Chapter 564: The Shack

"I am your new household head now. The old rules still stand — three families to a guarantee. Whether marching, sleeping, gathering firewood, or fetching water, you stay together. If someone from one family runs, I take the lives of the other two families in payment. If you want to live, keep a tight watch on the other families."

Inside the camp of the Upper Third Post, a dozen or so people had formed a half-circle. Wang Dashan sat on a wooden stool at the center, his son cradled in his arms.

The dozen-plus people here included the remaining servants of Second Locust and Xiao Wazi, as well as three that Wang Dashan had brought back himself. An ordinary team leader would never have so many.

Wang Dashan swept his gaze across them, and his eyes finally settled on Second Locust's steward. "Tang Guihe, you will serve as steward."

"Yes, my thanks to Master Wang for the promotion."

This Tang Guihe was a servant Second Locust had seized in Henan. He had once worked in the livestock trade, so he knew how to manage animals. He had also been a food stall shopkeeper and was fairly good at handling people. He had kept Second Locust's affairs in excellent order and was mild-mannered by nature. Even when dealing with a servant like the former Wang Dashan, he would not casually beat or scold him.

After Second Locust left, Tang Guihe managed the other servants. When the Western Camp rose in revolt again from Gucheng, he followed the Eight Great Kings to Henan. During that time, some servants died and others ran away. With no household head present, no new servants were brought in. Two of the team leaders under Second Locust died, and their servants were also placed under Tang Guihe. That was how this group of hands had come together, and now they all followed Wang Dashan. Tang Guihe had never offended Wang Dashan before, so he was still given an important post.

Tang Guihe immediately kowtowed upon hearing this. After rising, he addressed the crowd: "The old household head has been gone so long without returning — everyone has been deeply uneasy, fearing there was no one to lead us in seeking a path to survive. Now that Household Head Wang has returned, our hearts can settle. Come one by one and kneel before Master Wang."

Under Tang Guihe's direction, the servants lined up and came before Wang Dashan one at a time to kneel and pay homage. These people were all simple servants. Xiao Wazi had never had a wife, and Second Locust's had been separated from him during the Defeat at Nanyang.

Wang Dashan stared straight ahead, his gaze fixed. Servant after servant came and went, and Wang Dashan did not stir.

Another person kowtowed and left. Xu Zhu's wife knelt before him. She had a son with her. She raised her head to glance at Wang Dashan before kneeling down. "I pay my respects to Master Wang."

Wang Dashan's eyes flickered a few times and settled on Xu Zhu's wife.

Xu Zhu's wife's eyes were red. After rising, she hesitated, then said, "My Xu Zhu went with Master Wang. I beg to ask Master Wang, have you seen where my Xu Zhu is?"

Wang Dashan looked at her coldly, staring until the Xu woman grew thoroughly uncomfortable. Only then did he turn to Old Li beside him. "Li Wuchu, tell her what became of Xu Zhu."

Old Li dropped to his knees with a thud, his expression panicked as he looked at Wang Dashan. "This lowly one does not, does not—"

"The master told you to tell her."

Old Li's gaze shifted back and forth twice between Wang Dashan and the Xu woman. Finally, trembling with fear, he said, "Xu Zhu was pursued by government soldiers and jumped into the river. He drowned at Zongyang Town in Anqing."

The Xu woman stared blankly at Old Li, then suddenly burst into a loud wail and collapsed on the spot. Wang Dashan's wife hurried over to support her.

Old Li panted heavily, looking at Wang Dashan in terror. He did not know whether his words had suited this master's wishes. Only when he saw that Wang Dashan showed no anger did he gradually calm down.

Most of the people around had been in the Western Camp for no short time and had seen plenty of life and death. Tang Guihe over on the other side had dealt with many similar situations. Seeing this, he first instructed another woman to also go support the Xu woman, then said to the others, "First set up Master Wang's tent, then attend to your own tasks."

Everyone immediately bustled into action. They moved with flying speed, erecting a frame from bamboo poles, then unfurling a wide roll of coarse cloth and draping it over the frame to form the tent's roof. This was the same coarse cloth Second Locust and Xiao Wazi had used before — it was specially made for pitching tents, able to block wind and keep in warmth. Next, the Xu woman spread the oil cloth over the top, in case it rained during the night.

This kind of tent was commonly used by team leaders. The former Wang Dashan could never have hoped for such a thing. Being able to sleep beneath a carriage frame, spared from spending the night in the open, had already been generous treatment.

Several other servants unloaded a pile of forage from the carriage frame, then spread cotton bedding on top of it. Next, they brought down a small low table and set it properly on the ground, then placed the chamber pot in front of the tent.

Wang Dashan watched everyone work with serious attention. In the past, tasks like these had all been done by him. A servant's duty was to provide logistics for the team leader. An ordinary team leader would have several servants; a carriage frame and livestock were also necessities, used to carry living utensils and supplies.

In this way, the old bandits could obtain more comfortable living conditions, making their combat ability stronger and allowing them to seize more supplies. Servants gained a chance at survival, and when cities were taken and the like, servants could also improve their lives. Unlike the early days of the bandit chaos, when most were coerced, this year more and more servants were joining of their own accord, just to obtain grain and stay alive. The hierarchy between the two sides was strict, yet at the same time they seemed to depend on each other.

For a household head, the most important asset was the horse. Marching, fighting, and fleeing for one's life all depended on a mount. Servants, livestock, and carriage frames were equally important — aside from quality of life, they also determined their sustained combat capability.

Therefore, unless completely routed by government troops and forced to flee for their lives, team leaders would not abandon their servants and baggage.

Now Second Locust and Xiao Wazi had not returned. This was a common sight in the Western Camp. Protracted marching and combat themselves carried all manner of extremely high risks, and accidents could happen at any time. Almost every day, some household head died — some fallen in battle, some from illness. Even deaths from falling off a horse were frequently seen. Without a household head to take the lead in securing rations and pay, servants had no way to survive. People, rations, and pay were generally distributed by the gang leader to other team leaders. For a newly appointed team leader like Wang Dashan to receive servants of gang-leader rank was a rare thing in the Western Camp.

At that moment, the Wang woman emerged from the Xu woman's shack. She, too, was finding it hard to adjust to the changes. She glanced at Wang Dashan, then walked over cautiously. She went to pick up her own rice sack, thought for a moment, then also picked up the little leftover firewood, preparing to move it over to the newly pitched tent.

Wang Dashan said coldly, "Sit down."

The woman stopped at once upon hearing this, slowly walked back, and sat down on the ground just like that.

"From now on, your only duty is to feed the horses." Wang Dashan did not look at the woman, speaking with an expression of utter indifference.

"Hus— husband, we don't have any horses."

Wang Dashan offered no explanation. He held the child and said nothing for a long while. The son in his arms stared blankly around, now and then tilting his head back to look at Wang Dashan. He had been born not long before Wang Dashan left for Anqing, so the child actually had little impression of Wang Dashan. Now, having been held for a while, he suddenly burst out crying with a wail.

The woman reached out her hands. "Husband, give me the child to hold."

Wang Dashan sat motionless, showing not the slightest intention of putting the child down. The busy servants on the other side stole glances at Wang Dashan from time to time. This former servant had suddenly been elevated to master, and his temperament seemed somewhat different as well.

Old Li kept his head down, diligently unloading firewood from the carriage frame. This wood and dry grass had all been torn down from other families' thatched huts. Because the Roving Bandits were vast in scale, passing through any place would cause shortages of supplies, especially energy resources like grain, firewood, and forage. Whenever they could obtain such things, they needed to carry them on the carriage frames.

The woman had held out her hands for a long time. Seeing that Wang Dashan ignored her, she withdrew them, somewhat embarrassed.

Suddenly, Wang Dashan stood up. He set the wailing child down beside him. The woman hurriedly took the child, but then saw that Wang Dashan had already walked over beside the Xu woman's shack.

Inside, Xu Zhu's wife was still weeping. Wang Dashan turned his head to look at Old Li. "Li Wuchu, kneel."

Old Li dropped the block of wood and fell to his knees on the ground with a thud.

Wang Dashan pointed to a spot beside the shack. "Here."

Old Li immediately shuffled forward on his knees until he was beside the shack.

The corner of Wang Dashan's mouth twitched. He turned his head to look at his own wife, then turned back to the front of the shack.

Xu Zhu's wife seemed to have noticed Wang Dashan. Her weeping stopped, and a trembling voice came from inside the shack. "Wang— Household Head Wang, what business do you have?"

The servants all acted as if they had heard nothing, turning their heads aside and busying themselves with their own tasks.

Half of Wang Dashan's figure disappeared into the shack. From inside came the Xu woman's terrified voice: "Wang, what are you doing? Even Master Xiao Wazi never did this. My family never mistreated you. I beg you, spare me."

Wang Dashan took a step back, turned his head to look at Li Wuchu, and a trace of strange amusement appeared on his face. "Xiao Wazi is dead. Now there is only Master Wang."

Li Wuchu kowtowed without stopping. Under the terrified gaze of the Wang woman, Wang Dashan's smile faded. He bent down and slowly walked into the shack.

……

"Xiao Wazi, tomorrow come with me on a trip to the Prefectural City."

At the encampment of the Cavalry First Division in Shipai Town, Anqing, Old Zeng had just returned to the Stable Office. He placed a bundle on the table, shut the door leaf properly, and spoke to Xiao Wazi inside.

Xiao Wazi, in the corridor, gave a grunt of acknowledgment. He was holding something that looked like a hemp cloth on a pole. Halfway down the row of stables, he spotted a horsefly on a passing horse. He went over and swatted it hard with the hemp cloth in his hand. The horse shuddered, and the horsefly was knocked into the corridor along with the cloth, spinning and buzzing on the ground. Xiao Wazi brought his foot down, and the buzzing ceased abruptly.

He circled around the front of the horse's head, checked the side for more horseflies, and only then returned to the corridor to continue on his way.

Old Zeng had taken another swatter from behind the door and was about to walk over when he was suddenly seized by a violent fit of panting. Xiao Wazi hurried over to support the old man and slowly helped him sit down on a stool.

"Grandpa, your shortness of breath is acting up again." Xiao Wazi said quietly. "You still need to go into town and find a doctor."

The old man waved his hand. "I've seen every doctor in Shipai. Taken plenty of medicine, haven't seen any use from it."

"That military hospital has some woman doctor, doesn't it? The soldiers all say her medical skill is high."

"Her high medical skill is in treating military trauma — it's different from my condition." The old man's panting had now subsided. He took the water Xiao Wazi handed him and drank a mouthful. "I treat livestock myself. When you get old, you're bound to have some ailments."

"Grandpa, you rest well. We'll skip the trip to the Prefectural City."

"How can I just say I'm not going and not go? It's an assignment from the Cavalry Battalion Logistics Officer. The Prefectural City has stockpiled over a hundred horses that crossed the river from Chizhou — see if we can pick out a few suitable for the cavalry. Those Relay Couriers and Postal Runners all want to earn Lord Pang's silver. The better relay horses on the Chizhou side have all been sold off. The ones crossing the river now are actually Huizhou horses and Jiangxi horses, not very suitable for cavalry use. I have to go and choose carefully."

The old man had by now caught his breath. He pulled over the bundle on the table, opened it, and handed it to Xiao Wazi. "This is the new-style work uniform that's been issued. I got one for you."

Xiao Wazi froze for a moment, then took it and shook it open. A blue short jacket appeared before him. He turned it over and examined it — the style was the same as the Anqing Land Camp's short jacket, only the color was different. The Land Camp used the red common to Government Troops; hired workers like them got blue. The work uniform was a front-opening style with cloth buttons — the army used copper buttons. Short jacket, narrow sleeves, four pockets sewn on the outside, and one more pocket inside.

"It's for wearing in cold weather. Before, they always issued two. Now, with so many conscripts, they can't keep up with production. They said to issue one for now. Be careful not to get it dirty when you're working."

Xiao Wazi gave a grunt of acknowledgment. He probed the pocket at the waist with his hand. It felt very deep inside — it could hold quite a few things and would be very convenient to use. The fabric was waist-loom cloth, neither good nor bad, similar to what common folk wore for work, but more close-fitting and comfortable.

"Your monthly pay, which I collected for you." The old man pulled two silver coins from inside his clothes and handed them to Xiao Wazi.

Xiao Wazi froze for a moment before reaching out to take them. He looked at the old man, then lowered his head and stared at the silver coins. There were some patterns and characters on them; he only recognized the character for "da."

"The Battalion Commanders all have their pay entered into the silver bank by military unit. They use their soldier tags to exchange for tickets and coins. When you were in Zongyang, you weren't entered in the register, so you're owed several months' pay. The new Logistics Officer knows me. He recognized four months for you. Adding you to the roster was too much trouble for him, so he just issued silver coins. He set your monthly pay at five Mace, and made up four months' worth all at once."

"My monthly pay." Xiao Wazi rubbed the silver coins. He looked up at the old man. "Grandpa, what do I do with silver?"

"You can buy clothes and food. You can repair a tile-roofed house." The old man straightened his back, a faint smile on his face. "The Logistics Officer told me — he's appointed me Stable Master and Veterinarian, and raised my monthly pay to five taels…"

At that moment, a string of cannon booms suddenly sounded from the north. Xiao Wazi's body shuddered. He spun around sharply to face north. The old man's voice came from behind him. "Those officials just now said the Martial Academy is going to drill a new Infantry Firearms Battalion. From now on, there'll be plenty of guns and cannons — they'll be going off often. Settle your heart."

Xiao Wazi looked at the ground. After a few panting breaths, he pressed close to the old man and sat down. Xiao Wazi set the clothes aside, keeping only the silver coins in his hand. His fingers ceaselessly rubbed the boat-shaped grain on their surface.

The stable was utterly silent. Outside, the occasional crack of a musket shot rang out. When the cannon boomed, Xiao Wazi's body still trembled faintly.

Old Man Zeng patted Xiao Wazi's back with his hand. After waiting a long moment, he said, "Grandpa's been thinking — we both have monthly pay now. Let's settle down right here in Shipai. Grandpa's saved up some silver. I'll build you a tile-roofed house, get you a wife and a family of your own. From now on, you'll spend every New Year at home."

Xiao Wazi turned his head in shock, staring blankly at the old man.