Chapter 112

Chapter 112

The story tells how Marshal Xing Zheng engaged Guan Sheng in combat. After no more than twelve or fourteen rounds, Guan Sheng raised his saber and struck him down from his horse. When Hu Yanzhe saw that Xing Zheng had been cut down, he drove his troops forward in a sweeping assault. The six garrison commanders fled south. Grand Councilor Lü, seeing that his own forces had suffered a crushing defeat, abandoned Dantu County and led his battered troops toward Changzhou Prefecture. The Song generals, ten in number, seized the county seat and reported their victory to Song Jiang, the vanguard commander. He then led the main army forward and stationed it in Dantu County. The troops were rewarded for their merits, and a dispatch was sent to Investiture Commander Zhang to transfer his forces and garrison Runzhou. The next day, the two staff officers Zhong Juncong and Geng presented rewards and gifts at Dantu County, which Song Jiang received and then distributed among the generals.

Song Jiang consulted Lu Junyi on how to deploy the troops for the campaign. Song Jiang said: "At present, Xuanzhou and Huzhou are also occupied by the rebel Fang La. Let me and you divide the generals and soldiers and advance along two routes to attack them. We will write two lots and draw them before Heaven, and whoever draws a particular region shall lead his troops there." Song Jiang drew Suzhou and Changzhou, while Lu Junyi drew Xuanzhou and Huzhou. Song Jiang then ordered the Iron-faced Magistrate Pei Xuan to divide the generals equally among them. With the exception of Yang Zhi, who was too ill to campaign and was left behind in Dantu, the remaining officers and troops were split into two columns. Song Jiang, the vanguard commander, led the generals and officers assigned to attack Changzhou and Suzhou, comprising in all forty-two officers—thirteen principal generals and twenty-nine subordinate generals:

Principal Generals: Vanguard Commander "Protector of Righteousness" Song Jiang; Military Adviser "Resourceful Star" Wu Yong; "Heaven-soaring Roc" Li Ying; "Great Blade" Guan Sheng; "Little Li Guang" Hua Rong; "Thunderbolt" Qin Ming; "Golden Spearman" Xu Ning; "Beautiful Beard" Zhu Tong; "Flowery Monk" Lu Zhishen; "Pilgrim" Wu Song; "Nine-dragon" Shi Jin; "Black Whirlwind" Li Kui; "Magic Messenger" Dai Zong.

Subordinate Generals: "Suppressor of Three Mountains" Huangxin; "Sick Yuchi" Sun Li; "Well-wood Jackal" Hao Siwen; "Ugly Consort's Son" Xuan Zan; "Ever-victorious" Han Tao; "Heavenly-eyed" Peng Qi; "Demon King of Chaos" Fan Rui; "Iron Flute Immortal" Ma Lin; "Brocade Tiger" Yan Shun; "Eight-armed Nezha" Xiang Cheng; "Heaven-flying Sage" Li Gun; "God of Death" Bao Xu; "Short Tiger" Wang Ying; "Ten-foot Green" Hu Sanniang; "Brocade Panther" Yang Lin; "Golden-eyed Tiger" Shi En; "Ghost-faced" Du Xing; "Star-bristle" Kong Ming; "Lone Star" Kong Liang; "Sky-thundering" Ling Zhen; "Iron Arm" Cai Fu; "Single Blossom" Cai Qing; "Golden-haired Dog" Duan Jingzhu; "Long-armed Ape" Hou Jian; "Divine Calculator" Jiang Jing; "Divine Physician" An Daoquan; "Perilous Road God" Yu Baosi; "Iron Fan" Song Qing; "Iron-faced Magistrate" Pei Xuan.

In all, forty-two principal and subordinate officers, with thirty thousand picked troops, were placed under the overall command of Vanguard Commander Song Jiang.

Deputy Vanguard Commander Lu Junyi also led a force assigned to attack Xuanzhou and Huzhou, comprising in all forty-seven principal and subordinate officers—fourteen principal generals and thirty-three subordinate generals. Zhu Wu headed the subordinate generals and served in the capacity of military adviser.

Principal Generals: Deputy Vanguard "Jade Unicorn" Lu Junyi; Military Adviser "Divine Strategist" Zhu Wu; "Little Whirlwind" Chai Jin; "Panther Head" Lin Chong; "Twin-spear General" Dong Ping; "Twin Whips" Hu Yanzhe; "Impetuous Vanguard" Suo Chao; "No Barrier" Mu Hong; "Sick Guan Suo" Yang Xiong; "Winged Tiger" Lei Heng; "Two-headed Snake" Xie Zhen; "Double-tailed Scorpion" Xie Bao; "Arrowless" Zhang Qing; "Red-haired Devil" Liu Tang; "Prodigal" Yan Qing.

Subordinate Generals: "Saint of Water" Shan Tinggui; "God of Fire" Wei Dingguo; "Little Marquis of Wen" Lü Fang; "Rival of Ren Gui" Guo Sheng; "Golden-winged Cloud-sweeper" Ou Peng; "Fire-eyed Lion" Deng Flier; "Tiger-fighter" Li Zhong; "Little Overlord" Zhou Tong; "Brook-leaping Tiger" Chen D; "White-striped Snake" Yang Chun; "Sick Tiger" Xue Yong; "Sky-scraping" Du Qian; "Little Barrier" Mu Chun; "Forest Dragon" Zou Yuan; "Single-horned Dragon" Zou Ruan; "Death-summoning Judge" Li Li; "Blue-eyed Tiger" Li Yun; "Stone General" Shi Yong; "Dry-land Monitor" Zhu Gui; "Smiling Tiger" Zhu Fu; "Little Yuchi" Sun Xin; "Mother Tiger" Gu Dasao; "Gardener" Zhang Qing; "Mother Yaksha" Sun Erniang; "White-faced Gentleman" Zheng Tianshou; "Golden-spotted Leopard" Tang Long; "Knife-wielding Ghost" Cao Zheng; "Daytime Mouse" Bai Sheng; "Flowery-necked Tiger" Gong Wang; "Arrow-struck Tiger" Ding Desun; "Living Lightning" Wang Dingliu; "Flea on a Drum" Shi Qian.

In all, forty-seven principal and subordinate officers, with thirty thousand picked troops for the campaign, were placed under the command of Lu Junyi.

Gentlemen, hold fast to this thread of the story: Lu Junyi's vanguard attacked the two prefectures of Xuan and Hu with a force of forty-seven men; Song Gongchang attacked the two regions of Chang and Su, likewise with forty-seven men. The naval commanders formed one company in their own right. For Tong Wei and Tong Meng had been sent to Jiaoshan, where they encountered Shi Xiu and Ruan Xiaoqi, who reported: "Shi Xiu and Ruan Xiaoqi came to the riverbank, slew an entire family, and seized a swift boat. They went to Jiaoshan Temple. The abbot recognized them as good men of Liangshan Marsh and lodged and fed them. Later they learned that Zhang Shun had performed great deeds and, upon inquiry, took a boat from Jiaoshan down to Maogang, from where they could attack Jiangyin, Taicang, and the coastal prefectures and counties. They sent a written request asking for naval commanders, as well as arms and warships." At once, Song Jiang assigned Li Jun and eight others, dispatching five thousand naval troops to follow Shi Xiu and Ruan Xiaoqi by water, together making ten commanders in all, principal and secondary. The ten were: seven principal commanders and three secondary commanders:

"Lives-With-Death" Shi Xiu

"Dragon-of-the-River" Li Jun

"Boatman" Zhang Heng "White-Wave-of-the-Waves" Zhang Shun

"Earth-Fierce-Titan" Ruan Xiaoer

"Short-Lived-Second-Lang" Ruan Xiaowu

"Live-Yama" Ruan Xiaoqi

"Cavern-Dragon" Tong Wei

"River-Turning-Sa'ang" Tong Meng

"Bamboo-Pole-of-Jade" Meng Kang

Ten commanders in all, principal and secondary, five thousand elite naval troops, and one hundred warships.

Gentlemen, take note: since Song Jiang divided his forces at Dantu, the total was ninety-nine men—already fewer than a hundred. The large warships were all assigned to the naval commanders to attack Jiangyin and Taicang, while the smaller warships were sent into Dutant, all to the inner harbor, to follow the army in attacking Changzhou.

Now, Lü Shichang led six garrison commanders in retreat to defend Changzhou, Bilin Commandery. Changzhou already had a garrison commander, Zhenpeng, with two subordinate generals: one was Jin Jie, a man of Shanghao in Jinling County; the other was Xu Ding, a trusted man of Zhenpeng. Zhenpeng had originally been a constable in Qingxi County. He assisted Fang La, gained successive cities, and was promoted to the post of defense commissioner of Changzhou. Upon hearing that the Grand Marshal Lü had suffered defeat and lost Runzhou, retreating all the way to Changzhou, he at once led Jin Jie and Xu Ding to open the gates and welcome him, inviting him into the prefecture offices. After hosting him, they discussed strategy for meeting the enemy. Zhenpeng said, "Rest assured, Grand Marshal. Though I am unworthy, I shall devote my humble efforts and fight until those fellows under Song Jiang are utterly defeated and driven back across the river. Only then shall I recover Runzhou and fulfill my wish!" The Grand Marshal Lü consoled him: "If the defense commissioner is so dedicated, what worry is there for the state's security? After success, I shall do my utmost to recommend you for high promotion and noble rank." The feast that day is not worth recounting.

Meanwhile, Song Junyi led his assigned forces to attack Changzhou and Suzhou. The cavalry advanced swiftly toward Bilin Commandery. The vanguard was led by the principal commander Guan Sheng, who commanded ten subordinate officers. These ten were: Qin Ming, Xu Ning, Huang Xin, Sun Li, Hsiu Wen, Xuan Zan, Han Tao, Peng Qi, Ma Lin, and Yan Shun. With the principal commander, they made eleven in all, leading three thousand cavalry straight to the walls of Changzhou, waving banners and beating drums to challenge the enemy. Grand Marshal Lü observed and said, "Who dares to drive back the enemy troops?" Zhenpeng prepared his battle horse and said, "I shall advance and do my utmost." Grand Marshal Lü at once dispatched six garrison commanders to assist. The six were: Ying Ming, Zhang Jiren, Zhao Yi, Shen Bian, Gao Keli, and Fan Chou. The seven commanders led five thousand troops, opened the city gates, and lowered the drawbridge. Zhenpeng wielded a wind-splitting saber and rode a curly-maned red hare horse, taking the lead out of the city.

Guan Sheng, seeing this, drew his cavalry back a step to let Zhenpeng form his battle array, with the six garrison commanders positioned on either side. On the opposing front, Guan Sheng sat upright on his horse, his saber leveled, and cried out in a stern voice: "You rebels, hear me! You assist a single man in rebellion, harming the lives of the people—both gods and men are enraged! Today Heaven's troops have arrived at your borders, yet you do not know death and dare to oppose us! We shall not turn back until we have utterly exterminated you wretches!" Zhenpeng, hearing this, flew into a rage and cursed: "You band of Liangshan Marsh outlaws, knowing nothing of the times, you dream not of kingly enterprise but instead submit yourself to a worthless, maddened ruler, and come to annex our great state. I shall fight until not a single one of you returns!" Guan Sheng, enraged, brandished his Green Dragon Crescent Blade and charged straight at him; Zhenpeng wielded his wind-splitting saber and rode to meet him. The two commanders clashed and fought for more than thirty bouts, when Zhenpeng gradually weakened and could no longer hold him off. Under the Southern army's banner, two garrison commanders saw that Zhenpeng was weakening, leveled their spears, and rode out together to attack from both sides. On Guan Sheng's right was Zhao Yi, on his left Fan Chou. Under the Song army's banner, two secondary commanders were stirred to action: one brandished the funeral-gate sword, the other raised the tiger-eye whip, and they charged out on horseback—none other than "Tamer-of-Three-Mountains" Huang Xin and "Sick-Wei-Chi" Sun Li. Six commanders fought in three pairs on the battlefield. Grand Marshal Lü urgently ordered Xu Ding and Jin Jie to come out of the city to reinforce. The two generals received their orders, took up their weapons, mounted their horses, and rode straight to the front lines. They saw Zhao Yi fighting Huang Xin and Fan Chou fighting Sun Li—both evenly matched. As the battle deepened, Zhao Yi and Fan Chou gradually lost the advantage; Xu Ding and Jin Jie each wielded a great saber and entered the fray. From the Song army's ranks, Han Tao and Peng Qi rode out to meet them. Jin Jie engaged Han Tao, and Xu Ding engaged Peng Qi. The four commanders fought, and five pairs clashed on the battlefield.

It so happened that Jin Jie had long harbored the desire to surrender to the Great Song. He deliberately threw his own unit into disarray, fought only a few rounds, then wheeled his horse about and fled toward his own lines. Han Tao seized the chance and pressed in pursuit. On the Southern army's front, Gao Keli, seeing that Jin Jie was being hard-pressed by Han Tao, took up his carved bow, nocked a stiff arrow, drew it to the fullest, and let fly with a *swish*—the arrow struck Han Tao full in the face, and he toppled from his saddle. Here Qin Ming, urging on his horse, swung up his wolf-tooth mace and rushed forward to the rescue, but Zhang Jinren had already come charging out and drove a spear into Han Tao's throat, ending his life on the spot. Peng Qi and Han Tao had been sworn brothers, serving as chief and deputy. Seeing Han Tao dead, Peng Qi was desperate for vengeance. He abandoned Xu Ding and charged straight toward the enemy lines in search of Gao Keli. Xu Ding gave chase, but Qin Ming intercepted him and engaged him in combat. When Gao Keli saw Peng Qi bearing down on him, he leveled his spear to meet the attack—but he failed to guard against Zhang Jinren, who burst out from the flank and thrust Peng Qi from his horse with a single spear thrust. Guan Sheng, witnessing the loss of two of his generals, burned with fury. He wished nothing more than to storm Changzhou itself. Summoning his divine might, he brought his blade down in a single stroke and hacked Zhen Zhenpeng to the ground beneath his horse. He was about to seize Zhen's Red Hare curly-maned steed when, quite unguardedly, his own Red Horse stumbled, pitching Guan Sheng headlong to the ground. At once Gao Keli and Zhang Keli galloped from the Southern lines to capture him—but Xu Ning led Xuan Zan and Hao Wenwen charging out together, and they managed to rescue Guan Sheng and bring him back to the main force. Lü Shu-mi then drove his troops forward in great numbers, sweeping out of the city to attack. Guan Sheng's forces had suffered defeat; they withdrew northward, with the Southern soldiers pursuing them for more than twenty *li*.

That day Guan Sheng had lost a number of men and horses. He led his army back to see Song Jiang and reported the loss of Han Tao and Peng Qi. Song Jiang wept bitterly: "Who would have thought that since crossing the river, I have already lost five of my brothers! Could it be that Heaven above is wrathful, and will not permit Fang Jiang to capture Fang La, bringing such ruin to our officers and men?" Wu Yong counseled him: "You are mistaken, Commander! Victory and defeat are the ordinary lot of soldiers—nothing strange about it. These two generals simply met the day their fortunes ran dry, and this was the result. I beg the Vanguard to set aside his grief and attend to the great matters at hand." At that moment Li Kui stepped forward from before the tent and said: "Find me a few men who know the ones who killed my brothers, and lead me there so I can slaughter those villains and avenge my two brothers!" Song Jiang issued orders that the next day they would raise a white banner. "I shall lead all the generals myself straight to the city walls to engage the enemy and settle the matter once and for all." The following day, Song Jiang marshaled his great force and advanced by both land and water, boats and cavalry moving in concert, breaking camp entirely. The Black Whirlwind Li Kui, leading Bao Xu, Xiang Chong, and Li Kun, commanded five hundred fierce foot soldiers and rode out ahead to scout, pressing all the way to the walls of Changzhou.

Lü Shu-mi, having lost Zhen Zhenpeng, was deeply distressed. He dispatched three successive urgent letters by flying courier to Fang Mao, the Third Prince in Suzhou, begging for reinforcements, and at the same time wrote a memorial to the court. Then he received a report: "Five hundred foot soldiers are attacking the city below. Their standard identifies their leader as the Black Whirlwind Li Kui." Lü Shu-mi said: "This fellow is the fiercest outlaw of Liangshan Marsh, a hardened killer. Who dares go out and capture him for me?" Two commanders who had already distinguished themselves in battle stepped forward from before the tent—Gao Keli and Zhang Jinren. Lü Shu-mi said: "If the two of you can capture this villain, I will wholeheartedly petition on your behalf for promotion and rich rewards." Commander Gao and Commander Zhang each took up their spears, mounted their horses, and led a thousand cavalry and infantry out of the city to meet the enemy. When the Black Whirlwind Li Kui saw them, he deployed his five hundred foot soldiers in a single line, gripping a battle-axe in each hand, and took his stand at the front of the formation. The God of Death Bao Xu, wielding a great broad-blade saber, took position at his flank. Xiang Chong and Li Kun each held a rattan shield before them and an iron javelin in their right hand. The four men, armored front and back with iron breastplates, stood arrayed before the line. Commanders Gao and Zhang, flushed with their recent victories, were like a triumphant cat grown bold as a tawny fish-hawk or a timely crow preying on a vulture—they led their thousand troops and drew them up beside the city walls.

Among the Song army scouts, several recognized Gao Keli and Zhang Jinren as the very men who had killed Han Tao and Peng Qi. They pointed them out to the Black Whirlwind: "Those two leading the troops are the ones who killed our two generals Han and Peng!" Li Kui, upon hearing this, said nothing. He raised his two battle-axes and charged straight across at the opposing line. When Bao Xu saw Li Kui storm across, he urgently called to Xiang Chong and Li Kun to wave their rattan shields and rush to support him. The four men raised a single battle cry and rolled forward across the enemy line. Gao Keli and Zhang Jinren were caught by surprise, caught off guard. They hastily tried to wheel their horses about, but the two rattan shields had already rolled beneath their horses' jaws. As Gao Keli and Zhang Jinren thrust their spears downward from horseback, Xiang Chong and Li Kun met them with their shields. Li Kui's axe rose and fell—he had already hacked through the legs of Gao Keli's horse, and Gao Keli was thrown to the ground. Xiang Chong shouted, "Leave one alive!" But Li Kui was a man born to kill—how could he restrain himself? In a single stroke he hacked off Gao Keli's head. Bao Xu dragged Zhang Jinren from his horse and cut off his head with one stroke as well. The four of them rampaged through the enemy ranks. The Black Whirlwind tied Gao Keli's head to his waist, swung up his two battle-axes, and—caring nothing for heaven or earth—threw himself into the slaughter, hacking left and right. He put the thousand cavalry and infantry to flight back into the city, killing three or four hundred men in the chase, driving them all the way to the drawbridge. Li Kui and Bao Xu were on the verge of storming into the city itself when Xiang Chong and Li Kun forcibly dragged them back. From the city walls, rolling logs and catapult stones came crashing down. The four returned to the front line, where the five hundred soldiers, just as before, stood drawn up in a single line—and none dared make the slightest move. They too had wanted to join the melee, but they feared the Black Whirlwind could not tell friend from foe and would strike at anyone he saw, so they did not dare draw near.

Where the dust rose, Song Jiang's vanguard had already arrived. Li Kui and Bao Xu each presented severed heads. The generals recognized them as the heads of Gao Keli and Zhang Jinren, and all were greatly startled. "How did you manage to obtain the heads of our enemies?" they asked. The two replied, "We killed many men. We had intended to capture them alive, but our hands itched and we could not restrain ourselves, so we killed them on the spot." Song Jiang said, "Since we have the heads of our enemies, let us offer them in sacrifice beneath the white banner, facing the sky, to the two generals Han and Peng." Song Jiang wept once more, then lowered the white banner. He rewarded Li Kui, Bao Xu, Xiang Gong, and Li Gun, and advanced the army to the walls of Changzhou.

Now, in the city, Lü the Military Commissioner was inwardly alarmed. He gathered Jin Jie, Xu Ding, and the four garrison commanders to discuss a plan of retreat against Song Jiang. When the generals saw the havoc Li Kui and his men had wrought, all were paralyzed with fear and dared not give battle. He asked several times, but it was like piercing the mouth of a wild goose with an arrow or hooking the gill of a fish—there was complete silence, and no one dared respond. Lü the Military Commissioner was vexed within. He ordered men to mount the walls and observe. Song Jiang's army had surrounded Changzhou on three sides, beating drums, waving banners, and shouting challenges beneath the walls. Lü the Military Commissioner ordered the generals to go up and guard the walls. When the generals had withdrawn, Lü the Military Commissioner pondered in the rear hall, at his wits' end. He summoned his trusted attendants and confidants to consult, intending to abandon the city and flee—but let us speak no more of this.

Meanwhile, the garrison commander Jin Jie returned to his home and said to his wife, Qin Yulan: "Now Song Jiang's vanguard has besieged the city, attacking on three sides. Our grain supplies inside the city are running low, and we cannot endure a prolonged siege. If the city is breached, we will all become ghosts beneath the blade." Qin Yulan replied: "You have always harbored loyal and filial hearts and the desire to surrender. Moreover, you were originally an official of the Song dynasty, and the court has not treated you unjustly. Why not abandon the wrong and return to the right, seize Lü Shinang, and present him to Song Jiang's vanguard? This would be your path to advancement." Jin Jie said, "He has four garrison commanders under him, each with his own troops. That fellow Xu Ding is also at odds with me and is one of Lü Shinang's confidants. I fear the matter may not succeed and may instead bring disaster upon me." His wife said: "You need only secretly write a letter in the dead of night, tie it to an arrow, and shoot it over the walls to inform Song Jiang's vanguard. You will coordinate from within and without to take the city. Tomorrow when you go out to battle, feign defeat and retreat, luring them into the city. That will be your merit." Jin Jie said, "My wise wife's words are most fitting. I shall do as you say." A historian's poem reads:

From darkness into light, escaping calamity's snare,

In Piling we see again the wife of Fuji.

If even a woman preserves loyalty and righteousness,

Why should a man's understanding remain so blind?

The next day, Song Jiang pressed the siege tightly. Lü the Military Commissioner gathered his generals to deliberate. Jin Jie replied, "The walls of Changzhou are high and broad. We should only defend, not engage in battle. Let all the generals hold firm and wait for the Suzhou relief forces to arrive before joining forces to fight." Lü the Military Commissioner said, "This is most sound advice!" He assigned the generals: Ying Ming and Zhao Yi to guard the east gate; Shen Bian and Fan Chou to guard this gate; Jin Jie to guard the west gate; Xu Ding to guard the south gate. Once the deployments were settled, each led his troops to hold his position. That night, Jin Jie wrote his secret letter, tied it to an arrow, and when the night was deep and still, mounted the wall and shot it down to the scout soldiers outside the west gate. The soldier picked up the arrow in haste and rushed to report it to the camp. The commanders of the west camp, the Flowery Monk Lu Zhishen and his companion Wu Song, received it and at once sent the lieutenant Du Xing to carry it in all haste to the main camp outside the northeast gate. Song Jiang and Wu Yong were in their tent by candlelight, discussing matters. Du Xing presented Jin Jie's secret letter. Song Jiang read it and was greatly pleased. He issued orders to inform all three camps.

The next day, the chieftains of the three camps attacked the city from all sides. Lü the Military Commissioner was on the watchtower when he saw Thunderer Ling Zhen in Song Jiang's formation set up a cannon frame and fire a wind-fire cannonball. It flew straight up and struck the corner of the watchtower with a rumbling crash, collapsing half of it. Lü the Military Commissioner fled in haste and barely escaped with his life down from the wall. He urged the garrison commanders of the four gates to go out and give battle. After three rolls of the war drums, the great gates were opened and the drawbridges lowered. Shen Bian and Fan Chou led their troops out from the north gate to engage. From Song Jiang's formation, the Great Blade Guan Sheng rode forth on Qian Zhenpeng's curly-haired red hare horse and faced Fan Chou. As the two were about to clash, Jin Jie led another force out from the west gate to challenge. From Song Jiang's ranks, the Sick Yuchi Sun Li rode out. The two fought, but before three exchanges had passed, Jin Jie feigned defeat, wheeled his horse, and fled. Sun Li took the lead, followed by Yan Shun and Ma Lin, with Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Kong Ming, Kong Liang, Shi En, and Du Xing all advancing their forces. Jin Jie retreated into the city, but Sun Li had already charged to the city gate and seized the west gate. Uproar broke out inside the city—it was known that the Song army had entered through the west gate. At that time, the common people had suffered beyond endurance under Fang La's cruelty, their resentment reaching the heavens. When they heard the Song army had entered the city, they all came out to join the battle. The banner of Song Jiang's vanguard was soon raised on the walls. When Fan Chou and Shen Bian saw the uprising in the city, they hastened to rush back to protect their families, but Wang the Dwarf and Yizhang Qing charged from the left and seized Fan Chou. From the right, Xuan Zan and Hao Siwen burst forward together and speared Shen Bian off his horse; the soldiers took him alive. Song Jiang and Wu Yong drove their troops into the city in force, searching out and killing the southern soldiers on all sides. Lü the Military Commissioner fled with Xu Ding through the south gate, fighting desperately to break through. The pursuing troops could not overtake them, and returned to Changzhou to await orders and receive rewards for merit. Zhao Yi hid among the common people's houses but was seized by the citizens and handed over. Ying Ming was killed in the chaos of battle, and his head was taken. Song Jiang arrived at the prefectural offices and issued proclamations to reassure the people. Old and young, the citizens came to the prefecture to offer thanks. Song Jiang comforted the people and restored them to good order. The generals all came to report their achievements.

Jie Jin went to the prefectural office to pay his respects to Song Jiang. Song Jiang personally descended the steps to welcome Jie Jin and invited him to be seated in the upper hall. Jie Jin was overwhelmed with gratitude and once again became a loyal minister of the Song dynasty—all thanks to his wife's encouragement, but no more of that. Song Jiang ordered that Fan Chou, Shen Bian, and Zhao Yi be placed in prison carts, wrote up a formal report, and sent Jie Jin personally to deliver the three generals to the camp of Marshal Zhang in Runzhou. Jie Jin received the official documents, took custody of the three generals, and set out for Runzhou to hand them over. Before he had gone far, Song Jiang had already dispatched the Magic Traveller Dai Zong ahead with a flying dispatch, recommending Jie Jin to the marshal's camp. When Marshal Zhang read Song Jiang's report praising Jie Jin's loyalty and righteousness, and Jie Jin later arrived in Runzhou, Marshal Zhang was greatly pleased and rewarded him with gold and silk, brocade and satin, saddled horses, wine and provisions. The Vice Marshal Liu Guangshi kept Jie Jin on, promoted him to Commander of the Marching Army, and retained him in the army for service. Later, Jie Jin followed Liu Guangshi and greatly defeated Wanyu Zushi, the Fourth Prince of Jin, performing many great deeds, and rose to the rank of Commander of the Imperial Guard, eventually falling in battle at Zhongshan. Such was Jie Jin's end. A poem attests to this:

"Turning from evil, shame still clings to the temple-born;

Dying for righteousness, even bones on the battlefield smell sweet.

If he later became a loyal spirit at Zhongshan,

How does that compare to dying in Fang La's ranks?"

That day, Marshal Zhang and Marshal Liu rewarded Jie Jin, and the three rebels were torn limb from limb and their heads displayed to the public. They then sent men to Changzhou to reward Song Jiang's vanguard army with gifts.

Now then, Song Jiang stationed his troops at Changzhou and sent Dai Zong to Xuanzhou and Huzhou to Lu Junyi's camp with urgent dispatches calling for reinforcements. Meanwhile, scouts reported that Lü Shumi had fled back to Wuxi County and had joined forces with Suzhou's relief troops, preparing to advance and meet them in battle. When Song Jiang received this intelligence, he dispatched ten generals—both cavalry and infantry commanders—with ten thousand soldiers to march south to meet the enemy. The ten generals were Guan Sheng, Qinming, Zhu Tong, Li Ying, Lu Zhishen, Wu Song, Li Kui, Bao Xu, Xiang Chong, and Li Gun. At once, Guan Sheng and the others led the vanguard out of the city, took leave of Song Jiang, and departed with their fellow generals.

Now then, Dai Zong, having gathered intelligence on the progress of the armies from Xuanzhou and Huzhou, returned with Chai Jin to see Song Jiang and reported that the Vice Marshal Lu Junyi had captured Xuanzhou and had specially sent Lord Chai to deliver the news of victory. Song Jiang was overjoyed. Chai Jin arrived at the prefectural office, paid his respects, and Song Jiang offered him a welcoming drink. They sat together in the rear hall, and Song Jiang asked for a detailed account of how Marshal Lu had taken Xuanzhou. Chai Jin produced the official report and showed it to Song Jiang, giving a full account of the battle for Xuanzhou.

Fang La's garrison commander at Xuanzhou, Jia Yuqing, had six subordinate officers under him, all natives of Shezhou and Muzhou. The six were Li Shao, Han Ming, Du Jingchen, Lu'an, Pan Jun, and Cheng Shengzu. On that day, Jia Yuqing divided the six officers into three columns to sally forth and engage the enemy, and Marshal Lu likewise divided his army into three columns to meet them. In the center, Hu Yanzhuo fought Li Shao, while Dongping faced Han Ming. After ten exchanges, Han Ming was killed by Dongping's twin spears. Li Shao fled. The central army was utterly routed. On the left, Lin Chong fought Du Jingchen, while Suo Chao faced Lu'an. Lin Chong pierced Du Jingchen to death with his serpent spear, and Suo Chao cleaved Lu'an with his axe. On the right, Zhang Qing fought Pan Jun, while Mu Hong faced Cheng Shengzu. Zhang Qing struck down Pan Jun with a stone, and the Tiger-Killing General Li Zhong pursued and cut him down. Cheng Shengzu abandoned his horse and fled back. That day they defeated four generals in succession, and the rebel troops retreated into the city. Marshal Lu urgently pressed his generals to seize the city and had reached the gate when, quite unexpectedly, the rebels on the city wall hurled down a massive millstone, which killed one of his lieutenants. Arrows rained down from the wall like drops of rain, and the arrowheads were all poisoned. Two of his lieutenants were struck and had barely reached the camp when both died from their wounds. Marshal Lu, having lost three generals, pressed the assault on the city through the night. The rebel general guarding the east gate was not vigilant, and so Xuanzhou was taken. Li Shao was killed in the chaos of battle, while Jia Yuqing led the remnants of his defeated army toward Huzhou. Lu Zhishen was trapped on the battlefield and his whereabouts were unknown. The millstone had killed the Pale-Faced Gentleman Zheng Tianshou. The two who had been struck by poisoned arrows were the Knife-Wielding Demon Cao Zheng and the Lightning-Flying Dame Wang Dingliu. When Song Jiang heard that he had lost three more brothers, he let out a great wail and collapsed to the ground. What had become of his internal organs was unknown, but first his four limbs lay limp and motionless. Truly:

"The flowers bloom only to be scattered by the wind again;

How can the bright moon endure when clouds and mist obscure it?"

What became of Song Jiang after he fell unconscious—whether he lived or died—will be told in the next chapter.