Volume 1 Chapter 27: Urgent Orders Issued to Mobilize Troops from the Mountains

When Li Mi entered the mountains, Li Shandao was busy drilling his troops.

First, he saw several groups of men hurrying past the valley entrance, and shortly after, he heard a commotion echoing from the mountaintop. Finding this strange, Li Shandao ordered Gao Chounu to go to Xu Shiji’s residence to inquire about the situation.

Before long, Gao Chounu returned and reported, "Er-lang, Li Mi has arrived. Eldest Brother Xu is not at his residence; he has already gone to welcome him."

"Li Mi is here?" Li Shandao was even more surprised. Bing Yuanzhen had gone to fetch Li Mi only five days ago. Could Li Mi have reached the stronghold in such a short time? When he heard Xu Shiji mention Bing Yuanzhen’s departure, Li Shandao had estimated it would take at least five or six days for Li Mi to arrive. Yet, here he was on the fifth day.

Li Shandao shook his head and remarked, "I didn't expect this 'Master Li' to be such an impatient man." He surmised that Li Mi was likely anxious, fearing that if he waited too long, Zhai Rang might change his mind.

The noise from the mountaintop gradually shifted toward the Gathering Righteousness Hall on the northern slope. Li Shandao knew that Xu Shiji and the others were escorting Li Mi there. He wondered if Zhai Rang had gone to greet him personally—though he suspected Zhai Rang would not lower himself to do so. Standing at the valley entrance, Li Shandao gazed toward the peak, but the winding mountain path obscured the view of the summit and the hall. All he could see were muddy, goat-path trails and vines and thorns turned a deep, dark green from the recent days of rain.

Li Shandao instructed Gao Chounu, "Go and wait outside Eldest Brother Xu’s residence. Let me know as soon as he returns." Gao Chounu acknowledged the order and left.

In the valley, under the light drizzle, the hundred or so men—divided into two companies and one platoon—were practicing maneuvers with flags, drums, and gongs. Their instructors, Wang Xuda and Qin Jingsi, had spent two days teaching the platoon leaders the basic signals. For the past three days, these leaders had been training their own men. This method—training the leaders first, then having them instruct their soldiers—was the approach prescribed in the *Wei Liaozi* and the standard practice in the official military garrisons.

The soldiers were scattered throughout the valley. Wang Xuda, Qin Jingsi, and the other four instructors paced among the groups, offering corrections where necessary. Li Shandao had listened in while the instructors taught the leaders. The curriculum consisted of six basic commands: advance, quicken, retreat, turn left, turn right, and sit. "Beat the drums to advance, lower the flags to quicken, strike the gongs to retreat, wave the flags to turn left or right, strike both to sit." It sounded simple enough, but execution was another matter. It had taken the leaders two days to master it, and after three days of training the soldiers, they were still far from proficient.

Lacking enough real instruments, the men used makeshift alternatives: wooden boards for drums, stone shards for gongs, and tree branches for flags.

As Li Shandao sat on a low platform watching, he saw one platoon in Wang Xuda’s company attempt a maneuver. The leader struck the wooden board hard, and his nine men moved forward in a line. When the leader waved a branch to the left, the men turned accordingly—this part was orderly. But when the leader struck the stone shard to signal a retreat, chaos ensued; only four or five men stepped back, while the others continued moving left.

"The stone was struck! Why are you still moving left?" the leader shouted.

The men who had moved left returned, and one complained, "You waved the branch twice a moment ago! Why did you only wave it once this time before switching to the stone?"

The leader retorted, "Who said I had to wave it twice? I’ve told you many times, this is how Third Brother taught us. The six signals can be changed at will."

Though the rain had stopped, the valley floor was a quagmire. The soldier, having been drilled for three days, was already irritable. Provoked by the leader’s rebuke, he snapped, "To hell with your 'at will'! You bastard, I think you're just messing with us!"

The leader, enraged, dropped the stone and lunged with his fists. The soldier, unafraid, shook off those trying to restrain him and met the challenge. Just as a brawl was about to erupt, Wang Xuda arrived, kicked them both in the backside, and cursed, "You sons of bitches! What are you doing?"

The soldier complained, "Third Brother, this bastard is messing with us!"

The leader defended himself, "Third Brother, I’m teaching them exactly as you taught me! This idiot is blaming me!"

"You two dogs, making a scene over drill signals? In the regular army, you'd both be whipped for this!" Wang Xuda roared. The leader looked aggrieved, but Wang Xuda glanced toward the platform where Li Shandao was watching. Seeing that Qin Jingsi, who was in charge of discipline, had also stopped his rounds and was looking toward Li Shandao, waiting for a sign, Wang Xuda turned back and cursed, "In front of the Company Commander, how dare you act like this! Remember how Cheng the Lame was whipped yesterday? If you anger the Commander, even I can't help you! And you—he is your leader; insubordination is a capital offense! Shut your mouths and get back to training, or I’ll give you ten lashes each myself!"

Wang Xuda was a man of strength and authority, so the two men lowered their heads and obeyed. He stood by until he was certain they would continue properly before walking away.

On the platform, Li Shandao stroked his short beard, lost in thought. He wasn't thinking about the petty quarrel, but about Li Mi. Li Mi was likely in the Gathering Righteousness Hall at this very moment, talking with Zhai Rang. What could they be discussing? Li Shandao was curious about this legendary figure. He wondered what kind of man he was and what he looked like. He assumed Zhai Rang would hold a banquet that evening, and he wondered if Gao Chounu would be able to catch Xu Shiji. If not, he would have to wait until tomorrow to ask about the meeting.

A tall figure came running into the valley. It was Gao Chounu.

He bypassed the troops, ran to the platform, wiped his sweat, and gasped, "Er-lang, Eldest Brother Xu is looking for you!"

"Didn't he go to welcome Li Mi?"

"You must go quickly! Something major has happened! Eldest Brother Xu has returned and is waiting for you at his place."

Startled, Li Shandao stood up immediately. As they left the valley, he asked, "What happened?" He was filled with shock and suspicion. It couldn't be that Li Mi had clashed with Zhai Rang the moment he arrived, could it?

"Eldest Brother Xu didn't tell me. He only ordered me to bring you to him at once."

Under the surprised gazes of Wang Xuda and Qin Jingsi, Li Shandao hurried out of the valley. When he arrived at Xu Shiji’s residence, he noticed more men outside than usual—many of them were subordinates of Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin, including Fei Junzhong and Wei Yecha.

"Eldest Brother is waiting for you inside," Fei Junzhong said as they nodded to him.

Inside, three men were seated: Xu Shiji, Shan Xiongxin, and a stranger. Li Shandao didn't have time to study the stranger before bowing and asking, "Eldest Brother, what is the matter?"

Shan Xiongxin slammed his hand on the table, his face full of rage. "Qin Qiong has left, and now Luo Shixin has arrived. The bastards don't treat our men like human beings! Zhai Gong has ordered us to assemble our troops and slaughter that dog, Luo!"

Xu Shiji explained, "Just now in the hall, while we were speaking with Lord Pushan, an urgent report arrived. Luo Shixin has led over a thousand men from Dongping into Dongjun and has reached Lihu. It appears he is heading for our branch stronghold at Weicheng. Zhai Gong has issued a direct order for me and Er-lang to lead our troops and intercept him. You have been specifically named by Zhai Gong to join us." He gestured to the stranger. "This is a retainer of Lord Pushan, a man of unparalleled courage. Upon hearing the news, Lord Pushan, out of a sense of loyalty, sent him to assist us."

The stranger stood up and greeted Li Shandao. "I am Cai Jiande, greetings, Lang-jun."

Cai Jiande was a massive man, comparable in stature to Gao Chounu, with broad shoulders, round eyes, and a beard like iron needles. At first glance, he reminded Li Shandao of the character Li Kui from the stories of his past life.

Li Shandao returned the greeting, "I am Li Shandao, a pleasure to meet you." Once Cai Jiande sat down, he asked Xu Shiji, "Eldest Brother, when do we depart?"

"We are only waiting for you. Once the order is relayed, we leave immediately." Xu Shiji stood up and walked to the door with Shan Xiongxin. Without needing a summons, the leaders gathered outside swarmed into the courtyard, bowing in unison.

Shan Xiongxin reached out for his pike, which Wei Yecha handed to him. He slammed the base of the pike into the ground, cracking the stone floor, and roared, "That old dog Zhang Xutuo has bullied us enough! He has killed our brothers, and now he intends to strike our Weicheng stronghold. It is unbearable! Men, today we march down the mountain to kill the dog Luo first, then that old dog Zhang! Assemble your respective units at the foot of the mountain by the hour of the Monkey!"

The leaders roared their agreement.