[Fourteen] Certificate of Sacrifice

  For two consecutive days, Xiao Wu sat blankly on the riverbank, not eating, drinking or sleeping. He gazed up at the rising and setting sun, the stars coming out and hiding, and looked down at the boats going back and forth, people coming and going. For the first time, he felt that human life was so insignificant, as insignificant as a chicken or dog, without asking for reasons, without calculating cause and effect, just for a "petition to surrender".

  On the third day, Xiao Wu still hadn't decided whether to surrender. Unexpectedly, after noon, the sky turned dark and became overcast, a sign that wind and snow were approaching. Sure enough, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, getting bigger and denser by the minute. What a heavy snowfall! In less than half an hour, the originally grayish-brown earth had turned into a silver-white expanse. There were no boats on the river, no people on the road, not even a single sparrow could be seen.

  Xiao Wu finally made up his mind, everything depends on heaven's will. If before nightfall, there are travelers passing by the road, he would take the letter of surrender. If not, he would find a small boat and rush into the water to share life and death with Han Jiu'er.

  He closed his eyelids, sat still, pricked up his ears to listen for any movement, and waited for some unfortunate person to bump into the muzzle of his gun. The snow quickly covered his entire body, turning him into a snowman, with only two nostrils exhaling air.

  After a long time, the snow had accumulated to several feet deep and showed no signs of stopping. Xiao Wu was about to give up hope when he heard faint voices coming from the small path, and it seemed there were more than one person. For a moment, he didn't know whether to be joyful or worried. Could it be that heaven's will was for him to let Yue Fei escape?

  Xiao Wu's mind was made up, no matter how many people the other side sent, he would take one person's head. The sound of footsteps drew near, accompanied by the sound of fighting, and he suddenly opened his eyes, shaking off the shallow snow on his eyelashes, only to see a fat monk and a bald-headed Taoist priest fighting their way towards him, with snow flying everywhere.

  This monk was born with a ferocious appearance, with a tonsure on his head, tiger eyes and leopard whiskers, tall and majestic, with his chest half open, revealing tattooed flowers and embroidery, but it was a big flower, one look and it was clear that he was the ancestor of troublemakers, in his hand he wielded a fine steel Zen staff, dancing like a mad demon.

  That monk had a heroic air, with a slender build and handsome appearance. His eyes gleamed like a torch, and he wore a hundred-pleat robe that exuded an aura of murder. He was also a formidable opponent, wielding a thick iron club with a fierce wind.

  Two outsiders who should have seen through the worldly affairs, were fighting for their lives like ordinary people, with ruthless moves, determined to kill each other. One of them shouted: "Lend me your head on the executioner's block, and let's make a desperate last stand together!"

  Another one retorted: "You bald donkey with a shiny head, why don't you send some personal regards to the young master on the mountain?"

  Xiao Wu heard clearly, and it turned out that they were also fugitives who had surrendered. If poor people became bandits, there was still room for sympathy, but these two monks who lived off others' charity and became bandits were unforgivable. They deliberately did evil, and since they were both wicked men, killing them would be a way to eliminate harm for the people.

  Xiao Wu, without any more reservations, stood up straight, and the accumulated snow fell off his body. He shouted: "Monks should not give rise to anger, you two great masters do not follow the pure rules and precepts, and yet show compassion, let me submit a letter of surrender!"

  Two men were fighting hard, unable to gain the upper hand, when suddenly a snowman appeared out of nowhere on the riverbank, startling them both. The snowman was holding an iron spear and charged down at them.

  Xiao Wu did not want to secretly shoot and hurt people, he wanted to win him openly and fairly. He shot an arrow straight at the throat of Fat Monk, between the two it seemed that he was stronger, so he should use strength to defeat strength.

  "Another one trying to send me to my death!" The monk burst out laughing, completely unafraid. He dodged to the side and with a swift motion of his staff, scooped up a pile of snow, covering the little monk's eyes. Then, in one smooth movement, he counterattacked, using the end of his staff as a mallet to strike the small monk's door.

  Xiao Wu's move was a feint, and he countered with a swift stroke of his spear. "Clang!" The sparks flew as the two weapons met, sending shockwaves through Tiger's mouth, numbing it. What a powerful blow! The monk must have had four or five hundred pounds of strength.

  On the other side, the monk who had gained the upper hand did not buy into the account, and with a sweep of his staff, he attacked Xiaowu's lower three roads. Xiaowu, who was caught in the pincer attack, did not panic, and using the monk's strength, he thrust his iron spear downwards with great force. The monk let out an "ah" as he could not withstand this blow, which had a power of six or seven hundred catties, and naturally added two or three hundred catties to Xiaowu's arm strength.

  A good monk, rolled on the spot, like a snow dragon, the iron rod struck the monk's abdomen with great force. The monk saw the rod head coiled like a snake and couldn't dodge in time. He turned his staff upside down and scooped downwards, although he managed to scoop up the snake head, but with a "hiss" sound, he retreated three steps and sat down on his buttocks, thus blocking the force of a thousand kilograms. This monk was quite skilled, able to withstand a force of a thousand kilograms.

  Xiao Wu didn't want to take advantage, so he fired a warning shot and confronted the traveler. The monk regained his strength, let out a loud shout, and joined the battle, creating a chaotic situation.

  Xiao Wu secretly felt a chill, these two monks were skilled in martial arts, and she had no chance of winning if she fought them one-on-one. If she joined forces with one of them, they could defeat the other, but that was not something her husband would do... As it happened, all three of them thought this way, and none of them wanted to take advantage of being outnumbered. So they clashed, each wielding iron long-handled weapons, sparks flying with every strike, ringing out in the quiet silver world, a truly thrilling sight.

  Three men braved the snow and wind, fighting from the dike below to the top of the dike, and then from the top of the dike to the riverbank. They were evenly matched, with neither gaining the upper hand. Just as they were in the heat of battle, they suddenly heard several shouts coming from the surface of the water: "Three good men, stop fighting! Listen to me explain."

  Xiao Wu heard clearly that it was Ruan Xiaoer's voice, and suddenly jumped out of the battle group, shouting: "Halt, it's someone from our mountain stronghold!"

  The two monks heard this and also put away their weapons, turned around to look, but saw several small boats standing with more than a dozen men wearing rain capes. The leader, a short, dark, and lean man, clasped his fists and said: "I am Song Jiang, the champion of justice. This strong man is my younger brother Xiao Wu. As for you two gentlemen, who are you? Are you willing to reveal your names?"

  Xiao Wu saw Song Jiang acknowledge himself as a brother, and his heart felt relieved. It seemed that the letter of surrender could be waived. The two monks heard clearly, and the monk with a Guanzhong accent spoke first: "I am Hua the Monk, also known as the Guardian of the Western Pass. I killed a rascal and was wanted by the authorities, but I had long heard that Song Jiang was chivalrous and heroic, so I came to join him."

  Tou Da replied in the Huainan dialect, "I'm a martial artist with a nickname 'Jingyang Tiger'. I had a feud and killed an entire family. I've long heard of Sai Bao's great name and have come to join him."

  Song Jiang was overjoyed: "I am unworthy and unqualified, yet I have a slight reputation, and the heroes of the rivers and lakes treat me with such kindness. Since you don't despise my humble abode, please come up the mountain."

  Three people on the shore had different thoughts, but they all felt happy. They immediately jumped onto a small boat and headed straight to the depths of the lake. Xiao Wu stood on Ruan's brothers' boat, surrounded by deep bays and winding waterways, with nothing but reeds and snowy scenes in sight. The water met the sky at the horizon, a vast expanse of white and green. He suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous, sat down, and spat out several mouthfuls of clear green bile. Having gone without sleep or food for two days, and after another intense battle, even an iron man would be exhausted.

  "Unexpectedly, Little Wu is so heroic, but he's a coward when it comes to water." Young and clever Ruan Xiaoqi got along with Little Wu at first sight, rowing the oars while introducing, "The entire Liangshan Marsh is most treacherous in this lotus leaf bay, like a maze. If not for local fishermen leading the way, there's no return once you enter. Those government soldiers have long wanted to capture us, but they don't dare to enter the marsh..."

  What Ruan Xiaoqi said was not false, the small boat had turned countless bends before arriving at a lake island, which was a mountain stronghold. It was indeed a humble thatched cottage with walls made of reeds and mud, and inside there was a cluster of low thatched houses, with only about thirty or forty people, no different from an ordinary fishing village, except that there were no women or children in sight.

  "Brother, how did you come? Also been caught..." Han Jiu'er, who was locked in a broken thatched house, suddenly saw Xiao Wu appear and rushed into his arms, first joyful and then shocked.

  "Sister, I've come to join the mountain stronghold, but I don't dare tarnish our family's good name and bring shame to Father and Mother. I can only reveal my nickname, Little Five..." Little Five was deeply afraid of being overheard through the wall, so she made a show of reuniting with her brother, taking the opportunity to remind Han Jiu'er not to reveal their identities. It wasn't uncommon for Song people to name themselves by birth order, but they would add the character "Little". If someone was the eldest, they would be called Big Something."

  "Then I am Xiao Jiu... Brother, is it for Little Sister?" Han Jiuer, clever and intelligent, nodded knowingly, having already guessed the reason behind Xiao Wu's actions. She couldn't help but hold him tighter, her eyes moist and red, as if she had a thousand words to say, no longer the naive little girl she once was.

  "Sisterly respect..." Xiao Wu saw her like this, hastily retreated, his heart also surging. These few times he saved her, each time getting closer than the last, a special feeling was brewing, but their identities were vastly different, and with his family having a loving wife, it was something that could never be crossed.

  That night, in the only temple on the island that looked like a dot, the lights were bright, and a circle of wine and meat was set up. Song Jiang led the new and old brothers, each holding an incense stick, to worship the image of Liu, Guan, and Zhang's three sworn brothers, and they recited in unison: "We thirty-six people, meeting once in a thousand years, with one heart and one liver, loyal and righteous, living and dying together. From now on, we will share the same domain, be one family with different surnames, without distinction between nobility and humility, no distance between kinship, calling each other brothers, enjoying the same wine and happiness, gathering in the mountains and forests, upholding justice for heaven!"

  But it was the thirty-six people, from Song Jiang down to Ruan Xia'er, Xiao Wu, Ruan Xiaoqi, Hua He Shang, Wu Xingzhe and a group of small rascals. The good fellow song that has been passed down through the ages begins here.

  Xiao Wu inserted the incense into the censer, gazing at the statues of Guan and Zhang, his heart surging with emotions. Two months ago, he was still an ignorant young villager in Xiangzhou, Hebei Province. Now, not only had he sworn brotherhood with the fourth prince of Liao, but also became one of the thirty-six sworn brothers of Liuyi Valley.

  After the 36 sworn brothers of Liangshan, the first major event was the great chaos in Yunzhou. The governor of Yunzhou had always been notorious for his cruel suppression of the fishermen of Liangshan Lake, and the current governor, Cai Juhou, had even killed more than 500 people who had surrendered to him, intimidating the local villagers.

  Having obtained the services of the three brave generals, Song Jiang was determined to make a big move. He first opened up the name of Lü'erwa and wanted to find someone with a great reputation to take the lead. Cai Jiuhou happened to be the right choice, and the day they set was the winter solstice festival in November.

  The Song people regarded the New Year's Day, Winter Solstice and Cold Food Festival as the three major festivals. The status of the Winter Solstice is second only to the New Year's Day, also known as "亚岁". Government offices were closed for three days, regardless of wealth or social status, everyone wore new clothes, prepared food and drink, worshipped ancestors, visited relatives and friends, almost indistinguishable from the Spring Festival.

  It was a sunny afternoon, in the county of Xucheng, Yanzhou Prefecture, where carriages and horses were crowded, people from all directions poured in, three religions and nine streams, scholars, women and children, all dressed in finery, heading to the most lively place - the Guanpu Conference.

  Guānpū was a popular gambling method among the people of Song Dynasty. The so-called Guānpū, Party A, mostly merchants, would set up a stall with various goods, while Party B would be the customer. Both parties would agree on a price and use copper coins in a pot or underground to determine the outcome based on the number of heads or tails. If Party B won, they could take away the goods; if they lost, they had to pay money. Guānpū was a form of gambling that used money to bet on goods, which were not limited to daily necessities but also included carriages, horses, houses, singing girls, and dancing girls, all of which could be gambled for a price. It was both a business and a gamble, simple and clear, relying solely on luck, making it difficult to cheat, so it was extremely popular among the people. The Song Dynasty government had always banned gambling, but during the three festivals of New Year's Day, Winter Solstice, and Cold Food Festival, they would allow Guānpū in response to public opinion, with the intention of entertaining the people while also fooling them.

  In the town of Guanzhou, a grand market was set up on a long street. Merchants and wealthy businessmen erected stalls and sheds, called "gui fang", displaying large quantities of goods such as silk fabrics, tea, wine, pearls, jade, clocks, and precious medicines. Small vendors opened their doors and laid out food, hats, socks, flowers, toys, and other small items. Among the crowd, people were like clouds, some with a sense of excitement, others enjoying themselves, betting big or small, with changing emotions. There were also noblewomen with pearls on their heads, official daughters dressed up in beautiful clothes, mixed among the crowd, but they were used to it and didn't laugh at each other. Moreover, there was a group of frivolous young men who mingled in the crowd, taking advantage of the beautiful women.

  Xiao Wu sat on the second floor of a teahouse, wearing a bamboo hat, eating snacks and sipping tea while gazing out at the scene below. The sights and sounds were dazzling and deafening, a true testament to the prosperity of this fishing village, far surpassing the barrenness of Xiangzhou. Back in his hometown, he had attended the Guanpu Conference, but it was nothing compared to this grand scale. It's just a pity that Han Jiu'er couldn't be here to witness this lively scene. But if she were here, he would have taken the opportunity to escape with her.

  "Little Wu, what's wrong with you? Have you fallen for some little girl?" Ruan Xiaoqi teased from across the table.

  "Ah!" Xiao Wu reacted, remembering his duty, and turned his gaze back to Cai Zhizhou.

  At this moment, the outgoing governor Cai Ju Hou, in order to show his kindness and image as a parent official, came to the scene with a group of officials and guards to bid farewell and leave a good impression. He even participated in the gambling game and threw out a few handfuls of silver coins to enjoy the excitement of the crowd.

  Just as the whole city was rejoicing and everything was harmonious, a string of fireworks suddenly burst into the sky on the main street, with a deafening noise. At that time, the blue sky was spotless, and the fireworks turned into several red flowers, not letting the sun shine through.

  The common people were a bit strange, it was not yet dark, how could someone set off fireworks? But it wasn't ordinary fireworks, there was smoke but no fire. Who would have thought that suddenly there was a big commotion at both ends of the street, and the guests who were drinking wine and tea on the upper floor saw clearly that they were two gangs of bandits wielding guns and knives, each led by a fat monk and a bald-headed Taoist priest, driving several horse-drawn carriages, lined up in a row, marching forward on foot, approaching from both ends towards the middle. Along the way, they only targeted the shops under the eaves, one part used knives and guns to intimidate the shop owners, while another part quickly snatched valuable goods and silver money and loaded them onto the carriages.

  Cai Zhizhou, located in the middle section of Chang Street, had already sensed the commotion and was loudly shouting for the heads of the yamen runners and catchers to lead the resistance. Those who ate imperial rations were like headless flies, shrinking back in fear, but fortunately there were a few brave personal guards holding wooden swords to protect Cai Zhizhou, intending to escape through that small alley.

  "Chai Zhizhou, stop right there!" A short and dark man suddenly blocked his way, empty-handed, with a hint of mockery in his tone. "Humble subject Song Jiang pays his respects."

  "Are you the leader of the fishermen's gang? Seize him!" Cai, the prefect, deceived Song Jiang into coming alone and unarmed, plucked up his courage and gave a stern order.

  Song Jiang, however, remained calm and composed. With a wave of his hand, several objects came flying through the air: Cai's black official hat and the caps of several attendants all fell to the ground with a thud, sending them into a state of shock, their faces as pale as earth, and they stood there like wooden chickens.

  "Cai Zhizhou, give me some peace and quiet, otherwise the next arrow will pierce your heart." Song Jiang coldly smiled, slightly raised his head, and gave a look of appreciation to Xiao Wu on the teahouse, then glanced at his side, where Ruan Xia'er was mixed in with the crowd of people, lying in wait as a hidden stake.

  It's impossible not to praise Song Jiang for his bravery and strategy. Although he only had thirty-six men under him, they were divided into different tasks with remarkable efficiency. Two groups of soldiers blocked the two ends of the long street, while a third group was set up in secret as a precaution against unexpected events. Furthermore, the Little Fifth God's arrow shot high into the air to intimidate them thoroughly. It can be said that everything was perfectly planned. He single-handedly subdued this group of cowardly government soldiers.

  The townspeople of Zhenzhou were all subdued by the strong bandits, and the yamen runners and catchers had no reason to resist. They hastily threw away their weapons, and those merchants who saw this scene could only be slaughtered at will.

  "Little Wu, you're so fierce, not even showing your face, and yet you helped Song Da Ge subdue the corrupt official..." Onlooker Ruan Xiao Qi was overjoyed, running downstairs to help his brothers gather their belongings.

  Xiao Wu, however, didn't feel a shred of happiness. His heart felt heavy and he couldn't tell if it was because he had never done anything so rebellious before and was blaming himself, or if it was because he was disappointed in the cowardly behavior of the government soldiers.

  Under the personal "escort" of Cai Zhizhou, the thirty-six sworn brothers safely left the city of Yanzhou, fully loaded and returned, stepping on the twilight glow, sprinkling a road of laughter and joy.

  That night, the island in the middle of the lake was bustling with excitement. The brothers from various families put on their finest silk clothes, adorned themselves with gold and silver hairpins, ate shark fin and bird's nest as if they were ordinary food, and drank the finest wines as if they were water. They truly celebrated a rich and festive Winter Solstice.

  Su, who didn't like to make a fuss, also got drunk under the instigation of his brothers, it was his first time getting drunk in his life, all because of the melancholy in his heart, originally determined to serve the country, but ended up becoming a bandit.

  After this battle, Xiao Wu was considered to have truly joined the group and gained Song Jiang's trust. Han Jiu'er, who had been left in charge of the camp as a hostage, also gained more freedom. On the island, apart from her, there was another woman, known as "One Zhang Qing" due to her tall stature, a heroic female figure who took care of her but wasn't someone she could talk to.

  The next day, Xiao Wu woke up from his hangover and opened his eyes to see a clear and pretty face in front of him. The bright eyes were full of concern, if it wasn't Han Jiuer, who else could it be?

  She saw him suddenly wake up, under the gaze of four eyes, the little girl "ah" jumped open, with two red clouds flying on her cheeks. She quickly took advantage of the situation and went forward to twist his ears, making a playful gesture: "Stinky brother, why haven't you gotten out of bed? Accompany your little sister for a walk around, these days have been suffocating me."

  The two siblings, who were allowed to be alone together, wandered around the island and saw nothing but water on all sides, with reeds growing wildly everywhere. They couldn't see the end of it even if they wanted to escape, so Xiao Wu gave up the idea of running away.

  Two people stopped at a pavilion by the lake, Han Jiuer leaned on the railing and gazed out at the rippling water, softly reciting: "The vast lake stretches endlessly, boats sail across it day after day. The fisherman blows his horn, the water bird flaps its wings. The dense reeds hide like a harbor, the distant mountains tower like a screen... Who would have thought that in those years, Mr. Zeng wrote this poem when he was the governor of Yanzhou, and I'm fortunate enough to see it with my own eyes."

  Han Jiuer's "Zeng Taigong" was actually her great-grandfather Han Qi. Xiao Wu heard her soft tone and thought that as a pampered young lady, she had followed him through all sorts of frightening and perilous experiences, and his heart filled with boundless sympathy: "Little sister, brother owes you an apology, I've tired you out and made you suffer."

  "What did brother say? In my heart, I know that if it weren't for you saving me several times, even ten Xiaojius would have seen King Yan. " Han Jiuer's eyes reddened as she spoke, and she hesitated to continue, "Such great kindness, how can our family repay it in this life..."

  Xiao Wu heard her call herself "nu jia" again, and saw her shyly lowering her peach blossom face and timidly lowering her willow leaf eyebrows, and for a moment he was infatuated... It was as if the wind was gently blowing over the clear waves, and the clouds were lightly covering the reeds, hiding a segment of the confusing and mysterious historical case in the vast lake light and water color.