Prince Yulha of the State of Cham approached Merotse at speed but he stopped in the distance and shouted:
“Hey… you, the man in red by the sea. Where do you come from? What are you doing here? You’d better leave this place as quickly as you can.”
“Why should I leave? Is here your land?” Merotse retorted.
“The Cham State lacks salt. I received an order from my father, the king of Cham, to seize this Salt Lake. You, the man in red, don’t block our way!” Prince Yulha was impatient. His only thought was to drive away the man in red.
Tsinpa Merotse stood up slowly and pulled out a long hada scarf made from white silk and walked towards Yulha with a smile:
“My dear prince, I am Tsinpa Merotse, minister of the inner court of Yellow Hor. I am on the way to Cham. The Hor King, Bacham, has sent a letter to your father. He wants to make an alliance with you by marriage. The prince of Hor is of marriageable age. The Buddhist Guardian foretold that the princess of Cham is the most suitable girl. King Bacham and King Sadain will be the masters of the world when they are joined by marriage.”
Hearing this, Prince Yulha laughed and said:
“Merotse! Don’t lie to me. King Bacham was defeated by Gesar. The 30 great heroes of Hor were killed by the Lion King. You survived only because you have no sense of shame and are willing to be the henchman of the State of Ling.”
“My dear prince, don’t believe rumours. The great king of Hor will never be defeated. Here is his letter. Please take it to King Sadain,” Tsinpa Merotse said, presenting his letter to the prince.
Prince Yulha took the letter. On the envelope was written: “With gratitude to those who help the Yellow Hor King to attain the marriage.” The prince opened the envelope and read through the letter. It was just like what Merotse had said, King Sadain was asked to marry his daughter to the prince of Hor. At the end of the letter it was signed “From the Yasi Palace of the State of Hor.”
After reading the letter, Yulha Tochu wondered if the news he had heard was just rumours. In the letter the king appeared to be quite humble and polite. But Prince Yulha still felt suspicious. He thought it might be better to take a look at Hor himself. So he told Merotse:
“Tsinpa, I don’t think you are trustworthy. I will go to Hor and find out the truth myself.” The prince whipped his blue roan horse three times and then flew up into the sky towards the State of Hor.
Tsinpa Merotse never expected the prince to be so clever and he was shocked by the prince’s action. Things would go totally wrong if Yulha found out the truth. Merotse immediately burnt aromatic plants for auspicious smoke and asked for help from the Buddhist Guardian:
“Buddhist Guardian, please help me. Yulha Tochu goes to Hor. Please blind his eyes and never let him see the truth.”
When Yulha reached Hor, things were all like before. Bulls and sheep were to be seen everywhere and the palace was wrapped in auspicious clouds. The 30 heroes stood rigidly on the drill ground. Yulha was greatly relieved. He thought the King of Hor was still alive and thus Merotse’s words were true.
Tsinpa Merotse was still waiting at the Salt Lake when Yulha Tochu returned. Getting off his horse he told Merotse: “I know now you didn’t lie. But my sister, the princess of Cham will marry the prince of Hor only when your betrothal gifts satisfy us.”
“Gifts won’t be a problem. The Hor State is rich. You can take anything you want.” Tsinpa Merotse was happy that Yulha was taken in by his words. He said: “Tell me then, how many gifts do you want?”
“I want 18 gold horses, 18 silver sheep, 18 jade elephants, 18 iron servants and 18 white crystal maids. Besides this, I want 100 fine horses, 100 strong bulls, 100 robust mules and 100 sturdy yaks.”
“No problem. Stocks are numerous in Hor. All your requirements can be met easily. Besides, we will give you an additional gift of gold and jewellery. My dear prince, now we can make the deal. Why not have a drink to celebrate then?” Merotse needed to catch Prince Yulha alive, so he tried all his means to coax the prince into trusting him.
Yulha Tochu thought Merotse would never accept his terms but Merotse made the promise without any hesitation. Prince Yulha was pleased and accepted Merotse’s idea of drinking. Merotse took out a gorgeous goblet decorated with eight lucky signs and five kinds of jewellery. He filled up the goblet and presented it to Yulha. The goblet was so enticing to the prince and the wine in it was so sweet that the prince was totally intoxicated.
When Merotse proposed a toast, he chanted a song:
“A hero should drink his wine as a fine horse drinks water.
The hero of Cham takes the first goblet and the alliance between King Bacham and King Sadain will last forever;
take the second goblet and the prince and the princess will live happily ever after;
take the third goblet and the people of the two states will be friends for all generations.”
Tsinpa Merotse chanted and proposed toasts one after another. Yulha Tochu got dizzy with the songs and drank all the wine Merotse gave him. Soon, he got utterly drunk and was on all fours.
Merotse then tied Yulha’s hands and feet with ropes made from bull’s hair and fastened the ropes on four iron stakes he had driven into the ground. He then pulled the ropes to make sure they were really tightly fastened.
The pain caused by the ropes sobered Prince Yulha up. When the prince found he was tied to iron stakes, lightning bolts flashed in his eyes, poisoned gas came out from his mouth and flames danced on his head. Freeing himself from the rope, Yulha sprang at Merotse:
“Merotse, you bastard! How dare you bind me! But don’t rejoice too early. I was born with extraordinary strength. Even a whole army is no match for me.”
Seizing Merotse, Yulha Tochu swung the man in the air like a stick. With his last gasp, poor Merotse called the Buddhist Guardians for help.
The Mountain God, Dorwin Heavenly King, and others rushed to the scene but none of them was a match for the prince. Finally, it was Brahma King who came and subdued Yulha Tochu. Merotse re-bound the prince tightly so that the young man could not move any more.
After being tied to his blue roan horse, Prince Yulha was taken to Ling. Unable to move, the prince prayed silently to the demons of Cham: