Chapter 372: Prestige

Qianshan No. 2 Dun Fort. A rain had just passed, and the camp ground was a mess of mud everywhere.

"Move the forage to the drying yard and spread it out to dry. It has to be delivered to Tianning Fortress tomorrow. Tan Ye is telling you, this is for the warhorses. Those warhorses are more precious than you lot. How can they go without food?"

Tan Laizi's face was slick with grease. As he finished speaking, he grabbed a duck carcass and gnawed a bite. The meat on it was already nearly stripped clean by him. One duck leg was still left on the table, which he was saving to eat last.

A crowd of children were nearby, squatting in the mud under the table, their eyes fixed intently on the duck carcass in Tan Laizi's hand. Tan Laizi snapped apart a bone and meticulously licked it clean once more. Once there was no meat left, he tossed it aside. The pack of children instantly scrambled into a chaotic heap, mud splattering everywhere.

Tan Laizi glanced at them with a hint of disdain, then spoke to Jiang Guan again. "That Company Commander Zheng at Tianning Fortress, from the First Division of the Garrison Battalion, is also a remarkable warrior. He and I, Tan Ye, share a mutual admiration. He gave our dun fort a job because he thinks highly of us. No one is allowed to delay it."

Jiang Guan said respectfully, "We wouldn't dare delay the forage. Also, the sedan chair for Old Master Tan is nearly finished. We're only short the cloth for the canopy top, and we still have to wait for the cloth merchant from the Prefectural City to bring it. When the time comes for Old Master Tan to go to Tianning Fortress on business, he won't have to suffer the hardship of walking."

Facing the several Chiefs of Ten, Tan Laizi's face was radiant. The sedan chair was a tribute from the Chiefs of Ten. Once he could ride in a sedan chair, he would truly be a master. The only shortcoming was the scarcity of women. The female dependents among these servants were all skin and bones, far inferior to the Women's Camp.

But compared to his old days at the Wharf, he was far more glorious now. And it wasn't certain he couldn't return to the Women's Camp. He was still waiting for word back from Tang Ershuan. He heard the Women's Camp was still at Susong, but he didn't know what the situation was like now.

As he thought about it, a faint smile crept onto the corner of Tan Laizi's mouth. Without thinking, he tossed the duck carcass aside and casually brought the duck leg to his lips.

Before he could bite down, a panicked voice cried out beside him. "Reporting for Old Master Tan's knowledge, five men under the Nine Banners have been seized by the Native Folk."

The pleasant scene before Tan Laizi's eyes suddenly dissipated, replaced again by the muddy reality. He turned his head and saw the Chief of Ten of the Nine Banners sprawled on the ground. "What's happened this time?"

"They say they cut the grass in their fields. They saw them digging a pit over there. They're afraid they're going to bury them."

"Bury them..." Tan Laizi hadn't expected such a brutal thing. He stood up with a whoosh. The surrounding Chiefs of Ten and dun households thought he was going to rescue the men and quickly cleared a path.

Tan Laizi waved a hand. "Then go find Wu quickly. Apprehending criminals and pursuing fugitives are all Wu's responsibility."

The Chief of Ten of the Nine Banners said in astonishment, "They haven't fled. They're about to be buried."

"Being buried means they're gone too. It's the same as fleeing. Go find Wu. If it's his job, who else would you go to if not him?"

Deputy Fort Chief Jiang Guan hesitated. "Wu won't bother with it. Last time there was a pursuit, he didn't go. This time, he hasn't left his room for three days..."

The door curtain behind them rustled with a whoosh. Everyone looked over together and saw Wu Dacai slowly walk out. He was still wearing that red military uniform of the Garrison Battalion. His complexion was a bit sallow, and he carried a waist saber in his left hand.

He had just come out of the house, and his eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the sunlight outside. Squinting, he looked around, then limped toward the table. When he reached Tan Laizi, he slammed the waist saber onto the table with a bang. Everyone was startled. Tan Laizi jumped up from his stool in fright and retreated three steps back.

Wu Dacai looked at Tan Laizi indifferently. "Who told you Zheng San'er is a remarkable warrior? The first one I beat on the drill ground was him. When I was promoted to Company Commander, he wasn't even a Banner Commander. What's so remarkable about him?"

Tan Laizi instinctively took another step back, tilting his neck to look at Wu Dacai. This Wu usually never even left his room. He didn't care about apprehending criminals or pursuing fugitives, didn't select reserve troops, and didn't even fight Tan Laizi for meat. He had never seen him act like this.

Wu Dacai stepped closer and glared at him. "Zheng San'er may not be remarkable, but you, a man chased into a river by two women at Erlang Town — are you worthy of mutual admiration with him?"

"You're spouting nonsense. It was clearly three women." Tan Laizi retreated as he roared, "Wu Dacai, let me tell you, don't think I don't know about you. You who reported your superior, what kind of thing are you anyway..."

"As a Fort Chief who doesn't even dare to rescue his own dun households, what kind of thing are you? You damned well have the nerve to call yourself a man of the Garrison Battalion." Without another word, Wu Dacai snatched the duck leg from Tan Laizi's hand. Amid the stunned stares of the surrounding crowd, Wu Dacai took two ravenous bites. As he chewed, he said to Jiang Guan, "Bring that broken sedan chair over to me."

Jiang Guan didn't dare speak and quickly ordered someone to bring the sedan chair. Several dun households swiftly carried over the sedan chair without a canopy. Wu Dacai had just swallowed the duck meat. Without a care for anyone else, he sat down in the sedan chair and casually tossed the remaining duck leg to the children nearby, causing another flurry of splashing mud.

Wu Dacai shouted to the dun households, "Anyone who wants to save people, follow me. Today they bury others. Tomorrow they can bury you."

Jiang Guan hesitated for a moment, then followed the sedan chair, glancing back as he walked to see if others were coming. The dun households stammered and hesitated. Gradually, more people fell in behind the sedan chair. Wu Dacai sat high on the chair and did not look back.

The territory of the Nine Banners was on the west side, intersecting with the lands of the mountain-dwelling Native Folk. Conflicts broke out there most easily. The two sedan chair bearers walked quite fast. When they arrived and looked, nearly a hundred Native Folk were gathered in one spot, holding hoes, carrying poles, pitchforks, and other farming tools. In the middle, several people were digging while crying. It looked like they were making the dun households dig their own graves.

The two sedan chair bearers stopped far away, not daring to go any closer. The dun households who had followed behind also stopped one after another.

Wu Dacai, carrying his waist saber, limped toward the Native Folk without any sign of stopping. Those Native Folk saw the Garrison Battalion pass by daily and recognized the red military uniform of the Garrison Battalion. Seeing this man with a saber walking straight toward them, how would they dare block him? Unconsciously, they parted and cleared the road passage.

Wu Dacai walked alone into the crowd, surrounded by Native Folk holding farming tools. He reached the place where the pit was being dug, glanced at the several dun households in the pit, naked and covered in mud, then raised his head and coldly swept his gaze over the surrounding Native Folk. "Open your dog eyes and recognize me well. My name is Wu Dacai, Company Commander Wu Dacai of the Second Division of the Garrison Battalion! Do you know how I became a Company Commander? I killed five horse bandits at Pukou Fierce Tiger Bridge. While you were hiding from bandits this year, I killed five more at Chema River."

Wu Dacai drew his blade. The edge was lined with notches. The circle of Native Folk around him all stepped back.

"These people here were all captured and brought back by me. These people are no longer Roving Bandits. They are Lord Pang's registered individual. Whoever dares bury them is making trouble for me." Wu Dacai glared fiercely at the surrounding Native Folk. "I am taking all these people away. Whoever dares come to the dun fort to cause trouble again, I will cut them all down!"

Up to this moment, not a single Native Folk dared speak. The crowd looked at each other, watching helplessly as this lame officer led the dun households away.

Wu Dacai rode the sedan chair through the camp area. Along the way, dun households gathered on the muddy roadside, carefully gazing up at Wu, who had previously had no presence whatsoever.

When he reached his own quarters, those Chiefs of Ten all gathered around. Tan Laizi hid to one side, watching Wu Dacai with shock and uncertainty.

Wu Dacai spoke to no one. He got off the sedan chair and was about to go back inside when Jiang Guan said from behind, "Master Wu, a relay horse just delivered an order token. It commands... invites Old Master Wu to report for duty at the Military Office of the Garrison Headquarters on the fifteenth day of the ninth month. No delay is permitted."

In the afternoon of the fifteenth day of the ninth month, Wu Dacai got off a cart outside the Zongyang Gate. After steadying his crutch, he paused to catch his breath for a moment.

Although Qianshan sounded like a nearby area, Wu Dacai now had trouble with his leg. The dun fort had no riding horses. He could only go to Tianning Fortress to wait for a cart coming from the Prefectural City to transport military supplies. The garrison at Tianning Fortress was from the First Division, his old unit. But no one there treated him well. Wu Dacai didn't want to go and invite a snub, so he could only wait at the foot of the mountain. He waited until the cart made its return trip, and after a bumpy ride of a day and a half, he finally returned to the Prefectural City.

Zongyang Gate was the same as ever. No one in the passing crowd recognized him. Wu Dacai slung his cloth bag over his shoulder, leaned on his crutch, and walked toward home. As the distance grew closer, a faint excitement stirred in his heart, and his feet unconsciously moved faster and faster.

At the door, Wu Dacai paused. Seeing the door was open, he walked closer and heard voices talking inside.

"Originally, we were still talking about your maternal uncle. The matter of him joining the Garrison Battalion as a soldier. He's missing two fingers. The recruiters won't take him. Dacai is an officer in the Garrison Battalion and has some say, but look, this thing happened to Dacai."

Wu Dacai recognized the voice as his granduncle. He had fled the Roving Bandits and escaped to the Prefectural City this time. Wu Dacai was about to turn and leave the doorway when the person inside backed out and came face-to-face with him.

His granduncle was barefoot, carrying a duck in his hand, along with a bag of rice and beans and such. Seeing Wu Dacai, he also froze for a moment, then said somewhat awkwardly, "Dacai, you're back. Look, I was just..."

Wu Dacai saw the items in his hand and said expressionlessly, "I couldn't have helped with my uncle's matter anyway."

His granduncle squeezed out a smile. "Dacai, then you rest well and recover. Recover well."

After saying this, he gave another awkward smile and left, carrying the items in his hands. The woman quickly ushered Wu Dacai inside, closed the door, and cursed angrily, "Your relatives are all snobs. Hearing you're no longer a Company Commander, they even took back the things they brought."

Wu Dacai didn't answer. He ladled a scoop of water from the water vat and drank it on his own. Only then did the woman ask, "Husband, why have you come back? Are you going to be promoted?"

"What promotion is there to be had in a dun fort? I'm back to report at the Military Office." Wu Dacai drank the water, put down his crutch, and sat down on a chair. "I'm hungry. Make something to eat so I can go to the Military Office."

"What do they want to talk about at the Military Office?"

"Most likely still about each dun fort needing to train a hundred reserve troops. Those Roving Bandit servants, the kind who don't even dare make a sound when someone's about to bury them — what's the point of training them? I doubt I could even pick out ten."

"If the Military Office says to train them, then just train them. Good or bad, why do you care? The main thing is to get the monthly pay." The woman said expectantly, "I heard one dun fort manages over a thousand people, and they all listen to you, the Wu. Isn't that just like being a master? How about I move to Qianshan to live too."

"Live in Qianshan? My roof there doesn't even have a top. It's been leaking for three days after the rain. Roving Bandits come every few days. Can you outrun them or fight them off?"

"Isn't there anything you can bring home? Why didn't you bring back any food?"

A surge of anger welled up in Wu Dacai's heart again. He pushed himself up with his hands, grabbed his crutch, and left the house.

The woman shouted from behind, "You haven't even eaten yet!"

Wu Dacai walked quickly in sullen silence, retracing his path back to Zongyang Gate. He didn't even look up when he passed the drill ground.

He went all the way to the gate of the Garrison Headquarters. There were a few more soldiers standing guard, but nothing else had changed. Wu Dacai presented his name tag for inspection and went directly to the Military Office.

The Military Office was still crowded with people handling affairs. Wu Dacai waited honestly. From their conversations, the main topics were barracks military supplies and officer promotions. A new Thousand-Leader Headquarters had been established. Lord Pang had been promoted to Vice General. The former Company Commander had all been promoted to Thousand-Leaders, each commanding over a thousand troops. The Centurions and Banner Commanders below them were also being promoted in turn. Of course, none of it had anything to do with him.

Only when the crowd had thinned a little did Wu Dacai edge up to a clerk, not even daring to raise his voice. "I am the Instructor of Qianshan No. 2 Dun Fort, here under orders to report."

The clerk flipped through the register, and when he looked up, a trace of surprise showed on his face. He studied Wu Dacai and said, "Instructor Wu is to report at the Document Receiving Office."

"The Document Receiving Office?" Wu Dacai was utterly baffled. The Document Receiving Office was a critical department; apart from the completely independent Advisory Room, every other office had to defer to the Document Receiving Office to some degree. But ever since the Jiao Guozha affair, he had never once dealt with them.

He promptly went to the Document Receiving Office. After he gave his name, a clerk came out, looked Wu Dacai up and down, and said, "Follow me."

Wu Dacai hurried after him and asked cautiously, "Sir, may I ask where we are going?"

The clerk did not turn his head. "No more questions."

Wu Dacai could only shut his mouth and follow the clerk toward the Rear Office. The Rear Office had originally been the Garrison Commander's residence, now converted into the Advisory Room and the Garrison Commander's Direct Office. Wu Dacai felt a stir of excitement, wondering if he was being taken to handle matters at the Advisory Room.

After reaching the Rear Office, the clerk walked toward the West Wing and stopped before the last door. He said politely to the guard at the door, "Wu Dacai, Instructor of Qianshan No. 2 Dun Fort, has been brought."

The officer nearby looked Wu Dacai over, then said to the clerk, "Leave him with me."

The clerk acknowledged and returned to the outer hall. Wu Dacai remained standing before the door. He knew whose Direct Office this was.

The officer exchanged a few low words with someone inside, and upon receiving an answer, said to Wu Dacai, "Follow me in."