Chapter 34
Kan Kwan again went forth to conquer and subdue, going southward, to Ho-tsze, a large city having five tributary cities, ruled over by Oo-long, a king with two hundred wives and a well disciplined army of thirty thousand men and women.
Kwan’s army was now seven thousand strong, but without discipline; and with no head except himself. And on his march through the country he compelled the farmers to embrace the Te-in religion, under penalty of death.
Now when he had come near Ho-tsze, he, even as he had for the previous city, sent an order for the king to surrender.
Oo-long laughed when told of the kind of company that had come against him, and he sent only eight thousand women soldiers to give Kwan battle. When the armies were near each other, the Lords said to Kwan: Send a truce, and call on your enemy to surrender under penalty of death; for the angels of Te-in will deliver them into your hand, and not one shall die.
A truce was sent, and lo and behold, the whole of Oo-long’s battlefield army surrendered, and made oaths of allegiance to Kwan, and not one was slain. Oo-long, when informed of it, said: Now I will go with all my army and slay this ragged king and all his people, and also my eight thousand who have surrendered. So he marched to battle with twenty-two thousand soldiers. Kwan’s army was scattered about the fields. Oo-long said to his captain: Go, tell this foolish king to set his army in line of battle; I have no desire to take advantage of a flock of sheep.
The captain started to go, but before he reached the place, he fell down in a swoon, for the angels overpowered him. The king saw his captain fall, and he cried out to his army: It is enough! My army has never seen such fools, and do not know how to battle with them. Come, I will lead!
At that, he rushed on, followed by his thousands. Instantly, Kwan’s army set up their screams and howls, and ran forward in every direction; and lo and behold, Oo-long’s army broke and fled, except for twelve hundred who were captured, Oo-long among them; and they were instantly slain. But of Kwan’s army, only one man was killed.
The Lords sent messengers to Te-in in his heavenly place, informing him of Kwan’s success. Te-in returned this commandment: In what has been done I am well pleased; but do not let your mortal king, Kan Kwan, win so easily from now on; but let him have losses, so that he will not forget me and my Lords and my hosts of angels. Place him in straits, and cause him to pray to me; and his army shall pray also. And when they have thus sacrificed, deliver him and his army from their straits, and make him victorious for a season. ||
Kwan entered the city of Ho-tsze without further opposition, and possessed it. Immediately he put thirty thousand laborers to work building a temple to Te-in. Another twenty thousand he told to pull down houses and make other streets, more beautiful than before. In twenty-eight days the temple and the streets were completed; and on the twenty-ninth day the sacrifices (worship) commenced, and all the people were obliged to swear allegiance to Kwan and to Te-in, or be slain. And on the first day there were slain four thousand men and women (worshippers of different Gods, but for the main part the Great Spirit) who would not take the oath.
After that, none refused, and so Kwan gave the city a new name, Tue Shon; and he appointed So’wo’tse governor, and commanded the tributary cities to come under the yoke.
Then Kan Kwan went forward again to conquer and subdue; and the Lords of heaven and their twelve million angels went with him and in advance of him, preparing the way. And the news of his success, well exaggerated, was spread abroad among mortals, so that the inhabitants of cities far and near feared him.
The Lords made it possible for Kwan to conquer and subdue three more large cities without loss to his army; and lo and behold, Kwan began to think it was he himself who possessed the power, and not Te-in.
The next city, Che-gau, was a small one, of fifty thousand inhabitants. Kwan did not ask Te-in (through the Lords) how to make the attack, but he went forward on his own judgment. Now over the city there ruled a woman, Lon Gwie, a tyrant little loved, and she had only four thousand soldiers, while Kwan had seven thousand.
Kwan, arriving near, demanded the place; but the queen did not answer him with words; but had her soldiers in ambush, who then fell upon Kwan’s army, and put one-half of them to death; and yet the queen suffered small loss. Kwan, not finding his Lords with him, fled with his remaining army. But the Lords urged the queen to pursue him, and she again fell upon them and slew half while crippling hundreds more. But again the queen suffered small loss.
The Lords then spoke to Kwan, where he had escaped to, and said to him: Because you were vain and did not remember me, your heavenly ruler, Te-in, I have labored to show you that of yourself you are nothing. Then Kwan prayed to Te-in, saying: Most mighty ruler of heaven and earth, you have justly punished me. I pray to you now, with good repentance, in the bitterness of my shame. What shall I do, O Te-in? I am far from home, in a strange country, and my army is well-nigh destroyed. All nations are against me; a sheep is safer in a forest with wolves than I am in these regions.
The Lord said to Kwan: Now that you have repented, behold I, Te-in, will show you my power. For you shall gather together the remnant of your army and turn about and destroy the queen and her army, or put them to flight and possess the city.
So the next morning, Kwan, being inspired by his Lords, prepared for battle, though he had only seven hundred men. On the other hand, the Lords and their angels appeared in the dreams and visions of the queen’s army, saying to them: The queen is deceived and has led her army into a trap. In the morning fifty thousand men will join Kwan. Prepare, therefore, to die tomorrow.
The next day, then, the queen’s soldiers related their fearful dreams to one another; hardly had they finished when Kwan’s army came upon them. And the angels, more than fifty thousand, took on sar’gis, seeming like mortals. At sight of this, the queen’s army were so frightened they could not flee, except a few, but nearly the whole army surrendered, throwing away their arms and lying down.
Kwan and his army fell upon them and slew them, more than four thousand, who were rendered powerless by the angel hosts with them. Kwan then went into the city, doing as previously in other cities, establishing himself and Te-in.
Such, then, was the manner of Te-in, the false, in establishing himself in Jaffeth. Hear now of Sudga, of Vind’yu, and her heavenly kingdom.