Volume One, Chapter Nine: Qu Yilu Commands the Vanguard Unit

The Gathering Hall was quite spacious, facing south, with ample light streaming in, making it bright and clear. The floor was paved with clean, spotless bluestone slabs. At the entrance stood a vividly painted and gilded weapon rack, displaying swords and sabers laid horizontally, while spears and staffs stood upright.

A man sat facing the hall’s entrance, deep within the room. On either side sat about a dozen robust men dressed in fine brocade, and four or five attendants were scattered below. Before anyone could take a closer look, Li Shandao and Gao Chounu, following Fei Junzhong and the others, knelt and bowed to the floor, then respectfully saluted the man facing the hall’s entrance—none other than Zhai Rang.

In a fleeting glance, Li Shandao noticed that Zhai Rang sat somewhat apart, though the details were unclear. He only caught sight of Zhai Rang seated on a four-cornered, lacquered chair with a high back, dressed in a bright red robe. His sturdy frame made him resemble a small mountain seated there.

Before Li Shandao could speak, Zhai Rang’s sonorous voice rang out: “Brothers, no need for formalities. Rise.”

Not only was his build imposing, but Zhai Rang’s voice was also resounding, as powerful as a bell. Rising alongside Fei Junzhong and the others, Li Shandao kept his head slightly bowed, standing quietly by their sides. A faint fragrance wafted in—incense burners were placed at the four corners of the hall near the windows, each burning incense.

Earlier, as Li Shandao and the others entered, Xu Shiji had roughly relayed Li Shandao’s strategy and the details of the ship capture to Zhai Rang. Fei Junzhong, Wei Yacha, and the others were trusted confidants of Dan Xiongxin and Xu Shiji, all familiar with Zhai Rang. After exchanging a few laughs with them, Zhai Rang’s gaze turned to Li Shandao and Gao Chounu. Smiling, he said, “Let me guess. This young and handsome one, Mao Gong, must be your fellow townsman who proposed the plan to seize the ship. And the broad-shouldered, burly fellow—what a fine specimen!—must be the strong servant called Chounu who killed Zhang Tiezha. Ah, only such a mighty man could slay that fierce brute!”

Xu Shiji explained, “Er Lang and Chounu, I have already reported your strategic contributions and heroic deeds to Lord Zhai. He is thoroughly pleased—he admires Er Lang’s cunning and Chounu’s bravery, and has especially summoned you both to pay your respects.”

Li Shandao hastened to respond modestly, “These are but small merits, hardly worthy of disturbing Lord Zhai’s attention. In this ship seizure, Chounu and I only played minor roles, like humble servants. As the saying goes, ‘a sparrow eating tofu’—it’s nothing worth mentioning. To be specially summoned by Lord Zhai, I am truly both honored and fearful.”

Zhai Rang, unfamiliar with the phrase “a sparrow eating tofu,” asked, “Er Lang, what did you say? ‘But tofu’?”

“Lord Zhai, the sparrow is a small bird. How much tofu can a sparrow eat? Similarly, in this ship capture, Chounu and I contributed only modestly—the greatest credit belongs to Lord Dan and Brother Xu for their excellent planning and leadership, with Lord Dan leading the charge; next, Brothers Fei and Wei for their fearless courage.”

Zhai Rang laughed heartily and said to Xu Shiji, “Mao Gong, your fellow townsman is quite an amusing man.” He then called Li Shandao and Gao Chounu to lift their faces for another look and praised, “Er Lang’s appearance is indeed remarkable, his bearing dignified. Chounu, how do you look? In my life, I have seen many great men—take me and Xiongxin here, with ten thousand men in the camp, few compare to us, and yet you surpass us all!”

The hall erupted in laughter.

Zhai Rang, fond of Chounu’s straightforward nature, stroked his beard and smiled, “A man of simple honesty!” He added, “Zhang Tiezha was a fierce brute, and to kill him, you must be a fierce man yourself! No fierce beast refuses meat, so it’s right you enjoy it.”

He ordered, “Bring gold and silk, reward Chounu for his valor in slaying the general!” Not content to reward only the servant and not his master, and since Li Shandao also contributed with his strategy, he added, “And Er Lang, you too shall be rewarded!” Truly fond of Gao Chounu’s robust honesty, he smiled again and said, “With this reward, buy whatever wine and meat you desire. When you descend the mountain, there’s no shortage of game—just shoot and eat! I fear not that you’ll eat too much, but rather not enough. Eat heartily.”

In a nearby side room of the Gathering Hall, gold, silver, and silk were normally stored for Zhai Rang’s gifts. Soon, two young leaders entered, each carrying a silver tray holding two horse-hoof gold ingots and a bolt of silk.

Li Shandao tugged Gao Chounu down again, and they knelt once more. The gold gleamed dazzlingly, and the silk shimmered with colors, but Li Shandao was reluctant to accept so lavish a gift. He said, “Lord Zhai, I dare not conceal anything. I am but a humble countryman, with modest land and no want for food or clothing. The only reasons I left home and joined the camp were because Brother Xu’s reputation spread far and because I long admired Lord Zhai and the other leaders’ righteous names. Now that I have joined, my heart is fulfilled. To serve Lord Zhai wholeheartedly is only my duty. I dare not accept your reward.”

Dan Xiongxin smiled beside him and said, “Lord Zhai, you may not know—Er Lang is no ordinary man. Like us, he values loyalty above wealth and has no greed for riches.”

Zhai Rang praised him further and asked Xu Shiji, “Mao Gong, what position have you assigned Er Lang?”

Xu Shiji replied, “The day after Er Lang joined, he went down the mountain with me and Brother Xiongxin. This ship seizure was a critical task personally ordered by you. I focused entirely on the mission without distraction. He has not been assigned an official post yet.”

“If that’s so, I’ll decide for you, shall I?”

Xu Shiji laughed, “If Lord Zhai would make the decision, that would be best.”

Zhai Rang then spoke to Li Shandao: “Er Lang, you are clever and resourceful, and Chounu is strong and brave. You served with great merit in this ship capture. I would not be wrong to appoint you a commander. However, our camp has rules—‘no rules, no order.’ There are over ten thousand men here; without rules, chaos would prevail. Everyone, even I, must abide by the ten mountain laws set by Mao Gong. So, you must rise gradually. Conveniently, Wang Bodang has just brought several groups of new heroes to join us. I will assign you a hundred men and appoint you as a brigade commander to settle in the camp under Mao Gong’s supervision. How does that sound?”

Originally, the Wagang Camp had no formal rules, but as its numbers grew and with Xu Shiji’s involvement, he proposed these ten mountain laws to maintain discipline. Though still crude compared to official armies, Wagang had taken on a rough military structure.

Zhai Rang’s claim of “rules in the camp” was not empty talk.

Regarding “assigning you a hundred men,” one of the mountain laws stipulated that any leader bringing over a hundred men retains command over them. Those with fewer than a hundred must merge with other small groups until they reach a hundred. Regardless of original or combined numbers, newcomers must answer to a senior leader in the camp.

Most of Zhai Rang and his leaders came from county officials, local gentry, or had military experience, so they understood proper military organization and adopted the official army’s structure. This explains why Zhai Rang said, “I’ll make you a brigade commander.”

The official army’s hierarchy from bottom to top was: ten men formed a squad, led by a squad leader; five squads made a platoon, led by a platoon sergeant; two platoons formed a brigade, led by a brigade commander; two brigades made a regiment, led by a colonel; above colonels were generals.

That Li Shandao was appointed brigade commander with only a hundred men might seem a modest reward, given his decisive role in the ship seizure and killing Zhang Tiezha. But in truth, this was a significant elevation.

The camp’s total forces numbered over ten thousand, and only about a hundred leaders held the rank of brigade commander. Fei Junzhong, Wei Yacha, Dan Xiongxin, and Xu Shiji each led about two hundred men, equivalent to colonels. Li Shandao had only arrived about two weeks prior, and now, just days later, he was appointed brigade commander with a hundred men—a rapid rise indeed.

More deeply, this promotion was not just due to Li Shandao’s and Gao Chounu’s merits; it was also a favor to Xu Shiji, whose recommendation carried weight with Zhai Rang.

No matter how vast the wealth before him, Li Shandao would not be tempted, but being granted command of a hundred men filled his heart with joy.

Unlike when he declined the gold and silk, now he accepted readily, bowed, and said, “Though my merits are small, to be entrusted with such responsibility is daunting. I fear failing the trust placed in me.”

Zhai Rang laughed, “Er Lang, you speak foolishly. Not to mention your courage and wisdom, Mao Gong is your fellow townsman. With his guidance, I am confident.” He asked Xu Shiji, “Mao Gong, what do you think of this appointment?”

After these days together, Xu Shiji had greatly revised his opinion of Li Shandao, no longer seeing him as a drifter but as a capable man. Since Li Shandao was also from the same county and had come to join him, Xu Shiji felt honored by Zhai Rang’s special favor, and stroked his beard with a slight smile. “I leave it to Lord Zhai’s decision.”

Zhai Rang, straightforward by nature, immediately wrote an order and gave it to a junior leader: “Among the new heroes Wang Bodang brought, there is one group of over thirty men and another of forty or fifty. Take my order to their quarters, merge these two groups into one, and draw some from others to make a full hundred...” He then asked Li Shandao, “Er Lang, where do you currently live on the mountain?”

Li Shandao replied, “Brother Xu arranged for me to stay in a small valley south of his dwelling.”

The junior leader accepted the order and departed to relay it.

Having said much and given the rewards, and officially appointing Li Shandao as brigade commander, Zhai Rang and Dan Xiongxin, Xu Shiji exchanged some words before politely asking them to withdraw and wait.

Li Shandao and the others bowed in response and respectfully left the hall.

Once outside the courtyard, the rewards bestowed by Zhai Rang remained with Li Shandao and Gao Chounu—two bolts of silk and four ingots of horse-hoof gold, all cradled in Gao Chounu’s arms. Li Shandao took one gold ingot and said to Gao Chounu, “Chounu, give the rest to Brothers Fei and Wei.”

Fei Junzhong said, “Er Lang, what are you doing?”

He declined, “These are Lord Zhai’s rewards for you and Chounu. How can we share in them?” He laughed, “Besides, Lord Zhai admires you both and has personally appointed you brigade commander. We have yet to congratulate you, and you want to share your reward with us? That’s unreasonable!”

Li Shandao said, “In that case, you all look down on me.”

Fei Junzhong laughed, “Er Lang, where do you get such words?”

Li Shandao replied seriously, “‘Wealth is like dung, but loyalty is worth a thousand gold.’ You are all men of true loyalty—how could you not know this? If it weren’t because you looked down on me, why else would you refuse to share Lord Zhai’s gift?”

Fei Junzhong hesitated, then saw Li Shandao’s sincerity and said, “If you put it that way, then we’ll shamelessly accept some of your and Chounu’s good fortune.”

Li Shandao, pleased that they agreed, said earnestly, “We are all trusted men of Lord Dan and Brother Xu. Though I joined late, I am from the same county as Brother Xu. We are truly one family; no need for divisions. That’s how it should be.”

Though they agreed to share, they were still outside the Gathering Hall where Zhai Rang’s guards stood watch. Fei Junzhong and the others were influential leaders themselves, but it was improper to divide the rewards openly in front of the guards. So the silk and gold ingots remained with Gao Chounu for the time being.

Receiving gifts binds one to the giver.

Four bolts of silk and three ingots of horse-hoof gold were worth quite a sum.

After Li Shandao’s generous offer, Fei Junzhong and the others spoke more warmly to him.

Fei Junzhong took the initiative: “Er Lang, Lord Zhai has assigned you a hundred men and made you a brigade commander. This shows his appreciation for you. But just one thing—you’d best keep this in mind...”