Chapter 5: Section Four

"With your help, I'm no longer afraid of them. Now it should be them who are afraid." Zhao Manxiong said, drawing circles on the ground again. "But I think if they are determined to make trouble for us, destroying our traps and snares, it will do us no good."

"They wouldn't dare." Zhang Zaidi swung the axe in his hand.

"We toil so hard to seek wealth, and beating people cannot be exchanged for money." Zhao Manxiong spoke calmly. "I have always believed that clever people never forget their purpose, and a clever person's methods all serve that purpose."

Huang Shi gently clapped. "Well said."

Encouraged by this, Zhao Manxiong continued. "The resentment they swallowed today will need an outlet — that is only human nature. I can imagine that whenever they recall the beating they took today, their fury will grow, and they will want to cause us some trouble. But if we give them a few snares, then when they look back, they will immediately think of those snares, and a thought will arise: 'Forget it, we didn't really come out that badly after all.'"

A slap followed by a sweet date, and a touch of rudimentary psychology — for the first time, Huang Shi regarded this young man Zhao Manxiong with solemn attention, and Zhao Manxiong smiled back at him.

The fourth month of the first year of the Tianqi reign

The dire news of General Cheng soon reached the Guangning Army again — yet another utter rout. Of the five hundred men who had gone out, barely more than ten escaped with their lives.

A few days later, a new order from the Liaodong Provincial Governor Wang Huazhen was passed down and read aloud in public during drill at Liuhe Guard, and Huang Shi's name was among those listed. The Guangning Army was about to dispatch troops once more to attack the Later Jin. The general leading this force was named Mao Wenlong, newly appointed as Mobile Corps Commander of the Guangning Army. Hearing this, the soldiers below the platform had already begun murmuring among themselves — no one had ever heard the name Mao Wenlong before.

Paying no heed to the soldiers' reactions, the herald officer reading the order continued to bellow it out from above. Amid the buzzing crowd below the platform, Huang Shi alone was utterly focused, holding his breath as he listened intently to the order. The Liaodong Provincial Governor wanted brave men from every unit of the Guangning Army to eagerly volunteer, because Mobile Corps Commander Mao Wenlong had just received his appointment and still had no soldiers of his own. Wang Huazhen declared that any soldier who signed up for this army would be generously rewarded without stint.

Huang Shi could no longer take in anything said after that. The blood in his veins seethed; his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh without him even noticing. An irrepressible excitement made his whole body begin to tremble, and the surging emotion in his heart nearly made him cry out: "Mao Wenlong, Mao Wenlong — yes, this is the man. The first stepping-stone on my path to glory and wealth has finally appeared before me."

After drill ended, Huang Shi rushed to the sergeant to ask about the specific arrangements, using every ounce of his strength to keep his voice from trembling in the slightest. The sergeant confirmed what Huang Shi had said: the commanding general for the expedition was indeed Mao Wenlong. As for his background, the sergeant vaguely indicated that he was very capable, and then eagerly pointed out that the terms this time were extremely generous.

As he listened to the sergeant prattle on about how each soldier would get five taels of silver as a family settlement allowance and could also receive ten months of back pay, Huang Shi understood his calculations perfectly. The more soldiers from Liuhe Guard willing to enlist, the more grease the sergeant could skim off the top for himself. As for whether Mao Wenlong was really as valiant and skilled in battle as he claimed, the sergeant did not care in the slightest.

At dinner, Huang Shi tried to persuade Old Zhang's family to join Mao Wenlong's army. After hearing him out, Old Zhang was silent for a long while. "In the past, His Lordship Wang has sent out many detachments of troops to raid the Jianzhou rebels' territory — they go and never return." He paused, then his tone grew heavier. "None have ever come back. I hear the Jianzhou rebels are all cavalry, and their arrows never miss. These days, any soldier who still has food to eat certainly won't go throw his life away following Lord Mao or any other lord. Shitou, don't go to your death for a few taels of silver."

"I think this sum, though not large, is quick money. I'll just be a bit more alert when the time comes. It's only a dozen or so days and then we'll be back. Besides, they say weapons will be issued this time, and since we're going to the battlefield, I can sell mine to Old Chen the blacksmith afterward and just say it was lost in battle — that should be worth a few more taels, right?" Huang Shi was still unwilling to give up.

"In the end, it's money earned by risking your life. It's not as if we can't survive right now. Every day after drill, you can go do odd jobs. Liuhe Guard isn't like Guangning — there are woods and rivers all around. You can snare hares, shoot birds, catch fish and shrimp. We don't go hungry like those other guards. On festivals and holidays, when we get our rewards, we can even eat pork. I don't see why you need to gamble your life on this."

Realizing that Old Zhang could not be persuaded, Huang Shi had no choice but to go to the sergeant and sign up on his own. A few days later, Mao Wenlong ordered the volunteers to assemble at Guangning. At the same time, the sergeant notified Huang Shi to collect seven taels and five qian in converted silver and two taels in grain — the family settlement allowance and part of the back pay. After giving the sergeant his cut, he took a little over five taels of silver and the two taels of grain to Old Zhang's house to say goodbye. He handed everything except the two taels of silver to Old Zhang's wife, using the excuse of asking her to hurriedly prepare some spare clothes, dry rations, and traveling packs.

The farewell dinner was excellent, with wine and meat. This time, in Old Zhang's telling, Mao Wenlong sounded like the Star of Military Fortune descended to earth. Seeing that the one who ought to be comforted was instead comforting him, Huang Shi felt a pang of sorrow in his heart and could only pour down cup after cup of wine. Old Zhang, reading his expression and assuming Huang Shi was worried about never returning, redoubled his efforts at telling witty jokes and bawdy stories. After the meal, he even saw Huang Shi all the way out the door.

"In the third year of Tianqi, Japan, in awe of the Great Ming's might, released the King of Ryukyu to return to his country. If exploited well, we could seize that place. The Dongjiang Army happens to have a naval force that can be used, and Mao Wenlong is also desperately short of money. In the fourth year of Tianqi, Zheng Yiguan and the Dutch will successively reach Taiwan — before that, it is still virgin land untouched by development. Then the Dutch and the Spanish will come into conflict, which will be the perfect moment to advance into the Southern Seas. Hmm, as long as I can rise to a sufficiently high position before then, every step should be seamless."

After reporting to Company Commander Zhang Yuanzhi at Guangning, Huang Shi became unusually calm and self-assured. He felt the heavy, gray fate and the shadow of death being cast far behind him. He pondered that he absolutely must swindle Zhang Zaidi into joining Mao Wenlong's army.

No matter what Old Zhang thought, Huang Shi could not predict what fate awaited the family if they stayed in Liuhe. Taking this boy away would at least be a precaution. As the saying goes, don't put all your eggs in one basket.

"The whole unit sets out tomorrow afternoon. I have to go back to Liuhe anyway to fetch my things, so I'll trick Zhang Zaidi tonight and bring him to enlist tomorrow morning. Old Zhang won't have anywhere to look for us. An excellent plan." Having thought through the entire scheme, Huang Shi immediately went to request leave from Company Commander Zhang Yuanzhi. He had already been appointed as a personal guard — surely Zhang Yuanzhi would not refuse this small convenience.

Having obtained permission, Huang Shi was just about to leave when he suddenly saw a general officer lift the tent flap and enter, clad in golden helmet and silver armor, with fierce tiger eyes and a wiry copper beard. Zhang Yuanzhi jumped to his feet at the sight of the newcomer, hurried down into the center of the tent, cupped his hands, and bowed. "Your subordinate greets my lord."

Seeing that the newcomer was awe-inspiring without a trace of anger, his bearing commanding, and that Zhang Yuanzhi paid him the obeisance of a subordinate, Huang Shi concluded this must undoubtedly be Mao Wenlong. He immediately bowed as well. "Your subordinate greets my lord."