Now let us return to Yuan Guangzhi and Mengyu. When their boat arrived at Fuqing, they disembarked and went to the home of his senior clansman, Yuan Gao, who received them with great pleasure. He asked, “Worthy nephew, I haven’t seen you for several years. Where have you been?”

Yuan Guangzhi replied, “It’s because I went to Mount Mao in Jiangnan, where I was fortunate to be accepted by the Perfected One. I was given preferential treatment, and he completely transmitted to me all the magic arts. And I took this woman to be my wife. Consequently, I have been away from home for a long time. I only left the magic master to bring my wife home. Since the boat was passing through here, and I had heard that you had retired and were at home, I have come to visit to pay my respects.”

Yuan Gao was delighted. He invited him to stay, saying, “Nephew, you have made a long and difficult journey from Jiangnan. Stay here for a while and rest for a few days, then proceed.” He engaged a sedan chair for disembarking the boat, and Mengyu was carried straight back to the house. The boat was moored at the bank and they were to stay for several days before continuing on their journey. Yuan Gao’s hospitality was very generous. Having stayed on for several days, Guangzhi wanted to take his leave, but stayed for yet another three days.

One day, he saw someone arrive with a face the color of ash, who reported, “Something has gone wrong, and it has already been discovered by the government. The ruler of Min has issued an imperial decree dispatching officials to make an arrest and solve the crime. Already the government troops have set out from the capital and are coming to our house to make an arrest. This matter has already been exposed. Since our crime is such that even death is insufficient, how can we get out of this?”

When Yuan Gao and the people from the village heard this, they were greatly alarmed. Everyone wept and wailed. All regretted that Yuan Gao, clearly knowing that this person should not have been allowed to stay, had deliberately invited him to do so. Someone said, “Now that the matter has come to this, we have no alternative but to turn him over and leave it to the government officials to punish him. Only then can we defend ourselves as blameless.”

Everyone said, “It’s already too late now to turn him over. There is no way we can avoid being implicated.”

Guangzhi mistakenly thought that his case had been discovered, and suspected that his having deployed evil arts on his journey and the matter of cutting off people’s penises and hair was laid bare. To the crowd of people he said, “I am the one at fault. I will go take responsibility so that you will not be implicated. Quickly take me to the officials to be punished for my crime.”

Yuan Gao said, “What will having you arrested accomplish? The matter has already been discovered. What does it have to do with you? The ruler of Min, Wang Lian, is a tyrant and believes slander. He trusts Xue Wenjie to kill members of the clans. For this reason Jitu, the son of Yanshu, who was the eldest son of the previous ruler, Wang Shenzhi, has fabricated slanders. On the outside he’s causing rumors. The ruler of Min has heard them and therefore wants to extirpate Jitu’s clan. Fortunately, Jitu had sympathizers in the inner palace who gave him prior notice to take his family and flee. Consequently, they came here to take refuge. Because I remember the official branch of the family tree of the previous ruler, and formerly received great kindness, I invited them to stay and make themselves comfortable in the inner chamber. Who could know that the news would be leaked and the government soldiers would come here to arrest them? Since I have committed the crime of hiding them, it’s impossible to avoid being beheaded.” When he had finished speaking, he burst into tears.

Guangzhi said, “Since this ruler is benighted, why don’t we rebel? What are we waiting for? Hurry and ask the grandson Wang Jitu to come out. We’ll help him raise an army. We’ll get rid of the benighted ruler and the wicked traitors, take back the positions at court, and make him emperor. Our sons, grandsons, and nephews can be enfeoffed as marquises and ministers. We can’t miss this opportunity! If we don’t rebel, we’ll be seized by the government soldiers, and they will behead us all. In contrast to becoming kings, that would be bad.”

Yuan Gao still did not reply. Everyone said, “If we don’t rebel, it will be hard to avoid everyone dying.” Then they asked the Wang grandson, Wang Jitu, to come out, and explained the situation to him. Unwilling to wait for Yuan Gao to take the initiative, Guangzhi opened his boxes and took out two pairs of scissors. Summoning Mengyu, the paper men, and paper horses, he sprinkled beans that turned into soldiers, recited incantations, and wrote talismans. In a short time they had turned into tens of thousands of men and horses.¹ From the villages, tens of thousands joined the army, totaling more than one hundred thousand soldiers and horses. Firing guns, they set out; rushing to kill, they departed. Guangzhi dispatched an order to first attack Fuqing County, kill the officials, and seize Cang Shan.

Now let us return to the ruler of Min who, having investigated and discovered that Jitu was hiding in Fuqing County in Yuan Gao’s house, had sent government soldiers to arrest and punish him. At the same time, he ordered the inner palace official, Gui Shouming, to investigate all the government officials. If there were any extremely beautiful girls, he should inquire about them, report back, and bring them for the West Palace.

Chen Jinfeng was in the Zheng Palace. Only the West and South Palaces were not yet set up. She created a register to record the name of each palace concubine in the three palaces, while Gui Lang searched for concubines. He found the daughter of Zou Huai, Secretary of the Bureau of Military Affairs, who was very beautiful, learned on the inside and elegant on the outside. He also found the daughter of Gao Teng, Attendant Gentleman of the Ministry of Rites, whose appearance surpassed that of Zhaojun.²

Gui Lang went into the palace, and reported, “I have found the two daughters of the Secretary of the Bureau of Military Affairs and the Attendant Gentleman of the Ministry of Rites. Both have the virtue and appearance to be summoned to the palace and selected as empresses for the West and South Palaces.” The ruler of Min was delighted. He decreed that Worthy Concubine Zou should be set up in the South Palace, and Concubine Gao Ying in the West Palace. On that very day the empresses of the West and South Palaces and the empress of the Zheng Palace all had their names recorded in the register. Then he sent down an imperial decree proclaiming that the two girls Zou and Gao were to enter the palace.

When the decree came down, Zou Huai was greatly alarmed, and rushed to the inner yamen to inform his wife. He said angrily, “Our daughter is the pure and innocent daughter of an official’s family. I’ve heard that the inner palace is now debauched and wanton, and the ruler of Min is besotted with wine and sex. The palace is completely dominated by Gui Shouming, and Empress Chen of the Zheng Palace controls the affairs of state. Since the debauchery there is intolerable, how can our daughter enter the palace?”

When the Zou daughter learned of this, she tried to commit suicide. Zou Huai consoled her, saying, “You don’t need to do this. Although the benighted ruler has decreed that you be summoned to the court, how could I be willing to let you go there? I’m willing for him to punish me according to the law, but I won’t accept his defiling you.”

Just as father and daughter were discussing the situation, a family servant came and reported, “Old Master Gao, the Gentleman Attendant of the Ministry of Rites, wants to see you about a confidential matter.” Zou Huai went out of the hall to invite him to enter, and Gao Teng came in. As guest and host, they sat down.

After tea, Gao Teng said, “Elder brother, just now the ruler of Min has sent down a decree announcing that he wants our daughters to enter the palace as concubines. I understand that the inner palace is given up to the debaucheries of Gui Shouming, and the benighted ruler does not manage the affairs of state. How can our daughters bear to enter the palace and be defiled? Since my little daughter heard that she was summoned, she constantly weeps and wails, and wants to kill herself. When I heard that your daughter also was summoned, I came to your home to talk this matter over.”

Zou Huai said, “Because my daughter, too, wants to commit suicide on account of this matter, I am continually trying to stop her. My thinking is: the benighted ruler is obsessed with wine and women, and pays no attention to state affairs. And I’ve heard that the inner palace is debauched, so I am determined not to accept the summons. Let him punish me according to the law. I don’t know what your honorable intention is.”

Gao Teng said, “I am of the same opinion. Whether I live or die, I will accept my fate. I will now take my leave.”

Gentleman Attendant Gao returned to his office. He had agreed with Zou Huai not to send their daughters, and to stop the summons and decree. When the ruler of Min heard this, he angrily said, “The two ministers Zou and Gao, in not obeying the decree and summons, are deceiving me.” He was just about to decree that they should be detained for questioning and punishment when it was reported that Wang Jitu was rebelling. He had already attacked Fuqing County and seized Cang Shan, and was nearly at the outskirts of the capital. Furthermore, the Fuqing officials had all been killed. When the ruler of Min heard this report, he was greatly alarmed. He had intended to seize the two ministers Zou and Gao and punish them. But with the traitorous soldiers near the city, Zou Huai, the Secretary of the Bureau of Military Affairs, was in a position to be useful, so he temporarily halted the punishment of the two ministers for opposing the decree. He would wait for the traitors to be destroyed and put down, and only then discuss it. Then he decreed that Zou Huai be selected as general to lead the army out of the city to exterminate the traitors.

Now we will return to Yuan Guangzhi and the soldiers rushing to Changle.³ They had already killed the government soldiers and seized the granary, the awesome power of the rebel army shaking the region. Wang Jitu had declared himself emperor of Great Min, and Yuan Guangzhi had declared himself State Founder, while Mengyu was called the State Founder’s Wife. The members of Yuan’s family were each enfeoffed with the title of marquis. Several hundred generals and more than a million courageous soldiers went straight to the outskirts of Fuzhou City.

When the ruler of Min heard the report that all his troops had been defeated, he consulted with Zou Huai and Xue Wenjie. He assigned Commander in Chief Liu Yuanfu to lead five thousand troops out of the city to punish the rebels by force. Liu Yuanfu ordered the troops to fire their cannons, and they went out of the city to defeat the rebels. Reaching the area of Yin Mountain, they encountered the rebel army.⁴

The two armies lined up in battle formation. As Liu Yuanfu whipped his horse and reviled the rebels, he saw a female general dash out from the opposing army. On her head she wore a phoenix hat, on her body she wore soft armor, and in her hand she grasped a “square sky” halberd.⁵ She was more beautiful than Xi Shi. It was apparent who this person was: it was Mengyu, the State Founder’s Wife.

Liu Yuanfu looked at her, observing to himself that she was very remarkable. Then he urged his army forward to attack. Raising her lance to meet him, Mengyu did not panic in the least, and the two of them fought more than twenty rounds. Mengyu was a little lacking in courage, so Liu Yuanfu pretended to be weakened, as he wanted to capture her alive in order to display his talents. At this time, Mengyu’s strength had been exhausted, but her muscles were reviving. Liu Yuanfu fought closer, and pulled her horse over. Suddenly, Mengyu leaned over and let fly a mouthful of powder to cast a spell on him. She thrust her lance at an angle, causing Liu Yuanfu to roll from his saddle under his horse. Again she thrust her lance, resulting in his death. Yuan Guangzhi saw that his wife had won, and urged his soldiers forward, directly to the South Pass. A mounted scout flew back to the palace to report.

When the ruler of Min heard that Liu Yuanfu had fallen in battle and the rebel troops were approaching the city, he issued an imperial decree to tightly close the city gates. The officers received the order. When Yuan Guangzhi saw that the gates were already closed, he ordered the officers to abuse and punish the enemy by every means.

At his wit’s end, the ruler of Min personally took command of the main army. He ordered the two great generals Zhu Wenzheng and Wang Zhixian to escort him. He also ordered Capital Security Officer Zhang Da and Palace Army Official Li Xin to be the two vanguards, join together, and lead the three capital armies to the inner military drill ground to make offerings to the banners and fire the cannons. He then opened the city gates, and sent out the two vanguards with their cavalry to seek battle.

Guangzhi ordered Mengyu to go out and intercept them in front of his own battle line. The two vanguard generals whipped their horses to go meet her in battle, fighting more than twenty rounds. When Zhang Da and Li Xin attacked to the front and rear, Mengyu whipped her horse and withdrew. The two generals Zhang and Li urged their horses to advance into battle. Guangzhi shielded himself behind Wang Jitu, and also withdrew.

The ruler of Min watched from the city wall. Seeing the female general and the main army retreat, he handed down an order to send out the Capital Security soldiers and horses. They mobilized and left the city in order to pursue and fall upon the retreating army. Knowing that all the soldiers and horses in the city had come out, Yuan Guangzhi secretly used tens of thousands of his shadow soldiers to cut across in the middle and attack. The capital was in total confusion. As there was no place to escape to, when the ruler of Min observed this from the city wall, he was terrified. Moreover, he saw countless shadow troops coming to attack in pursuit. Yuan Guangzhi ordered his generals and tens of thousands of soldiers to lie in wait on the main road to kill the enemy generals, and in no time at all Generals Zhang and Li were killed by Mengyu.⁶

On this battleground corpses were strewn all over the fields, and blood flowed in rivers. The common people of the capital had no way to flee, while the ruler of Min retreated to his palace. Guangzhi beat the gong to withdraw his troops from battle, and rewarded the generals with many gifts. Wang Jitu held a banquet for Yuan Guangzhi and his wife to congratulate them for their success, at which Guangzhi drank wine. Jitu commended him, saying, “I myself am indeed deeply moved by your awesome spirit power and I have attained my vengeance.”

Guangzhi said, “This is my king’s extraordinary blessing, on a par with Heaven. What talent do I have? Fortunately, the Capital Security soldiers have exhausted their provisions, so within a few days we will seize Wang Lian and Xue Wenjie, the two criminals. It will be as easy as taking something out of one’s pocket. What difficulty is there in that?”

Now let us speak of the ruler of Min, whose army was destroyed and generals killed; out of every ten, eight or nine were dead. The place where the capital army was defeated was to the east of the South Gate; its name is now Defeated Army Ocean (Bai Zhen Yang). Where all the soldiers were killed is Metal Heap Ocean (Jin Dun Yang), while the name Massacred Soldiers Bridge (Sha Ren Qiao) was later changed to the homonym Sand Benevolence Bridge (Sha Ren Qiao). It is called Defeated Army Ocean, because at that time the defeated soldiers threw down their spears, discarded their shields, and fled or were lost in battle. Their number was incalculable. Destroyed in battle, they sank into the sand, and their broken lances lay in piles on the ground, so that when springs are dug, there is always the smell of iron. The taste of it remains there to this day, so that the water can’t be used for eating or drinking, and on the three mounds at Defeated Army Ocean there is not a single well.

Now let us return to the ruler of Min. Because his soldiers were defeated, he sued for peace and an equal division of land, ordering a messenger to go persuade Guangzhi. The messenger entered the camp and addressed Guangzhi, saying, “I received the ruler of Min’s order to come explain to you that if you are willing to withdraw your soldiers, he is willing to equally divide the land.” Guangzhi hadn’t yet opened his mouth to reply when Wang Jitu dismissed the messenger and sent him back.

The next day the messenger returned. He said that if they were willing to withdraw their soldiers, then the ruler of Min would be willing to yield the throne, and retire to live in a town outside, but Wang Jitu again would not assent. He required the heads of the ruler of Min (Wang Lian) and Xue Wenjie, and only then would he be willing to withdraw. The messenger went back and reported that Wang Jitu would not agree.

When the ruler of Min heard this, he turned pale with alarm. He cast back and forth in his mind, but there was nothing for him to do but commit suicide. Luckily for him, Empress Chen and Gui Shouming repeatedly tried to dissuade him, because he had to relentlessly defend the country. They tried to persuade him, saying that although they were now surrounded, the city had not yet fallen, and if there were reinforcements they could still recover. If there were no reinforcements, they should wait for the city to fall. When the ruler of Min heard that Gui Shouming and Chen Jinfeng were willing to die with him, he delayed for several days.

Now let us return to Wang Jitu. When he attained this position, his personality abruptly changed, and he was always angry. Thinking the emperorship was in sight, he became extremely arrogant, never satisfied with what anyone did. He did not even heed what Yuan Guangzhi said. At this time Jitu observed that Mengyu was beautiful, and when he thought of her his heart couldn’t help leaping. He also feared that if her husband knew about it, it wouldn’t do, so he devised a plan. He invited Yuan Guangzhi to drink wine in order to get him drunk, then helped him to bed, while he himself went into the rear camp. There he said to Mengyu, “This evening if you will submit to my wishes, one day I will be emperor and then I will set you up as empress of the Zheng Palace.”

Mengyu laughed and said, “It wouldn’t be a good idea for me to comply. If my husband found out about it, then what?”

Jitu replied, “I’ve just gotten your husband drunk. I think it’s unlikely that he’ll wake up.” When he finished speaking, he advanced to seek pleasure, and Mengyu submitted and got into bed. After they had sex, Jitu returned to his own tent and slept there alongside Guangzhi. Because Guangzhi was drunk, he didn’t know anything about this matter. The next day, he went out to put the troops in order. As for Mengyu and Jitu’s secret relationship, even the gods did not know about it.

Later, Guangzhi saw the two of them and it seemed to him that they intended to have an illicit affair. Was it possible that they were already having one? He didn’t yet know, so that night he used clever words to trick Mengyu. In the evening, Guangzhi said to her, “I see that your facial features have the noble appearance of an empress of ten thousand people. In future, when Jitu ascends the throne, he will take you into the palace to be the empress of the Zheng Palace. I don’t know if the emperor will be willing to take you or not.”

When Mengyu heard this, she said that it was true. Then she laughed, “If you present me to him, the emperor will of course accept me, but only if you agree would I dare enter.”

Guangzhi said, “I’m only afraid he won’t accept you. At that time, how could I back out?”

Mengyu smiled and said, “The new lord will certainly accept me.”

Guangzhi said, “If you are empress just the same as Chen Jinfeng, then I will be the same as Gui Shouming, and you and I can enjoy riches and honor together. Even if the new lord accepts you, I’m afraid he might change. If you and the new lord can share the same pillow and be happy, then that would be wonderful.”

Mengyu laughed and said, “I’ve already slept with him.” Guangzhi asked how many times she had slept with him. Mengyu covered her mouth and giggled, holding up four fingers.

Yuan Guangzhi said, “Four times already?” Mengyu nodded her head. When Yuan Guangzhi heard this he flared up in anger, his rage like thunder. From his waist he pulled out his precious sword to kill this demon. When Mengyu saw that he was in a rage, she hid under the bed and didn’t dare come out.

Guangzhi thought back and said, “Traitorous demon, you were originally not human. Since you are a flying insect, how could you have any integrity or sense of shame? I can still forgive you. I will only hate Wang Jitu, that son of a bitch. He is detestable! Absolutely don’t think that I will spare his life or his family’s. While we were still working hard to defeat the whole world to get back the emperorship, he perversely dared to seize the State Founder’s Wife. Now if I were to keep this son of a bitch around, what use would he be?”

Just as he was about to go run Jitu through with his sword, he thought to himself, “Eliminating this son of a bitch really is not difficult. But our work is already nine-tenths accomplished, and the city is about to fall, so we cannot have a falling out now. I will wait until the commoners in the city have no grain. In a few days there will be chaos, and they will open the city and come out to surrender. At that time I will kill this son of a bitch and seize and occupy the throne. If I can be emperor, I will not be wasting all that I have learned.” Guangzhi calculated that this was what he would do, and made his mind up. Then he called to Mengyu.

Only when Mengyu saw that he had calmed down and sheathed his sword did she dare come out from under the bed. She hung her head and didn’t speak. Guangzhi said to her, “Although you are beautiful, your heart is confused. You are completely ignorant of the concept of female chastity. For the time being, I will bear in mind that you are not human, so for now I will spare your life. If you go near that dead dog again, and I hear about it, then I will kill you together. At that time you will have no cause for complaint.” Mengyu’s face turned bright red and, in shame, she withdrew. Guangzhi remembered this matter in his heart; it was a secret he did not reveal. For the time being he would prudently protect these two, but it was not a case of permitting any leniency.

Because Jitu saw that there were no signs of action in the city, he kept urging Guangzhi to take his troops and attack the city’s defenses. He would soon succeed and ascend the throne, and, with Guangzhi, enjoy glory, luxury, wealth, and honor. But because Guangzhi despised Jitu and Mengyu for their affair, he took no action. He thought to himself, “You are now pleased with yourselves, but I am not happy.” He replied, “Don’t pursue a desperate enemy. Wait a few days. When I hear of great chaos in the city, I will kill the two traitors, Wang Lian and Xue Wenjie, after which the city will open and surrender.” When Jitu heard this, he didn’t urge him anymore. Consequently, the city hadn’t yet fallen, but grain was exhausted, the people were starving, and there was great chaos.

The ruler of Min, Chen Jinfeng, and Gui Shouming embraced and wept. All of a sudden they saw an officer with an urgent dispatch enter the palace. Truly it was:

Happiness, when it reaches its extreme, turns to sorrow;

Destiny has an allotted span.

When in complete despair, one will encounter survival;

It is not fixed.

The scout with the urgent dispatch entered the palace. The ruler of Min was surprised and baffled. He had been certain that the city had fallen, but, surprisingly, what the scout reported was that at the North Gate there was a female general going into battle to rescue them and bring grain and forage to aid them. She had fought the rebel troops surrounding the city into withdrawing. Now, below the city wall, she called for the gate to be opened, and requested a decree for a final decision. When the ruler of Min heard this, he was beside himself with joy. He ordered Gui Shouming and Li Deng to go together to the city wall to find out what had happened. Shouming received the decree and went with Li Deng to the gate tower to make inquiries. What they learned made them very happy, and they ordered the gate to be opened to let the female general enter. Then they led the way into the imperial palace.

You ask, who was this person? It was Madame Chen of Linshui Palace! From the time she was enfeoffed, she and her seven sworn sisters and the thirty-six palace concubines discussed magic and taught the arts day and night at Linshui. By this time all the demons had been eliminated, only the Ravine Demon having escaped. Jinggu often secretly guarded against attacks. One day she heard that Wang Jitu had rebelled and Yuan Guangzhi, who had used the deviant arts of Mount Mao to kill all the Fuzhou City soldiers, was commander. Now that the capital had been under siege for more than a month, there was no food or forage within, and without there were no reinforcements, so it was in imminent danger.

When Madame Chen heard this news, she sighed, and said to her sisters, “Rescuing those in difficulty and helping those in danger, that is my lifelong aspiration. How could there be any justification for having received the ruler’s blessings and now, with the country in peril, to sit here doing nothing and not come to the rescue?” Then she led out her seven sworn sisters and the thirty-six palace concubines. They did not wear armor, nor did they ride warhorses. They walked on foot, each holding a sword in her hand. Forming a long, snake formation, they fought their way to the city.⁷ Chen Jinggu secretly dispatched her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to lead the shadow soldiers of the Five Camps to pursue and kill the rebel soldiers who surrounded the city, decisively defeating the demon soldiers. Then Chen Jinggu ordered the city gates to be opened.

Now we will return to Gui Shouming. He led Chen Jinggu into the palace, where she kowtowed and had an audience with the ruler of Min. For the ruler of Min happiness was Heaven-sent. He thought to himself that now that he had reinforcements, he could guarantee that there would be no calamity. Tearfully, he told Jinggu, “If you had arrived a moment later, my life would have ended. Now how should we proceed? I will trust you to carry it out. If there are those who will not obey, execute them first and report to the emperor afterward. Unfortunately, the grain has run out and the army is desperate. What shall we do?”

“I have brought a little grain and fodder,” Chen Jinggu told him. “Quickly distribute it among the people. It will be enough to enable them to live for a time. Wait a few more days, then kill the retreating rebel soldiers. Now, since there are no able-bodied men in the city, you should select five hundred maidens to be soldiers. Both order the starving people to be fed, and draft girls, choosing unmarried girls from the households of officials and common people.”

Within a few days, already there were four hundred of them. Two lists of palace concubines and wives were presented to Chen Jinggu, and she personally selected them. Madame Chen looked at the palace list and saw that the very first name was that of Chen Jinfeng of the Zheng Palace. When Chen Jinfeng heard that she had been selected, she was willing to go out into the battle line. Madame Chen also selected Worthy Concubine Zou and Worthy Concubine Gao from the South Palace and West Palace. She said, “These two can be female members of the Left Brigade.”

When Chen Jinfeng and the ruler of Min heard the order, with one voice they answered, “Although the concubines of the South and West Palaces are on the list, they haven’t yet entered the palaces.”

Madame Chen said, “Quickly summon them to the palace to allow them to be employed.” The ruler of Min immediately proclaimed that they should be summoned.

When the two ministers Gao Teng and Zou Huai heard that women were being called for the army and that it was Madame Chen herself who was supervising, they thought that it was surely all right, and sent their two daughters to the palace. Madame Chen saw that the Zou and Gao girls were both very beautiful, even flawless, and destined for great things. Then she summoned the thirty-six palace concubines and the seventy-two courtyard ladies, as well as all the female servants and women. She looked them over carefully and selected five hundred of them.⁸

Next she wrote talismans, chanted incantations, and dispatched three shadow soldier messengers, each holding a talisman. One was to go to the West River to summon Miss Jiang, the Tiger Lady. One was to go to Black Stone Mountain to summon the Rock Press women, and one was to go to the monkeys’ dormitory on Panther Head Mountain outside the South Gate to summon Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage. Each and every one of them was to come be of use. The three messengers each received a talisman and, having heard their orders, departed.

In a very short time a scout rushed into the palace to report, “Outside the South Gate are three Daoist women calling for the gate to be opened. I don’t know who they are.”

Madame Chen said, “Surely it must be Miss Jiang and the Rock Press Women.” She ordered the gate to be opened and requested them to enter. She then asked each of her sworn sisters to come into the palace. After Miss Jiang and the Rock sisters saw Madame Chen and completed the ritual of greeting, they briefly told her their situations since they had parted. Then the scout reported that a hairy monkey had arrived outside the South Gate.

“That would be Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage,” Chen Jinggu said, and she sent her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to receive him. He paid his respects to Chen Jinggu, and took his place to the side of where she was seated. Seeing that the soldiers were entirely equipped and prepared, Chen Jinggu personally supervised them as commander in chief, with her nine sisters as deputy supreme commanders. Then she ordered the mass of women soldiers to listen to their orders.

Madame Chen sat solemnly in front of the hall, with the ruler of Min seated on her left listening to the mobilization.⁹ Chen Jinggu issued orders. She called on Cinnabar Cloud Great Sage to obey her order, saying, “I am now sending you to be the vanguard. Listen for my signal shot.” Then she dispatched the two Rock sisters, saying, “I order you to be the vanguard on the right to resist the enemy in the flying bird category of eagles, crows, and magpies. Listen for my signal shot, then go into action.” The two sisters heard their orders and withdrew. Then she summoned Miss Jiang to hear her orders, saying, “I now order you to be a general to resist the enemy in the aquatic category of turtles, tortoises, and dragons. Listen for my signal shot, then go into action.” Miss Jiang received her orders and withdrew. Then Madame Chen summoned Lin Jiuniang, the vice commander, to hear her orders, saying, “I give you the spider pearl to resist wasps, scorpions, cicadas, and those of the insect category. Listen for the signal shot, then go into action.” Jiuniang received her orders and withdrew.

Chen Jinggu then divided the five hundred female soldiers into eight divisions, selecting eight individuals as leaders.¹⁰ She ordered the daughters Zou and Gao to first transmit the arts of the sword, as well as the secret arts of flying and invisibility. Next she summoned Li Sanniang to be head of the first division, Miss Ou to be head of the second division, Miss Zou to be head of the third division, Miss Gao to be head of the fourth division, and then she ordered her three sisters Zeng, Xu, and Ruan to be heads of the fifth, sixth, and seventh divisions. Each was to listen for the signal shot and then act.

After all the female generals had been instructed, she ordered each female soldier to carry a bucket of filthy dog and pig blood, as well as a palm whisk.¹¹ They were to wait until they engaged the soldiers, and then use the filthy blood to break their spells. She ordered her two bodyguards, Wang and Yang, to lead the soldiers of the Five Camps to be stationed in battle formation. She would have them prepared but not immediately used, holding them as reserves to respond to the enemy’s actions. Each of the thirty-six palace concubines was given a precious sword, and they accompanied Chen Jinggu to protect her. “Listen for my commands. I will lead the female generals. When I fire the signal cannon three times, open the city gates wide, kill the traitors, and destroy the demons.” Truly it was:

If these evil traitors had not been exercising their evil arts,

How could she receive a second title?

We don’t yet know how these women succeeded or failed. For that you’ll need to read the next chapter.