Volume One, Chapter Three: The Courageous Warrior Who Turned the Tide

Crossed hands is a gesture of special respect, used when subjects address their lord, juniors address their seniors, or the lowly address the noble. In terms of age, Li Shandao was indeed slightly older than Xu Shiji, but in terms of status—whether comparing the reputations of the Li and Xu families in Weinan County or the personal renown of Li Shandao and Xu Shiji—Li Shandao was far from matching Xu Shiji.

Yet, Xu Shiji had actually performed the crossed-hands salute to Li Shandao, saying that if not for Li Shandao, his father would have been in grave danger.

The man sitting nearby, Shan Xiongxin, was naturally surprised and immediately asked, “Brother, what’s going on? What did the honorable lord write in his letter?”

Li Shandao had entered the room but had yet to take a seat. After Xu Shiji finished his polite greeting, he invited him to sit.

Once Li Shandao sat down, Xu Shiji answered Shan Xiongxin, “My father wrote that the day before yesterday, on his way home from the farm, the ox pulling his cart was startled and ran wildly, nearly overturning the cart. Fortunately, Brother Li came to his aid and restrained the frightened ox, so my father escaped harm.”

Shan Xiongxin was startled and said, “The ox was frightened? The cart almost overturned?” He clutched his chest and exclaimed, “Thank heavens, the honorable lord is a man of fortune—no harm done!” After his initial shock passed, he scrutinized Li Shandao carefully and asked, “Brother, the lord said it was this Brother Li who held back the frightened ox and saved him?”

“That’s what the letter says.”

Shan Xiongxin found it hard to believe. “Looking at Brother Li’s build, though not slight, could he really have the strength to hold back an ox? Oh my, I wouldn’t have guessed.”

An ox weighs over a thousand pounds. Even a calm ox is difficult to restrain by sheer human strength, let alone a frightened one. Shan Xiongxin knew from experience he himself could not do it. Li Shandao was over six feet tall and of sturdy build, though hidden beneath his robes, he appeared strong. Even so, the idea that he could restrain a frightened ox seemed incredible to Shan Xiongxin.

Not only did Shan Xiongxin find it hard to believe, but Li Shandao himself did not fully accept it either.

Unaware of the full contents of Xu Gai’s letter, Li Shandao only learned from Xu Shiji what was written, and quickly explained, “Brother Xu, Brother Shan, I must clarify: it was not I who held back the ox, but a great slave of my household.”

“A great slave?” Shan Xiongxin asked.

Xu Shiji, knowing exactly who this “great slave” was, said, “Brother, do you mean Gao Chounu?”

Gao Chounu was a slave-born son in the Li household. His father was tall, and Gao Chounu himself was even taller, well-known throughout Weinan County. Xu Shiji not only knew of him but had met him.

Li Shandao replied, “Brother, that is indeed the slave.” He looked at Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin, laughing, “There is a saying, ‘A single thunderclap echoes throughout the world; all rivers and lakes hear it.’ Brothers like you are known throughout the land. How dare I accept such a lofty ‘brother’ title from you? Xu Shiji, you know I am second in my family line; you and Brother Shan may simply call me ‘Li Er’!”

These days, it was common to address people by their birth order, but only close acquaintances used this form of address, so Xu Shiji used “brother” to address Li Shandao.

Xu Shiji hesitated a moment, then, since Li Shandao had saved Xu Gai, he said, “Then I shall be less formal.” Since “Li Er” was a respectful term from an elder to a younger, which he could not quite use, he switched to “Li Erlang” as a form of address and briefly introduced Gao Chounu to Shan Xiongxin: “It turns out the one who held back the ox was Li Erlang’s household slave Gao Chounu—no wonder!”

Shan Xiongxin, fond of brave men, clicked his tongue in admiration. Following Xu Shiji’s example, he too changed how he addressed Li Shandao and asked, “Erlang, did Chounu come with you?”

“He did. He’s waiting outside the camp gate.”

Shan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji said, “Brother, though Chounu is a slave, he saved the honorable lord by restraining the ox. Why not summon him for thanks?”

Xu Shiji agreed, “Yes, that is right.” He instructed a servant outside, “Go bring Gao Chounu here. I want to thank him personally.”

The servant took the order and left.

Xu Shiji picked up Xu Gai’s letter and read it over twice more, then pondered deeply.

Shan Xiongxin asked, “Brother, did the honorable lord’s letter say anything else? You seem hesitant.”

Xu Shiji replied, “My father wrote that a county official quietly informed him that the new prefect appointed for the commandery knows I’m at Wagang and has threatened to send soldiers to Weinan to arrest my father. My father is quite worried and intends to leave the county to come up to Wagang.”

Shan Xiongxin slapped the table with his large palm and exclaimed, “He’s got ten times the gall! What kind of damn prefect is this? Does he think he’s Zhang Xutuo? Bah! Even if he were Zhang Xutuo, I wouldn’t fear him! If he dares send even one soldier to trouble your family, I’ll tear his head off and present it to the honorable lord as a chamber pot!”

He rubbed his neatly groomed beard and continued, “But, brother, things on the mountain are not as they were. Our power and prestige have grown tremendously. There are over ten thousand men under various commanders here. Which nearby county or prefecture does not fear and respect us? Wealth flows like a stream; you and I enjoy life day and night on the mountain. But to leave the honorable lord at home seems unwise. Why not, as I see it, follow the lord’s wishes and bring him and your siblings up to the mountain these next couple of days?”

Xu Shiji said, “Brother, I’ve actually been thinking the same. My father was reluctant to leave his fields before, but now that he himself has asked to come to the camp, how could I refuse?” He hesitated, a little troubled, “But we areI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.