Chapter 69: Establishment

"Tell that Squad Leader Pang to come out. If he doesn't want us back in the Fast Squad, fine, but he still has to hand over the Ding Shou Yin. Those Auxiliaries and Green-Skins haven't paid a single copper, yet they want to take our places on the service register — is there no rule left at all?"

"When Squad Leader Li was here, Fast Squad business was never delayed. The reason we didn't show up these past days was because Squad Leader Li wasn't here either. With no one to lead us, we wouldn't have known what to do even if we came. How can they just strike us from the Fast Squad rolls, while people like He Xianya and Xu Lengzi get in?"

"Jiao Guozha, Ruan Jin — say something. If you won't speak for us today, then when Squad Leader Pang strikes you from the rolls someday, no one will speak for you either."

Pang Yu sat in his duty room with an untroubled expression, deaf to the clamor in the corridor, as if none of it concerned him.

Outside were some of the old Fast Squad men — the ones who had vanished without a trace during the civil unrest, and who even after the unrest was quelled had delayed returning to the yamen to work. Now that everything had settled down, these former Fast Squad men had reappeared, demanding that Pang Yu restore their treatment.

"Look, Squad Leader Pang — these new men you've recruited have taken the Runner posts. The Ding Shou Yin must be paid to these people before the new men can be entered into the register. That is how it has always been done in this yamen. If this old man were to alter the rule on his own authority, everyone in the yamen would say I was showing favoritism to the Fast Squad."

Clerk Shen of the Military Office sat opposite Pang Yu. His face looked sixty, but by Pang Yu's reckoning based on experience in this era, his actual age was around fifty.

The runners and bailiffs of the county yamen were registered in the Military Office, which served as the personnel management department for the Fast Squad. So when those Runners came making trouble today, Pang Yu had not even gone looking for Clerk Shen before Clerk Shen came to find him first.

Pang Yu said politely, "The Ding Shou Yin should be paid where it is due — I told the new men the same thing. Even His Honor paid Clerk Zhao his Ding Shou Yin. We bailiffs certainly cannot be the ones to break the rule."

Clerk Shen let out a relieved breath and advised, "So long as the rule of the Ding Shou Yin stands, it can always be recovered later. I hear that during the Wanli reign it was only five taels; now it is twenty. Perhaps in the future it will be thirty or fifty — they won't lose out."

Pang Yu smiled. "But you know, Official Shen, Clerk Tang has gone to the Circuit Inspector's yamen, and the Household Office's autumn grain commuted tax has not yet been collected, so the labor stipend silver has never been issued. Where are those new Runners supposed to find so much silver on short notice?"

"True enough. The Regular Silver from our Military Office has also been delayed. The men in the Military Office have no heart for duty, and the same goes for the Storehouse Office. Ah."

Pang Yu shot Clerk Shen a glance. He understood Clerk Shen's meaning: the Regular Silver the Fast Squad owed the Military Office still could not be shorted. This man was the Military Office Clerk. Unlike the Ministry of War in the imperial court, the county yamen's Military Office did not handle warfare — it merely managed things like stores and postal stations, Guards, and the Inspection Office.

Among those, the Stores and Societies, the Guards, and the Inspection Office all had a bit of profit in them. Its income ranked in the middle among the Six Offices, roughly on par with the Punishment Office and the Works Office. The Rites Office and the Personnel Office, nominally the top two, were in fact the poorest — their Ding Shou Yin was less than half that of the other four offices.

The Military Office could not compare to the Household Office within the yamen and needed to earn its own money. Part of its Regular Silver came from the bailiffs: every bailiff paid the Military Office two taels per year, and that included the Fast Squad.

A Runner's annual labor stipend silver was only six taels. After the Military Office took two, four remained. When Squad Leader Li was here before, he would embezzle half the labor stipend silver as it passed through his hands, so a fixed five taels was taken.

If a Runner served for a year and did not use his wits, not only would he receive no labor stipend silver, he would end up in the red. That was why Runners like Ruan Jin and Jiao Guozha all had to find ways to buy license tickets. Everything depended on what they could earn during trips to the countryside. Under this whole series of operations, their cost pressure was enormous. They could only squeeze it from the common people, and could hardly afford to care whether the common people lived or died.

"Whatever the yamen's rules say, this humble one will abide by them. Once I receive the Fast Squad's labor stipend silver, I will certainly hand over the Military Office's Regular Silver in full. But could Official Shen first enter these ten new men into the register? That way the Household Office can compile the roster and draw this labor stipend silver from the autumn grain commuted tax. Only then can the new men scrape together the silver, and whether it is the Ding Shou Yin or the Regular Silver, it will not be water without a source."

Clerk Shen tapped the table lightly and said, "The court sets a limit on the total number of bailiffs. The Fast Squad originally had only seven old hands who withdrew, yet you want ten new ones. With three extra here, somewhere else must have three fewer. What Squad Leader Pang proposes does put this old man in a somewhat difficult position."

Having said this, Clerk Shen took out his tobacco pipe. Pang Yu hurriedly picked up the flint from the table, struck it a few times to ignite the tinder fuse, and only then lit Clerk Shen's pipe.

"Naturally, it puts Official Shen in some difficulty." Pang Yu set down the tinder and said politely, "That is precisely why, when His Honor left, he repeatedly gave his advice: that whenever the Fast Squad encounters any difficulty, we must be sure to seek guidance from Official Shen. Official Shen is most fond of raising up the younger generation. So this humble one can only trouble Official Shen all the more."

"Ah, that His Honor — going around telling everyone this old man's weakness." Clerk Shen shook his head, putting on a look of helplessness. "We old fellows have nothing much to strive for. Those who ought to be raised up, naturally should be. Not to mention that Squad Leader Pang is a promising youth. Even my nephew, after hearing of you, wishes to join the Fast Squad and learn a scrap or two from Squad Leader Pang."

Pang Yu hurriedly cupped his hands. "Official Shen is too kind. To have caught your nephew's eye — this humble one is overwhelmed. If you do not fear that I might delay your nephew's fine prospects, I welcome him with the greatest pleasure. When he first arrives, I will arrange for him a Mounted Runner post. His labor stipend silver will not be shorted in the slightest. Only, horses are terribly scarce at the moment. The ones left in the stable are all nags — I would not dare assign one to your nephew."

Clerk Shen chuckled at that. The two had essentially reached a deal: Clerk Shen would give him three establishment slots, but his nephew would be added to the Fast Squad, making four slots in total that would need to be carved out from the Runner Squad.

Pang Yu knew that Clerk Shen also had favors to ask of Tang Weimin. By now everyone in the yamen knew that Tang Weimin backed Pang Yu. In a matter like granting establishment slots, Clerk Shen could be generous at public expense, do Tang Weimin a favor as a goodwill gesture — naturally, it was a deal well worth making.

The horse issue Pang Yu had raised afterward was also under the Military Office's purview. During the recent civil unrest, the yamen had lost more than half its horses. Of the original hundred and thirty-odd horses, only fifty-odd remained now. They had to be redistributed from scratch.

These horses naturally went first to the County Magistrate, the County Vice-Magistrate, the Chief Clerk, and the Six Offices Clerks — all of them had assigned mounts. There were also various Miscellaneous Officials, the Instructor, and the Xunjian who needed mounts. After all that was divided, the Fast Squad was left with five horses — for over ten Mounted Runners, half a horse per man.

From his experience during the pacification campaign, Pang Yu had deeply felt the value of horses. They were just like cars in later ages — without a horse, a man's range of movement was severely limited.

Clerk Shen did not answer the horse question for the moment, but instead continued on the topic of labor stipend silver. "This old man has heard that Squad Leader Pang told the Fast Squad that the labor stipend silver for Foot Runners and Mounted Runners would not only be paid in full, but that those who performed well would also receive additional Regular Silver. And that the two men who captured Old Zheng each received a so-called reward of fifty taels — is this true?"

Pang Yu laughed heartily. "Even the emperor does not send hungry soldiers to war. This humble one thought, we still have to give the brothers something to look forward to. Everyone comes to serve and work for no other reason than to feed their families. There ought to be a predictable monthly military stipend. If it is still like before, where each man goes down to the countryside to earn his own labor stipend silver, public resentment will inevitably build up. When another civil unrest comes, we people of the yamen may not be as lucky as we were this time."

"Those unruly folk — they will always stir up trouble. It is simply that they are not as simple and honest as before." Clerk Shen exhaled a puff of pale white smoke. "But if you do not go down to the countryside for the tax grain comparison, how can the Fast Squad possibly earn the full amount of Regular Silver?"

"Official Shen need not worry about the Regular Silver. Since the Fast Squad is responsible for patrolling, apprehending, and hunting down criminals in the county seat, it will naturally earn that Regular Silver within the county seat itself. The matters in the city that were previously assigned to the Runner Squad and the Zhuang Squad have, by the decision of His Honor, Magistrate Yang himself, all been taken back and given to the Fast Squad."

Clerk Shen stroked his beard and shook his head in admonishment. "In the city, there is only the Men Tan Tax and a few miscellaneous levies. And the He Mai is handled by each office on its own. On this point, Squad Leader Pang should listen to us old hands. The source of silver must still be seen in the fields and soil. Consult His Honor more often."

Pang Yu did not argue, but said politely to Clerk Shen, "Thank you for your guidance, sir. When His Honor returns, this humble one will certainly seek his advice more often."

Clerk Shen nodded with satisfaction. This Pang Yu was now a hot commodity in the yamen. Not only did Yang Fangzao and Zhou County Deputy hold him in high regard, but Prefect Pi Yingju had also made specific inquiries about him. A few days ago, word had even spread that Zhang Guowei, the Yingtian Grand Coordinator, had written Pang Yu's single-handed annihilation of over twenty rebels into a memorial to the throne. Even the emperor might now know of this minor bailiff.

So although Clerk Shen's rank was higher than Pang Yu's, he had come today of his own accord to see Pang Yu. Normally, these clerks, though they sat just across the way, rarely took the initiative to meet with equals — except for the Household Clerk. In the past, going to see a squad leader would have made one a laughingstock if word got out. But given Pang Yu's current market value, it was a different matter entirely.

Seeing now that Pang Yu was so respectful and that the deal was done, Clerk Shen felt deeply satisfied. He stood and said, "Since Squad Leader Pang has put it this way, this old man can only agree. I have already sent men to Luzhou to buy horses. However many return, the Fast Squad will get them first. After all, in the wake of great chaos, nothing is more urgent than pacifying the locality."

Pang Yu hurriedly rose and gave his thanks, escorting Clerk Shen all the way back to the Military Office before returning.

When he reached the corridor outside the Ceremonial Gate, those old Runners who had been causing trouble were still there. But having just seen Pang Yu walking together with Clerk Shen, they knew the situation was unfavorable. Their momentum was now far lower than when they had started.

Ruan Jin and He Xianya were trying to talk them down. Pang Yu had no good impression of these men. The moment a critical juncture came, they had abandoned their colleagues and fled. They had only dared show their faces this long after the unrest was pacified — clearly they had neither ability nor courage. Placed in a team, they would be entirely counterproductive. His Fast Squad now contained both new men and old hands. For him as a new leader, this situation allowed the two groups to check each other. He would absolutely not let these old soldiers of fortune return to the Fast Squad and upset the balance.

"As you all just saw, this squad leader has already reached a decision with Clerk Shen. The Fast Squad's numbers are full. No more men will be added. You have all come a little too late. Next time there is a vacancy, you may come back and see if you can fill it. As for the Ding Shou Yin, someone will settle accounts with you in a few days. For today, everyone please go home."

The moment these words left his mouth, how could those old Fast Squad men accept it? They had never imagined he would truly strike them all from the rolls.

"Pang the Fool, you stumbled into some great luck and became squad leader, and now you want to purge anyone not your own — what are your intentions? If you don't take us back today, we're not leaving."

The others all chimed in. People were coming and going in the corridor. Outside the Eight-Character Wall, there had already been a crowd watching the excitement, and the Runner Squad across the way joined in the jeering.

Pang Yu smiled, utterly unconcerned. "Though you have not yet received your Ding Shou Yin, your names have already been struck from the Military Office register. You are now commoners. If you continue to clamor at the gates of officialdom, do not blame me for being impolite."

The ringleader glared. "What are you going to do about it? I've been an old Fast Squad hand for over ten years — you think I'm afraid of a... of a..."

Pang Yu fixed his eyes on the man and said nothing. The man dared not meet Pang Yu's gaze, and his voice grew smaller and smaller. That day when Pang Yu had entered the city through Dongzuo Gate dragging over twenty human heads, dripping a trail of blood all the way, it had left a deep psychological scar on many who witnessed it. The story had grown more and more outrageous in the telling, until in the Tongcheng countryside Pang Yu was spoken of as if he were Guan Gong reborn. To say he could stop a child's night crying was no exaggeration at all.

The men's momentum collapsed. Pang Yu's eyes slowly swept across the Runner Squad opposite, and those who had been jeering all fell silent one by one. The business of hunting down fugitive rebels was not yet over. If they offended this fool Pang and he pinned a charge on them and dragged them off to be killed — that was not an impossible thing to happen.

"Pang will say this one last time. Please go home and await the settlement of your Ding Shou Yin. If you continue to clamor at the gates of public office, I will have no choice but to take you into the South Prison."

The ringleader lifted his head, shot Pang Yu a quick glance, snorted, turned, and left through the main gate. The others hurried after him as if fleeing for their lives. The crowd outside the Eight-Character Wall parted to make way for them.

Pang Yu felt a small measure of pride. It seemed this reputation for beheading men like chopping hemp did carry some deterrent power after all.

Just as he was about to return to the duty room, Jiang Fan hurried in through the main gate. He leaned close to Pang Yu's ear and said in a low voice, "That man we've been hunting, Liu Ruogu, has returned to Tongcheng. He's staying at his home, and it seems he is making no particular effort to hide his movements."

Pang Yu rubbed his chin and murmured thoughtfully, "Liu Ruogu. Perfect — I've been wanting to have a meeting with him."