47 The Chinese currency of a square holed coin.
48 “Tael” was an English expression of the Chinese measure of weight, the “liang,” approximating an ounce.
49 Li is the Chinese distance equivalent of a mile.
50 The heroes from the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, who swore an oath of brotherhood.
51 The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
CHAPTER 2
Shi Jin Leaves During the Night; Major Lu Da Assaults Butcher Zheng
THE bandit chiefs knelt down, saying: “Elder brother, you are guiltless and we do not wish to involve you. You can take a rope and bind us, and ask for the reward.”
“That will not do,” said Shi Jin. “I invited you to come here, and if I seize you for the reward everybody will jeer at me. If this is your time for death, I will die with you; if to live, then I will live with you. Please get up, be at your ease, and let us think of another plan. Wait until I have asked the soldiers why they come here.” Shi Jin climbed the ladder and called out “Why do you men come here in the third watch of the night?” The inspector replied, “Sir, you need not say that you are not guilty as we have the accuser Li Ji here.” Shi Jin shouted, “Li Ji! Why do you falsely accuse an innocent person?”
“I really do not know,” replied Li Ji. “In a forest I got a letter from Wang the Fourth, and the same day I read it before the yamen, and this is the result.”
Shi Jin addressed Wang the Fourth, “You said there was no reply, so how is this?” “I forgot the letter because I was drunk,” answered Wang the Fourth. Shi Jin shouted, “You brute.”
The inspector outside was afraid of Shi Jin, and dared not enter the farm to arrest the men. The three bandit chiefs pointed their fingers and said to Shi Jin, “Speak only to those outside.” Shi Jin understood and said, “You two constables need not use force. I will give them over and you can escort them to the yamen where you can ask for the reward.” The two constables replied, “We have no business here. We are waiting for you to come out, and go with us to get the reward.” Shi Jin descended the ladder, and catching Wang the Fourth took him into the garden and killed him with a sword. He then ordered the servants to pack up all the valuables, and light about forty torches: he and the three bandit chiefs armed themselves—one sword in the hand and a smaller one in their waist. They set fire to the huts at the back of the farmstead and the soldiers immediately rushed there. Shi Jin set fire to the building in the center of the enclosure. He opened the gates and called to his men to kill any one they met. He was in the front, Zhu Wu and Yang Chun were in the middle, and Chen Da was at the rear. They went out, killing men on both sides. Shi Jin was like a tiger, and nobody could stop him. They hacked their way through the cordon of soldiers. Afterwards they came across the two constables and Li Ji. When enemies meet they recognize each other clearly. The inspector seeing that Shi Jin was angry ran away. Li Ji also turned to ran, but Shi Jin caught him, and with a slash, he cut him in half with his sword. The bandit chiefs pursued the constables and dispatched them. The troops scattered in every direction. Shi Jin led his men straight to Mount Shaohua where there was a feast to celebrate the occasion.
After staying a few days Shi Jin considered the position. He had saved the lives of three men, and some valuables; but his homestead and his property had all been destroyed. Evidently, he could not stay there, so he told the bandit chiefs that he wished to go to find his old drill instructor Wang Jin. The bandits urged him to stay and promised to erect new buildings for him, but Shi Jin would not agree to this. Then Zhu Wu said they would make him their chief and quite happy.
“I am an innocent man—so how could I defile this body bequeathed to me by my parents? You need not persuade me to become a bandit.”
After a few days Shi Jin still wanted to go but the bandit chiefs were equally determined to keep him. Nothing could stop Shi Jin, and he prepared to depart. He put on a broad brimmed hat with a big red tassel, under it a black cloth with the corners hanging down—and a bright yellow ribbon outside: he also wore a military overcoat arranged on two sides: around his waist was a girdle of plaited bands of red plum color: black and white puttees wound tightly round his legs; his shoes were made of hemp specially suitable for hilly roads. He carried a “swan feather” sword with a round copper knob on the shaft, and a bundle on his back. He took leave of the three bandit chiefs, and descended the mountain accompanied by a large number of the bandits. The bandit chiefs shed tears when he left them. Shi Jin took the direct road to Yanan Prefecture; he took his meals when convenient and traveled during the day and slept at night. Traveling alone, he reached Weizhou in a little over a fortnight. He thought that as this place was a military station he would inquire about his teacher, Drill Instructor Wang Jin. Upon entering the town, he saw there were many roads and much business. He found a tea shop on the roadside where he stopped and ordered tea. He asked the waiter where the military yamen was. While they were talking, a big man came in with big strides. This man wore military dress; on his head was a piece of silk with a character Wan, and attached at the back were two golden rings inscribed, “Taiyuan Prefecture.”52 He wore a large military coat of parrot green color with a military belt in black. His boots were made of yellow leather with four seams. He had a round face, big ears, a prominent nose, a big mouth and a bushy beard. He was quite eight feet high and a girth of fifty inches. As he sat down, the waiter said that Shi Jin might ask this officer about the drill instructor. Shi Jin stood up and said, “Will you please drink tea with me?” The man also saluted; and when they both sat down Shi Jin asked for his name.
“I am Major Lu Da. May I ask your name?” “I am from Huayin County, and my name is Shi Jin. I wish to ask whether you know a Drill Instructor called Wang Jin.” Lu Da said, “Brother, are you not the ‘tattooed dragons’ Shi Jin of the Shi village?” Shi Jin admitted this, and the officer again saluted and said he had heard of him, but to meet him was much better than hearing. He then said that Drill Instructor Wang Jin held office under Old Zhong, the frontier General at Yanan Prefecture. As he was the Shi Jin of whom he had heard so much he invited him to have a drink with him. The two men left the tea-house hand in hand, and after turning several corners they went into a well-known wine shop of the Pan family. Finding a cozy room upstairs they sat down; Major Lu Da ordered four pots of wine with dishes of eatables and fruit; and they chatted about the various forms of using the lance. While they were talking, they heard someone sobbing and crying in an adjoining room. This disturbed Major Lu Da, who took a cup and saucer and threw them on the floor. The waiter heard the noise and saw that the Major was angry. The Major inquired who it was that was crying and disturbing them. The waiter said, “There is a singsong girl with her father, and they are crying because there is no guest to engage them, and they do not know you are here.” “But why do they make this noise?” said the Major, “Tell them to come here.” The waiter left, and in a short time a woman entered, of about nineteen years of age, and behind her there was an old man of sixty years with castanets in his hand. The woman was not beautiful yet there was something attractive about her. Wiping away her tears she came forward, and gave a woman’s salutation (one hand placed on top of the other). The major asked why they cried, and she replied, “I am from Kaifeng, and I came to this place with my parents to find some relatives; but upon arrival we found they had removed to Nanjing. My mother was taken ill in an inn and died. My father and myself stayed here in distress. There is a wealthy man here nicknamed “The Bully of the Western Pass.” When he saw me he sent a matchmaker to demand me to be