[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-assuming-the-langya-surname":3,"chapter-assuming-the-langya-surname-assuming-the-langya-surname-chapter-56":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The False Clan of Langya",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2273852,4442,"Chapter 56: Strange Transfer Order","assuming-the-langya-surname-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>Wang Yang returned to the county school and found the Black Han waiting for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Han spotted Wang Yang, dropped to one knee, clasped his fists, and cried out: “Young Master, save me!” His voice was earnest and tinged with urgency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang said: “Get up! What’s happened? Tell me slowly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes! This morning I received a transfer order assigning me to garrison Tianmen Commandery. Tianmen is over four hundred li from Jingzhou City—I won’t be able to return home until year’s end, and then I won’t be able to care for A Wu...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Tang, one step equaled six chi, three hundred steps made one li, and one li equaled eighteen hundred chi. In the Southern Dynasties, one chi measured 24.7 centimeters. This distance was not far—two days’ walk would suffice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soldiers received only three days’ leave per month; the round trip would take four days, leaving no time. The squad commander there might not be reasonable—he might not even permit accumulated leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Tianmen bordered the Southern Barbarians, where garrison pressure was far greater than here. Even regular monthly leave might not be guaranteed, making it impossible to return often to care for A Wu, or even to send food and money each month.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After listening to the Black Han’s account, Wang Yang asked: “Is Tianmen dangerous, being near the Southern Barbarians?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know exactly where I’ll be sent, but wherever it is, it will be far more dangerous than Aqu’s garrison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The times are turbulent—just a month ago, Cao Gonglin’s outpost was massacred, and that was still within Jiangling County!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianmen Commandery lies deep among the barbarians; the barbarians are likely even more rampant. But I’m a military household—I shouldn’t complain about danger. Yet this transfer order feels... strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Han wore a look of deep confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang’s gaze sharpened: “How is it strange?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Garrison duty is usually drawn from within the same commandery; rarely does it involve other commanderies. Even if manpower is short, transfers are done by entire garrisons or posts. Even when individuals are selected, each post chooses its own men. But my order was issued directly to me—it bears my name...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was your squad the only one to lose just you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Even our squad commander found it odd—he asked if I’d used connections to get myself transferred to Tianmen, thinking I’d be promoted there. He thought I’d be lucky! At first I wondered if this was your doing, but then I remembered you know about A Wu—you wouldn’t send me away. And even if you wanted to promote me, you’d have told me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang also found it strange. “Has anything like this happened before?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Han thought a moment. “Never. Two years ago we were transferred to Yongning Commandery, but that was a full squad transfer. There have been cases where officers were named, but I’m just a lowly soldier—why would my name be singled out? Could the military bureau have changed its rules?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter reeked of mischief—unusual events always conceal hidden dangers, though the source remained unknown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there was a scheme, was it aimed at the Black Han—or was this a case of Xiang Zhuang dancing with his sword, aiming at Pei Gong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if no scheme existed, Tianmen was a dangerous place—he should not be sent there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This favor must be granted. Had the Black Han not changed his testimony at the Attendant-in-Ordinary’s office, Wang Yang might already be dead. Though Wang Yang had repaid his debt, and the Black Han now offered him little practical aid, Wang Yang valued relationships by heart, not utility—that was why he had once gained many “true friends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was a true friend?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One who does not come because of benefit, nor leave because of loss, who binds by sincerity alone, never betraying for gain—that was a true friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one only draws close to those who help, and flees at the first hint of trouble, such bonds will never endure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Wang Yang silent, the Black Han grew anxious: “Young Master...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang said: “Don’t worry—I’ll find a way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Han looked at Wang Yang with boundless gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had begged Xue Duizhu for leave beforehand, fearing most of all that Wang Yang would refuse to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Wang Yang had already helped him enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang pondered, then decided to take the Black Han to Liu Zhao and ask for his aid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhao had two great virtues: his mind was pure, and he treated others kindly. He would not pry into how a mere garrison soldier had become Wang Yang’s temporary attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing Wang Yang’s request, he frowned: “I have no influence in the military.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang pressed: “It would be better still if you could be discharged from military household status entirely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Han’s lips trembled—he had once harbored this wish, even raised it before Wang Yang, and originally sought to please him for precisely this reason. But Wang Yang had given no sign, so he had abandoned the hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now the Young Master still remembered!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhao frowned deeply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Discharge from military household status? That’s even harder!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legitimate release requires submission to the Ministry of Personnel for de-registration—usually only granted for extraordinary merit or an imperial edict of grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imperial edicts of this kind occurred twice under the previous dynasty’s Xiao Wu Di—both were special favors. Since our dynasty’s founding, none have been issued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Private petitions were common before the household inspection, but since then, enforcement has grown far stricter...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Zhao had mentioned “household inspection” once before while helping Wang Yang with household registration issues; this was the second time. Wang Yang knew little of Southern Qi history, but he knew the Eastern Jin and Liu Song dynasties had both conducted household inspections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Household inspection” was shorthand for checking household registers—essentially, a census.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the Five Barbarians’ rebellion and the fall of the north, vast numbers of northerners fled south, causing chaos in household records.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On one hand, powerful clans concealed populations, turning commoners into their private slaves and soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other, many commoners, seeking survival or advancement, willingly sought protection under aristocratic families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others, to evade taxes and conscription, paid to falsely register as aristocrats, faked their deaths to escape registration, or bribed clerks to alter ages—each had their own tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The longer this went on, the worse it became, until fewer registered commoners remained and household rolls were riddled with errors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To preserve state strength, both Eastern Jin and Liu Song had conducted household inspections multiple times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Southern Qi followed suit—since its founding, it had enforced household inspection, and the current emperor had intensified the campaign: harsh laws punished false registration, a special bureau was established to oversee registration, and the policy once sparked a nationwide rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang did not yet know the specifics of Southern Qi’s household inspection, nor that he would soon be drawn into the lingering aftermath of a rebellion that had ended four years prior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I have an idea,” Liu Zhao suddenly said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In six days, the White Tiger Daoist Hall will hold a scholarly debate. The Prince will reward the winner with one hundred thousand cash. If you win, refuse the money and ask the Prince for a favor instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Direct discharge from military household status is difficult, but as a member of the Langya Wang clan, if you ask the Prince to transfer your military household status into his personal retinue—making you a buqu—he should agree.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, buqu referred to households attached to aristocratic families—higher in status than slaves, residing in their mansions as guests or servants, and armed, they became private guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though private soldiers, they were nominally part of the imperial military, accompanying their masters in wartime, and recognized by the state as legitimate defense forces. Thus, conversion between buqu and military households occurred occasionally, easier than converting from military household to commoner. Local military bureaus sometimes granted official military households to aristocrats as buqu—for example, when regional governors left office, they often bestowed buqu as part of “sending off the former official.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Han, terrified, hurriedly said: “I’m not worth one hundred thousand cash! It’s fine—I can go to Tianmen!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yang said: “Don’t worry about anything else. Just tell me—do you want to become my buqu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Han lowered his head, fighting back tears, twisting his sleeve, then paused and spoke in a hoarse whisper: “Of course I do—I’ve dreamed of it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good. Then wait six days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Black Han looked desolate: “But I can’t wait six days. The order says ‘report immediately.’ I begged my squad commander for mercy—he granted me only one day to settle my family. I must leave at dawn tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1469,"2026-06-19T23:36:03.373Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e43b4daceb544ffdad17ee48836b159d097be0d24969fa93b0482f4aa2ef23ac","assuming-the-langya-surname-chapter-57","assuming-the-langya-surname-chapter-55",62,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-false-clan-of-langya-cover.jpg"]