Instructor Hong took off his clothes, and tucked up his short underskirt in his belt. He then dragged a cudgel out of the bundle, and raised it above his head. He again called out, “Come on! Come on! Come on!”
Chai Jin said, “Now, Lin, let me see what you can do.”
Lin Chong asked Chai Jin not to laugh at him. He then picked up a cudgel, and said, “Master, please give me a lesson.”
At this Hong was so angry that he would have liked to swallow Lin Chong at one gulp.
Lin Chong raised his cudgel above his head and brought it down with a blow in “Shandong style.” At the same time Hong brought his cudgel down in a horizontal sweeping motion. The two men fought about five bouts in the moonlight, and then Lin Chong suddenly jumped clear of the cudgel, and called out for a rest.
Chai Jin asked why he was not using all his ability.
Lin Chong said, “I have lost.”
Chai Jin said, “I have not seen any display of skill so how can you be defeated?”
Lin Chong said, “But I am wearing this cangue so I must lose.”
Chai Jin said, “Ah! I had quite overlooked that.” He laughed loudly and said, “That is soon remedied.” He then told the servants to bring ten taels of silver. He also told the two constables to take off the cangue, and he would be entirely responsible for it should there be any inquiry at the prison the following day. He then gave the two constables the ten taels of silver.
The two constables saw that Chai Jin had such a splendid appearance that they did not care to oppose his will. They were also not afraid of Lin Chong running away so they took off the cangue.
Chai Jin was pleased and said, “Now you two Drill Instructors can try again.”
Drill Instructor Hong thought that Lin Chong was weak in his use of the cudgel so he despised him. He raised his cudgel, and waited for an opportunity of using it.
Chai Jin called out, “Wait for a moment.” He then instructed the servants to bring an ingot of silver which they did immediately and set it before him. It weighed twenty-five taels. He then said, “You two Drill Instructors can now continue your practice. I have here an ingot of silver which I will give to the winner.” He purposely put the ingot of silver on the ground so that Lin Chong seeing it would exert all his skill in fencing.
Drill Instructor Hong was very jealous that Lin Chong had come there. He wanted the money, but was afraid that he might be defeated and lose his reputation. But he raised his cudgel above his head in readiness to strike downwards.
Lin Chong thought that Chai Jin wanted him to win. He took his cudgel, and held it horizontally in readiness to repel a downward stroke of his opponent.
Drill Instructor Hong again shouted out, “Come on! Come on! Come on!” and so saying, he brought down his cudgel. But Lin Chong avoided the blow by taking a step back. Hong raised his cudgel again, and taking a step forward again struck at Lin Chong. Again he missed, and Lin Chong now saw that Hong was not placing his feet in the best position, so he quickly raised his cudgel, and making a sweeping horizontal motion struck Hong on his ankle just as the latter tried to move away. Hong fell down, and his cudgel also lay on the ground.
Chai Jin was much pleased to see this, and told the servants to bring the wine. The onlookers all laughed when they saw Drill Instructor Hong fall down. As Hong did not get up, they came forward and raised him up. Hong was so extremely ashamed of himself that he just walked away.
Chai Jin took Lin Chong by the hand, and lead him into the hall to drink wine. He then told the servants to bring the ingot of silver, and give it to Lin Chong, but the latter declined to receive it. But after being much pressed he agreed to take it.
After that Lin Chong stayed with Chai Jin for several days, and was well treated with wine and food. But after seven days the constables were urging Lin Chong to depart so Chai Jin prepared a feast for their final leave taking, and wrote a letter. He said, “The Prefect at Cangzhou is a friend of mine, and I am on intimate terms with the superintendent of the jail there. So you can present this letter to them, and they will treat you well.” He then gave Lin Chong another ingot of silver. He also gave each of the constables five taels of silver.
The following day soon after breakfast Chai Jin ordered men to carry the three men’s baggage. Lin Chong put the cangue on again and bid goodbye to Squire Chai Jin. The latter accompanied them as far as the gate of the village, and there said to Lin Chong, “After a few days I will send a man with some winter clothing for you.”
Lin Chong expressed his thanks, and said, “How can I ever repay you?”
The three men then departed, and reached Cangzhou about noon the same day. The porters who had carried the baggage were sent back. The official dispatch was presented and the official took Lin Chong to the magistrate. The latter then sealed an order confining Lin Chong to the prison, and also a reply to Kaifeng which was handed to the two constables to take back.
At the jail Lin Chong was placed by himself in a cell where he awaited inspection. A great number of the prisoners came to his room to talk with him. They said, “The head jailer at this place is an awful fellow, and demands money and things from the prisoners. If you give him your money and things he will treat you well. But if you do not give him money he will confine you in a hole in the ground and he will be absolutely indifferent whether you live or die. If you give him money he will not beat you with the bamboo, and if you say you are ill the punishment will be postponed. If you do not give him money he will beat you until you are almost dead.”
Lin Chong said, “Brothers, thanks for your information. But if he asks for money how much should I give him.”
The prisoners said, “It will be best if you give both the head jailer and the prison superintendent five taels of silver each.”
Just as they were saying this the head jailer came and said, “Where is that soldier who has been banished?”
Lin Chong replied, “I am the man.”
As the head jailer did not see Lin Chong get his money ready he changed his countenance, and cursed him saying, “You banished thief! Why don’t you kneel when you see me instead of replying in that way. Do you know what trouble you have brought about at the Eastern Capital? Now you are still so proud to me. I see that you are a banished thief with all your face wrinkled with starvation, and that you will never have good luck during the remainder of your life. You are a stupid prisoner whom beating and torture could not kill! But your bones will soon be in my hands, and then I will grind them to powder, and chop up your body. It won’t be long before you get your deserts!”
This abuse made Lin Chong so frightened that he did not even raise his head or reply. The prisoners listened to it all, and then went away. Lin Chong waited until he had finished saying this and then took out five taels of silver, and smiling said, “Elder brother, and head jailer, I offer you this trifling present.”
The head jailer said, “Is this to be divided between me and the superintendent?”
Lin Chong said, “That is for you, and I will also trouble you to give the superintendent this ten taels of silver.”
The head jailer laughed and said, “Drill Instructor Lin, I have heard of your good name. You are really a fine fellow. I think that Marshal Gao Qiu, wishes to injure you. But although you are in trouble now, you
