Shi Dakai: Valuing righteousness over wealth
Shi Dakai, a renowned general of the Taiping Army, was originally a scholar and a wealthy man. He admired the chivalrous spirit and enjoyed associating with people from all walks of life, resulting in many guests at his residence, though not all were carefully chosen, with many being unemployed wanderers from Guangdong and Guangxi. Shi Dakai spent his days riding horses, practicing archery, and engaging in swordplay with dozens of strong men for entertainment.
About 10 miles from Shi Dakai’s residence was a mountain on a major thoroughfare. A notorious bandit had taken control of this mountain, robbing and killing travelers without exception. A merchant from Fujian, carrying a large sum of money, planned to pass through this mountain and was deeply worried upon hearing about the bandits. Having heard of Shi Dakai’s reputation, he visited him, explained his plight, and begged for protection.
Shi Dakai agreed, kept the merchant at his home, and prepared to select strong men to escort him over the mountain. Upon learning of this, the bandits had many informants, and the bandit leader was furious and led over a hundred followers to confront Shi Dakai, demanding the merchant be handed over.
Upon hearing of the bandits’ arrival, Shi Dakai immediately opened the door and invited them in, saying: “What you seek is merely wealth. I think of the Fujian merchant who has traveled far from home, enduring hardships to earn a small profit. If you take his capital, how can he return east? He would be left to die in a ditch! I cannot bear this, so I dare to plead for him.”
Shi Dakai then asked the merchant how much silver he had brought, and the merchant replied: “Five thousand taels.” Shi Dakai opened his chest, took out five thousand taels of silver, placed it on the table, and said: “I offer this humble gift to you, brave men, to plead on behalf of the merchant. If you show him mercy, it is as if you show mercy to me.”
The bandit leader and his followers looked at each other in amazement and sighed: “It is said that Mr. Shi values righteousness over wealth, and it is true! What we do is truly inhumane! The Fujian merchant can proceed without worry, but we cannot accept Mr. Shi’s kindness; please allow us to decline.” Shi Dakai was overjoyed and hosted a banquet to bid the merchant farewell, inviting the bandits.
They drank heartily, shared their thoughts, and felt they had met too late. After the joyful gathering, the merchant departed, and the bandits also left. Shi Dakai insisted on giving them five thousand taels of silver, which they reluctantly accepted only half of.
After returning to their mountain hideout, the bandits were grateful to Shi Dakai and wanted to repay him. Upon hearing about Shi Dakai’s birthday, they brought gifts of gold, jade, and delicate fabrics to celebrate. Shi Dakai hosted a three-day feast, and the bandits were in attendance. However, someone jealous of Shi Dakai reported to the county magistrate, accusing him of harboring bandits and warning that failure to eliminate him could lead to local trouble.
The magistrate, coveting Shi Dakai’s wealth, seized the opportunity to confiscate his property and immediately led troops to arrest him. At the time, the guests had not yet left, and Shi Dakai and the bandits were imprisoned. Shi Dakai had a close friendship with Yang Xiuqing of Guiping County, who led people to rescue Shi Dakai and others upon hearing of this. Shi Dakai fled to Guiping County and soon joined Hong Xiuquan’s uprising, eventually becoming a significant rebel against the Qing Dynasty.
The bandit leader seeks medical treatment from a village doctor
A friend of mine has a family in Shandong, where his grandfather was a renowned doctor. Bandits frequently raided their village. When the bandits’ horsemen passed through the village at midnight, every household would tightly shut their doors, and no one dared to make a sound. The crops were often looted; if the bandits saw a horse, they would take it and brand it with a hot iron, making it theirs permanently.
One day, the bandit leader was injured and had no choice but to seek medical treatment from my friend’s grandfather. The grandfather did not say much but set a condition, asking the leader to promise not to raid the village again. The bandit leader was healed, and from then on, whenever his horsemen passed through the area, they would avoid the village. Occasionally, when passing through at midnight, they would leave some grain at the grandfather’s door. He never forgot the life-saving kindness of my friend’s grandfather.
In the past, patients who recovered from illness were deeply grateful to their doctors, often returning with gifts as a token of appreciation, much like visiting relatives. Even bandits could do this, and ordinary people were even more so. Some patients, though poor, would gather precious monkey head mushrooms from the mountains to express their gratitude after regaining health.
Yuan Danzi admits defeat
Yuan Danzi was a famous bandit known for his skill with slingshots. He claimed that if a sparrow flew by, he could precisely hit its eye or mouth. Even in the dark, he could hit a target with unerring accuracy. At the age of 29 or 29, he instructed his apprentice to rob a traveler. The apprentice fired a shot, and the traveler caught the lead pellet in his hand, asking: “Are you Yuan Danzi?” The apprentice replied: “I am his apprentice.” The traveler said: “Call your master here.”
The next day, Yuan Danzi and his apprentice arrived. The apprentice fired a shot first, and the traveler caught the pellet in his hand, saying: “Got it!” He then returned the shot, hitting the apprentice in the head, killing him instantly. Yuan Danzi then fired two shots, which the traveler caught with each hand. The traveler threw one back with his left hand, and Yuan dodged to the left, but the pellet pierced his right ear. The traveler then threw the other back with his right hand, and Yuan dodged to the right, but his left ear was pierced. With both ears in pain, he could no longer fire.
The traveler laughed, saying: “Your eyesight is better than your apprentice’s, so I didn’t hit your head — but your pellets are too light.” The traveler took out a pellet the size of a cup and said: “I’ll hit your horse’s eye!” Instantly, Yuan’s horse fell, hit in the eye. The traveler took out another pellet and said: “I’ll hit your apprentice’s horse’s ear!” The pellet went in one ear and out the other.
The traveler laughed and said: “Among the travelers, many have skills far superior to mine. With such limited ability, how dare you look down on others?” From then on, Yuan Danzi dared not continue his banditry and became more humble. With both ears damaged, people began to call him Yuan Que’er, meaning “Yuan with Missing Ears.”
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