A boy named Lia was born in a woodcutter family. His father had died before he was born so he only had his mother. Lia grew up a very strong boy that when he was seven he could struck down all children same age in a light. Because of that all children in the region very respected him.
One day, he and a boy who was older than him few years fought. Lia made his rival in case that he couldn’t escape.
“Pray you forgive me, I will call you my king.”, said the boy.
From that children called him Lia king. They built a a little palanquin which looked like as a toy and used to carried the palanquin with Lia on go around.
A neighbor said his mother about that thing it made his mother frightened.
“You should take care of your son or your heads will be cut off.”, said the neighbor.
“Alas, pray god keep him from danger.”, said his mother.
“Think you should take him to school, a teacher could take care of him.”, said the neighbor.
Then Lia had to go to school. The teacher was so stern and used to punish him by a rod but he didn’t feel frightened. He preferred to study martial arts than words. He used to hide his teacher to practice martial arts in backyard. One day, the teacher caught him and nearly beat him by his rod but he grabbed the rod and broke it in to piece. The teacher stood still and couldn’t say any thing. That day, the teacher brought him to his home and returned to his mother.
Lia, in other side, was delight because he didn’t have to study any more. Then he continued leading children as before days. One day, Lia chose some children who was strong and led them to come in wood. They robbed strange people who were on their way coming back form market. All things they had robbed were separated to others. At last, people said his mother about that. His mother was so angry and not only beat him so hard but she also prayed him not to do that thing. Lia very loved his mother he didn’t want to see his mother be sad. So he promised. But he had accustomed to robbing so he continued. At last, his mother made him to herd. He had to herd for a landlord who lived in other village.
He made friend with children who lived in the village. They used to drive cows to up hills then go to play games. The children very respected him and asked him big brother. Then Lia draw them to rob with him. They robbed travelers who were alone in wild ways.
One day, he said to children that the next day he would make a meal and asked the children to take pot and knife and spices. The next morning, when they grouped Lia said to them.
“We will slaughter a calf to hold a party.”
“You don’t think that the owner will punish us.”, said a child.
“Let’s do. I will suffer for it.”, said Lia.
Then they slaughter a calf and cooked a meal. When all thing had done, “All you come home and talk to others that the calf was taken by a tiger”, he said.
That time, the wood had chaos so the owner thought what they had said was true. But one time they was tasted meat made them gloat so they planed to slaughter other calves. At last the thing was found out. The owners came to the children’s houses to get pays. They prepared to catch Lia and bring him to mandarin but he had escaped.
When he came home his mother had been seriously ill. No choice he started to rob again. He used the money to buy medicine and food which were given his mother.
“How can you have things?”, his mother asked whenever he brought to her but he always said nothing.
Then his mother died Lia became more recklessly. As he felt hungry he went to rob and as he felt full he practised martial arts. One day, he robbed a traveler who had a pannier with some coin-strings in that. The traveler burst into sobs. He stopped to ask the traveler why he looked so painfully. Then the traveler talked him that he had just lost his house for the commune chief who used his position to take the house so now the traveler only had the money for his life. Lia felt so augury as he had heard the story of the traveler; though he that time felt so hungry he gave back the money to the traveler then went toward the commune chief’s house and broke his head. Soldiers were ordered to catch him but he was warned had run away.
He didn’t have any related people so he laid himself wherever he wanted and continued robbing to live. One day, he crossed a village named Truong he saw a robber gang. They stopped him to rob so Lia pretended that he was very frightened and nearly gave them his luggage. But when they four came near he kicked all them down. Robbers standing on the top of hill saw that thing sprinted down and covered him but he grabbed a big bough and shot into them that made them get pain beating. The leaders of robber gang saw he was great in martial arts and showed their desire, wanting him to join. Lia agreed.
Three leaders of robber gang were Ho, Nhan and Chan. They were known as material arts masters and people in the region were frightened them including mandarins who operated the district. People called them Ho father, Nhan uncle and Chan mother. After Lia joined them they became more recklessly.
One day, they led their way to Bong Son and robbed a store. They took many valuable things from the store but when they separated. Ho father, Nhan uncle and Chan mother wanted bigger piece but Lia didn’t agree.
“Don’t you dare to come in the store without me?”, said Lia then he asked three leaders to have a fighting. Course Lia defeated them at once. Then all robbers agreed him to be their leader. The robber gang changed their actions that Lia forbidden robbers to rob travelers and poors.
“Don’t rob from normal normal people. If we want some people to rob find rich people and landlords.”, he said.
They used to rob many things from rich people and Lia shared pieces for poor people and he also helped people whenever they had troubles with landlords. So he had people’s estimation but landlords and mandarins very hated him. Soldiers were ordered to fight them but whenever they came they also got their failure and separated away. Landlords and mandarin didn’t do more things they wanted to report to the king but they was scared that king’s anger would fell down at them so they didn’t and let Lia and robbers out of law.
Short time later, the king organized a martial contests and Lia wanted to participate. His fellows couldn’t stop him so he left and made up as a normal man went toward the registered place but the mandarin who listed names of people was greedy. Each person who wanted to participate had to give him money. Lia went to sign his name without money.
“Don’t you know the rule?”, said the mandarin then Lia was forced to go away. Lia was very angry but he couldn’t do anything because surround him now was soldiers who were equipped very well. So he kept him calm and went straight his gang. He said the robbers about that thing and chose some robbers and all them made up into travelers then went toward the mandarin’s house. At midnight all of them had come in the house and was waiting for his hint. When mandarin was sleeping by a maid he was cut his head without feeling. The mandarin’s wife, seeing robbers killed his husband, prayed for her life. The woman was very beautiful and she made him can not help his heart. Therefore, he brought her to his shelter. All things happened in quietness so until the next morning soldiers yet discovered. The region had chaos because of that. At last, people found out that his gang had done the thing and mandarins couldn’t keep them from reporting to the king. So many soldiers were ordered to go toward the region fight against the gang.
The robber gang built their shelter very firm so soldiers had times fighting but they sooner get their failure. Mandarins were very worry that if they couldn’t eradicate the gang they also couldn’t keep their positions. At last they thought about the dead mandarin’s wife and had a plan. Mandarins ordered three soldiers to change into cloth traders and went to the gang’s shelter to meet the wife and asked for her help. The false traders gave money to guards and could come in easily. When the wife was considered cloth a false trader showed her a ring which belonged to her dead husband. The wife immediately understood so she forced maids to go out and left her to stay with traders. They gave her a letter which was form provincial mandarin that he promised she would be given award if she helped them. She agreed.
One day, the wife cooked a meal and invited Ho father, Nhan uncle, Chan mother to participate in with Lia. She wore very nice clothes and severed wine to them. They have no doubt and drunk as much as they could but they đint know that all wine had sleeping potion. Therefore, they fell in fast sleep but the wife she used big ropes to tie Ho, Nhan, Chan together. She knew Lia had extraordinary power so she had to tie him to a big wood panel. Then, she asked a trustworthy maid to inform to the mandarin.
Soldiers immediately were ordered to fight. Robbers without their leaders got their failure immediately. When soldiers nearly came his camp he woke up and felt danger he grandstanded but his body was tying. So he had used all of his strength to make the rope tying his legs broken. Then he stood and brought the wood panel on his back and ran out. The wood panel was an obstructing thing but that also helped him very much. Soldiers who wanted to catch him were kicked by his feet and the wood panel so they didn’t dare to come near him. He broke the siege and ran toward the forest until he felt hungry and so tired. He laid himself under a tree. An old woodcutter went cross and saw him.The woodcutter helped him untied and gave him some steamed rice. After eating he said with the woodcutter.
“I was Lia, lord of a region. Now I am tricked by a woman though I survive but living make me more ashamed. You are so kindness when you help me and I don’t have any thing to repay but the thing. You can bring it came to mandarin and get award.”
When Lia ended his words his head immediately fell down front the woodcutter’s face. The woodcutter was a fan of him he wanted to help him go away and started again but Lia was so impatient had harmed himself before the woodcutter could say. The woodcutter was very painful he cried a while then brought Lia’s body to bury.
People after that still talked to others the story about a man named Lia.
THE END
"Translated by Hung Nguyen"
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