Heroes Rise To Action In Qizhou City; The Duke Of Tang Encounters Bandits At Zhishu Ridge (2)

One day, Fan Hu came to see Qin Qiong and said:

“Recently, famine has struck the lands of Qi and Lu, and thieves and bandits have multiplied. The authorities have been unable to suppress them. Yesterday, the prefectural governor ordered me to recruit several capable men to pursue and arrest bandits in our district. Your younger brother mentioned you, saying that your martial skills surpass those of ordinary men and that you are a hero without equal. I offered to let you serve as chief constable while I became your deputy. The governor was delighted and instructed me to invite you to take the position.”

Qin Qiong replied:

“Brother, a man is fortunate if he does not have to serve an official. My family has been one of generals for generations. If I should achieve success, I would like to command troops for the state, slay enemy generals, seize their banners, and expand our borders. I might thereby win honors for my parents, privileges for my descendants, and a title for my wife. If I achieve nothing, these few acres of poor land and several pear and jujube trees are enough to support my aged mother and raise my wife and children. In these few dilapidated rooms, with village wine and young chickens, I can still laugh and talk with kindred spirits. When my ambition becomes too strong to restrain, since I cannot compose poems or essays or play the zither, I can take up a spear or staff to work it off. Why should I bow my head before corrupt officials and obey their orders? If we catch a thief, they take the credit; if we recover stolen goods, they take the money. Even after we exhaust ourselves capturing several robbers, an official may accept a bribe and release them, then accuse us of falsely arresting honest men. If he expects us to collude with him, frame innocent people, and fill his pockets, our consciences will not permit it. What would we be doing in such employment? I will not go!”

Fan Hu said:

“Brother, official rank is attained by rising from small positions to great ones, and merit is accumulated through minor achievements. Han Xin himself began as an ordinary soldier. You cannot take up the writing brush and win advancement through literary accomplishments. Your father and grandfather have passed away, so you can no longer rely on their patronage. Your only means of making your way in the world is through sword and spear. It would be better to accept the post.”

Ashamed that no inspired brush blooms in the night,
He trusts his spear and halberd to establish his house.
Uncut jade lies hidden in the Jing Mountains, unrecognized;
A sharp awl must thrust itself through its enclosing bag.

As they were speaking, Qin Qiong’s mother came out. She greeted Fan Hu respectfully and said:

“My son, your ambitions are exceedingly great, but Brother Fan’s words are reasonable. You cannot spend all your days wandering idly without an occupation. Once you enter official service, you will be subject to certain restraints and will no longer dare act recklessly. If you can accomplish something by arresting bandits and earn some merit, that would be good. I have heard that your late father-in-law also began as a guard in the Eastern Palace. You should not be so inflexible.”

Qin Qiong was a filial son. After hearing his mother’s words, he dared say nothing further.

The following day, the two men went together to see the governor. His surname was Liu and his given name Fangsheng. When he saw Qin Qiong, he beheld a man of imposing appearance:

A lofty bearing like rosy clouds,
An awe-inspiring presence like frost and snow.
A bear’s waist and tiger’s back, rugged and powerful;
A swallow’s chin and tiger’s head, majestic and handsome.
His voice resounded like thunder in spring,
His five locks of beard stirred in the wind.
His bright eyes shone like distant stars;
He seemed a portrait of Lord Guan.

Governor Liu said:

“Are you Qin Qiong? This position ordinarily requires appointment according to merit. But since Fan Hu is willing to yield precedence to you, I presume you are a capable man. I shall appoint both of you as chief constables. You must perform your duties diligently.”

The two thanked him and withdrew.

Fan Hu said:

“Brother, the bandits around Qizhou are all mounted robbers. To pursue and capture them, we must have swift mounts. We shall need good horses.”

Qin Qiong said:

“Tomorrow, let us go to Jia Runfu’s establishment and have a look.”

The next day, Qin Qiong put some silver in his sleeve and accompanied Fan Hu to the western part of the city. As it happened, Jia Runfu was at home, and they exchanged greetings.

Fan Hu said:

“Brother Shubao has just become a chief constable in charge of catching bandits. We have come especially to find him a mount.”

Jia Runfu said to Shubao:

“Congratulations on obtaining this post, brother. It is a business that can bring in plenty of money, but also a heap of responsibility. I only fear that you will refuse to engage in such practices as arresting innocent men in place of criminals, making false accusations of theft, and implicating people in fabricated cases. If you were willing to do those things, what would prevent you from accumulating a fortune as solid as a bronze measure?”

Shubao replied:

“I will not commit such unconscionable acts. Have you any good horses here?”

Jia Runfu said:

“Several arrived only yesterday.”

The two men walked arm in arm to the rear stables. There they saw blue-gray horses, purple bays, chestnuts, black steeds, yellow horses, and white chargers; dappled mounts with mottled coats and long-bodied black horses. Some neighed, some leaped, some lay down, some rolled about, some ate grass, and others bit at fleas. Together they formed a scene as splendid as embroidered clouds. Was there a single horse among them that did not deserve these words?

Ears sharp as split bamboo, light hooves swift as wind;
Worthy of trust in life and death, fit to roam ten thousand li.

Jianwei looked over the horses, selecting only the tallest, largest, and strongest.

“This one is good! That one is good!”

At last, he settled upon a dark chestnut horse, while Shubao selected a yellow horse.

Runfu said:

“Let us test the judgment of you two gentlemen.”

The horses were led out of the rear stables. Jianwei immediately mounted the chestnut, while Shubao mounted the yellow horse. They loosened their reins and sped away like smoke.

The chestnut set off with tremendous speed, while the yellow horse seemed to make little effort. But when they returned, the chestnut had noticeably slowed and raised dust beneath its hooves, while the yellow horse remained swift, raising no dust, and was also docile.

Jia Runfu said:

“The yellow horse is indeed the better of the two.”

Shubao accordingly decided to buy it. The dealer demanded one hundred taels of silver, while Shubao offered seventy. Jia Runfu proposed eighty taels, but the dealer refused. Runfu therefore contributed some of his own money to make up the difference, and the sale was finally concluded. They drew up a contract, then drank at Jia Runfu’s house until they were pleasantly intoxicated before returning home. In later days, Shubao would owe much to the strength of this yellow horse.

One day, a group of convicted criminals was suddenly assigned to their custody. They were robbers who had attempted theft but had not obtained any property. Under the law, they were to be sent into military service and assigned to the garrisons at Zezhou and Luzhou in Pingyang Prefecture. Governor Liu feared that something might go wrong and ordered Fan Hu and Qin Qiong to escort the prisoners separately. Jianwei was to proceed to Zezhou and Shubao to Luzhou, both in the Shanxi region, and they were to travel together for part of the journey.

Shubao therefore had to prepare his belongings and bid farewell to his mother and wife. Accompanied by Jianwei, he first went to the Ministry of War in Chang’an to register their destinations, after which they would proceed toward Shanxi.

The traveler journeys to the ends of the earth;
His aged mother’s thoughts follow him ten thousand li.
At parting, they clasp each other’s sleeves again and again;
Let neither letters nor tidings cease between them.