Chapter 7: Isn't This Just Bullying Honest Folk?

In Linqu Village, the Diqi clan was run by two brothers. The family head was Diqi Biao. Elder Brother Biao was older and focused on managing the family's farmland in the hamlet.

His younger brother was called Diqi Bao. A chivalrous gallant by nature, he had gone out to seek his fortune as soon as he bound up his hair. It was said he had been a follower of the great gallant Yuan She of Maoling and had also knocked about in Chang'an — a man who had seen the wider world.

After Brother Bao returned, his manner was different. He claimed to be acquainted with many prominent figures in the Guanzhong gallant circles, men like Yan Ben of Yangling and Tumen Shao of Duling.

"Those fellows all call me brother — we drank together, we ate meat together! We swore a pact of life and death!"

The youths of the village believed his words and acclaimed Diqi Bao as the leader of the village gallants.

Though he bore the name of "gallant," Diqi Bao's conduct had not a shred of gallant spirit. He knew only how to bully others in the hamlet and strutted about all day with his underlings.

His elder brother Diqi Biao, as Precinct Chief, held an official position and was on good terms with the village Bailiff. This made the Diqi brothers utterly brazen when they bullied their neighbors.

As neighbors, the Diliu clan could endure other matters, but today's water dispute concerned next year's harvest and the life or death of the clan — they absolutely could not back down!

But how could the Diliu, honest farmers for generations, contend with village rowdies? Besides field slaves, the Diqi clan also kept a pack of idle, vicious youths who fought with extreme ruthlessness. Moreover, they had somehow found a way to obtain iron weapons. Diqi Bao brandished a ring-pommel saber, its blade flashing as he swung it at people, forcing the Diliu, who had only pitchforks, to retreat step by step.

Just then, an old white-haired man came galloping in on horseback, charging straight into the chaotic battlefield between the two clans.

Diwu Ba, with the Diwu clan braves close behind him, plunged into the fields like a sharp blade, cutting the men of Diliu and Diqi apart. Seeing Diqi Bao still chasing and beating Diliu Du, the old man snatched up a short cudgel, took aim at Diqi Bao, and hurled it!

Diwu Ba's strength was immense. The short cudgel spun through the air, sweeping across before everyone's eyes, and struck Diqi Bao square in the chest without the slightest deviation!

At ten paces, such power and accuracy were astonishing. The heavy blow sent the tall, burly Diqi Bao staggering backward, the saber nearly flying from his hand.

"Put those blades away, all of you!" Diwu Ba drew his sword, brows knitted in fury, and the sheer force of it made both clans recoil.

Diqi Bao, steadied by his clansmen, clutched his agonized chest and looked up at Diwu Ba, cursing: "Where did this old scoundrel come from, daring to ambush your father!" Swearing furiously, he made to step forward and reclaim his standing.

"Younger brother, hold!"

Diqi Biao immediately blocked his brother. Being older, he had been a child when Diwu Ba was the all-powerful village Patrol Officer and knew this old man was not to be trifled with. He merely had his clansmen fall back, stepped forward, and saluted Diwu Ba with clasped hands, smiling: "Uncle Cigong of the clan, what brings you here?"

"What brings me?" Cigong was Diwu Ba's courtesy name. He merely scratched his ear and said: "This old man was taking an afternoon nap at home when I heard a clamor nearby, disturbing everyone's peace. I came specially to see — whose chickens and ducks are squawking by the ditch?"

Diqi Bao indeed resembled a fighting cock with neck feathers bristling. At this insult, he was so furious the veins on his face bulged.

Diliu Du, his face covered in lumps from the beating, saw Diwu Ba as his savior. He circled around and bowed, saying pitifully: "Elder Cousin, you've come at just the right time. The Diqi clan has torn up the old water agreement and wants to cut off our family's lifeline!"

"Diliu Du, you can't just say whatever you please."

Diqi Biao retorted: "Diqi Hamlet has one hundred and twenty qing of land; your family has eighty. There's only one branch canal. Last year it was agreed that the water would be split sixty-forty. This month, my family uses it for eighteen days, yours for twelve. What's wrong with that?"

"Of course it's wrong!"

Diliu Du, already afraid of the Diqi clan, shrank behind Diwu Ba: "Never mind that this canal was originally dug by my family and the Diqi never lifted a finger, yet have used it for free for decades — my family endured that. But lately they've been utterly overbearing. He actually said that all the water in the first half of the month must be diverted into Diqi Hamlet, and only after they've finished using it does it become our turn."

"Elder Cousin, you know this — wheat planting has its fixed days. If you're late by a few days and miss the seasonal window, the harvest will be greatly reduced. What's more, there's been no rain for a long time. If you use up the first half of the month, what if the water dwindles or even stops in the second half?"

Indeed, when two hamlets divided water, the norm was to alternate days. Who ever heard of one side monopolizing it for half a month? Wasn't this just bullying honest folk?

The Diliu's arguments had been fruitless. The quarreling gradually turned to shoving and blows, and finally erupted into this great armed brawl between the two hamlets.

"So, it should follow the old rules — rotate daily, taking turns to open the sluice gate!" With Diwu Ba standing beside him, Diliu Du, like a fox borrowing a tiger's might, raised his voice considerably.

The two sides, separated by Diwu Ba, began shouting again: "My family has more land, so of course we get more!"

"So you get a bumper harvest, and we're just supposed to accept a poor yield and go hungry?"

"Diliu Du! This is a matter between your two families. It has nothing to do with the Diwu clan, does it? Aren't you ashamed, calling for reinforcements?"

"How is it unrelated? Cigong is an elder of the clan — he must uphold justice for my family!"

As Diliu Du spoke, he took the initiative to hold Diwu Ba's horse, gripping the reins tightly, terrified the old man would abandon him and leave.

……

While they were deadlocked here, more onlookers had gathered on the distant ridges, among them the Diba clan.

The Diba clan was fortunate; their hamlet lay south of the canal and did not have to get involved in this dispute. Diba Zhi also felt it was none of his business. Pointing into the distance, he said lightly to his son: "Do you see? In the future, stay out of such idle affairs. The Diqi are aggressive and ruthless, hard to provoke. And the Diliu, though they seem honest, are actually weak-willed yet clingy — once they latch onto you, they won't let go. Once you get involved, it's like both sides grabbing your hands at once; it's hard to pull free. The Diwu clan is truly unwise."

Diba Jiao, however, found this hard to accept: "Father, don't the classics say that 'cherishing kin and being good to neighbors is a treasure of the state'? The Diliu and Diqi are in conflict, and the Diwu clan is stopping them from fighting — they're doing the right thing. Shouldn't our family also go and help?"

Diba Zhi shook his head: "Believing everything in books is worse than having no books at all. When you go to the Imperial Academy in the tenth month, beyond the Five Classics, what you must learn even more is the way to navigate the world and avoid calamity."

Cherish kin and be good to neighbors? In the face of profit, distant kin and close neighbors alike — what are they worth? Nothing.

It was plain for all to see: this year, the Chengguo Canal's water was low, and a reduced wheat harvest was practically a foregone conclusion. Either accept this loss, or, through fighting over water, shift the loss onto your neighbors' heads!

There was no other choice, and not a moment's hesitation was allowed. When planting wheat, water was worth a thousand in gold for every moment. The wheat sprouts were all in the fields, crying out to be fed. If they went thirsty in autumn and winter, then next year, when the old grain was gone and the new not yet in, it would be wives and children who went hungry!

Diwu Ba understood this logic, of course. In Guanzhong, the population was multiplying, land and water were limited, and conflicts between hamlets were this fierce, with tangled interests too complex to unravel. That day, his grandson had spoken of wanting to unite the ten hamlets and eight clans, to join forces and protect themselves in the coming chaos. How difficult that would be?

Yet he still held his patience and continued urging the two families to cease fire and wait for his grandson's return. After the matters of yielding school land and the autumn plowing, Diwu Ba had begun to see his grandson in a new light. Though he still mocked his grandson's wild fantasies aloud, in his heart the old man believed that Diwu Lun would surely handle today's matter well and win both prestige and profit for their own family.

Because of Diwu Ba's intervention, the two sides had been deadlocked by the canal for nearly a full two-hour period, still refusing to yield. Diliu Du licked his cracked lips and looked up at the sun. Diqi Bao still resembled a fighting cock before a match, scraping his blade with a whetstone, over and over, glaring fixedly at Diwu Ba.

"Staying deadlocked like this forever is no solution. I do have an idea."

Seeing the sun climbing higher and higher, Diliu Du stood up and proposed: "Find a rope. With the ditch as the midpoint, each side puts forward ten men for a tug-of-war. Whoever wins decides the water division. How about that?"

Diwu Ba thought this method wasn't bad, but the Diqi clan flatly refused.

"No!"

Diqi Biao understood: though his family was fierce and loved to fight, when it came to a real contest of strength on the ground, they might not necessarily be a match for those farmhands.

Diwu Ba glanced at the Diqi brothers: "Could it be that the Diqi clan is afraid?"

It was useless. The one calling the shots was Diqi Biao, and he remained unmoved by this clumsy provocation.

Diqi Bao, however, was enraged once more. While his elder brother was negotiating with Diwu Ba, he slowly rose, glanced at the saber in his hand, gently set it down, and, clenching only his bare fists, walked step by step toward Diwu Ba!

Just as the old man had ambushed him earlier — if he struck first, one blow to the neck, and knocked the old scoundrel unconscious. Once the Diwu clan was forced back, the Diliu clan would be a lone hand that could not clap.

Thinking this, Diqi Bao's fist clenched tighter and tighter. The moment he stepped into what he judged to be the right distance, he pushed off with his feet, his whole body suddenly leaping up, his hand chopping straight at Diwu Ba!

No one even had time to cry out. In that split-second moment of peril, Diwu Ba, who had been sitting upright on the ground, moved as if he had an eye in the back of his head. He abruptly dodged the sneak attack, and without a moment's hesitation, struck back with a punch that landed squarely on Diqi Bao's bulbous nose. In an instant, nose blood splattered. Diqi Bao saw stars, and everything before him went black.

By the time he staggered, shaking his head, and came to, he opened his eyes just in time to see Diwu Ba's big foot kicking at him again — hitting him square in the chest!

In one blow, the tall, imposing Diqi Bao was kicked into the gully, face-planting in the mud, transformed from a fighting cock into a drowned chicken.

Diqi Biao was horrified. He rushed to help his younger brother up and found that only the bridge of his nose had been caved in, and perhaps one rib broken — nothing life-threatening. He realized Diwu Ba had still held back. His face instantly changed. He gave his brother a light kick, cursed him a couple of times, then bowed to Diwu Ba with clasped hands.

"My younger brother is ignorant and has offended you, Uncle of the clan!"

"You brothers lost your father young — no wonder you lack proper upbringing. This old man can, on behalf of your deceased father, teach him how to be a man."

Diwu Ba wiped the blood from his hands, looked out at the Seventh clan crowd he had cowed, his eyes full of impatience: "This matter ends here today. Listen to this old man — the two clans will revert to last year's water quotas. Whoever makes trouble without cause, whoever dares bare a blade before me again, the Diwu clan will side with the other family!"

The Diwu clan's retainers stepped forward a pace, gripping their crude spears. Facing them, the young gallants the Seventh clan kept could gain no advantage.

Di Biao now had to confront two families at once — immense pressure — yet he knew well the trick that had let his family run roughshod over the countryside for more than ten years.

They were not as large and established as the Diyi clan, nor as wealthy as the Disi clan; in a fight they could not even beat the Diwu clan. They could only disguise their strength with ferocity and a reckless disregard for death.

That thuggish spirit — the kind that, clearly outmatched, will still smash a brick against its own head until blood streams down its face!

If they backed down today, the Seventh clan's fierce reputation would collapse. People would see the weakness inside them. The terror they had built up through brutal brawls in the village lanes would crumble in an instant, and vying for dominance in the township would never come so easily again.

Yet if they kept fighting here, one against two would surely cost them. Di Biao hit on an idea.

Find help.

"Fine! Since Cigong insists on meddling… then why don't we all go together to Linqu Township and ask the Bailiff and the Elders to judge right from wrong!"

Di Biao steadied his younger brother and said: "And let us all see — in this township, does the Bailiff have the final say, or does the Diwu clan!"

Di Liu Du looked somewhat anxious. He knew that the head of the Diyi clan, who held the post of Ranked Bailiff and wielded full authority over the township, was on rather good terms with the Seventh clan. If he showed favoritism toward the Seventh clan, then even the Diwu and Diliu clans allied would come out the worse.

Diwu Ba, seeing the other side refuse to know what was good for them, flew into a towering rage: "You whelp — are you trying to turn white into black?"

Just as the matter was about to deadlock again, the sound of hoofbeats was suddenly heard, drawing near from afar. Someone swung down from a horse, pushed through the crowd and strode over. A hearty laugh rang out beside the Chengguo Canal.

"Ha! Taking a lawsuit to the township — how is that nearly enough? In my view, better to carry the matter straight up to the county, and rouse the County Magistrate himself — that would be best!"

Everyone turned to look. It was Diwu Lun, back travel-worn from his earlier dash to the county seat. He was still riding alone; he had brought back no reinforcements at all.

But the sharp-eyed among them noticed… that at Diwu Lun's waist there now hung a small object that had not been there when he left!

…

PS: Begging for recommendation tickets.

Also recommending a novel, Winning the Case Is Justice: America is a pool of filthy water teeming with life — pulling a big fish out of it is quite the technical job. A story of law, money, and politics in 1968 New York.