Volume 1, Chapter 33: The Exemption Slip and a Just Heart

Strictly speaking, it could not be called a quarrel; it was more of a dispute.

The voices belonged primarily to two men: Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin, with the occasional interjection of Zhai Yuanshun attempting to mediate.

Shan Xiongxin was heard saying, "Dalao, Yecha led the men out to fight for the sake of Fei Sanlang. Look at the state Sanlang is in! He is still unconscious. Among us brothers, loyalty comes first. With Sanlang wounded like this, don't you feel any pity?"

Xu Shiji’s voice replied, "Brother, of course I feel for Sanlang’s severe injuries. But first, Yecha went out to fight without your orders or mine. Second, when Cai Jiande, He Ta, and even you, Brother, sent three waves of men to retrieve him, he refused to return, nearly causing our army to suffer defeat today. According to the mountain rules, this is insubordination. Even if I were to show you respect and forgo the rules..."

"Dalao, Yecha has been with me since he was thirteen or fourteen. He has always been loyal, and I don’t mean just to me—he is loyal to you as well! He is a man of such great integrity; just because he sought revenge for Fei Sanlang today, how can you insist on applying the mountain rules to him?"

Xu Shiji said, "Brother! The rules can be overlooked, but we cannot fail to impose some punishment to maintain military discipline."

"Dalao, say no more. I will say this once: if you punish Yecha, I will not allow it!"

It turned out that Xu Shiji and Shan Xiongxin were locked in an argument over whether to punish Wei Yecha.

Li Shandao hesitated for a moment. Turning back would be inappropriate, but remaining to listen was equally improper. He decided to ask the guards outside the courtyard to announce his arrival.

The arguing inside the hall ceased, and soon a guard emerged, inviting him in.

Leaving Gao Chounu and Chen Jing'er to wait outside, Li Shandao smoothed his clothes and entered the hall.

Once inside, he bowed and performed the proper salutations.

Xu Shiji said, "Er'lang, please rise."

Li Shandao stood up. No other leaders had arrived yet; in the hall, only Shan Xiongxin sat in the main seat, with Xu Shiji and Zhai Yuanshun sitting opposite each other at the head of the tables. Li Shandao took the "merit roll" recorded by Wang Xuande from his robe, presented it in his hands, and said, "Reporting to Lord Shan, Dalao, and Lord Zhai, the kills and merits of my battalion in today’s battle have all been recorded here. I submit them for your review."

Shan Xiongxin said, "Bring it here for me to see."

Li Shandao handed it over.

Shan Xiongxin took it, read it, and nodded with a smile. "Killing or wounding over ten of the enemy officials' soldiers, and capturing two spears and a sword—not bad, not bad! However, Er'lang, you recorded the merits of Chounu, Chen Jing'er, and your own retainers, but why did you not record your own?"

"In reply to Lord Shan, Shandao did not perform any merit worthy of record in today's battle."

Shan Xiongxin said, "I saw with my own eyes that you were the first to charge, the first to push back those seven or eight armored enemy soldiers. How can you say you have no merit?" There were brush and ink on the table; he picked up the brush, wrote a few characters on the page of the "merit roll" Li Shandao had submitted, and handed it back, saying, "Take this and show it to Dalao."

Li Shandao glanced at the paper. Shan Xiongxin had written, "Er'lang fought in the vanguard, a first-class merit."

He presented the page to Xu Shiji.

Xu Shiji frowned slightly, looked at the line Shan Xiongxin had added, then raised his head to look at both Shan Xiongxin and Li Shandao. He said, "Brother, although Er'lang fought well today, the victory was not a decisive one, nor did he slay a general or capture a banner. How can this be called 'first-class merit'?"

In warfare, merits were generally divided into four classes. The first was extraordinary merit, followed by first-class, second-class, and third-class. "Superior victory" referred to the casualty ratio; if the total number of enemies was ten, killing or capturing four or more while losing less than one was considered a superior victory. This standard for recording merit was used by the official imperial army, but the Wagang rebels, when fighting the government forces, imitated it and used this system to a certain extent.

By these standards, Li Shandao’s performance today could at most be rated as second-class merit.

Shan Xiongxin stroked his beard and smiled. "Er'lang volunteered for the battle and led his men to break through. Why is it wrong to rate it as first-class merit?" He waved his hand and said, "Dalao, stop arguing with me! Listen to me. Yecha made a mistake today, but it does not warrant punishment. Er'lang fought with great merit today; calling it 'first-class' is no exaggeration. Let these two matters be settled as such!"

Li Shandao realized what was happening: was this a trade?

Xu Shiji was left between laughter and tears. He held the merit roll and said, "Brother, this...?"

"Er'lang has already arrived, and the other leaders should be here soon. Dalao, surely you don't intend to argue with me in front of the others?"

Xu Shiji sighed, put down the merit roll, and said helplessly, "Fine, I will listen to you tonight. But there are two conditions, Brother, that I must state upfront. Er'lang's merit does not reach the level of first-class, so I cannot record it as such—that is the first. As for Yecha, you must have a word with him. Tomorrow, when we fight again, such a situation must never happen again. If it does, I will punish him strictly, even if I have to disregard your position! That is the second."

Shan Xiongxin said, "Good, good! I agree to everything." He smiled at Zhai Yuanshun and said, "Brother Zhai, my Dalao here is good at everything, but he is far too serious about the mountain rules! You might not know, but let alone his own subordinates, even his own servants have been strictly punished by his own hand for breaking the rules. My own men have even been punished by him! You are lucky, Brother Zhai; your branch camp is far away in Weicheng, where he cannot reach."

Zhai Yuanshun laughed. "I have long heard of Dalao’s reputation for being iron-willed and impartial."

Xu Shiji said, "Brother, Lord Zhai, if the rules are broken under normal circumstances and there is a genuine reason, it is acceptable to show mercy occasionally. But today, we are facing an enemy in battle. A single slip could lead to the destruction of our entire army, or worse, implicate the entire camp! How can we not be cautious? *The Art of War by Wei Liaozi* says, 'Make rewards clear in the front and punishments decisive in the rear; thus, when you attack, you gain profit, and when you move, you achieve merit.' Military discipline and the system of rewards and punishments must be clear."

Shan Xiongxin smiled. "Yes, yes, Dalao, you are right! Don't worry, I will give Yecha a good talking-to tonight. Tomorrow, he will certainly not dare to disobey your military orders again."

Xu Shiji said, "Luo Shixin’s troops are elite. Although the force he brought to attack us is not as large as ours, observing today’s battle, his soldiers not only have better armor and weapons than ours, but their formations are skilled and their coordination is seamless. They are truly a formidable enemy! Brother, Lord Zhai, regarding tomorrow's battle, do you have any plans?" As he spoke, he gestured for Li Shandao to sit.

Li Shandao found a place and sat down.

Shan Xiongxin asked Xu Shiji, "Dalao, what do you think?"

Xu Shiji pondered for a moment and said, "What Brother and Lord Zhai said is correct. Tomorrow, we shall use the same tactic of luring the enemy." He turned to Shan Xiongxin and added, "Brother, the reason the tactic failed today was, fundamentally, because Yecha advanced without orders. You must instruct him tonight that he absolutely cannot do this again! Otherwise, military law will be ruthless."

"Good, good! Dalao, you’ve already said it once, I’ve remembered it; no need to keep repeating it."

Xu Shiji said, "Tomorrow, if we are to feign defeat to lure the enemy, we need a proper method to do so."

Shan Xiongxin asked, "What method?"

Xu Shiji replied, "Although Luo Shixin is young, he has been in the military for three or four years and already has considerable combat experience. Furthermore, I hear he is highly favored by Zhang Xutuo and often stays by his side during battles. Zhang Xutuo must have taught him much. Judging by his performance today, he can truly be described as 'well-coordinated.' If we feign defeat tomorrow, if the act is not convincing or the bait is not tempting enough, he may not fall for it. Therefore, I believe that for the tactic to succeed, we must put more effort into both the feigned defeat and the bait. First, the defeat must look real; second, the bait must be tempting."

Zhai Yuanshun nodded repeatedly. "Indeed, indeed."

Shan Xiongxin asked, "Then how can we make the defeat look real and the bait tempting enough?"

"First, tomorrow we cannot wait for Luo Shixin to challenge us. We must show that we are eager to avenge today's defeat and issue the challenge ourselves. Second, the troops sent to challenge must be elite. Third, this engagement must be fought with all our might. Then, once we have gained the upper hand, Brother, you should mount your horse and gather your men, pretending to prepare for a full-scale assault. At that moment, Luo Shixin will surely reinforce his lines to block your advance.

"Fourth, once Luo Shixin’s reinforcements arrive, our challenging troops will feign a retreat. Fifth, as soon as they retreat, Brother, you must pretend to be disorganized and in disarray, using this to lure Luo Shixin into committing his entire force. Having seen our challenging troops fight fiercely and you preparing for a heavy assault, Luo Shixin will never suspect that we are setting a trap. Nine times out of ten, he will take the bait and commit his entire army! Once he moves, we will feign defeat and retreat, luring him into a pursuit."

He paused and asked, "Dalao, you said the defeat must look real and the bait must be tempting. If we follow this plan, the defeat will be realistic enough, but what about the bait? Where will the tempting bait come from?"

Xu Shiji looked toward Li Shandao, who was sitting at the far end of the hall, and said, "Brother, the tempting bait lies in that elite force sent to challenge the enemy. My intent is to have Er'lang’s battalion join that elite force in the challenge."

"Er'lang’s battalion to join the challenge?"

Xu Shiji said, "Today, it was Er'lang’s battalion that finally rescued Yecha and the others, and Gao Chounu even wounded Liang Husheng. If Er'lang’s battalion joins the challenge tomorrow, Luo Shixin will surely be unable to resist attacking them. Isn't that bait tempting enough?"

Shan Xiongxin hesitated. "Er'lang just finished a grueling battle today. Should we use him as bait again tomorrow to lead the challenge? This... will it work?"

Xu Shiji stroked his beard, looked at Li Shandao, and asked calmly, "Er'lang, can you do it?"

The bait was tempting enough, but first, the "first-class merit" that Shan Xiongxin had just granted was cancelled, and then, after fighting hard today, he was to be used as bait tomorrow and sent out first to challenge. Was this not a bit too "iron-willed and impartial" toward him?

Li Shandao slapped the table and stood up!