Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Chapter 121 Liu Gao's Erotic Picture of Hua Baoyan, Hua Rongyi Saves Qingfeng Tiger

As the sun rose, its blood-red rays slanted across the dragon pillars of the main hall of Qingfeng Village.

The faded "Banxiantang" plaque hangs crookedly, and the iron eaves jingle and rattle in the draft.

Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," stood with his hand on his sword on the left side of the hall. His dark brocade robe with its black arrow-sleeved sleeves was stained with a few dark red spots—the blood that had splattered on his clothes yesterday when he was injured by Wang Ying, nicknamed "Dwarf Tiger," during the fierce battle with the two mountain bandits of Qingfeng Mountain.

The two bandits from Qingfeng Mountain knelt below the steps, their chains digging deep into their festering flesh. "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying's short, stout body was curled up like a plucked quail, while "Golden-haired Tiger" Yan Shun, though tall, was tightly bound, resembling a bound-hands yellow cat. The arrow wound on Yan Shun's neck had already turned black overnight, festered by fecal poison, while "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying's short, stout body was curled up like a shrimp, the chains leaving winding trails of blood on the blue brick floor.

"Snapped!"

The gavel rang out like thunder, and the white pheasant insignia on Liu Gao's crimson official robe fluttered as if about to take flight.

The civil official, Zheng Zhizhai, placed two bloodstained swords and spears across the magistrate's desk as evidence. The blades reflected the unhealed arrow wound on Yan Shun's neck—the very wound that Hua Rong had inflicted on him with an arrow a few days earlier.

Liu Gao's fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the official seal. The cool jade reminded him of the fleeting glimpse of her beautiful figure in the peach grove behind the mountain half a month ago. That day, Hua Rong's younger sister, Bao Yan, was picking flowers with a bamboo basket. When her lotus-colored skirt swept across the bluestone, the hibiscus hairpin in her hair made his heart tremble.

Liu Gao, the civil magistrate of Qingfeng Village, was incompetent. Since taking office, he had been swindling and abusing the law in the village, causing discord with Hua Rong, the military magistrate.

Moreover, this man was also a womanizer. His wife was quite beautiful, but Liu Gao was tired of the same dish and had long set his sights on Hua Baoyan, the younger sister of "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong, since she was still a budding flower.

This was because Liu Gao was a lecherous man, and he could tell that although Hua Baoyan was young, she was a rare beauty with "three pearls of spring water".

What is "Three Pearls in Spring Water"? It describes the beautiful shape of a woman's waist, like three bright pearls in spring water. For men, the feeling is something that can only be understood, not described...

However, Liu Gao had subtly brought up the matter with "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong a few times, but Hua Rong simply didn't respond. This greatly annoyed Liu Gao, so he was intentionally or unintentionally trying to make things difficult for Hua Rong.

Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," was thinking that although these two mountain bandits weren't very skilled, they were still considered to be quite capable among the military officers in Qingzhou. If he could win them over and have them stay in Qingfeng Village, they might be able to rival Liu Gao, the magistrate of the village.

However, since Liu Gao was the head of Qingfeng Village and "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong was his deputy, upon returning to the village, Liu Gao ordered his men to bring "Jinmaohu" Yan Shun and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying to the court and shouted sternly, "You two have been committing all sorts of evil deeds in the past. Now that you've fallen into my hands, do you have anything to say?"

Because he was thinking of Hua Baoyan, when Liu Gao said those words, his voice was like an oil-soaked hemp rope, slippery and anxious.

Liu Gao and Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," have always been at odds. Everyone knows that the Song Dynasty valued civil officials over military ones. Liu Gao, as a civil official in charge of the village, was there to keep an eye on Hua Rong. How could the relationship between these two be good?

"Jinmaohu" Yan Shun and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying both lowered their heads and remained silent, filled with regret. If they hadn't coveted that batch of military pay, how could they have encountered "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong and ended up being captured?

"According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, the chieftain of a bandit should be executed on the spot after being beheaded."

Liu Gaodao.

Seeing this, Hua Rong felt a little sorry for them and said to Liu Gao, "Zhizhai Liu, although these two are mountain bandits, if they can repent and reform, we might as well report to the court and give them a way out. We can keep them under my command so that they can atone for their crimes and serve the court."

To be honest, neither of the two mountain bandits expected Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," to say that. They had been in close proximity to Qingfeng Village on Qingfeng Mountain for a long time and had often had armed conflicts with Hua Rong.

To their surprise, Hua Rong pleaded for them. They had thought they were going to die today, but now they had a chance to live!

Therefore, upon hearing this, Yan Shun, the "Golden-haired Tiger," and Wang Ying, the "Short-legged Tiger," immediately kowtowed to express their gratitude and willingness to submit.

"According to Article 7 of the Criminal Code of the Song Dynasty!" Liu Gao unfolded the document from the Ministry of Justice, the gold silk rustling in the wind, "Anyone who captures a ringleader alive shall be executed on the spot as a warning to others!"

Liu Gao's small eyes darted towards "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong with a sly look.

"No!"

Hua Rong raised his hand in salute, striking the copper ring on his sword scabbard with a clear, resonant sound that startled the sparrows in front of the hall into flight. He then explained his reasoning: “The banditry in Qingzhou has persisted for ten years because we only know how to cut the weeds but not how to eradicate the root of the problem. These two men are well-versed in the secret passages of each stronghold. If they could be employed by the court… Moreover, the ‘Military Essentials: Bandit Suppression’ section records that those who capture bandit leaders alive can be granted amnesty at the discretion of the court.”

He took a half step forward, his boots shattering the shadow cast by the plaque. "In the past five years, the suppression of bandits in the four counties and eighteen strongholds of Qingzhou has cost 370,000 strings of silver and resulted in the deaths of over 4,000 soldiers. If we could find a way to eradicate them…"

"Both of them have murders on their hands, how can they do this! Magistrate Hua is well-versed in military strategy, isn't he? Back then, Di Wuxiang launched a night raid on Kunlun Pass, beheading thirteen chieftains under Nong Zhigao, which led to the effect of 'the fall of the traitor star and the pacification of the southern border'!" He said, slamming the book directly onto the table. The page automatically turned to the chapter on "Three Strategies for Pacifying the Barbarians," where the words "immediate execution" written in red ink were as glaring as blood.

"You, Magistrate Hua, have been obstructing the execution in every way. Could it be that you have a past relationship with the thieves?"

As Liu Gao spoke, he slammed the gavel down heavily, causing the gavel on the table to tip over. "You want to surrender, but do you know that in the first year of Jianzhong Jingguo, the prefect of Qingzhou surrendered to the Black Cloud Village, and suffered a backlash in less than three months—this is recorded in the third volume of the Qingzhou Chronicle: Records of Suppressing Bandits!" He grabbed a yellowed book and slammed it on the table. As the pages flipped, red ink annotations were revealed, a record of the horrific events of that year.

Before "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong could finish speaking, Liu Gao interrupted him.

Hua Rong was still able to control his temper at this moment, and said here, "In the four counties and eighteen villages of Qingzhou, bandits are like leeks that are cut down and then reborn." Hua Rong suddenly took a step forward, his Qilin boots shattering the sunlight on the ground, "Keeping these two as spies is better than three thousand soldiers. Those bastards from Black Cloud Village are not human. These two are not like the people from Black Cloud Village."

As he spoke, he stared at the new purse at Liu Gao's waist. The mandarin duck eyes embroidered with gold thread were inlaid with Western Region cat's eye stone—such a treasure should not be something a seventh-rank civil official should possess.

Although the number of mountain strongholds in Qingzhou has decreased significantly compared to before, Qingzhou has always been plagued by bandits on land and pirates at sea, with banditry emerging one after another. Although things have calmed down for the past two months, a new group of bandits may appear in another two months.

After all, the original mountain strongholds and bandit kings are gone, but the mountains are still there. If another group of people comes and builds another stronghold, it will be another bandit den.

Both "Golden-haired Tiger" Yan Shun and "Dwarf Tiger" Wang Ying were from the bandit world and were very familiar with this kind of business. So with the two of them around, the progress of suppressing the bandits could be much faster.

The copper rings on Hua Rong's sword scabbard rang out with a clear, melodious sound: "The *Wu Zi* (吴子) states: 'The way to attack the enemy is to first block their vision, then cripple their form.'" He took a half-step forward, his boots shattering the shadow cast by the plaque. "Has Lord Liu ever read the *Book of Han*, Biography of Zhao Chongguo? During the Shenjue era, the old general garrisoned the land and pacified the Qiang people, pacifying the western border without firing a single shot—isn't this superior strategy of outwitting the enemy far superior to licking blood from the blade?"

Liu Gao sneered, took out a scroll of "Zizhi Tongjian" from his sleeve, and slammed his finger heavily on the page: "In the first year of Tiansheng, Cao Li attempted to pacify the barbarians of Yizhou, but was instead ambushed by the Wei clan in a night attack after feigning surrender, losing three thousand soldiers!" An illustration of an arrowhead was sandwiched between the yellowed pages, just like a relic of the bloody battle of that year.

"Hua Zhizhai, don't become the second Cao Shumi! These two are bandits; there's no reason to let them go!"

Liu Gao persisted in his claim, while Hua Rong, nicknamed "Little Li Guang," argued, "The court now offers amnesty to many outlaws, and many of them are now living in the inner circle. Why can't these two do the same?"

This left Liu Gao speechless, because just as his "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong had said, the imperial court did indeed have a very generous policy of appeasement towards bandits.

This is also because the Song Dynasty lasted for 319 years, but it experienced 434 uprisings of varying sizes. The fundamental reason for this was the "non-suppression of land annexation" policy implemented after the founding of the Northern Song Dynasty. By the late Northern Song Dynasty, the situation had emerged where the rich owned thousands of acres of fertile land, while the poor had no place to stand.

Furthermore, the Song Dynasty inherited the Two-Tax System from the Tang Dynasty and relentlessly exploited the people. It can be said that the wealth of the Song Dynasty was only for the upper class, while the lives of the lower class remained impoverished, which naturally led to more uprisings.

However, the Song Dynasty often "recruited" peasant uprising armies, just like in the original novel where Song Jiang was recruited.

The Song Dynasty adopted a policy of appeasement towards peasant uprisings largely because its military strength was simply insufficient to sustain repeated suppression campaigns. Of course, consideration of the consequences of war, such as economic devastation and civilian deaths, was also a significant factor.

Imagine if the Song Dynasty could have quelled the peasant uprisings quickly and efficiently, the losses would have been completely acceptable, so why bother with the policy of appeasement?

"Hmph, I've heard long ago that these two are bandits who eat human hearts and livers. Isn't that the act of beasts!"

Here, "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong brought up the imperial system, while Liu Gao once again stood on the moral high ground to oppress people.

Hua Rong, however, remained calm and said, "The Tang Code, in its section on stables and warehouses, states: 'Those who steal from the stables themselves are punished two degrees more severely!' Last year, Lord Liu withdrew 500 strings of cash to repair the stockade walls, but the person who handled the transaction was Wang's Coffin Shop at the foot of Qingfeng Mountain—"

He then shifted his focus to the problem with the account books, implying that Liu Gao had embezzled funds.

Hua Rong had no choice, because he couldn't clear his name of cannibalism. However, he was already at loggerheads with Liu Gao, and at this moment, he had no room to back down. He could only grit his teeth and expose each other's dirty secrets.

"That coffin shop owner's niece, she just became the dowry maid of the master's third concubine last month, right?"

Don't blame Hua Rong for looking down on Liu Gao and not wanting to marry his sister to him. That guy has terrible character and is a womanizer!

Liu Gao suddenly grabbed a copy of *Zhenguan Zhengyao* (Essentials of Governance in the Zhenguan Era): "Wei Zheng advised Emperor Taizong, saying, 'A minister who is diligent in governing should be cautious with the penal code!'" He opened to the chapter on "Caution with Penalties" and continued, "In the third year of the Jianlong era, after Wang Quanbin entered Shu, he arbitrarily pardoned the rebel chieftain, causing Shu to rebel again. Isn't this a lesson from the past?"

"Lord Liu is indeed learned and knowledgeable."

Hua Rong pulled out "The Art of War" from a book box beside him, the bamboo slips unfurling with a rustling sound. "To cultivate one's strength by nurturing one's enemies is to defeat them and thus become stronger." — In the second year of the Qiande era, Pan Mei attacked the Southern Han, taking the surrendered general Li Chengwo as his vanguard, and within ten days they broke through three passes!

Liu Gao abruptly stood up, his crimson official robe cascading down like a waterfall of blood: "The Spring and Autumn Annals says: 'Traitors and rebellious ministers should be punished by everyone!'" He grabbed the *Lüshi Chunqiu* from his desk, turning to the chapter on "Huai Chong," where he read: "Guan Zhong shot the hook, and Duke Huan was still able to forgive; but if Qing Fu is not dead, the troubles of Lu will not end—if Magistrate Hua keeps these two traitors alive today, they will surely become a threat to our very being!"

Hua Rong suddenly laid his sword across the table and began to argue, "The *Book of Lord Shang* says: 'To fight with war, even war is acceptable; to kill with killing, even killing is acceptable.'"

His fingertips traced the inscription on the scabbard, then he suddenly drew out the scroll of the *Taibai Yin Jing*. "But Li Quan clearly wrote in his *Treatise on Human Strategies*: 'A skillful warrior is not angry; a skillful victor does not contend.'—In the recent battle at Qingfeng Mountain, I could have taken Yan Shun's life, but I chose to shoot his flag rather than wound his neck, precisely for this reason!"

Liu Gao then cited the *Discourses on Salt and Iron* as an example: "Sang Hongyang said: 'To eradicate evil, one must address its root causes; punishment for chaos must be severe!' The evidence cited is the use of women and children as shields by the rebel army during the suppression of Li Shun's rebellion in the second year of the Zhidao era—if only women's compassion had been shown then, how could there have been thirty years of peace in Sichuan and Shaanxi?"

Hua Rong, however, brought up an old story from the "Shepherd of the People" chapter of the *Guanzi*: "The success of a government lies in conforming to the will of the people!"

He suddenly pointed to the faintly visible camp of refugees outside the town, "Sir, can you hear the cries of hungry children outside the village tonight? These are all farmers from the area around Qingfeng Mountain—if the government had provided timely relief and effectively suppressed the bandits back then, how could we have been forced to produce a Jinmaohu! I wanted to keep these two men in order to eradicate the banditry and benefit the people, so why is it different under your jurisdiction, sir?"

"Hua Rong, how dare you! You've defied me!"

Liu Gao's temper was out of control because Hua Rong was getting more and more aggressive and didn't give him any face. After all, the two had some grudges from the past, and now they exploded!