Chapter 105: The King's Law

"The Yang Family Head's sixty-one medicinal crossbowmen entered the city through the north gate. The gate-receiving swift hands asked where they should be quartered."

"The Yang Family Head's medicinal crossbowmen will defend the south gate. Ask Yao Sunfei to help quarter them in the homes of commoners on South City Wall Root Street — his word carries weight over there."

"The seventy community soldiers of Fengyi Lane are waiting beneath the city stairs at the east gate."

"Fengyi Lane — let me take a look."

Atop the Dongzuo Gate battlements, Pang Yu flipped through the "Anti-Theft Preparedness Inspection" register in his hands. "Fengyi Lane's community soldiers exceed the original plan. Redirect them to Xiangyang Gate, Section Eighty-One. Assign each man to a specific arrow crenel — once a crenel is assigned, write down the name. The Zhuang Squad's Third Team will send men to train them in city defense."

"Squad Leader, the Qingfeng Market community soldiers number one hundred and thirteen, with the supervising gentry officer Wang Wenyao. They have assembled at Bean Family Bridge."

"Send them to Dongzuo Gate, Section Seventy-Two. Set out the short spears for them first — begin training as soon as they arrive. Also, urge the forge again: these next few days, they are to make only short spears for the battlements. The more the better. Every household is to deliver ten pieces as soon as ten are finished — do not wait until the entire batch is complete to deliver."

"Just now, Jiang Xiucai came to ask whether the community soldiers must all stay at the grass depots at night and are forbidden from returning home."

"No need. Only daytime drills require full attendance. At night, leave one man for every five crenels, and keep two additional heralds per ward and lane. Everyone else returns home to rest." Pang Yu turned to the other swift hands. "Answer the same for every ward that asks. Before the roving bandits appear, let the community soldiers rest fully."

"The Military Office asks whether the dozen or so runners from the Runner Squad need to mount the walls."

Pang Yu's tone brooked no doubt. "Of course they must mount the walls. And not just them — the county yamen's clerks, gatekeepers, cooks, sweepers, grooms, yin-yang students: any able-bodied man who draws work-ration silver from the yamen must mount the walls. The old and weak will help transport supplies. Every day we say the common people are our parents who clothe and feed us. Now that our parents have gone up to the city walls to fight, it won't do for the sons to think they can hide away in peace and quiet. What kind of fine scheme does he think he's dreaming up, that Wang Dazhuang."

The swift hand serving as herald turned and left. Seeing no one else queued behind him, Pang Yu finally let out a long breath.

Ever since the warning of the roving bandits had arrived, Yang Erming had handed full authority over city defense command to Pang Yu. Now even the Military Office had to obey his orders. Tongcheng had formally entered a defensive state, and Pang Yu began deploying troops and assigning officers according to his contingency plan. But once he actually started executing it, he still discovered many unforeseen issues — mostly minor details, yet none could be left unaddressed.

After a brief rest, Pang Yu called over Yao Dongshan, who stood by the city stairs. "Your squadron will stay tonight in the Dongzuo Gate city tower. The three squads will rotate resting. One squad must remain on alert at all times: one five-man team patrols the city wall, one five-man team guards the gate. In your spare time, interact more with those community soldiers. Relying solely on the Zhuang Squad to defend these six li of city wall is impossible. Be gentler in your manner toward the community soldiers. If there is an alarm tonight, fire the cannon and beat the gongs."

"Understood." Yao Dongshan snapped to attention, then immediately relaxed his posture. "Once those community soldiers came up onto the battlements, the walltop turned into utter chaos. There are countless family dependents delivering food and clothes — can we stop them from coming up? They're nothing but a nuisance."

Pang Yu glanced over at the city wall. Indeed, people were coming and going. Many women were carrying bowls of food; some were leading several small children. There was even one woman lugging a huge wok, claiming it was for her husband to use as an arrow shield.

Grass depots had been built on the city wall, hanging curtains and high lamps were suspended in the direction of the arrow crenels, and all manner of equipment and firearms were piled along the walkways, interspersed with braziers. The space had already been somewhat cramped, and now with these people arriving, it was unbearably congested.

He couldn't help but laugh. "Defending the city is impossible without the community soldiers. This being the first day, it's only natural their families are worried. When you train the community soldiers later, tell them not to let their family dependents come up onto the battlements in the future. Don't call it a nuisance — just say the roving bandits could arrive at any moment, and you want to prevent stray arrows from injuring their families. They'll naturally tell those women to stop coming. If some absolutely must come, have them wait below the city stairs and only allow the guards to pass items along."

"Squad Leader, that method of yours is excellent." Yao Dongshan patted his helmet. "Any difficult matter becomes easy to handle once it reaches the Squad Leader."

Pang Yu studied that helmet for a moment. No matter how he looked at it, something was off. Not only was the helmet's surface anything but smooth, but the right side was also caved in. Furthermore, it lacked the lightning rod that existed in Pang Yu's memory. It seemed the technical skill of Tongcheng's forge left room for improvement — one could only say it was better than nothing.

Pang Ding came running up the city stairs, huffing and puffing. "The family dependents of over seventy Zhuang Squad guards have already entered the city. They've all been quartered in the Ye Family's old residence. The register is written up here."

Pang Yu took it, glanced at it, and handed it back to Pang Ding. "Those whose family dependents have already entered the city will not be assigned night watch tonight. Let them see their families. Go inform them."

Pang Ding's legs went weak. Today, the Zhuang Squad's two hundred-plus men were spread across six li of city wall, training community soldiers in defense at every point. Making a round of notifications meant covering six li of road, and taking the streets and alleys through the city wouldn't save any effort either.

Pang Yu pointed below the wall. "Take my horse."

Only then did Pang Ding leave, delighted. Pang Yu watched Pang Ding depart, then walked to a wall crenel and gazed out beyond the city. Yang Erming was also working on-site at Zilai Bridge today — he wondered how the situation was. He saw a large crowd gathered at the bridgehead; Yang Erming seemed to be surrounded in the middle, arguing about something.

At the west bridgehead of Zilai Bridge, commoners were hurrying back and forth across the bridge. Quite a few merchant houses were directing laborers to transport goods into the city. The streets were thick with a tense atmosphere.

Yang Erming was surrounded by a group of village chiefs who had rushed in from the countryside. His face was flushed bright red; he talked incessantly, his voice already somewhat hoarse.

"His Honor sent word that the roving bandits are about to arrive and ordered us to spread the alarm so the common people can leave their homes and flee disaster. We do not know if this is truly confirmed. Everything else is easy to discuss, but going out in this freezing cold, supporting the elderly and carrying the young — no one can guarantee lives won't be lost. If it turns out to be another false alarm and someone dies because of it, and those people then pin the blame on us and demand our lives in recompense, what then?"

Yang Erming looked at that village chief and slowed his tone as much as possible. "This official repeatedly questioned the mounted swift hands who brought the message. They indeed saw many commoners fleeing Luzhou. Luzhou has already sealed its city and imposed martial law. There should be no doubt."

Another village elder beside him said, "But they didn't see the roving bandits themselves, did they? Last time at Qianshan, they said the same thing, and in the end, they never came. Roadside rumors are inherently unreliable. Even if Luzhou truly has an alarm, it doesn't necessarily mean Tongcheng also has one — there are still several hundred li in between. It's not that we mean to make things difficult for His Honor, but country folk rarely leave home. If the whole family goes out to flee disaster, and in the end the roving bandits never come, but something at home gets stolen instead, who knows how many people will come looking for us village elders."

Yet another village elder chimed in, "His Honor is a learned man who understands reason and propriety, but not every commoner in the villages is reasonable. If they learned on their own that the roving bandits were coming and needed to flee, our lending a helping hand would be a kindness. But now the county yamen is ordering us village chiefs to spread the alarm — we are the ones telling them to flee. Once they step out their doors, they will inevitably pin all matters of eating, drinking, shitting, pissing, clothing, food, shelter, and travel onto us village chiefs, and they'll argue with perfect self-righteousness: 'Well, you're the one who told us to flee.' That being the case, even if we bankrupted ourselves and ruined our families, we couldn't provide for them all."

Yang Erming had come to Zilai Bridge today originally to urge the grain shops outside the city to transport their grain into the city, and had happened to run into the arriving village chiefs. He rarely faced so many village chiefs at once. Normally, in the county yamen's main hall, these village chiefs were each and every one docile and obedient. Now, with each of them speaking their piece, he realized just how difficult they were to deal with.

He closed his eyes to steady his nerves. When he opened them, he addressed the surrounding village chiefs. "There are still two mounted swift hands scouting in Luzhou Prefecture. Yesterday, this official dispatched men again to Luzhou to rendezvous with them. Within a few days, there should be confirmed news sent back. If the roving bandits do not come, that is naturally a good thing. But if by chance they do come, by then it will be too late even to try to flee — no different from sitting and waiting to die. Which is weightier and which is lighter, each of you should have a clear measure in your hearts."

"Then since the county yamen orders us to spread the alarm, has it already prepared grain provisions and shelter within the city? Otherwise, how do you expect us to explain this to the villagers?"

Yang Erming replied awkwardly, "This official has done his utmost to make arrangements, but indeed, things are somewhat tight."

"His Honor, please understand. We still cannot spread this alarm — unless Your Excellency can confirm that the roving bandits will definitely come."

"This... how can this official confirm the movements of roving bandits?" Yang Erming was rather overwhelmed and did not know how to respond. The three runners beside him had little experience and just stood behind him in a daze.

The cluster of village chiefs surrounded Yang Erming and continued their clamor. Though it was not an outright attack, it still put Yang Erming in an extremely awkward position.

"What are you all crowding around His Honor for?" A voice rang out from outside. The village chiefs turned to look. Many of them had seen Pang Yu during the autumn grain collection and knew him as the murderous Pang Squad Leader. One after another, they fell silent and parted to open a path.

Pang Yu walked to Yang Erming's side. He swept his gaze over the village chiefs, then said, "The county yamen only told you to spread the alarm. What does 'alarm' mean? It's called an alarm when they haven't come yet. Once they arrive, it's called a disaster. Your responsibility as village chiefs is to tell the common people the news that roving bandits have appeared in Luzhou — to let them make some advance preparations, to be ready to flee at any moment. Leaving home a bit early is also fine. Who told you to manage their eating, drinking, shitting, and pissing?"

One village chief mustered his courage and said, "Then as we were saying just now, the country folk may not be willing to leave home, especially in this freezing cold. Since the county yamen wants us to spread..."

Pang Yu cut him off. "What they choose to do is their own business. If some want to stay home and wait for the roving bandits to block their doors, the county yamen lacks the strength to carry them into the city. Their own lives are their own responsibility. But the county yamen absolutely must deliver the message. You want His Honor to confirm whether the roving bandits are coming or not, and you still claim you aren't making things difficult for him? Rumors are spreading all along the road from Luzhou — even Fengyang is said to have been burned. Even the various Excellencies and Regional Commanders can't confirm which way the roving bandits are heading. How is His Honor supposed to confirm it?"

Pang Yu finished speaking in one breath, giving these village chiefs no face whatsoever. Now commanding two to three hundred subordinates, his speech carried a natural air of taking charge. The village chiefs stared dumbly at Pang Yu; for a moment, no one dared to refute him.

"Is there anything else you are all waiting here for?"

None of the village chiefs spoke, but neither were they willing to leave just yet. They had also come into the city to gather information.

Yang Erming seized this opportunity to extricate himself. He beckoned to Pang Yu, who hurriedly followed.

"The gentry are still easier to reason with. Every major and wealthy family in the city is contributing silver and grain. How is it that these village chiefs are so unreasonable?" Yang Erming said as he walked. "Never mind them. In that contingency plan of yours, there is still one matter that requires this official to go in person."

Pang Yu thought for a moment. "Eastern Prosperity Tower?"

"Precisely." Yang Erming looked up and saw the Eastern Prosperity Tower, still standing tall.

It was very close from Zilai Bridge; the two arrived at Eastern Prosperity Tower in a moment.

Outside the tower, the surrounding commoners had gathered in a dense crowd. A clamor rose from the throng. Chief Clerk Xu, who had arrived earlier, was already on the scene, along with gentry representatives Jiang Zhihuai, Sun Yi, Jiang Chen, Fang Wen, and others.

The village elder of Zilai Street shouted at Chief Clerk Xu, "Officer, you cannot burn this tower! This tower is so tall — if it collapses while burning, the fire will spread in all directions. All our family wealth is here. We absolutely dare not allow a fire to be set."

Another old woman nearby heard this and dropped to her knees with a thud. "I hear the county yamen also wants to burn those houses near the city wall. You mustn't! Our humble households have only this much to rely on. If they're burned, where will we live in the future? We beg you, Officer!"

At these words, a vast swath of the surrounding crowd fell to their knees. Chief Clerk Xu was momentarily at a complete loss.

Jiang Zhihuai, standing nearby, loudly urged, "Fellow townsmen, be a little more understanding. No one wants the roving bandits to come, but our Tongcheng relies entirely on this city wall. If we don't burn the houses beside the wall, those bandits will have an easier stretch when they storm the city. If they then break through and enter, the whole city dies. What use will the houses you left behind be then?"

The commoners had no desire to listen. One after another, they wailed and wept in the crowd.

Just as chaos was taking hold, Liu Xiucai appeared on the second floor of Eastern Prosperity Tower. He looked down and cursed at the crowd below. "If you've got the guts, burn me along with it! You Mushou and magistrates, instead of thinking of ways to defend against the bandits, you single-mindedly target the good people of Tongcheng. You've certainly hatched a fine scheme, using the roving bandits as a pretext — who do you think you're fooling? Where are the roving bandits? Call one out and show me!"

Jiang Zhihuai faced Liu Xiucai and said angrily, "The county yamen's mounted swift hands saw it with their own eyes. The roving bandits have already reached Luzhou."

"Jiang Zhihuai, stay out of this! That mounted swift hand heard it from people on the road. He's been back for four days now. The roving bandits ride horses too — if they were coming, they'd have arrived long ago. So where are the roving bandits right now?"

Jiang Chen also said to Liu Xiucai, "The Roving Bandits fight and raid as they go, so naturally they'll be a bit slower than a messenger horse. At this moment of crisis, Brother Liu, do not be short-sighted."

"Brother Jiang, don't let them deceive you. The roving bandits' shadow hasn't even been seen, and the county office already wants to burn civilian property — what kind of reasoning is that! I will go to Anqing Prefecture to file a complaint, and to the Capital to file an imperial complaint."

Jiang Zhihuai was furious upon hearing this and began cursing back and forth with Liu Xiucai from across the building.

Yang Erming stepped into the scene at this moment, also feeling a severe headache. In truth, the various preparations within the city had been going rather smoothly. Because they had experienced the last civil unrest, the city's great households, Village Elders, and gentry all knew there was no avoiding it. With their personal fortunes at stake, they organized Community Soldiers and donated supplies with great enthusiasm, and the city defenses had already begun to take shape.

On the contrary, mobilization in the countryside was extremely difficult, with only a small portion of villages beginning preparations.

Yang Erming and Zhou County Deputy began to persuade the kneeling commoners, while Pang Yu beckoned He Xianya, who was waiting outside the scene.

"Any news on that beggar and the spy?"

He Xianya shook his head. "The city is in chaos with people coming and going; there's no way to seal the roads."

Pang Yu pondered for a moment. Under such an intensive search, the beggar had vanished without a trace. Either someone in the city was sheltering him, or he had already fled the city. The focus had now shifted to mobilization, and Pang Yu had no extra manpower for a city-wide manhunt, so he could only set it aside for now.

He looked up at the Eastern Prosperity Tower before him. By now, Liu Xiucai had ended his war of words with Jiang Chen and shut the second-floor window; his whereabouts were unknown.

He Xianya said in a low voice, "Liu Xiucai is guarding the tower door. We can't burn it, and we can't tear it down either."

"In broad daylight, who dares burn a scholar alive inside? And with public sentiment so inflamed right now, using fire is even less of an option." Pang Yu said coldly to He Xianya, "Purple Arrival Street is your jurisdiction. The Roving Bandits are near; you must settle this matter properly."

Pang Yu's tone left no room for negotiation. He Xianya knew his third brother's status was of no use here. He stared at the ground for a moment, then raised his head and said to Pang Yu, "If we can't use fire, we can only tear it down. We have to get the person inside out first before there's a way to demolish it. I will go handle it."

"How will you handle it?"

"I will handle it myself. I only ask everyone present to bear witness."

Pang Yu did not press him on how he would handle it, merely nodding as he watched He Xianya stride toward the Eastern Prosperity Tower. The surrounding gentry took notice.

He Xianya walked to the door of the Eastern Prosperity Tower and said respectfully toward the inside, "I am a runner from the county office, here to relay a verbal message on behalf of His Honor."

Liu Xiucai's voice from inside said fiercely, "Get lost. I won't open the door even if Yang Erming comes himself."

He Xianya leaned close to the crack in the door and said, "The County Magistrate was precisely being considerate of the Xiucai. Just now, His Honor and Xu Chief Clerk discussed it further. They can offer to buy this tower, but it's not convenient to discuss outside the door."

After a moment of silence inside, the door creaked open. Liu Xiucai pulled the door leaf open a crack and sized He Xianya up. Remembering he had seen this man at Bai Shun Tang, he said with a face full of suspicion, "So it's Pang the dog-official's lackey. Why send a lowly runner like you to speak? Why didn't Jiang Zhihuai and Jiang Chen come?"

"The silver comes from the county office. The County Magistrate finds it inconvenient to appear in person, nor is it convenient to let others know. Otherwise, the nearby commoners would all come to the county office to negotiate silver. That is why he sent this humble one to discuss it privately."

Liu Xiucai stared at He Xianya for a moment, then finally stepped aside from the doorway. As soon as He Xianya entered, he immediately shut the door leaf again and slid the bolt into place.

Everyone outside was paying close attention, because Liu Xiucai had kept the door shut all day, refusing to let anyone in. They wondered what method this runner had in mind. Everyone also wanted to know what outcome the discussion would yield.

Inside the sealed main hall, Liu Xiucai sat down with an air of arrogance and said to He Xianya, "Speak, then. How much silver is Yang Erming offering? If it's less than one thousand seven hundred taels, don't bother."

He Xianya looked around. The usually bustling main hall of the Eastern Prosperity Tower was empty; the servants and cooks had all fled clean away, leaving Liu Xiucai alone.

His gaze returned to Liu Xiucai's face. "The Fast Squad offers one tael of silver."

Liu Xiucai froze, his expression slowly turning vicious. "You dare toy with me? The matter of the hand-chopping last time hasn't been settled with you yet. Today, in full view of everyone, do you still intend to commit violence?"

He Xianya's face twitched. "It's fine if you want silver, and it's nothing if negotiations fail, but you should not have assaulted and injured a constable! This constable did not come to deliver silver, but to deliver you to jail."

Liu Xiucai showed a trace of confusion, but even more fury. "You dog runner, spouting nonsense! State clearly who was assaulted and injured — don't you slander me with baseless accusations!"

Before Liu Xiucai could react, He Xianya suddenly grabbed a ceramic teapot from a nearby table and smashed it violently against his own head.

The ceramic teapot shattered with a crash, pieces clattering all over the floor. Blood streaming down his face, He Xianya staggered back two steps.

Liu Xiucai stared dumbfounded, pointing at He Xianya, and stammered, "You, you…"

"Assaulted and injured this officer!" He Xianya leaned against the wall, gasping for breath as he spoke.

Having said this, He Xianya stumbled and threw himself against the door, pulled out the bolt, and went out. Liu Xiucai was speechless, following woodenly to the doorway.

When the crowd outside saw a runner emerge with his head covered in blood, an immediate uproar broke out.

Yang Erming and the assembled gentry gathered around, and Pang Yu rushed forward to support He Xianya.

He Xianya said to Yang Erming, "Reporting to His Honor, I offered kind advice, but I never imagined Liu Xiucai would dare assault a constable. He is still inside the tower now."

Jiang Zhihuai pointed at Liu Xiucai and said, "To think you still hold scholarly rank, yet you commit such an act. All of us here today are witnesses."

Liu Xiucai could no longer speak smoothly, stammering, "That… you must not believe him, I…"

Yang Erming looked furiously at Liu Xiucai, who stood dumbstruck in the doorway, and said loudly, "In broad daylight, with utter disregard for the law! Liu Xiucai used an object to assault and injure a constable on official summons duty. Pang Squad Leader, arrest him!"