Chapter 19: Inventory

Early in the ninth month of the seventh year of Chongzhen, at Jingbian Dun.

In front of the dun gate, Wang Dou was bidding farewell to Zhong Dayong. That day, after Wang Dou and his companions left Dongjiazhuang, they still returned to Xinzhuang. After staying two days in Xinzhuang, each returned to Jingbian Dun. After all, Wang Dou was now the Jiazhang of Jingbian Dun and also bore the duty of military farming, so he could not linger long at home.

That day, when he led the commission and returned to the village wearing the uniform of a Platoon Leader, it caused an enormous stir in the village; it was said even the Li family expressed concern. Hearing that her son had received a commission, held the concurrent post of tunbao officer, and had also been granted sixty taels of reward silver, his mother, Lady Zhong, was naturally very happy. Still, she considerately let Wang Dou keep the silver himself, saying he would need it for expenses at the tunbao in the future.

The ramie-silk cloth awarded that day she kept. Stroking the cloth, she could hardly bear to put it down, repeatedly saying that such fine fabric was probably something even Madam Li in the village did not possess. Afterwards, she solemnly put the ramie-silk cloth away, saying that when Wang Dou married in the future, it would be used to make a new dress for Xie Yike.

Today was the day Wang Dou and the former Jiazhang Zhong Dayong handed over the various affairs of Jingbian Dun. The Great Ming had strict orders: after any officer was promoted or transferred, he must await the new officer’s arrival to hand over duties, and the date and documents of the handover must also be reported for the record. After the various matters in the dun were fully transferred, Zhong Dayong would also proceed to Huiyao Fort to assume his new post.

At this moment, Wang Dou wore the uniform of a Platoon Leader, and Zhong Dayong wore the full uniform of a Company Commander. The two stood before the dun gate talking. About to depart, looking at everything familiar inside the dun, Zhong Dayong’s heart was filled with a myriad of emotions. Gazing at the spirited and confident Wang Dou before him, and thinking of himself going alone to his new post, he felt an indescribable bitterness inside.

“Chief Zhong, take care!”

Wang Dou finally clasped his fists toward Zhong Dayong. He beckoned, and Han Chao walked over, carrying a tray in his hands, something covered with a red cloth upon it. Wang Dou reached out to take the tray and lifted the covering cloth, revealing a five-tael silver ingot.

Wang Dou said to Zhong Dayong, “Chief Zhong is advancing to Huiyao Fort. The brothers in the dun have pooled together a small traveling gift. It is a token of our regard; I hope Chief Zhong will not think it too little!”

As he spoke, he handed the tray over.

Zhong Dayong had not expected that Wang Dou would give him parting travel silver. It was something he had never anticipated. He took the silver in surprise, looked at Wang Dou, and seemed about to speak but then hesitated, unable to get the words out. His wife, Lady Wang, beside him, at once reddened around the eyes and cried out, “Brother Wang, you…”

Wang Dou bowed deeply: “Chief Zhong, a safe journey all the way!”

Only after a long while did Zhong Dayong sigh and say repeatedly, “Old brother… I am ashamed!”

Thinking of how he had treated Wang Dou in the past, and then looking at what Wang Dou was doing now, a kind of understanding dawned in Zhong Dayong’s heart. No wonder Wang Dou could rise so quickly; such breadth of spirit destined him for an extraordinary future. Zhong Dayong patted Wang Dou on the shoulder, then made a cupped-hand salute all around to everyone in the dun, shook his head with emotion, and finally, leading his wife, departed across the drawbridge, walking farther and farther away.

Watching Zhong Dayong’s figure recede into the distance, Wang Dou’s form remained motionless for a long time. Giving Zhong Dayong traveling money was a matter of considering that more friends meant more paths. Zhong Dayong was transferred elsewhere and no longer had any conflict of interest with him; all that had passed had become mist and smoke. Perhaps in the future, when Zhong Dayong was at Huiyao Fort, there might be a place where Wang Dou could make use of him.

…

After a long while, Wang Dou turned around. From this day forward, the dun was his domain.

Yang Tong, who had been watching his expression from the side all along, came over with a face full of smiles: “Chief Wang, Chief Zhong has left. Would you like to have your room switched over?”

Wang Dou nodded. The best room in Jingbian Dun was the one that had originally belonged to Zhong Dayong. Now that he himself was the head of Jingbian Dun, it was only natural that this room should belong to him.

Seeing Wang Dou nod, Yang Tong and his wife, Lady Liu, joyfully went to tidy up the room for Wang Dou. After it was arranged, Wang Dou looked it over and was satisfied. He took a turn around the dun and said to those following behind him, “The dun is too filthy. It easily breeds flies and insects and gives rise to pestilence. It must be cleaned up. Henceforth, the tidiness of the dun shall be the first priority!”

Since arriving in this world, what Wang Dou had been most dissatisfied with was his living environment — garbage everywhere, an indescribable stench in every corner. Now he could finally cast off this kind of life.

Hearing Wang Dou’s words, everyone agreed. At once, all set to work together, carrying out a sweeping cleanup in a blaze of enthusiasm. Inside and outside the rooms, every place within the dun, nothing was left unswept. In the end, several great piles of garbage were swept out.

Looking at this garbage, Wang Dou was secretly shocked. He truly had not imagined that so much garbage could be swept out of a single small fire-beacon dun.

Looking at this garbage, Han Zhong and the others felt little reaction, but after the cleanup, with everything clean and tidy everywhere, it did make everyone feel much more refreshed in spirit.

Wang Dou followed the document register and took inventory of the dun’s population and supplies.

At present, those remaining in the dun were the Han Chao brothers, Qi Tianliang and his wife, and Yang Tong and his wife — seven people in total including himself. In terms of supplies, the grain, chickens, and sheep seized from the Later Jin army that day had been mostly eaten; the chickens and ducks were gone, only three sheep remained, and only a few sacks of rice and flour were left. The dun’s stocks of firewood, hay, smoke-beacons, soap, and rolling stones, however, were complete. In terms of equipment, aside from the bows, arrows, long spears, and waist-swords that the few men originally had, the armor and weapons seized from the Later Jin army that day were preserved in good condition. In the future, these would all be the capital with which he built his career.

That day, after Wang Dou beheaded that Later Jin Boshiku, his own waist-sword had also been severely damaged. After returning, he simply chose a Later Jin heavy sword from the spoils. In addition, the smooth-bladed short sword carried on the person of that Later Jin White Armor soldier he also conveniently took for himself. This kind of short blade was far more useful than the head-removing knife he had originally used.

There were several sets of iron armor and cotton armor seized that day, but apart from Wang Dou, the Han Chao brothers and Qi Tianliang had each chosen a suit of leather armor and a warhorse. Iron armor was heavy, and cotton armor was for protection against firearms; neither was as light and convenient as leather armor. Unless it was a life-or-death great battle, few people were actually willing to wear iron armor. As for weapons, the three still used their original ones.

Looking at the armor and weapons in the storehouse, Wang Dou glanced at Yang Tong, who was following behind him, and told him to go choose a suit of armor as well. Yang Tong was overjoyed; this proved that Wang Dou truly regarded him as one of his own. Profusely grateful, he went and chose a suit of cotton armor. In addition, the three-eyed blunderbuss in the dun was now assigned to him. Yang Tong’s choice was correct. A qualified archer required many years of training. In Jingbian Dun, apart from Wang Dou and the three Han Chao brothers, the bows and arrows in the hands of Qi Tianliang and Yang Tong were purely for show. They were better off using firearms than bows.

The inventory of supplies in the dun was complete. Relative to a small fire-beacon dun, it was not a small amount, but for Wang Dou’s future development, it still seemed far too little, especially given that he was about to establish a tunbao. He could only slowly think of ways later.

Wang Dou was deep in thought about the future development of Jingbian Dun and the tunbao. Over on the other side, the Han Chao brothers and Qi Tianliang were muttering and discussing something. After a good while, Han Chao and the other two walked over, and Han Zhong was still carrying a heavy bag in his hand.

Han Chao clasped his fists in salute and said to Wang Dou, “Chief Wang, we have thought it over. The tunbao will need a great deal of silver in the future. That silver of ours sitting at our sides is of no use; we will hand it over to Chief Wang to use together.”

As he spoke, he took the cloth bag from Han Zhong’s hand and was about to give it to Wang Dou.

Wang Dou looked at Han Chao and the other two with some surprise. Indeed, he had just been calculating the expenses needed for future military farming. That day, he had been allotted four hundred taels of silver, and subsequently another sixty taels of military merit reward silver had come in. However, that day Wang Dou had already given several dozen taels of silver to those women who had been abducted. In addition, he had taken fifty taels of silver home. Adding in expenses over this period, he now had only a little over three hundred taels of silver left on his person, far from enough for the future needs of military farming.

The horses and armor in the dun went without saying. There were also several chests of cloth, silk, and the like left from the spoils that day. But with commodity prices soaring at present, Wang Dou was naturally loath to sell off these supplies. To him, it mattered little if everyone wore tattered clothes; as long as they could eat their fill and their spirit and morale were good, that was enough.

Wang Dou had not failed to think of the silver belonging to Han Chao and the others, but it was obviously not good for him to raise this topic himself. As for the higher-ups, he could go and ask for some things, but given the terrible state of the Great Ming’s guard battalions now, it was better not to hope for too much; otherwise, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Just as he was calculating, Han Chao and the others took the initiative to offer up their silver. Nothing could be better.

Wang Dou took the silver and said loudly, “Good! All are good brothers in the dun. Henceforth, we shall share blessings and endure hardships together, and seek wealth and rank together.”

Han Chao and the other two knelt down together, clasped their fists, and said loudly, “We are willing to follow you, my lord, before the saddle and behind the horse, though our bones be crushed to powder, to forever render the service of hound and steed.”

Wang Dou helped them up one by one, saying repeatedly, “Good brothers.”

The few of them looked at each other and smiled, a tacit understanding in their hearts.

And with Wang Dou expressing himself this way, Han Chao and the other two were also very joyful in their hearts.

Over these past few days, they had already thought it over carefully and had discussed it all. From Wang Dou, they sensed the prospects of following him. At this moment, when Wang Dou was at a critical juncture, if they did not express their loyalty, when would they?

After the life-and-death combat that day, the three’s attitude toward silver and money had already grown somewhat indifferent. Moreover, there was another point. That day in Dongjiazhuang, Zhang Gui had asked Wang Dou whether he was willing to join the military household register, so that he could be allotted officer’s duty fields; otherwise, he would only have some salary rice.

That day, Wang Dou joined the military household register without the slightest hesitation. Thus, his name was entered into the military service yellow register, and his descendants for generations to come would forever be military households of the Great Ming. And when the Han Chao brothers saw Wang Dou join the military household, they also joined the Great Ming military household together. In this way, they could all be allotted some officer’s land, each man receiving from one hundred fifty mu to one hundred mu, varying. Of course, their land was also subject to tax; in the future, the higher-ups would simply deduct it from their salary rice.

Qi Tianliang and Yang Tong had both originally been tenant farmers of Zhang Gui, the Squad Commander of Dongjiazhuang. Qi Tianliang, of course, would no longer work as a tenant farmer now. That day, he had already withdrawn his tenancy from Zhang Gui. It was not that he had not thought of buying some land to pass down to his family. However, after running around during this time, he discovered that the good fields of Shunxiang Fort all had owners, and no one was willing to sell. Buying those poor fields and wasteland required enormous investment, and the grain tax was heavy; he feared that in the future, income would not cover expenses. His worries also affected the Han Chao brothers. The two had originally planned to buy some land as well, but afterwards both grew hesitant.

Now, by giving their silver to Wang Dou, aside from currying Wang Dou’s favor, when the tunbao was developed in the future and water conservancy projects were built, each of them could directly be allotted one hundred mu of land, and it would even be tax-exempt for three years. This kind of thing that killed two birds with one stone — why not do it gladly?

The four were here deep in brotherly affection; only Yang Tong stood awkwardly to one side.

…

Wang Dou briefly counted the silver. The Han Chao brothers had spent a little during this time, and keeping some loose silver for themselves, they each contributed one hundred thirty taels of silver. Qi Tianliang also contributed eighty taels of silver. Adding Wang Dou’s own silver, he now had over six hundred taels of white silver in hand. With this money, the confidence for the future tunbao was much stronger.

Having brought out the silver, everyone felt even closer. They discussed matters concerning the dun and the tunbao, increasingly feeling that affairs were tangled and numerous. However, the first thing was still to dig a well in the dun; otherwise, the dun’s population had to carry water from the Dongfang River several li away, which was far too difficult.

Apart from this, they also needed to go to the banks of the Dongfang River to look at those wastelands that could be opened up for cultivation.