[updated September 2022]
Mt. Yan Expeditionary Campaign
燕 支 行
汉 家 天 将 才 且 雄
来 时 谒 帝 明 光 宫。
万 乘 亲 推 双 阙 下
千 官 出 饯 五 陵 东。
誓 辞 甲 第 金 门 里
身 作 长 城 玉 塞 中。
卫 霍 才 堪 一 骑 将
朝 廷 不 数 贰 师 功。
赵 魏 燕 韩 多 劲 卒
关 西 挟 少 何 咆 勃。
报 仇 只 是 闻 尝 胆
饮 酒 不 曾 妨 刮 骨。
画 戟 雕 戈 白 日 寒
连 旗 大 旆 黄 尘 没。
叠 鼓 遥 翻 瀚 海 波
鸣 笳 乱 动 天 山 月。
麒 麟 锦 带 佩 吴 钩
飒 沓 青 骊 跃 紫 骝。
拔 剑 已 断 天 骄 臂
归 鞍 共 饮 月 支 头。
汉 兵 大 呼 一 当 百
虏 骑 相 看 哭 且 愁。
教 战 须 令 赴 汤 火
终 知 上 将 先 伐 谋。
Yan Zhi Xing
Han jia tian jiang cai qie xiong
Lai shi ye di ming guang gong.
Wan cheng qin tui shuang que xia
Qian guan chu jian wu ling dong.
Shi ci jia di jin men li
Shen zuo chang cheng yu sai zhong.
Wei huo cai kan yi qi jiang
Chao ting bu shu er shi gong.
Zhao wei yan han duo jin zu
Guan xi xia shao he pao bo.
Bao chou zhi shi wen chang dan
Yin jiu bu ceng fang gua gu.
Hua ji diao ge bai ri han
Lian qi da pei huang chen mo.
Die gu yao fan han hai bo
Ming jia luan dong tian shan yue.
Qi lin jin dai pei wu gou
Sa ta qing li yue zi liu.
Ba jian yi duan tian jiao bi
Gui an gong yin yue zhi tou.
Han bing da hu yi dang bai
Lu qi xiang kan ku qie chou.
Jiao zhan xu ling fu tang huo
Zhong zhi shang jiang xian fa mou.
Mt. Yan Expeditionary Campaign
Han nation’s supernatural general, for some time brave and powerful
One day he called on the emperor’s Ming Guang palace.
Thousands of chariots below two city wall watchtowers, he was given the
qin tui
One thousand military officers went east out of the city for a farewell party among the five hills.
The general took an oath, he departed as first in command from inside the Jinmen city gate
Pledges victory, or his life, in defending the empire.
Upon returning, honored only as a mid-level cavalry officer
Imperial court did not bestow the Ershi insignia of meritorious service.
Zhao Wei, Yan and Han armies unite to increase battle strength
In the western garrisons, the young and chivalrous warriors roar with anger and indignation.
Wanting revenge like in the oral history of Chang Dan
Just drank wine, not once complaining about the scraping to the bone.
So many carved and painted halberds, turn the daytime into a massive ocean of cold bright light
Continuous rows of yellow pennants, like a big swallow-tail, disappearing into clouds of dust.
Stacked drums beat, roll over the land like vast immense ocean waves
Bamboo flute sounds so disharmonious, the Tian Mountain moon shudders.
Qin lin brocade belt worn at the waist, carrying a Wu hook
He flies through the air as the dark reddish-purple horse leaps over pure black ones.
Pull out the sword, then cut to pieces the Mongolian people’s army
Return mounted, sharing a drink from out of the skulls of the Yuezhi.
Han soldiers one big shout the same as thousands
Prisoners of war straddle each other and moan their sorrow and melancholy.
To teach and learn of warfare one has to command and order fu tang huo
In the end know that every army general must have a strategy and a plan.
Notes:
Mt Yan: Located in present day Gansu province.
Qin Tui: refers to an ancient story and practice of the emperor’s limited submission of authority to his number one military commander by conferring to him imperial power outside the city wall while on a military expeditionary campaign
Ershi: He was a man nicknamed for a place made famous during the Han dynasty. This military leader invaded a neighboring country, conquered it, and brought back to the emperor over three thousand horses.
Chang Dan: Refers to the country of Yue that lost to the Wu during the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770-256 BC). The Yue king came home and drank the bile of pigs before and after going to bed in order to keep the taste of defeat strong. Many years later he returned to the battlefield and beat the Wu into submission.
Scrape to the bone: This metaphor comes to us from the Three Kingdoms period (220-280 AD). A Guanyu general was shot in the arm with a poisoned arrow during combat. Doctors had to tear apart the flesh and scrape his bone in order for it to properly heal. During the operation the general refused all pain killers, simply just drinking wine.
Halberds: In ancient Chinese these weapons had a long shaft and large horizontal blade. Also known as a dagger axe.
Qin Lin: an auspicious legendary and mythological animal with a horn and covered with scales. The Chinese unicorn.
Wu hook: The Wu country wanted very strong armaments. One knife-maker, in order to collect a large reward, made two knives with the blood of his two sons. The blades had two hooks on the non-cutting edge. These knives were revered for their strength and power. So wu gou refers to any weapon of extraordinary strength.
Dark reddish-purple horse: The generals choose a special horse over the more common black ones to be his mount.
Yuezhi: This was a country close to present day Gansu Province.
Fu tan huo: Means to be ready to jump into boiling water and plunge into a raging fire. Or as we say in the States, to go through hell and high water.