第二十四章 贼妇人献身诱番将 金元帅贪色收逃吏 (Chapter 24: The Treacherous Wife Offers Herself to Ensnare the Tartar General; The Lustful Jin Marshal Harbors a Fugitive for Her Sake.)

Now, this story tells of Marshal Helise of the Jin forces, who had seized many women in Jizhou City and spent his days in revelry within his command tent. As for the prefect of Jizhou, Xi Ke, he was by nature an obsequious and unscrupulous man. Seeing the formidable power of the Jin army and having already gained much profit, he wholeheartedly pledged his allegiance to Helise. Helise, considering his familiarity with the locality, kept him at his side to serve as a guide.

At this moment, Helise was in his tent, embracing two captured women while drinking, when he saw Xi Ke enter with a beaming smile, who bowed and announced, "I beg to report, Marshal. This humble official has discovered a treasure which he wishes to present." Helise asked, narrowing his eyes, "What treasure? Some fine wine?" Xi Ke replied, "Better than fine wine. It is a woman of peerless beauty." Helise pushed the women from his lap, sat up straight, and demanded, "Where is she? Why have you not brought her here?" Xi Ke answered, "This woman has a certain background. I dared not act presumptuously and must first receive your command before daring to lead her in." Helise declared, "What care I for her background? If she is truly a beauty, then bring her in at once."

Xi Ke assented and withdrew. Before long, he ushered a woman into the tent. Helise looked upon her and saw she was around twenty years of age, with arching brows and phoenix eyes, her face like jade and lips like vermilion. Her hair was loosely gathered into a chignon, and she wore a pale green tunic over a white silk skirt. Though dressed in homely fashion, she possessed an air of captivating grace. Helise gazed at her, utterly captivated. Xi Ke chided from the side, "Basema, step forward and pay your respects to the Marshal!" Thereupon, the woman advanced with swaying elegance, performed a deep curtsey, and greeted him in soft, mellifluous tones. Delighted by her ethereal movements and tender speech, Helise beckoned, "Come here. Sit by my side."

Basema lowered her head, walked over, and seated herself close to Helise. Helise took her hand, finding it supple as if boneless, and asked Xi Ke, "You said she had a background. What is it?" Xi Ke replied, "She was originally the wife of a scholar within the city. The scholar died of illness last month, and she has been living in widowhood at home. Knowing that you, Marshal, might desire companionship, I sought her out specifically." Helise laughed and said, "You have been most considerate. I shall reward you richly." Whereupon he ordered his attendants to bring wine, and he drank together with Basema.

Basema did not demur and accompanied Helise in drinking several cups. A rosy blush spread across her face, enhancing her enchanting allure. Consumed with passion and heedless of Xi Ke's presence, Helise embraced Basema and sought to kiss her. But she pushed him away, saying, "Marshal, pray wait. This humble one has words to say." Helise urged, "Speak, speak." Basema declared, "Although I am a widow, I come from a respectable family. If the Marshal seeks but momentary pleasure, I would sooner die than consent to such dishonor." Helise asked, "What is it you wish?" Basema answered, "If the Marshal truly wishes to keep me, you must marry me properly through the correct channels, granting me an official status. Only then will I consent to serve you for the rest of my life."

Helise laughed heartily and said, "What difficulty is there in that? I shall marry you as my wife tomorrow." Only then did Basema's feigned displeasure turn to joy, and she nestled in Helise's embrace. Seeing his scheme had succeeded, Xi Ke quietly withdrew.

That very night, Helise remained in Basema's chamber to rest. Not only was Basema surpassingly beautiful, but she also knew how to please in every conceivable way, and so plied him with flattery and attentions that Helise was utterly enchanted and transported with delight. The following day, Helise indeed commanded his subordinates to prepare a feast and proclaimed that he was taking Basema as his concubine. All the officers and men in the army knew the Marshal had acquired a new beauty upon whom he doted excessively.

Several days later, Basema, seeing that Helise heeded her every word, gradually broached a serious matter. One day, while drinking in the chamber, she suddenly let tears fall. Helise hastened to ask, "My precious, why do you grieve?" Basema replied, "I was thinking of my former husband and the injustice of his death. It pains my heart." Helise asked, "Your former husband died of illness. What injustice was there?" Basema said, "He did not die of illness. He was murdered by the bandits of Liangshan Marsh." Helise exclaimed in astonishment, "How could the Liangshan Marsh bandits have harmed him?"

Basema explained, "My former husband had a relative in the Eastern Capital who served in the household of Cai Jing. Last year, when the Liangshan Marsh bandits caused havoc in the Eastern Capital, that relative also met with disaster. My husband journeyed to the Eastern Capital to attend the funeral and, somehow, offended someone from Liangshan Marsh. Upon returning, he sank into melancholy and fell ill. On his deathbed, he said it was Marvelous Traveler Dai Zong of Liangshan Marsh who used sorcery to take his life. I am but a helpless widow. When shall this vengeance ever be avenged?" With that, she wept with heartrending sobs.

Helise listened and pondered for a good while, then declared, "The Liangshan Marsh bandits are now opposing our Great Jin. Sooner or later I shall exterminate them and avenge you." Basema wiped her tears and said, "I have heard that the Liangshan Marsh brigands are exceedingly formidable. The imperial troops have launched several campaigns against them, only to suffer defeat each time. Although you, Marshal, are heroic, I fear you may not find victory easily achieved." Helise flared up angrily, "How dare you belittle my prowess? The iron cavalry of our Great Jin is invincible under heaven! Are we to be compared with those pusillanimous rabble of the Song court?"

Basema hastily said, "I did not mean that. It is only that the Liangshan Marsh villains are cunning and full of schemes. You must proceed with caution, Marshal. I, however, do have a plan, but I wonder if you would be willing to hear it?" Helise said, "Speak. Let me hear it." Basema said, "I have a cousin named Jia Ren, who currently serves as a minor captain among the Liangshan Marsh forces. The other day, he secretly sent word, saying he has suffered endless bullying there and has long harbored a desire to surrender to the court. If you, Marshal, can promise him wealth and rank, he is willing to act as an insider and help you defeat the bandits."

Helise listened, half-believing and half-doubting. He said, "Is this true? How did your cousin come to be an outlaw in Liangshan Marsh?" Basema answered, "My cousin is originally from Cangzhou. Because he killed a man, he fled and, having no alternative, joined the stronghold at Liangshan Marsh. His martial skills are mediocre, and he does not know how to curry favor, so he is not valued and often suffers slights from Song Jiang and Wu Yong. Knowing that I am in Jizhou, he secretly sent the message. If you doubt me, Marshal, send someone to Cangzhou to make inquiries, and you will find my words are not false."

Helise thought to himself, "This woman is firmly within my grasp. She would not dare to lie. If I can truly secure an insider to break Liangshan Marsh, it would be a monumental achievement." Whereupon he said, "Since that is the case, you may write a letter. I shall dispatch a man to deliver it. If he can truly assist me to success, I guarantee he shall be made a general, enjoying endless riches and honor." Basema was overjoyed and immediately wrote the letter, handing it to Helise. Helise then summoned a trusted junior officer, disguised him as a merchant, and sent him to Liangshan Marsh to deliver the missive.

Now, that Jia Ren was originally a ne'er-do-well from Cangzhou, who spent his time idling and gambling. Later, in a jealous quarrel over a woman, he killed a man and fled to Shandong, eventually finding his way to Liangshan Marsh. Having no particular talents, he only served as eyes and ears at Zhu Gui's tavern. On this day, a man who looked like a merchant came to drink and handed him a letter. Jia Ren opened it and saw it was from his cousin Basema, saying she had married a Jin marshal and urging him to cooperate from within to secure wealth and honor. Reading this, Jia Ren felt both alarm and delight. He was alarmed because the affair was of the gravest import-discovery by Liangshan Marsh would mean certain death. Yet he was delighted, for if he could truly defect to the Jin, would it not be far better than remaining a petty underling on the marsh?

He pondered the matter back and forth, and in the end, his greed prevailed. He wrote a reply, agreed upon a secret signal for contact, and gave it to the man to take back. From that time forth, Jia Ren kept his ears open for information within Liangshan Marsh, secretly transmitting it to the Jin camp. With Jia Ren as his inside man, Helise believed he now possessed a strategy to crush the enemy and doted upon Basema more than ever, heeding her every word. Little did he know that both Basema and Jia Ren had long been under the watchful eye of Flea on a Drum Shi Qian of Liangshan Marsh. Truly: The dull bandit strolls into the waiting snare; The crafty hero laid the trap with care. But as for what happened thereafter, that shall be told in the next chapter.