CHAPTER 75

Yang Ming defends a country mansion; Zhou Rui is given leave from duty

SEEING the change in Ma Ran’s expression, Zheng Xiong asked, “What is it, my dear brother?”

“This is terrible!” exclaimed Ma Ran. “Look at these eight phrases!”

Zheng Xiong took the letter and read: “In valiantly coming to a traveler’s aid, it seems that you have stirred up trouble. Now a great flock of robbers has gathered, intending to invade the official residence and take revenge for holding one of theirs in prison. If Ma Ran does not quickly guard against them, his entire family will be killed by these outlaws.”

As Zheng Xiong read he said, “Ah, Ji Gong! He foretells with no rituals. What do you think we should do, dear brother?”

“Things do not look good,” said Ma Ran.

“Brother Yang,” asked Zheng Xiong, “what do you three usually do by way of occupation?”

“We have been acting as guard escorts elsewhere,” replied Yang Ming. “I have not heard your honorable name.”

“Really, I had forgotten,” said Ma Ran. “This is my sworn brother Zheng Xiong, sometimes called the Ironfaced.”

“I am happy to meet you,” said Yang Ming.

“Brother Yang,” said Ma Ran, “Since you are escorts, there is something I must beg you to do.”

“What is that?” asked Yang Ming.

“Read this note from Ji Gong,” said Ma Ran. “I recently offended a robber, a member of the Greenwood. Tonight the robbers are coming to kill this entire family. I have a few old people here with no special skills. I would beg you three to help us, but I don’t know how you would feel about it.”

Yang Ming took the letter. As soon as he looked at it, he understood. He thought about it for some time and then he said, “In this matter, Great Official Ma, I cannot fulfill your request unless I know which group of outlaws these are. If they are from the Jade Mountain Green-wood and I went against them, then I would be finished. If they are from the Four Rivers band, not only am I not worried, but I have a grudge against them.”

When Ma Ran heard this, he replied, “I have been aware for a long time that a person named Yang Ming was generous, that he thought no more of gold than dirt, and that he valued chivalry above property. It was only because of these character traits that I dared to ask if he could help. Nevertheless, if this day we have to part, I would not expect anything else from him.”

Yang Ming courteously replied, “Whatever happens, there are things beyond our control. I will certainly always respect you and feel as if we were old acquaintances at first sight. Indeed, if you are willing to accept my help, I wish to offer it but, if we do not want to fail tonight, we must make preparations.”

“You are right,” said Ma Ran. “We should discuss how we have to prepare.”

“How many people are there in your house?” asked Yang Ming.

“Altogether, including laborers and herdsmen, about one hundred,” answered Ma Ran.

“Good,” said Yang Ming. “Call them all here together. I have something to say to them.” Ma Ran then assembled the entire household. Yang Ming looked them over and separated the old, weak, and the very young from the rest. There were then about sixty who could be used in defense.

Yang Ming addressed them. “The head of your household has offended men of the Greenwood, and tonight a great number of outlaws are coming to make an armed attack. Do you wish to protect this house with all your strength and save the master of the household?”

They answered with one voice: “We will fight to the death against these robbers!”

When Yang Ming heard this reply, he realized Ma Ran must have treated others with great sincerity to bring forth such single-minded loyalty. He explained to them, “You must place all the wives, old women, and young girls in an empty room with no lights. How many such rooms are there in the rear courtyard?”

“There are four buildings facing the rear courtyard,” answered Ma Ran.

“Then those can be defended by armed men,” said Yang Ming. “Others will wait in the south courtyard in lighted rooms with the doors half open, listening for my shout. When you come out, do not try to capture any of the other robbers. Just defend yourselves with your weapons.” They all nodded their heads in assent.

“Official Ma,” Yang Ming continued, “You and Zheng Xiong should wait in the rear north courtyard rooms with your picked men, prepared for whatever may happen. Lock all the buildings in the western part of the estate. We three will wait in the rooms in the eastern part.”

As Ma listened to Yang Ming, he could not help but feel respect. He immediately chose the ones to be with him and had food and wine prepared for everyone. When they had finished eating and drinking, it was time to light the lamps. Then Ma Ran led Yang Ming and the others into the inner courtyard. They then sat down in the various rooms assigned to them by Yang Ming with their weapons in their hands.

Yang Ming, Lei Ming, and Chen Liang blackened their faces with soot and sat in the east room with the door open, watching. At a little after the second watch they suddenly saw a figure creep down the roof opposite them. He was wearing a suit of darkness with two butterflies embroidered on his chest and a horsetail headdress. He carried a sword in his hand.

Leaping down to the ground, he stood for a moment looking around. As he saw the open door of the east room, he quickly moved toward it. Yang Ming came from behind and struck him in the face with his hand. Lei Ming struck the intruder with his sword and killed him. As yet they did not know who the robber was.

Just as the robber was killed, the three heard someone on the roof say, “There is resistance, everyone. Good! Ma Ran, you dare to oppose the men of the Greenwood! Tonight, our swords will finish your whole household! Listen, everyone, there are no defenders in the north, south, and east buildings.”

Now Yang Ming shouted, “The robbers are attacking!” They could see that the courtyard was filling with robbers. Lei Ming and Chen Liang stood side by side as one of the robbers came toward them. With a sword in each hand, he slashed at Yang Ming, but Yang Ming evaded the blows and killed the robber instead.

In his place came Li Xiang, a famous outlaw. When he saw that the other outlaw had been killed, he aimed a blow at Yang Ming’s head. Yang Ming was hard pressed, but brought his own sword up just as the other raised his to strike. He caught the robber off guard. Before he could recover, Yang Ming thrust his sword home and the robber fell. In a little while Yang Ming had killed four of the robbers.

Then one dressed in dark clothing approached. Yang thought he recognized him as a sworn brother. He paused, unwilling to kill him, but he was mistaken about the man, who knew him and began to laugh. The two left the courtyard and went into the woods behind. Just then another robber cried out, “This man has killed some of our people! What are you doing with him?” He dashed at Yang Ming, but fell in a pool of blood.

A voice came out of the darkness asking, “Must you kill everyone?” It was Ji Gong.

Now, when the monk had leapt into the water saying he was going to give his lice a bath, he also told his two deputies, Headman Chai and Head-man She, that he would meet them in Changshan. They were extremely angry, but they walked on through the night until they reached the crossroads and saw a tall man standing in the open door of a wine shop on the west side of the road. A square blue cloth was tied over his hair knot and he was wearing a blue cotton robe. Two other men stood beside him.

“Look, Brother She,” said Headman Chai. “You see those men. Those two look as though they might be headmen. Yes, that one is Zhou Rui, who was chasing Cloud Dragon a few days ago and was hit by a stone thrown by Yang Ming.”

At the time Zhou Rui had been coughing up blood. When he was taken home, his father cried out, “I am so old and have only this one son. Lo Biao, you go to the magistrate’s court and request a leave of absence for him.”

When Lo Biao went to the yamen, surprisingly the magistrate did not believe him and said, “He wants a leave after losing such an important criminal! I want to look at him! I’ll see whether he needs it or not.”

There was nothing Lo Biao could do but go back to the house. Some of the household people helped Zhou Rui to the yamen. When Zhou Rui saw the magistrate, he explained, “As this inferior servant was chasing an outlaw, he was struck by a rock thrown by another outlaw and is still spitting mouthfuls of blood.”

The magistrate could see that this was true, because Zhou Rui coughed up blood several times while he was at the yamen. The magistrate then gave Zhou Rui twenty ounces of silver and allowed him ten days’ leave from his duties to recover. He was helped out of the yamen. Upon reaching the wine shop at the crossroads, he was thirsty and wanted to drink something, and several friends were greeting him. Suddenly a man wearing a white jacket and a cap with six sections walked out. The man, about thirty years old, was carrying a bundle in his hand, and his face was very white.

As soon as Zhou Rui saw him and realized that it was Cloud Dragon, he commanded, “You waiters, quickly seize that man! He is Cloud Dragon Hua!”

The man laughed and said, “Who do you think you are catching? You should be trying to get over your illness.” And with that, he walked off to the north.