CHAPTER 52

 

The King's Restlessness and Public Criticism

 

After the Great Lion King returned to the Ling Kingdom, he constantly thought about how to avenge his elder brother and missed the blissful times he once shared with Queen Zumu. However, it seemed the time to go to Hor was not yet ripe, so he decided to enter a period of secluded retreat for blessings and dispelling calamities. Three months passed in this manner. One day, for some unknown reason, the Great King grew restless and thought of ending his retreat. He walked to the balcony on the east side of Dazi City and looked out.

 

He saw an elderly couple on the far side of the grassland. The old man sat inside a curtain made of a patched monk's robe, seemingly in meditative retreat. The old woman was trying to light a fire to cook, but no matter what she did, the fire wouldn't catch, leaving her helpless and at a loss. The old man paid her no mind, sitting there motionless like a hitching post. The old woman glared at him a few times and angrily scolded: "You rotten old fool, you're exactly like that Gesar! I'm here trying to boil tea and cook but can't get a fire going, which will surely delay our meal. Yet you sit there like a stone in the road, unmoving and paying no heed. Aren't you just like that fellow called Gesar? That Gesar calls himself the Lion King! After returning from the north, all the heroes hoped he would go punish the Yellow Hor. So many Ling brothers were killed by the Hor; not only that, the Hor cut off the tasseled banners from the heads of the fallen to display as trophies, seized his own beloved queen, destroyed Dazi City and all the palaces, committing all sorts of indescribable evils. Yet he seems utterly unaware and unmoved, hiding quietly in a mountain cave like a groundhog. Using the excuse of needing to retreat and cultivate, he doesn't even dare to set foot in the Yellow Hor's territory. In short, no scoundrel is worse than you men, shamelessly turning your backsides for others to see. You two are exactly that kind of people!"

 

Hearing this, Gesar thought to himself: "Ah, this clever old woman is surely taking this chance to mock me."

 

Lost in thought, he walked to the south-facing balcony and looked out. He saw a beggar couple with a child, dressed in rags, drinking a thin turnip soup. The beggar child sneezed, accidentally shaking the bowl from his hand onto the ground, spilling every last drop of the soup. Seeing this, the woman beggar gave the child a fierce beating. The man beggar said, "Why are you hitting the child so cruelly?"

 

The woman beggar retorted, "You're just like that Gesar, thinking yourself higher than the heavens! That Gesar, with his brothers slaughtered by the enemy, his houses destroyed without a trace, his wife snatched away like a little bird caught by an eagle to be flaunted as a trophy, suffering such humiliation and bullying from the Yellow Hor—yet to this day he cannot take revenge. If it were me, even if I couldn't take other actions against those executioners, the Sinba, and the chief culprit, the White Tent King, at the very least I'd slap them across the face. But he can't even do that, now hiding in his own home, not daring to move. The three of us, working as hired hands, scavenging scraps, begging, only managed to get this bit of food. Now it's spilled, what will we rely on? You don't value food, yet you speak such words! You don't teach the child yourself, and now you blame me! In short, you so-called great men are always brainless, never thinking of anything!"

 

As she spoke, she stuck out her little finger, spat on it in contempt.

 

Seeing this, Gesar sighed, feeling deeply troubled. He then went to the west-facing balcony and looked out. He saw an old man from Ling and a beggar from Rong arguing. The Rong beggar's face was ashen like a leather bellows for striking fire, looking extremely emaciated, walking with a limp, his eyes sunken deep like an eagle's nest, very aged. The Ling stalwart shouted, "You Rong vagrant, how dare you act so unreasonably towards a subject of my Great King Gesar! What exactly do you want?"

 

Unexpectedly, the seemingly frail Rong vagrant threw the old man to the ground and pinned him down, saying sarcastically, "What's so surprising about this? Killing you would be a small matter. If the Ling's Gesar truly had courage, could he watch the Yellow Hor trample the Ling Kingdom like this and not seek revenge? Whether you Ling people have any backbone can be known from this. What kind of man Gesar is, whether he's fit to be the leader of all people, great and small, in Ling—we know well!" With that, he beat the old man half to death, wiped dust on his little finger, pointed it three times towards the capital city, and said scornfully, "If what I say isn't true, then go call Gesar here!"

 

Hearing these words, Gesar grew somewhat angry, thinking: "Ah, even a half-dead beggar dares to bully my Ling people like this. Alas, if I don't subdue the Yellow Hor and destroy the White Tent King now, it will bring disgrace upon the reputation of Ling Gabu."

 

Omens and the King's Resolution

 

He then went to the north-facing balcony and looked out, seeing a hawk land on the neck of a black marmot, about to kill it.

 

Returning to his meditation chamber, he pondered again: "During my days of secluded cultivation, I've encountered such strange sights. What does this mean? It seems if I don't subdue the Hor now, it won't bring any benefit to Jambudvipa either. Especially with Zumu captured, so many blood brothers and capable ministers killed by them—this vengeance must be taken, this shame must be wiped away. Also, those divine statues in the city, if I don't retrieve them, I, bearing the title of a great man, will surely be mocked as worse than pigs and dogs. People will also think the sacred Triple Gem lacks efficacy and power. I must go to the Yellow Hor land now, to see if I can eliminate the Hor. The words of those beggars and vagrants yesterday indeed held some truth."

 

The next day, King Gesar rose early, washed his face, completed his prayers, and sent notices to all tribes of Upper and Lower Ling, summoning them for a council. Early the following morning, after all ministers had gathered, the King solemnly declared: "The Hor White Tent King has inflicted such great humiliation and devastation upon our Ling Gabu. If we cannot take revenge on the enemy, share the wine of victory with our kin, and rescue those who have suffered calamity, then we only boost the enemy's arrogance and crush our own morale—this is utterly intolerable! Therefore, I must go to the Hor region. I hope you all will firmly guard the capital, all forts, and the scriptures, statues, and stupas, ensuring the incense offerings are never interrupted. Handle all internal and external affairs of the tribes to the best of your abilities. After I go to Hor, I will surely return as quickly as possible. During this time, I hope you all will be united in heart and virtue, endure hardships together, and guard the Ling Kingdom with solidarity."

 

The Heroes' Concerns and Prince Zhale's Plea

 

After hearing his instructions, the heroes thought to themselves: "Previously, the Great King went alone to the northern Demon Kingdom and was delayed for a long time, which led to our country being invaded by the Hor army. Now he speaks of campaigning alone again. If we don't let him go, there will be no day of avenging the Hor hatred; if we let him go, we fear he might be detained long in a foreign land—the future is hard to predict!"

 

However, the group could not find the right words to persuade the Great King. It was as if a bone were stuck in their throats; tears welled in their eyes, and they anxiously stretched their necks and tilted their heads. Prince Zhale Zejie of the Bumba tribe rose from his seat, took off his turquoise-flowered earring, tied a white silk Khata to its top, and presented it before the Great King: "Noble Great Lion King, you speak of going to the Yellow Hor for revenge and wiping away shame—that is most fitting. But as the old proverb says, 'If a man often goes to other lands, he will lose his own place.' Therefore, please do not go alone. Sit peacefully on this golden throne! Now I, Zhale, am like a fledgling bird with broken wings, yearning night after night for my heroic father. Now that Uncle has returned to Ling Gabu, I have found joy in life again. Thinking of the Hor enemies makes me gnash my teeth, yet I fear Uncle might encounter misfortune on the campaign road. Please rest in Ling for a while longer, regain your majestic vigor, and then campaign against the demon land of Hor! If you must go, please do not abandon me, Zhale."

 

As he spoke, he clung to the King's neck, unwilling to let go. The King also shed sorrowful tears and said: "Zejie, my dear nephew, beloved child! You must understand that going with me holds no benefit. Subduing the Yellow Hor relies on clever methods and miraculous transformations; sheer numbers are not enough. Therefore, I hope you will sit peacefully on the golden throne of your own Blissful City, join the heroes in defending the honor of the Ling Kingdom, and especially protect the ancestral legacy of the Bumba family, allowing no loss to it."

 

He then placed a turquoise necklace called "Jewel That Dazzles with Might" atop the offered earring and returned both to him. Then, addressing all the heroes with deeply furrowed brows, he said: "Prince Zejie's and everyone's concerns are all valid. During my northern campaign, I was delayed long in a foreign land. But this time going to Hor, I will certainly not linger too long. Moreover, traveling alone, I can use clever methods and miraculous transformations to subdue the eleven Gate-Guarding Demons and the twelve Demon Spirits one by one. As the saying goes, 'When the time comes, strength is boundless; when the time hasn't come, grain won't grow. Acting according to the decree, an ox's neck can be snapped; not acting according to the decree, a sheep's tail cannot be cut off.' Now the time for me to subdue the Hor has arrived. You should strive in your respective duties, so that together we can defeat the Hor White Tent King."

 

The King's Final Decision and Send-off

 

Later, no matter how the crowd tried to persuade him, King Gesar remained determined to campaign alone. Everyone had no choice but to agree, setting the tenth day of the month for a gathering to see him off. When that day arrived, the Great King set off for Hor, escorted by the heroes. Meisa and the other queens and consorts presented farewell wine feasts.

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