reading response

Battles, Betrayals, and Brotherhood

Early Chinese Plays on the Th ree Kingdoms

Edited and Translated, with an Introduction, by

WILT L. IDEMA

and STEPHEN H. WEST

Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. Indianapolis/Cambridge

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197

5 Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang

Anonymous

Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang (Zhuge Liang Bowang shaotun) fi rst appears—as an anonymous play—in the zaju catalogues of the early fi fteenth century: Zhu Quan’s Formulary of Correct Sounds for an Era of Great Harmony (Taihe zhengyin pu) and Jia Zhongming’s Continuation of the Register of Ghosts (Lugui bu xubian), a fact that suggests that the play was written during the second half of the fourteenth century. Th e play has been preserved both as one of the Th irty Yuan Plays (translated here) and as a late sixteenth-century manu- script that derives from the Ming palace repertoire. A translation of the fourth act of the Ming palace version is included here to allow a more detailed com- parison of the two versions.

Th e play details how Liu Bei persuades Zhuge Liang to join his cause in the role of primary adviser and how Zhuge Liang then handles relations with Liu Bei’s sworn brothers Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Whereas Guan Yu is willing to accept the presence of Zhuge Liang for the benefi t he can bring to their mili- tary success, the impetuous Zhang Fei is much less happy with Zhuge Liang’s presence and his approach to warfare. Th e play concludes with Zhang Fei sub- mitting to the superiority of Zhuge Liang’s wisdom over his own brute vio- lence. In the various renditions of stories of the Th ree Kingdoms, at this point in the stories’ development the relationship of the three sworn brothers with Cao Cao, with whom they had collaborated in the past while fi ghting Dong Zhuo and others, has defi nitely soured. Leaving Northern China, the three brothers move south into Hubei, where Liu Bei holds the offi ce of Prefect of Xinye. Looking for a means to strengthen his power, Liu Bei, who earlier had made Xu Shu his Field Marshal, tries to attract Zhuge Liang to his cause on the basis of Xu Shu’s high recommendation. Before the play begins, Liu Bei and his brothers have already twice visited Recumbent Dragon Ridge to meet with Zhuge Liang, but in both cases Zhuge Liang has refused to see them. Th e fi rst act of this play is devoted to Liu Bei’s third and successful visit. Knowing that Liu Bei is destined to become emperor of the Shu-Han dynasty for only three years, Zhuge Liang makes his decision to join Liu Bei after he has recog- nized, through the physiognomy of Liu Bei’s infant son, that the boy will reign

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198 Anonymous

as emperor for forty years.1 Zhuge Liang also realizes that he will have to bully Zhang Fei into submission if he is going to be successful as Field Marshal.

At the beginning of the second act, Cao Cao dispatches Xiahou Dun to Hubei with a large army to wipe out Liu Bei once and for all. Zhuge Liang takes countermeasures by deputing each of Liu Bei’s major generals (Zhao Yun, Liu Feng, Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, and Guan Yu) with highly specifi c instructions to counter the attack. Zhang Fei, eager to fi ght, is deliberately ignored for each mission. When Zhang Fei eventually is given the mission to capture the fl eeing Xiahou Dun, and when Zhuge Liang at the same time predicts that he will fail in that mission, Zhang Fei wagers his head that he will succeed. If so, Zhuge Liang promises to cede his offi ce to him. By the third act, all generals have suc- cessfully accomplished their missions, resulting in the utter defeat of Xiahou Dun’s army. Th e only exception is Zhang Fei, who presents himself in shackles and is saved from beheading only by the intervention of Liu Bei. Th is act closely resembles Act 3 of Liu Xuande Goes Alone to the Xiangyang Meeting, where Xu Shu also sends his generals off with specifi c assignments. What such acts may have lacked in plot they probably compensated for by spectacle as each of the dispatched generals paraded across stage in his elaborate costume.

Th e fourth and fi nal act introduces the character of Guan Tong, an old friend of Zhuge Liang, whom Cao Cao dispatches to try to convince Zhuge Liang to abandon Liu Bei and switch sides. To his underlings, Zhuge Liang greatly vaunts the supernatural power of Guan Tong to know what is hidden from sight. Once Guan Tong has been seduced into showing off these skills by correctly guessing which go stone (chess piece) is held in which hand, Zhuge Liang asks him to physiognomize Liu Bei’s generals, Liu Bei, and Liu Bei’s in- fant son in that order, thereby convincing Guan Tong of Liu Bei’s imperial des- tiny. Th e play concludes with a scene in which Cao Cao is captured and brought on stage—most likely by Zhang Fei, who in this way redeems his earlier failure.

Burning the Stores is a regular zaju. It consists of four long sets of songs, which are all sung by the leading male. Th is role type plays the character of Zhuge Liang in each act, dressed in the fi rst act in the gown of a Daoist priest and in the later acts in the military garb of the Field Marshal. Th e play contains neither wedges nor fi nal demi-act. If the play is somewhat exceptional, it is in its use of a large cast and in matters of staging—the fi nal act requires a number of “rooms” that are successively opened (but perhaps the backdrop was pulled back again and again to reveal these “rooms”). If it is indeed Zhang Fei who captures Cao Cao at the end, the outline of the plot shows a remarkable simi-

1. Th is central importance of Liu Bei’s infant son to the plot, both in this and the fi nal act, is highly unusual since in historical records the boy is usually described as a fool of an emperor who was a mere tool in the hands of the court eunuchs.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 199

larity to Li Kui Carries Th orns (Li Kui fu jing) by the playwright Kang Jinzhi (late thirteenth century). In that play, the impetuous Li Kui, a heavy like Zhang Fei, fi nds out he has wrongly accused his leader Song Jiang of abducting a girl and makes amends for his faux pas by capturing the bandits who were respon- sible for the kidnapping.2

Th e contents of the fi rst three acts show a remarkable similarity to the story of the fi rst meeting of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang and the latter’s victory over Xiahou Dun as told in the Records of the Th ree Kingdoms in Plain Language, as will become immediately clear from a comparison with the relevant section of that text (see Appendix 1, item 9). In the Records in Plain Language, Zhang Fei repeatedly gives expression to his antagonism toward Zhuge Liang, but when it comes to a description of Xiahou Dun’s doomed campaign, the action is very much described as observed from the perspective of Xiahou Dun. It is not at all clear from the Records in Plain Language whether Zhang Fei is under strict orders to capture or to kill Xiahou Dun. And while Zhang Fei on the one hand is described as a drunk (his common vice), on the other hand he is said to infl ict a heavy defeat on Xiahou Dun. In the Records in Plain Language, Xiahou Dun’s defeat through the superior strategy of Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu’s consequent praise for that strategy goad Cao Cao into invading Central China himself with an army of a million. Th e campaign is initially successful but fi nally ends in utter failure when Cao Cao’s attack results in bringing about a coalition of Liu Bei and Sun Quan. Eventually Cao Cao’s mighty fl eet is destroyed by fi re at the battle of Red Cliff . Th is use of fi re as a weapon of mass destruction by Zhuge Liang as found in the Records in Plain Language may very well have inspired the much greater emphasis on the use of fi re in Zhuge Liang’s victory over Xiahou Dun in Burning the Stores. Whereas the Records in Plain Language describes the rich stores in Bowang primarily as bait to entice Xiahou Dun to enter the walled city, the play waxes lyrical in its description of the confl agration and the huge number of its victims. Th e play is also more detailed in its description of the destructive power of the unleashed fl ood of river water after the breaching of a dam.

Th e fourth and fi nal act of Burning the Stores would appear to be the anony- mous playwright’s original contribution to the Th ree Kingdoms legend. Th e character of Guan Tong may well be his own invention since Guan Tong ap- pears nowhere else in Th ree Kingdoms literature. Guan Tong is portrayed as much as a wizard as a charlatan, since Zhuge Liang draws so much attention to the theatrical elements of his spectacular display of his guessing skills. Th e ad- dition of Guan Tong may have been motivated by a desire to round out the characterization of Zhuge Liang. Zhang Fei is hardly a match for Zhuge Liang

2. See West and Idema 2010, pp. 317–18, and translation by J. I. Crump in Crump 1980.

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200 Anonymous

in terms of guile and trickery, but Guan Tong allows a theatrical space for Zhuge Liang to show off his own talents in competition with a (supposedly superior) fellow student. Once Zhuge Liang has been shown to be able to out- wit Cao Cao’s ablest generals and advisers, it is only logical that the play should end with the capture of Cao Cao, as much as this act of poetic justice may be in confl ict with historic fact.3

Burning the Stores must have enjoyed a certain popularity. Not only was it printed in the fourteenth century, but it was also included in the Ming palace repertoire. Th e sixteenth-century manuscript deriving from the Ming palace repertoire provides a fully written out version of the play. As is common in Ming palace versions, the number of songs in each set has been reduced and other characters in addition to the male or female lead have been given exten- sive lines—in this case, very elaborate dialogues indeed. All lines in the prose and songs of the Th irty Yuan Plays edition that suggest that Liu Bei is an em- peror (or at least an emperor-to-be) have been carefully removed as it was not allowed to portray an emperor on stage at the Ming palace. Any doubt ex- pressed on the part of Zhuge Liang about putting himself in service to Liu Bei has also been removed with equal care. Th is means that there is no role for Liu Bei’s infant son as a deus ex machina anymore. As the play most likely had to function at court within a more extensive series of Th ree Kingdoms plays, there was no place for Cao Cao’s capture at the end of the play even if it might have pleased the audience, and it is now Guan Tong instead who is carted off in a prison wagon.

In the Romance of the Th ree Kingdoms, Liu Bei’s third visit to Zhuge Liang is described in the fi rst part of chapter 38, and Zhuge Liang’s defeat of Xiahou Dun is described in the second half of chapter 39. Th e novel has Guan Yu, as well as Zhang Fei, chafi ng at Zhuge Liang’s new authority and his place within the formerly closed circle of brotherhood.

3. Some modern editors are so uneasy about this blatant “historical mistake” that they insist on replacing the name of Cao Cao with that of Xiahou Dun or Guan Tong, even though the characters in the fourteenth-century woodblock edition are very clear and allow no doubt. Ap- parently these editors never have read Pu Songling’s (1640–1715) ballad, A Happy Song (Kuaiqu), in which Cao Cao, following his defeat at Red Cliff , is blocked from escaping back to Northern China and instead is captured and killed. Chinese authors were creative enough to not slavishly be bound by transmitted history and to be able to imagine how it might have been.

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Fig. 4. Page 9b of the Th irty Yuan Plays edition of Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang

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Fig. 5. Page 36b of the Ming palace edition of Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang with Zhao Qimei’s collations from the Th irty Yuan Plays edition

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203

Dramatis personæ in order of appearance Role type Name and family, institutional, or social role

Male lead Zhuge Liang

Acolyte Zhuge Liang’s boy servant

Imperial Uncle Liu Bei

Zhang Fei Zhang Fei

Guan Yu GuanYu

Zhao Yun Zhao Yun, general under Liu Bei’s army

Liu Feng Liu Feng, Liu Bei’s adopted son and general in Liu Bei’s army

Extra role unspecifi ed—Servant?

Baby Liu Bei’s infant son

Cao Cao Cao Cao

Xiahou Dun Xiahou Dun, general under Cao Cao’s command

Extra role unspecifi ed—Messenger?

Mi Zhu Mi Zhu, general in Liu Bei’s army

Mi Fang Mi Fang, general in Liu Bei’s army

Extra Guan Tong, trusted adviser of Cao Cao

Messenger Messenger

Emperor Emperor Xian

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204

Newly Cut with Plot Prompts

Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang From a Th irty Yuan Plays Edition

[Act 1]

male lead, costumed as zhuge liang, enters, opens:

I, this poor Daoist, am Zhuge Liang, also known as Kongming. My Daoist sobriquet is Recumbent Dragon. In a place called Longzhong, twenty miles west of Xiangyang, in Deng County of Nanyang, there is a ridge called Recumbent Dragon Ridge, a place perfect for plowing and hoeing. Recently the Prefect of Xinye, Liu Bei, came to visit me twice, but I’ve never had anything to do with him. And just because the aff airs of this world are in such chaos—dragons and tigers all mixed up and unclear which is which—I lie under the pine-shaded window of my thatched shack and read books on military strategy. Ai! Zhuge Liang, when will you make your appearance in the world?

([xianlü mode:] Dian jiangchun) I count down the August Ultimate,4 Consult the Changes of Zhou, And I comprehend the [apparent] principles of Heaven. I fully nourish its unseen mysteries, In anticipation of a “cloud-and-wind meeting of dragon and tiger.”5

(Hunjiang long) A morning will come, When I come out of this hut to point out and rectify the confusion

of men of this age.

4. Th e August Ultimate refers to the Book of the August Ultimate and the Ordering of the World (Huangji jingshi shu) by Shao Yong (1011–77). Th is book, published by his son Shao Bowen (b. 1046), provides a summary of Shao Yong’s numerological speculations on cosmological and his- torical cycles of development.

5. Th e emperor is a dragon; his ministers and generals are tigers; a “cloud-and-wind meeting” is a grand meeting of heroes or important men.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 205

I rely on my guts, stuff ed with stars and planets; If I fulfi ll my ambition to follow on these great changes like wind and

thunder, I’ll establish that Son of Heaven within the Dragon and Phoenix

Pavilions of a Ninefold Palace, And display to the eight directions my tiger- and wolf-like might as a

commander.

Act out being startled:

I see the wind winnow the shadow of the bamboo, Th e sun penetrate the pine-shaded window. I begin casting fortunes in my sleeves,6

And peek outside the door. Acolyte,

Prepare to receive his imperial majesty; get some tea ready. Th is is that as-yet-to-rise-to-prominence hidden dragon of an

emperor.

Act out pondering:

No, don’t lay out the rattan mats, But for the time being just close the brushwood gate.

Act out reading — wait until imperial uncle7 enters with retinue. — zhang fei yells out, stops. — After acolyte reports two times, SPEAK:8 Since he’s come to visit me three times in a year, and since it is his fated lot to become emperor, let me see him. What’s to fear? Tell that general named Liu to come over. — Act out greeting him — after liu bei makes his obeisances:

(Zui zhong tian) Let me rise to my feet as fast as fi re, And descend those steps with quickened pace— “You have truly worn out your body these two or three times! Forgive my fault in this for just a time, Please, Imperial Uncle,9 please sit down in peace.”

6. I.e., by counting his fi ngers in his sleeves. 7. In the stage directions Liu Bei most often is simply designated as “Liu,” less often as “Liu

Bei,” and once or twice as “Imperial Uncle” (huang shu). 8. Th e stage directions on occasion provide the direction “speak” in large characters in a black

cartouche. When this happens, we reproduce such a stage direction in uppercase letters. Usually, however, the lines spoken by the male lead are not introduced by a direct instruction to speak.

9. When Liu Bei early on in his career was received in audience by the emperor, the latter politely addressed him as “Imperial Uncle.”

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206 Anonymous

Wait until he fi nishes speaking:

From his mouth every sound is “this lonely and exhausted Liu Bei.” Don’t speak so crazily, What poor village yokel would have the eyes of Shun and the brows

of Yao?10

Act out having imperial uncle sit — wait until imperial uncle refuses to sit, SPEAK: May I ask why you have come to visit me? — After liu bei speaks: Please forgive me. Th is humble hermit is just a farmer from Nanyang, tempo- rarily hiding away from the world. How can I even begin to concern myself with the rise and fall of that human world of yours? I can’t go, I can’t go.

(You hulu) All I want is to imitate Chaofu and Xu You11 and wash right and

wrong from my ears, Practice the Way and its virtue, And happily ascend the jetty where Lü Wang did his fi shing.12

Who wants to squabble over fame and profi t between the horns of a snail?13

Who wants to seek an offi cial post in the middle of a spider’s web?

After liu bei speaks:

Just let me wear my clothes of straw and linen; Just let me eat my meals of goosefoot and pulse leaves. When the sun has risen three rods high, I still soundly sleep— Unconcerned that crow and hare rush on to east and west.14

(Tianxia le) Th is poor Daoist

Knows to do nothing of the world of men except sleep.

10. Yao and Shun both were emperors who ruled in a mythic past. Shun was renowned for having two pupils in each eye.

11. Chaofu (“Nestman”) and Xu You were famous hermits who lived during the time of Yao. When Xu You told Chaofu that Yao had off ered him the empire, Chaofu answered, “Why didn’t you hide your body and cover your brilliance? You are not my friend!” He thereupon went to a brook and rinsed out his ears. According to another legend, Xu You rinsed his ears after Yao had off ered him the empire.

12. See Tripartite Oath, n. 21. 13. Th e Zhuangzi contains a passage about two kingdoms that fi ght a war of attrition be-

tween the horns of a snail. Th is little story became a common metaphor for the fruitlessness of human confl ict or desire in a limitless world. See Zhuangzi 1891, p. 119.

14. Th e sun is inhabited by a three-legged crow, and the moon is the home of a hare that is pounding the medicine of immortality.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 207

After liu speaks:

In truth, I have no wisdom. All you wanted was to tell me to go down the mountain And exert some energy on your behalf. In truth this will not forestall the cold, Or save anyone from hunger, So why do you want me to go down this Recumbent Dragon Ridge?

After liu speaks: —15 When I consider it, it seems that none of those worthies you have sought have been used to the end. None of them had a good outcome. — After liu speaks:

(Nezha ling) When I think of presenting a jade, as Bian He did—16

I’d rather beg for food like Han Xin. All in vain you are like Zhang Liang presenting a sandal.17

When you want to use someone, you track them down in rivers and marshes,

Spy them out in mountain forests, And behave like a subservient inferior.

(Que ta zhi) But as soon as you have settled the Flowery Kingdom and

Barbaria,18

You stop treating everyone as an equal, Never thinking about when you were in dire straits And when you needed them! You quickly exercise your cunning plan To strip them of their offi ce, shut down their positions.

15. All spoken or sung lines are by the male lead, here Zhuge Liang. A colon (or a colon and a dash to indicate spacing in the original text) marks the point at which the lead singer speaks or sings. Since only the arias and speech of the lead singer are included, the text omits stage direc- tions indicating that the lead should sing or speak.

16. Bian He discovered a rock containing an excellent piece of jade, but when he presented the rock to King Li of Chu, the king’s jade workers rejected the rock and the king, thinking that Bian He had tried to cheat him, punished Bian He by removing the knee cap of his left leg. Later, Bian He presented the same rock to King Li’s successor, King Wu, who had his right knee cap removed. When King Wu’s successor, King Wen, eventually had Bian He’s rock split, the jade was discovered.

17. See Xiangyang Meeting, n. 54. 18. I.e., the Chinese empire and foreign lands; the known world.

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208 Anonymous

And just as quick, inside Weiyang Palace, You sentence them to slow slicing by ten thousand cuts!

After liu speaks: I won’t go! I won’t go!

(Jisheng cao) I’d rather plow some untamed land, Or weed a vegetable patch. I’ll be a companion of aged gibbons and wild deer, Master to disciples who are mountain lads and gatherers of wood, And the closest of friends with the fresh breeze and the bright moon. For me, this familiar existence of medicine stove and scrolls of the

classics Will be lived in a human habitat of bamboo fences and thatched

cottages.

After liu speaks — act out laughing sarcastically: General, you look down too easily on others!

(Reprise) Zhang Liang comprehended rise and fall; Yan Guang understood when to advance or retreat.19

At sunrise, one helped to enthrone the High Ancestor,20

At high noon, another established the Restoration Emperor, Now at eventide, how can you prop up the state of Lius? Isn’t it true: “One cock crows as soon as another dies— Th ere are only those who come afterward, none ever come before!”

After liu speaks: I was just joking. After acolyte speaks, yell: Shut up! After liu speaks: Since your two brothers have come with you, ask that one named Guan to come in. After guan greets you: Th is is a liege lord with qualities of the Five Hegemons.21 He really has an extraordinary appearance!

19. Yan Guang was a friend of Liu Xiu who, following the interregnum of the usurper Wang Mang’s short-lived Xin dynasty, restored the Han dynasty, becoming the fi rst emperor of the Eastern Han. When Liu Xiu had ascended the throne, Yan Guang went into hiding. Liu Xiu went to great eff ort and eventually succeeded in bringing Yan Guang to court, but the latter stubbornly refused all appointments and soon left to spend his fi nal years as a farmer and fi sherman.

20. Liu Bang, the founder of the Han dynasty, is known to history as Gaozu, or Exalted Ancestor. For his biography, see “Th e Exalted Emperor, Basic Annals 8,” in Sima Qian 2002, pp. 1–91, and “Basic Annals of Emperor Gaozu,” in Sima Qian 1993, pp. 51–88.

21. During the Eastern Zhou dynasty, the power of the kings of Zhou gradually declined while the power of their liege lords continued to increase. In the sixth to fi fth century bc a suc- cession of fi ve of these liege lords temporarily achieved a preeminent position among the liege lords by their military power, and they are known to history as the Five Hegemons (wuba).

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 209

(Jinzhan’er) He has a rising-oh-so-high nose of a noble eagle, Oh-so-long brows like molting silkworms, A pair of fragrant red cheeks as crimson as rouge, And a three-braided luxuriant black beard hanging down. Inside—hiding away the aura of a lord, Outside—displaying a terrifying awesomeness. Th is general: A general and minister while alive, A venerated god after he dies!

After liu speaks — after zhang fei speaks: — Ask that one named Zhang to come over. — zhang fei shouts, stops. Th is is another general with qualities of the Five Hegemons’ liege lords. But he is so fi erce!

(Zui zhong tian) So without reason, so without shame, He has no sense of superior or inferior, ignores all hierarchies. Who are you staring at with those round and bulging eyes? His ochre sideburns bristle As he displays the kingly aura of those fi ve liege-lord hegemons. He keeps calling on Heaven and shouting to Earth.

General, You really can play the part of “a rude and rash Zhang Fei.”

After liu speaks: — Ask them to come in. After you greet zhao yun: — Is this a family general or one who surrendered? — After liu speaks — after you greet liu feng: — Is this general the son of your main wife or a concubine? After liu speaks:

(Jinzhan’er) Th is one is “an adopted son who is full of plans”; And this, “a surrendered general displaying his loyalty and

uprightness.” Both will live up to their jobs when they are placed amidst the liege

lords. Zhao Yun is capable of executing a plan while engaging in battle; Liu Feng can also defeat the enemy. On the fi eld of battle, this general will test warhorse against warhorse; And in the front lines, this general will wave the battle banner. So we can surely prepare “whips to beat out the rhythm on golden

spurs, And men to sing songs of victory as they return.”

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210 Anonymous

After liu speaks, SPEAK: Now if I, this poor hermit, would come with you, with whom will you vie to win the world? — After liu speaks: — Let’s talk about Cao Cao: he already oversees a multitude of millions and commands the liege lords because he controls the Son of Heaven. His power is so great that you cannot go to war against him! — After liu speaks: If you want to discuss Sun Quan: he is the third generation to fi rmly possess the land Left of the River. While his kingdom is diffi cult to attack, his people are devoted to him, and he employs wise and capable men. His power is so great that you cannot go to war against him. He can be your support, but not the object of your plans. — After liu speaks: — Th ere is a kingdom you should scheme for: you should take Jingzhou for your principal and Yizhou for your interest.22 — After liu asks a question: — Let’s fi rst talk about Jingzhou. To the north it controls the Han and the Mian, and it collects all profi ts from the Southern Seas; to the east it is connected to Suzhou and Shaoxing, and to the west it trades with Shu and Ba. Th is is a kingdom with which one can go to war. Th ere, lord Liu Biao is unable to guard it, and this must be why Heaven grants it to you, my general. Next let me talk about Yizhou. It is protected by natural barriers. With its thousand miles square of fertile fi elds this land is Heaven’s Storehouse. Liu Zhang is stupid and weak and Zhang Lu rules in the north. Th e population is prosper- ous and the kingdom is wealthy, but the rulers have no idea how to preserve the people and succor them. Th e smart and capable offi cers there seek an enlight- ened ruler. General, you are not only a scion of the house of Han, but your reli- ability and righteousness are renowned throughout the world. If you can take possession of Yizhou and maintain its mountainous borders, keep peace with the barbarians and conclude an alliance with Sun Quan, perfect the admin- istration inside your kingdom, and keep a close eye on developments outside your country, you can achieve a hegemon’s enterprise and the house of Han can be restored!

(Houting hua) By strategy I can subdue Huang Hansheng;23

22. Jingzhou here refers both to the city of Xiangyang and the area of Hubei more generally. Yizhou corresponds to modern Sichuan.

23. Huang Hansheng is Huang Zhong (d. 220). Huang Zhong hailed from Nanyang, and initially served under Liu Biao. Huang Zhong joined Liu Bei following the battle at Red Cliff . He played a major role in Liu Bei’s later conquest of Yizhou. He is one of the so-called Five Tiger Generals (wuhujiang) who fought on the side of Shu Han. Th is group also includes Ma Chao (176–226) and Zhao Yun (d. 229). Th ese generals were fi rst grouped together in Chen Shou’s Records of the Th ree Kingdoms in a single biography.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 211

With power I can defeat Ma Mengqi,24

But I truly cannot go to battle against Zhou Gongjin,25

And I truly cannot achieve victory over Cao Mengde.26

After examining liu:

I fi nish completely physiognomizing his features— Alas! He will be emperor for barely three years.

Act out letting it go:

Let’s not go to war! Th e proverb says: “To cede to others is not idiocy.”

After liu speaks — act out refusing to go — after extra, holding a baby in his arms, greets you — act out being fl abbergasted: Acolyte, get ready to leave. Th ere is here, after all, a Son of Heaven who will reign for forty years! Wait until liu bei and his party express their gratitude:

(Zhuansha) I will take your Sun, Liu, and Cao, And establish from them the Wu, Shu, and Wei. Th en it will be a tripartite empire, resembling the feet of a tripod.

After liu speaks:

Even though they have stolen the best of land’s benefi t and Heaven’s timing,

Relying on our mutual harmony, we will create our enterprise and establish a foundation.

Acolyte, quickly get things ready! We will travel together as dragon and tigers, First occupying the four thousand miles of Shu!27

24. Ma Chao originally served Zhang Lu, but he was slandered and surrendered to Liu Bei. 25. According to the Records of the Th ree Kingdoms, Zhou Yu (175–210) died at thirty-fi ve

years of age a year after being seriously injured by an arrow and on the verge of launching a major campaign against Shu. Th e Ming novel, the Romance of the Th ree Kingdoms, attributes his fi nal demise to his being thrice frustrated by Zhuge Liang’s superior skills and dying as a result. A man of great success and brilliant strategy and the hero of the battle of Red Cliff , Zhou Yu was destined to be always in the shadow of Zhuge Liang. In the novel, he asks on his deathbed, “Once Heaven gave birth to Zhou Yu, why did it allow Zhuge Liang to be born?” (jisheng Yu he sheng Liang?)

26. Cao Cao. 27. Shu is another designation for the area of modern Sichuan.

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212 Anonymous

After zhang fei speaks, sing facing guan:

I face Yunchang28 to explain, “I must have it out with Zhang Fei, who made me angry.”

After liu bei speaks: My lord, have no worries,

Just watch as I casually29 hand you that Coiling Dragon Robe!30

Exit.

[Act 2]

After cao cao and xiahou dun speak31 — with liu bei, enter as the male lead, costumed as field marshal — after liu bei speaks: I, Zhuge Liang, lack any capacity, but thanks to your generous blessing, my lord, and the tiger-like power of your generals, I have been allowed to become a successful man.

([nanlü mode:] Yizhi hua) Multicolored banners obscure the sky, Floral-patterned drums shake the earth. A green dragon—the moon-sickle blade, A silver serpent—a tempered-steel poison. Arrayed in rows: stirrups, cudgels, spears, and whips, Lacquered vermilion red: crossbows with decorated bow tips. Beasts swallowing heads: battleaxes of tempered metal. We have fi fty offi cers—ridge-leaping racing tigers, And twenty thousand fi erce predatory catamounts that climb the

mountains.

(Liangzhou [diqi]) Th e fact that I’m sitting in this military tent with its seven layers of

encircling guards Is all due to your visits to my thatched cottage on Recumbent

Dragon Ridge. I regard all the bandits of this realm as nothing, For my skills in manipulating the cosmos Are my very techniques to stabilize the empire. Relying on this single marvelous scheme of mine,

28. Guan Yu is also known as Guan Yunchang. 29. More literally: while laughing and bantering. 30. In this play the end of the “act” is marked by a long dash. 31. Th is conversation will have constituted a short, independent scene.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 213

And three scrolls of heavenly writings, I will manifest a divine strategy and concentrate alone on Wu in the

east, Th en rely on your humane way to single-handedly occupy Shu in

the west. Banking on General Guan and Zhang Fei at your side, my lord, What need to fear Zhang Liao and Xu Chu under Cao Cao’s

command? Or Sun Quan’s use of Lu Su and Zhou Yu!

After extra reports, after liu bei speaks, act out smiling coldly:

I was just wondering what kind of matter Was reported, When it turned out to be that blind hero Xiahou Dun who drives

his troops And considers me, this poor Daoist, just so much mud. Th at damnable nobody may command an army, But how dare he rile up this plow boy?

After liu bei speaks: My lord, do not worry!

(Muyang guan) We are protected by your virtue that shines in the sky like sun and

moon In this imperial abode, redoubtable as mountains and rivers— Please, my lord, relax your furrowed brow. Watch this poor Daoist take in hand the mists and grab the clouds; Watch this poor Daoist summon the wind and call down the rain! Like a child’s game I will fi rst conquer Wei, And just as casually gobble up all of Wu. I will make sure my merit caps that of the Th ree Dukes,32

And that “my fame will be completed by the Eightfold Battle Array.”33

32. Th e Th ree Dukes is a collective reference to the paramount aides to the ruler, holding the highest ranks in the bureaucracy.

33. Zhuge Liang is credited with the design of eight diff erent battle arrays. Rock formations outside Fengjie in Sichuan were believed to represent his eight formations. In the Tang, the po- etic master Du Fu (ad 712–70) eulogized Zhuge Liang in his famous poem “Th e Diagram of Eight Formations” (trans. Owen 1996, p. 432):

His deeds overshadowed a land split in three; his fame was achieved in these Eight Formations. Th e river fl ows on, the rocks do not budge, pain surviving from failure to swallow Wu.

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214 Anonymous

After zhang fei speaks — act out shouting him down: Off to the side; I am not going to use you! Zhao Yun, come here and listen to my orders.

(Sikuai yu) I order you, Zhao Yun. Do not tarry or stay: Put on your armor and battle dress and command your fi ghting

men— Quickly now, with lance athwart, mount your horse and become my

vanguard.

After zhang fei speaks: Zhao Yun,

Follow my orders and listen to my commission. Pay no attention to whatever others say: My order to you is not to win but only to lose.

After zhang fei speaks: I am not using you! Liu Feng, listen to my orders.

(Muyang guan) I want you to set out your battalions like the scales of a fi sh, Form your squadrons like a fl ock of geese: Execute your plans and unroll your strategies according to me. I only want you to raise your voices and wave the banners; I only want you to beat the gongs and pound the drums. When he fl ees from you, dash into the middle of his army; But if he chases you, hide away in ambush on grassy slopes. Battle him straightaway until that miscreant is fi lled with fear; Keep scaring him until that traitor’s gall is gone!

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 215

After zhang fei speaks: Off to the side! I am not using you! Mi Zhu and Mi Fang,34 listen to my orders.

(He xinlang) Prepare plenty of fi re gourds35 in Bowang town, And after you trick him to enter, fi rst set fi re to his carts and cut off

supplies, And when you get the chance, put the torch to their encampment. Have bombs of fi re as big as cartwheels dance in the sky— Let the fi re close on them until the gods cry and ghosts weep; Burn them with fi re until the horses die and the men disappear. Make them all fl ee for their lives from the central fi re; Make them all lose their miserable bodies in that phalanx of fi re!

After zhang fei speaks:

General Zhang, there’s no use getting angry at the bottom of the steps—

Th is is a method from the Th ree Strategies of the Yellow Lord; And is described in the Six Tactics of Lü Wang!

After zhang fei speaks: To one side! I am not going to use you. Call Guan forth to heed my general’s command.

(Ma yulang) Lord Guan, hold the ford at White River for me And dispatch your troops to dam the river and lake. In night’s depth rein in your horse and look down from a high ridge. Harness the river’s fl ow, And if their army crosses And arrives at the deepest spot,

34. Th ese are two brothers, Mi Zhu the elder, who were early supporters of Liu Bei. Mi Fang, in particular, followed Liu Bei on several campaigns. When Liu began his campaign to take Yizhou (modern Chengdu), Mi Fang and a second person, Shi Ren, shared governance of Jing- zhou with Guan Yu. But the two men both felt slighted by Guan Yu and did not get along well with him. In the historical record, Mi Fang is forced to surrender Jingzhou to the armies of Wu. In the Tale of Hua Guan Suo and the Romance of the Th ree Kingdoms, they are chastised for allow- ing stores to be burned (or destroyed, depending on which story) and are upbraided by Guan Yu. Th ey then off ered up Jingzhou to Wu. In the historical records, Mi Zhu, apologizes to Liu Bei for his brother’s actions, is pardoned, and dies soon after from illness. In the vernacular rendi- tions, he is with his brother in Jingzhou and aids in the surrender. Th eir actions are thought to lead indirectly to the death of Guan Yu.

35. Gourds fi lled with easily combustible materials that will help spread a fi re.

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216 Anonymous

(Gan huang’en) Th en open up every ditch and channel And drown all their troops! In the billowing waves, Aloft on the waves, Th ey will lie on their bellies like dogs. So let you not brag of being stalwart heroes— Because all of you will feed the fi shes and shrimps! And even if you fl ee from this disaster, Or escape with your life, You still will fall into my trap!

(Caicha ge) Half of them will be burned away, Half drowned and gone— How much better than one hook of scented bait catching a giant

turtle!

After zhang fei speaks:

Th ere’s no need for any display of martial valor to catch them, When I will get them, I will not spend any eff ort at all.

After zhang fei protests loudly — after liu bei intervenes [on his behalf ] — SPEAK: Out of respect for our lord I will employ you, so listen to my orders. Wait until Zhao Yun has seduced them into battle, Liu Feng has chased them into Bowang, Mi Fang and Mi Zhu have torched the town, and Lord Guan has fl ooded them, then—when his huge army of four hundred thousand is win- nowed down to some twenty defeated soldiers who have fought until they are worn out and wounded by arrows and swords—I will use you to engage them in battle. I’ll do thus and so:

(Hong shaoyao) I don’t want you to bare your fi sts, roll up your sleeves, and let your

careless temper out; I don’t want you to shout out loudly or cry at the top of your voice. I only want you to hold your tongue, suppress your rage, and not

blabber away; I only want you to secretly lie in waiting. Wait until the wind has cleared after the second watch, And when those fewer-than-twenty troops who are left from the

defeat— And, after all the fi ghting are reeling left and right, wounded by

barbed arrows—

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 217

Are barely, just barely able to force themselves to stand. . . .

(Pusa Liangzhou) When their desire is set solely on the trek ahead, And they just happen at that moment to cut across the escape route, Th ey will run right into you as they pass— How will you answer me if you fail to nab them?

Wait until he speaks: — I’m afraid you will not be able to arrest those twenty or so fl eeing troops! — After zhang fei speaks:

General Zhang, the two of us will establish a contract: If you are personally able to capture that Xiahou Dun . . .

After zhang fei speaks:

I’m sure he’ll remain unfound, even though you wear out a pair of iron-soled shoes.

After zhang fei speaks:

If you disobey my orders, I will not lightly forgive you!

After zhang fei speaks:

If you are victorious, I’ll have the tiger tally attached to your belt. But if you do not win you’ll learn my crafty plan to have you

beheaded!

After liu speaks: — My lord, let’s see how this battle will go. Generals, be care- ful and alert!

(Sui shawei) Because these thousands of tigers and leopards now depart from

hidden valleys, It will turn out four hundred thousand jackals and wolves will lie

along the roadside. I call Zhao Yun: “Remember your duty”; I summon Liu Feng: “Make no mistakes by not being decisive”; I dispatch Lord Guan And send off Mi Zhu. It’s only Zhang Fei who needs instruction: “Stage it all just as I said,

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218 Anonymous

And heed my words. If by any chance you screw up this military situation, Don’t think that I will bear the blame! I, Zhuge Liang, have my eyes and ears, No room here for your ‘Brothers are like hands and feet’.”

Zhang Fei, listen! If you don’t nab him . . . I’ll make sure you’re not the master of what’s left of your rude and

rash life.

[Act 3]

Wait until the generals have each done one scene. — After zhang fei speaks36 — enter as male lead. — After imperial uncle speaks, SPEAK: Th ey have all surely been victorious this time. My lord, please do not worry.

([shuangdiao mode:] Xinshui ling) I command two thousand offi cers, men clad in iron, ready for battle, Except for that rash Zhang Fei who will not submit to me. To wrest away the Flying Phoenix Pylons, You asked me to leave Recumbent Dragon Ridge. Th is time’s success or failure, rise or fall, Will all come clear in an hour.

After zhao yun enters and greets you: A great general who did execute my plan! Bring in the wine!

(Bubu jiao) How could this general out on point, willing to risk his life, Control the horse he was riding—like a dragon emerging from the

waves? He employed an ivory-tipped, green-lacquered lance.

Oh, A hero capable of executing a plan—you really are strong! One day you will be in charge of the rules of the court; You will become the minister heading the chancellery.

After pouring him wine — [after liu feng enters and greets you]: Liu Feng, how did my plan work out? After liu feng speaks and after handing him a cup:

36. As becomes clear from the text below, Zhang Fei and the other generals now leave the stage, before the male lead enters with Liu Bei. Th e other generals will each have reported how they accomplished their mission, while Zhang Fei will have told how he failed to capture Xiahou Dun.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 219

(Feng ru song) Who can compete in martial arts with Liu Feng? By nature his physique is most awe-inspiring! Whenever there was an opening, he fi ercely dashed into the center of

the troops, Like a raving tiger scattering a herd of sheep. Th is time the wine you drink is well won; If you will not be an emperor, you will certainly be a king!

After pouring wine — after mi fang and mi zhu enter and greet you — after pouring wine:

(Shuixianzi) Oh,

Mi Fang and Mi Zhu securely guarded the borders; To my delight they went into battle without deliberation. In the town of Bowang they blocked the roads with deer antlers;37

And, luring them into the city, just as they drew near, Burned the piled-up straw and stores of grain on all four sides. Th e fi re’s bright glare closed in on troops and offi cers; Its fl aring fl ames scorched the vault of heaven, And in this way, “horses died, the men lost their lives.”

After guan enters and greets you: General, you have worn yourself out control- ling the fl oods.38 After lord guan speaks:

(Chuan bo zhao) I did not summon Yunchang in vain: Th is even surpasses his attacking Che Zhou and beheading Cai

Yang!39

As I asked, the water was blocked with sand bags And the long stream was dammed up, So the water of White River steadily rose higher and higher. Xiahou Dun was in deep agitation, Th e remnant of his defeated army in a panic.

(Qi dixiong)

37. “Deer antlers” are pointed multi-branch stakes, planted in the ground. Th ey are used to block (or at least hinder) the attack of enemy troops; here they were used to close off certain roads so that the army had to follow a precise route to the predetermined site where they would be trapped by fi re.

38. A joking reference to Yu’s work in controlling the fl oods. 39. Two famous earlier victories of Guan Yu. See Appendix 1, items 6 and 7.

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220 Anonymous

Here, you released the water, Th ere, you breached the dam: How, you say, could they defend themselves? Like a boundless ocean the force of the water fl owed down from

heaven, And horses and men all bobbed amidst the fl owering reeds!

(Meihua jiu) With deepest feelings I off er you this jade fl agon, And sincerely thank you for extending our borders. Because you saved His Majesty and supported your king, In later times you will enter the temple and ascend the hall.40

You depended on your Green Dragon blade to pacify the empire, Relied on Red Hare, your mount, to stabilize house and state. I remember how after Xuchang, How after Xuchang, you submitted to Cao Cao; Having submitted to Cao Cao, you were received by the emperor; Once received by the emperor, you were gifted with court robes; Once gifted with court robes, you took your seat in the executive

offi ce. Seated in the executive offi ce, you became a Prime Minister; Having become Prime Minister, you led your private offi cers, Led your private offi cers to ascend a high hillock; Having ascended the high hillock, you espied the enemy troops; Espying the enemy troops, you did not weigh your options; Without weighing your options you gave your horse free rein; Giving your horse free rein, you entered the battlefi eld; Entering the battlefi eld, you confronted the warriors; Confronting the warriors, your spirits were high!

(Shou Jiangnan) In high spirits you reined in your horse and stabbed Yan Liang; And, stabbing Yan Liang, you were bruited about throughout the

world.41

Servants, prepare the wine. General Zhang will surely have merit to reveal. Sing:

40. Th is is a reference to the fact that Guan Yu will become apotheosized later and will be the object of worship in temples dedicated to him, where his image will be installed.

41. While Guan Yu served Cao Cao, he killed Yuan Shao’s general Yan Liang (d. 200), who had inspired fear in Cao Cao’s troops by his quick victories over a number of Cao’s generals. See Appendix 1, item 7.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 221

My lord, be ready to present a cup of the fi nest wine. General Zhang is rude and rash: When he arrives, we’ll see who wins, who loses.

After zhang fei enters and greets you: — General Zhang, how come you look like this?42 After zhang speaks:

(Yan’er luo) General,

Since you don’t “beat out the rhythm on golden stirrups with your whips”—

Shouldn’t you “sing a song of victory in unison”? But you have tightly bound your arms crisscross, I see, And you stretch out your neck as straight as can be.

(Desheng ling) Aren’t you that purple-gold pillar erected over the ocean?43

Such a general surely is no Pagoda-Lifting Heavenly King Li!44

Didn’t you earlier say, “If I lose, you win my head!” Didn’t you say, “If I don’t win, my name is not Zhang!” When you left, you were all ferocity, Upset you couldn’t jump three thousand rods in one go. But today you are in a panic.

General, Isn’t it said that a real man should rely on himself?

Servants, take him outside and report once you have beheaded him.

(Gu meijiu) I order the soldiers to prepare the execution grounds; I command the servants to arrange the swords and lances in a row. Take him out of the headquarter gates and don’t ask any questions! Is it not the case, “A person cannot pass from this existence, Th ough his dead body lies on the fi eld of execution.”45

42. As a defeated general, Zhang Fei may have entered the stage in shackles or carrying thorns as a sign of attrition.

43. From the phrase common in colloquial literature for a mainstay of the court or the army: “A white jade pillar that holds up heaven, a purple gold beam that stretches across the ocean” (chengtian baiyu zhu jiahai zijin liang).

44. Li Jing, a fi erce divine warrior and protector of Buddhism. 45. A tentative translation for the lines ren bude miexiang / sishihai wo yunyang chang. Th e

term miexiang has two basic meanings: “to look lightly on a person” (i.e., to obliterate his image) and “to pass from the present to extinction” (Buddhist).

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222 Anonymous

(Taiping ling) Grisly and frightening, stick his head on the end of a spear— Th at’s so much better than when you tried to one-up everyone at the

steps.

After liu bei intervenes:

Here I have Zhang Yide’s writ acknowledging his crimes: Now let him know the courage of this country yokel who runs the army!

Order the beheading — after intervention:

Zhang Fei, After you go through this event In front of me You’ll have to bow in submission.

After zhang speaks:

I will let you off this time on behalf of our lord!

After imperial uncle speaks — after off ering zhang fei a cup of wine to sup- press his fright: Since I have won this round, do not dare look upon me like you did then.

(Yuanyang wei) Today I sit in the golden-tipped lotus-fl ower tent, of a commander of

three armies, Wrapped in an embroidered brocade clouds-and-cranes gown of the

seven stars.46

As soon as I have pacifi ed Shu in the west, Th is poor Daoist will return to Nanyang. I loudly proclaim, “I view Cao Cao and Sun Quan Like the passing of a breeze or the scratching of an itch.”

After liu speaks:

Please, my lord and Guan and Zhang— Stop! Stop! Th ere’s no need for such praise! Our lord’s generous blessing is without bounds But wait with your rewards until I have established the house of Liu!

46. Th e seven stars are the stars of the Dipper (Ursa Major) and hold great magical power. Th e crane that soars through the clouds is an image of the immortal, and therefore of the perfect Daoist master.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 223

[Act 4]

cao cao and guan tong do one scene. — leading male and imperial uncle and his party enter. — imperial uncle opens. After a banquet has been laid out:

([zhonglü mode:] Fendie’er) Th is battle with Cao Cao to lay fi rst claim Resembles nothing so much as a spring dream: How could he contain this band of the fi nest heroes of the land? Each of them is good at engaging in battle, Capable of inciting a fi ght. Out of the ordinary, above the masses, All have accomplished great deeds, Th ey truly are supporting roof beams of this age, setting up the

cosmos!

(Zui chunfeng) In those days the Son of Heaven of Zhou dreamt “not of a bear,”47

In these days our lord invited me, Recumbent Dragon. But why did I thrice refuse to leave my thatched cottage? I truly was weary of the hustle And bustle. To hold power in the age of the Th ree Kingdoms, To be the leader responsible to only the Single Man,48

Cannot compare with sowing my fi elds on the hillside.

After seeing the wind rise up and considering the matter: — My lord, don’t drink your wine. Today we will be visited by a secret agent. After zhang fei speaks — after liu speaks: — He will be here before noon. — After liu speaks: — Generals, act according to my instructions. After instructing zhao yun and he speaks — after you summon liu feng and he speaks — after you call zhang fei and lord guan and they speak: — My lord, you should leave this place. I will act in such and such a way. — After you whisper in his ear — after you summon liu back and speak to him a second time: Don’t forget that one item! Th ey all exit: — Mi Fang and Mi Zhu, you two stay here at my side! — After you whisper once again: — Keep watch at the front gate of the camp. In case someone ar-

47. Once, when King Wen planned a hunting party, he performed an osomancy and was told, “What you will capture will be neither a horned dragon nor an unhorned dragon, neither a tiger nor a brown bear. What you will capture will be the assistant of the Hegemon to the King.” What he encountered, of course, was Lü Wang. See “T’ai-kung of Ch’i, Hereditary House 2,” in Sima Qian 2006, pp. 36–37.

48. Th e Single Man is the highest ruler, the Son of Heaven.

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224 Anonymous

rives, report his arrival to me. Wait until guan tong enters and speaks — after extra reports — act out hurrying to welcome him: Th is is my elder brother. Bring him some wine!

(Ying xianke) Quickly set out the jade goblets, Bring out the golden fl agons: Th is is my sworn brother from twenty years ago when we were only

students!

Act out bowing:

Have you lived in the area of River’s East these last few years? Or did you reside in Hanzhong?

After extra speaks:

I never expected we would meet each other today. Dear brother, you’ve gone to such trouble to make this journey!

Generals, do not treat this man with any disrespect. He is my elder brother. He is unique in this whole wide world. He knows everything I have learned, but I do not know all that he has mastered. Bring more wine! We brothers should celebrate all day! After extra49 speaks:

(Zhulü qu) Who among your brothers wanted to follow the dragon king and get

in this mess? Who intended to move tiger generals around to vie for glory?50

It’s all the fault of that Xu Shu51

Who praised me far too highly to these people! Th ey had not yet managed to fi nd a Pang Tong,52

And when they fi nally invited this dragon lying low,53 I surpassed that Old Lord Jiang54 on the banks of the Wei!

Act out requesting extra to show his tricks — act out telling extra to point at mi fang and mi zhu: — Whatever the two of you hold to your chest or grasp in

49. Here the extra plays the part of Guan Tong. 50. On dragons and tigers, see note 5. 51. Xu Shu was a friend of Zhuge Liang. When Liu Bei settled in Xinye, Xu Shu joined Liu

Bei and recommended Zhuge Liang to him. Soon afterward Xu Shu had to leave Liu Bei and join up with Cao Cao because Cao Cao had captured his mother.

52. Pang Tong (179–214) would join Liu Bei following the battle of Red Cliff and become one of his most valuable aides.

53. “Dragon lying low” (fulong) here refers to Zhuge Liang. 54. See Tripartite Oath, n. 21.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 225

your hands, no matter what it is, my brother will guess right ten out of ten times! — Wait until mi fang and mi zhu act out having him guess: Brother, please guess!

(Ti yindeng) It is not that I am showing off here in front of the steps; Or that you are watching sleights of hand on the stage. You generals show no alarm, afraid that he might guess wrong: Just watch my brother’s magical art, supernatural power!

After ordering him to guess:

Th is is a true skill; Don’t say it’s just a simple trick: Open your eyes as wide as you can and look closely!

(Manjingcai) You must ball your fi sts so tightly no seam can be seen; You truly must carefully hide the black and white stones. My elder brother defi nitely has given this quite some eff ort.

After seeing the go stones:

Generals, our lives and our deaths Are there in the palm of his hand, So it’s reasonable to say, “If he’s not wiped out, then what’s the use?”

Act out getting on your feet and calling for rice. After mi fang has asked a question:

(Kuaihuo san) His intentions really displeased me, But my own intent was even harder to take. He intended to set out a snare, install a hidden bow, But he was led by my plan into this cave of spells.

(Baolao’er) For us

“Generalship depends on planning, not on courage”: He’s a cinnabar mountain phoenix, halted by me.

Stop the tricks:

Don’t show off your tricks in front of these generals, brother; I too am up to earning the emperor’s pay. In truth, when it comes to discussing Heaven and stirring Earth, Moving the stars or switching the Dipper, I have supernatural powers not of the ordinary kind!

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226 Anonymous

When it comes to snatching banners and stealing drums, Staging the troops and arranging arrays, I have my own and special family tradition!

Wait until all speak: My brother, you just displayed your little tricks, but by the time the rice is here, I will have you see a technique that will shake the gates of heaven! — Lead guan tong by the hand and speak: Let’s leave this tent and have a look at the house in which I live. — Act out taking a turn around the stage: — Th is place is much better than that thatched cottage. — After guan tong asks a question — act out ordering the two generals to leave you alone: — Brother, what is locked up in the southernmost room on the western side? Please guess! — After he guesses and speaks — after you open the door — after zhao yun en- ters: Isn’t this general a liege lord like one of the Five Hegemons? — After extra speaks: — Does Cao Cao have generals like him? After extra speaks — ask him the question, pointing out the two rooms of your brothers — after extra speaks — after you ask the same question in the same way one after another — after he examines each in the same way — point at the fi fth room and ask extra male: What is in the fi rst room on the west? — After extra guesses — after you open the door — after imperial uncle enters: — Th is is a Son of Heaven holding the true mandate. — Wait until he has asked his question: I will explain it to you, with one line for each person. Point at extras:55

(Shi’er yue) Th is is Zilong from Changshan,56

Th is is the adopted son Liu Feng, Th is is the hero Yide,57 And this is the righteous and courageous Lord Guan.

After guan tong speaks:

If you recognize the true mandate, my dear brother Guan Tong, How come this Liu Bei is still “lonely and destitute”?

After extra physiognomizes him — after extra orders the eastern room to be opened: Don’t open that room on the east!

(Yaomin ge) Stop, lest you break the golden chain and allow the dragon to escape!

After the door has been opened — after baby is carried on stage:

55. Th e “extras” here are the actors performing as the generals. 56. Zhao Yun. 57. Zhang Fei.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang 227

Th is one will act as lord of the future house of Liu!

After [guan tong] speaks:

At present Liu Biao of Jingzhou has off ered up the lands in River’s East,

And Liu Zhang of Yizhou has destroyed the imperial palace. Lofty and high, So high and lofty! I envision the western streams Like a fairyland on earth!

After scrutinizing all — act out confi rming him as the true emperor: — Brother, where do you want to go? Here is the true emperor. Wouldn’t it be best if we brothers stayed together? — After extra speaks: — I already prepared no more than three days ago. After extra asks a question — messenger arrives — take cao cao outside — emperor sends him off with a judgment.58

DISPERSAL SCENE

title: Prime Minister Cao dispatches his horses and troops; Xiahou Dun can neither advance nor retreat.

name: Guan Yunchang releases the waters of White River; Zhuge Liang burns the stores at Bowang.

Newly Cut with Plot Prompts: Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang

Finished

58. It is not quite clear how the play ends in the Th irty Yuan Plays edition. It is clear that the play departs from history (to the great unease of modern editors) in ending with the capture and beheading of Cao Cao. Th e text does not specify which general captured Cao Cao, but most likely Zhang Fei redeems himself by doing so. Th e emperor role could refer to Liu Bei, but he is otherwise never designated in this manner in the stage directions of our text, so perhaps Em- peror Xiandi comes on stage to praise Liu Bei and his supporters for their loyalty to the house of Han. Th e phrase “sends off with a judgment” (duanchu) appears in several other dramas; here it is clearly used to dispatch Cao Cao to his execution.

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228

Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang (From a Ming Palace Edition)

Act 4

(cao cao enters, leading soldiers, speaks:)

One who lacks righteous hatred is no gentleman; One without poison is no real man.

I am Cao Cao. I really hate that Zhuge Liang who is so disrespectful, and I want ever more to be done with him because of what he did to the million troops of Xiahou Dun—he destroyed them all with fi re and water in Bowang City. Now that my Commander in Chief Guan Tong is over his illness, I’ve asked him to come here so that I can honor him as Commander in Chief. Th en what’s to prevent me from battling with Liu Xuande? Captain, keep watch at the gate and if the old master comes along, report it to me. (soldier speaks:) Understood. (guan tong enters and speaks:)

As soon as my precious sword leaves its scabbard, demons and devils are in fear;

My jasper lute is thrummed but once, and ghosts and spirits are frightened. After fi nishing my lecture on the Scripture of the Yellow Court, my mind is at

ease and pure; In silken headdress and with feathered fan, I discuss literature with fi nesse.

I, this poor Daoist under the aegis of Minister Cao, am Guan Tong. I was origi- nally from Deng County in Nanyang, and when young I studied the same arts in the same place with Pang Degong and Zhuge Liang. We all became complete talents in both the civil and military arts. Now this Minister Cao has brought me here to the land of Wei and made me Commander in Chief to train his three armies. I

Rely on my tricks to open the gates of heaven, And establish my merit without shrinking away in fear.

I was just in my private residence when a soldier came to report that Cao Cao requested my appearance. Here I am, already. Captain, report that Guan Tong

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang (Ming Palace Edition) 229

is at the door. (soldier speaks:) Understood. Reporting! I want to let you know that Guan Tong is at the door. (cao cao speaks:) Invite him in. (soldier speaks:) Understood. Please come in! (guan tong acts out performing a formal greeting, speaks:) Minister, what did you have to discuss with me? (cao cao speaks:) Th e only reason I have invited you here, master, is that I cannot endure that that disrespectful Zhuge Liang completely annihilated the million troops of Xiahou Dun. I have asked you here today so I may honor you as Com- mander in Chief. How can we plan to smash those three brothers and take Zhuge Liang alive? What ideas do you have? (guan tong speaks:) Rest easy on this matter, my minister. I am an old friend and fellow disciple of Zhuge Liang. Before we battle with Liu, Guan, and Zhang, I’ll go to Xinye fi rst and persuade him to join us in the space of a single banquet. Th en with joined hearts and united strength, we’ll smash Liu, Guan, and Zhang—there’s time yet. What do you think, sir? (cao cao speaks:) Th is is a marvelous plan! Commander, you go on fi rst to Xinye, and persuade Zhuge Liang; if he is willing to join under my aegis, and take those three brothers alive, I will award you with noble rank. (guan tong speaks:) I’d better set off today for this long journey.

Th ere’s no need to drive forth armies and generals. A marvelous plan quickly puts all in order;

I’ll just lightly, slightly drop the hook, And make him rise gradually to the bait.

(Exits.)

(cao cao speaks:) Master Guan Tong is gone now. Th is trip will surely be a success. If Zhuge Liang can indeed submit to me, I have my own plan.

Today Guan Tong has begun his journey, Straightaway to Xinye to visit the Recumbent Dragon;

If he gets that plower and planter from Nanyang, I’ll take Liu Bei and the other two.

(Exits.)

(male lead, with male lead liu, male lead guan, zhang fei, zhao yun, mi zhu, mi fang, liu feng, enters, leading troops.) (male lead liu speaks:) Master, it is clear that all the generals owe their success in this fi erce battle, when we burned the stores at Bowang, to your careful planning. Let’s have a banquet today to celebrate you, master. (male lead speaks:) Noble Xuande, arrange the host of generals in orderly ranks. I just cast a fortune in my sleeves and today, right at noon, there will be a “persuader” guest arriving here. All of you generals, I want you to put on your most awesome display. (Sings:)

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230 Anonymous

(zhonglü mode: Fendie’er) Ever since the battle with Cao Cao to lay fi rst claim, It has resembled nothing so much as a spring dream: Now arrange in rank these fi nest heroes of the land: Each of them good at engaging in battle, Capable of inciting a fi ght. Out of the ordinary, above the masses, All have accomplished great deeds; Th ey truly are supporting roof beams of this age, setting up the

cosmos!

(Zui chunfeng) I recall in olden days he dreamt “not of a bear”;59

In these days you have invited me, Recumbent Dragon. But why was I thrice so loathe to leave my thatched cottage? I truly worried about the hustle And bustle. But today, I have the power, And hold the title of Field Marshal— But this cannot compare with nurturing my nature halfway up the

slope.

(Speaks:) Noble Xuande, prepare a feast and make sure it is all in perfect order. In less than an hour a “persuader” guest will be here. I will keep Mi Zhu and Mi Fang here. Th e rest of you generals, listen to my orders: Zhao Yun, bring your ears closer so I might whisper . . . you are to do thus and so. (zhao yun speaks:) Master is even making our lord himself absent. You generals, listen to the mas- ter’s orders. Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, you stay closely by the master and keep at- tentive. (male lead speaks:) Right! (male lead liu speaks:) Master is even making our lord absent himself. You generals, listen to the master’s orders. Mi Zhu and Mi Fang, you stay closely by the master and keep attentive. (zhao yun speaks:) Let’s all disappear.

(Exits with the group.)

(guan tong enters, speaks:) I am the humble Daoist Guan Tong. I’ve left the area of Wei and am already here in Xinye. Captain, report my arrival and say, “Th ere is a cloud-roving master, none other than Guan Tong, who has come especially to pay his respects.” (soldier speaks:) Understood. Reporting! I want to inform the Field Marshal that there is a cloud-roving master, Guan Tong, at the door. (male lead speaks:) I’d better go welcome my brother myself. (Acts out

59. See note 4 7, to the corresponding passage in the Th irty Yuan Plays edition.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang (Ming Palace Edition) 231

greeting him, speaks:) Welcome, brother. (guan tong speaks:) I dare not enter!60 (male lead speaks:) Brother, from the time we parted you have been constantly on my mind. Never a day goes by that I don’t remember you. I never thought you would actually be here today. Th is is truly all to the good fortune of Zhuge. (guan tong speaks:) My worthy brother has been in my thoughts since we parted long ago, a constant source of concern and worry. I sigh that there are not many beautiful prospects and that time so easily fl ows by. When I think of your voice and face, then I am distraught at heart and when I ponder your great virtue, then you are always in my thoughts. Since we parted from our little hut, I have always kept you in mind, and that I am able to encounter your venerable visage today is truly all to the good fortune of Guan Tong. (male lead speaks:) Please sit, brother. Captain, bring out the snack table. (soldier speaks:) Un- derstood. (male lead speaks:) Bring out the wine. (Acts out presenting wine, speaks:) Please, brother, drink fully of this cup. (guan tong speaks:) I cannot. Brother, you fi rst. (Acts out drinking wine.) (male lead sings:)

(Ying xianke) Today we drink cups of the fi nest wine, And here I off er up a golden fl agon. . . .

(guan tong speaks:) I came because I had been thinking of the feelings of our old friendship that stretches back several decades. (male lead sings:)

From twenty years ago when we were only students, Students in plain gowns and long-sworn brothers.

(guan tong speaks:) I have come directly to see you. (male lead sings:)

Can you be serving in the area of River’s East?

(guan tong speaks:) I am an adviser under the aegis of Minister Cao. (male lead sings:)

Oh, so you reside in Hanzhong.

(guan tong speaks:) We haven’t seen each other for decades, but here we are now. (male lead sings:)

I never expected we would meet each other today.

(guan tong speaks:) I have come such a long way, yet never begged off because of weariness or fear. (male lead sings:)

Dear brother, you’ve gone to such trouble to make this journey!

60. Not out of fear, but out of humility.

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232 Anonymous

(Speaks:) Bring on the wine. (soldier speaks:) Understood. (male lead acts out toasting him, speaks:) Drink this cup to the full, brother. (guan tong speaks:) Brother, I see you’re Field Marshal under Noble Xuande’s banner. Glory of this kind is not to be held in vain! (male lead speaks:) Since your brother left you, I have been remiss in my studies, and am just uselessly passing the time as Field Marshal; nothing more. (guan tong speaks:) Don’t be so modest! (male lead speaks:) Since we’ve met today, brother, we ought to drink a few. Bring on the wine! Brother, drink to your full. (guan tong speaks:) You fi rst, brother! (male lead speaks:) Mi Zhu, Mi Fang. My brother is hard to compare to others, and he can work the magic of guessing hidden items. Anything here in these head- quarters, no matter what it is, and no matter where you hide it, he will know what it is. (guan tong speaks:) Brother, this bit of magic is no real capability or knowledge, but since these two generals would like to see it—anything here in these headquarters, no matter what it is, and no matter where you hide it, I’ll fi nd out what it is. (male lead speaks:) Do you understand? (mi zhu and mi fang act out hiding go stones.) (male lead speaks:) Generals, watch this. (Sings:)

(Ti yindeng) It is not that I am showing off here in front of the steps; You generals don’t make fun of him. If he guesses it, show no alarm; Just watch my brother’s magical art, supernatural power! Th is is a true skill, Not some simple trick: Open your eyes as wide as you can and don’t move!

(Manjingcai) You must ball your fi sts so tightly no seam can be seen!

(male lead speaks:) Mi Zhu, Mi Fang! Each of you stand on one side and ex- tend your hands. (mi zhu, mi fang act out taking go stones.) (guan tong speaks:) Th ere is something in your hands. Let me guess what it is. Ah! I know now. Th ink: can you deceive this poor Daoist?

Th e two of you have plied your ruse in secret, But I comprehend all Daoist mysteries and subtly use my ability to calculate

the diffi cult. Your hand has two stones, one white and one black—

Th e aff airs of the entire cosmos, Heaven and Earth, are in that one palm.

You have nine black stones and he has nine white stones. If you don’t believe it, then open your two hands, generals. (male lead sings:)

Th ese black and white stones were carefully hidden, And my elder brother has defi nitely demonstrated his skill.

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang (Ming Palace Edition) 233

(guan tong speaks:) Open up your hands, generals! (male lead sings:)

Our lives and our deaths are right here in the palms of our hands; If we don’t carry it out to the end, then what’s their use?

(guan tong speaks:) I observe the aura of these two generals, and they have no particular ability or tactical knowledge! Rely on me, for if you have audience with Noble Cao he will certainly make you a Field Marshal. Th ere are a million red-blooded soldiers under the minister’s command as well as a thousand battle- tested generals. His fame is spread throughout the cosmos and his majesty overawes all of the states. I have brought your name up many times. Follow me! What are your thoughts? (male lead speaks:) You said just the right thing. But I have several rooms in which I have locked some things. If you manage to get them right, I will follow you, brother. (guan tong speaks:) Each of these fi ve rooms of yours contains an object. Let this poor Daoist calculate. Aha! Aha! I already know. What’s so hard about fi guring this out? (male lead speaks:) Brother, what do you fi gure is inside this door? (guan tong speaks:) Isn’t this a general who markets himself around to others? (male lead speaks:) Have you guessed it right, brother? (guan tong speaks:) Open the door! (Act out opening the door.) (zhao yun enters, speaks:) Did you recognize me, Guan Tong? (male lead speaks:) Brother, how about the second room? (guan tong speaks:) Doesn’t this room hold a general with two surnames?61 (male lead speaks:) Captain, open the door. (Act out opening the door.) (liu feng enters, speaks:) Guan Tong, did you recognize me? (male lead speaks:) Brother, how about the third room? (guan tong speaks:) In this room is a general, as strong as a tiger, as fi erce as a fabled lion beast; he is a brave and battle-tested general. (male lead speaks:) I’m afraid you might have foretold it incorrectly. (guan tong speaks:) I haven’t foretold it incorrectly. You open the door! (male lead speaks:) Cap- tain, open the door. (Act out opening the door.) (zhang fei enters, speaks:) Guan Tong, I am right here. (male lead speaks:) How about fi guring out what is in the fourth room. (guan tong speaks:) In this room is a general with a bearing of spiritual majesty, whose aura combines goodness and loyalty, whose intent matches the mind of Heaven; he is a general of majestic power. (male lead speaks:) Couldn’t you guess this one, brother? (guan tong speaks:) Open the door! (Act out opening the door.) (guan yu enters, speaks:) I, a certain Guan, am here. (guan tong speaks:) Th ese generals are innately possessed of a red-blooded awesome presence, an eagle-like courage of tiger generals. Th ey are all com- manding generals. But I don’t know them. What are their names? Brother, give me each and every name. I am listening. (male lead speaks:) I’ll tell you each one by one, brother. (guan tong speaks:) Who is this one? (male lead sings:)

61. Both his patrilineal surname and his adopted surname. On Kou Feng’s adoption by Liu Bei, see the fi rst wedge in Xiangyang Meeting.

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234 Anonymous

(Shi’er yue) Th is is Zhao Yun from Changshan.

(guan tong speaks:) Who is this one? (male lead sings:)

Th is is the adopted son Liu Feng.

(guan tong speaks:) Who is this one? (male lead sings:)

Th is is the man from Yan, Yide.62

(guan tong speaks:) Who is this one? (male lead sings:)

And this is the righteous and courageous Lord Guan.

(guan tong speaks:) I got them all right! (male lead sings:)

Ai! Brother Guan Tong, so capable of the methods of extrasensory knowing:

It’s hard to see you the same as others.

(Speaks:) Well, you’ve fi gured out all of the four rooms. But what’s in this room, brother? (guan tong speaks:) In this room, the aura is completely diff erent. Look how it is enwrapped in a globe of auspicious clouds, its purple auras pulsing higher and higher. Th is is the image of a noble person, who completely overwhelms these generals. If you don’t believe me, open the door and have a look. (male lead acts out being angry, speaks:) Don’t open the door! (guan tong speaks:) Open it! (male lead speaks:) Don’t open it! (guan tong speaks:) Why not? (male lead speaks:) If your brother opens this door, then . . . (Sings:)

(Yaomin ge) Ai, I fear you will break the golden chain and allow the dragon to

escape! Th ese generals truly possess an awesome air. You generals are all close court offi cials, And your names are fi t to be inscribed in Lingyan Gallery,63

For you surpass all others in terms of waging battle or suppressing bandits—

Each of you a gifted and capable man.

(male lead liu enters, speaks:) Master, I am right here. (male lead sings:)

And this Liu Xuande of ours is worth thinking of highly!

62. Zhang Fei. 63. A gallery in the palace of the founding emperor of the Tang, where he had portraits

painted of twenty-four people who aided him in his establishment of the dynasty .

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Zhuge Liang Burns the Stores at Bowang (Ming Palace Edition) 235

(male lead liu enters, speaks:) So, you are Guan Tong. How disrespectful you are! How dare you ply your persuasive words to try to make Master [Zhuge] surrender to Cao Cao? I really want to be done with you. Zhao Yun, take Guan Tong away and cut off his head. (male lead speaks:) Noble Xuande, pardon him for my sake! (male lead liu speaks:) Out of regard for you, take him away and incarcerate him. (guan tong speaks:) Enough! Enough! Zhuge Liang is the stronger.

Zhuge’s marvelous plans can auger the very constellations, A hard match when discussing heaven and discoursing on earth;

In the very beginning I would have said Guan Tong was the stronger, But now there is a stronger hand among the strong.

(Exits.)

(male lead liu sends everyone from the stage:)

Because that Cao Cao was master of intrigue, He made Xiahou Dun his general on point; But meeting Zhao Yun’s feigned loss and false defeat, He was chased into Bowang City. He ordered Yunchang to lift the water gates and let the water fl ow, And had Liu Feng winnow dirt to stir up dust. Our Field Marshal thus plied his crafty scheme, And shooting fi re arrows, he burned the stores at Bowang. But today we gather in our armies and cease battle, And will not let weapons or soldiers be used again.

title: Guan Yunchang raises the water gates and lets the water fl ow:

name: Zhuge Liang burns the stores at Bowang.

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