The story of Longchang Archway_ Li Jishou outwits the bandits
Author: Fan Li
"Report--", with the loud sound of the servants, a nailed official document arrived at the county capital. The nailed documents of the Qing Dynasty were official documents of urgency. The four corners of the envelope are nailed to indicate confidentiality. A feather is inserted in each of the upper two corners to indicate emergency. The newspaper horse that delivered the official documents hung a large string of brass bells around its neck. All the way running, all the way ringing, this is the signal. When the people at the main road station heard the brass bell ringing, they immediately prepared the same fast horse and waited at the big road junction. As soon as the messenger arrived, he rolled his saddle and dismounted, stepped onto the newly prepared horse, and continued on his way. The so-called change of horses does not change people, the horse does not stop.
Li Jishou of Zhixian County, who had just taken office for two days, had a serious face and quickly took over the documents to read the contents carefully: "Longchang County Order Li Jishou personally learned: Zhang Cewan, a native of Macheng, Hubei Province, entangled a group of bandits to Longchang Genting for many years. It has now been ascertained that they have colluded with the anti-Party and have plotted against the Party. If the arrest is not slack, it can be summarily executed. Qing Xianfeng 4 June 12 Sichuan Prefecture Capital. ”
Li Jishou's eyebrows tightened, and he straightened out his thoughts: "It has been less than two days since Guiling, Guangxi, to Longchang, and I have not had time to meet with the squires of the people, and most of the cases in my hands are related to bandits." Wang Sanmanzi robbed the rice shop in the city during the day; Zhu Lao Siming could not rob it, and a fire destroyed the entire Taiping Cloth Village; Xie Shanghe broke into the people's house and robbed the young daughter of the Li family to go up the mountain to become a wife. The clues seized by the servants were all related to the first Black Nine of the Leopard Gully Bandits in Genting Mountain, Genting Town, on the edge of the city. This black nine, ferocious and violent, is entrenched on the top of the mountain, often seducing and coercing the surrounding prime-aged men to join the bandit nest. It is said that the accent is from the Hubei area. Is this black nine or Zhang Cewan? Thinking of this, Li Zhixian slapped several cases and counted them into his heart.
The next day, two people dressed in foreign costumes appeared in the city. Dressed in rags, with a face of vegetables, like a beggar called Hanako. They went from village to village, asking for food and complaining. All the way to Genting Town, everyone sighed, begging for food is not as good as being a bandit. Not long after, he was blinded by the bandits on the mountain, and pushed and shoved all the way to the leopard ditch.
The blindfolded two stumbled along the road. This mountain road is crisscrossed with trees and weeds. It is the place where Long, Fu and Lu intersect. The so-called chicken chirping two cities and three counties can be heard. Because after the bandits committed the crime, they could quickly flee to another county to hide, and usually the county would not cross the county to catch people, so the mountain had long been surrounded by several nests of bandits led by Zhang Heijiu. There were several passes hidden in the wild grass and barren forest on the mountain, and the bandits were familiar with the terrain and fled along the pass. Several county officials repeatedly caught bandits, but in the end, because the mountain roads were steep and the road conditions were complicated, officers and soldiers turned around in the labyrinth-like mountain forest, always throwing themselves into the air.
The blindfolded two men walked for about half an hour before being taken to the bandit lobby. I saw that in the middle of the hall, a tall bull and a strong man with a face full of flesh were sitting on a wooden chair. His face was dark, and he pulled an eye mask on his face, revealing a one-eyed glare. A person next to him shouted, "Whoever comes, don't kneel down for Zhang Bang lord." The two men showed a look of fear, and one of them whispered in a trembling voice: "We were originally cooks in a small shop, because of the fight, we lost our lives, evaded arrest, and begged for food all the way here." Ask the Lord to take it in, and the little one will try his best to cook and serve the Helper. The other did not dare to look up, and said softly, "Please help the Lord to take it in." This Zhang Gang Leader is Zhang Cewan, because one eye wears an eye mask all year round, and is called one-eyed Zhang, also known as Zhang Heijiu. This one-eyed Zhang heard that he was a cook, and immediately came to the spirit. Immediately left the two men behind. It turned out that most of the bandits on this mountain were lazy and lazy, and they fiddled with the things they snatched, and they couldn't eat a good taste. No, it's better to come sooner rather than coincidentally.
Subsequently, the two men were often sent up and down the mountain to and from the mountains, to buy materials and goods, and to pick up dishes and wine. One-Eyed Zhang nibbled on the oily chicken legs and drank fine wine, and was very satisfied with the cooking skills of the two.
On this day, the county yamen suddenly issued an order to summon the gentry, merchants, and people in the city to gather at the yamen gate.
In the open dam, the servants stood in two rows, looking majestic and solemn. A thin man of about forty years old, with his eyes like a bright eye, walked to the center of the dam, hugged his fist and said loudly: "Dear fellow villagers, I have been coming to Longchang for half a month, forgive me, I only came to meet you today." This is to send a meet and greet gift. Only to see him wave his hand, the four county magistrates quickly carried a mangy man out. This man, tied up in a soft rope, could not move at all. The villagers wiped their eyes and wiped them, and they were happy and surprised. Happily, this reckless man is the one-eyed bandit leader who often comes down the mountain to disturb the people. What was shocking was that the county official who spoke was the one who asked for food in the city a few days ago, named Hanako.
Moreover, on that day, after Li Zhixian received the state capital's anti-bandit document, he frowned and frowned, and then he counted his heart. If you rely on hard fighting, the number of dead and wounded troops is not to be said, and the chances of victory are not very good. Only by knowing oneself and knowing the other can one never lose a battle. He carefully selected an entourage who was skilled in martial arts and could cook food, disguised himself as Hanako, and gained Zhang Heijiu's trust. Several times up and down the mountain, the daily whereabouts of the bandits were found out, and the labyrinth-like terrain was drawn into a detailed map, accurately marking the multiple pass strongholds where the bandits entered and exited.
On this day, the bandits went down the mountain and robbed it, and Zhang Heijiu ordered that he drink all night. Li Zhixian felt that the time was ripe and added "ingredients" to the meal. Dozens of bandits were drunk and drowsy. After receiving the instructions of Old Master Li to light the fire, the fast head under the mountain carried the light goods of the rope, and the soldiers divided into several roads and went up the mountain according to the map; in the place marked with the exit, they sent archers and knife and gunners to hold them, and put on the fire system and fast guns to block the encirclement and suppression.
The martial arts master's entourage had already tied up the one-eyed Zhang who was sleeping soundly. The thief captured the king first, lost the bandits commanded by the bandits, and although they were powerless, they also jumped up and down and fled in all directions, but they did not expect that all the exits were guarded. Li Zhixian just happened to catch turtles in an urn to catch them, and the cloth soldiers would take all the leopard ditch bandits.
Li Jishou knew that this soldier in the county did not have a bloody blade, and his act of destroying the bandits' nests overnight made other bandits inside and outside the county town feel frightened and fled. In less than half a year, the scene of living and working in peace and contentment of farming and mulberry horses was gradually restored in Longchang City.
At that time, there was a folk song in Longchang that sang:
"Old Master Li's soldiers are heavenly soldiers, quelling bandits and chaos, persuading farming, and organizing armor and training regiments to ensure peace; Old Master Li's heart wins the hearts of the people, builds schools, loves the people, and strives to rule the county."
In the fifth year of Xianfeng, the county people built a Li Ji Shou De Zheng Fang in guanchun niuping in the south of the county town. The deep relief sculpture on the southern lintel is carved with patterns such as "Golden Temple Trial Thorn", "Taigong Fishing", "Chen Xuan Sleeping Game" and other motifs, which are used to praise Li Jishou's political achievements in strategizing, cutting out bandits, and protecting the border and the people.
The image comes from the Internet
About the Author
Fan Li, female, from Longchang, Sichuan Province. Worked for an executive of a group of companies. Pen name Lanlan, Blue. He is a member of Neijiang Writers Association, a member of Neijiang Poetry Association, and the deputy secretary-general of Longchang Writers Association. The text can be found in "Sichuan Tourism", "Sichuan CPPCC Daily", "Tianxia Yunshan", "Phoenix Literature", "Neijiang Daily", "Lianfeng", "Longchang Propaganda", "Guhu Wenyuan". Published the poetry collection "Youth Poetry Reader".