Читать книгу Water Margin - Shi Naian - Страница 14

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 his concubine. A bond was drawn up that he would give me three thousand strings of cash for my body, which I accepted as I thought he would keep his word. In less than three months his legal wife treated me very badly and turned me out of doors. Besides, they demanded me to return the three thousand strings of cash which I had never received but which they said I had received when I pawned my body. My father was timid and dared not dispute with the Bully, who was so influential. But as he has not paid me a single cash how can we return him the money? Now as when I was a small girl my father taught me to use the castanets, so we came to this wine shop to entertain the customers. Every day the money we got was paid more than half to the Bully and we had only a little for ourselves. For the last two days there were very few guests and we have passed the time limit he allowed us. When we thought of our trouble, we were distressed. We had no thought of intruding upon your attention and hope you will overlook our offense.”

Major Lu Da asked for their names and where this Bully lived. The old man replied, “My name is Jin, and the baby name of my daughter is ‘Cuilian.’ The Bully keeps a butcher’s shop near the Zhuangyuan Bridge. We two live at the Lu Family Inn near the East Gate.”

Upon hearing this Major Lu Da expressed his disgust, “Bah! I know that fellow, he was previously a butcher and is a filthy rascal. Sometime ago he asked my help in getting the garrison commander here to permit him to open his shop and this is how he cheats people—I will go and kill him.” Shi Jin exhorted him repeatedly to wait till the morrow. But there was no alteration.

Major Lu Da said, “Old man, come here! If we give you your traveling expenses, will you return to Kaifeng tomorrow?”

The father and daughter replied, “If we could return to our native village, we should look upon you as our parent for this new life. But will the proprietor of our inn let us go? If we go, the Bully will certainly demand the money from the inn proprietor.” Major Lu Da said that was not important as he had a plan. He took five taels of silver from his pocket and put them on the table and then asked Shi Jin if he could lend him some money till the following day. Shi Jin did not want repayment and placed an ingot of ten taels of silver on the table. Major Lu Da gave this money to the old man Jin and told him to make his arrangements at the inn, and he would come early the following morning to send them off. They gave their thanks and departed. Old Jin went outside the town and hired a cart for the following day; they paid the inn for the lodging; they packed their baggage, and waited for daybreak. About four o’clock he lit a fire and cooked some food for breakfast. Shortly after daybreak Major Lu Da arrived and told them to go quickly. As they moved toward the door the waiter stopped them and explained to the Major that the money for the pawning of the body was still unpaid, and the Bully had ordered him to watch them. Major Lu Da said that he himself would pay that to the butcher: but as the waiter was unwilling to let them go, the Major slapped his face so that blood flowed from his mouth: he knocked his two teeth out with his fist. The waiter rushed out of the inn, and the old man Jin with his daughter quickly left. Major Lu Da thought the waiter might intercept them, so he sat down on a stool and waited there for two hours. When he thought Jin had gone some distance he got up and walked to the Zhuangyuan Bridge.

The butcher had a double frontage shop, two butchers’ blocks, and about five sides of pork hanging. The butcher was behind the counter watching his ten assistants selling the meat. When Major Lu Da arrived, he stood outside the door, and called to the butcher, who came and saluted with folded hands. He said, “Excuse me” and then told an assistant to bring a stool for the Major, who sat down, saying, “I have an order from the garrison commander for thirteen jin53 of lean minced pork; he does not want the least fat in it.” The butcher told his assistants to get it ready but the Major objected. “Do not let those dirty men handle the meat. You cut it yourself.” “Very well,” said the butcher, “I will cut it myself.” He then got to the block, selected ten jin of lean pork, and cut it into small pieces. The waiter of the inn just then arrived with a towel wrapped round his head; when he saw Major Lu Da, he dare not come nearer, so he stood under the eaves of a house some distance away. It took the butcher quite half an hour to cut the meat, he then wrapped it in lotus leaves, and asked if he should send it.

“Send what?” asked Major Lu Da. “Wait! I want another thirteen jin and it must all be fat. There must not be any lean flesh with it. It must also be minced.”

“But it is now all lean pork,” said the butcher; “I am afraid that the commander wants to make pork pies. What use is there for minced fat?” Major Lu Da stared at the butcher, and said, “The commander gave me the order, so who dare ask questions?”

“No matter what purpose it is intended for, I will cut it up.” He then selected ten jin of the finest fat pork, minced it, and placed it in a lotus leaf. He had been cutting the pork almost all the morning and it was now near the dinner hour. The butcher said, “Shall I tell someone to go with you to carry this to the magistrate?”

Major Lu Da replied, “I also want ten jin of gristle to be chopped fine, there must be no flesh attached to it.”

The butcher laughed and said, “It appears as though you had specially come to waste my time.”

Major Lu Da upon hearing this, got up and staring at the butcher said, “I certainly came to waste your time.” He then picked up the two parcels of pork and threw them into the butcher’s face—the minced pork falling like a shower of rain. The butcher was very angry and his passion pervaded his body from his feet to the crown of his head. His heart became a burning mass of passions which could not be extinguished. He seized a sharp pointed knife and jumped out of the shop. Major Lu Da had got into the street before him. There was a crowd of neighbors but nobody dared intervene. The passers-by and the waiter from the inn were frightened out of their wits. The butcher had the knife in his right hand, and with his left he tried to seize Lu Da: but the Major caught his left arm and kicked him in the groin; so that he fell in the street. The Major took a step forward, and placed his foot on the butcher’s breast: he raised his fist (which was as large as a monk’s alms bowl) and said, “Now you are a butcher, and are like a dog. Why did you swindle the Jin’s girl, Cuilian?” He struck a blow on the butcher’s nose which was broken and twisted to one side, the blood was gushing forth like the breaking of a sauce bottle. The butcher could not rise and throwing aside his knife said, “Enough.”

Major Lu Da abused him, saying, “You thieving bastard! How dare you reply!” Then lifting his fist he struck the butcher in the corner of his eye such a blow that the eyeball fell out with a display of red, black, and purple colors on his cheeks. The butcher asked to be pardoned but Major Lu Da shouted, “You are a bad lot. If you were sincere I would forgive you; but I cannot do so.” He thereupon hit him on the temple and it seemed to the butcher as though a whole temple of priests were chanting their prayers, ringing bells, and clapping cymbals. The Major saw that the butcher was exhaling without any intake, so he falsely spoke to him, “You are pretending to die.” But he saw that his skin was gradually becoming pale. And he could hardly believe that three blows of his fist could have killed the man. He knew that he would be prosecuted, so he decided to go away. As he left, he saw the butcher was dead. As he went along, he turned round and abused the butcher: but the onlookers dared not interfere. Returning to his lodging the Major packed a few things and silver and taking a cudgel he quickly left the town by the South Gate.

The people tried to revive the body for half a day without success—for alas, he was quite dead. The members of the family went to the yamen and, when the magistrate came, made their accusation. The magistrate thought that as Major Lu Da was a military officer he had better report to the garrison commander; so at once he got in a sedan chair and went to the headquarters. When they met, the magistrate saluted, then he stated that Major Lu Da had killed a man but he dared not arrest him without the General’s consent. The General was startled at the news, and after some thought he asked the magistrate to arrest and try him according to the law. As Major Lu Da was still on the staff of the Old General Zhong of the frontier the sentence should be submitted to the latter for confirmation. The magistrate agreed to do this, and upon returning to his yamen he took his seat on the bench, and issued a warrant for the arrest of Major Lu Da. The inspector who received the warrant proceeded to the lodgings of the Major, but he found no clue there. Moreover as he did not know where he had gone he arrested the landlord and two of the neighbors. The magistrate sent these men temporarily to the detention house, and ordered the coroner to make a careful postmortem examination of the corpse, then have the body placed in a coffin, and deposited it in the courtyard of a temple awaiting further developments. He then issued a proclamation giving details of the murder, a full description of the major, with a reward of a thousand strings of cash for his arrest. This was printed and posted in public places in every district.

Lu Da traveled hastily without any definite object in view. When hungry, he took any food that was ready; when cold, any clothing available; hurrying, he did not choose road; and being poor he would have taken any woman as his wife. In just more than a fortnight he reached Yanmen County in the Daizhou Prefecture, and entering the town on a market day he found that the streets were crowded and noisy. Horses and carts were passing along side by side. There were all kinds of traders selling and buying goods from all parts. Although it was only a county town yet it was better than many a prefectural capital for business. Arriving at the crossroads he saw a crowd looking at a proclamation. He forced his way through the crowd, and as he could not read he listened to one man who was reading it aloud. It was the proclamation about himself, warning the people not to harbor him, and offering a reward for his arrest. When he had listened to this he heard a voice behind him say, “Elder brother Zhang, what are you doing here?” He was then pulled away from the crossroads.

We will now relate how Lu Da had his head shaved, and his beard cut off, changed his name, and destroyed a Buddhist disciple.

His staff cleared the roads from danger,

His sword killed the vicious people.

Footnote

52 The character “wan,” is described as a “swastika” in Jackson’s translation, by virtue of the physical appearance of the way the Chinese character is written. Wan literally means “ten thousand” and it may also mean “myriad” or “a great many.” Hence it is used to suggest bounty or longevity. English speaking readers may know it in from the Chinese phrase used in exaltation to the Emperor “Wan Sui” (“may you live ten thousand years”) or the same phrase in Japanese, “Banzai.”

53 A measurement of weight approximating a pound. Historically expressed in English as a “catty.”