Chapter 232: Year's End

"Wuwuwu, Jiang Fan, you dog, you owe me a granddaughter-in-law." In an inn at the Dangtu wharf, Tan Laizi buried his head under the blanket, crying and cursing at the same time. "Garrison Commander Pang, you…"

He suddenly stopped and looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping. Then he got up and went to the window to take a look. The wharf over there was brilliantly lit, with scattered soldiers pacing about. No one nearby seemed to be paying him any attention.

Tan Laizi hid back under the blanket and started crying again. "That heaven-cursed Garrison Commander Pang, why does that Liu guy get five hundred taels? I'm the one who rescued him, and he gave me just two taels. Is there any heavenly principle left? I don't care for it."

He angrily threw off the blanket, pulled out the two-tael silver ingot from his bosom, and made as if to throw it out the window.

"I'll just…"

The silver ingot still carried some warmth. Tan Laizi hesitated for a moment, then tucked it back into his bosom. The tears still wouldn't stop flowing.

Lord Pang had only given him two taels of silver as a reward, but that wasn't what angered him most. Lord Pang had merely instructed that he be given two taels of silver, but hadn't said who should give it. Tan Laizi waited half the day and no one came to ask. He went to the Personal Soldiers, who ignored him. He went to ask Gang Leader Jiang, who also said he knew nothing. He was delayed for the better part of an hour, and in the end it was Mr. Hou who had someone deliver it.

By the time he returned to this broken-down inn, those onlookers told him that Young Master Liu had come back and taken the granddaughter-in-law away with him. This struck him like a bolt from the blue, shattering his longing for a better life.

"Should've just let the two of you drown in the river." Tan Laizi cursed fiercely. After a while, he placed his hand before his eyes. There was still a faint warmth in his palm, as if that bit of warmth from the Hezhou riverbank hadn't yet dissipated.

"Should've just let you, Liu, drown in the river." After cursing, Tan Laizi felt a bit better and stopped crying for the moment. His hand kept stroking that two-tael Water-thread Silver Ingot inside his bosom.

"At least I had a wife, didn't I." Tan Laizi thought to himself, rubbing his thumb in his palm. It seemed to grow even warmer. "Better than before. Anyway, Jiang Fan and Garrison Commander Pang are no good people."

Outside, it suddenly grew lively, and then someone shouted from downstairs.

"Lord Pang has prepared a New Year's Eve dinner for all you Hezhou folks. Everyone come down to the hall and eat."

The surrounding rooms all burst into cheers. The thumping of footsteps hurried downstairs, and the hall instantly became noisy and bustling.

"Thank you, Lord Pang!"

"Lord Pang is a good man!"

Tan Laizi lay on the bed without moving. The room was pitch black. The firelight from outside cast the shadow of the window lattice onto the wall.

"I won't eat your stuff, Garrison Commander Pang. The silver's enough to get back to Anqing. I'll go back and see my mother. Home is always best. I'm not doing this head-losing business with you anymore. Those Roving Bandits are so easy to fight? You grunts haven't seen them."

He said fiercely. After feeling a moment of pity in his heart for the grunts of the garrison battalion, Tan Laizi's mood improved even more. The blanket he hugged on the bed was very warm — something ordinarily so common now felt very precious at this moment.

The Shopkeeper of this broken-down inn had locked the door and fled. The refugees crossing the river couldn't enter the city, so they broke in themselves and stayed here. There were quite a few people inside. Out of trust in Tan Laizi's wild boasting, they let him have a room to himself. Although the room was pitch black, with the noise from downstairs, Tan Laizi felt a long-lost sense of safety. The faces of those Roving Bandits seemed to blur as well, while the feeling of hunger grew clearer instead.

"Still gotta eat the New Year's meal. Not paying anyway — can't let that Garrison Commander Pang off cheap." After thinking it over, Tan Laizi stood up. He happened to be facing the window. The room he'd chosen was a river-view room. Outside the window was the Great River. On the opposite shore, the night sky held a hazy yellow glow. Tan Laizi knew that was the place he'd escaped from with his life. Those Roving Bandits were burning fires to keep warm.

"Do Roving Bandits celebrate the New Year too?" Tan Laizi gazed at that yellow light over there, thinking about it in his heart.

……

"Today's New Year's Eve. We're celebrating the New Year too. Grandpa, eat more meat."

Outside the city of Jiangpu, fires dotted the wilderness. Xiao Wazi skewered a piece of beef on a tree branch, roasted it, and handed it to the old man. The old man showed a rare smile. "Xiao Wa, you eat first. You eat first."

Xiao Wazi shook his head. The old man took it and bit off a tiny piece, chewing slowly, letting the flavor of the roasted meat linger longer in his mouth.

"Forgot to add salt." Xiao Wazi gave a hard kick to a Servant beside him. The Servant hurried over to the Carriage and rummaged around on top of it for a long time but couldn't find any.

Xiao Wazi had received a reward for scaling the city wall. Although he wasn't the First to Climb, Post Commander had increased his Servant allotment by two. A Packhorse he'd seized in the city he was allowed to keep for himself. The new Servant had been captured in Quanjiao and was still unfamiliar with the household goods on the Long Family donkey cart.

Xiao Wazi made to curse, but the old man quickly waved his hand. "It's the New Year — be cheerful."

With that, the old man went to look himself. The Carriage was piled high with supplies. On top were cotton quilts and padded clothes for keeping out the cold.

There was even a large quilt with a satin cover. The feel of it under his hand was something the old man had never experienced in his entire life.

After finding the salt, he led the Servant back with him. Since breaking through Quanjiao, the Eight Great Kings' contingent had obtained sufficient supplies. The Jiangbei region was indeed more prosperous than the county towns of Henan.

Sprinkling some salt grains on the meat, Xiao Wazi ate with more flavor. The Servant had by now finished cooking the rice and served it in two blue-green porcelain bowls, placing them before the two.

"You all serve yourselves too. Although you are…" The old man closed his mouth for a moment. That these Servants were here meant their own families had been destroyed behind them. The old man didn't know what to say. After hesitating, he said, "At least we're gathered together to pass this New Year."

The several Servants cautiously dished out their rice and squatted to one side, wolfing it down.

Xiao Wazi held the rice bowl. The heat of the cooked rice transmitted through the ceramic to his hand — warm and smooth. He'd never been able to use such a high-grade porcelain bowl before. After staring blankly for a moment, he shoveled the rice into his stomach with a whoosh.

But as a northerner, he was still more accustomed to wheat-based foods. He again ordered the Servant to find Steamed Cakes and prepare to heat them. While waiting, the crackling pop of firecrackers rang out not far away. A group of the Child Army let out loud, gleeful shouts, leaping and bouncing at the edges of the flying firecracker debris.

Xiao Wazi burst out laughing. He went over to the Child Army and joined the fun for a while, then got a share of some wine. Carefully carrying a bowl back for the old man, he watched as the old man drank and then handed it back to him. The old man's beard was dotted with droplets of wine. He wiped them with his hand and stuffed them into his mouth.

The two passed it back and forth with great care. On their ceaseless long marches, wine and tobacco were supplies not easily obtained. Whenever they broke through a city, aside from horses and mules, these were the items most fiercely fought over.

Drinking the wine slowly like this, surrounded by the warmth of drink and cheerful clamor, wave after wave of noise, it wasn't until nearly midnight that things gradually quieted down.

The city wall of Jiangpu not far away was brilliantly lit. Xiao Wazi sat side by side with the old man, hugging his knees.

"Grandpa, this year's been better than last. Jiangbei is richer than Henan."

The wrinkles on the old man's face relaxed. Looking at the Jiangpu city wall, he said, "But this city — it looks small, yet it's stubbornly hard to take."

"Today Wang High Shine said that Gao Bazi will arrive tomorrow or the day after." A few snowflakes drifted down from the sky, flashing briefly in the firelight before vanishing. Xiao Wazi stared at the firelight and said, "I hear they captured two cities. They're having a more comfortable New Year than us. They'd originally planned to celebrate the New Year in that Dacheng before moving on, but then they caught a scout from the government troops who said Commander Lu was in pursuit. That's why they're hurrying toward Jiangpu."

"Commander Lu is not an easy one to deal with." The wrinkles on the old man's forehead deepened. "Since Commander Lu is chasing after them, we can't stay at Jiangpu for many days either."

"With so many people, we'll have to fight him at least once more. We'll go whenever the Master says."

The old man said in a low voice, "Where does this wandering end?"

Xiao Wazi said nothing. By now, the surroundings had grown even quieter, with only the occasional burst of noise from a few people still drinking.

Amid the crackling of the firewood, what seemed like suppressed sobbing came from all around.

Xiao Wazi turned his head to look. It seemed to be coming from more than one place. Crying was forbidden in Eight Master's camp. If the Team leaders heard it on ordinary days, a light punishment was a beating; a heavy one meant losing your life.

The old man patted his hand. "They're just wretched souls too."

Xiao Wazi didn't agree, but he didn't go and report them either. He didn't feel the people of Jiangbei were wretched — at least not compared to him. Before the city fell, most households could get by. The things found in some ordinary homes were better than what most families in his old hometown had.

Drinking down the last bit of wine, Xiao Wazi chewed the beef slowly and turned his gaze toward the pitch-black south. Jiangbei was like this. He'd heard that Jiangnan held a prosperity they'd never seen — only that great river blocked their path.

"Just what is Jiangnan like, anyway."

……

At the Shangxin River Wharf on the south bank of the Great River, a room on the second floor of an inn still had a light on. An oil lamp burned like a bean, flickering slightly on the tabletop.

Zhou Yueru sat by the table and said softly, "Today is New Year's Eve. Father, eat your fill."

She lifted the wine pot and poured another cup for the seat of honor. Two plates of meat dishes were laid out on the table — this was the most sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner she could manage to arrange at this time.

It had even been cooked by a porter from the Canal Gang. The Cook at the inn had long since fled, and the surrounding Food Stalls had all shut their doors. For this New Year's Eve dinner, that Triple Cudgel from the Canal Gang had run around all afternoon and barely managed to find one meat shop still open.

The wharf had gained some conscripted Guard Post soldiers, but they didn't look like they could fight. She'd heard that Battalion Commander troops had been mobilized to cross the river and relieve Jiangpu. What Jiangnan could use were the Guard Post soldiers from Nanjing. Nanjing was full of Guard Posts — the establishment was very large — but these Military Households, though called soldiers, were really no different from commoners. The slightly better ones were all defending the city wall in Nanjing. Those sent to guard the river were just making up the numbers; many didn't even have military uniforms. The Wusong Troops she had seen before seemed more reliable than these Guard Post soldiers.

These men were breaking down doors all over the docks. He County Yamen had paid off a Chiliarch to protect the granary at the rear, so for the moment no Guard Post soldiers had come to occupy this inn.

"One year. This time last year I was still in Tongcheng." Zhou Yueru gazed at the empty seat and wine cup across from her, tears falling in streams.

Suddenly there was a knocking at the door, and the Canal Gang's Triple Cudgel spoke from outside. "Account Office Zhou, Guard Post soldiers are heading this way. Put out the lamps, quickly."

Zhou Yueru answered, hurriedly stood and blew out the lamp. The room fell into complete darkness. Footsteps passed outside; the Guard Post soldiers were laughing and cursing at one another, most of them drunk on wine.

By the time the footsteps faded into the distance, Zhou Yueru's eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room. Outside the window seemed bright by contrast.

"Who knows how many Roving Bandits are besieging Jiangpu."

Zhou Yueru walked to the window. In the direction of Jiangbei, the sky was ablaze with torchlight.

"Don't let Jiangpu end up like Tongcheng. Pang… General, can you really save Jiangnan?"

…

On the river downstream from Dangtu Harbor, the night-running lanterns stretched into a long line, their light rising and falling with the waves on the pitch-black river.

Pang Yu stood at the bow. An icy wind swept across the river, and now and then snowflakes struck his cheeks.

Because the Roving Bandits in Hezhou had begun moving east, the Garrison Commander's battalion, after finishing the New Year's Eve meal, had the fleet leave harbor through the night, racing to reinforce Jiangpu before the main bandit force arrived.

Although they had rallied twice en route, two Grain Transport Ships were still unaccounted for, each carrying one Banner Team from the First Division and the Personal Guard Unit. That meant over sixty infantrymen were missing, and they did not even know whether the boats had capsized or simply fallen behind.

From the cabin behind him came the faint sound of snoring; judging by the rhythm, it was probably Xu Lengzi. Pang Yu felt a rare flash of envy. In the years when he was trading, Pang Yu had always slept soundly, but this time he felt no drowsiness at all.

Pang Ding's voice came from beside him. "Young Master, look over there!"

Pang Yu raised his head and looked. The sky above the Jiangbei shore glowed with a halo of light, dyeing half the night sky a murky yellow. The soldiers around him had noticed too and were pointing in that direction.

Judging by the distribution, the glow stretched all the way from Hezhou to Jiangpu. A blaze on such a scale foretold a bandit horde far beyond anything he had imagined.

"Young Master, should we ready a boat?"

Pang Yu's mouth went dry. He turned and swatted Pang Ding on the head. "The whole river is full of my boats. What boat is there to ready?"

Pang Ding ducked his head and said, "This time there's no city wall."

Pang Yu glanced left and right, then grabbed Pang Ding and lowered his voice. "Not readying a boat. When we reach Jiangpu, you stay on this very boat. Keep an eye on what's happening ashore — and on my situation, your Young Master's situation."

Pang Ding nodded hurriedly. Pang Yu released him and said, "Go back and rest. Your Young Master wants to be alone for a while."

After Pang Ding left, Pang Yu kept his eyes on the distant glow. A long moment later, he muttered a curse. "Why play the good man? To hell with saving Jiangpu. I'd better not die in this pissant little town."

The faint night-running lanterns bobbed through the windy, snowy winter night, following the river's current eastward.