Defending the Nation 77
nuo and Du Taishi, were even appointed “vanguard generals” in the impe-
rial army.^81
The courage of one Wutai fighting monk earned him a biography in the
“loyal heroes” section of the official Song History. The monk, Zhenbao, held the
government-appointed position of “chief monk” (sengzheng) for Mt. Wutai. Dur-
ing the dynasty’s desperate last months he was summoned to the capital Bian-
liang (Kaifeng) for military consultation. Emperor Qinzong (reigned 1126–1127)
beseeched his help, and Zhenbao promised to do his best. He returned to the
mountain, gathered his monastic troops, and went to war, only to be defeated
and taken captive. Zhenbao’s Jurchen captors were willing to spare him, but he
refused to collaborate. “My religion prohibits lying,” the courageous monk said.
“I had already promised the Song emperor that I will fight for him to the death.
Was it merely a boastful lie?” Only then was he executed.^82
As Ma Mingda has shown, Wutai’s military fame is mirrored in popular lit-
erature. Ming fiction extols several fighting monks who are associated with the
mountain. The Water Margin’s (ca. 1400) heroic Lu Zhishen resides at the Mt.
Wutai’s Mañjušrî Temple, and the Yang Family G ene ral s (ca. 1550) Yang the Fifth
(Yang Wulang) leads his five-thousand-strong monkish army from there in
support of his brothers.^83 We will return below to these fictional warrior monks.
Here suffice it to note that their legends can be traced back through drama
and oral literature to the twelfth century. Evidently, shortly after their 1120s as-
sistance to the Northern Song, Wutai monks had been celebrated in Southern
Song (1127–1279) lore.^84
Mount Emei
Originally one of Daoism’s earthly paradises that were known as the “cave
heavens” (dongtian), Mt. Emei was sanctioned by the Buddhist tradition during
the Ming period, when it was chosen as one of the religion’s “Four Great Moun-
tains.” It is dedicated to the cult of Samantabhadra (Puxian), and it houses
dozens of temples in honor of the Bodhisattva.
During the late Ming, both spear and empty-handed fighting were prac-
ticed at Emei. Information on the former is provided by the Emei Spear Method
(Emei qiangfa), which the spear expert Wu Shu considered worthy of inclusion
in his Arm Exercises (1678). The manual expounds the techniques of the Emei
Master Pu’en (fl. ca. 1600), as recorded by his lay student Cheng Zhenru (fl. ca.
1620).^85 As for Emei hand combat, it is celebrated in Tang Shunzhi’s (1507–
1560) “Song of the Emei Monk’s Fist” (“Emei daoren quan ge”), which alludes
to Shaolin’s military renown as well:
The Buddha is an expert magician; master of many techniques,
Shaolin hand combat in the entire world is hardly equaled.
This monk demonstrates even greater new marvels,
For in the mountains’ depth, the white monkey had instructed him.