Читать книгу Vietnamese Legends - George F. Schultz - Страница 11

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THE SUPERNATURAL CROSSBOW

THIS IS a legend taken from the ancient Chronicles. More than 2,300 years ago the king of the realm of Thuc sought to marry a princess from the house of the Hong Bang, which was reigning in the kingdom of Van Lang. Embittered by the refusal that he received, he swore the ruin of the Hong Bang; but he died without satisfying his hatred, leaving the task to his descendants.

This was the origin of the continual wars between the kingdoms of Thuc and Van Lang.

For many years the Hong Bang were victorious. But powerful in their success and certain of the protection of the genii, they relaxed their vigilance and lived in idleness and indolence. Their enemy, Thuc Phan, a king of the realm of Thuc, began a long series of military preparations; he chose the right moment to invade Van Lang and crushed the Hong Bang.

* * *

Thuc Phan united the two kingdoms of Thuc and Van Lang under the name of Au Lac and took the name of An Duong Vuong for himself. He established his capital in the territory of Phong Khe. Desirous of protecting his realm against the bandits of the north, he ordered a mighty wall to be built at the northern extremity of his capital. But as soon as the wall was finished, a violent storm broke out and rain poured down in torrents. A strong wind howled and roared until the wall fell with a deafening crash.

An Duong Vuong rebuilt the wall three times; but as soon as it was completed, it was destroyed again in the same way.

At last a council of ministers was called; one minister, more clever than the others, arose and bowed.

"Will the Son of Heaven be pleased to hear my humble opinion?" he asked. "Since the wall has been destroyed so many times in the same way, it must be that the gods are against us. Let us attempt to appease them by erecting an altar and making sacrifices to ask them for advice and help."

This suggestion met with general approval. Accordingly, the king ordered the erection of an altar on the river bank outside the Eastern Gate. Cows and buffaloes were sacrificed and prayers were said. The king himself fasted for three days and nights and prostrated himself for hours before the altar, asking for guidance.

On the seventh day of the third month, a genie in the shape of an enormous golden tortoise appeared to the king in a dream and spoke in a human voice.

"Son of Heaven," he said, "your prayers have been heard by the gods, who have been pleased to send me here to help you." Then the tortoise instructed him in the proper way to build the wall. "This is a land of rivers and mountains, populated by spirits; the spirits of the mountains have caused your wall to crumble," he—continued, "for they are very mischievous and like to play tricks on human beings to show their power."

When the king awoke the next morning, he remembered all that the tortoise had told him. He followed instructions exactly and built a great wall of fortifications in the form of a sea shell or conch. He called it Co Loa and the capital became known as Co Loa Tanh, or the "City of the Conch."

An Duong Vuong now felt that his wall would resist the elements and that his city was secure. But he also realized that he was surrounded by powerful enemies and that he might not always be able to defend it.

The golden tortoise understood his doubts and again appeared to him in his sleep.

"Prosperity or misfortune depends on the will of Heaven," he said, "but if men are deserving, Heaven will aid them. Since you manifest such great confidence in me, I will make you a present of one of my claws, which you can use as a trigger for your crossbow. It will drive away evil spirits and it will even defeat an entire army in battle. But never forget that the ultimate safety of your realm depends on your vigilance." The tortoise pulled off one of his claws and entrusted it to the king; he then returned to the river and disappeared.

The king was very happy when he awoke and found the magic claw in his hand. He ordered a precious crossbow to be made with the magic claw as trigger, and a beautiful crystal case was made to contain the crossbow. The king was very grateful to the tortoise, for now he firmly believed his realm would enjoy peace and order for many years.

At that time China was under the rule of the powerful Emperor Shih Huang of the Ch'in dynasty; Shih Huang had conquered all his feudal neighbors and his armies reached to the South Sea. In the same year that An Duong Vuong began the Great Wall, he sent a great army of men and horses down from southern China to conquer the Kingdom of Au Lac. But this army was flung back time after time and was finally destroyed by the magic crossbow, before it even approached Co Loa Thanh.

Three years later Shih Huang sent forth another army, 500,000 strong, under the leadership of the great General Trieu Da and the northern part of Au Lac easily fell into Chinese hands. The Chinese hordes came in three sections—on horse, on foot, and by boat; they came with flags floating in the air, forests of weapons clashing together, and fierce-looking officers riding forward on their foaming steeds. Trieu Da deployed his troops on the Mountain of the Rusty Axe, his junks on the river, and besieged the capital.

King An Duong Vuong watched calmly from a window of his citadel as the three sections poured on towards Co Loa Thanh like a powerful swarm of ants. Then he walked to the ramparts, taking with him the magic crossbow with the holy tortoise's claw, and fired three arrows at the multitude of enemy soldiers. Twang! 10,000 Chinese soldiers fell like dry leaves; with the second arrow another 10,000 fell, and with the third arrow, another 10,000.

The remainder of the army retreated in panic.

Trieu Da was too ashamed and afraid to return to give his emperor an account of his defeat. Incapable of fighting against a supernatural weapon, he decided to master An Duong Vuong deceitfully; he pretended to make peace with him by sending his son, Trang Thuy, to the royal court as a hostage, to indicate his desire for friendly relations. The king received the latter in good faith; he was even generous enough to extend his friendship to the young man, admitting him to his entourage and giving him his only daughter, Princess My Chau, in marriage. He gave Trieu Da a large county situated north of the Bang Giang as his special province.

* * *

Trang Thuy loved his wife, and for a time the newly wed couple lived in perfect happiness. The young princess was charm itself, and Trang Thury adored her. Yet in his heart he never forgot the secret mission with which he had been entrusted, and secretly vowed to help his father conquer Au Lac at some future date.

Trong Thuy coaxed and cajoled his innocent wife, beseeching her to let him see the miraculous crossbow; she yielded in the end and showed it to him. He examined it carefully and made a false claw. He then stole the holy claw and replaced it with the false one.

One day Trong Thuy requested An duong Vuong's permission to go home to visit his parents. To Princess My Chau he explained that conjugal love should not cause one to neglect one's duty towards one's parents.

It had been a long time since he had protracted himself before them and he regretted that he could not take her with him; the route to the Northern territories was long, and it passed through forests and mountains infested with bandits.

Princess My Chau flung herself on the ground before him and clung to his feet. "Please do not go away, my lord," she implored. "Is this unhappy person to be alone for months, perhaps for years? There are so many lofty mountains and deep valleys which separate our two countries. Who knows what might happen to my lord during such a long and dangerous journey? How can I restrain my tears at the prospect of such a long separation? The Cowherd and the Spinning Maid in heaven meet across the Milky Way once a year, but shall we ever meet again?" And the princess wept more bitterly than ever.

"Does this weeping become the Most Worshipful Daughter of the Dragon." asked Trong Thuy, trying to sooth her feelings. "Of course your unworthy servant will come back to you, and then we shall live together as happily as before."

But the princess would not stop weeping, for she had a foreboding of some great misfortune. "Would my lord please remember his gift of a brocaded winter coat lined with goose down," she said in tears. "Our love is imperishable, but the peace of nations is often ephemeral; if ever a war occurs between our countries, I will scatter the down at the crossroads to show you the way I have taken."

At the moment of separation, Trong Thuy was filled with a strange emotion. His wife, in her love and confidence in him, had unconsciously betrayed her father and country.

The separation was heart-rending; after many bitter tears and vows of love and devotion, he left with an unbearable pain in his heart, for he loved the princess and had to betray her ignominiously for the sake of his father and his country.

* * *

Trong Thuy then rejoined his father and gave him the holy claw. Trieu Da was overjoyed, and at once led a strong army across the land to Au Lac.

The sunlight glittered on the lances and spurs of the Chinese soldiers and their multicolored banners fluttered in the wind.

The army wound its way out of the land of Tan like a gigantic snake, and the beating of the war drums resounded in the distance like thunder.

An Duong Vuong and his daughter were playing chess when the tower watchman entered and flung himself at their feet.

"Son of Heaven and Daughter of the Dragon, the enemy is coming!"

"Let them come!" said the king, roaring with laughter at the thought of these bold and foolish men coming to meet certain death. "Have no fear, my beloved daughter, the magic crossbow will again work miracles."

And he let the enemy approach without going forth to meet them; nor did he give orders for the defense of the capital. When the sentry from the summit of the ramparts reported that the Chinese hordes obscured the horizon, he was content to say:

"Has my neighbor forgotten the magic crossbow?"

And he continued the game of chess.

When the enemy was at the very gates of Co Loa Thanh, the king arose and aimed the crossbow. But after the first shot he realized he had been betrayed. He fired again and again, but the enemy continued to flow forward like a devastating flood.

Deciding to escape, An Duong Vuong barely had time to mount his horse, bringing My Chau up behind him.

They galloped swiftly to the South, leaving An Duong Vuong's capital and kingdom behind them.

They rode past many field and marshes, and as they approached the crossroads, My Chau left a trial of goose down so that Trong Thuy might follow.

Back at the palace, Trang Thuy perceived that the king and his daughter had fled, and immediately gave chase. Guided by traces of down, he was not long in picking up their trail.

An Duong Vuong crossed plains and forests like a tornado; he scaled hills, cascaded down slopes, and crossed rivers. Each time he slowed the pace, he would hear the gallop of his pursuer. Then he would spur his horse anew, and the wild flight would begin again.

On went the king's horse, carrying them farther and farther away, until at last they came to a great sea. Not a boat was to be seen and it was apparent that there was no way to cross. The king lifted his face to the sky and cried in despair:

"O gods, have you forsaken me? And you, Holy Tortoise, where are you in my hour of need?"

Out of the deep blue sea arose the golden tortoise and cried in a powerful voice:

"Beware of the treacherous enemy who sits behind you."

The king turned around in his saddle and gazed at the princess. My Chau shivered like a leaf in a storm and large tears rolled down her cheeks.

While the princess looked at him imploringly, An Duong Vuong grasped a dagger and stabbed her ruthlessly in the heart. Then drawing his great sword, he cut off her head.

Filled with horror at his shameful deed, the king followed the golden tortoise into the storm-tossed waters, and disappeared.

When Trong Thuy arrived at the scene and discovered the severed body of My Chau, his anguish knew no bounds. Shedding bitter tears he gathered up the fragile body and carried it back to the capital for burial.

One day, unable to bear his grief any longer Trong Thuy threw himself into the deep pond where My Chau had loved to bathe. In this way his soul would go to the other world with the one he had loved.

The blood that flowed from the princess' body was washed away by the rolling sea and absorbed by the many oysters of that shore. Since that time they have produced many beautiful pearls, and legend has it that these pearls became more brilliant when dipped into the pond where Trong Thuy drowned himself.

The reputation of the pond water spread as far as China, and the emperor demanded that a vase containing the liquid be added to the triennial tribute.

* * *

Today we can see a small temple on a mountain near the seashore where Princess My Chau met her death. But it is particularly at Co Loa Thanh, the Ancient City of the Conch, that tradition keeps alive the cult of An Duong Vuong and My Chau. There, in the sanctuary of the temple, a flame has burned for 2000 years before the tablet of heroes who have fought for national independence. Farther on, a sacred banyan tree, several centuries old, covers the humble altar of Princess My Chau.