders, so we went ahead and picked the
peaches without waiting for you, Great Sage. We very
much hope that you will forgive us." These words turned the Great Sage's bad
mood into a good one, and he said, "Please rise, Fairy
Beauties. Who is the Queen Mother inviting to this
feast?" "There are old rules about who attends: The
Buddha of the Western Heaven, Bodhisattvas, holy monks,
Arhats, the Guanyin of the South Pole, the Merciful and
Sage Emperor of the East, the Venerable Immortals of the
Ten Continents and the Three Islands, the Mystic
Divinity of the North Pole, and the Great Yellow−horned
Immortal of the Yellow Pole at the Centre. These make up
the Five Venerable Ones of the Five Regions. There will
also be the Star Lords of the Five Constellation; the
Three Pure Ones, the Four Emperors and the Heavenly
Immortal of the Great Monad from the Eight High Caves;
the Jade Emperor, the immortals of the Nine Mounds, and
the gods of the Seas and Mountains and the Ruler of the
Nether World from the Eight Lower Caves; and the
terrestrial deities. All the major and minor gods of all
the halls and palaces will come to the Feast of
Peaches." "Will I be invited?" asked the Great Sage
with an ingratiating smile. "Not as far as we've heard," the fairies
replied. "I'm the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, so why
shouldn't I be asked?" said the Great Sage. "That was what happened before: we don't
know about this time," the fairies replied. "You're right," he said. "Just wait here
while I go and find out whether I'm invited." Splendid Great Sage. Making a magic with
his hands as he spoke the words of the spell, he said to
the fairies, "Stay where you are! Stay where you are!"
As this was an immobilizing spell, the seven fairies
were left standing in a daze under the peach tree with
their eyes wide open as the Great Sage leapt out of the
orchard on a somersault cloud and headed for the Jade
Pool. As he traveled he saw that The sky shimmered with auspicious light As clouds of many colours streamed across
it. The white stork's cry made the heavens
shake; A thousand leaves grew on the purple
asphodel. Amid it all an Immortal appeared, Carrying himself with heaven−sent elegance,
As he danced on the rainbow, cloaked by the
Milky Way, With a talisman at his waist to ward off
birth and death. His name was Bare−Foot Immortal, And he was going to the feast of
longevity−giving peaches. As the Bare−foot Immortal saw him, the
Great Sage lowered his head and thought of a plan by
which to trick the Immortal and get to the banquet
himself. "Where are you going, reverend sir?" he
asked; and the Immortal replied, "I'm going to the Peach
Banquet by the invitation of the Queen Mother." "There is something you do not know,
venerable sir," said the Great Sage. "As my somersault
cloud is so fast, the Jade Emperor has sent me
everywhere to tell all you gentlemen to go to the Hall
of Universal Brightness for a ceremony before going on
to the banquet." As the Immortal was an open and upright
man, he took this lie for the truth, but wondered, "The
thanksgiving ceremony is usually held by the Jade Pool,
so why are we having the ceremony in the Hall of
Universal Brightness before going to the Jade Pool for
the banquet?" Nevertheless, he turned his propitious
cloud around and went to the Hall of Universal
Brightness. As the Great Sage rode his cloud he said a
spell, shook himself, took the form of the Bare−foot
Immortal, and hurried to the Jade Pool. He reached the
pavilion there a moment later, stopped his cloud, and
went quietly inside. He saw Fabulous perfumes coiling, A confusion of auspicious clouds; The jade tower set with color, The precious pavilions scattering mists; The phoenix soars till almost lost to view, And jeweled flowers seem to rise and fall. Above a nine−phoenix screen A rainbow stool of the eight precious
things, A coloured golden table, Green jade bowls with a thousand flowers. On the table were dragon livers and marrow
of phoenix bone, Bears' paws and apes' lips−− A hundred different dishes, and all of them
good; Rare fruits and fine delicacies, every one
unique. Everything was neatly set out, but no
Immortals had yet arrived. The Great Sage had not
finished looking when he smelt wine; and as he whirled
round he saw under a portico to the right several
immortal officials in charge of brewing liquor with some
workmen who stirred the lees, a number of novices who
carried water and some boys who looked after the fires.
They were washing the vats and scrubbing the pots,
having made jade liquor and a fragrant fermentation of
the lees. The Great Sage could not stop himself from
drooling, and he longed to drink some, but unfortunately
all those people were there. So he performed a spell by
pulling several hairs from his body, chewing them up,
spitting them up, saying the magic words, and shouting
"Change"; whereupon the hairs turned into sleep insects,
which flew into the faces of all the liquor−makers.
Watch them as their hands go limp, their heads droop,
their eyes close, and they drop their symbols of office
and all fall asleep. Whereupon the Great Sage grabbed
the rare delicacies and exotic foods, then went under
the portico and drank from the vats and pots until he
was completely drunk. Only then did he think, "This won't do at
all. When the guests come for the banquet they'll be
furious with me, and I'll be for it if I'm caught. I'd
better get back to the Residence as soon as I can and
sleep it off." Our dear Great Sage staggered and swayed,
charging about all over the place under the influence of
the liquor, and going the wrong way. He arrived not at
the Equaling Heaven Residence but at the Tushita
Heavenly Palace. As soon as he saw this he sobered up
and said to himself, "The Tushita Palace is the highest
of the thirty−three heavens, where Lord Lao Zi of the
Great Monad reigns. However did I get here? Never mind,
I've always wanted to see that old chap, and I've never
managed to come here before. I might as well go and have
a look at him now that I'm passing this way." He straightened his clothes and rushed in,
but did not see Lord Lao Zi. There was no sign of
anyone. This was because Lao Zi and the Ancient Buddha
Dipamkara were expounding the Way from a red dais in a
triple−storied pavilion, and all the immortal boys,
generals, officials and petty functionaries were
standing to right and left listening to the lecture. The
Great Sage went straight to the room in which the elixir
was kept, and although he could not find Lao Zi there he
saw that there was a small fire in the stove beside the
range over which pills were made. On either side of the
stove were five gourds, full of golden pills of refined
elixir. "This is the Immortals' greatest treasure,"
he exclaimed in delight. "I've wanted to refine some of
these golden pills to save people with ever since I
understood the Way and mastered the principle of the
correspondence of the Esoteric and Exoteric, but I've
never had time to come here. Today I'm in luck−−I've
found them. As Lao Zi isn't here I'll try a few." He
emptied the gourds of their contents and ate up all the
pills as if he were eating fried beans. Before long he was full of pills and quite
sober. "This is terrible," he thought, "this is a
colossal disaster. If the Jade Emperor is shocked by
this, I'm done for. I must get out of here. I'd be much
better off as a king in the lower world." He rushed out of the Tushita Palace,
avoiding his usual route. Using a spell to make himself
invisible, he left by the West Gate of Heaven, and went
straight down to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit by
cloud. When he got there he saw flags, banners, spears
and halberds gleaming in the sun: the four Stalwart
Generals and the seventy−two kings of the monsters were
holding military exercises. "Children, I'm back," shouted the Great
Sage in a loud voice, and all the fiends dropped their
weapons and fell to their knees. "You don't care, do you, Great Sage?" they
said. "It's been so long since you left us, and you
never came back to see us." "I haven't been long, I haven't been long,"
protested the Great Sage, and as they talked they walked
into the innermost part of the cave. When the four
Stalwart General's had tidied the place up and made him
sit down, they kowtowed to him and asked, "What office
did you hold, Great Sage, during your century and more
in Heaven?" The Great Sage laughed and said, "As far as
I can remember it was only six months, so why do you say
it was over a century?" "A day in Heaven is the same as a year on
earth," the Stalwart Generals replied. "I was lucky this time," said the Great
Sage. "The Jade Emperor took a liking to me and ennobled
me as the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. He had an Equaling
Heaven Residence built for me, complete with a
Tranquillity Office and a Calm Divinity Office with
Immortal functionaries, attendants and guards. Later on,
when he saw that I had nothing to do, he put me in
charge of the Peach Orchard. Recently the Queen Mother
Goddess gave a Peach Banquet, but she didn't invite me.
Instead of waiting for an invitation, I went to the Jade
Pool and stole all the immortal food and drink. I
staggered away from the Jade Pool and blundered into
Lord Lao Zi's palace, and there I ate up his five gourds
of pills of immortality. Then I got out through the
heavenly gates and came here because I was scared that
the Jade Emperor was going to punish me." All the fiends were delighted with what
they heard, and they laid on liquor and fruit with which
to welcome him back. They filled a stone bowl with coconut toddy
and handed it to him, but when he tasted it the Great
Sage grimaced and said, "It's awful, it's awful." Two of his Stalwart Generals, Beng and Ba,
explained, "You don't find coconut toddy very tasty
because you have drunk immortal liquor and eaten
immortal food in the heavenly palace, Great Sage. But as
the saying goes, 'Sweet or not, it's water from home.'" To this the Great Sage replied, "And all of
you, whether related to me or not, are from my home.
When I was enjoying myself beside the Jade Pool today I
saw jars and jars of jade liquor under a portico there.
As none of you have ever tasted it I'll go and pinch you
a few jars; then you can each have a little drink, and
live for ever." All the monkeys were beside themselves
with glee. The Great Sage then went out of the cave,
turned a somersault, made himself invisible, and went
straight to the Peach Banquet. As he went through the
gates of the Jade Pool he saw that the men who made the
wine, stirred the lees, carried the water, and looked
after the fire were still snoring away. He tucked two
big jars of wine under his arms, took two more in his
hands, then turned his cloud round and went back to have
a feast of immortal wine with the monkey masses in the
cave. They all drank several cups and were very
happy, but we will not go into this. The story returns to the seven fairies, who
were only able to free themselves a whole day after Sun
Wukong had immobilized them with his magic. They picked
up their baskets and went back to report to the Queen
Mother that they were late because the Great Sage
Equaling Heaven had held them there by magic. "How many
peaches did you pick?" the Queen Mother asked. "Two baskets of little ones and three
baskets of medium ones. But when we got to the back we
could not find a single big one; we think that they were
all eaten by the Great Sage. While we were looking for
some the Great Sage suddenly appeared, and he beat and
tortured us to make us tell him who had been invited to
the banquet. After we had told him he immobilized us
there, and we don't know where he went. We only came
round and freed ourselves a moment ago." On hearing this the Queen Mother went to
see the Jade Emperor and gave him a full account of what
had happened. Before she had finished, the liquor−makers
arrived with their immortal officials to report that an
unknown person had thrown the Grand Peach Banquet into
confusion and stolen the jade liquor as well as the
precious delicacies of a hundred flavors. Then came Four
Heavenly Teachers to announce that the Supreme Patriarch
of the Way, Lao Zi, had arrived. The Jade Emperor went out with the Queen
Mother to meet him, and after doing obeisance Lao Zi
said, "I had refined some Golden Pills of the Nine
Transformations in my palace for a Feast of Elixir Pills
with Your Majesty, but a thief has stolen them. This is
what I have come to report to Your Majesty." This news
made the Jade Emperor tremble with fear. Not long afterwards the immortal
administrators from the Equaling Heaven Residence came
to kowtow and report: "The Great Sage Sun Wukong
abandoned his post and went wandering off yesterday. He
has not come back yet and we do not know where he has
gone." The Jade Emperor, now more suspicious than ever,
then saw the Bare−Foot Immortal bow his head to the
ground. "Your subject was going to the banquet on a
summons from the Queen Mother," he reported, "when I happened to meet the Great Sage Equaling
Heaven. He told me, O Lord of Ten Thousand Years, that
you had issued a decree ordering him to tell all the
rest of us to go to the Hall of Universal Brightness for
a ceremony before going to the banquet. Your subject
went back to the Hall of Universal Brightness as he had
told me to, but as I did not see the Imperial Dragon and
Phoenix Chariot outside I hurried here to await orders." "This wretch has the impudence to invent
fraudulent decrees and deceive eminent ministers,"
exclaimed the Jade Emperor with anger and astonishment.
"The Miraculous Investigator is to find out at once what
he has been up to." The Miraculous Investigator left the palace
in obedience to the edict, and by making thorough
enquiries he found out all the details of what had
happened. "The wrecker of the Heavenly Palace was Sun
Wukong," he reported, and he went on to give a full
account. The Jade Emperor was furiously angry, and he
ordered the Four Great Heavenly Kings along with
Heavenly King Li and Prince Nezha to mobilize the
Twenty−eight Constellations, the Nine Bright Shiners,
the Twelve Gods of the Twelve Branches, the Revealers of
the Truth of the Five Regions, the Four Duty Gods, the
Constellations of the East and West, the Gods of the
North and South, the Deities of the Five Mountains and
the Four Rivers, the star ministers of all Heaven, and a
total of a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers. They were
to descend to the lower world with eighteen
heaven−and−earth nets, surround the Mountain of Flowers
and Fruit, and capture that wretch for punishment. The
gods called out their troops at once, and left the
heavenly palace. A gusty sandstorm blotted out the heavens,
Purple fog threw the earth into darkness. Just because the monkey fiend offended the
Supreme Emperor Heavenly hosts were sent down to the mortal
dust. The Four Great Heavenly Kings, The Revealers of the Truth of the Five
Regions. The Four Great Heavenly Kings held the
supreme command, And the Revealers controlled the soldiers'
movements. Li the Pagoda Carrier commanded the central
corps, Nezha the deadly led the van. The star Rahu ordered the leading rands, And the star Ketu towered behind. The Sun revealed his divinity, And radiance shone from the Moon. The stars of the Five Elements were mighty
in valour, And the Nine Bright Shiners were fond of
battle. The stars of the Branches Zi, Wu, Mao and
You, Were all great heavenly warriors. The Five Plagues and the Five Mountains
were drawn up on the East and West, While the Six Ding and Six Jia marched to
right and left. The Dragon Gods of the Four Rivers stood
above and below, And the Twenty−eight Constellations were
drawn up in serried ranks: Horn, Gullet, Base, and Chamber were the
officers commanding, Strider, Harvester, Stomach, and Mane
wheeled and soared; Dipper, Ox, Woman, Barrens, Roof, House,
and Wall, Heart, Tail, and Winnower−−all able stars−− Well, Ghost, Willow, Spread, Whig and
Axletree Wielded their swords and spears, showed
forth their power, Halted their clouds and descended in mists
to the mortal world, Pitching camp before the Mountain of
Flowers and Fruit. There is a poem that runs: Many the transformations of the heaven−born
Monkey King Happy in his lair after stealing the pills
and wine. Just because he wrecked the banquet of
peaches, A hundred thousand heavenly troops now
spread their nets. Heavenly King Li gave the order for the
heavenly soldiers to pitch camp and throw a watertight
cordon round the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. Above
and below they spread eighteen heaven−and−earth nets,
and the Nine Bright Shiners were sent out to start the
battle. They took their soldiers to the outside of the
cave, where they saw the monkeys, big and small, leaping
and fooling around. The star officers shouted in harsh voices,
"Little goblins, where's that Great Sage of yours? We
are gods, sent from the upper world to subdue your
mutinous Great Sage. Tell him to surrender at once−−−and
if there's so much as a hint of a 'no' from him, we will
exterminate every last one of you." The little monkeys went rushing in to
report, "Great Sage, a disaster, a disaster. There are
nine evil gods outside who say they've been sent from
the upper world to subdue you." The Great Sage, who was just then sharing
the immortal liquor with the seventy−two kings of the
monsters and his four Stalwart Generals, paid no
attention to the report, saying: "Today we have wine so today we celebrate: To hell with what's happening outside the
gate." But before the words were out of his mouth
another group of little devils came in. "Those nine evil
gods are using foul and provocative language to
challenge us to fight," they announced. "Never mind them," said the Great Sage with
a laugh. "With verse and wine we're happy today; Who cares when fame will come our way?" But before these words were out of his
mouth yet another group of devils came rushing in. "Sir,
those nine evil gods have smashed the gates and are
charging in." "The stinking gods!" exploded the Great
Sage, "What nerve! I never wanted a fight with them, so
why should they come here to push us around?" He
thereupon ordered the One−horned Monster King to lead
the seventy−two monster kings into battle while he
followed them with the four Stalwart Generals. The
monster king hastily assembled the devil soldiers and
sallied forth to meet the enemy. They were all stopped
by a charge by the Nine Bright Shiners, who held the
head of the iron bridge so that no one could enter or
leave. During the tumult the Great Sage came on the
scene, and shouting "Make way!" he raised his iron
cudgel, shook it till it was as thick as a bowl and
twelve feet long, and struck and parried as he came
charging out. The Nine Bright Shiners, who were no match
for him, fell back. "You reckless Protector of the Horses,"
they shouted when they were back in the safety of their
own position. "You have committed the most terrible
crimes. You stole the peaches and the wine, wrecked the
Peach Banquet, and pilfered the immortality pills of
Lord Lao Zi. On top of all this you brought some of the
immortal liquor you stole back here. Don't you realize
that you have piled crime upon crime?" The Great Sage
laughed. "It's true, it's true," he said, "but what
are you going to do about it?" "In obedience to a golden edict of the Jade
Emperor," the Nine Bright Shiners replied, "we have led
out troops here to subdue you. Submit at once, or else
all these creatures of yours will have to pay with their
lives. If you refuse, we shall trample this mountain
flat and turn your cave upside−down." "You hairy gods," roared the Great Sage in
a fury, "what magic powers have you got to let you talk
so big? Clear off, or I'll give you a taste of my
cudgel." The Nine Bright Shiners did a war−dance
together, which did not frighten the Handsome Monkey
King in the least. He whirled his gold−banded cudgel,
parrying to right and left, and fought the Nine Bright
Shiners till their muscles were weak and their strength
was gone; then each of them broke ranks and fled,
dragging their weapons behind them. They rushed to the
command post of the central corps and reported to the
Pagoda−Bearing Heavenly King Li that the Monkey King was
so ferocious that they had fled from the battlefield,
unable to defeat him. Heavenly King Li then sent the
Four Heavenly Kings and the Twenty−eight Constellations
into battle. The Great Sage, not at all frightened at
this, ordered the One−horned Demon King, the seventy−two
kings of the monsters, and the four Stalwart Generals to
draw up their line of battle outside the gates of the
cave. The ensuing melee was really terrifying. Howling winds, Dark, sinister clouds. On one side flags and standards colorfully
flying, On the other side the gleam of spears and
halberds. Round helmets shine, Layered armour gleams. The shining round helmets reflect the sun, Like silver boulders reaching to the sky; Gleaming layers of armour are built into a
wall Like a mountain of ice weighing down the
earth. Long−handled swords Flash through the clouds like lightning; Paper−white spears Pierce mists and fogs; Heaven−shaped halberds, Tiger−eye chains, Bristling like a field of hemp; Bronze swords, And four−brightness spears Drawn up like a dense forest. Bows and crossbows, eagle−feathered arrows, Short clubs and snaky spears to terrify the
soul. Wielding his single As−You−Will cudgel, The Great Sage fights against the heavenly
gods. Such is the slaughter that no bird flies
over it; And tigers and wolves flee in terror. The swirling stones and clouds of sand make
everything dark, The dirt and the dust blot out the heavens. The clash of arms startles the universe As the battle strikes awe into gods and
demons. The battle started in the morning and went
on till the sun set behind the mountains in the West. By
then the One−horned Demon King and the seventy−two kings
of the monsters had all been captured by the heavenly
hosts. Only the four Stalwart Generals and the monkeys
had got away, and they were now hiding in the innermost
recesses of the Water Curtain Cave. The Great Sage's
solitary cudgel had fought off the Four Heavenly Kings,
Li the Pagoda−bearer and Prince Nezha, who were all in
the sky. After the battle had gone on for a long time
the Great Sage saw that night was drawing on, so he
plucked out one of his hairs, munched it up, spat out
the pieces and shouted, "Change!" They changed into
thousands of Great Sages, all with gold−banded cudgels,
who forced Prince Nezha and the five Heavenly Kings to
withdraw. After winning this victory the Great Sage
put back his hair and hurried back to the cave, where
the four Stalwart Generals at once led the monkeys out
to kowtow at the head of the iron bridge to welcome him
back. They sobbed three times and then laughed three
times. "Why are you laughing and crying at the sight of
me?" the Great Sage asked. "When we led all the
commanders into battle against the heavenly kings this
morning," replied the Stalwart Generals, "the
seventy−two kings of the monsters and the One−horned
Demon King were all captured by the gods, and we had to
flee for our lives. That is why we cried. We laughed
because you, Great Sage, have come back victorious and
unharmed." To this the Great Sage replied, "Victory
and defeat are all the soldier's lot. As the ancients
said, 'To kill ten thousand of the enemy you must lose
three thousand of your own.' Anyhow, the officers of
ours who were captured were all tigers, leopards,
wolves, badgers, river−deer, foxes, and raccoon−dogs.
Not one of our own kind was even wounded, so there's no
need for us to be bothered about it. But although I
forced the enemy to withdraw by dividing up my body
through magic, they're still encamped at the foot of our
mountain, so we'll have to remain on our guard.
Meanwhile we must eat a good meal and get a good night's
sleep to build up our energy. Tomorrow morning I'll use
powerful magic to capture those heavenly generals and
avenge our people." After the four Stalwart Generals and
the other monkey commanders had drunk several cups of
coconut toddy, they went to bed with their worries
calmed. When the four Heavenly Kings had withdrawn
their troops and ended the battle, those who had
distinguished themselves reported what they had done.
Some had captured tigers and leopards, some lions and
elephants, and others wolves and raccoon−dogs, but not
one single monkey goblin had been taken. Then they built
a mighty stockade around their camp. Commanders who had
distinguished themselves wee rewarded, and the soldiers
who made up the heaven−and−earth nets were ordered to
surround the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, holding
bells and shouting, ready for a great battle the next
day. Every man heard the orders, and they were strictly
obeyed. Indeed: A wicked monkey made chaos, shocking heaven
and earth, So they spread their nets and watched by
night and day. Listen to the next installment to hear how
he was dealt with the following morning. |