书城传记聆听史诗丛书-格萨尔王传:英文
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第47章 The State of Cham... (4)

Tsinpa Merotse’s face turned purple and he pulled out his knife immediately: “What are you going to do? You think I’m afraid of you?”

Seeing that Merotse was ready to fight, Chamar Kegyi winked at Zhuzha Baidain Guabo and persuaded Merotse: “Don’t be angry. Please stay here until the prince and Gyiway Tuigar come back. If what you’ve said is true, then you can leave after they come back. Zhuzha is just impetuous, so please excuse him for offending you.”

Realizing he was in danger, Merotse knew it would do him no good to fight. So he took the chance to sheathe his sword and sat down on a cushion. However, when he had just sat down, Zhuzha Baidain Guabo and Chamar Kegyi got up simultaneously and jumped on him. Merotse had let his guard down and got caught easily.

As Merotse hadn’t come back by sunset, Gesar guessed that the situation was looking bad rather than good. The Lion King immediately deployed his 1.8 million troops and ordered them to move to the Salt Lake.

Zhuzha Baidain Guabo and Chamar Kegyi were ready to fight when the news came that the troops of Ling had turned out. Suddenly, a huge wild bull appeared on a hill not far from the Cham troops. The wild bull was so fierce that its roar rent the air and its gallop shook the earth.

“Don’t worry! I’ll shoot it with a crossbow bolt!” shouted Zhuzha Baidain Guabo. His first shot didn’t hurt the wild bull at all and Zhuzha’s heart sank. He then fired three arrows in quick succession but they still didn’t work. Zhuzha got really mad at this and he kept firing off arrows in quick succession until he had used up all his 300 arrows. The wild bull was still unhurt and he kept plodding along towards the Ling troops.

Zhuzha didn’t know that this wild bull was actually the Lion King Gesar, so it certainly could not be shot dead. After Zhuzha had fired all his arrows, there still wasn’t a stir on the hill, so he walked there to get his 300 arrows back.

Ling troops, led by Dainma, rushed at him quickly and surrounded him, before he could reach where his arrows were. Dainma cut off Zhuzha’s head before he could retreat back. The Ling troops slaughtered their way through the Cham flank. This demoralised the Cham troops completely and they fled in disarray. Chamar Kegyi didn’t even dare to look back until he limped back to Cham. The huge camp was then empty except for Tsinpa Merotse who had been left tied to a wooden pole.

When King Sadain saw Chamar Kegyi coming back to Cham with only the remnants of his army, he tore his hair out. He immediately sent out another 1.8 million troops to get Prince Yulha back and to get revenge for Zhuzha Baidain Guabo and Gyiway Tuigar.

The two armies met at a mountain. Prince Dharma of Cham took the lead and rushed to the head of the battle where he pointed at Dainma and shouted:

“Hey, you are detestable Dainma! King Sadain ordered me to get you. I will kill you with my black arrow and you will die without a burial place!”

Then he put the arrow with black poison into his iron crossbow and fired it at Dainma. The arrow, trailing dark smoke, flew directly at Dainma. It hit the right hand side of his breastplate but did not hurt him. Dainma laughed and said:

“Prince Dharma, you are foolish. Your arrows cannot hurt me at all. I will let you know the sharpness of my green steel sword!” Dainma galloped his horse and cut the head off Prince Dharma with his sword. This threw the Cham troops into great disorder. One entire section of the troops was wiped out by Dainma and his soldiers.

There was no further action from the Cham troops for several days. King Gesar was stationed beside the Salt Lake with his army. They defended the Salt Lake day and night. One night, the Lion King was sleeping deeply when his aunt Norman Garmo came to him on the clouds. She sang to Gesar:

“Oh, my child Toipa Garwa, don’t look down upon Sadain.

He is a black Devil who can change magically.

He shouts like thunder.

He is as tall as the sky.

He, who will not be caught by thousands upon thousands of horses and soldiers, will surrender only to you.