Chapter 268: Population

A large hand descended, gently placing a half-full wine cup into the flowing clear water. The cup swayed slightly a few times, then drifted slowly downstream along the winding brook. After rounding three twisting bends, a slender hand reached out and lifted the cup from the stream. Drops fell from its base, raising a few small ripples in the clear water.

"Clear streams rushing swift, reflecting those on either side — drawn forth to make a winding watercourse for floating goblets. What fortune for this official, to echo Old Drunkard across the ages. Today I shall not stop until utterly drunk. I raise my cup to General Pang."

Pang Yu heard the voice from upstream and hurriedly raised his cup in courtesy toward the stout man who had released the goblet. "My thanks for General Lei's regard, allowing me to savor the refined pleasures of the ancients."

Lei Shisheng laughed heartily. "In a moment, General Pang shall release one, and this official shall taste the flavor from downstream."

Using the motion of drinking, Pang Yu turned his head and asked the guide beside him in a low voice, "This official feels that what he recited seemed to be the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion, not the Old Drunkard Pavilion Record."

A trace of disdain flickered across the guide's face. "Naturally he remembered it wrong. Or perhaps the clerk under him deliberately made him look foolish."

Pang Yu shook his head and smiled. He had been back in Chuzhou for three days, carrying out the task Lu Xiangsheng had assigned him to pacify Chuzhou. The other Government Troops camps had also left some men behind to scramble for grain and labor. The only one who had kept his entire camp here was Vice Regional Commander Lei Shisheng.

Chuzhou Prefect Liu Dagong was not particularly warm toward the two of them. The city gates remained under martial law, with only the east gate open for residents to enter and leave. He had dispatched some petty official to assist. Today, the escorts were two clerks from the Document Receiving Office, their manner somewhat cold. They waited at a distance outside the pavilion, neither introducing the sights nor speaking to the two men.

Pang Yu felt that the speech Zu Keyong had made would be quite fitting if delivered to these petty official right now. But he could not be bothered to get angry. After all, his Garrison Commander camp had endured plenty of cold shoulders back in Anqing.

Sharing the same circumstances and having discovered a common love for the Horse-Card Game, Pang Yu and Lei Shisheng had grown thick as thieves in just a few days. Though Lei Shisheng was a military man with little culture, he rather liked to affect refined tastes. Now that the area around Chuzhou had preliminarily stabilized, he had invited Pang Yu out to visit Old Drunkard Pavilion in the Langya Mountains.

Sitting now in the pavilion, Pang Yu could not see the peaks of Langya Mountain, but the pavilion was indeed surrounded by tall bamboo and dense woods. In summer, the scenery must be beautiful, but in winter it appeared somewhat bleak.

The guide beside him said quietly, "This water in Old Drunkard Pavilion is called Six-One Spring. In the sixth year of Hongxi, water from Brewing Spring was channeled into the square pool within the pavilion, then led through a channel with three bends to form the Flowing Goblet by the Winding Stream. It exits the courtyard and returns to the stream, flowing past White Armor Bridge at the foot of the mountain and into the Pure Stream River."

At the words "Pure Stream River," Pang Yu's nerves twitched again. The great battle four days ago still left his heart trembling with residual fear, especially that tension when forcing the crossing of the Pure Stream River, when the very air seemed to freeze solid. Having a rare day to relax, Pang Yu did not want his mood disturbed again. He buried his head in the side dishes on his own table.

Water splashed noisily in the Crescent Pool downstream. Pang Yu turned to look. Several soldiers had already fetched buckets of water and were lining up at the upstream area outside the pavilion, taking turns pouring water into that channel. Six-One Spring had very little flow in winter. To satisfy Lord Lei's literary hobby, they could only haul water from the Crescent Pool downstream and slowly pour it in from upstream, so as to fulfill Lord Lei's yearning for the Flowing Goblet by the Winding Stream. The water could be neither too fast nor too slow; it had to be just enough to float the cup without knocking it over against the stone walls. The soldiers were drenched in sweat, carefully controlling the angle of the wooden buckets.

Pang Yu naturally would not let his own soldiers do this sort of work. These were all foot soldiers from Lei Shisheng's camp, none of them in military uniform, looking hardly different from common folk. Over the past few days, Pang Yu had observed many other Military Camp. The composition of each camp even somewhat resembled the Roving Bandits. The camps were filled with large numbers of Servants who handled all kinds of logistics work alongside the army. Every Household Retainer had his own Servant — the Household Retainer was essentially the official master of the Long Family household. He did not know whether the soldiers had learned from the bandits, or the bandits from the soldiers.

So these soldiers were in fact just army laborers. Lei Shisheng was naturally not polite with them. This water-hauling and pouring had been going on for a quarter of an hour, and Lord Lei's refined mood showed no sign of ending.

Pang Yu turned and asked the guide, "This time, accompanying the army, has your impression of grunts changed?"

The guide pointed at those laborers. "grunts and grunts are not the same. The Garrison Commander camp troops at Puzikou — this humble one has often seen them. Your lordship's camp is different from the others. But this humble one cannot quite put it into words."

Pang Yu pondered for a moment, then asked, "Then would you be willing to take a post in my army?"

The guide looked slightly taken aback. Pang Yu could not tell if he was pretending. Usually with this kind of personnel matter, he would not ask the person directly. He should have someone like Mr. Hou handle it, to avoid being rejected face-to-face and damaging his dignity as an official.

But the past few days' experiences in Chuzhou had shown that a Military Officer's dignity was not much to begin with. Pang Yu decided to treat this guide as a special case.

"I wonder what monthly pay your lordship would give this humble one? I used to do business in Henan. The expenses for the old and young at home are not small..."

"The army has its own rules. Whatever rank you can reach, that is how much silver you will earn. The grunts in this official's camp are different from other grunts. I will not set a separate rate for you alone. But this official can also tell you: in the future, the monthly pay in this camp of mine will certainly be the highest among all grunts. And there are some things that cannot be measured in silver. Business in Henan is not stable at present. You may think it over and then give this official your answer."

The guide's eyes were lively and quick. Pang Yu wanted this man because he was different from all the other officers in the army.

Just then, a large hand slapped onto Pang Yu's shoulder with a smack. Pang Yu was not startled; without looking, he knew it was Lei Shisheng.

"This Flowing Goblet by the Winding Stream is dull with too few people." As he spoke, Lei Shisheng nudged the guide aside and sat down unceremoniously beside Pang Yu, casually fishing a freshly drifted cup from the water and draining it in one tilt of his head.

"Better switch to a bowl for me. I've come all the way to Old Drunkard Pavilion — how can I answer for it if I don't go back drunk?"

Pang Yu actually liked Lei Shisheng. The man was already a Vice Regional Commander, yet showed little overbearing arrogance, making him easier to get along with.

"If General Lei is in the mood, I shall naturally keep you company. Only, this place is twenty li from Chuzhou. If we delay too long returning, I fear that Li Juesi will go lodge another complaint with Viceroy Lu. As you know, brother, I originally had a dispute with the Liao Army, and it stirred up trouble before Viceroy Lu."

Lei Shisheng waved a hand dismissively. "Brother Pang, do not fret over this. Who doesn't have disputes with the Liao Army? Wherever that Liao Army goes, they rely on their many cavalry to bully small Camp Heads like us. Military merits, grain and fodder, spoils — all reserved for the Liao Army's use. There's no helping it. Those of us who lead small forces need not compare ourselves to them."

"As for the Liao Army's arrogance — who can blame them, when the Liao Garrison is so great and powerful, with Zu Dashou reliable at their back? Moreover, they can actually fight. When Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde rebelled in Shandong, the inland troops couldn't put them down, but the Liao Army came and pacified them. In the past, we could still manage against the Roving Bandits. Now the bandits grow more numerous by the day, and we still have to count on the Liao Garrison to fight them. If they aren't arrogant, who should be?" As he finished, he handed over a wine bowl. Pang Yu reached out to take it. The Liao Garrison had offended plenty of people since entering the pass. They looked down on the inland troops, so someone like Lei Shisheng naturally would not be on good terms with them.

Pang Yu said with a smile, "They take several million in Liaodong Military Tax every year. They have to produce a few thousand who can fight. If that Liaodong Military Tax were given to General Lei, you'd probably do even better than the Liao Garrison."

Lei Shisheng gave a dry chuckle. "I won't take that silver. The Liao Garrison can beat anyone — except the Tartars. Whoever takes that Liaodong Military Tax has to go fight the Tartars. Old Lei here still wants to live a few more years."

This relief expedition was the second time Pang Yu had heard people speak of the Tartars' fighting strength. The Liao Garrison's combat power did not seem weak, yet it sounded as if they had no chance of winning at all.

"Just what kind of troops are those Tartars? Has Lord Lei ever fought them?"

Lei Shisheng shook his head. "Let me put it to you this way. Since that Old Slave rose in revolt, no fewer than ten Regional Commanders have died in Liaodong. Vice Generals like me — several dozen. Those Border Army troops cut through Roving Bandits like melons and vegetables. But the moment they see the Tartars, before even clashing, they rout and flee a thousand li, worse than the Roving Bandits themselves."

"How strange." Pang Yu rubbed his chin. The way the officers spoke of the Tartar soldiers, they sounded like orcs. He could not yet picture them, but hearing about them so often, he felt an inexplicable twinge of fear.

Lei Shisheng filled both wine bowls to the brim. "We brothers drink today. Set your mind on being an Old Drunkard. Don't let Tartars, Roving Bandits, and such rubbish spoil the mood."

Pang Yu quickly raised his bowl. "Since General Lei so dislikes those Roving Thieves, let me, your brother, handle all the captives taken alive this time on your behalf."

"That suits me fine. If you ask Old Lei, just kill the whole lot of Bandit Spawn and be done with it. The civil officials won't permit killing, and the sight of them annoys me to death. I'll trouble Brother Pang with it."

Three li west of Chuzhou, beside the West Stream River, stood a sprawling complex of buildings. This was the Court of the Imperial Stud of Nanzhili.

This area of the Court of the Imperial Stud was a place for inspecting horses, the flattest and most open ground in Chuzhou. Around this central government institution, an entire industrial chain had grown up on the periphery. There were many houses along the Official Road that the Roving Bandits had not had time to burn down.

The Court of the Imperial Stud had vast buildings and an inspection plaza, naturally suitable for stationing troops. The Roving Bandits had erected a large number of tents nearby. After the Battle of Physics Bridge, it became the most suitable place to hold prisoners of war.

Pang Yu walked slowly along the street outside the Court of the Imperial Stud. Mr. Hou and Wang Zenglu followed behind him, along with the ever-present Guo Fengyou and others.

The street was crowded with people, a clamorous din everywhere. There were soldiers from every unit, hawking all manner of goods.

Pang Yu had been in Chuzhou for three days and had grown accustomed to the sight. Among the Government Troops, there were also many Servants. The Liao Army had over two thousand men, but only about a thousand actually took the field to decide battles; they also had two thousand Servants. Yang Shien's and other units had even more Servants, providing logistics for the fighting troops.

Lu Xiangsheng had urged them on urgently. After the main Government Troops force left to pursue Gao Yingxiang, many Servants remained in Chuzhou to scramble for spoils of war. The handling of prisoners was also mostly done by these people. The things everyone had looted were not necessarily suitable for their own use, so a flea market had formed here, where they exchanged not only goods but also captives.

Behind many stalls, large groups of people were tied up, both men and women. The women were various Family Dependents from the Roving Thieves' camp. Pang Yu occasionally glanced as he passed by. Those women were practically skin and bones, surely the very lowest stratum in the Roving Bandits' camp, most likely the Family Dependents of those Servants. They were not the same as the Women's Camp he had seen in Tongcheng.

"Regarding the victory at Zhulong Bridge — should we still send a Dispatch Report to Lord Zhang?" Mr. Hou walked beside Pang Yu, paused, and then added, "Li Juesi and Liu Dagong are the Local Officials of Chuzhou. They will certainly heed Viceroy Lu. Without their corroboration, even if we report it, it won't count as merit. Why go against Viceroy Lu's wishes again?"

Pang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "We report what we have to report. It was originally fought by the Garrison Commander camp and the Standard Battalion. Whether it is useful or not is the court's business — report it we must. Besides, we are only impeaching the Liao Garrison. When Zhou Yuanru came to speak with us that day, there was meaning behind his words. As this official sees it, we did not go against Viceroy Lu's wishes."

Speaking of this matter, Pang Yu was still not entirely at ease. The military merits at Zhulong Bridge had all gone to Zu Keyong. The conflict with the Liao Garrison was unplanned, but Pang Yu had indeed intended not to join Lu Xiangsheng in pursuit. This was because the Garrison Commander camp had always been built on defending Anqing and providing relief along the river. Its mobility fundamentally relied on the towns along the route and on boat transport, and it greatly neglected logistics. His army had no capability for overland expeditions. If truly conscripted by Lu Xiangsheng, it would collapse within days of marching.

But the outcome of the conflict was the loss of the Zhulong Bridge merits. When Zhou Yuanru came to inform him, he had confirmed the merits from Physics Bridge and hinted that Lu Xiangsheng would speak on his behalf regarding the Anqing Army troop quota. Pang Yu roughly understood a bit of Lu Xiangsheng's intent: for now, he had to rely on the Liao Garrison, but he did not want to rely on them forever. So he would also promote inland military leaders like Pang Yu.

The gains and losses were not easy to calculate. But from a practical standpoint, military merits ultimately manifested in official rank and troop quotas. If Lu Xiangsheng could truly play a role in the allocation of the Anqing troop quota, trading Zhulong Bridge for it still felt like a bargain.

The troop quota primarily involved Military Stipend Silver and grain tax in kind. In particular, he needed to fight to retain stipends from the tax revenues of Nanzhili. This would cut out the disbursement steps of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, leaving only kickbacks to a few checkpoints — the Grand Coordinator Yamen, the Circuit Intendant Yamen, and the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue. The amount that actually reached his hands would always be somewhat larger, which could ease Pang Yu's financial pressure.

Taking advantage of the post-battle cleanup in Chuzhou, Pang Yu was also tallying his own spoils. At Physics Bridge, Wang Zenglu had not gained much, because there were simply too many Government Troops scrambling for loot. Lu Xiangsheng's total force numbered around ten thousand, plus a considerable number of Servants. The Garrison Commander camp lacked the manpower, and in the end, they seized thirteen thousand taels from the camp and the roads.

The Horse Soldiers at Zhulong Bridge were clearly wealthier than the Servants. Their horses also carried large amounts of silver and copper coins, used to bribe Government Troops. The silver carried on those horses alone exceeded fifty thousand taels. This was only Pang Yu's estimate; the final figure had not yet been tallied.

There were about five hundred horses near Zhulong Bridge. Some had run far off during the night. Pang Yu had only managed to seize about one hundred sixty near the bridge during the night. Before dawn, he had the Ninth Company take them and head east, out of the wariness befitting a Guest Army. Subsequent events indeed proved this caution justified. The horses seized after daybreak could not be taken away. Fortunately, Zhou Yuanru stepped in to take custody, sparing Pang Yu from losing face on the spot. Of course, in the end, they surely still flowed to the Liao Garrison. There was also a large amount of silver and copper coins near Zhulong Bridge that had not been collected in time, which the Liao Garrison certainly took.

Mr. Hou had probably thought of this too. With a pained expression, he said, "Such a pity about those horses and that silver..."

Pang Yu waved his hand. "That transaction is already past. Look only at what is before us. If this transaction is done well, it will be worth far more than those horses and that silver."

Mr. Hou looked around in astonishment. "This humble one is slow-witted. To what goods does Your Excellency's transaction refer?"

Pang Yu stopped walking and gestured at their surroundings. "People."

"Th-these people? What use could they possibly have? Prefect Liu said he would only provide their food until the day after tomorrow. General Lei would like nothing better than to kill them all."

Pang Yu shook his head and laughed. "How could they be of no use? The first three days basically cleared out all the Old Bandits. General Lei has handed all the remaining Servants over to us to handle. These are tens of thousands of people, from every corner of the land. We select based on what we lack most, and pick out all those who are useful. The ironsmiths among them, the coppersmiths, the carpenters, the papermakers, the shipwrights, the money house helpers…"