Chapter 21: Earth Pits

After spending the night inside Dong Family Village, early the next morning, Wang Dou and his group drove the oxen and led the military households back toward Jingbian Dun.

Everyone’s expressions were full of delight; although the gains from this trip were small, it had at least opened the first door.

Those military households assigned to Wang Dou each dragged along their families, carrying their simple luggage as they followed behind Wang Dou and his men. Unease showed on every face — they were switching to a new master, and no one knew what fate held in store.

They had heard of Wang Dou’s reputation: he was fierce in killing Tatars. But often such men had the most violent tempers — would he treat them well? They had heard this journey was to farm at Jingbian Fort; what would the future hold?

The military households harbored all kinds of thoughts as the group pressed on. At noon, the party arrived before Jingbian Dun. Qi Tianliang loudly called for the households to watch out for several hidden pitfall traps beside the trenches. At that moment, the drawbridge and the dun gate opened, and Yang Tong with his wife née Liu, along with Qi Tianliang’s wife née Tao, came out beaming to welcome them.

By now everyone was ravenously hungry. Wang Dou loudly instructed the two women: “Sister-in-law Yang, Sister-in-law Qi, quickly go cook some congee to fill the bellies of these newly arrived brothers!”

Then he added one more line: “Make the congee on the thick side.”

The two women answered loudly, turned around, and went back into the dun to cook the congee.

Hearing Wang Dou’s words, the military households stirred. It seemed the new master had a good heart, at odds with his fearsome appearance. Hope rose in each heart — perhaps this journey would not be so bad after all. Each household found a place to sit down meekly, exchanging only hushed remarks.

Wang Dou sized up those military households. Among these ten households, including their dependents, there were a little over forty people in total, half male and half female. As far as the eye could see, all were in tattered rags, frail and weak; there might be only seven or eight young men who looked somewhat sturdy. The children huddling beside their parents had disheveled hair, sallow faces, and emaciated frames, their clothes as ragged as hemp sacks; they merely stared with fearful eyes at the tall, burly figures of Wang Dou and his men, while also gazing curiously at the towering Jingbian Dun before them.

The Frost Descent solar term had already passed a few days earlier, and the weather was growing ever colder. The leather coats and felt hats on these military households were riddled with holes; when the cold wind blew, many began to shiver. Some of the able-bodied men managed, but the women and children beside them fared far worse.

Looking at these people before him, Wang Dou sighed. Were these Great Ming soldiers? They were plainly a Great Ming Beggars’ Sect. His own seven men at Jingbian Dun, though also dressed in rags, clearly far surpassed them in physical condition and spirit. It seemed he would have to spend some time nursing their health back.

While they waited, née Liu and née Tao finally emerged, each laboriously carrying a large pot. Steam billowed from the pots, and from a distance the fragrance of rice congee drifted over.

The military households stirred, every one of them straining their necks to look that way, especially the children, who kept swallowing their saliva with effort.

Née Liu and née Tao warmly called out: “Come drink congee! Everyone bring your bowls and chopsticks and come drink congee!”

The military households each fished bowls and chopsticks from their luggage. With Wang Dou and his men in front, they dared not crowd or scramble. By family, one by one they came up with bowls to queue for congee; those at the back kept craning their necks, waiting in great anxiety.

Née Liu and née Tao kept greeting those military households. Née Tao in particular was especially warm — with newcomers here, considering she was an old-timer at Jingbian Dun, surely Chief Wang would at least put her in charge of the other women?

As she ladled congee for each person, she loudly declared: “While you all drink this congee, do not forget the kindness of our Platoon Leader, Lord Wang.”

The military households agreed without pause, each finding a spot to wolf down the food. The congee in their bowls was fragrant, sweet, and thick — pure rice congee, absolutely unadulterated with wild greens or tree bark. Having long passed their days on chaff and greens, many shed tears as they drank such fine congee.

……

Wang Dou and his men also drank congee together. Without the slightest concern for appearances, they sat on the ground outside the dun. After Wang Dou had downed six bowls of congee, he patted his belly and stood up. Han Chao and the others likewise set down their bowls shortly after. Looking again at the military households, after each had drunk some congee, their spirits and energy were much improved.

Wang Dou had Han Chao call the military households over. Yang Tong also bellowed: “The Platoon Leader is about to address you — everyone quiet down quickly!”

Wang Dou walked before those people. Looking at them, Wang Dou also felt the pressure: from now on, their food, clothing, and survival would depend on him to sustain. Could he let them live good days? After gazing at these military households for a long while, Wang Dou opened his mouth and spoke clearly: “Yesterday, Squad Commander Lord Zhang assigned you to me. From now on, you will all farm within my fort. I, Wang Dou, say this here: from now on, we are all brothers of one fort. I, Wang Dou, will treat everyone equally and will never shortchange you.”

There was silence below for a long moment; many listened numbly. Just as the silence was about to turn awkward, a young man at the back quietly spoke up: “Lord Wang said he is having us come to farm inside the fort. May I ask how the lord wishes us to do so?”

Wang Dou praised him and said: “This brother asks well. Wang Dou, though unworthy, farms by order of the Defense Commander and the Squad Commander. From now on, we shall all open up wasteland along the Dongfang River. Afterward, every person will be allotted fields, along with plow oxen, seeds, and such. The Defense Commander has already assured me: the farming fort need only act boldly; the fields opened in the future will absolutely not be subject to any levies or harassment. Everyone need only farm in peace.”

Hearing Wang Dou’s words, the people below stirred. Clearly, Defense Commander Xu Zhongjun’s assurance still carried persuasive weight with these people. Moreover, not only would there be fields, but plow oxen, seeds, and other goods would also be distributed — this too held powerful appeal for them.

Another person asked: “May I ask how much grain we will have to pay in tax in the future, and whether we must repay the plow oxen, seeds, and such?”

Wang Dou loudly declared: “An honest man does not speak in riddles. Right now, we will open up land and build irrigation works together — all these expenses I will bear. And considering that everyone’s grain rations are meager, from now on, the daily work rations will also be paid by me. In the future, when the wheat and rice ripen: the first year, I will exempt everyone from tax grain. The second year, each mu of farmed land will be taxed one dou of grain, to cover the silver previously advanced for oxen and tools. The third year, each mu of farmed land will be taxed two dou of grain. Thereafter, this shall be the permanent rule, with no additional levies. I, Wang Dou, am a man of my word. That day, I told Tithing Chief Zhong Dayong plainly that I would go kill Tatars, and afterward I indeed went. Only after fighting and risking my life did I gain my present rank and post! As with killing Tatars, so it shall be with farming!”

Hearing Wang Dou’s forthright words, everyone exchanged glances, each stirred. Wang Dou spoke bluntly — that he would begin collecting grain tax from the second year onward actually gave them a sense of truth and credibility. Wang Dou’s words were far more persuasive than those of superior officers who bragged to the skies. If it were truly as Wang Dou said, with no further levies after the third year, then a tax of two dou per mu was something everyone could fully bear. That was merely the grain quota military households had paid in the early Ming; though heavier than the nominal rent paid by civilian households, in times like these, such a burden was already considered very light.

After these words, although some still harbored doubts and unease, hope surged in the hearts of the majority. As Wang Dou had said, they hoped that in the future they could live days of peace and stability.

After the reassuring address, Wang Dou ordered the ox brought from Dong Family Village to be driven into the dun for feeding, and the hoes and other items to be taken inside as well. Yang Tong carried out the dun’s one and only chair for Wang Dou. Wang Dou sat on the chair and began registering the military households into the record books. Unfortunately, there was no table; he could only place a wooden board across his lap to write on.

Writing traditional characters with a calligraphy brush posed no problem for Wang Dou. He wielded the brush and finished in one go, registering the ten households one by one according to each household’s military household certificate. For each household, he noted the age registry, military service background, native place, family members, males and females, able-bodied adults, and so forth, and prepared both a primary and a duplicate copy of the record book.

The final tally: among the ten military households, there were forty-five males and females in total. Of these, twenty-two were male — eighteen able-bodied adults and four minors. Twenty-three were female — fifteen able-bodied women above the age of thirteen and eight young girls below thirteen. In addition, the personal movable property each household brought along was also registered one by one.

After finishing, Wang Dou exhaled in relief, stood up, and stretched his limbs. He had not touched a brush in a long time; after registering just ten households, he already felt somewhat fatigued.

He sighed inwardly. From now on, affairs within the dun would be numerous — could it be that he had to personally attend to every single matter? Especially this kind of clerical work.

Unfortunately, at present within the dun, aside from himself, only Qi Tianliang recognized a few characters and could do some basic arithmetic. The rest — the Han Chao brothers, Yang Tong, and the two women — were all genuine illiterates who could not even write their own names. There was truly no choice but to do it himself. However, as the farming fort developed in the future, paperwork and clerical affairs would only multiply; it seemed he would have to recruit a clerk later on.

Those military households, seeing that Wang Dou could fluently write the record books, were also secretly astonished. Admiration showed on every face. This Platoon Leader Wang could mount a horse to kill bandits and dismount to wield the brush — he was truly accomplished in both the martial and the literary. In their hearts, each person could not help but gain a few more degrees of confidence in Wang Dou. That was just how it was in the Great Ming: people who could read and write always commanded respect.

After Wang Dou finished, he had Han Chao and the other brothers arrange lodging for those military households. So many people certainly could not all live inside the dun, and for the time being there were no barracks arranged; they could only have them first build thatched huts along the side of the dun as temporary dwellings.

Northern refugees had long had the custom of building “earth pits” in the wilds: dig a pit in the ground, find some stones and branches to pile a low wall around the perimeter, then lay some thatch on top, and it became a dwelling. This kind of structure was simple and effective, requiring no special materials. It was said to have been passed down from the Hu barbarians beyond the frontier; as long as one had a certain amount of firewood, grass, and charcoal, it could withstand the bitter cold very well.

Han Chao and the others directed those new residents in constructing earth pits outside the dun. In this regard, Wang Dou naturally did not understand as much as Han Chao and the others. He merely required that when the new residents built their earth pits, they be arranged in orderly rows, and that when relieving themselves, they concentrate on a single latrine pit — no scattering or random discharge — and pay as much attention to hygiene as possible.

It was evident that Han Chao had considerable command ability. Wang Dou observed that these two brothers had mysterious origins and seemed to have quite a story, but Wang Dou naturally would not pry into their private affairs.

By evening, each earth pit had already taken rudimentary shape. Pile after pile of firewood blazed, and with the playful laughter of children added in, it brought much vitality to the area outside Jingbian Dun.

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Old White Ox: I have matters this evening; the second update will be a bit late. Please forgive me.