Chapter 81: The True Transmigrator

In just a single day, Diwu Lun had completely abandoned the idea of drilling the Boar-Rush Braves in military training and synchronized marching.

"It's simply too difficult."

Looking at the chaotic ranks before him, Diwu Lun sat back down on his folding stool somewhat dejectedly, feeling a headache coming on.

Only now did he understand just how high the caliber of university and high school students in later ages truly was. Setting aside combat skills, their comprehension and discipline, forged by over a decade of education and training, alone far outstripped so-called "sons of good families."

To say nothing of the privately owned slaves and convict laborers among the Boar-Rush Braves, every last one of them utterly illiterate.

Strict disciplinary demands, precise selection, and professional training — they had none of these. Just days ago they had still been suffering from hunger and cold.

What was even more baffling was that during these months in the military camp, the Boar-Rush Braves had not been issued weapons at all, and had barely practiced the banners, gongs, drums, advances, and retreats essential to ancient military formations. They had simply been organized into squads and platoons, rewards and punishments announced, and then left to fend for themselves.

Today, when Diwu Lun attempted to drill them, never mind complex maneuvers like distinguishing left from right and turning while advancing — he merely ordered them to walk two simple steps along a straight line.

The result: when they stood still, all was fine, but the moment they moved, everything exploded into chaos on the spot!

The rear ranks jostled the front ranks, and the front ranks crashed into the rear ranks. Ducks heading into a river at least know to follow the lead duck, but after only a few steps, the men in the back rows could no longer find their junior officers or squad leaders, and their steps fell into complete disarray — anyone who didn't know better would have thought they were heading out to a market fair.

The sight made Diwu Lun sigh; even the private retainers and clansmen trained by Diwu Ba back at his own fortified estate were better than this. Such "soldiers," let alone fighting a battle, would scatter and rout on their own if paraded out for a single circuit.

If he were to strictly enforce beheading for the crime of breaking ranks, he would probably have to lop off several hundred heads a day, turning Diwu Lun into a commander with no troops. Flogging had been tried, meals had been docked as punishment, and Diwu Lun had even personally stepped in to demonstrate, exhausting himself until his whole body ached and his mouth was parched — yet none of it worked.

It was not that they were beyond saving, but with their foundation as it was, it would likely take three months of instruction to achieve the results of three days of university military training. Yet Wang Mang could arrive at Hongmen at any moment. If he wanted rapid results, even with lavish rewards and harsh punishments, the difficulty would be about the same as making a sow climb a tree.

Diwu Lun was at his wit's end when he noticed that outside, the Boar-Rush Braves, who had all been sitting cross-legged on the ground resting, suddenly rose to their feet in perfect unison at the sound of the gong signaling mealtime — so uniformly aligned!

Diwu Lun was amused by the sight, and immediately thought: "Since they fall into utter chaos when marching, why not settle for the next best thing and just drill their standing posture?"

The next day, after letting everyone eat their fill of the morning meal, Diwu Lun changed his strategy.

"Tall ones in front, short ones in back. Extend your hands until your fingertips touch the person ahead of you."

Disgusted that the Boar-Rush Braves could not even stand in a properly ordered fashion, Diwu Lun first pulled out the junior officers, sergeants, and corporals separately and issued the new formation-standing method.

He then ordered them to return to their respective units and use Diwu Lun's method to straighten out the Boar-Rush Braves. The difficulty instantly multiplied; their discipline was so poor that one second after lining up, the very next second someone would turn to chat with a neighbor and the order would collapse again.

Diwu Lun had no choice but to have Zhang Yu and others take up charcoal and draw circles on the ground at everyone's feet, confining them as if in a prison.

"Anyone who steps out of the circle gets their rations halved! If one man steps out, his entire squad and platoon share the punishment!"

Only by relying on the threat of punishment did the Boar-Rush Braves finally stand firm, barely managing to achieve a static orderliness.

After spending an entire day's effort, and just before Diwu Lun's liver started aching from stress, the squads and platoons were arranged neatly. The next step was to focus on drilling the "sitting formation."

The sitting formation was a battle formation in which troops assumed a seated posture just before engaging in combat, equivalent to sitting cross-legged in later ages. After punishing several dozen men in succession and having the Seventh Company publicly flogged as a warning to others, he finally curbed their impulse to turn their heads and chat idly with neighbors.

Then an amusing scene unfolded: with the sound of the gong announcing mealtime, the eight hundred-odd men, who had been training separately in their respective units, suddenly sprang to their feet without any command from their officers, standing on tiptoe and craning toward the cookhouse. Had their commanding officer not barked at them, they would likely have bolted off at a run, terrified that if they were late there would be nothing left to grab.

Only then did they remember that the evening meal had not yet arrived.

This was a conditioned reflex forged over many months, something etched into their very instincts. Diwu Lun could not help but laugh: "Pavlov truly did not deceive me."

Changing from a seated to a standing posture was not too difficult. What was difficult, in Diwu Lun's estimation, was how to make the Boar-Rush Braves remain standing under the sun for a quarter of an hour. He feared that the men's bodies were too weak from prolonged hunger, and that after standing in the sun for a while they would collapse in droves.

Yet to Diwu Lun's surprise, standing motionless turned out to be the one thing the Boar-Rush Braves performed best at — if one overlooked the fact that many of them were perpetually hunched over and could not stand straight at all, and paid no mind to their frequent reaching up to pick their noses or scratch their crotches and backsides.

It was Zang Nu who told Diwu Lun the reason: "When we were slaves, if we were field slaves, we would toil under the blazing sun in the fields for hours on end without rest. If we dared slack off, the whip would lash down on us."

"If we were household slaves, we often had to stand by outside the door holding our master's chamber pot and other items, waiting on call for long stretches, not daring to take shelter even when wind and rain came."

"Even more often, we had to kneel on the ground, regardless of winter cold or summer heat."

Zang Nu laughed: "Compared to that, our lord merely having us stand — what is that? Ever since I can remember, I have never encountered work so easy, where one can also eat one's fill."

The optimistic words carried a note of bitterness. Diwu Lun understood now; no wonder so many of them could not straighten their backs at all. The heavy burden of their past as slaves had truly broken their spines.

Diwu Lun merely quietly instructed Xuan Biao that, as a reward for completing the training, they should use the fish bought at the market that day, add a little lard, and boil several cauldrons of milky-white fish soup for the soldiers to drink.

The art of war says: when the corporal has been trained, he joins with the sergeant; when the sergeant has been trained, he joins with the platoon leader; when the platoon leader has been trained, he joins with the company commander... and so on. The individual training of the squads and platoons was already quite good; the hardest part was drilling all eight hundred men together — the more people, the easier the chaos.

Fortunately, no unexpected trouble occurred throughout the process. Today, Colonel Liangqiu Ci also came to observe, and under his strict orders, Dai Gong had been very obedient these past few days.

Liangqiu Ci and Diwu Lun stood on the parade ground platform, watching as the eight hundred Boar-Rush Braves were arrayed in good order. After several days of practice, they could now stand neatly and sit steadily without needing circles drawn on the ground. First they sat as steady as great bells; at the sound of a gong, they rose in unison. For a full quarter-hour, at least the elite troops in the front ranks stood like verdant pines. Though the rear ranks stood more like welcoming pines, they were not too disorderly.

Liangqiu Ci's standards were very low, and he could not help but clap his hands in approval.

"I never imagined that in just a few short days, Boyu could drill scattered soldiers and stragglers into such order. As expected of one who has read the military texts of the late Grand Marshal Yan You."

He set his mind at ease; Diwu Lun could now be placed at the front of this company to await the Emperor's inspection. On that day, it would indeed be standing only, no moving — with the Emperor touring the camp, who would dare move recklessly or raise a clamor? That would carry political consequences.

Diwu Lun laid out a banquet to entertain the Colonel. In his good mood today, Liangqiu Ci temporarily forgot the minor friction he had had with Diwu Lun a few days prior and became more talkative. After a few cups of wine, he dismissed the others and asked Diwu Lun with curiosity:

"The Colonels and Majors in the army pay little heed to whether the Boar-Rush Braves live or die, merely taking in a few private retainers and fierce warriors for themselves. You alone, Boyu, are mindful of their lives, ensuring they have ample food and clothing, not hesitating to offend Company Commanders and Platoon Leaders, and even spending your own money to buy fish, meat, bedding, and the like. In doing all this, Boyu, what are you after?"

To thoroughly seize control of these eight hundred men, of course, so that when the time is ripe later, I can stage a mutiny!

Diwu Lun merely lowered his head and said: "The journey to the frontier is long and distant. Once we reach the border commanderies, if we clash with the Xiongnu and my subordinate troops do not fight hard, it may endanger my own life. It is out of such concern, to protect myself, that I have no choice but to treat them somewhat better."

"Boyu has read the military texts in vain, failing to grasp even this simple matter?"

Liangqiu Ci, however, burst into loud laughter. After laughing for a moment, he said meaningfully: "Do you truly believe that this campaign is to strike the Xiongnu?"

Diwu Lun felt a jolt in his heart, but Liangqiu Ci would say no more, merely shifting the topic to mention another matter.

"Moreover, since ancient times, armies have been divided into frontline regulars and support auxiliaries. The regulars are of good stock, mostly sons of good families and elite troops, who ordinarily drill with gongs, drums, signals, banners, advances, retreats, and the five weapons, and are the first to meet the enemy in battle."

Liangqiu Ci said: "The auxiliaries are somewhat inferior. Serving as support for the regulars, on the march they are responsible for repairing bridges, paving roads, and transporting supplies. They rarely have the chance to reach the very front lines, and therefore need not know banners, recognize gongs and drums, or understand battle formations. If there are shortfalls, they can be conscripted on the spot; no matter how many die, it is no great loss."

"Does Boyu still not understand? These Boar-Rush Braves are precisely such auxiliaries."

Diwu Lun suddenly saw the light. Everything now made sense. So the Boar-Rush Braves really were cannon-fodder support troops. He had said so himself — no matter how foolish Wang Mang and the court ministers might be, they could not possibly believe that such wretched soldiers could "exterminate the Xiongnu."

And thinking of Liangqiu Ci's earlier slip of the tongue, this conscription — striking the Xiongnu was a pretense, but in reality they were meant for another purpose?

"I wonder if Yan You knows the hidden details. If I have the leisure, I must go ask him, and borrow a few more military texts while I'm at it."

For a layman like Diwu Lun, leading troops into battle was something he had to learn from scratch, practicing bit by bit as a mid-level officer. Knowing a bit more theory in the meantime could not hurt.

After Liangqiu Ci had left, Diwu Lun watched the Boar-Rush Braves drill the sitting and standing routine once more, and still felt that something was missing.

What was missing were the armor and weapons that would only be distributed the next day. Because they were designated as auxiliaries, and out of fear that they would be hard to manage with blades in hand, the Boar-Rush Braves had no armor or weapons; even the colors of their clothing and unit insignia were not uniform, and would have to be concealed by armor.

But even fully equipped, their battalion, among the tens of thousands of Boar-Rush Braves, would still not be conspicuous enough. What would it take for someone to sweep their gaze past and immediately take notice of them?

After pondering for a while, Diwu Lun sent Diwu Fu back to Changling on a trip, instructing Diwu Xian to purchase some items and have them delivered.

"Buying what?"

"Eighty bolts of yellow cloth."

……

A day later, several supply wagons loaded with yellow cloth were delivered into the camp.

Diwu Lun felt the coarse yellow hemp cloth and asked Diwu Xian how much grain it had cost.

"Clan head, yellow hemp cloth is cheap — a hundred shi of grain got us eighty bolts."

In this age, cloth of the same material but different colors varied enormously in price. As for which colors were esteemed and which were base, one need only look at the ribbon colors worn by officials at every level of the court. From highest to lowest, the order was: purple ribbon, blue ribbon, black ribbon, yellow ribbon.

Purple, though not a proper color, was so rare — it could only be dyed using the root of the purple grass — that its hue won people's great affection. It still ranked at the two-thousand-shi level, paired with a gold seal, and became a symbol of wealth and rank.

The lowest grades were plain and yellow, because the dye sources were far too abundant: locust flower, gardenia, smoke tree, amur cork, mulberry bark, turmeric — all could produce the color. Thus they were matched with kudzu and hemp, becoming the commonest hues among the people. Minor clerks and commoners wore black or yellow for their clothing; the common man was also called a "white-head."

But starting from Emperor Wu of Han in the former dynasty, the color yellow took on an added layer of meaning because of the popularization of the Five Powers symbolism.

Diwu Lun had once heard Yang Xiong mention that the Five Powers affiliation of the Great Han dynasty was a complete muddle: early in the Han, because of the insistence of the Marquis of Beiping, Zhang Cang, they directly carried on the Qin practice of using the Water Power, with black as the honored color.

But the Confucian scholars were extremely dissatisfied and protested again and again. By the time of Emperor Wu of Han, the court finally followed good counsel: in the Taichu reforms, the Han house switched to the Earth Power and honored yellow.

Then, at the end of the Han, because Liu Xin and his father Liu Xiang tinkered with ancient texts and redefined the mutual generation and mutual conquest of the Five Powers, and based on the legend of Liu Bang the Red Emperor cutting down the white serpent, they finally concluded that the Han virtue honored Fire and should use the color red.

The Yellow Han had only been changed to the Blazing Han for a few generations when they ran into Wang Mang accepting the abdication — the Great Han perished.

According to Liu Xin's Five Powers derivation, the Xin Dynasty also became Earth Power and still honored yellow. It was said that the Emperor, Wang Mang, wore robes dyed with zhe wood, a slightly deeper shade of "reddish-yellow."

And so, the color yellow, which ought to have sat at the top of the color hierarchy of contempt, had become both noble and base at once.

This was the marker Diwu Lun had found for the soldiers of his battalion.

Diwu Lun had the soldiers who could sew and stitch divide up the cloth — one bolt cut into ten strips — and distributed them to the Boar-Rush Braves.

Diwu Lun wrapped a strip of yellow cloth around his own head as a headband, covering his forehead, and demonstrated: "Today we will be standing outside for a long time. The spring wind is strong; adding a cloth cap on top will make everyone much more comfortable."

"Secondly, it will make us stand out vividly among the army's mass of black hair-buns, so that the Emperor can spot us at a single glance! This dynasty honors the Earth Power — His Majesty should be pleased when he sees it, and we might well get some rewards."

The men answered with a shout and joyfully wrapped the yellow cloth around their heads. Everyone felt that the Major treated his soldiers far too well. In an instant, they, who had originally blended into the crowd, became strikingly vivid in color.

What the Boar-Rush Braves did not know was that Diwu Lun had a third purpose.

After arriving in this era, the little inventions Diwu Lun had tinkered with were not yet too outrageous — most could be explained away — and Wang Mang had not, upon suddenly hearing of his deeds, sent anyone to summon him to the palace. The odds were high that this bastard was not a true transmigrator.

Today was the closest Diwu Lun had ever been to Wang Mang. Though he did not know whether they would actually meet face to face, he still decided to steel his nerve and make a sideways probing test…

Just as he was mulling over what slogan to have the soldiers shout when the time came, without the slightest warning, Colonel Liangqiu Ci sent a man to notify Diwu Lun.

"The Son of Heaven's ceremonial procession has already reached Xinfeng. Within one shichen, it will arrive at Hongmen!"

……

PS: Chapter 2 at 13:00.