Volume 2, Chapter 6: Qin Jingsi Scalefs the Walls to Seize the Temple

Wang Xuda, Jiao Yanlang, Zhang Fusheng, and others were locked in a fierce battle with seven or eight gate guards.

As the gate opened, Li Shandao took the lead and charged in.

Gao Chunu, still wielding his steel maces, rushed into the thick of the fight. His twin iron maces swept through the air, unstoppable. With his assistance, two or three of the gate guards fighting Wang Xuda and the others were injured in quick succession. Realizing the battle was lost, the remaining guards did not dare to fight any further and fled backward.

Directing the men, Li Shandao ordered Wang Xuda to take his squad and capture the top of the wall, leaving Jiao Yanlang, Zhang Fusheng, and a few others to guard the gate. Leading Gao Chunu, Qin Jingsi, and the others, and guided by Niu Er, Li Shandao charged toward the county office.

Yuan Dezhen, Shi Zhongkui, and their respective squads pursued the fleeing county soldiers and fought their way into the city.

Throughout the city of Puyang, the sounds of battle were not only echoing from the nearby inner city but were now rising from all four directions in the distance.

Following Niu Er along the streets, they rushed through the gate passage, ran dozens of paces forward, and turned a corner. A government office appeared before them.

Niu Er pointed and shouted, "General, that is the county office right there! The dog magistrate is inside!"

In front of the office gate stood a wooden post known as a huanbiao, with about twenty officials and guards stationed between the post and the office entrance.

Seeing Li Shandao and his men charging fiercely toward them, these officials and guards panicked, looking toward a man in his forties wearing armor.

The armored man shook the long spear in his hand and shouted, "What kind of petty thieves are you, daring to violate our city? Withdraw quickly, and I will spare your lives!"

Qin Jingsi led Wang Zhande, Wang Xuande, Cheng the Lame, and others, charging forward with battle cries.

However, this armored man was equipped with armor, and his spear was a long-range weapon. Furthermore, he possessed a certain degree of martial prowess, so he did not retreat. Thrusting and sweeping with his long spear, he forced Qin Jingsi and the others back, then shouted heroically, "Do you not recognize the name of Zhang Da of Puyang? Withdraw quickly, and I will spare your lives!"

Seeing this man block Qin Jingsi and the others, the score of officials and guards instantly gained courage. Although they still did not dare to charge forward, they all shouted in unison, "Do you not recognize the name of Eldest Brother Zhang of Puyang? With a single great spear, even Zhou Wenju is no match for him! Withdraw quickly while you still have your lives!"

Without waiting for orders, Gao Chunu gathered all his strength, stepped forward, and ran as fast as a galloping horse. Before the shouting of the score of guards had even finished, he reached the vicinity of the armored spearman, raised his left-hand mace, and brought it down.

It must be said that this man's combat reaction was truly excellent. Gao Chunu's height was his advantage, but it was also his disadvantage; precisely because he was tall, his movements were somewhat less agile. Thus, the man's counter-strike was one that Gao Chunu could not evade.

Squarely and heavily, the man struck a vicious blow against Gao Chunu's left shin.

With a crisp crack, Li Shandao, Qin Jingsi, and the others not far away involuntarily sucked in a cold breath. One could only imagine how excruciatingly painful that blow must have been.

Yet Gao Chunu endured the searing pain, stabilized his footing, and did not lose his balance in the slightest!

While his stance remained unbroken, the man, confident in his own strength, expected Gao Chunu to stagger backward from the agony as anticipated. Therefore, abandoning his long spear, the man drew a horizontal saber and turned back to thrust, intending to cut Gao Chunu down while he staggered. He never expected that Gao Chunu would steady his stance and remain rooted to the spot!

Having closed in on Gao Chunu and seeing that the latter had not retreated, the man froze for a fraction of a second.

Gao Chunu raised his right-hand iron mace and cursed, "You thieving bastard, striking your father!" The iron mace came crashing down.

The man was too slow to dodge and was struck squarely on the shoulder. Had Gao Chunu not been hurt by him, perhaps Gao Chunu would not have struck again after the mace hit. But because he was in pain, Gao Chunu refused to let the matter rest and brought the iron mace down once more, smashing it onto the man's head. It was just like shattering a round watermelon; red and white matter burst and splattered in all directions. The man did not even emit a groan before he was completely dead.

The score of officials and guards looked at each other in terror. Those with weak legs collapsed to the ground, while the bolder ones simply turned tail and ran.

There was no time to deal with them.

Limping slightly, Gao Chunu carried his iron mace and strode forward, heading straight for the gates of the government office. Qin Jingsi, Wang Xuda, and the others snapped out of their shock and followed suit. The office gates were closed; they pushed twice, but the doors would not budge. Qin Jingsi, Wang Zhande, and others scaled the wall and opened the main gates from the inside. The crowd of men cheered with boundless joy, shouting, "We've taken it! We've taken it!" Cheng the Lame was the first to scramble inside.

Li Shandao grabbed a man beside him and asked with a smile, "Brother Gao, how is it?"

The man he grabbed was none other than Gao Xi.

Gao Xi could hardly believe it. Was the city of Puyang really taken by Li Shandao just like that? And the county office had been captured as well! He opened his mouth and said from the bottom of his heart, "The Commander's courage is like a tiger's, and his tactical wisdom is boundless. With fewer than four hundred men, you've taken the city of Puyang. I am truly in awe."

Thinking that Li Shandao would immediately enter the county office, Gao Xi prepared to move his feet. However, Li Shandao stood his ground without moving. At first, Gao Xi did not understand why, but he soon realized. Li Shandao was taking precautions against any hidden crossbows or ambushes within the county office, which was why he was waiting for Cheng the Lame and the others to go in first.

This made Gao Xi admire him even more. When boldness and leadership at the front lines were required, Li Shandao never hesitated; but once victory was in hand and caution was called for, Li Shandao was never careless.

After waiting outside the county office for a short while, they heard a chorus of shouts from within. Soon after, Qin Jingsi, Wang Xuda, and others escorted several people out.

Niu Er followed close behind Qin Jingsi and the others, unable to wait as he reported to Li Shandao, pointing at one of the captives and saying, "General, he is the dog magistrate!"

The man identified by Niu Er as the magistrate of Puyang was not very old, perhaps in his early thirties. His turban had been knocked off, his hair was disheveled, his robes were torn, and one of his short boots had been lost. Looking at his face, it was bruised and swollen with a bloody nose, making it obvious he had just taken a beating.

Struggling to straighten his back, he cursed, "Thieving convicts, daring to raid a county city! When the imperial troops arrive, every single one of you will die without a burial place!"

Cheng the Lame gave him a crisp, resounding slap across the face and cursed, "Dog official, how dare you spout filth in front of Erlang!"

Li Shandao put on a stern expression and reprimanded him, saying, "Lame, show some manners." He then ordered Qin Jingsi and the others, "Release Master Chen." Wearing a welcoming smile, he addressed the Puyang magistrate, "I hear your esteemed surname is Chen, is that correct? Please hear me out, sir. We are not ordinary bandits; we belong to the forces of Duke Zhai of Wagang. You must already know that even Duke Pushan, Li Mi, has now surrendered to our stronghold. Our stronghold has always upheld justice on behalf of heaven, robbing the rich to aid the poor. The common people of East Commandery, including the people of Puyang County, have never suffered any harm from our stronghold. Taking your city today, we likewise will not slaughter the innocent indiscriminately."

The man surnamed Chen, the magistrate of Puyang, cursed back, "You even dare to mention a rebel like Li Mi! Thieving convicts, just the other day this official received a letter from Special Envoy Zhang of Qi Commandery. Special Envoy Zhang will soon personally lead troops to annihilate your Wagang. Instead of running for your lives, you Wagang bandits dare to attack our county city at a time like this? Are you simply impatient to die? Thieving convicts! Dog bandits! Special Envoy Zhang employs military strategy like a god; when his troops arrive, all of you will meet your deaths!"

Of course, Li Shandao knew that it was utterly impossible to persuade this Magistrate Chen to surrender with just a few words. He spoke nonetheless for no other reason than the principle that "craft is perfected through diligence"—he wanted to seize this opportunity to hone his own ability to persuade people to surrender.

Seeing that Magistrate Chen kept on cursing incessantly, clearly deaf to his rhetoric, Li Shandao sighed and said to Gao Xi, "Brother Gao, please don't laugh. I am a down-to-earth person, clumsy with words and not good at speaking. Though my heart is as bright as the moon, the moon shines upon a drainage ditch. This Master Chen simply cannot appreciate my sincerity." He waved his hand and ordered, "Stuff his mouth, tie him up, and drag him away."

A commotion arose as dozens of people came running from behind.

Gao Chunu held his mace, guarding Li Shandao's flank.

Turning to look, they saw that among the dozens of arrivals were some of their own people—Chen Jing'er, Dong Falü, Yuan Dezhen, and others were all there—along with more than a dozen strangers.

Li Shandao knew in his heart that those strangers must be the group who had stirred up trouble as insiders within the city. Without waiting for them to reach him, he stepped forward to meet them. As the two sides met, Chen Jing'er pulled one of the strangers over and introduced him to Li Shandao, saying, "Erlang, this is the leader of the brave men who rose up within the city." He then introduced Li Shandao to the man, saying, "Brother Bochang, this is our Grand Leader, Li Erlang."

The man hurriedly clasped his hands in a bow and said, "I am Ji Bochang, paying my respects to Li Erlang!"

Upon hearing the three syllables "Ji Bochang," Li Shandao felt a start in his heart.

Scratching his ear, Li Shandao probed cautiously, "I did not catch your esteemed name clearly, sir. May I trouble you to say it once more?"

"Please hear me, Erlang. My humble name is Boqi, with the style name Bochang."

Only then did Li Shandao realize he had misheard earlier. Relieved, he returned the bow and said, "So it is Brother Bochang"—this man was not one of the friends in Puyang that Xu Shiji had mentioned. Li Shandao warmly grasped his man's hand and smiled, "Though this is our first meeting today, as the saying goes, 'Where are there no men of talent, the bitter part is not knowing them!' It is a pity that Brother and I were not acquainted before! Now that Puyang has been captured, I have truly come to witness your extraordinary talent, Brother!"

"To not conceal it from Erlang, the reason I raised a revolt within the city was actually because I originally believed the troops you, Erlang, led to capture Puyang would be numerous and powerful. Just now, speaking with this worthy brother Wang, I learned that the troops you led to attack Puyang actually numbered only three to four hundred! How could Bochang dare to accept your praise of 'extraordinary talent'? It is entirely thanks to Erlang leading the troops to attack the city that Puyang was taken, and it is thanks to you that my brothers who rose up with me did not fail and lose our lives! Here, I offer my deepest thanks to Erlang!" Breaking free from the handshake, Ji Bochang stepped back and bowed deeply.

Heroes recognize heroes. One of these two men had the daring to gather a crowd and revolt from within the city without communicating with the external forces; the other had dared to seize the opportunity to attack the city the moment he saw internal unrest, leading a mere three to four hundred men. Truly, both possessed extraordinary courage.

Therefore, despite meeting for the very first time today, after exchanging just a few words, the two men felt a mutual respect and a sense of regret for not having met sooner.

Wang Xuda, having finished tying up Magistrate Chen alongside Qin Jingsi and the others, saw that their pleasantries were concluded and hurriedly stepped forward. He said to Li Shandao, "Erlang, Brother Bochang is indeed a man of extraordinary talent, but in my humble opinion, now is not the time for chatting. Let's hurry and loot the county office first, and then get out of here quickly!"

Li Shandao asked in astonishment, "Leave? Leave to where?"

Wang Xuda was equally surprised. Stunned for a moment, he said, "To evacuate outside the city, of course."

"Why evacuate?"

Wang Xuda reasoned, "Erlang, we have only three or four hundred men. Even with Brother Bochang's men, it adds up to around five hundred at most. I just asked Brother Bochang: there are one to two thousand households residing in Puyang City. With this handful of men, we certainly cannot hold down the city. Since we cannot hold it, shouldn't we hurry up and loot before leaving?"

Li Shandao asked Qin Jingsi, Chen Jing'er, Dong Falü, Yuan Dezhen, Ji Bochang, Gao Xi, and the others, "What do you all say?"

Ji Bochang replied, "Although there are many households in the county, I am a local man here. Who would dare to cause chaos? Why would we need to evacuate?"

Chen Jing'er smiled and said to Wang Xuda, "We fought our way in with such difficulty. If we just loot the county office and then retreat, wouldn't that be a waste?"

Li Shandao laughed heartily and said, "What these two brothers say is exactly what is on my mind!"

Taking Puyang this time was different from his previous plan to raid the county office of Suanzao.

Back then, Li Shandao had only a little over a hundred soldiers—truly too few—so he could only entertain the idea of "raid the county office and run."

This time, combining the forces gathered by Ji Bochang, he had four to five hundred men. Although still not a vast army, as long as they mobilized the poor common households of the county, controlling Puyang would not be a difficult task. That was the first point.

Furthermore, there was an even more crucial point, which was what Chen Jing'er had mentioned: "We fought our way in with such difficulty." Since there was a firm grasp on controlling Puyang, they must naturally seize this opportunity to expand their ranks! How could they lower their sights and aim merely for the plunder of material wealth?

Therefore, Wang Xuda's suggestion was fundamentally never among Li Shandao's choices from the moment he decided to attack Puyang.

That said, when all is said and done, the most crucial task remained: mobilizing the poor households and securing control over the city. So, how were these poor households to be mobilized?

Li Shandao asked Ji Bochang, "Brother Bochang, where are the county's granaries?"

Pointing past the county office further ahead, Ji Bochang replied, "They are right ahead."

Li Shandao issued his command: "Chunu, raise my great banner! Shout out to the city that I am opening the granaries to distribute grain here." Turning to Qin Jingsi, Chen Jing'er, and the others, he ordered, "Go open the granaries and prepare to distribute the grain!"