Chapter 119: Captured a Wild Minister of Personnel (For the Alliance Leader

Looking at the two corpses before him, Zhao Han sighed and said, "Bury them. The dead are to be honored; only in the earth can they find peace."

"Give them a proper burial!"

Ouyang Zheng suddenly cupped his hands and said, "Loyal officials and righteous men must not be treated with neglect. I shall compose their epitaphs."

Zhao Han sneered. "You think yourself so noble?"

Xiao Huan could not help but add, "Commander, you embrace the whole realm in your heart. Such loyal officials and righteous men should, by all reason, receive a proper burial."

"If I give them a proper burial," Zhao Han said, pointing at the bodies of Xie Xuelong and Li Zongxue, then at the distant corpses of the uprising soldiers, "then must I give every one of my own soldiers a proper burial too? Are mud-legged peasants baser than officials? I said bury them because the dead are to be honored — I cannot bring myself to leave corpses exposed in the wilderness!"

Xiao Huan opened his mouth to speak but stopped. He had gradually figured out Zhao Han's ways and knew that remonstrating at a moment like this was useless.

Zhao Han gave his orders: "Buy them ordinary coffins and properly erect a gravestone for each. If anyone finds that unacceptable, let them pay out of their own pocket to find a geomantic site, relocate the graves, and replace the stones. I will not obstruct them."

"I will pay for it!" Ouyang Zheng said at once.

"As you wish."

Zhao Han turned and walked away, coming before the bodies of his own soldiers.

In a battle of several thousand men, the uprising army had suffered over a hundred casualties, but only six had been killed in action, a dozen or so were gravely wounded, and the rest had light injuries.

Zhao Han proclaimed, "Cremate the dead into ashes and take them back for a proper burial. Tomorrow we march on Yongyang Town. The Xiao clan ancestral hall there shall be converted into the Hall of Heroic Souls. Henceforth, all soldiers and officers who die in battle shall be enshrined and honored in the Hall of Heroic Souls."

Cremation, though not the mainstream practice in the Ming dynasty, was not rejected either. When officials or merchants died far from home, their bodies could be burned into ashes and taken back to their native places for burial.

Xiao Huan's expression grew somewhat peculiar. Although his own ancestral home was not in Yongyang Town, the Xiao clan there was still of the same lineage as his.

In Luling County, the surname Liu was the most numerous, Wang the second, Li the third, and Xiao the fourth.

"Do you have an objection?" Zhao Han asked with a smile.

Xiao Huan gave a wry grin. "The Commander jests. What objection could I possibly have? Even if the Xiao ancestral hall were left standing, I would never set foot inside it in this lifetime."

Zhao Han then addressed the other soldiers: "All those gravely wounded and disabled in this battle shall be admitted to the Relief Home and given work suited to their strength. Those who die in battle without heirs — should orphans be encountered in the future, they may be raised to adulthood in the Relief Home, given new names, and made to carry on the family incense. Their land shall be allotted to these adopted sons!"

At these words, the officers and men submitted wholeheartedly.

Xiao Huan inwardly cried out in admiration, marveling at Zhao Han's skill in winning hearts.

Land to share while alive, care for the disabled, enshrinement in a temple hall after death, and the continuation of the family incense for the childless — with a whole system like this in place, what worry was there that soldiers would not fight to the death?

Ouyang Zheng, for his part, stared fixedly at Zhao Han, crying out in his heart: This is a demon spawned by the chaos of the age!

"Your name is Wu Yong, correct?" Zhao Han walked up to a wounded soldier.

Wu Yong broke into a simple, honest grin. "Reporting to the Commander, I am Wu Yong."

Zhao Han clapped him on the shoulder and encouraged him: "From now on, lead your men well. Don't just charge in blindly. This time, you will first be granted land and continue as squad leader. Next time you earn merit, you will be promoted again. Remember, you must learn to write. From now on, anyone above the rank of Company Commander must be literate in three hundred characters!"

"Many thanks to the Commander, my lord, for granting me land!" Wu Yong instinctively moved to kneel.

Zhao Han barked, "Get up! No kneeling or prostration in the army!"

Wu Yong hurriedly stood and saluted, one arm held horizontally across his chest — the military salute that Zhao Han had devised.

Ming-dynasty military salutes fell roughly into four types: full kneeling and prostration; cupping the hands and bowing; kneeling on both knees with hands cupped; and kneeling on one knee with hands cupped.

The specific form depended on the respective military ranks and on whether armor was being worn. If one was wearing armor, kneeling was inconvenient, so one would generally kneel on one knee or stand and cup the hands.

It was all rather chaotic, and Zhao Han found it awkward to watch, so he changed everything to the single arm held horizontally across the chest.

Zhao Han then walked up to another soldier. "Your name is Wang Biandan?"

"Aye, I'm Wang Biandan." The fellow was overjoyed that Mr. Zhao still remembered him.

Zhao Han encouraged him: "You enlisted at White Sands Town. Our territory cannot reach White Sands Town for now, but one day we will fight our way back!"

Wang Biandan was stirred with emotion and hurriedly stood straight to give the military salute.

Watching Zhao Han walk slowly past, calling out one soldier's name after another, Ouyang Zheng felt the worry on his face deepen more and more.

This rebel chieftain was a born commander, a natural talent for leading armies — what a pity he could not be used by the imperial court.

Zhao Han suddenly turned around. "Squad Captain Xiao, you are in charge of logistics and supplies. You'll be busy these next couple of days. Bring back all the commandeered war junks — they'll be just right for transporting troops and grain."

"Should we offer money to redeem them?" Xiao Huan asked.

"Redeem them from whom?" Zhao Han countered with a smile. "Those boats are all military assets we captured. If anyone dares come asking for them, tell them to take it up with Governor Xie. And if they lack the nerve to make the journey themselves, then send them on their way to meet Governor Xie!"

Xiao Huan cupped his hands. "Your subordinate understands!"

Zhao Han corrected him: "Do not call yourself 'your subordinate.' In my army, there are no lowly subordinates."

Xiao Huan immediately straightened up and shouted, "Understood!"

Xiao Huan, Fei Chun, Huang Shunde, and the others were worked to the point of utter exhaustion, as grimy as ash-covered grandsons, tallying and arranging all manner of logistical supplies. For two days straight, they toiled in a blur of chaos.

Before departing, Zhao Han summoned Zhang Yin. The dead eunuch's leg had still not healed.

"Congratulations, Provost Zhang. You are about to recover the prefectural seat of Ji'an," Zhao Han said with a smile.

Zhang Yin sat on a wooden stool, bobbing and bowing. "Everything depends on Mr. Zhao. From now on, I am but a dog at Mr. Zhao's beck and call."

"Spare me the useless talk. Do you even believe that yourself?" Zhao Han handed him a letter. "Help me deliver this to the Garrison Eunuch of Jiangxi."

"I will deliver it, I will definitely deliver it," Zhang Yin said repeatedly.

Xiao Huan's idea had been to bribe the Jiangxi Garrison Eunuch with a heavy sum, and he had even ghostwritten a secret letter brimming with literary flourish.

Zhao Han simply rewrote the letter. Its content was plain and easy to understand: You be your eunuch, I'll be my rebel. Well water does not mix with river water. If you send troops to Luling County, I will surely bring my troops to Nanchang Prefecture. I have already withdrawn from the prefectural seat of Ji'an — consider it a grand gift. Whether you accept it or not, weigh it yourself.

After reading the secret letter that Zhao Han had rewritten, Xiao Huan did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Yet he had to admit, a threat might prove more effective than a bribe!

At this very moment, Zhao Han came straight to the point: "Provost Zhang, how about we divide up some territory?"

Zhang Yin asked, "How do you propose to divide it?"

"Xuanhua Township, Yongfu Township, Dongdu Township, Tianxin Township — these four townships shall be under my jurisdiction," Zhao Han said with a smile. "The government office is not to come to these four townships to collect taxes, and I, for my part, will not attack the prefectural seat out of sheer idleness."

Luling County had eight townships in total. Zhao Han was directly carving away half of them!

Zhang Yin's eyes darted about shiftily as he evaded: "This is not something I can decide. It is a matter for the County Magistrate of Luling."

Zhao Han was perfectly agreeable. "I won't make things difficult for you, Provost Zhang. You may relay this to the new County Magistrate. If the new County Magistrate is unwilling, then simply kill him and replace him with another."

"Heh heh, I'll certainly pass it on, certainly pass it on." Zhang Yin listened with his heart pounding in terror.

Zhao Han said, "I leave tomorrow. If fate allows, we shall meet again."

"Meet again, meet again!" Zhang Yin hastily forced a smile and agreed, though he hoped never to lay eyes on Zhao Han again in this lifetime.

The sixth year of Chongzhen, mid-eleventh month.

Zhang Yin, the eunuch overseeing Ji'an, raised local militia and fought fiercely, finally driving the rebel Zhao Yan out of the prefectural city!

Of course, credit also belonged to the eunuch overseeing Jiangxi.

As for the other officials, they all died heroically for the dynasty, including Governor Xie Xuelong.

The dead command the greatest respect; if the eunuch kept hounding Xie Xuelong, the Donglin Faction would not let it rest, and that was bound to provoke public outrage.

Before Zhao Han led his troops away from the prefectural city, another thousand-odd people, with their families in tow, were willing to follow the rebels. Zhao Han took them all in and promised every one of them land, for he was hardly short of land at the moment.

The roving bandits had run rampant through Xuanhua Township and swept up a great number of people from Yongfu Township, leaving vast tracts of ownerless land that just happened to lack people to settle and farm it.

The land distribution policy had been adjusted: anyone who had reached the age of twelve, male or female, would each receive three mu of land (using medium-grade fields as the standard).

If they wanted more land, they had to earn merit. It did not have to be military merit; civilian personnel could also accumulate merit points, and ordinary villagers who handled affairs for the authorities could earn merit points too.

This approach could not last forever — there would certainly be no land left to distribute in the future — but it was perfectly suited to the present stage.

Moreover, there was a cap on how much land any individual could receive. Anything beyond that limit would be rewarded with other things, such as money, grain, or official posts.

Zhao Han's fleet had just entered the Helu River from the Gan River when it came face to face with Li Banghua's personal boat.

"Seize the boat and take the men!" Zhao Han ordered at once.

Xiao Huan asked, "Didn't the Regional Commander say we were not to rob merchant vessels?"

Zhao Han laughed. "What merchant vessel? With a draft that shallow, aren't they afraid of going broke?"

It turned out that when Li Banghua heard that Xie Xuelong's entire army had been wiped out, he had disbanded the local militia on the spot. Those militiamen had been recruited nearby, and Li Banghua had only brought a little over thirty of his own family soldiers.

Now, with just over twenty of his family soldiers left, Li Banghua was all aboard a single large boat heading home, and he had taken down the flags to disguise it as a merchant vessel.

Minister Li was indeed a man of great talent, but he had forgotten about a merchant boat's waterline. He should have loaded some stones for ballast.

Zhao Han had spent several years around Hekou Town in Yanshan and had seen countless merchant boats coming and going. A merchant boat with a draft this shallow was guaranteed to lose money down to the family silver.

Far too suspicious!

Surrounded on all sides, Li Banghua proved himself a man who could bend as well as stand tall. He bowed humbly and said, "Sir soldier, this old man is a traveling merchant from Yongxin County, on his way to Ji'an to purchase stock."

Zhao Han boarded the boat with his soldiers and asked, "What line of business are you in?"

"I deal in paper goods," Li Banghua replied. He was thoroughly familiar with all kinds of paper — a scholar, after all.

Zhao Han pressed him. "You're going to buy goods with an empty boat?"

Li Banghua realized at once that he had given himself away. Not that the boat was truly empty — there were still a few dan of grain in the hold.

"Seize him!" Zhao Han ordered.

Li Banghua carried no weapon on him, and his family soldiers were hidden in the hold. With only two younger kinsmen at his side, he was captured in an instant by the rebel army.

Zhao Han said with a smile, "Out with it — who are you?"

Li Banghua kept his mouth shut.

Xiao Huan boarded the boat, visibly excited. "Regional Commander, this is the former Minister of War, Mr. Li Meng'an." He then bowed respectfully and said, "This junior pays his respects to Mr. Meng'an!"

Li Banghua said nothing, merely stood there waiting to die. He could not even be bothered to curse the rebels.

Zhao Han did not know much about Li Banghua. He asked, "What sort of man is he?"

Xiao Huan answered, "A pillar of the state, a minister who could uphold the realm."

"Then come back with me," Zhao Han said cheerfully. "Release the others on the boat and let them go home to deliver the message. Say that Mr. Li has been invited to be my guest."

This unexpected prize had come utterly out of nowhere.

(From now until the start of next month, the double monthly tickets for tips are only valid between 8:00 and 24:00. Tipping in the middle of the night does not count for double monthly tickets.)

(End of chapter)