Volume 1, Chapter 43: Releasing the Righteous Knight and Persuading Gao Xi

When Hou Youhuai shouted, "Do not open the city gates!", he had already prepared himself to die.

Having burned his boats, his previous fears instead dissipated into a reckless resolve. Therefore, when Wang Xuda and the others cursed him, beating and kicking him as they dragged him back to the spot where Li Liandao and his men lay in ambush, even though he was still trembling like a sieve—his steps uneven and heavy as if he were treading on cotton—he still strained his voice, shrieking unceasingly: "I am Hou Youhuai! Do not open the gates! The Wagang bandits are coming to sack the city!"

Wang Xuda, exasperated, smashed the pommel of his saber hard against Hou Youhuai's mouth and cursed, "You wretched scoundrel! Shout again!"

Hou Youhuai spat out two broken teeth, his mouth full of blood. Struggling and twisting his neck toward the direction of Suanzao City, he continued to howl without stop.

Zheng Zhiguo gripped his saber and turned to Li Liandao for instructions, saying, "Commander, this bastard tricked us. Let's finish him off!"

"Wait," Li Liandao said, looking at Hou Youhuai in astonishment. "You gave your word. Why go back on it? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

How could Hou Youhuai pay any attention to him? He just kept on shouting.

Zheng Zhiguo struck him heavily across the face several times, leaving him dizzy and his ears ringing. His teeth bit down hard on his tongue, and under a wave of dizziness and pain, his cries finally ceased. After a brief moment, as his vision cleared to reveal a group of furious, ferocious-looking men, his legs went weak and he collapsed onto the ground.

Li Liandao asked him again, "You, Official Hou, we had an agreement. You were to call for the city gates to be opened, and I would spare your life. We walked ten or twenty miles, so why did you suddenly renege right before the gates? Didn't this make us waste a trip for nothing? What? Are you not afraid I will kill you?"

Looking utterly bereft of his senses, Hou Youhuai replied in a low voice, "Kill me if you must. But with over a thousand households of scholars and commoners in my city, I can never allow them to suffer your ravages because of me."

Hearing these words, Li Liandao grew even more astonished and couldn't help but shake his head.

Zheng Zhiguo said, "Commander, this bastard played us for fools. Shall we kill him?" He pressed the edge of his blade against the underside of Hou Youhuai's neck.

A stench of urine drifted into the nostrils of the onlookers once more; Hou Youhuai had been frightened into incontinence again.

His face was as pale as paper, and his lips were completely devoid of color. It was evident that he must have been terrified to the utmost extreme at that moment. Yet, observing his expression, apart from fear, there was not the slightest trace of regret.

Li Liandao stroked his short beard, studied him for a moment, and stopped Zheng Zhiguo. "This bastard is a righteous man," he said. "Damn it, look at him—he's scared out of his wits, yet he still dared to warn the city. He deserves to be called 'sacrificing one's life for righteousness.' A righteous man cannot be killed. To kill him would be to stain the reputation of Wagang and taint my own good name. Enough, let him go."

Wang Xuda protested, "Commander, this scoundrel tricked us and made us waste ten or twenty miles of walking in the middle of the night. If we just let him go like this, wouldn't we be letting him off too easily?"

Li Liandao turned to Hou Youhuai and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Hou Youhuai replied, "The good fellow's banner bears the good fellow's title. You're 'Li Erlang of the Fenghuang Guard,' aren't you?"

"Correct. I am none other than the... the senior general Li Erlang under General Xu. Today, although you deceived us, I respect that you are a righteous man, and I will spare your life. Return to the city, tell your county magistrate to wash his neck clean and wait for me—sooner or later, I will come looking for him again!" With that, Li Liandao stepped forward personally, sliced through the ropes binding Hou Youhuai's wrists, and said, "Hurry up and leave."

As if waking from a dream, Hou Youhuai stared blankly at his freed hands and asked, "You're not going to kill me?"

"If you don't leave right now, even if I don't kill you, these brothers of mine are going to butcher you."

Hou Youhuai let out a loud cry, scrambling and stumbling as he broke away from Wang Xuda and the others, and ran toward the moat.

Watching him flee, Wang Xuda sheathed his saber and muttered, "Commander, this scoundrel made us run ten or twenty miles for nothing in the middle of the night. In my opinion, we really should have killed him just to vent our frustration slightly. Yet you, Commander, value righteousness so much that you actually spared him."

The city could no longer be infiltrated by a surprise attack, and killing him would serve no purpose. Li Liandao gazed out at the nocturnal county town of Suanzao, a sense of regret rising in his heart as he thought: *If my plan had succeeded, with just these hundred-odd men of mine, I could have sacked the Suanzao county offices. Once word spread, my name would have surely soared. But who could have predicted that appearances can be deceiving? This Hou Youhuai ruined my scheme. So be it; I only hope that after returning to the city, he will spread the name of Li Erlang far and wide within the walls. That alone can be considered slightly elevating my renown.*

No matter what one does, fame is of paramount importance.

Why did Zhai Rang sit securely in his stronghold while so many heroes and chivalrous outlaws voluntarily went to pledge their allegiance to him? And why was Li Mi, despite being a stray dog, still able to command the loyalty of staunch champions like Wang Bodang who were willing to run errands for him? There was no other reason than the fact that both of them enjoyed widespread renown.

By the same token, if Li Liandao wished to expand his military forces, rapidly boosting his fame was a matter of utmost importance.

This time, he had decided to launch a night raid on Suanzao County. In truth, he cared very little about how much plunder he could secure; his primary objective was to swiftly elevate his reputation as "Li Erlang."

Regrettably, he had run into someone like Hou Youhuai—a fellow who looked timid yet was utterly fearless of death—which thwarted his plans.

He could already hear the commotion rising within the city. Torches flickered and multiplied along the ramparts as more guards were roused from their sleep and called up to the walls.

Li Liandao mounted his horse in a single fluid motion and issued the command, "Since we cannot enter the city, let's not linger here either. Move out, back to the encampment."

The hundred-odd men thus retraced their steps.

Their arrival had been fraught with nervous excitement; their departure was marked by a light-hearted regret.

When they returned to the small grove, dawn was already breaking.

Having marched forty miles back and forth and tossed and turned all night, everyone was exhausted. Once Li Liandao had posted the sentries, they simply collapsed and fell fast asleep.

Li Liandao also turned in.

However, as a detachment commander, his sleep was not deep. He woke up after less than two hours. With his eyes feeling gritty and a dull ache in his temples, he forced himself up and washed his face, which somewhat revived his spirit. Surveying the grove, the vast majority of his men were still fast asleep, with very few awake. Even Gao Chou-nu was still sleeping soundly. Amidst a chorus of snoring, Li Liandao pondered his next course of action.

Having roughly formulated a plan, he noticed that Gao Xi was wide awake, looking at him with a gaze that seemed laced with mockery.

"Elder Brother Gao, you must be hungry," Li Liandao said, walking over to Gao Xi with two sesame flatbreads. He took a bite of one and handed the other to him.

Gao Xi let out a cold hum and turned his face away.

Li Liandao chuckled. "Elder Brother Gao, you can be angry, but why take it out on your stomach? From the day before yesterday until now, not a drop of water or grain has passed your lips. If you starve yourself, won't you be the one suffering? Come on, eat a flatbread and fill your belly."

"Elder Brother Gao, now you're just talking nonsense with your eyes wide open. Do you think we look like we were beaten black and blue? Granted, the tribute from the Suanzao county offices wasn't successfully extorted, but that cannot be blamed on a flaw in my plan. It can only be said that Official Hou's performance exceeded my expectations." While eating his flatbread, Li Liandao recounted to Gao Xi how Hou Youhuai had reached the city gates only to break his promise and sound the alarm for the city instead.

Gao Xi bit his tongue twice, but couldn't hold it back any longer. Staring fiercely at Li Liandao, he cursed, "Shameless little thief!"

"Elder Brother Gao, for no reason at all, why are you cursing me again?"

"I, too, am a man who values righteousness. How could I kill a righteous man like Official Hou, who sacrificed his life for his principles? I let him go."

Gao Xi blurted out, "You let him go?"

"Why would I lie to you? I let him go right outside the walls of Suanzao last night. Elder Brother Gao, I know you were dissatisfied with us using tripwires to trip you up, but I have a couple of things I must say to you. In warfare, all is deception, is it not? When killing the enemy in battle, employing a stratagem is perfectly normal, isn't it? I see that you, Elder Brother Gao, are also a bold and forthright hero—why harbor such deep resentment over this? That is my first point. Furthermore, Elder Brother Gao, your martial prowess is truly formidable and outstanding. Given your skill, if we hadn't used a trick, I fear it would have been difficult for us to capture you, wouldn't it?"

Gao Xi was a stout fellow who valued honor and righteousness; he wasn't skilled in cursing, and after hurling abuse back and forth, he always ran out of vocabulary.

Gao Xi raged, "What do you mean I am not as good as you?"

"Think about Cheng Huan. He is a damned corrupt official who doesn't know how many commoners he has squeezed and exploited, which is why he managed to accumulate all those full carts of wealth—fourteen of them in total—that he was bringing back to his hometown. Elder Brother Gao, you are willing to let yourself be driven by such a corrupt wretch and act as his running dog. What does that make you? How do the scholars and commoners who know your background view you? If I'm not mistaken, those cursing you behind your back as a running dog of a corrupt official are probably numerous!"

"What crime did you commit? Why did he save you?"

Gao Xi said, "I was originally a detachment commander in the Dongping Military Prefecture. In the tenth year of Daye, an expedition against Goguryeo was imminent. Three soldiers in my detachment deserted. According to the military code, they should have been executed. Pitying their impoverished families and knowing their flight stemmed from filial piety toward their aging parents, I did not report it and instead let them slip away. When the matter leaked out, I was convicted and sentenced. Thanks to Lord Cheng stepping in to rescue me, I narrowly escaped death. How could I not repay such a profound debt of life?"

"That is precisely why, Elder Brother Gao, while you pride yourself on valuing righteousness, you actually have no idea what true righteousness is."

Gao Xi flew into a rage. "I don't understand righteousness? Could it be that you, a shameless little thief, understand it instead?"

"I already spent half a day talking to you yesterday. Although we are reviled as 'common bandits' at the government offices and yamen gates, even bandits have a code. Have you seen the four characters written on my banner, Elder Brother Gao? 'Acting on behalf of Heaven.' That is precisely the guiding principle of our actions.

"We were all originally good commoners. The reason we have gathered together to rise in revolt now is entirely because the imperial court is devoid of the Dao, and living conditions have become utterly impossible. To survive, we had no choice but to gather our forces at Wagang. Ever since our gathering at Wagang, while it is true that we plunder merchants and travelers, toward the surrounding commoners we not only commit zero offenses, but we also frequently distribute grain to relieve them. The commoners of Dongjun and Jiyuan whose lives have been saved thanks to the grain relief from Wagang are too numerous to count!

"Elder Brother Gao, by contrast, look at yourself. In order to repay your so-called 'debt of life-saving,' you are actually willing to serve as a running dog for a corrupt wretch who has brought ruin to countless commoners. Tell me, why were those three soldiers in your military prefecture unable to make a living and driven to poverty? Wasn't it also because of the extortion and exploitation by these corrupt officials? Yet you turned around and became the running dog of such a corrupt official! Elder Brother Gao, compared to our Wagang saving countless lives, ask yourself: are you the one who values righteousness, or is it our Wagang that truly deserves to be called righteous?"

Dongping Commandery bordered Dong Commandery, and Gao Xi had indeed heard rumors of Wagang distributing grain to aid the commoners in Dong Commandery. He was instantly struck dumb, left with no words to reply.

Li Liandao finished his flatbread, shoved the other one under Gao Xi's chin, and said, "A man like you, Elder Brother Gao, cannot be called righteous; you are merely assisting a tyrant in his oppression. Elder Brother Gao, I genuinely admire your bravery, which is why, after capturing you, I was unwilling to kill you. If you truly value righteousness, listen to my advice: why not join our stronghold? Seize grain and distribute it to the commoners to relieve the destitute—that is true righteousness! It would also avoid wasting this great ability of yours. Elder Brother Gao, whether you choose to truly value righteousness by following us in acting on behalf of Heaven, or willingly remain a running dog for corrupt officials who harm the people and assist a tyrant, you must weigh it yourself!"

Watching Li Liandao turn away from him and walk toward Wang Xuda and the others who were just waking up, Gao Xi felt his stomach rumble like thunder—he hadn't eaten in two days, and hunger was making his vision turn green. The flatbread was a meat pie, and its enticing aroma lingered right beneath his nose. He swallowed hard several times and desperately forced his head to turn in the other direction.

Summoning Wang Xuda and the others to gather around, Li Liandao said, "I just calculated: we can no longer break into Suanzao County. As Dong Gou'er said, Suanzao is far from the Bian River and the Tongji Canal, and fewer merchants and travelers pass through this area. We probably won't be easy to run across another fat sheep like Cheng Huan anytime soon. When we came down the mountain this time, General Xu gave us a total of half a month for this tribute-seeking excursion. Only a few days have passed, and for this reason, I think it's best we don't linger in Suanzao any longer. Let's set off today and head south to Yangwu. What do you think?"

A person's prestige is built up gradually.

If Li Liandao had already established a certain amount of prestige among Wang Xuda and the others through his previous acts of "generosity with wealth" and especially "putting himself before his men" in the battle against Luo Shixin, then his "clever use of stratagems" during the robbery of Cheng Huan, combined with his "audacious" plan to sack Suanzao County yesterday, had further elevated his prestige among them.

Consequently, none of the men had any objections to his decision.

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Chen Jing'er bared his teeth in a smile and said, "No sweat!"

That afternoon, after informing Dong Gou'er, the hundred-odd men left the small grove, some on horseback and others on foot, and headed south toward the territory of Yangwu County.

Yangwu County also had informants from the Fenghuang Branch Stronghold. Just like Dong Gou'er, upon receiving the news, they hurried anxiously to pay their respects.