Chapter 164: Military Law

Before the barracks of the Hundredth Chief Bureau, the guards stood arrayed by squad. Pang Yu stood at the head of the First Squad.

"Recite Military Law, Chapter One, Article Three, Battlefield Regulations: if one man in the squad dies in battle and this squad makes no capture, what is the penalty."

That dull-witted burly man thought for a long while, then stammered, "Execute the squad leader… behead."

Wu Dacai stood right beside that burly man. This was the second day of spot-checks on military law; yesterday the same dull fellow had been checked, and the whole squad had missed lunch. Anxious, Wu Dacai couldn't help muttering under his breath, "Labor and provisions silver…"

Pang Yu glanced at Wu Dacai. Wu Dacai hurriedly shut his mouth again. Pang Yu turned to the leader of the First Squad. "From now on, if your squad suffers a death without a capture, shall I behead you?"

That squad leader waved his hands awkwardly. "He answered wrong."

Pang Yu took a step forward to stand before Wu Dacai. "Since you want to answer, then you answer."

Wu Dacai was confident about this article. He puffed out his chest. "Yes, my lord. In all battles, if one man dies and this squad has no head-hunting merit, the entire squad forfeits one month's labor and provisions silver, to be given as compassionate compensation to the deceased's family. If the vanguard dies because the squad failed to render aid, the entire squad shall be executed. By military law, beheaded with no compensation."

Pang Yu waved a hand. "Ten military rods for each of the two. First Squad's lunch is canceled."

Wu Dacai's face filled with astonishment. "My lord, I remember it clearly. It must be correct."

"So this official is wrong?"

"This… I dare not. My lord is not wrong." A faint sweat broke on Wu Dacai's forehead. "This lowly one was wrong."

Pang Yu stared directly into his eyes. "Wrong in what way?"

Wu Dacai's legs trembled slightly. For the moment, how could he answer?

Pang Yu turned to Yao Dongshan, who was following him. "Centurion Yao, what do you think he did wrong?"

Yao Dongshan opened his mouth. He had never fully memorized it to begin with. Now, seeing that cold expression on Pang Yu's face, even what he had remembered fled his mind. His head went completely blank; he truly could not recall what the penalty for battlefield death without decapitation merit was.

"The first man answered incorrectly. The second man answered correctly, but when this official had not called on him, he spoke without permission while in the ranks. He too is punished with ten military rods. Does Centurion Yao consider this the proper handling?"

Yao Dongshan bowed slightly. "My lord's handling is correct. They deserve the beating."

He finished and waved his hand. Several squad leaders at the head of the ranks came over, dragged Wu Dacai and the other man out, and pressed them down. Wu Dacai lay with his head turned to the side and happened to see that Guo Fengyou raising the rod. He only felt a chill on his buttocks and knew his pants had been pulled down. He had taken rod strikes during standing-still drills before; it hurt but was bearable. He squeezed his eyes shut desperately.

With a sharp crack, Wu Dacai felt a searing, fierce pain, far worse than the previous military rods. He couldn't help letting out a miserable howl.

Pang Yu ignored it completely and spoke beside him to Yao Dongshan. "You are now a Centurion in charge of over fifty men, and soon you will be a Hundred General. The foremost matter in the army is military law. Until military law is passed, no one enters the drill field for training. Today Wang Zenglu's Second Bureau has already passed the spot-check. The Hundredth Chief Bureau is falling behind. Do you intend to still be stuck in the barracks memorizing these few articles of military law when we reach Anqing? You, Yao Dongshan, are not one content to lag behind others. You ought to show some ruthless drive."

Yao Dongshan gritted his teeth. "Yesterday the Second Bureau invited Jiang Guoyong to read for them. Your subordinate was a step late. There is no one literate in the squad to read."

"This official does not listen to excuses. Chapter One of Military Law has only five articles, all essential, concise, and clear. No one cannot memorize them in two days. Tomorrow we spot-check again. If you fail a third time, every squad leader in your bureau will empty the Second Bureau's night-soil buckets every day, until you pass."

By now Guo Fengyou had finished the beating. Pang Yu did not wait for Yao Dongshan's reply and continued walking forward. He had intended to go directly to the next squad, but upon seeing Dong Mingyuan, he stopped again.

"Dong Mingyuan. Military Law, Chapter One, Article Three, Battlefield Regulations: for one who retreats in the face of battle, how does the squad leader deal with him?"

Dong Mingyuan's face flushed red, and his voice trembled as he said, "Yes, my lord. In the formation, cut off one ear of that soldier. After the battle, any found without an ear shall be beheaded."

"Answered well." Pang Yu glanced at him, said nothing more, and headed straight for the Second Squad.

Yao Dongshan stood with his hands on his hips, glaring fiercely at the ranks. The leader of the First Squad came over. "Centurion, what do we do?"

"What do we do? First go find someone literate." Yao Dongshan grabbed that squad leader. "Hurry and find that Jiang Guoyong. He's the only literate one here. If you're late, someone else will have called him away again."

That squad leader hurried off. Yao Dongshan's eyes swept over and saw the two soldiers still sprawled on the ground. He roared at the First Squad, "You First Squad men, carry them inside! Think it's not shameful enough?"

The First Squad rushed over and carried the two back into the barracks. Yao Dongshan frowned and cursed under his breath, "Only Chapter One, not even taking the Xiucai exam. Why memorize so much stuff? Tunnel pushing was more comfortable. Damn that Two Hundredth Bureau. Next time we push tunnels, I'm grabbing Wang Zenglu specifically."

…

"When encountering the enemy, if they throw valuables on the ground, any of our soldiers who fight over and snatch money, disrupting the formation, shall all be beheaded regardless of whether they are ringleaders or followers."

Jiang Guoyong stood before the barracks, holding a booklet in his hand — the Military Law Handbook that Pang Yu had rushed to produce upon his return. It currently contained only Chapter One. Clerks had been found to copy one for each squad, but unfortunately, almost no one in the army was literate. Jiang Guoyong had suddenly become a hot commodity.

A circle of soldiers sat below, all from the First Bureau, all racking their brains to memorize. They could only listen to someone else read, which made memorization even harder. Wu Dacai lay prone at the barracks doorway, his head sticking out to listen, also striving hard to remember. His buttocks still burned with searing pain; he didn't even dare put on pants.

Jiang Guoyong licked his dry lips, but his mental spirit was not the least bit weary. From the day he entered the government office, he had never been so sought after. All the Centurions came to him with pleasant words. Besides Yao Dongshan's bureau, there were two more bureaus waiting behind.

"Why can't we fight over it here? Those bandits throw down money and silks precisely to make us scramble and break formation. The enemy soldiers can then seize the chance to charge and slaughter. You want their wealth; they want your life. In the end, the wealth won't be yours either. That is why Lord Pang absolutely forbids fighting over money."

Yao Dongshan stood outside the circle of people. "Then what about the ones coming up from behind who snatch it? It can't be that the ones fighting up front don't take it, just to give a free advantage to the ones behind who aren't fighting."

Jiang Guoyong hurriedly said, "Lord Pang has thought of everything. The rear squads coming through are also forbidden to stop. Everyone just presses forward to kill the bandits. Each bureau is permitted to leave only one man to guard. Valuables stay where they are and are collected after the battle, then distributed according to each squad's combat role. That is the proper way. We get the money and silks, and we keep our lives too."

Yao Dongshan clapped his hands. "All of you listen to me. Whoever Lord Pang calls on and can't answer, I'll dock your dinner too."

No one spoke. They kept their heads down and continued memorizing intently.

Jiang Guoyong waited for them to digest it a while, then said, "Next is Article Four, Camp Discipline. It has five items: equipment, orders and signals, bedding and uniform and military badge, camp area, and barracks. First, equipment, which is simply armor and weapons. All helmets, armor, and blades must be polished to a gleaming shine. If a camp inspection finds a single spot of rust, this bureau shall be bound and beaten with ten military rods, and docked one month's labor and provisions silver. For damage or loss not reported, bound and beaten with twenty military rods, docked two months' labor and provisions silver. For bows and arrows with glue and lacquer peeling, or bowstrings not unstrung when idle, this bureau shall be bound and beaten…"

Wu Dacai, lying on the ground, whispered to Dong Mingyuan beside him, "I memorized this part yesterday. I could recite it for Brother Dong in a bit."

Dong Mingyuan glanced at him hastily. "No one came to read yesterday. Where did you hear it?"

"Yesterday when they called for cleaning, I went out first to wash, and on the way back I heard it over at the Second Bureau. Who ever heard before that being a soldier meant memorizing books?"

Dong Mingyuan gave an "Oh" and continued listening to Jiang Guoyong's explanation, his expression utterly earnest.

Wu Dacai blinked. "Uh, Brother Dong, what I said the day before yesterday, don't take it to heart. That was all just me talking nonsense. Don't lower yourself to my level."

Dong Mingyuan did not look at him. He waved a hand. "It's nothing."

"Did Brother Dong go on the night raid later? Killing over two thousand Roving Bandits in one night — how exactly was it done?"

"I went." Dong Mingyuan lowered his head. "Don't know how it was done. Chaos everywhere. If you saw someone pass, you just hacked and killed."

He finished and added, "Let's not talk about that. I still need to listen to Mr. Jiang's instruction. I'll talk with you when I'm free."

Wu Dacai had no choice but to stay silent. His memory was decent; he had understood everything Jiang Guoyong explained yesterday. This Jiang Guoyong also explained things very clearly. But he had never memorized things like this in his entire life, much less had anyone test him on anything.

The mere thought that he might be called on again to answer questions gave him a tight, urgent feeling in his bladder. His buttocks still burned with searing pain. He was too embarrassed to go outside and could only lie prone in the doorway. His plan to go see his wife and child tonight was also ruined.

He raised his head and looked at that circle of guards outside, all racking their brains — especially that dull-witted burly man, whose face was already a blank sheet of confusion again. He had probably forgotten everything from before. Looked like tomorrow's lunch was hopeless too.

Wu Dacai couldn't help sighing. "Don't let it really be like Lord Pang said, still stuck with this damn thing when we reach Anqing."

……

"Several great families in Anqing Prefectural City have all gone to Nanjing. The docks, the brokerages, the gambling houses, the brothels — all are descending into chaos. The old gangs of Green-Skins and household slaves are fighting each other."

Jiang Fan reported to Pang Yu with deference. He had been staying in the prefectural city recently and had only rushed back after receiving Pang Yu's notice.

Pang Yu nodded. "Has Chen Ten Prefectures returned to the city?"

"He has not yet returned to Anqing. According to people in the Personnel Section of the Prefectural Office, a new County Magistrate has been appointed but has not yet arrived to take up the post. Only then can Chen Ten Prefectures return. For now, river defense and grain transport are both being managed by the Vice Prefect."

"Which group is the biggest power down at the docks?"

"The Canal Gang has the most porters. Among the boatmen, the Anqing Guard's grain transport ships are the most numerous. The brokerages used to be run by the Luo Family's household slaves. Now that the Luo Family has left, the Green-Skins inside the brokerages have split into several factions."

Pang Yu narrowed his eyes. "Then now is the perfect time. Has Pan Keda left yet?"

"Not yet, but most of the Chizhou Troops have already gone. Pan Keda is probably waiting for you to take up your post, my lord."

"Send the Arrival Notice to the Garrison Command and the Anqing Guard. This official is about to assume office."