Chapter 161: The Grandee Rank

Late June, Chenliu County.

That morning, just after sunrise, in Gaoyang Hamlet of Chenliu County, the newly appointed hamlet gatekeeper Li Yiji yawned as he rose, went to the hamlet gate, and removed the narrow door planks, ushering in a new day for Gaoyang Hamlet.

Li Yiji found a bamboo mat, knelt sitting by the hamlet gate, and while leafing through his few worn bamboo scrolls, exchanged greetings with the hamlet folk heading out to work.

The people of Gaoyang Hamlet still kept to the life they had before the war began — out at sunrise, resting at sunset. If one had to name a difference, it was that the opening and closing of the hamlet gate had become stricter, and the idlers and wandering swordsmen of the lanes had all vanished without a trace. The Qin authorities disliked frivolous gallants; they could no longer swagger through the streets as before, each forced to find some trade and pass themselves off as law-abiding folk.

Li Yiji's younger brother Li Shang was one of them — once a hamlet gallant of some small repute in the county town, now he had to take up the lowly trade of a cart driver. Bound by more laws and ordinances, he instantly felt ill at ease all over.

Watching his brother stalk out the door with a face as dark as if someone owed him money, Li Yiji shook his head.

Compared to four months ago, when the Qin army had just occupied this place, Chenliu County was greatly changed. First of all, everyone had been informed: Daliang had fallen, the Wei state was destroyed, and the King of Wei had gone west to Xianyang to become a subject of the King of Qin. The former people of Wei were no exception — from this day forward, whether man or woman, old or young, all were the black-headed folk of Qin!

The name "Wei" was henceforth forbidden. In its place came a new administrative division: the former territory of Wei was split in two, with Taoqiu assigned to Dong Commandery, while the Liang and Song lands were formed into a new commandery to be governed, called "Dang Commandery."

When he learned this commandery name, Li Shang complained to Li Yiji no small number of times: "Dang Town is nothing but a poor and remote backwater — why name it after that? Besides, Dang Town and Dang Mountain are far off in Song territory; what have they to do with our Wei and Liang lands? These Qin folk truly have no knack for naming. Could they not have called it Wei Commandery? Or Liang Commandery?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yiji burst out laughing and said to him, "This King of Qin, after destroying a state, has always disliked keeping the old names. Look — a few years ago when Han was destroyed, it was changed to Yingchuan Commandery. After Handan was breached, the former Zhao lands were renamed Handan Commandery and Julu Commandery. When Yan was destroyed, the former Yan lands were renamed Yuyang Commandery."

"By doing this, the Qin want to make the people of the feudal lords forget their former states and accept the new rule. How could they possibly name it Wei Commandery?"

"As for Liang? Even less possible. Have you not heard? Daliang has long since become an empty city. Now, many of the merchants and craftsmen within Daliang have all come to Chenliu to make a living."

Although the commandery seat of Dang Commandery had been set in Suiyang City in Song territory, which had been preserved intact after its peaceful surrender, in Li Yiji's view, Chenliu was already showing signs of replacing Daliang as the central city of the Wei region. He had analyzed it before: this place was accessible in all directions, and with its great granary, it could support many people. Add to that its proximity to the Honggou Canal, and with only an expansion of the existing docks, it could easily attract merchants, boats, and carts.

Not to mention anything else — take the Qin troops previously garrisoned in the various counties and townships of Wei territory. After being disbanded, whether returning north or south, they all used Chenliu as a staging point. Every day, new Qin soldiers arrived here to report, then after receiving their demobilization orders, departed one after another.

The whole morning was calm as usual. When the sun was three poles high and Li Shang came home to eat, he said to Li Yiji, "Elder Brother, this morning another batch of Qin soldiers came to Chenliu from Waihuang. They seemed to be the same batch that attacked and seized Chenliu, and they even had me carry things for them. This group spoke with a Nan Commandery accent. I spotted a dark-faced Qin clerk among them who looked familiar, only the dark-green scarf tied in a right bun on his head had been replaced by a single-board long cap…"

Li Yiji had by now worked his way into the Qin system and was thoroughly versed in Qin military ranks, entitlements, and insignia. Hearing this, he clicked his tongue in wonder.

"So that means this Qin clerk was previously only a Zanni, but now he has become a Grandee of the fifth rank?"

He recalled a rumor from some time ago: the King of Wei's younger brother, the Lord of Ningling, though he surrendered without a fight and offered up Suiyang under the siege of three Qin flanking forces, received no reward from the King of Qin. He was directly relocated to Xianyang and stripped of his title, reduced to a commoner…

The scions and grandsons of lords of former days had now fallen to the ground, while the former black-headed folk and scholars of Qin, relying on this war, relying on the heads of Wei men they had cut off, had vaulted into higher positions.

Amidst his sighs, the old Confucian Li Yiji, who styled himself the Drunkard of Gaoyang, could not help but beat time and begin to chant a poem.

"Blazing bright the shaking thunder, no peace, no good decree. The hundred rivers boil and surge, the mountain peaks collapse and crash. High banks become deep valleys, deep valleys become towering hills…"

…

The Qin clerk Li Shang had seen in Chenliu County was none other than Heifu and his group. At this very moment, Heifu had already donned the single-board long cap matching the rank of "Grandee," with Dongmen Bao, Ji Ying, and the others flanking him left and right as they walked through the Chenliu market — an incomparably imposing sight!

As it turned out, after leaving Huyou Township in mid-June, Heifu and the others first went to Waihuang to regroup with the convict laborers they had escorted on the way there. These men had eaten dust for four months beneath the walls of Daliang and performed much bitter toil; many had already died. Fortunately, after the collapse of Liang City and the destruction of Wei, General Wang Ben, on behalf of the King, transmitted an edict: everyone beneath the walls of Daliang had rendered meritorious service. Garrison conscripts were exempted from next year's rotational service, and the sentences of convict laborers were halved…

This somewhat balanced the convicts' minds, though when they looked around, compared to when they had come, their numbers had dwindled by quite a few.

While at Waihuang, Heifu was unable to find Chen Wujiu. He had already joined the army returning west a few days earlier, leaving behind only a letter for Heifu with someone. On it was Chen Wujiu's address in Xianyang; if Heifu had anything to say, he could entrust someone to send him a letter.

Then, on the very night before leaving Waihuang, Heifu was also pleasantly surprised to receive the rank of "Grandee," issued after verification from Xianyang!

According to the Qin system of "land and residence allotment by rank," this not only meant that the land Heifu could own would reach five hundred mu, with a residence plot one hundred and fifty paces square, but as his rank leaped upward, the posts he could hold upon returning home would also rise accordingly…

Although Qin had no strict regulation that a given rank must hold a given level of office, there had always been an unwritten rule. Except in newly occupied territories, where things were special, in the inner commanderies and counties of Qin, this rule was generally followed.

The lowest-level hamlet officials could be held by Gongshi or Shangzao.

A precinct chief, managing the peace over ten hamlets, generally required Shangzao or Zanniao.

A township patrolman required at least Zanniao or Bugeng.

As for Heifu's rank of Grandee, at the township level, he could serve as the township chief, the Se Fu.

At the county level, he could serve as a chief clerk in a county bureau — for instance, the Granary Bureau's Granary Se Fu, the Agriculture Bureau's Agriculture Se Fu, or the Works Bureau's County Artisan Master, with whom he had dealt before. Of course, the two bureau heads with the greatest authority in the county were the Chief Clerk of the Personnel Bureau and the Chief Warden of the Prison Bureau. Reaching such a position, Heifu would be able to sit as an equal with Xi; they would both be division-level cadres.

If his luck was good, he could also go to the commandery seat at Jiangling City, but there he could no longer be a chief clerk. After all, the commandery level was not like the county level — Grandees were as common as dogs, and Gongcheng filled the streets. At best, Heifu could be a hundred-dan clerk in a commandery bureau, equivalent to a minor section chief, still subject to being ordered around by his superiors…

For a moment, his prospects once again suddenly became bright and open. Yet Heifu still felt some regret: "What a pity. The County Left Commandant Yun Man is an Official Grandee; I am still one rank lower than him."

But no matter what he chose, at the very least, he no longer had to fear the Left Commandant finding excuses to make trouble for him again.

As he pondered, Heifu, together with his comrades behind him, browsed for goods in the Chenliu market. After receiving their reward money, they had quite a bit of spare cash in their pockets. Aside from buying a set of clothes so they could return home with dignity, everyone wanted to bring some Central Plains specialties back for their families…

Dongmen Bao searched here and there, picking out toys for children. Among them all, he was the one most looking forward to going home, talking about his "son" all day long.

Ji Ying, meanwhile, was haggling with a peddler at a stall selling bronze mirrors. He had quite a talent in this regard. Although neither could understand what the other was shouting, by relying solely on hand gestures, he actually managed to close the deal in the end. Ji Ying clicked his tongue, saying that the markets in Anlu County all had fixed, marked prices, so his mouth had no battlefield to prove its worth.

"The bronze mirror is for my new bride." Ji Ying stroked the finely polished mirror surface and bragged contentedly, "After I return, I'm getting married."

Then he added bitterly, "Before, her family looked down on me for having no rank. Now I've also earned a Shangzao rank. Let's see who's climbing up to whose level!"

The others — Li Xian, Bu Cheng, and the rest — also each bought some easily portable items. As the squad leaders and fireteam leaders under Heifu, they had of course been given priority by him in the distribution of heads. By now, Li Xian, Xiao Tao, and Gong Ao were all Shangzao, and Bu Cheng had also become a Gongshi.

Among the group, only Gong Ao and Xiao Tao bought nothing. Gong Ao raised his head proudly, saying this tiny Chenliu market had nothing that caught his eye. Xiao Tao stammered that he planned to save his money and buy a slave when he returned, to take over the farming from his aging father.

Heifu had many things to buy. He picked out a packet of fine needles and thread for his mother. His mother had no other hobby; she just liked to sew and mend for the three brothers, but the needles in her hand had all gone blunt — it was time for new ones.

He picked out a bamboo flute for his elder brother Zhong. Don't be fooled by his eldest brother's dull and honest manner; after finishing work, he could sit on the field ridge and play the flute beautifully. He wondered if the compost-fertilized field his brother had worked on together with Clerk Tian was going smoothly.

He picked out brush and ink for his younger brother Jing. The boy was studying at the county academy; more than half a year had passed now. How was his memorization of the laws and ordinances? Was he being bullied or discriminated against by the clerk's sons?

He also picked out a bronze hairpin inlaid with turquoise for his elder sister, and a saw for his brother-in-law. Of course, he could not forget gifts and toys for his nephew and niece. They must have grown quite a bit taller by now, right?

In short, everyone was full of anticipation for returning home…

…

On the twenty-fifth day of the sixth month, after waiting two days in Chenliu, Heifu and the others finally received orders granting them permission to set out on the journey back.

Those heading south were not just them; there were also garrison conscripts from various counties in Nan Commandery and Nanyang, numbering in the hundreds. Some were asking about the route home.

"From Chenliu, head southwest to Yangzhai in Yingchuan Commandery, then south into Nanyang. The rest of the road is the same as when we came!" Ji Ying the postman, who had become a living map, loudly explained to the crowd.

"I'm afraid it'll take a month of walking."

Someone calculated the time and said, "We should still make it back in time for the autumn harvest, right?" They had already forgotten the war and were beginning to worry about the farming affairs back home…

The gates of Chenliu City opened, and the crowd stepped forward together, moving ahead. In Heifu's eyes, the gravity on their faces from when they came was gone, replaced entirely by ease. As they escorted the convict laborers, they laughed and joked.

The war seemed to have become a thing of the past; a good life was about to arrive.

But just as the crowd was about to reach the Ten-Li Pavilion southwest of Chenliu, the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from ahead, shattering their dream of returning home!

"Halt!"

The crowd ceased their endless plans for home. Heifu turned his head and saw, at the fork in the road ahead, a messenger holding a small banner riding at full speed from the direction of Chenying (Huaiyang). He blocked the path of the returning conscripts and convict laborers, raised his banner command high, and shouted, "You men! Halt! Stay where you are and await orders. No one is to leave the ranks!"

Though reluctant, the rule-abiding Qin soldiers obediently stood their ground, yet anxiety and suspicion had already begun to spread among them.

"What's happened?"

The conscripts, baffled at being stopped for no reason, immediately grew displeased. They were all asking around, and some were loudly questioning the messenger officer.

But the officer only kept a grim face and said nothing. When pressed beyond endurance, he merely said he was relaying orders as commanded and knew nothing else, though his eyes kept darting toward the direction of Chenying—he, too, was anxiously awaiting new orders.

Watching the restless messenger officer and hearing his ambiguous words, Heifu felt his heart clench.

"Could it be that matter?!"

(End of chapter)