Chapter 396: The Women

After night fell, on the official road south from Gucheng, a line of eight people still walked through the darkness. The official road was faintly visible in the night. No one spoke; amid a chorus of insects, only the sound of their footsteps could be heard.

Wang Dashan walked second to last, with Second Locust bringing up the rear. After Yu Baodao Banner had assigned the errand, men were chosen on the spot and brought to the servants at Mianyang Port. Only Wang Dashan and Xu Zhu were from Jiangbei. Yu Baodao Banner had brought two old Team Leaders, and there was one more person wearing a bamboo hat with a headscarf wrapped around their head, their face never visible.

Wang Dashan did not know where they were going, did not know how long they would be gone, and even less did he know what they were going to do. The only thing he knew was that they were getting farther and farther from Gucheng. The shed had not been finished — how would his woman and son live? None of the masters had said a word about it.

Across the pitch-black earth, everything was hard to make out. Xu Zhu's figure ahead was very blurry. All around, ghostly blue will-o'-the-wisps flickered unceasingly. Cold sweat streamed down Wang Dashan's forehead; those ghost fires seemed ready to lunge at him at any moment.

Just as he was panicking, a whoosh sounded ahead. Wang Dashan and Second Locust both cried out in alarm. A dark, shapeless thing burst from the left side of the road, cut across the path right in front of Wang Dashan, and shot swiftly into the grass on the right. After a faint rustling sound, all returned to stillness.

The column halted. From up ahead, Yu Baodao Banner's voice cursed, "Who was that shouting?"

"Make another sound and I'll cut your head off." In the darkness, Second Locust's voice spoke.

Trembling, Wang Dashan said in a low voice, "S-second Master, there are ghosts."

Second Locust said angrily, "So what if there are ghosts? I've killed that many people, and I've never seen any come for my life..."

Just as he spoke, a long howl, half wolf and half dog, rose in the distance, echoing across the wilderness.

Second Locust's voice stopped at once. Wang Dashan heard the Second Chief's breathing grow somewhat rapid. When the howl gradually faded away, the small column fell silent for a moment. Master Yu's voice spoke again, "Rest up ahead."

The column began moving again. They walked only a short while before stopping once more. Panting, Wang Dashan looked around and could make out several broken walls by the roadside — a ruined village.

Xiao Wazi's voice said, "Master Yu, there should be no one around here."

"Find a place to rest."

Someone left from the front. Judging by the voice just now, it should have been Master Xiao Wazi, who was scouting ahead. After a moment, Xiao Wazi returned. The column entered the village. It was pitch-black all around, so dark one could barely see their hand in front of their face. They walked like this for a stretch, roughly reaching the center of the village, and stopped before a slightly more intact ruined house.

Xiao Wazi led the way inside, one by one. Wang Dashan felt his way along the earthen wall, following behind. His foot seemed to step on a wooden plank, which gave a sharp crack. Wang Dashan staggered and nearly fell. Afraid that Second Locust behind him would beat or curse him, he hurriedly felt for the wall again and quickened his pace two steps, only to bump into Xu Zhu ahead.

Xu Zhu's angry voice came, followed by a violent shove. Wang Dashan tumbled to the ground. There was debris on the floor, jabbing him so painfully he nearly cried out. Unlike before, amid his fear, a trace of anger actually rose in his heart. But this bit of anger was not enough to make him utter a sound. He endured the pain and climbed up again, only to be shoved hard once more by Second Locust from behind.

Wang Dashan crashed into the wall. He cautiously entered the room. Hearing Xu Zhu stop ahead, he immediately pressed himself against the wall and crouched on the floor. The solid feel of the earthen wall against his back gave Wang Dashan a small measure of calm.

Master Yu had stayed until last. He circled the area once, and only after returning did he allow everyone to drink water and eat dry rations. Wang Dashan took off his cloth bag, groped around inside for a while, and found the dry rations issued at departure. He put it in his mouth and began chewing carefully, not daring to make a single sound.

The several masters showed no such restraint. In the darkness came the sounds of chewing and drinking. Wang Dashan sped up as well, quickly finishing one flatbread, then felt for his water bottle and drank.

After a long while, it grew quiet again. Wang Dashan squeezed his cloth bag; there were still plenty of dry flatbreads inside. Just before setting out, Master Yu had brought a huge pile and told everyone to take as much as they wanted. This was an experience Wang Dashan had never had before. Even back in Susong, he had never been told he could eat his fill and take whatever he wanted.

At the time, he had not known where they were going and had thought he could bring some back for his woman. He had not only stuffed his cloth bag full but also tucked several into his chest. Who knew they would travel farther and farther? These flatbreads probably could not be brought back after all. But just touching them like this, his heart felt deeply content.

"This errand was assigned by Eight Master." In the darkness, Master Yu's voice spoke. Wang Dashan stopped his groping and listened intently to Master Yu's words. Beside him, however, Second Chief was still munching away, smacking his lips.

"The place we're going is... Anqing."

Wang Dashan's heart gave several violent thumps. He heard the smacking sounds from Second Chief Second Locust beside him stop.

"The errand was assigned to Master Liu. The Post Commander and old Team Leaders here have all handled errands for many years and understand the rules. The servants are on their first errand, so I, your master, must give instructions."

Xu Zhu's voice said, "Master, please instruct."

Wang Dashan hurriedly added, "We await the master's instructions."

"Once out the door, no one is to be seen. Whether lost or fled, their family dependents will all be killed. You two servants will watch and control each other on the road. If anything happens, the other will be punished under the Mutual Responsibility System. If you want your family dependents in Gucheng to live, you must follow the master's instructions in handling affairs. On the road, you may not speak of Western Camp matters. You may not ask about superfluous things. You may not speak with outsiders. Without a chief accompanying you, you may not go out. Do you understand?"

Wang Dashan rushed to say, "This lowly one understands."

"If the errand is handled well, your family dependents will be safe. As long as Eight Master is pleased, when you return you can become Team Leaders, and servants will be assigned to you as well."

Wang Dashan's hands trembled slightly, and a nameless excitement surged in his heart.

Second Locust's voice beside him said, "Master Yu, what errand are we going to Anqing for?"

"After that defeat at Susong last year, the masters of every post had women and children scattered and lost. The Government Troops' watch was not strict, and some old brothers escaped again, saying that most of these women and children were captured. Among them is Eight Master's woman, held together with the Women's Camp. This time, if we can rescue them, we will. If we cannot, we must scout out the location."

There was a moment of silence in the darkness. Another Team Leader's voice said, "That Vice General Pang of Anqing is right at Mianyang Port. Everyone in the camp says he'll sell anything. Why not spend some silver and buy those women back from him?"

Master Yu said coldly, "That Vice General Pang will indeed sell anything, and nothing comes cheap. Eight Master said that if this man finds out those women are useful, who knows what price he'll name? It would only alert him, and he'd keep those women under even tighter watch. Then they'd be harder to rescue."

That Team Leader said again, "The Anqing Army is fierce and tough. Just the few of us going probably won't end well."

"Pang Yu's troops are all here. Anqing is sure to be empty." Master Yu paused, then added, "Eight Master also said that if we can't rescue them for now or can't scout things out clearly, we'll settle down in Anqing and wait for the next trip to provide support."

That Team Leader asked in a low voice, "Then isn't Eight Master going to keep being an official general?"

"That is not something you should know." Master Yu's tone was icy. "If he keeps being an official general, naturally you'll be called back."

That Team Leader said no more. Xiao Wazi's voice asked again, "Master Yu, the road to Anqing is long. Walking like this will take us a very long time."

"On the road, there are government soldiers, Local Militia, Constables, and those Local Bandits. We must avoid these people. We'll travel by night and rest in uninhabited places in the countryside by day. The world is not peaceful. The water route is safer, but we must not take a boat near Gucheng. In five days, we'll find a place to board a boat to Wuchang, then take a boat from Wuchang to Anqing."

Xiao Wazi said again, "Master Yu, what identities should we use? With this many people, it might be hard to disguise ourselves as beggars. Wouldn't it be more convenient to split up?"

"We travel together on the way, but pretend not to know each other. We must split into two groups. I will take the old brothers and disguise ourselves as Hangshang, going with this Xu servant from Hezhou to Jiangnan to trade in wood. You, the Wang servant from Anqing, will disguise yourselves as a family. Wang Dashan, the woman you married is from Nanyang Prefecture. Second Locust and Xiao Wazi are her brothers from her maiden family. You are from Susong. You went to Nanyang Prefecture with your maternal uncle on business and started a family in Nanyang Prefecture. Now that the north is not peaceful, you are bringing your wife back to your old home in Anqing to flee the famine. You, surnamed Wang, do you understand?"

Wang Dashan listened blankly. He had never handled an errand like this and had no idea what to ask. He stammered, "Th-then, that woman from Nanyang Prefecture is, is..."

No one seemed to care about his question. Second Locust's voice directly interrupted, "Quite a few of the various family masters' lost ones are mixed in among all those women. Who can recognize which ones are the women we need to find?"

Master Yu did not answer. Among the ruined walls of the desolate village, there was a moment of silence. Wang Dashan thought Master Yu had been stumped by the question.

Suddenly, from the pitch-black opposite side, a woman's voice rang out, "I can recognize them."

"Among the official families in Wuhu, we have relatives and friends everywhere. Take the dye workshop our family runs — no one dares to cause trouble there. Let me count for you: my third uncle is a Clerk in the Military Office, my second aunt's husband is a Instructor, my third aunt's husband's granduncle is the Household Clerk, and my cousin can speak directly with the Prefect..."

In the gently rocking boat cabin, a passenger was loudly boasting to others. Several porters surrounded him, their faces full of admiration.

The cabin was packed with passengers lying in two rows. Some lay sprawled out, some dozed leaning against the cabin walls, and some who were still awake took out dry rations and chewed silently. A stench of sweat hung in the air.

The loud-talking man spoke again, "Where are you all headed?"

One porter said, "Replying to the master, we're going to Anqing to join the army."

"What future is there in being a grunts?"

The porter cautiously replied, "Someone from our hometown went ahead and sent a letter back saying the Monthly Pay is good and there's enough to eat. At the dock, someone reading the news said they're recruiting again, so we have to hurry. Even the boat fare was scraped together by relatives and friends..."

There was a hubbub over there. Hearing Anqing, Wang Dashan turned over to listen more clearly. Turning on his side, he faced the back of the woman on his left — his wife in name. Her back looked very solid, completely different from those thin, weak women in the camp.

Even in the stuffy boat cabin, this woman still wore a veil. Wang Dashan had yet to see the woman's face. He only knew her name was Yue Study, but this was surely a false name too, because Yu Baodao had given everyone a false name.

Yu Baodao Banner was also on the boat, but at the other end. Since boarding, no one had spoken to each other.

Just then, a snore like thunder erupted from the opposite side. Wang Dashan half-lifted his head and saw Second Locust lying across from him. The snoring man was one person away from him and looked like a rather burly Hangshang, who also carried a sword. He had taken up the space of two people by himself, and no one around dared to get close.

The Second Chief clearly wasn't one of those who feared him. Woken by the snoring, he got straight up, walked over, and kicked the man right on the ankle.

"Who—?"

The snoring stopped abruptly. The Hangshang jolted awake, sat up at once, and looked left and right for a long moment before he understood what had happened. The moment he saw the person in front of him, Second Locust had already kicked him again.

The Hangshang snatched up his sword. Everyone in the cabin scrambled to clear out. The few who had been talking over on that side fell silent at once. Wang Dashan hastily pulled his feet in and curled up against the cabin wall, afraid the two would start fighting and injure him — but he was far from the terror he would have felt before.

He tilted his head for a glance. The woman beside him lay still, as if completely sound asleep.

The Hangshang's voice was harsh and fierce. "What do you want, you wretch!"

Second Locust tilted his head and stared at him. "No snoring!"

"Who doesn't snore when they sleep?"

"Then no sleeping."

The Hangshang's face was full of anger. His eyes locked with Second Locust's. Wang Dashan stole a glance — he had never dared to meet Second Locust's eyes. Even a single accidental look would chill him to the bone.

After a moment, the Hangshang did indeed back down. He gave a snort and said, "I won't stoop to your level."

With that, he retreated and leaned against the cabin wall. Everyone around let out a breath of relief. Second Locust glared at him a while longer, then returned to his spot and lay down. This time, the people on both sides of him kept as far away as they could.

The cabin fell quiet again. A moment later, Wang Dashan saw Xiao Wazi get up and head for the deck.

Wang Dashan hesitated briefly, then got up and followed him out of the cabin. There were some short-distance travelers on the deck as well, their luggage spread all over the floor.

He spotted Xiao Wazi at the bow. Wang Dashan picked his way carefully across the deck until he was behind Xiao Wazi. Before he could even open his mouth, Xiao Wazi spoke. "The fact that I can swim — you are not to tell anyone."

"This humble one understands." Wang Dashan hesitated, then added, "Young Master, going like this — when will we be able to return? This humble one's family is small, with no one to look after them..."

"For those away on assignment, Master Liu will send people to look after them. You just focus on your task."

Wang Dashan hesitated, then asked, "Young Master, if I do this task well, can I really become a Team Leader?"

Xiao Wazi turned his head and shot him a look. Wang Dashan hurriedly lowered his head.

"Plenty of Team Leaders in the Ying started as Servants. Of course it's possible. But you have to do the task well first — only then will it be your turn."

"That woman Yue won't speak to me. This humble one is just afraid I won't play the part convincingly."

Xiao Wazi waited a moment, then said, "Whatever that woman says, just do as she tells you. Don't defy her. Even an ordinary Post Commander wouldn't dare provoke her."

Wang Dashan gulped audibly, muttering something unintelligible. Just then, a shout rang out from the river.

"Anqing Water Camp, patrolling the river to hunt bandits! Pull over!"

Everyone on deck rose to look. Wang Dashan turned his head and saw a smaller boat approaching, an official banner hanging from its mast. Wang Dashan couldn't read the characters on the banner, but he knew it meant Government Troops. He tensed up at once.

On the other deck were five or six men in White Coats, holding swords and spears. One of them even carried a Rattan Shield.

Wang Dashan said nervously, "Why has the Anqing Water Camp come all the way to Jiujiang? Do they know about us?"

"Know, my ass." Xiao Wazi lowered his voice and snapped, "Wuchang has a few Anqing Water Camp boats too — why couldn't Jiujiang have them? The way we came, who could have known in advance? They're just on routine duty. Remember what I taught you to say."

Wang Dashan nodded, stealing a moment to glance over there. The boat was drawing closer and closer. The travelers on deck, hearing it was Government Troops, immediately broke into panicked cries.

Seeing this, Xiao Wazi grabbed Wang Dashan and headed for the cabin. On the way, he stepped on two travelers' feet, sparking another round of shouting.

Just as they reached the cabin door, the boat owner hurried over to the bow, muttering under his breath. He seemed to find the Anqing Water Camp's presence here somewhat odd as well. But without delay, he called out toward them, "Gentlemen soldiers, there are no River Bandits on my boat. We're still stopping at Jiujiang — wouldn't it be better to hunt bandits at leisure once we reach Wharf? No need to trouble yourselves jumping across."

Hearing this from the Water Camp boat, a man on deck who looked like an officer waved his hand. The patrol boat turned toward the south bank, pulling away from the passenger boat. The deck gradually settled down.

The boat owner visibly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to head back into the cabin. Xiao Wazi quickly stopped him. "When this Anqing Water Camp boards boats to hunt bandits, do they collect Jiang Silver?"

The boat owner said irritably, "Hunt what bandits? They're all checking the merchant goods on board."

He shook off Xiao Wazi's hand and continued into the cabin, cursing as he went, "Damn Anqing Water Camp is everywhere. In Two Days, once we pass Anqing, let's see you bastards keep searching."