Informal story texts: Tufei Bandits in Longshan County (Part 1)

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（Play All）Informal story texts: Tufei Bandits in Longshan County (Part 1)

Lu Bangzhen, Tasha Rural Township, Longshan County
recorded on 30 January 2003

This text begins the story of the most notorious tufei (literally 'local robber') in southern Longshan County during the turmoil prior to Liberation in 1949. Tian Gaoliang had become a platoon leader in the warlord army controlling the local area. But, fearful of his jealous commanding officer, he fled to Xindi, a village just north of Tasha, where he formed a bandit group which carried out raids throughout the region. At one stage, he was imprisoned for over three years, before gaining his release. With the support of a warlord faction who appointed him village chief, Tian continued his activities in areas under the control of other factions. On hearing of the arrival of the People's Liberation Army, who had vowed to rid the area of banditry, he fled to a local cave where he was besieged and finally shot dead. The story is concluded in the next text.

01	xing²diu¹ tian³gao¹lian³, luo⁴ tie²ba¹, Tian Gaoliang from Xindi village, he was a big fellow.
02	kuo¹ba¹ le nie³ deng¹guan³ he²ba³ xie²; eng³qie² le jie²bi¹ta¹ he²ba³ xie²; luo²bu¹ le ceng³ta³ ceng³ta³, li² luo²bu¹ da⁴ze³; luo²bu¹ si²ga⁴ le me² ga³-bo³ zi²zi¹-bo³-xi², lang²ga¹zao³zao³; His head, it was as big as a large rice pot; his ears were as big as the palms of your hands; his eyes were very bright, like tiger's eyes; his eyebrows, they reached straight up to the sky, they were jet black;
03	eng²qi⁴-bu²li¹ le you² bi³gua³ta³, ca³pao¹ he²ba³, you² pian¹-ga¹ca³; za²qi¹ le a³tu³ da⁴ze³. his nose, it was flat, and as big as the fruit of the tea tree, it was also crooked; his mouth was like a cave.
04	ge⁴ cu¹ le qiong³, ge⁴ cu¹ le tai², guo² qian¹ngai⁴-die¹ you² po¹la¹. guo² la² hi² ta²ci¹ xiao² le, guo² jiu¹ xi¹ce³ liu³ tuan³zang³-nie³ eng¹ge¹ bing¹dang¹-xie². Their home was poor, their home had nothing, and he had many brothers. When he was ten or so, he went to Xichehe to serve as a soldier under Commander Liu.
05	bing¹dang¹-lie³ le, eng¹ luo⁴ la² hu³, guo² ci¹ci¹ ha¹tai² le, guo² luo⁴ hhe⁴jing¹, guai¹-xi³tai², guo² you² luo⁴ ri¹-hhe¹, guo² a³se⁴ da⁴ duo³ dao¹ca², luo⁴die¹ yi³-liao³ le, guo² zi² ge⁴, you² guo² ca². After becoming a soldier, this man, he was illiterate, but he was as sly as a monkey demon, he knew how to get on with other people. He got on with everyone, and when people saw him, they were naturally in awe of him, so they treated him well.
06	liu³ tuan³zang³ kou²-cai³ dui²wu¹ ha³ huan² guo² la² hu³, guo² cang¹jia¹-liao³ le, huan² ha³ mo³ ying³, su¹-ta¹, ai¹ cong² a ti³-liao³. hao⁴ qing³nie² le, guo² bang¹zang¹ dang¹-liao³. Wherever Commander Liu fought, he always took him along, and when he took part, they always won, never lost. That's how he managed to get a number of guns. Well, afterwards, he served as a squad leader.
07	bang¹zang¹ dang¹-lie³ le guo² ye²geng¹ jing² xiao², guo² ye²geng¹ qi¹jing²-liao³, ai¹lie¹ dui²wu¹ ji¹ ci² ha³ duo³ guo² ying³-liao³, huan² guo² la² hu³, guo² ai¹ ming³yi² you² qian³ tuan³ hao⁴rou³, qing³nie² guo² you² pai³zang³ dang¹-liao³. As squad leader, he became more powerful than ever, even more energetic. When they fought other bands, he won every time, it was always him. His reputation spread throughout the whole corps, and later he was promoted to platoon leader.
08	ai¹lie¹ meng, guo² ci¹ci¹ ha¹tai² ya, guo² luo⁴ zui² guai¹-liao³, guo² zang² wo²tu¹, guo² zui² hao⁴ri³. pai³zang³ dang¹-lie³ le, luo⁴ kang²duo¹ kang²duo¹ yan²zi¹ bu²die¹liao¹. Now, he was illiterate, but he was a very clever man, and he understood fighting. As platoon leader, people found him even more terrifying.
09	liu³ tuan³zang³ jiu¹ guo² ge⁴-liao³: "eng¹di¹ ya, eng¹di¹ suo¹ pai³zang³, si²si¹, guo² si²si¹-ta¹-di hua¹ le, sa²guo¹-lu³, guo², nga² cong² guo² duo³ ye⁴-ji²-lie³-hu³, Commander Liu became afraid of him: "This, this No.3 Platoon Leader, I need to get rid of him. If I don't get rid of him, in the end my guns will be taken away by him.
10	ai¹lie¹ guo² dui²wu¹ dang¹-hu³. sa²guo¹-lu³, nga² you² guo² duo³, guo² ngo² ha³-si³-i, nga² guo² zu¹yi³ si⁴-bo³, nga² guo² jiu¹ bii²-lie³ ti³-xi³." Then he will become commander of the troops. In the end, I will be killed by him, I must make a plan, I must kill him."
11	eng¹di¹ liu³ tuan³zang³ le jiu¹, me³ke³ce¹ tu¹ jiu¹ xing¹ qi¹-liao³. guo² guo² jiu¹ xi¹ce³huo³ xie²ma¹ wan³zeng¹zai¹ da⁴ha³ li³: "ni² ang²ni¹ qing⁴-bo³ la² mong² ga², This Commander Liu, this was what he was thinking. So he spoke with Wang Zhenzhai, a rich inhabitant of Xichehe: "You invite us for dinner,
12	ni² ang²ni¹ jie³-bo³ la² mong² ga², nga² eng¹di¹, eng¹di¹, eng¹di¹ mang¹mang¹ ga²-zu² le, nga² guo² sang¹ pai³zang³, suo¹ pai³zang³ bii²-lie³-hu³, luo⁴ re¹ hhi³ ong¹ hhi³-lang²." you invite us for dinner. When I'm eating this, this meal, I'll have No.3 Platoon Leader, No.3 Platoon Leader killed, there'll only be four or five men at the meal."
13	liu³ tuan³zang³ le, guo² jiu¹ sang¹ pai³zang³, suo¹ pai³zang³ ge⁴ da⁴ zui² dao¹ca²-xi² nie¹ hhi³. lian³qian¹ le luo²tie¹ tu¹ kuai⁴-bo³-xi², su¹su¹-bo³-xi². Commander Liu, he invited No.3 Platoon Leader, and two of his closest friends. They brought guns, hidden away in their bags.
14	hao⁴! sang¹ pai³zang³ le, suo¹ pai³zang³ le, guo² jiu¹ zuo²zi¹, eng¹di¹ si³tie² bai⁴-ji²-liao³, guo² jiu¹ pian³ die³ seng³kang³ ji³ ong³-liao³, Well! No.3 Platoon Leader, No.3 Platoon Leader, he finished laying the table, and then plopped himself down below the ancestral shrine.
15	luo²bu¹ ji¹li¹gu¹lu¹ ji¹li¹gu¹lu¹ dao²cu¹ ba⁴-lie³, guo² wo⁴ta³-bo³ ba⁴-bo³ mo³, guo² qie⁴ si³jie³ duo³ zu²yi¹-bo³-xi², "se² lai⁴ nga² ming² a³-i, se² lai⁴ nga² nie³hhe² a³-i ya, His eyes were darting everywhere; he looked outside, paying attention all the time: "Today you are planning to take my life, today you are planning to take my life,
16	ai¹ nga² be² zu²yi¹-bo³-duo³, nga² be² zao¹hu¹-bo³ ti³-xi³." bian¹ re² hu³ le, yi² bian¹ re² hu³ le yi² bian¹ jie² huo³lie³ lian³qian¹ ga³ za⁴-bo³. so I must stay alert, I must stay alert." He drank wine at the same time, drinking wine, all the time with his hand on his gun.
17	ha¹ce¹ ga²-zu², re² hu³-zu² le guo² jiu¹ luo²bu¹ huo³lie³ qie⁴ si³jie³ duo³ ai¹ ge⁴ da⁴ dao¹ca²-nie³, ai¹, ai¹di¹ qian¹ngai⁴ nie¹ hhi³, lian³qian¹ ai¹ tu¹ su¹su¹-bo³-nie³ ai¹ zu²yi¹-bo³-xi², ai¹ zao¹hu¹-bo³-xi². Whether they were eating or drinking wine, he kept his eyes wide open, all the time watching those 'good friends', those two brothers, with their guns hidden away, fully alert, fully alert.
18	ai¹lie¹ liu³ tuan³zang³ jiu¹ li³-la¹: "suo¹ pai³zang³, ni² qing³mo¹ bian¹ ye³ ga² jie² lian³qian¹ za⁴-bo³-duo³ le?" Then Commander Liu spoke: "No.3 Platoon Leader, why do you keep holding your gun while you are eating?"
19	"tuan³zang³, xing¹dong¹ngao², li³zi³ngao² dui²wu¹ si³si³ke³ke³ lao¹be³xing¹-nie³ eng¹di¹, eng¹di¹ tong³qian³ a⁴yi³, nga² ge⁴ze¹ ha³ guan²si¹-liao³, nga² huan² lian³qian¹, lian³qian¹-jiao³ za⁴-bo³-duo³." He replied: "Commander, the troops in Xingdongngao and Lizingao regularly rob the villagers, I've become used to fighting them, so I always have a gun ready in my hands."
20	ai¹lie¹ liu³ zi³hui³ le, me³ke³ce¹ tu¹ le jiu¹ ruan⁴-liao³, eng¹di¹, eng¹di¹ guo² ha³, guo² lei⁴ bii²-duo³-ta¹ti¹, yi²la¹ bie⁴-liao³, ga⁴ ze² ga²-lie³ le, eng¹di¹ sang¹ pai³zang³ a, suo¹ pai³zang³ a! So Commander Liu, his resolve weakened. - Fight this man? Today he couldn't kill him! - His tongue hung out, and he gulped a few times. This No.3 Platoon Leader, No.3 Platoon Leader!
21	guo² luo⁴ jing²mian¹ ba⁴-duo³-di¹xi³, la² dong² ba⁴-lie³, lai⁴ ge⁴ze¹ nga² nie³hhe² a³-i, eng¹di¹ xing¹ re² luan² hu³-ti², re² hu³-ji²-bu¹ce³. He could read people like a mirror, just one look, today they want to take my life, I mustn't get drunk, so he didn't finish his wine.
22	guo² [li³]: "tuan³zang³, ang² da⁴ eng¹di¹ xi³sang¹, gai² mang¹mang¹ ga²-xi² ai³xi² ti³-xiu², guo²duo³ guo²duo³ song¹kuo¹-duo³." guo² jiu¹ ai¹lie¹ lian³qian¹ di¹di¹-lie³ wo⁴ta³-bo³ zao³, guo² zao³-lie³. He said: "Commander, we're eating this meal together, we must stop now, each of us must go home." So he slung his gun over his shoulder, went outside and then back home.
23	ai¹di¹ sang¹ suo¹ pai³zang³ a! ai¹di¹ luo⁴ eng za²si¹! That No.3 Platoon Leader! That man was amazing!
24	guo² jiu¹ ge⁴ze³-nie³ jie² da¹bi¹-nie³ luo⁴ da⁴ se¹li³-la¹: "ang²ni¹ xi¹ce³huo³ gao¹-ti², gao¹-lie³ liu³ tuan³zang³, guo² jiu¹ nga² qie⁴ si³jie³ nie³hhe² a³-liao³ duo³ ha¹tai², He called his men together and said: "We can't stay in Xichehe. Commander Liu, when will he catch up with me and kill me?
25	guo² qie⁴ si³jie³ duo³, guo² huan² nga² heng², nga² die²-lie³ die²-bo³-xi², nga² ying¹wei³, nga² ying¹wei³ le, guo² nga² ya²-bu²zu²-liao³, guo² nga² qi³-bu²zu²-liao³, He hates me all the time, I remember, I remember, because, because he can't keep me under his thumb, he can't control me,
26	ge⁴, ai¹lie¹ ang²duo³ lei⁴ cu¹-bo³ hhi²." ai¹ jiu¹ xing¹dong¹ngao²-lie¹ ba³ gu³-di² xing²di¹-bo³ eng³zou². xing²di¹ ye⁴-lie³ le, guo² yi² guo² ye¹-nie³ eng¹di¹ xian⁴-lie³, guo² huan² liu³ tuan³zang³ da⁴ di⁴, zi¹dang² a di⁴. so I'm afraid, that today we must go home." So from Xingdongngao they crossed the mountains back to Xindi. When they got to Xindi, he thought things over for a month, he wanted to be back with Commander Liu, as he needed ammunition.
27	liu³ tuan³zang³ le, guo² jie³ le guo² da³-i-ta¹, guo² luo⁴ qi⁴ yi² gao¹, song¹ yi² gao¹, a² yi² gao¹ le, guo² luo⁴ hui¹ gao¹, ci¹ci¹ ha¹tai² hong. Commander Liu, he called for him, but Tian wouldn't come down. Tian was like that, always asking for this, that and the other; he knew how to manage people, even though he was illiterate.
28	zai²-sang¹ zou¹, eng¹di¹ huo² tuan³tuan³zuan²zuan¹, ying¹seng³ a, long³sang¹, kou²-cai³ dui²wu¹, lao¹be³xing¹, eng¹di¹ lao¹be³xing¹ qian¹-liao³-di hua¹, guo² jiu¹ luo⁴ ye⁴-lie³ jiu¹ ha³-i-hu³. In the villages around, throughout Yongshun and Longshan, the troops in these places, the ordinary folk, when the troops plundered them, he would lead his men to attack.
29	ha³-lie³ huan² ying³, kou²-cai³ duo³ guo² ying³, cong² a ti³-liao³, ai¹lie¹ meng luo⁴ ya po¹la¹-liao³. kang²duo¹ ge⁴-nie³ ming³yi² dao²cu¹ duo³ cuan³-liao³, ying¹seng³, long³sang¹, yi²si¹ hao⁴rou³. Whenever he fought, he won, wherever he went he won, and he got guns, and more men rallied to him. And so their reputation spread everywhere, and now all of Yongshun and Longshan knew about them.
30	tian³huo³zong¹ le, ge⁴ da⁴ tian³ jia¹ka¹, long³sang¹ xian² dang¹bu² su¹ji¹zang¹, guo² le jiu¹ ci¹ci¹ heng⁴, cong² tai², guo² le suo⁴ti³ bao⁴-ma¹ tai², ka⁴-ma¹ tai². Tian Huozhong, a man of the same Tian clan, was Party Secretary in Longshan, he was highly educated, but had no weapons, nor did he have protectors, or bodyguards.
31	ai¹lie¹ guo² jiu¹ suo¹ pai³zang³ bo³ xing² la¹ cuo¹ a², "ni² gu³-xie², luo⁴ la²bie¹ dai²-xie², sang²jing¹-nie³ luo⁴ la²bie¹ dai²-xie², ni² nga² da⁴ ge³ gao¹. nga² ci¹ci¹ hao⁴ri³, ni² qian¹gan¹zi¹ xie², ai¹ bu²si¹ ang² da⁴ jiu¹ gao¹-die³hao¹, luo⁴die¹ ang² qia¹-ma¹ tai²." So he wrote a letter to No.3 Platoon Leader: "Come up here, bring a few men, bring a few capable men, and we can team up. I'm educated, you have guns, why don't we team up to do things, no one will be able to bully us."
32	a⁴se³ hao⁴ri³ ou, a¹di¹ suo¹ pai³zang³-nie³ si¹ye³, guo² guo² jiu¹ tian³huo³zong¹ bo³ hui³xing³ la² cuo¹ a²-lie³ le, guo² guo² dao² tian³huo³zong¹ luo³, a¹nie³ luo³-bo³ a², dao² guo² tian³huo³zong¹ ca¹huo⁴, qing³mo¹ qing³mo¹-nie³. Well, who would have guessed, that adviser for No.3 Platoon Leader, he wrote a letter back to Tian Huozhong, abusing him, cursing his mother, criticising him, and so forth.
33	tian³huo³zong¹ la² dong² ba⁴-lie³, tian³huo³zong¹, guo² me³ke³ce¹ wo²tu¹, guo² suo¹ pai³zang³ bo³ me³ rang³rang³ ga², eng¹ huo² me³ rang³rang³ ga², "ni² hang² gao¹-bo³, ni² cai³mo¹ cai³mo¹ ong³-bo³, nga² ni² huan² zuo²-i!" Tian Huozhong took one glance, and Tian Huozhong, he was furious with No.3 Platoon Leader, he was so angry: "You behave like this, you sit tight, in the end I will get you!"
34	tian³huo³zong¹ jiu¹ luo⁴ za²sai¹ pai²-lie³, za²sai¹ pa³qie²-lie³, ye²bang¹ sang¹ geng¹ le, ge⁴ cu¹ jiu¹ la¹di³ (null)-i, ye²luo³sang³ bu¹bu³-di²-i. So Tian Huozhong sent many men, sent many men; at midnight, there will be trouble in his home, he'll be caught at night by a surprise attack.
35	a¹di¹ suo¹ pai³zang³ a zui² jing¹wei¹, guo² zang²gong¹ da⁴ha³-nie³ ai¹ wo²tu¹ be² su², la³yao² ang, yi³ meng yi³-da², guo² ai⁴duo³, guo² ai¹ wo²tu¹, guo² su². That No.3 Platoon Leader, he was so cunning, he knew all about fighting. By nightfall, there was no sign of him, he was familiar with the local area.
36	tian³huo³zong¹-nie³ ai¹di¹ jie² da¹bi¹-nie³ luo⁴, he²lang³ da⁴ guo² zuan²zuan¹ ha³-bo³ ni¹, ngeng² ni¹-zuo³ tai². Tian Huozhong's men, so many of them, beat around everywhere looking for him, but they just couldn't find him.
37	guo² jiu¹ ku²li¹ die³ lian²cuan¹ dong³ga²-lie¹, mo³ da⁴ze³ wo³ta²-bo³ biao¹-lu³, biao¹-lie³ ka³kei¹die³, guo² ceng³zi³ ka³mong³ ga³ gu³ ti³-liao³, Then, as quietly as a cat, he escaped through a window and slipped away, quietly, and gained the upper branches of a pomelo tree.
38	ceng³zi³ ka³mong³ ga³ gu³-lie³ le, ceng³zi³ ka³mong³ ga³, eng¹ge¹ liao¹kuo¹qi¹ ga³ ong³-bo³ mo³ guo² ba³ti³ cai³mo¹ mo³ ba⁴-bo³-la¹. He climbed up the pomelo tree, the top of a pomelo tree, and sat there near the top, scanning the ground below.
39	ai¹di¹ tian³huo³zong¹-nie³ jie² da¹bi¹-nie³ luo⁴, ge³ ba⁴, eng¹ge¹ ba⁴, ngeng² ba⁴-ji²-liao³ wa, huan⁴-ji²-liao³, ngeng² ni¹-ji²-liao³, ni¹-zuo³ tai², ai¹lie¹ guo²duo³ zao³. Tian Huozhong's men, they looked here, there and everywhere, they turned the place upside down, but they found no trace of him, of his hiding-place, and so Tian Huozhong left.
40	tian³huo³zong¹-nie³ ai¹ jie² da¹bi¹-nie³ luo⁴ zao³-ji²-lu³, eng¹di¹ sang¹ pai³zang³ le jiu¹ da³-diu², ceng³zi³ ka³mong³ ga³-lie¹ da³-lie³ cu¹ ye⁴-lie³ le, guo² jiu¹ zong¹yi³ xian²-liao³, When all Tian Houzhong's men were gone, this No.3 Platoon Leader, down he came, from the top of the pomelo tree. He went back home, and finally appeared again.
41	guo² jian¹: "di²xiong¹-die¹, se² yi²si¹ guo²duo³ guo²duo³ cu¹ jie²ri¹, nga² ai¹lie¹ gao¹-bu¹hao¹-liao³, dang²si² se² guo²duo³ guo²duo³ jie²ri¹, se² si³si³ke³ke³ nga² da⁴ le, qie⁴ si³jie³ duo³ nga² da⁴, da⁴, da⁴ la¹ yi³-bo³." He said: "Brothers, all of you go back home and work in the fields, I'm done for, but you yourselves go and work, you will constantly be with me, all the time, I will see you all."
42	eng¹di¹ tian³huo³zong¹-nie³ eng¹di¹ jie² da¹bi¹-nie³ luo⁴ le you² zuo²-bu³ti² le tian³huo³zong¹ bo³ la¹ ze², Tian Huozhong's men again failed to catch him, and told Tian Huozhong.
43	tian³huo³zong¹ o, ye²geng¹ me³ga²-liao³: "eng¹di¹ sang¹ pai³zang³, ni², nga² guo² eng¹di¹ sang¹ pai³zang³ suo¹ pai³zang³ zuo²-lie³ la³-ta¹ le, nga² tian³huo³zong¹ su¹ji¹zang¹ dang¹-tao¹, xian² dang¹bu² su¹ji¹zang¹." Tian Huozhong, he got more and more angry: "This No.3 Platoon Leader, you, if I don't catch No.3 Platoon Leader, I, Tian Huozhong, won't be Secretary any longer, County Party Secretary."
44	guo² jiu¹ seng¹jing¹ la² dong² qing⁴, seng¹jing¹ la² dong² ni¹, ni¹-lie³ ni¹-duo³liao³, sang¹ pai³zang³-nie³ tu³xing³ la² dong² hua²-lie³, kuo¹ba¹ you² luo³kuan³ da⁴ze³, la² dong² gao¹-lie³. So he sent for the Kuomintang, looked for the Kuomintang, and found them, who drew a sketch of No.3 Platoon Leader, his head was like a wicker basket, they drew him.