Chapter 41: The Aftermath of Zhuolu — What Became of Chi You
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A RECORD OF ALL THINGS UNDER HEAVEN
As gathered from the oldest accounts that remain
PROLOGUE — CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
On the Matter of the Aftermath of Zhuolu — What Became of Chi You
After the Battle of Zhuolu — 涿鹿之戰 — Zhuolu Zhi Zhan — the world changed.
The Yellow Emperor — 黃帝 — Huang Di — was victorious. Chi You — 蚩尤 — was dead. His body was dismembered. His head was buried in one place. His limbs were buried in four directions. His torso was buried in another. The land was marked by his burial sites.
But Chi You did not disappear. He did not fade into memory. He became something else. He became a god. He became a symbol. He became a warning. He became a protector. He became the ancestor of a people. He became the face of war.
The aftermath of Zhuolu is recorded in multiple texts. The accounts do not always agree. They agree that Chi You's power did not end with his death. They agree that his influence continued. They agree that he became something more in death than he had been in life.
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On the burial of Chi You's body.
The Shiji — 史記 — Records of the Grand Historian — records the burial of Chi You.
It states: Chi You was executed. His body was dismembered. His head was buried in Shouzhang — 壽張 — in present-day Shandong province — 山東省 — Shandong Sheng. His body was buried in Juye — 鉅野 — also in Shandong. The places where his limbs were buried became mountains. The mountains are called the Chi You Mountains — 蚩尤山 — Chi You Shan.
The Huainanzi — 淮南子 — adds detail. It states: The chains that bound Chi You were thrown to the ground. They became a grove of trees. The trees are called the Chi You Trees — 蚩尤樹 — Chi You Shu. They do not grow straight. They twist. They coil. They are the chains of Chi You turned to wood.
The blood that fell from Chi You's body became a lake. The lake is called the Chi You Lake — 蚩尤湖 — Chi You Hu. The water is red. The water does not freeze in winter. The water does not dry in summer. The blood of Chi You still flows in the lake. It has not stopped flowing since the day he died.
The Shanhaijing — 山海經 — records: The place where Chi You's head was buried is called the Mountain of the Prisoner — 囚山 — Qiu Shan. The spirits of Chi You's warriors guard the mountain. They have guarded it since the day he died. They will guard it until the end of the world.
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On Chi You's image on the Yellow Emperor's banners.
After the battle, the Yellow Emperor did not destroy Chi You's memory. He used it.
The Shiji records: The Yellow Emperor placed Chi You's image on his banners. He used the image to intimidate his enemies. The enemies saw Chi You's face. They saw the face of the God of War. They saw the face of the one who had fought the Yellow Emperor to a standstill. They saw the face of the one who had been defeated. They saw the face of the one who had become a god. They surrendered.
The Yellow Emperor also placed Chi You's image on his weapons. He placed it on his swords. He placed it on his shields. He placed it on his chariots. The image of Chi You protected his army. The image of Chi You gave his army strength. The image of Chi You made his army terrifying.
The enemies of the Yellow Emperor did not want to face the army that carried Chi You's image. They did not want to face the army that had defeated Chi You. They did not want to face the army that had absorbed Chi You's power. They surrendered before the battle began.
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On Chi You as the God of War — 戰神 — Zhan Shen.
After his death, Chi You was worshipped as the God of War.
The Shiji records: Qin Shi Huang — 秦始皇 — the First Emperor — worshipped Chi You. Before his campaigns to unify China, he made offerings to Chi You. He asked for Chi You's blessing. He asked for Chi You's power. He asked to be as fierce as Chi You. He asked to be as unstoppable as Chi You.
The Han dynasty — 漢朝 — Han Chao — emperors continued the worship. They included Chi You in the official sacrifices. He was recognized as a god of war. He was recognized as a protector of the state. He was recognized as the source of military power.
The Tang dynasty — 唐朝 — Tang Chao — honored Chi You. They built temples to him. They made offerings to him before campaigns. They asked for his protection. They asked for his strength.
The Song dynasty — 宋朝 — Song Chao — continued the tradition. They honored Chi You as the God of War. They included him in the list of deities who received official sacrifices.
The worship of Chi You continued for over two thousand years. It did not stop. It continues in some regions today.
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On Chi You as the ancestor of the Miao people — 苗族 — Miao Zu.
The Miao people claim descent from Chi You. They are the descendants of the Jiuli — 九黎 — the Nine Li — who fought under Chi You against the Yellow Emperor.
After Chi You's defeat, his people did not surrender. They did not submit. They fled. They fled to the mountains. They fled to the south. They fled to the west. They fled to the places where the Yellow Emperor's army could not follow.
They kept their traditions. They kept their language. They kept their customs. They kept their stories. They kept the memory of Chi You.
The Miao oral traditions tell the story of Chi You. They say he was their ancestor. They say he was a great leader. They say he was a great warrior. They say he was betrayed. They say he was defeated by trickery, not by strength. They say he was not a demon. They say he was a hero.
They perform rituals in his honor. They sing songs about his battles. They tell stories about his strength. They remember his defeat. They remember his sacrifice. They remember that he almost won.
The Miao are the descendants of Chi You. They are the ones who did not surrender. They are the ones who kept their identity. They are the ones who remembered.
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On Chi You's transformation into the God of Weapons — 兵器之神 — Bingqi zhi Shen.
After his death, Chi You became associated with weapons. He was the first to forge metal. He was the first to make swords. He was the first to make spears. He was the first to make armor. He was the inventor of war.
Blacksmiths worshipped him. They made offerings to him before beginning their work. They asked for his blessing on their forges. They asked for his skill in their hands. They asked for his strength in the metal they shaped.
Warriors worshipped him. They made offerings to him before battle. They asked for his courage. They asked for his ferocity. They asked for his power. They asked to be as unstoppable as Chi You.
Generals worshipped him. They made offerings to him before campaigns. They asked for his strategy. They asked for his wisdom. They asked for his victory. They asked to defeat their enemies as the Yellow Emperor defeated Chi You.
Chi You became the patron of all who worked with metal. He became the patron of all who fought with weapons. He became the patron of all who made war. He was the God of Weapons. He was the God of War.
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On the Chi You Festival — 蚩尤節 — Chi You Jie.
In some regions, particularly among the Miao people, the Chi You Festival is still celebrated.
The festival is held on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month — 九月初九 — jiu yue chu jiu — the Double Ninth Festival — 重陽節 — Chongyang Jie.
On this day, the Miao people gather. They dress in traditional clothing. They perform rituals in Chi You's honor. They sing songs about his battles. They tell stories about his strength. They make offerings to his spirit.
They remember that he was defeated. They remember that he was killed. They remember that his body was dismembered. They remember that his head was buried in one place and his limbs in another. They remember that he did not surrender. They remember that he fought to the end. They remember that he almost won.
They honor him as their ancestor. They honor him as their hero. They honor him as the one who fought for their people. They honor him as the one who taught them to be strong. They honor him as the one who taught them to never surrender.
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On Chi You's place in the Taoist pantheon.
In Taoism — 道教 — Daojiao — Chi You was incorporated into the pantheon. He became a deity. He was given a place in the celestial bureaucracy.
He was appointed as the Marshal of the Ministry of War — 兵部元帥 — Bing Bu Yuanshuai. He was given command over the armies of heaven. He was given authority over the weapons of the gods. He was given the power to protect the state from its enemies.
In some Taoist texts, Chi You is depicted as a fierce warrior. He rides a chariot drawn by dragons. He carries a sword that can cut through mountains. He wears armor that cannot be pierced. He is the general of heaven. He is the protector of the divine. He is the God of War.
In other Taoist texts, Chi You is depicted as a demon who was subdued by the Yellow Emperor. He is bound. He is imprisoned. He is controlled. He is not worshipped. He is contained. The texts do not agree. Both versions are recorded here.
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On the Chi You statues in temples.
In some temples, particularly those dedicated to the God of War, statues of Chi You are found.
He is depicted as a giant. He has the head of a bull. He has four eyes. He has six arms. He holds weapons in each hand. He wears bronze armor. His expression is fierce. His posture is aggressive.
The statues are placed at the entrance of the temple. They guard the temple. They protect the worshippers. They intimidate evil spirits. The image of Chi You is enough to frighten any demon. The image of Chi You is enough to protect any temple.
Worshippers make offerings to the statue. They ask for protection. They ask for strength. They ask for victory. They ask for the power of Chi You to be with them.
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On the Chi You and the Yellow Emperor as complementary forces.
In later Chinese thought, Chi You and the Yellow Emperor came to be seen as complementary forces. The Yellow Emperor represents order. Chi You represents chaos. The Yellow Emperor represents civilization. Chi You represents the wild. The Yellow Emperor represents peace. Chi You represents war.
Neither can exist without the other. Order requires chaos to define it. Civilization requires the wild to contrast it. Peace requires war to defend it.
The Yellow Emperor defeated Chi You. But he did not destroy him. He used his image. He worshipped him. He incorporated him into the state. He made Chi You a part of the civilization that Chi You had fought to destroy.
Chi You was the enemy. Chi You became the protector. Chi You was the monster. Chi You became the god. Chi You was the one who almost destroyed civilization. Chi You became the one who protects civilization from its enemies.
This is the paradox of Chi You. He is the defeated who becomes the guardian. He is the enemy who becomes the protector. He is the chaos that order requires to define itself.
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On what the aftermath represents.
The aftermath of Zhuolu represents the incorporation of opposition into the state.
Chi You was defeated. He was not erased. He was not forgotten. He was honored. He was worshipped. He was given a place in the pantheon. He was given a place in the state. He was given a place in the memory of the people.
The Yellow Emperor did not destroy his enemy. He absorbed him. He made Chi You a part of the civilization that Chi You had fought. He made Chi You a protector of the order that Chi You had tried to overthrow.
This is the Chinese way. The enemy is not destroyed. The enemy is incorporated. The opposition is not eliminated. The opposition is absorbed. The threat becomes a guardian. The monster becomes a god.
Chi You is the model of this. He is the enemy who became a protector. He is the monster who became a god. He is the chaos that order requires to define itself. He is the war that peace requires to defend itself. He is the wild that civilization requires to remember what it came from.
He is Chi You. He is the God of War. He is the ancestor of the Miao. He is the protector of the state. He is the image on the banners. He is the one who was defeated. He is the one who never surrendered. He is the one who became immortal.
END OF CHAPTER FORTY-ONE