Water Margin: The Tale of Li Erlang of Guankou

"Wait a minute!"

Just then, a loud voice rang out. Li Hanxiao and the others turned around and saw a person appear behind them.

The man had dragon-like eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes, white teeth and red lips, a three-pronged mustache covering his mouth, and was about thirty-four or thirty-five years old. He wore a brocade hat and a sable coat, and was surrounded by an air of nobility and extraordinary demeanor.

Li Han sneered, "It's not easy for Master Chai to take the initiative to meet me!"

"Haha, Chief Li is indeed a dragon among men. Chai Jin has been negligent. Chai Liu, go find someone to treat Erlang's illness. Chief Li, Instructor Lin, please!"

Chai Jin gestured for the two to go inside to talk, so Li Hanxiao and Lin Chong handed Wu Song over to someone else and went inside.

Upon entering the house, one sees a banquet already laid out, with silver urns filled with wine from the Western Regions, gold platters piled high with mutton from the northern frontier, various exotic fruits piled on the table, and a variety of rare vegetables scattered about – truly a top-class feast.

"Other places usually use diplomacy first, then force; but you, sir, use force first, then diplomacy. What is the reason for this?"

Li Han smiled, sat down, and fiddled with the drinking cup in front of him before speaking.

"Please don't be offended, Chief Li. I already knew about Chief Li's occupation of Liangshan. To be honest, although Wang Lun was not very capable, I had long predicted that he would not be able to defend Liangshan. But the fact that you forcibly took it away has made me somewhat unhappy. That's why I had my servants do this. Besides, I also want to test Chief Li's abilities!"

Chai Jin stood up and personally poured wine for Li Hanxiao. Chai Jin was a practical man. He had previously supported Wang Lun's Liangshan troops to leave himself a way out. However, he knew that Wang Lun was not capable enough, so he later recommended Lin Chong to Liangshan in order to improve the overall strength of Liangshan.

Moreover, he had long anticipated that Wang Lun, that petty and narrow-minded fellow, would never tolerate Lin Chong, and that Lin Chong would eventually explode from his patience, finally killing Wang Lun and becoming the leader of Liangshan.

This plan is the most in line with Chai Jin's thinking. First of all, Lin Chong's skills are a hundred times better than Wang Lun and others. If he leads Liangshan Marsh, Liangshan Marsh can naturally be transformed and become more prosperous. Moreover, Lin Chong once sought help from Chai Jin when he was in danger, and Chai Jin has been kind to him. Even if Lin Chong succeeds as the leader of Liangshan Marsh, he will definitely follow Chai Jin's lead.

As it turned out, things took an unexpected turn. Lin Chong didn't kill Wang Lun. Instead, it was Li Hanxiao, an outsider, who killed Wang Lun and took over Liangshan. Chai Jin was left with nothing!

Because Li Hanxiao and he were complete strangers and had no connection whatsoever!

Chai Jin's efforts were all in vain; how could he not be furious? He had spent a lot of money on Liangshan, but now it had all benefited someone else.

However, as Chai Jin investigated, he discovered that this Li Hanxiao was no ordinary person. First, he broke through four passes at the Imperial Fragrance Pavilion in Tokyo, and his literary and military talents became famous throughout the capital. Then, he led a group to attack Liangshan Marsh. He originally had nearly a thousand men under his command.

As for their methods, they were even more ruthless. First, they saved Lin Chong's family to win him over, and then they beat Wang Lun and his gang so badly that they were powerless to fight back.

Compared to Li Hanxiao, Wang Lun is not even as good as a cricket!

For this reason, Chai Jin also had an idea: to befriend Li Hanxiao. After all, it would not be good for Chai Jin to completely break ties with such a powerful figure.

On the contrary, if they could form a good relationship or even an alliance, it would be of great benefit to Chai Jin.

Chai Jin was no useless person either; he was a shrewd individual. In the original story, he went undercover as Fang La's son-in-law and tricked Fang La so badly that he lost even his underwear. How could he have done that without a strong mind?

Therefore, when Li Hanxiao and Lin Chong arrived at the manor, he adopted a posture of seeking revenge and sent his servants to fight the two of them one after the other.

This was a gesture to show Li Hanxiao that Chai Jin was not someone to be trifled with, and subconsciously emphasized that everything in Liangshan originally belonged to Chai Jin, which made Li Hanxiao feel guilty to some extent.

Secondly, he also wanted to see just how capable Li Hanxiao really was, since he had never witnessed Li Hanxiao's abilities firsthand and wanted to see for himself.

After just one fight, Chai Jin discovered that Li Hanxiao possessed unparalleled bravery, even surpassing Wu Song in his illness.

This further solidified Chai Jin's intention to befriend Li Hanxiao.

"We understand why you vented your anger, sir, but it almost cost us our lives!"

Li Hanxiao could guess some of Chai Jin's thoughts, so he said.

"It was Chai Jin's fault, Chai Jin's fault, I shall punish myself with a cup!"

Chai Jin raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp. He then said, "Chief Li, Instructor Lin, I personally funded the creation of Liangshan Marsh. It's only because I am a descendant of the Great Zhou royal family. Although the court has granted my family a certificate of merit, for over a hundred years, they have never stopped being wary of us. I've raised these retainers and built Liangshan because I'm afraid that one day the court will target me, Chai Jin, and I'll lose my life!"

Li Hanxiao just took it as a joke. You, Chai Jin, keep hundreds of servants in your estate like you're raising assassins. Is it to protect yourself from being harmed? This number is almost comparable to a private army, and not just ordinary soldiers. Which of these servants doesn't know a thing or two about Southern and Northern styles of martial arts? They can take on three or four people at once in a fight.

According to Li Hanxiao, Chai Jin's wariness of the imperial court was genuine, but there was another reason: he couldn't sleep and was thinking about restoring his family's ancestral legacy...

Liangshan was his reserve base.

"Now that Wang Lun is dead and Liangshan is occupied by Chief Li, I, Chai Jin, am not a petty person. The land under heaven belongs to the virtuous. Wang Lun was neither talented nor virtuous, and he was bound to lose Liangshan sooner or later. This time, I, Chai Jin, will not cause trouble or ask for money. The items that were originally donated to Liangshan will be considered as a gift to Chief Li. I will also give Chief Li fifty fine horses. Let us make peace here and help each other in the future, shall we?"

Chai Jin's words seemed generous and righteous, like someone who was good at making friends, but Li Hanxiao knew clearly that there were conditions involved. Fifty fine horses were no small sum, considering that the Northern Song Dynasty had always been short of warhorses, and fifty fine horses were not a small amount for Chai Jin.

"Since you are so generous, it would be inappropriate for me not to reciprocate!"

Li Hanxiao stared at Chai Jin and offered to make an equal exchange, meaning he wouldn't owe Chai Jin a favor. Moreover, Li Hanxiao knew that Chai Jin already had conditions for repayment.

"Very well, Chief Li is very generous... In that case, I have a favor to ask: how about considering the items I give to Liangshan as payment for joining the group?"

Chai Jin revealed his true feelings, believing that Liangshan Marsh, under Li Hanxiao's leadership, would inevitably grow stronger and become a dominant force in the region, which suited his choice of retreat.

He even considered continuing to support Liangshan Marsh in the future, increasing his influence within Li Hanxiao's new group, and ultimately winning people's hearts, hoping to pull off an operation similar to the Tian family's usurpation of Qi during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods.

“My brothers from Liangshan are grateful for your kindness, sir. If you ever find yourself in dire straits and have nowhere to go, I, Li, will naturally leave you a chair on the mountain and welcome you with open arms. However, my brothers from Liangshan act on behalf of Heaven and only do our own work for the country and the people. We will never be subordinate to anyone else!”

Li Hanxiao's words, in the first half, told Chai Jin that Liangshan Marsh was now willing to make peace with him and was also willing to let him come up to the mountain when he had nowhere else to go, and would treat him well.

However, if you try to take Liangshanbo under your control and have any ulterior motives, Li Hanxiao will not allow it.

"Excellent, excellent! Come, come, please drink this cup to the brim!"

Chai Jin understood Li Hanxiao's meaning. Being able to befriend Li Hanxiao was already enough for Chai Jin, and he didn't ask for more. He could also see that Li Hanxiao was not someone to be trifled with.

"Wait, while the wine is fine, this particular bottle was over-distilled, resulting in a slightly sour and astringent taste. It's not a very good wine!"

Li Han smiled and put down his wine cup as he spoke. Chai Jin said, "I didn't expect you to be so knowledgeable about wine. I still have countless fine wines here. Have someone bring you another one!"

"No rush, sir. How about you try some of our Liangshan wine?"

As Li Hanxiao spoke, he took out a wine gourd.

"How can I refuse Chief Li's invitation!"

As soon as Li Hanxiao opened the gourd lid, a strong smell of alcohol wafted out, the pungent aroma piercing Chai Jin's nostrils. Even before he tasted it, it had already aroused Chai Jin's extreme curiosity.

"Such a strong aroma of alcohol, it must be good wine!"

When Chai Jin saw the wine that Li Hanxiao poured out, it was white as water, extremely clear, yet it exuded the aroma of wine aged for decades. He couldn't help but curiously pick it up and drink it all in one gulp.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

As a result, he choked so badly that his face turned red and he coughed violently, which was quite disgraceful.

It turns out that this was not ordinary wine. It was a high-proof distilled liquor that Li Hanxiao produced on Liangshan using distillation methods. Most wines at that time were made from grains and had a low alcohol content, generally not exceeding 30 degrees.

After tasting the distilled spirit, Li Hanxiao estimated its alcohol content to be around 50%, a high-proof liquor that ancient people had never tried before. It's no wonder that Chai Jin reacted this way.

Despite his persistent cough, Chai Jin pointed to the wine gourd and said, "Cough cough, good wine, truly good wine, at least a rare vintage aged for over seventy years!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hanxiao and Lin Chong couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"This...Is what I said wrong?"

This time, it was Chai Jin's turn to be embarrassed. He was a man who had lived a life of luxury and had seen the world. He could tell that the wine he was tasting was the flavor of a seventy-year-old vintage, so there was no mistake about it.

"My lord, this wine is a strong liquor brewed by our Liangshan brothers in just two or three months. How could it be seven years old? How does it taste?"

Li Hanxiao deliberately exaggerated the brewing time from three or two days to three or two months, because the distilled liquor also needed to be brewed from the raw liquor, and the time cycle was indeed about three or two months. These liquors were distilled from low-alcohol liquor.

He wanted to do business with Chai Jin using high-proof liquor. He would be responsible for supplying the liquor, while Chai Jin would be responsible for finding distribution channels, and then they would split the profits.

"What? Two or three months? That's amazing! This is truly excellent wine!"

Chai Jin picked up the wine cup and examined it carefully. He did not doubt what Li Hanxiao said. Li Hanxiao's words and actions had already proven that he was a person with a solid foundation.

“Our Liangshan has this brewing method, and in the future we can brew thousands and tens of thousands of jars. My idea is that we can all make money together. After all, we Liangshan brothers are bandits, so it is inconvenient for us to sell wine ourselves. Therefore, I would like to ask you, sir, for help. We will supply the goods, and you can sell them through the channels. How about we split the profits 40/60?”

Li Hanxiao wanted Chai Jin to be his "front man".

Upon hearing this, Chai Jin began to carefully consider the matter. This wine had the flavor of a seventy-year-old wine, even more mellow, yet its production was both fast and plentiful. It could easily be sold at the price of a seventy-year-old wine, fetching tens of taels of silver per tael.

And this was exactly the kind of path Chai Jin had. Over the years, besides supporting his retainers, he had also had a lot of business dealings. After all, he spent so much money, he couldn't just sit around and do nothing.

Trade routes were a large part of his income. Since Cangzhou was located in Hebei and was a border region of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was very close to the neighboring Liao Dynasty. Therefore, Chai Jin controlled several secret trade routes to the Liao Dynasty.

Salt, iron, and tea were all valuable items in the Song Dynasty, as were strong liquors. The Liao Dynasty had long, snowy winters, and people of all ages drank alcohol to keep warm. They mainly drank mare's milk wine, but the alcohol content was generally not high.

When people from the Liao Dynasty drank alcohol, they didn't care about the aroma or color of the wine; what they cared about was how strong it was. In other words, the higher the alcohol content and the stronger the alcohol, the more they liked it.

If this wine could be sold to the Liao Kingdom, it would be an extremely profitable business. How could Chai Jin not be tempted?

“Good wine, good business. To be honest, I, Chai Jin, also have several secret connections that go directly to the Liao Kingdom. If we can transport this fine wine to the Liao Kingdom, it will be extremely profitable. It’s a good deal! As you say, you take six and I’ll take four.”

Chai Jin was extremely good at managing finances. In the original story, he and Li Ying jointly managed money and grain. He knew that since Li Hanxiao was his business partner, he had to let Li Hanxiao take the lion's share. After all, Li Hanxiao was the one who supplied the wine. If he wanted to take the lion's share, Li Hanxiao could just find another channel if he couldn't win. There was no need for him to waste time with Chai Jin.

Even with a 40% profit margin, you can still make a lot of money; it's all about small profits and quick turnover, that's how it is.

"Then it's settled. I'll brew a batch of wine and send someone to deliver it to you, sir."

"Wait, this wine is good, but it doesn't have a name yet. We need to come up with a good name to do justice to this fine wine and make a name for ourselves!"

Chai Jin was a natural businessman. The name of wine in ancient times was similar to the trademark in later times; it was a gimmick, and very important.

"Hmm... I think that drinking this wine is like being in a fairyland. In addition, it is free of impurities and exceptionally clear. How about calling it Heavenly River Jade Wine?"

Li Hanxiao asked.

"Excellent, excellent name! Tianhe Jade Brew is not only fitting but also quite noble. I imagine that high-ranking officials and nobles will definitely buy some to try after hearing this name! I've long heard that Chief Li displayed his literary talent when he broke through the four passes of Dongjing City. He is indeed impressive!"

Upon hearing this, Chai Jin couldn't help but slap the table in admiration.