快刀

明末济属多盗，各县都置兵，捕到就杀。章丘盗尤其多。有一个兵佩刀很锋利，杀时总是顺势而入骨缝。一天捕盗十多名，押赴市曹。其中一盗认识那兵，徘徊着告诉他："听说君刀最快，斩首没有两次割。求杀我！"兵说："好。你要紧紧依着我，不要离开。"盗跟到刑处，兵出刀一挥，豁然头落。数步之外还在旋转，而大声赞叹："好快刀！"

In the last years of the Ming dynasty bandits were numerous in the Jinan region, and every county kept soldiers who killed those they caught. In Zhangqiu the bandits were especially many. One soldier carried a sword of great sharpness and always cut cleanly through the joints. One day more than ten bandits were caught and marched to the execution ground. One of them, who knew the soldier, hung back and said to him, "I hear your sword is the sharpest, and cuts off a head at a single stroke. I beg you to kill me with it!" "Very well," said the soldier; "but keep close to me and do not wander away." The bandit followed him to the place of execution, and the soldier, drawing his sword, swung it once—the head fell cleanly off. Even several paces away the head went on spinning and crying aloud, "What a fine sharp sword!"