Chapter 112: Blasted Brute

With a thud, Zhou Shao'er collapsed straight onto his bunk without even taking off his chain mail, his whole body so exhausted he had no strength left and didn't want to move a single finger. Through accumulated hardship in many bandit-suppression campaigns, he had finally been promoted to Squad Leader and assigned to the Killer Banner of the Second Bureau. Though not powerfully built, his joints were flexible, so he became a round-shield man. Everyone from their old squad had been promoted. Now the First Killer Banner squad had taken in some outstanding newcomers and become the new Blue Team; word was that in the future they might no longer belong to the combat troops but fall under the training unit's jurisdiction.

"That Li Donghua is a blasted brute. When he first came, I listened to him talk about the tragedies in Liaodong and even felt sorry for him. Who knew that the moment he got promoted, he'd think up every way to torment people. If I'd known it would turn out like this, I should have given him a good beating back then."

Zhou Shao'er listened to Old Zhong's voice and agreed completely in his heart. When Li Donghua first arrived, he served as a pikeman in the First Killer Banner squad and lived in the dormitory one row over from theirs. The man usually kept his mouth shut, but during bayonet drills he was so ferocious it was as if the target were his personal enemy. He had also given them reports on the atrocities of the Jianzhou bandits, so basically everyone knew him. Now, just after being promoted to training staff officer in the headquarters guard office, he had changed that month's training plan within days — adding half again the load to the morning run, adding nightly drills, and doubling the intensity of the afternoon individual skills period, which had originally been relatively relaxed. A true blasted brute. Now, apart from those Liaodong refugees who came from Dongjiang, there wasn't a man in the entire army who didn't hate him.

Of his old squadmates, only Old Zhong remained; everyone else had been transferred away. Because Old Zhong complained too much, he was not well-regarded by the officers and only became Zhou Shao'er's squad leader, which forced Old Zhong to switch and train with the banner spear all over again.

The room was dim; lantern light from the doorway streamed in, casting everyone's long shadows. There was one more man in their squad who came from Dongjiang. He kept his head down and said nothing, ceaselessly wiping the sweat from his head with a cloth. Zhou Shao'er agreed with Old Zhong in his heart but said nothing. They were all from Dongjiang; if anyone spoke ill and word got back to Li Donghua, wouldn't he torment the Second Bureau with even more zeal.

Seeing that no one answered, Old Zhong hurled his banner spear onto the bed, then removed the odds and ends from his body one by one. Fuming, he said to the cook, "Guandi Temple, go get the night rations."

Guandi Temple was a cook who had risen from the village militia; he was an exceptionally good walker, faster carrying a shoulder pole than others were empty-handed. His name was Guan Erdi, so Old Zhong called him Guandi Temple. But Li Donghua hadn't spared the cooks either, and Guandi Temple was also utterly exhausted. Still, since the squad leader had spoken, he had no choice but to prop himself up from the bed with immense difficulty and head toward the bureau. A short while later he came back with over twenty meat-stuffed flatbreads. The moment the aroma drifted in, Old Zhong sprang up, grabbed two, and began devouring them. The others went over one after another to take theirs, each wolfing down the food.

Zhou Shao'er was the last to take one and ate slowly. Old Zhong's cheeks bulged high, his mouth crammed full; he would swallow a bit and then gnaw off a bit more, keeping his mouth fully stocked at all times. Zhou Shao'er had only gnawed through half of his first one when Old Zhong finished. He grabbed a coconut ladle — the Ming army canteen — and gulped down a long draught, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, but his stomach was still hungry. He looked left and right. Guandi Temple to his right had eaten even faster and had already licked his fingers clean. His eyes then fell on the one remaining flatbread in Zhou Shao'er's hand.

"Zhou Shao'er, brother..."

Old Zhong had barely spoken five words before Zhou Shao'er knew what he was after. He lifted the flatbread to his mouth and spat on it several times in succession. Old Zhong saw this and cursed, "You son of a bitch, you're a blasted brute too."

Zhou Shao'er ignored him and continued slowly gnawing, mixing it with water. He had also been on many bandit-suppression campaigns and had once injured a fierce bandit with a heavy club. Since then his courage had grown considerably. Now, with a banner squad leader and a military judge above him, if a squad leader bullied anyone without cause, anyone could lodge a complaint with the military judge, so he wasn't afraid of Old Zhong pushing him around.

Old Zhong had originally figured that since Zhou Shao'er was an old squadmate, he could ask him for one. Now that hope was gone, and he didn't dare forcibly take one from anyone else. His eyes rolled around, and he said to Zhou Shao'er, "Can you get full on two flatbreads?"

"I'm full. If you want to buy some, go yourself. The quiet drum has already sounded; I'm not willing to get caught by the provosts."

"You son of a bitch, you're just a coward." Old Zhong didn't call anyone else. He pulled open the dormitory door, stuck his head out to look around, and tiptoed out.

There was some moonlight tonight. After his eyes adjusted, he sneaked all the way out of the barracks area, dodging two sentries and a provost soldier along the way, and felt his way to the western perimeter wall. There was an uncleared thicket there, and a ladder had been set against the wall beside the bushes. Seven or eight soldiers were already waiting under the ladder. Hearing footsteps, they turned their heads to glance, then resumed urging the man on the ladder in low voices.

The moment Old Zhong arrived, his mouth started running too. "Hurry up, hurry up. What's all the dawdling for, just buying something."

The man on the ladder turned his head and cursed back, "The hell you rushing for? Haven't made change for the silver yet. You gonna make up the difference for me?"

The men below kept clamoring, though none dared raise their voices. It was a good while before the soldier on the ladder got his change and climbed down, half a chicken clutched in his hand. Gnawing as he went, he crept back toward the barracks area.

Old Zhong watched, his mouth watering, and queued up at the very end, constantly urging the men ahead to hurry. When it was finally his turn, he scrambled up swiftly. The moment his head popped over, he saw a head on the other side — a middle-aged woman from the old Wen Deng Camp stockade. With an ingratiating look, she asked, "What'll you buy, soldier sir?"

"Your mother. If I'm not here to buy food, you think I'm here to buy your daughter?"

"My family's daughter is still a bit young. If..."

"Cut the crap. Hurry up, one roast chicken."

"Soldier sir, only duck left."

"Then one duck. No — two. How much silver?" Old Zhong remembered that Zhou Shao'er probably hadn't eaten his fill either and decided he might as well buy one for Zhou Shao'er too.

"Six fen each, two is one qian two fen. Would the soldier sir like some wine too?"

At her question, Old Zhong's thirst for liquor stirred, but then he immediately remembered the military rod — drinking brought a savage beating. With a jolt, he cursed, "You blasted rotten woman, don't you ever ask me if I want wine again. Give me the ducks, quick." Old Zhong felt for his silver; it was roughly a little over one qian, maybe even a bit extra, but he didn't bother asking for change. He snatched the ducks she handed over and began gnawing as he descended the ladder. The men behind were urging him on, and he didn't even have time to curse back.

After climbing down and taking a few steps, he turned back and said to the men still in line, "Remember to hide the ladder well."

"Yeah, yeah, we know."

It was dim and dark here, and no one knew he was a squad leader; they were all out secretly buying food. The army rations were decent enough, but someone with an appetite like his still couldn't eat his fill. Over time, a flea market had formed here. The woman also sold wine and tobacco shreds. The chickens and ducks originally raised at Wen Deng Camp had long since been bought up; now people inside Wen Deng Camp made a business of selling chickens and ducks brought in from elsewhere to these soldiers.

After observing outside the camp for a while, Old Zhong seized an opening and sneaked in. At the dormitory door, he crept in softly and let out a long breath. Some of the others in the room were already snoring loudly, one snore rising as another fell.

Old Zhong tossed the duck from his bosom onto Zhou Shao'er's blanket with a plop and cursed under his breath, "Blasted brute, get up and eat some meat."

Zhou Shao'er slowly propped himself up, felt the duck, and said, "Thanks." He then tore off a duck leg and began eating. Guandi Temple was timid; though his stomach ached with hunger, he didn't dare sneak out. Watching the two eat, his cravings surged, but he didn't dare approach Old Zhong. He circled past Old Zhong's bunk, crept over, and crouched by Zhou Shao'er's bed, asking foolishly, "Brother Zhou, what are you eating?"

Without even looking at him, Zhou Shao'er replied indistinctly through a mouthful of meat, "Duck."

"Brother Zhou, what are you eating?"

"Duck."

"Brother Zhou, what are you eating?"

"Alright, alright. Here's a piece for you."

Unable to bear the pestering, Zhou Shao'er tore off the other duck leg and gave it to Guandi Temple. Guandi Temple asked no more. Holding it in both hands, he headed back to his own bunk. As he passed in front of Old Zhong, Old Zhong kicked him in the backside and cursed, "If you want to eat, go buy it yourself."

The kick sent Guandi Temple sprawling right onto his own bed, and the duck leg fell to the ground. He frantically groped around on the floor for a while, finally found it, picked it up, and lay on his bed and began gnawing. After two bites, Guandi Temple said, "Seems a bit undercooked. Sticks in the teeth."

"If it's not cooked, give it to me." Old Zhong sat up in bed.

Guandi Temple hurriedly took a fierce bite. This time it really did get stuck between his teeth; he couldn't pull it free no matter what. Just as he was about to chew a few more times, the main door suddenly burst open with a bang. Several soldiers in training uniforms, carrying lanterns and torches, strode in aggressively. A rough voice immediately followed, shouting, "All stand at attention."

Everyone in the room was startled. The moment they heard "stand at attention," they all reflexively stood in the aisle between the long sleeping platform, some not even having their clothes or pants on. Zhou Shao'er and Old Zhong reacted quickly — the instant the door banged, they shoved the ducks under their blankets, swiftly stood up, and stood at attention in the aisle in front of their bunks. Guandi Temple had only recently come up from the village militia and had rarely experienced barracks inspections; he didn't react in time. Only after everyone else was up did he scramble to his feet, and in his panic forgot that the duck leg was still hanging from his mouth.

Leading the group was Chief Military Judge Zhou Shifa. He came from a Tianjin retainer background and had no ties to any of the later-arriving factions; he enforced military law without ever showing leniency. He walked up to Guandi Temple, who was standing at attention, and with an expressionless face leaned in close to study him for a long moment. Only then did Guandi Temple remember the duck leg still on his mouth. Under Zhou Shifa's murderous stare, his legs were already trembling with fear. Nearby, Zhou Shao'er and Old Zhong were both watching from the corners of their eyes.

"Not bad chow. Bought it off the ladder?"

"I... forgot."

Zhou Shifa reached out a hand, yanked the duck leg off, tossed it casually on the ground, and then stomped on it hard several times with his foot. The flesh on Guandi Temple's face twitched with tension.

"Go run four laps around the outside parade ground." Zhou Shifa pursed his lips toward a provost soldier behind him. "You go watch him. Speed can't be slower than morning run pace."

The provost soldier drew his leather whip, stepped forward, and barked at Guandi Temple, "Right face, on the double, march."

As if by conditioned reflex, Guandi Temple woodenly followed his commands out the door and headed for the parade ground.

Zhou Shao'er and Old Zhong both breathed a sigh of relief. What they feared most was that this dumb, clueless Guandi Temple would blab and give them both away. Now they themselves were safe. The moment they finished that thought, Zhou Shifa went from man to man, sniffing near each one's mouth.

Zhou Shao'er took a sharp breath, realizing what the man was sniffing for, and cursed in his heart, "Yet another blasted brute."

With Old Zhong leading, the three men ran four laps on the parade ground, a provost soldier chasing behind them with a leather whip as if driving oxen. Zhou Shao'er collapsed from exhaustion several times; the provost soldier lashed out wildly, and Zhou Shao'er couldn't endure it, forced to get up and keep running. They had already been utterly exhausted today to begin with, and after these four additional laps, the three were so tired they felt as if they'd fallen apart, as if their own limbs no longer belonged to them.

By the time the three lay back down on their beds, the others were already snoring. Zhou Shao'er couldn't fall asleep for a while. Lying on his stomach, he said to Old Zhong, "I told you not to go buy any."

"Son of a bitch, you still ate it, didn't you." Old Zhong answered feebly; this sturdy Shanxi man was now so drained he couldn't even speak with full breath.

Zhou Shao'er felt somewhat in the wrong — after all, Old Zhong hadn't even taken his money for it — so he could only shift the blame. "Blame that idiot Guandi Temple."

Guandi Temple was already snoring. Old Zhong laboriously stretched out a leg to kick him, but he didn't wake. Old Zhong gave up; even that motion was not easy for him to manage now.

"Sleep. Who knows what stuff that Li Donghua will come up with tomorrow. How good it was when Zhu Daichun used to manage the training."

Zhou Shao'er said, still lying on his stomach, "Sleep. Zhu Daichun can't manage us combat troops anymore."

Just as he was drifting hazily toward sleep, three gong strikes suddenly sounded outside. Zhou Shao'er sat up with a whoosh. From outside immediately came the shout of Banner Squad Leader Huang Yuan: "Emergency assembly!"

Zhou Shao'er ignored the soreness all over his body. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his clothes or shoes. He grabbed his belt and fastened it, then hung his coconut ladle on the belt. He threw his mail shirt over his shoulders, ran to the weapon rack by the door, snatched up a round shield and a waist saber, and was the first to stand at attention by the entrance. Only then did he begin putting on his armor. Inside the dormitory, chaos erupted — some who had undressed couldn't find their things in the darkness, while others who found them couldn't get them on, and the room filled with cursing and shouting.

He also heard Zhong Laosi cursing, "Your mother's Guandi Temple, wake the hell up! Assembly! You dog-fuckers sleep like dead pigs."

Another gong sounded, and drums rolled across the parade ground. Any squad that failed to arrive or was incomplete by the third drumroll would receive collective punishment, and the squad leader would share the punishment. Zhou Shao'er listened to the commotion inside — Guandi Temple still hadn't woken up. Squad Leader Huang Yuan, carrying a military flogging stick, was already shouting curses outside the other rooms. Amid the chaos, Zhou Shao'er grimly confirmed that he was once again going to be collectively punished because of Guandi Temple.

By the time the second drumroll sounded, Zhong Laosi had called over two strong men to carry Guandi Temple bodily. The others who hadn't had time to dress also grabbed their clothes and equipment in their arms. They roughly formed ranks and rushed to the parade ground. Just as they stood in place, the third drumroll sounded, and everyone let out a huge breath. As long as they were all present, even if their military appearance was a mess, the punishment would be far lighter than not showing up at all.

On the high platform, Chen Xin watched the bedraggled crowd below with satisfaction. In truth, these emergency assemblies held little practical value for him, because in this era, dispatch riders didn't travel at night, and there were rarely emergencies requiring nighttime deployment. But he was quite happy to see Li Donghua standing at the front tormenting these men. With a major battle looming, such training would toughen their resolve. And they would only resent Li Donghua, not him.

He gave a slight nod to Li Donghua and Zhou Shifa beside him. The two men dispatched provost soldiers to begin checking the roll. Seven or eight provost soldiers took up positions facing the camp area, blocking those who emerged later from slipping into the ranks.

Li Donghua happened to stop right in front of Zhong Laosi and the others. Guandi Temple had finally woken up too, thanks to Zhong Laosi's quick thinking — he'd poured the water from his coconut ladle onto his face. Li Donghua counted them impassively, turning a blind eye to those in the ranks wearing only half their trousers or in complete disarray.

"Two circuits around the old Wen Deng Garrison fort, at march."

Zhong Laosi was startled. Two circuits meant six li — how long would that take in the pitch-black dead of night? He immediately raised his hand and said, "Adjutant, sir, my squad is fully present. The military code's penalty for disheveled dress is not this."

Li Donghua replied, still impassive, "I am the training adjutant. I don't deal with military code punishments. What I said is tonight's extra drill."

Zhong Laosi: "......"

Power outage at home, update slightly delayed.

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