Chapter 18: Head-Shaving

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With the plan settled, Boss Hu and Song Xianggong discussed it a little further and decided there was no need to wait seven days before striking Luoding. Instead, while the brothers were still full of fight, they would set out for Luoding now and make their move once it got dark.

Song Xianggong explained that the matter was, after all, still far too dangerous. Although the plan was good and indeed workable, whether it ultimately succeeded still depended on luck.

Right now the brothers had been stirred up, but what if they woke up and started thinking it over, and some of them got scared? Then the whole thing would most likely fall apart.

And if no one was willing to go, even as their leader, Boss Hu could not force them into a death-seeking venture. If he pushed too hard, these men might even turn on each other.

Zhou Shixiang thought it over and agreed that this was indeed the case. If they really waited seven days before setting out, then the longer the night, the more dreams — this affair would likely die in the womb. So he agreed to act at once.

The group then discussed in detail how to strike once inside the city, how those outside would coordinate, and how to handle any mishaps. Once everything was settled, Boss Hu went out and announced the decision to the crowd of men who had long been waiting impatiently.

At once, the men boiled over with excitement, every one of them rubbing his fists and wiping his palms, too impatient to wait.

The bald, burly man who had once cursed Zhou Shixiang as a madman sharpened his blade over and over, afraid that when they struck at night, it would not cut the Qing soldiers fast enough.

The men's fine fighting spirit greatly satisfied Zhou Shixiang. Although their thinking and motives were entirely different from his own, it did not dampen his mood in the least.

In his view, persuading these bandits to attack Luoding was the first step. Only by accomplishing this first step could there be a second.

If even the first step could not be completed, then any talk of a second or third step would be a joke.

To encourage his men to fight bravely that night, Boss Hu specially ordered that a sheep they had seized on a raid down the mountain some days earlier be slaughtered.

At this, the men grew even more delighted, each one shouting that they would eat their fill, drink their fill, and kill Tartars. There were several jars of wine in the stronghold, but Boss Hu absolutely dared not bring them out.

He knew his men too well — once they drank, too many of them turned reckless, and it would surely ruin the operation.

While one side busied themselves slaughtering the sheep and the other hurried to set up the pot, Zhou Shixiang still had one problem that had to be solved first: how to slip into Luoding city — for the Mongol Tartars had not required the Han to shave their heads!

Of all the men on Daqiao Mountain, apart from one "brilliantly bald" fellow, none had shaved their heads. No matter how blind the Qing troops in Luoding were, no matter how lax their vigilance, they would never let a group of unshaven Han men slip into the city.

And the key to seizing Luoding lay in the agents inside the city. If the agents could not get in, then the whole affair would fall through.

With luck, they might withdraw intact; without it, they would likely die at Luoding.

Zhou Shixiang put the problem to Song Xianggong. Song Xianggong had long been prepared, and told Zhao Sihai to fetch four Daoist robes from his room.

"We'll disguise ourselves as Daoist priests to enter the city. The Tartars won't suspect a thing." Song Xianggong spoke with great certainty, and, fearing Zhou Shixiang might not believe him, added with emphasis, "When I went to Luoding, I went dressed as a Daoist priest."

Looking at these four Daoist robes, caked with who knew how much grime, Zhou Shixiang recalled that after the Manchus entered the pass and forced the Han to shave their heads, many Han who refused to shave disguised themselves as Daoist priests or opera performers to evade the head-shaving decree.

"Four Daoist robes probably won't be enough. I mean that at least ten men should enter the city. More hands mean more strength, and it's safer too."

When Sesame Li took Xuzhou, he sent only four men disguised as river-dredging laborers into the city. But that was three hundred years ago. Zhou Shixiang had no wish to try to draw a tiger and end up with a cat, so he insisted that the number of agents entering the city be doubled — at least ten.

"There are only four Daoist robes. The others have no way to slip into the city." Song Xianggong looked troubled.

Peng Dazhu, who had been listening nearby, suddenly reminded him, "Mr. Song, didn't we seize some opera costumes last month?"

At this, Song Xianggong could not help rolling his eyes at him. "Those are clothes for young ladies and maidservants. Can you wear them?"

"Uh..." Peng Dazhu's face reddened, and he dared not make another sound.

Ignoring him, Song Xianggong turned back and asked Zhou Shixiang, "Does Brother Zhou have any ideas?"

Zhou Shixiang was also at a loss. He thought and thought, and finally could only say, "The best way is to shave our heads."

"Shave our heads?" Peng Dazhu leapt up at once. "That won't do! Our bodies, hair, and skin are received from our parents — how can we shave them off!"

Zhou Shixiang asked him in return, "If shaving our heads lets us enter the city, kill more Qing soldiers, seize Luoding, and make the brothers rich, then why can't this hair be shaved?"

"That..." Peng Dazhu could not think of a rebuttal, and fell silent with his head lowered.

As for shaving heads, Song Xianggong had no psychological burden, and Boss Hu had even less. For the moment, he could not think of any better way to slip into the city besides shaving, so he made the decision: "Fine, then we shave!" His gaze swept over his men. "Who goes first?"

The men all averted their eyes from Boss Hu's gaze, and Peng Dazhu ducked straight to the back. Seeing that no one was willing to shave, Zhao Sihai grinned and stepped forward.

"If none of you will shave, then I will.

As long as we can wash Luoding clean, even shaving this old man bald would be worth it!"

"It's just hair. Shave it off and it grows back. No argument — we two brothers will shave too!"

Seeing Zhao Sihai step forward, Ge Wu was unwilling to be outdone, and dragged his younger brother Ge Liu forward to ask to shave as well. Seeing this, several more men came forward one after another.

Now there were men willing to shave, but a new problem arose. The men of Daqiao Mountain had done all sorts of trades, but none had ever been a barber, so how to shave the hair became a difficulty.

"The Tartars' queue looks like a rat's tail, and the tip has to be thin enough to thread through a copper coin.

If it isn't shaved right, the Tartars will spot it at a glance. Better not to shave at all than to be recognized by the Tartars."

Peng Dazhu had finally found a reason against shaving, and his face lit up with excitement.

Song Xianggong also said helplessly to Zhou Shixiang, "Shaving, we can all manage. But tying the queue is another matter. If it's tied wrong, it'll only cause trouble. Perhaps we should think of another way?"

"We can't delay any longer." Zhou Shixiang frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Aren't there women in the stronghold? Call them over to tie the queues. If it's work we men can't do, surely they can?"

At this, Song Xianggong nodded. "That makes sense. Women have nimble fingers; tying queues should be no problem for them."

"I'll go fetch them!"

Ge Wu was eager to get to Luoding and make his fortune, unwilling to waste even a moment. He immediately rushed off to the riverside to bring the women.

When Ge Wu brought over the dozen or so women who had been washing clothes by the river, they saw the bandits staring at them one by one and at once grew frightened. Cowed by the long-standing authority of these bandits, none of them dared move.

Zhou Shixiang sighed inwardly.

Among the women he spotted a familiar figure — the mute little girl who had brought him food the night before was now hiding behind a woman a head taller than herself, one hand clutching the woman's hem, the other clenched into a tiny fist from sheer nervousness and fear.

She seemed to notice Zhou Shixiang looking at her, and lowered her head even further.

Fearing that Ge Wu and the others might frighten the women, Zhou Shixiang stepped forward and explained the matter of shaving heads and tying queues to them in a gentle tone.

When they heard the bandits were going to shave their heads, the women's faces turned grim, clearly thinking these bandits meant to surrender to the Qing army.

Zhou Shixiang did not explain further to them.

He had the bald man with the gleaming blade shave Ge Wu and the others, then took from his bosom his own queue, still stained with blood, and showed the women the style, instructing them to tie the queues for Zhao Sihai and the rest according to that pattern.

The bald man's blade was truly sharp. In no time at all, he had shaved the heads of Zhao Sihai, Ge Wu, and the others completely clean, leaving only a tuft of hair at the back of the head — an exceedingly ugly sight.

Seeing the women still standing there dumbly, Ge Wu barked, "Get to it, quick! Whoever ties it wrong, I'll beat her half to death!"

At this, the women hurried forward and began tying the queues. The little mute girl also tremblingly stood behind Zhao Sihai, carefully tying his queue.

Zhou Shixiang watched for a while, then turned and walked away. Not far off, several men were cutting the slaughtered and cleaned mutton into chunks and dropping them into a large pot. Seeing Zhou Shixiang approach, they all grinned at him, clearly having already taken him for one of their own.

The fire burning under the iron pot was blazing. By the time the women finished tying the queues, the aroma of the mutton in the pot had already wafted out, and the meat had stewed tender — just looking at it made one's mouth water.

After checking that the queues were all in order, Song Xianggong walked over carrying Zhou Shixiang's queue. Seeing Zhou Shixiang staring at the women, he too sighed and said, "Brother Zhou must know these women were all seized. You find them pitiful, I suppose."

Zhou Shixiang said nothing, but his expression was one of silent admission. After a long while, he spoke: "We are going to Luoding, and we do not know whether we will succeed. If we should fail, what will become of these women?"

Song Xianggong did not answer, only gazed at the women in silence. The two stood there wordlessly for a while, until Boss Hu came to invite them to eat mutton.

By now the men of Daqiao Mountain were all gathered around the pot, endlessly teasing the shaven Zhao Sihai, Ge Wu, and the others, breaking into bursts of laughter from time to time. The women and the little mute girl stood far away, not daring to come near.

Though their faces showed no expression, their throats, without exception, trembled faintly.

To show his admiration and respect for Zhou Shixiang, Boss Hu specially filled a large bowl to the brim with mutton and presented it to him with both hands. Zhou Shixiang thanked him, then asked whether he might give the bowl of mutton to the little mute girl.

Boss Hu laughed heartily at this. He knew Zhou Shixiang was a scholar, soft-hearted, and must have taken pity on the skinny little girl. Not wanting to embarrass him, he let him do as he pleased.

Zhou Shixiang thanked him again, then carried the bowl of mutton, still hot enough to scald, over to the little mute girl. Under her puzzled and astonished gaze, he placed the bowl in her hands.

The little girl was stunned by Zhou Shixiang's gesture. She stared blankly at the mutton in the bowl, an indescribable ache in her heart. By the time she thought to express her thanks to Zhou Shixiang, she found he had already turned and walked away.

Him?

Watching Zhou Shixiang's tall figure, the little girl only then realized she still did not know this person's name. The women too sensed that Zhou Shixiang was different from those bandits, and their eyes were full of confusion.

Just as these women were feeling bewildered, Zhou Shixiang, already more than ten feet away, suddenly turned back and said to them, "If no one returns tomorrow, then go home."