Volume 1, Chapter 22: Two Tigers Stir the Sluggard

Wang Xuda and the others had yet to react.

Gao Chounu, standing guard to the side, spoke up in a gruff voice: "My lord, we are enjoying our wine so merrily, why the sigh? Are you not satisfied with the revelry?"

"That is not it." Li Shandao held his cup to his lips, then paused, set it down, and heaved another sigh.

Wang Xuda, Chen Jing'er, and Luo Zhong all turned their gazes toward him.

Chen Jing'er asked: "My lord, what is the matter? Why do you sigh?"

Li Shandao picked up his wine again, took a half-sip, and said: "Chounu is right; we are enjoying our wine, so let us not speak of things that dampen the mood!" He raised his bowl to the three of them and added, "Come, come, drink this bowl!" He then drained it himself.

The three of them exchanged glances and drank their wine as well.

After finishing that round, Kang Sanzang and his young servant refilled the four bowls.

Li Shandao said: "Another round!"

After they had finished three rounds, and he was about to pour another, Wang Xuda pressed his hand down and said: "My lord, I observe that you seem burdened. What exactly is troubling you? If you have any difficulties, please tell us. As long as there is anything we can do to help, we will certainly serve with all our might!"

Luo Zhong also chimed in: "Indeed, my lord, what is this gloomy matter? If there is any way we can be of use, just say the word!"

"Do you brothers really wish to ask?"

Wang Xuda replied: "Please speak, my lord! Ever since we became your followers, we have been deeply indebted to your generosity, and we have long wished to repay you. We are all coarse and foolish men with no other skills, but we have strength in our bodies. If there is any use for us, we would gladly lay down our lives for you!"

"There is no need for you to lay down your lives for me. To be honest with you brothers, this sigh of mine is, in fact, precisely for our lives."

The three were left completely bewildered.

Wang Xuda asked: "What do you mean by that, my lord? Sighing for our lives? We are safe and sound here in the stronghold, what could... My lord, could it be that you heard some rumors at the banquet hosted by Lord Zhai last night? Is there some great leader in the camp who looks upon us with disfavor?"

His expression turned tense, but he immediately felt that his guess was unlikely, adding, "That cannot be right. Since we arrived at the stronghold, neither you, my lord, nor we have caused any trouble. We stay in this valley most days and rarely go out, let alone fight with others. There shouldn't be any leader who dislikes us." Suddenly, he remembered something and said in alarm, "My lord, is it because those few men killed by Brother Xu actually had powerful backers who dare not provoke Brother Xu, so they have decided to target us instead?"

Li Shandao had not even thought of such a far-fetched connection.

Chen Jing'er laughed: "Sanlang, you are just guessing wildly. Even if those men killed by Brother Xu had backers, how could any backer be greater than Brother Xu? What is the relationship between our lord and Brother Xu? If they dare not seek trouble with Brother Xu, would they dare seek trouble with our lord?"

"That is true." Since it was unlikely that someone high up in the stronghold was targeting them, Wang Xuda relaxed and asked Li Shandao: "My lord, what is this really about?"

"If it were truly a matter of those men having backers seeking revenge, it would actually be easier to handle, and our lives would not be in danger. What I am talking about is far more difficult than what Sanlang guessed."

Wang Xuda asked: "Please enlighten us, my lord, what is going on?"

"What I speak of is not inside the stronghold, but outside."

Wang Xuda asked: "Outside the stronghold?"

Li Shandao stroked his short beard, looked around at the three of them, and said: "When I paid my respects to Lord Xu today, I heard a story from Lord Shan." He then recounted in detail the incident where a group of Shan Xiongxin’s men encountered Qin Qiong in Dongping and were almost entirely wiped out. After finishing, he sighed: "Over two hundred men, and only a dozen or so escaped back to the stronghold! Three worthy brothers, at the moment I heard this, I couldn't help but wonder: if it were us, and we were the ones who encountered Qin Shubao, what would be the fate of our hundred or so lives?"

Luo Zhong stammered: "I have long heard of Qin Qiong’s great name. They say he is over ten feet tall, with a waist ten spans around, wielding two long lances! Even Lu Mingyue, that great chieftain whose mere footsteps could shake Hebei, was defeated by him, and the great King Sun of Douzigang was also his defeated foe! I even heard that in our own stronghold..." He glanced at Li Shandao's expression and added, "It is not just the defeat of Lord Shan's men; we have suffered at his hands many times before. This man is like a Vajra or a Yaksha! If we were to run into him?" He shook his head repeatedly.

Chen Jing'er asked: "Why go to Dongping Commandery in the north to collect tribute? Don't we usually go to Xingyang or Liang Commandery?"

Li Shandao said: "If there is business to be had in Dongping, the stronghold cannot just let it pass. Besides, I heard from Brother Xu that before Zhang Xutuo defeated Lu Mingyue the year before last, he had already defeated more than ten groups of heroes, including Wang Bo and Sun Xuanya, and was appointed by those corrupt officials as the Commissioner for Pacification and Suppression of the Twelve Commanderies of the Henan Circuit. Even if we only go south to Xingyang or Liang, it is not impossible that we might encounter the troops under his command."

This was, in fact, an exaggeration. Zhang Xutuo’s primary area of activity was still around Qi Commandery in the north, and Xingyang and Liang were nearly a thousand miles away; it was unlikely his troops would appear there.

In reality, Dongping Commandery was separated from Qi Commandery by Jibei Commandery, which was no longer Zhang Xutuo’s main area of operation. The only reason Qin Qiong appeared there was because of Wagang Stronghold; to prevent the rebel forces from plundering northward, Zhang Xutuo would occasionally dispatch subordinates to Dongping.

Chen Jing'er said: "The fierce generals under Zhang Xutuo are not limited to Qin Qiong. I hear there is also a man named Luo Shixin, only in his teens, yet brave beyond measure and able to wear hundred-pound armor. When Zhang Xutuo fought against the 'Know-the-World Lord,' he would kill a man and cut off his nose; by the end of the battle, he had a whole sack full of noses!"

Like the rumors about Qin Qiong, this story about Luo Shixin was also exaggerated.

Li Shandao had not expected that Qin Qiong and Luo Shixin would have such a formidable reputation among these outlaws. This, however, was to his advantage.

He sighed and said: "Indeed! One Qin Qiong is already hard to handle, and there is also Luo Shixin. Two tigers! The group of men Lord Shan sent to Dongping to collect tribute was led by one of his most famous warriors, with over two hundred men, yet they were no match for Qin Qiong. They were slaughtered like chopping melons and vegetables. Brothers, just imagine: if it had been our group sent to Dongping? We only have a hundred men, fewer than they had, and we would likely have been wiped out even more completely. I fear not a single one would have escaped. Dear brothers, you tell me—if I hadn't known of this, it would be one thing, but now that I do, how could I not worry for our lives?"

He raised his bowl and finished it, then said, "Enough! Let us not speak of this. It is my fault for bringing it up while we were enjoying our wine and ruining your mood. Come, come, let us drink!"

Wang Xuda, Chen Jing'er, and Luo Zhong no longer had the heart to drink.

They accompanied Li Shandao in drinking two more bowls reluctantly.

Wang Xuda said: "My lord, you are well-acquainted with Brother Xu. If by any chance the stronghold orders us to go to Dongping to collect tribute, could you ask Brother Xu to exempt us and send another group instead?"

Li Shandao noticed that Wang Xuda seemed to be looking for connections. First, he worried about offending a leader in the stronghold, and now he was pinning his hopes on Xu Shiji.

Li Shandao found this distasteful. If he really asked Xu Shiji, Xu Shiji would certainly agree, but he could not answer like that. Instead, he feigned, "If I asked once and Brother Xu agreed, would I have the face to ask a second time? Besides, if we are too afraid of Zhang Xutuo to set foot in Dongping, and word gets out, Sanlang, which of us is not a hero who values his reputation? How could we show our faces?"

"Yes, yes, my lord is right to instruct us."

Luo Zhong said: "But we cannot just march to our deaths either." With a bitter face, he added, "What are we to do!"

Chen Jing'er looked at Li Shandao several times and said: "My lord, I dare ask a question."

"What is it?"

Chen Jing'er said: "Have you already thought of a countermeasure, my lord?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Gao Chounu’s eyes widened, and he glanced at Chen Jing'er. He had been waiting for Li Shandao to give him a signal so he could lead the conversation toward military training, but before Li Shandao could give it, Chen Jing'er had snatched the opportunity.

Li Shandao glanced at Chen Jing'er, his expression unchanging, though he was secretly pleased. He thought to himself, "If the topic were brought up by Chounu, it would be a bit blunt. Well done, Chen Jing'er, you have truly provided the pillow just as I was getting drowsy." He said, "If you brothers have no strategy, what strategy could I have?"

Chen Jing'er said: "You must have a strategy, my lord. Please, tell us what it is!"

Li Shandao signaled for Kang Sanzang to fill the wine, held his cup, and remained silent for a moment.

Wang Xuda and Luo Zhong realized that Li Shandao might indeed have a plan.

The two urged him: "My lord, if you have a plan that concerns the lives of our hundred brothers, please do not hide it from us. Just say it."

"I have thought of a plan, but it is a bit difficult. I am worried that you brothers might fear the hardship and be unwilling."

Wang Xuda said: "My lord, how can you say that! What difficulty could be greater than our lives? No matter how hard it is, we can do it!"

"Silang, Wulang?"

Luo Zhong and Chen Jing'er replied: "No matter how hard it is, we can do it!"

"Then I shall speak."

Wang Xuda, Luo Zhong, and Chen Jing'er listened intently.

He paused here, looked around at the three of them again to gauge their reactions, and seeing that they were either frowning or deep in thought—but all moved—he continued, "There is one difficulty with my method: once the training begins, it must continue day after day without interruption. Since our brothers are used to being lazy, if they cannot endure it, that would be a problem."

Chen Jing'er was the first to speak, grinning as he said: "My lord’s idea is not a problem at all!"