Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

Li Hanxiao breached Liangshan Marsh in just half an hour, and now he is standing in the Hall of Gathering and Dividing the Spoils, listening to Huanzhang report on the battle situation.

"In this battle, we lost more than thirty brothers and killed more than one hundred enemies. Liangshan Marsh is now ours, and all the original troops of Liangshan Marsh have surrendered. Wang Lun tried to escape from the back of the mountain but fell to his death. Now, what should be done with Song Wan and Du Qian? Please decide, my lord."

Zhu Gui, who was standing nearby, lowered his head with some regret when he heard that Wang Lun had fallen to his death. Li Hanxiao had agreed to spare Wang Lun's life, but Wang Lun was already dead, and there was nothing that could be done.

Upon hearing this, Li Hanxiao sighed, "I didn't expect Wang Lun to die so young. I didn't want to kill him. Bring Song Wan and Du Qian up here."

"Let us go!"

Song Wan and Du Qian were ushered into the hall where they gathered to divide the spoils, and finally met Li Han with a smile.

“My two leaders, Wang Lun is dead, and Liangshan Marsh has changed hands. I know you are both men of honor, but one of you is like Vajra in the Clouds, and the other like someone touching the sky. Don’t you ever think about how, with Wang Lun around, you can never break through the clouds and touch the sky?”

As Li Hanxiao spoke, Zhu Gui also persuaded them, "Brothers, Chief Wang is dead. It is true that he was kind to us, but his abilities were indeed insufficient to lead us to strengthen the stronghold and accomplish something great. Now Chief Li has collected Chief Wang's body and buried it properly in a sunny place. If you two are willing to surrender, you can still sit in a chair."

Du Qian and Song Wan knew exactly who Wang Lun was. Now that Wang Lun was already dead, and Li Hanxiao in front of them was capable enough, they figured that they were not worthy of their positions as the second and third leaders of the stronghold, and they didn't have the ability to do so. They might as well follow Li Hanxiao.

"In that case, elder brother, please accept our bow!"

Song Wan and Du Qian bowed and surrendered to Li Hanxiao, which meant that Li Hanxiao's plan to seize Liangshan Marsh had succeeded.

"Brothers, let's clean up the battlefield and treat the wounded. Brother Zhu Gui, go to Niutou Mountain and bring up the remaining troops. Once everyone has arrived, I will hold our first meeting."

Li Hanxiao has essentially brought about a change of dynasty at Liangshan. He needs to summarize the past and promulgate new rules. He wants to find a way to sweep away the bad practices of the Wang Lun era, and the rules of the Wang Lun era also need to be updated.

When Wang Lun was the chieftain, he basically did nothing of substance. He didn't repair or improve the stronghold's defenses, nor did he recruit many soldiers, train them regularly, or discipline them.

As a result, when the battle started today, the Liangshan army collapsed almost immediately. Li Hanxiao wanted to avoid repeating the same mistake, so he started by reorganizing the army!

It took half a day for the troops from Niutou Mountain to arrive at Liangshan Marsh. Meanwhile, the Liangshan troops had finished cleaning up the battlefield, burying the dead, and treating the wounded.

Li Hanxiao also summoned all the leaders to the Hall of Gathering and Dividing the Spoils that night and began his address.

"Gentlemen, we have taken over Liangshan Marsh and made it our place of refuge. But as the saying goes, it is easy to conquer a country but difficult to rule it. If we want to achieve great things, we will have to go through many hardships. And without rules, there can be no order. Today, all of us brothers are gathered here. I will first establish the rules so that if anyone violates them in the future, no one will say that I, Li Erlang, have punished someone without teaching them."

"The first rule is that although we occupy the mountains as kings, we are not bandits or outlaws, but an army that acts on behalf of Heaven. We are an army that follows the will of Heaven and the people, helps those in distress, and relieves the people from their suffering. We are not bandits who seek momentary pleasure and occupy the mountains in the marshes for wine, meat, gold, and silver, but an army that acts on behalf of Heaven."

"Okay!"

The three Nguyen brothers cheered upon hearing this.

"Since we are acting on behalf of Heaven, we must not do anything to harm the people. As far as I know, Liangshan Marsh used to rob people of their property, kill innocent people, forcibly take women, and harass the people. We must not do such things in the future. Anyone who dares to do so will be dealt with ruthlessly by my Three-Pointed Knife!"

As Li Hanxiao spoke, he gripped the three-pointed double-edged sword in his hand; its cold, sharp light made one's heart tighten.

"Furthermore, the things that Zhu Gui and his brothers did at the tavern and the Shangrao Bank must not be done again. They must not kill passing merchants or buy and sell human flesh. You only need to continue to gather information for the stronghold!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gui immediately agreed.

“Chief, we know that these laws are for the sake of our Liangshan brothers, but I have something else to say, if we are not allowed to plunder the people’s property, where will we get our food, clothing and other necessities?”

The speaker was Song Wan, nicknamed "Cloud-Piercing Vajra." He was well aware that Li Hanxiao wanted to change the stagnant state of Liangshan under Wang Lun's rule.

However, regardless of whether they are acting as agents of justice, they are still essentially mountain kings. The food, clothing, and daily necessities of their brothers cannot be conjured out of thin air. If they cannot rob them now, will they starve to death?

"Brother Song Wan, that's a good question. First of all, I have to say that throughout history, half of those who became mountain kings were besieged and killed by government troops. Why is that? Because they only knew how to plunder and couldn't be self-sufficient. Therefore, after a long siege, they ran out of food and supplies and were defeated."

"Our Liangshan Marsh covers an area of ​​eight hundred li, with abundant fish and other products. In addition, there is a lot of wasteland. If we can cultivate the land and become self-sufficient, even if we are surrounded by an army of one hundred thousand, as long as we hold the marsh and have our own food, we will not be afraid of them!"

Li Hanxiao's idea was to let the Liangshan brothers grow their own land and produce grain to meet domestic demand, which was actually somewhat similar to Cao Cao's military farming system back then.

"Great, that's a brilliant move!"

Upon hearing Li Hanxiao's words, Lin Chong couldn't help but approve. Liangshanbo did indeed have a lot of land, all of which was barren. If it could be utilized, Liangshanbo's resilience would be greatly enhanced.

Even so, Li Hanxiao could guess what these bandit leaders, who were used to being robbers, were thinking, so he said, "Brothers, do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. Which of us has not been a good person, and which of us has not been oppressed by the government? The officials plunder the people's wealth and treat human life like dirt. If we were to do the same as them, what kind of righteous act would we be? These people are the ones who gave us life, how can we lay a hand on them? Besides, even if we really wanted to rob them, how much silver do ordinary people have?"

Li Han then changed the subject, saying, "The people are living in hardship, and we cannot plunder them at will, making their situation even worse. However, as a righteous army acting on behalf of Heaven, we must punish evil and promote good in accordance with the will of Heaven. There are plenty of corrupt officials who bully the people and powerful landlords who cheat and harm them. These people have committed numerous evils and caused havoc in their regions. Killing them is not enough to appease public anger. The wealth they have accumulated over the years is like a mountain. It was taken from the people, and it should be returned to the people. We can find such scoundrels and send troops to fight them! Half of what we get will go to the people, and the other half will be used for the mountain stronghold. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Li Hanxiao's proposed solution satisfied everyone. These bastards had plenty of money, but they were no good either. Beating them up would not only solve the economic problem but also earn them a good reputation. Why not?

The money and provisions on Liangshan Mountain are enough to last a year, and the cavalry, infantry, and navy number over two thousand. It is the perfect time for them to prosper and develop.

Having memorized the above rules, we will now discuss the matter of personnel allocation.

Regarding this matter, Li Hanxiao thought it over and over again and decided that arranging them according to their positions was the most appropriate at present. After all, most of the current members were still bandits. They didn't know about official positions, and they didn't understand about their duties. So, the seating arrangement was the most intuitive.

The saying goes, "Build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king." Nowadays, it's unnecessary to declare yourself king or a general. You wouldn't even qualify as a local tyrant, and you would only attract attention and end up being attacked by the masses.

Arrange seating arrangements in advance; this is the safest approach.

Mr. Wen will sit in the second seat. He is the strategist, and everyone must obey his orders. No one will disagree with this.

Afterwards, Lin Chong was recommended as the third, because as the former leader of Liangshan, he had made meritorious contributions in supporting Li Hanxiao, and his reputation and status in the Jianghu were also there. Wang Yin and Si Xingfang also respected him.

The fourth seat is held by Wang Yin, the fifth by Si Xingfang, the sixth by Ma Bian, the seventh by Ruan Xiaoer, the eighth by Ruan Xiaowu, the ninth by Ruan Xiaoqi, the tenth by Ou Peng, the eleventh by Guo Sheng, the twelfth by Ling Zhen, the thirteenth by Deng Fei, the fourteenth by Jiang Jing, the fifteenth by Ma Lin, the sixteenth by Yang Lin, the seventeenth by Tao Zongwang, the eighteenth by Du Qian, the nineteenth by Song Wan, and the twentieth by Zhu Gui.

Lin Chong was entrusted by Li Hanxiao with the important task of training the army horses. After all, he had been the instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, so training soldiers was a basic skill for him and he had no problem with it.

Among them, Wang Yin and Si Xingfang were the leaders of the cavalry, while Ou Peng, Guo Sheng, Deng Fei, Ma Lin, and Yang Lin were all officers and soldiers in the cavalry.

However, Liangshan Marsh currently has fewer than a hundred horses, far from enough to build and train a cavalry, but they still need to prepare for development in advance.

The three Ruan brothers commanded the navy, and Li Hanxiao planned to have them establish three more water fortresses in the four directions of Liangshan Marsh to expand the navy and completely control the eight hundred li of marshland.

As for the infantry, they were led by Ma Bian, Du Qian, and Song Wan. Ling Zhen was in charge of developing firearms and forming a firearms unit in the future. Jiang Jing was in charge of logistics, money, and food. Tao Zongwang was responsible for reorganizing fortifications and defenses and leading the soldiers to reclaim wasteland for farming. Potatoes and sweet potatoes were in the perfect season for large-scale planting, so he was entrusted with farming all the ruffians in Tokyo.

As for Zhu Gui, he continued to serve as an intelligence leader, gathering information at the Li family pass.

After Li Hanxiao finished the personnel deployment, Wen Huanzhang, the strategist, stepped forward.

"Recently, all leaders have been performing their duties, training troops, and reorganizing military equipment to prepare for any eventuality. In the future, government troops will surely come. We should purchase more horses, forge weapons, repair warships, and build city walls. In addition, I hereby issue the following new military order: Seven Prohibitions and Fifty-Four Executions. From now on, the army shall be governed according to this order, and rewards for merits and punishments for demerits shall be given without any leniency!"

"The seven prohibitions are: to be careless with the army, to be slow with the army, to steal from the army, to deceive the army, to betray the army, to cause chaos in the army, and to mislead the army."

"Fifty-four beheadings: 1. Those who do not advance when the drum is sounded, do not stop when the gong is sounded, do not raise the flag, and do not submit when the flag is lowered are considered to be disobeying the army and shall be beheaded."

Second: If a soldier fails to respond when called by name, fails to arrive on time, or fails to appear on the appointed day, or violates military regulations, this is called being a slow soldier, and those who violate this rule shall be executed.

Third: If the night watchman fails to report the bugle call, or if the watchman's signal is delayed or unclear, this is called military negligence, and those who violate this rule shall be executed.

Fourth: Those who frequently complain, anger their commanders, disobey orders, and are difficult to control are considered to be treacherous and should be executed.

Fifth: Those who speak loudly and laughingly, disregard prohibitions, and rush into military gates are considered to be reckless and will be executed.

Sixth: If the weapons used are broken, the bows and crossbows are without arrows or fletching, the swords and halberds are dull, and the flags are tattered, this is called deceiving the army, and those who violate this rule shall be beheaded.

Seven: Spreading rumors and sophistry, fabricating ghosts and gods, using false dreams, spreading heresies, and bewitching soldiers—this is called lewd army, and those who commit this offense shall be beheaded.

8. Those who are glib and talkative, who spread rumors and sow discord among soldiers, are guilty of slandering the army. Those who commit this offense shall be beheaded.

9. Wherever they go, they oppress the people. If they force women into sexual acts, they are called treacherous soldiers, and those who commit such acts shall be beheaded.

10. Stealing other people's property for personal gain, or taking other people's heads for personal merit, is called thievery, and those who commit this offense shall be beheaded.

11. If soldiers and civilians gather to discuss matters and secretly enter the tent to inquire about military secrets, this is called spying, and those who violate this rule shall be beheaded.

12: If someone hears of a plot or an order and leaks it to the outside world, allowing the enemy to know, this is called betraying the army, and anyone who does so shall be executed.

Thirteen: When summoned, if someone is speechless, bows their head, and looks distressed, this is called a ruthless soldier; those who violate this rule shall be executed.

Fourteen: Anyone who goes beyond the ranks, stands in front or behind, speaks loudly, or disobeys orders is considered to be disrupting the army, and shall be executed.

Fifteen: Feigning injury or illness to avoid war, or faking death to escape, is called deception, and those who commit this offense shall be executed.

Sixteen: If the person in charge of money and provisions favors his own people when distributing rewards, causing resentment among the soldiers, this is called a corrupt army, and those who commit this offense shall be executed.

17. Those who fail to carefully observe the enemy, or to thoroughly investigate the thieves, who do not report their arrival, or who exaggerate their arrival when they are present, are guilty of misleading the army and shall be executed.

Wen Huanzhang's fifty-four "slay" characters were not only used to restrain the underlings, but also to address the leaders. Most of these people came from the Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world) and were unorganized and undisciplined. It was necessary to subdue them so that they could be managed in the future.

"Chief, there's something else, but I'm not sure if I should say it..."

Song Wan, nicknamed "King Kong in the Clouds," seemed to have remembered something and suddenly spoke.

“We’re brothers, so please speak freely.”

"Chief, our Liangshan stronghold was originally funded by 'Little Whirlwind' Chai Jin. Now that you've recently taken over the stronghold, shouldn't we go and greet Master Chai?"

Song Wan's words were tactful, but Li Hanxiao could still understand the meaning behind them. Chai Jin had initially funded Liangshan Marsh, so it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had a share in Liangshan Marsh.

When Wang Lun was around, Chai Jin often provided financial support to Liangshan, as if he were preparing a way out for himself in case of emergency. But now Li Hanxiao has taken over Liangshan. How can Chai Jin think about this?

Putting everything else aside, if Chai Jin were to become angry and antagonize Liangshan Marsh, it would likely be of no benefit to Liangshan Marsh, given his influence in the martial arts world.

After all, the two people with the greatest influence in the martial arts world right now are none other than Song Jiang, also known as "Hu Baoyi," and Chai Jin, also known as "Little Whirlwind." Song Jiang is known for helping the needy and generously giving away his wealth, while Chai Jin is known for his respect for scholars and gentlemen, much like Lord Mengchang in ancient times. His manor has a large number of martial arts figures, and his actual influence is even greater than that of Song Jiang.

“Brother Song Wan is right. As for Master Chai, I think the only way is for me to go there in person and explain the situation to him. I’ll go down the mountain to Cangzhou in a few days and meet Master Chai!”