“The white breasted eagle, the roc, the yellow swan and the cuckoo, please tell my parents in Cham that I am in a trouble.”
When Yulha was taken to the Lion Dragon Palace Hall, he was brought before King Gesar immediately. The Lion King was very fond of the vigorous prince, but he was not sure if the young man was also good-natured. King Gesar asked:
“Prince Yulha, why don’t you stay in your own state instead of coming to Ling to take our Salt Lake? Now that you are captured, I will offer you as a sacrifice to Heaven.”
Yulha Tochu answered calmly:
“My body is no longer mine since I am in your hands. No matter whether you want to offer me as a sacrifice or make me into dog’s feed, just do it quickly.”
King Gesar smiled at Yulha’s brave answer.
“Prince Yulha, don’t take my joke seriously. I am the Lion King and my aim is to protect the people from all evil forces. To real heroes, I pay great respect. I will make you the king of Cham and I believe you will bring prosperity to your people.”
Yulha Tochu had heard of King Gesar long, long ago. The king was described as a tyrant and even crueler than devils. His troops were said to burn, kill and plunder wherever they went. However, the king in front of Yulha was so kind and looked so graceful that he was overwhelmed by Gesar’s dignified manner. Prince Yulha knelt down and kowtowed to Gesar and implored:
“My father is guilty but could you spare his life? If you insist on killing him, please give him the chance to go to Heaven in the afterlife. My mother is a kind-hearted woman so please never let her starve. As for my sister, the Princess of Cham, please give her a home in the State of Ling.”
After making these requests, Yulha Tochu said: “I will be your servant and fight for the State of Ling.”
Gesar nodded at Yulha:
“Good boy, don’t worry. All your requirements will be met. From now on, you are my brother and I will grant you the title of Great Hero. Follow me in the fight against all evil forces.”
After this, the troops of Ling moved towards the Salt Lake and stationed themselves nearby.
Taking into consideration the ferocity of Cham’s army, King Gesar decided to follow his father’s advice and win the war through tactics. He held several discussions with his generals and finally drew up a plan. Under his command, the generals went back to their troops to prepare for the coming battle.
Tsinpa Merotse returned to the Salt Lake again. There he met Zhuzha Bedain Guabo, the marshal of the troops of Cham. Looking at the puzzled marshal, Merotse said:
“I am Tsinpa Merotse, a minister of Hor. My king, Bacham, launched a war against the State of Ling to take their Queen Cholmo, but the king and all his 1.2 million soldiers were killed. I was the only person who survived; so I came to seek help from your state. On my way to Cham, I met Prince Yulha and told him my story. The prince gave me 10,000 Cham soldiers to fight the troops of Ling. But the Ling army was extraordinarily fierce. We won’t win unless we develop a sound plan.”
“Wait, please. What did you say just then? We won’t win?” Zhuzha Baidain Guabo’s face darkened. “Where is the prince now?”
“On our way back, the prince killed nine wild bulls. As we were unable to carry them, the prince sent me to ask you for help. Please send some men to meet the prince right now.”
Zhuzha Baidain Guabo asked General Gyiway Tuigar to go with Merotse to bring the prince back as quickly as possible.
After getting their orders they walked to Mulong. They saw a combative looking guy coming towards them. Gyiway Tuigar was immediately on his guard, “Hey, Merotse, do you know that guy coming over to us? He looks really ferocious!”
“Don’t worry. He’s Nortse, a shepherd boy from the State of Ling who just cuts grass and collects firewood,” Merotse answered casually.
“A shepherd boy that cuts grass and collects firewood? I don’t think so.”
“Oh, he also has a name, Dainma.”
“Dainma? You wretch! Who doesn’t know Dainma, the great hero? How did you call him as shepherd boy?”
Gyiway Tuigar unsheathed his sword and rushed at Dainma. Tsinpa Merotse stopped him immediately: “Wait, Gyiway Tuigar, I will fight first; you stay here and watch!”
Gyiway Tuigar was already suspicious of Merotse and was angry about Merotse stopping him. He pushed off Merotse with his left hand, which held a horsewhip, and urged his warhorse forward with his right hand. Unexpectedly, his horse was suddenly stabbed by Merotse. The pain made the horse rear up and threw Gyiway Tuigar off. Merotse got down from his own horse and tackled Gyiway Tuigar around the waist. Dainma pulled out a knife and killed him.
Carrying Gyiway Tuigar’s head, Dainma and Merotse went to meet the Lion King and the other heroes. Gesar was so happy that he asked his body guards to offer them tea and wine. This made Merotse very happy because he had contributed twice, with his guile, during the battle against Cham. In the middle of drinking, he suggested his plan for another battle assignment: “In the morning, I used tricks to catch Yulha alive and kill Gyiway Tuigar. In the afternoon, I’ll go to the Salt Lake and trick Zhuzha Baidain Guabo and Chamar Kegyi out to meet me and kill them. Without them, the Cham State will be totally ruined and leaderless and the Cham troops will withdraw without fighting.”
Before the Lion King could say anything, Rongcha Chageng said: “Tsinpa Merotse, you have been there again and again, you can’t go there anymore or the enemy will know your intentions.”
Gesar nodded his agreement: “Tsinpa Merotse, Rongcha Chageng is right. If you fall in the enemy’s hands, that would do us no good.”
“My gratitude to you is as weighty as the mountain, so for your great undertaking and so that our people can live a better life, I would be willing to die if needed.”
Then, Merotse put on his armour again and rode to Cham Camp.
A cry went up — “Merotse’s coming back alone”. Zhuzha Baidain Guabo became suspicious: “Hey! Where are the prince and Gyiway Tuigar? Why do you come back alone?”
“Gyiway Tuigar and I hunted three wild bulls on the way and he and the prince are carrying them back. They sent me to ask Chamar Kegyiand for ten more soldiers to help.”
Zhuzha Baidain Guabo sneered at him: “Merotse, you swindler! I won’t buy your story anymore. If the two generals of our state don’t come back, I’ll never let you go!”
