Volume One, Chapter Four: It Is No Wonder That Refugees Fill the Roads

As a newcomer, Li Shandao was eager to prove his worth. Understanding this, Xu Shiji agreed to let him join the expedition the following day.

Li Shandao took the opportunity to inform Xu Shiji that in addition to Gao Chounu, there were over a dozen other brave men from Weinan County who had joined with him and were currently waiting outside the fortress gates. Xu Shiji issued an order for Huang Junhan to bring these men into the stronghold. Once they had arrived, Xu Shiji arranged for their accommodation. A few miles south of his own residence lay a small, uninhabited valley suitable for Li Shandao and his men. The valley was wild, lacking houses or sheds, meaning they would have to build their own shelters. This was no hardship, and Li Shandao thanked him with great delight.

To express his gratitude to Li Shandao and Gao Chounu for saving his father, Xu Shiji hosted a banquet that evening. Despite being prepared in haste, the feast was lavish, featuring fine wine and abundant dishes: fresh fish caught in the Qingjian River, sliced into translucent, crystalline sashimi; freshly slaughtered fat lamb, roasted until the fat sizzled and dripped; and free-range chicken and duck, prepared boiled or roasted, filling the air with fragrance. There was also bear and venison from the deep mountains, tender and succulent, not to mention an array of wild fruits and vegetables. Langguan refined wine from Xiamaling in Chang'an was gently warmed over a low flame, while brilliant red grape wine was served in agate cups, shimmering with grace. It was even more exquisite than the banquets Li Shandao used to throw when he associated with swashbucklers and ruffians back home.

Gao Chounu, being a servant, felt it inappropriate to join the banquet, but Shan Xiongxin, impressed by his rugged strength, insisted on pulling him to the table. Gao Chounu, terrified, tried to decline, but Shan Xiongxin feigned displeasure: "If some treacherous, spineless wretch begged to sit with me, I wouldn't even spare them a glance. But you, though a servant, possess a rare and imposing build. My name is Xiongxin, and I have always admired strong men. I wish to drink heartily with you—do you intend to deny me this respect?"

Gao Chounu looked to Li Shandao for help. Li Shandao laughed: "Damn it! Why look at me? Master Shan is honoring you; it is your good fortune. Why don't you sit?"

Helpless, Gao Chounu sat down timidly. Shan Xiongxin was delighted and drank a dozen cups with him in succession. As the drinking reached its peak, Shan Xiongxin, emboldened by the wine, opened his robe and laughed: "Here we are, a hall full of heroes! The moon is beautiful, the wine is fine—how can we be without a dance of the spear to liven the spirits?" He grabbed his long spear and stepped outside, dancing under the moonlight that shone like silver gauze. Li Shandao, Xu Shiji, and Gao Chounu followed to watch, cheering loudly.

The next day, Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin met with Zhai Rang, received their command tokens, mustered their troops, and departed the stronghold, heading south toward Xingyang Commandery. Li Shandao and his men followed. Having spent the night in Xu Shiji's residence, they left the fortress. It was the second lunar month, and the mountain air was no longer cold. The other thirteen men had slept on the ground outside Xu Shiji’s quarters rather than heading to the small valley.

When Shan Xiongxin had joined Zhai Rang several years ago, he brought two or three hundred men. Over the years, his fellow countrymen and old friends had come to join him, and with the additions provided by Zhai Rang, his direct command now numbered over a thousand. Xu Shiji, unlike Shan Xiongxin, did not come from a background of banditry and had brought few followers; his current direct command was smaller, numbering only three or four hundred. For this raid on the wealthy merchant in Xingyang, the two leaders brought only their direct subordinates: Shan Xiongxin with four or five hundred men, and Xu Shiji with over a hundred, totaling more than six hundred. Even if the merchant had many guards, it was unlikely to exceed five or six hundred. According to intelligence, he brought only about a hundred guards, making the force of six hundred more than sufficient.

The mountain morning was foggy, but by the time they descended the mountain paths to the foot of the hills and the troops had organized, the mist had scattered, and the sun hung bright in the eastern sky. After passing through the woods and the encampments of the lesser bandits, they emerged from the mountains. Since their force was not large, there was no need for boats; they crossed the Yellow River via a pontoon bridge and entered the territory of Dong Commandery.

Soon, they reached the imperial highway. This road belonged to Weinan territory, leading north to the county seats of Weinan and Puyang, and south through Weicheng and Zuocheng toward Xingyang Commandery. They were currently positioned between Weinan and Zuocheng.

During the morning, there were many travelers on the road. Seeing such a large group of "bandits"—carrying spears and clubs, shouting, and waving colorful banners—suddenly pouring out from the banks of the Yellow River to the west, many travelers were terrified and fled in a panic. Yet, there were others who remained calm, merely moving far to the side of the road. This was thanks to the policy Xu Shiji had suggested to Zhai Rang: "A rabbit does not eat the grass by its own burrow." Because of this, the people living around Wagang had largely been spared from raids; instead, when the rebel army seized grain, they often shared some with the local populace. Thus, the local villagers were not particularly afraid of Zhai Rang’s men.

Why then did others flee? The reason was simple: those who fled were not local residents, but travelers passing through or displaced refugees. The latter made up the majority. Five years ago, in the autumn of the seventh year of the Daye era, great floods in Shandong and Henan submerged over thirty commanderies. Countless people lost everything and were forced to sell themselves into slavery. The following year, a drought followed, not just in Shandong and Henan, but across the north and south. Shandong, however, suffered the most. After the disasters came a great plague, compounding the misery and claiming countless lives.

The imperial court, rather than providing relief, poured all its energy into the war against Goguryeo. In that same eighth year of Daye, the court launched its first campaign against Goguryeo, mobilizing over a million men. Life for the common people became unbearable. From that year on, the seemingly solid Sui Empire began to crack. Driven by unbearable tyranny, people sought a way to survive. Wang Bo was the first to rise in the Changbai Mountains of Shandong, followed by others like Sun Anzu and Dou Jiande. Zhai Rang also raised his banner during this time. From the eighth year of Daye to the present, while there had been no more massive natural disasters, man-made catastrophes were constant. Three years ago, Yang Xuangan rebelled. Two years ago, the court launched a second grand campaign against Goguryeo. Last August, as Emperor Yang toured the northern borders, the Turks invaded. Shibi Khan led hundreds of thousands of cavalry to ambush the imperial carriage, and the Emperor was besieged at Yanmen. At the most critical moment, "arrows rained upon the imperial seat." Although the crisis was eventually resolved, it triggered yet another wave of chaos.

In short, the lives of the people had worsened day by day. This created two conditions: first, more people were forced to turn to banditry to survive or to escape military and labor service—Wagang, which had started with only a few hundred, now had over ten thousand. Second, the number of refugees from all directions grew. Li Shandao had arrived in this era only a month prior, but what he had seen and heard in that short time was shocking.

The road was filled with refugees in rags, fleeing in terror. Li Shandao, having witnessed this for over a month, was no longer shocked by their numbers. Yet, a sense of relief—the same feeling that had surfaced in his heart repeatedly—emerged once more. He looked pityingly at the refugees, thinking, "Fortunately, the Li family was a household of moderate means with some land. If not for that, I, this Li Shandao, would be no different from these refugees, displaced or even a corpse by the roadside."

...

Spring had arrived, and the roadside trees were lush. It should have been a time of vibrant activity for spring plowing, but looking out, many fields lay fallow. Coupled with the strings of refugees—some pushing single-wheeled carts, others supporting the elderly and carrying the young—the season felt desolate and ruined. As Li Shandao followed behind the troops, he sighed, leading Gao Chounu and his men forward.

Suddenly, two wild dogs darted out of a ditch by the road. A black, mottled mass remained where the dogs had been. Li Shandao didn't see what it was, but he heard Gao Chounu ask someone, "Why are you pushing me?"

The man replied, "I'm just looking at that black thing."

Gao Chounu said, "What's there to look at in a dead body?"

The black mass was indeed a corpse. Li Shandao quickly averted his eyes. A moment later, unable to resist, he looked back and saw clearly that it was a body, gnawed by wild dogs until it was incomplete and unrecognizable, with exposed white bones. Li Shandao murmured, "What is there to look at in a dead body?"

Gao Chounu, standing nearby, heard him and said, "Second Brother, indeed! What is there to look at? This Yao Da, haven't we seen enough dead dogs and pigs? Why crowd to look at a dead person?" (Yao Da, whose name was Yao Agui, was a butcher.)

But was death really such a trivial matter? Was the disappearance of a life truly so cheap? Li Shandao sighed and said, "Chounu, you and Yao Da go bury that body."

"Bury it? Second Brother, I don't even know him!"

Li Shandao said, "Whether you know him or not, you and I are both human, just like him. If we hadn't seen it, that would be one thing, but since we have, we cannot ignore it. We cannot let him remain unpeaceful in death, being eaten by wild dogs. Chounu, you and Yao Da, go quickly and bury him properly."

Gao Chounu complied, grabbed Yao Agui, and climbed down to the side of the ditch. They found a patch of soft soil and dug a shallow pit. They didn't mind the filth; they lifted the remains of the person—whose identity was unknown—and buried them hastily. Nearby, a few disheveled refugee women and their dirty children were stripping bark from two large elm trees. Startled by the sudden approach of Gao Chounu and Yao Agui, they fled. Gao Chounu and Yao Agui ignored them, finished the burial, and caught up with Li Shandao.

As they walked, Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin, riding at the front, noticed the scene. After they caught up, a messenger from Xu Shiji summoned Li Shandao. Li Shandao, worried about potential conflicts between his men and the hardened bandits, instructed Qin Jingsi, the eldest of his group, to lead them carefully. He then followed Xu Shiji’s attendant, Liu Hu'er, to the front.

Passing through the ranks of the hundreds of fierce soldiers, Li Shandao was met with curious, and sometimes arrogant, glares. These men were seasoned veterans—their swords and spears often stained with dried blood. Li Shandao remained calm, smiling and nodding as he passed.

Finally, he reached Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin. "Why are you walking? Where is your horse?" Xu Shiji asked, half-covering his face with a fan against the dust.

Li Shandao smiled, "I was in the back, and it was inconvenient to ride through your troops, so I walked."

Xu Shiji nodded and slowed his horse. "Was that Gao Chounu burying the corpse just now?"

"Yes."

"Did you order him to do it?"

"Yes."

"What made you think of that?"

"Eldest Brother, I haven't read many books, but I have heard that 'between heaven and earth, man is the most precious.' With the court's tyranny, the people have no way to live. These refugees are human too. Being born human and dying tragically on the road is already pitiful enough. To be eaten by dogs after death is unbearable to witness. My abilities are limited; this is all I could do to grant him some peace."

Xu Shiji sighed, "That is a line from Cao Cao's poetry. I didn't realize you read poetry in addition to the classics."

"Is it? I didn't know. I heard someone say it and thought it was right, so I remembered it."

Xu Shiji said, "If we speak of the suffering of the people today, it is no different from the end of the Han Dynasty! 'Between heaven and earth, man is the most precious'... alas, if the imperial court understood this, the world would not be in such turmoil!" He paused. "Three years ago, after Yang Xuangan’s rebellion was quelled, do you know what the Emperor said?"

Shan Xiongxin laughed, "What did he say?"

"The Emperor said that since Xuangan could summon a hundred thousand men with one call, it proved there were too many people, and that if there were too many, they would gather to rebel. He believed that if he didn't kill them all, he couldn't deter others. Because of that rebellion, over thirty thousand people died, most of them innocent! When Yang Xuangan besieged the Eastern Capital, he opened granaries to feed the people, and all who received that grain were later killed and buried in pits south of the city. As you said, the Emperor truly treats the people like dirt! With such a court, how can the world not be in chaos?"

Li Shandao had never heard this before. It was beyond "cruel"—it was the mindset of a man who viewed people as mere tools for his grand ambitions. After a moment of silence, Li Shandao repeated the phrase he had used the day before: "That is why the people now look upon the Emperor as their mortal enemy!"

Shan Xiongxin, uninterested in the discussion, laughed, "The Emperor treating people like dirt is hateful, but for us, it is a good thing. The more he mistreats them, the more heroes will come to join Wagang, won't they?"

Xu Shiji nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, two riders from their escort dashed off, circled a group of refugees, dropped two cakes, and snatched two young women, bringing them back to the column. Xu Shiji frowned and sent an attendant to investigate. The attendant returned and reported, "They captured two young women."

Shan Xiongxin was furious. "When can you not find women? We are on a mission! How dare you snatch women at a time like this? If you ruin the mission, can you bear the responsibility?"

One rider was too scared to speak, but the other laughed, "Master Shan, we didn't snatch them. Didn't you see? Those refugees were holding grass markers—they were selling themselves! We bought them for the price of a meat cake each!"

"Buying them is still out of line! How can we bring women on a mission?"

The rider smiled, "Master Shan, aren't we staying at Wagang tonight? We'll just leave them there and pick them up when we return. We won't miss the mission."

Shan Xiongxin laughed, "You clever rascal! Fine, as long as you don't ruin the mission, get back to your ranks!"

Li Shandao refrained from looking at the women. He asked Xu Shiji, "Are we staying at Wagang tonight? Is that the stronghold in Weicheng?"

"Correct."

As mentioned, Zhai Rang had first gathered his followers in Wagang Township, Weicheng. Although they had moved to Mt. Dapi, the original stronghold remained with a few hundred troops stationed there. They arrived by nightfall. The next day, they continued their journey, and by the following evening, they arrived in Zuocheng County, where they sought lodging at the estate of a powerful local family, the Liu clan.

The head of the estate was Liu Xuanyi, the son of Liu Zhenghui, who was a high-ranking official in Taiyuan. The estate was vast, with high, sturdy walls and a moat, easily housing hundreds. Liu Xuanyi greeted them personally, and after the formal exchange of courtesies, he invited them inside. His clansmen and servants were well-acquainted with Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin, and the two groups mingled warmly.

That evening, as they feasted, Li Shandao sat at the end of the table, observing the host and the bandit leaders. They spoke and laughed as if they were old friends. In the warmth of the spring night, it felt like a dream. In this world, what was good and what was evil? He reminded himself that he had to adapt and drank a cup of wine.

As the drinking continued, Shan Xiongxin rose and performed a dance with his heavy spear, "Cold Bone White." The blade shimmered like frost, and the attendants cheered. The music rose, and beautiful maids danced, singing praises of his prowess.

The next morning, they left the Liu estate and continued south. By afternoon, they entered Xingyang Commandery. Two scouts, stationed in Xingyang by Wagang, were waiting for them. As they spoke to Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin, both leaders' expressions shifted slightly. Li Shandao, standing nearby, stroked his short beard in contemplation.

One of the lieutenants asked, "Second Brother, Eldest Brother, are we still going to raid this wealthy merchant?"