Chapter 199

In the depths of winter, business at the Anlu County eating house was bleak. The shopkeeper sat dozing by the warm stove, when someone walked up and slammed a bag of coins heavily onto the table, startling him out of his wits.

"Shopkeeper, we're stopping here to rest and eat. Please boil a dog leg and prepare a few decent dishes."

His pleasant dream shattered, the shopkeeper opened his eyes ready to scold, only to find the person before him was a familiar face — wasn't this Ji Ying, who had eaten a bowl of millet stew at his place two years ago?

After Ji Ying became a courier at Huyang Station, he had many opportunities to travel back and forth to the county seat and was a regular at this eating house. But ever since he had gone north escorting convict laborers over a year ago under Huyang Station Chief Hei Fu, there had been no word of him. When had he returned?

The shopkeeper broke into a smile and exchanged a few pleasantries with Ji Ying. Outside, several more people filed into the eating house — all Anlu garrison soldiers who had gone north on service with Hei Fu. Aside from Dongmen Bao, all nine who were still alive were here, travel-worn but with faces full of joy.

Hei Fu and his younger brother Jing walked at the very back, talking as they went. Once inside, Hei Fu cupped his hands toward the shopkeeper and said:

"Shopkeeper, we have just returned from service and were going to the official temple to report, submit our travel documents, and formally end our service. But the official temple is already on rest leave. I fear we must stay one night in this eating house's guest quarters. I must trouble you to prepare rooms and hot water for us."

The shopkeeper assented meekly, for he had noticed that Hei Fu was no longer the minor station chief he had been when he left for service. He now wore a majestic bearskin coat and a double-paneled long cap on his head — wasn't that the mark of a Grandee Official?

How many Grandee Officials were there in Anlu County, if one cared to ask? You could count them on one hand! Looking more closely, aside from Hei Fu, the others were all dressed in brocade robes and sheepskin furs. It seemed this service term had truly brought them back laden with riches — he wondered what fortune they had encountered.

Not daring to be negligent, the shopkeeper hurriedly ushered everyone to their seats and called for his wife, children, and the bondservants who helped out to quickly prepare hot broth, slaughter chickens and butcher dogs, wash rice and cook the meal…

The group pushed several small tables together to form one long table and sat facing each other. Hei Fu naturally took the most honored seat at the head. Although Jing was the youngest, the others pressed him into the seat beside Hei Fu.

"The Five Hundred Commander's younger brother is our younger brother."

Jing was greatly startled to hear this. He already could scarcely believe that his elder brother had attained the rank of Grandee Official, and now he exclaimed joyfully: "Second Brother, you even rose to Five Hundred Commander in the army?"

At his cry, even the shopkeeper pouring water nearby couldn't help pricking up his ears. A Five Hundred Commander — if the County Left Commandant of this county entered the army, he would only be at that rank, wouldn't he?

"Acting."

Hei Fu said with a chuckle: "I only served as Acting Five Hundred Commander for a very short time. Now that the campaign is over, everyone's military posts have been dissolved. Addressing each other by name or rank of nobility will suffice."

"Yes." The group cupped their hands toward Hei Fu: "Grandee Official!"

Although the war had ended and everyone had returned home safely, they still treated Hei Fu's words as if they were military orders. The days when close companions like Ji Ying and Dongmen Bao could call him directly by name, "Hei Fu," were gone.

Having spent a year in the county seat, Jing had grown considerably more perceptive. He noticed this subtle shift, and his curiosity itched all the more — there had to be a story here!

But no matter how he pressed his second brother, his second brother would only say "it's a long story" and avoid the subject. He could only find another way. Knowing that Ji Ying was talkative, once the hot broth was served, he used water in place of wine and cozied up to Ji Ying, who sat beside him, asking him to recount everything that had happened over the past year.

"This past year — truly a long story!"

A mouthful of hot broth warmed Ji Ying's belly, and he launched into what he did best: bragging.

He began from last year's tenth month, when they escorted the convict laborers north and some convicts fled, leading Hei Fu to have Bu Shang deploy the "Fish-Belly Letter" stratagem to set the convicts' minds at ease. He told of the Battle of Waihuang, where they bravely scaled the city walls, and Hei Fu personally bandaged everyone's wounds to stop the bleeding. He spoke of how they governed Huyou Township, deliberately luring the enemy with grain and slaying the veteran soldiers of Wei. Then they witnessed the collapse of Daliang's walls, the million-chariot state of Wei toppled in a single day, a hundred-year mighty city reduced to ruins…

By the time he had rattled all this off, Jing's mouth was hanging open. This was a spectacle beyond anything he could have imagined in his dull daily life in a small county town.

Ji Ying took a drink of water and added: "That's nothing. The most thrilling part was what happened in the campaign against Chu!"

He began with how Hei Fu led the men in training, using folded bedding to enforce strict discipline and writing letters home to boost morale. He glossed over the defeats of Li Xin and Meng Tian in a single stroke, and pulled out only the Battle of Tongyang to expound upon at great length!

Hearing this, Jing clenched his fists, breaking into a sweat for his second brother.

Trapped in an isolated city, with the commanding officer wounded — to actually dare enter the enemy camp in person to feign surrender! That was not something an ordinary man could do. And how Gong Ao, Li Xian, and the others decisively quelled Xu Yang's mutiny was also a hair-raising affair. As for the men sallying forth from the city to fight bitterly, with vanguard warriors like Huai Mu dying heroic deaths — that made Jing's hair stand on end in fury, and he felt that those soldiers he had never met were truly worthy of song and praise.

When Ji Ying told of how Xiao Tao loosed a single arrow to stop the enemy general from committing suicide, and how they impersonated Chu troops, fighting their way three hundred li through Chu territory before finally returning to Qin, Jing couldn't help letting out a long breath of relief.

"Ah."

Unexpectedly, someone behind him also let out a long sigh.

Turning to look, he found the shopkeeper standing there holding a platter of dog meat, having been listening entranced at the side. Two merchants who had entered the shop intending to eat, and the bondservants helping with the chores — every one of them had been listening, utterly absorbed. Only when Ji Ying finally finished did they all clap their hands in praise.

"You gentlemen are all heroes, to have accomplished such heroic deeds!"

Yet they were not overly surprised, for Hei Fu had already been a man of some renown when he left Anlu — single-handedly capturing three bandits, catching grave robbers on a snowy night, giving away gold and tearing up debt contracts, the case in Blind Mountain, refusing gifts of horses from others — he had quite a reputation for righteousness.

But this time, his deeds could be crowned with the word "hero"!

Ji Ying grew even more pleased with himself and declared loudly: "At the beginning of this month, when the great army disbanded and we were halted at Nanyang, we received commendation from Xianyang. Of the seven or eight hundred men still alive, every man was promoted one rank, and those who died in battle were promoted two ranks. The King also rewarded us all with three million cash! I imagine it won't be long before the officials' commendation for us reaches Anlu County as well!"

"All of this is thanks to Hei Fu… to the Grandee Official!"

Another round of cheers went up from the group. Jing was also beaming with pride, feeling honored by association. He turned his head to look at his brother and said with adoration: "Second Brother, I never knew you were so formidable!"

"How is this my doing?"

Hei Fu quickly made Ji Ying sit down and admonished the group: "Those stratagems — the feigned surrender, the battle formations, striking the enemy — including the retreat route, were all planned by Commandant Li You. I merely carried out orders. How dare Hei Fu claim great merit as his own and boast? Let none of you speak such bragging words again…"

The bystanders then dispersed, but they took Hei Fu's words as mere modesty. Those two merchants who left the eating house would likely become the best medium, turning what they had heard today into gossip and telling everyone they knew. In a few days, Hei Fu would probably become famous in Anlu County, perhaps even in Nan Commandery.

Ji Ying now began boasting to Jing about another matter — Hei Fu's relationship with Li You.

"Jing," Ji Ying said with a grin, "what's the highest-ranking official you've ever seen?"

"That would be the County Magistrate. I caught a distant glimpse of him once when he came to inspect the academy."

"What does a County Magistrate count for?"

Ji Ying waved his hand dismissively: "He's merely a six-hundred-bushel functionary. Do you know what comes above a County Magistrate?"

Jing said: "That would be the commandery officials — the Commandery Governor, the Commandery Deputy, the Commandery Commandant…"

"And above them?"

"Then you'd be talking about the high officials in Xianyang, like the Imperial Secretary and such…" Jing murmured. That was a height he could never even imagine in this lifetime.

"Correct. The officials in Xianyang are the highest. You study laws and ordinances as a disciple in the academy — do you know who oversees all criminal cases in Qin?"

"The Commandant of Justice oversees them." Jing scratched his head. He remembered the master mentioning in class that difficult cases the county court could not decide could be sent to the commandery court, and cases the commandery court could not handle were submitted to the imperial court for the Commandant of Justice to adjudicate.

The Commandant of Justice's duty was to administer all criminal cases under heaven. Each year, the total number of cases adjudicated in the commanderies and counties was ultimately compiled and sent to the Commandant of Justice. The formulation of laws and ordinances was also done by the Commandant of Justice and the Imperial Secretary, acting on the King's command and working together on revisions.

"Exactly. The Commandant Li You who led us is the son of the Commandant of Justice. And the Grandee Official is the most trusted of Commandant Li's trusted men."

Ji Ying counted off on his fingers: "Your second brother bandaged Commandant Li's wounds. Your second brother saved Commandant Li's life. In this campaign, General Li Xin and General Meng Tian were both severely punished, stripped of their noble ranks, and exiled to the border commanderies as generals. The other officers and functionaries were fined and demoted as well. Seven commandants fared even worse — they died in battle outright!"

"Only this Commandant Li, relying on the battle merits from Tongyang, ended up not being demoted but promoted instead. He is now a Left Commoner Chief and has returned to Xianyang to receive his reward. The King's decree also said that even Duke Mu of Qin suffered the disaster of Mount Xiao — a defeat is nothing, but if every man had…"

At this, Ji Ying paused and said to Li Xian with a grin: "Li Hairpin-Tassel, how did the rest of it go?"

Li Xian didn't know whether to laugh or cry and finished for him: "The King said in his decree: If every man had the resolve of the Meng, Xi, and Bai clans, if every man could emulate Commandant Li's valor in fighting on despite defeat, and the feat of fighting three hundred li behind enemy lines without resting — then this campaign would not have come to such a pass…"

Just as Hei Fu had anticipated, the King of Qin indeed needed a fig leaf to cover this rare great defeat of the Qin army. Because of Li You's status, their unit was naturally made an exemplar and received extra commendation.

"Exactly."

Ji Ying clapped his hands: "Your second brother says he merely acted on Commandant Li's behalf, but if it had been anyone else, who would have had such courage and ability? That's why Commandant Li values him so highly. See this bearskin coat? Something worth thirty or forty thousand cash — Commandant Li waved his hand grandly and gave it away just like that! He even said this thing should be given to a man of talent to ward off the cold!"

Startled, he gaped wide-mouthed. When he had gone home to complain about being isolated in the study hall, Zhong had once instructed him that the County Left Commandant's Yun clan was powerful and had a feud with Heifu, and told him to keep a low profile in the county town. Because of this, Jing had been constantly sullen and unhappy — for the reason he was isolated in the study hall was precisely that a son of the Left Commandant's family was stirring up trouble behind the scenes.

But now, his second elder brother had become a trusted aide of the Commandant of Justice's son. The County Left Commandant versus the Commandant of Justice? With that comparison, did their family still need to fear the Yun clan!

"Enough, stop bragging."

Heifu cut Ji Ying off and scolded him: "All this food still can't shut your mouth. You're a Zanniao now too; if you want to keep your rank and keep climbing, you'd better learn to be prudent in word and deed."

"The county folk will find out sooner or later anyway…"

Ji Ying muttered, then deliberately raised his voice: "The sooner word gets out, the sooner it'll make certain despicable villains weigh things carefully!"

Heifu shook his head helplessly, and the group followed the topic, chatting about the rewards and ranks each of them had received.

The Qin authorities were very generous with money, bestowing a huge sum of three million cash on Li You's command in one go! Those who died in battle got a bit more — five thousand cash per man — while the ordinary soldiers who survived got slightly less, but still two or three thousand. The officers could take even more; the most went to Heifu, who alone received seventy thousand cash!

For ease of carrying, Heifu exchanged all this money for gold. Added to the various reward money he had saved up during the earlier campaign against Wei, Heifu's traveling pouch now held one hundred and forty taels of gold — a huge sum of eighty or ninety thousand cash…

That was why the group could now afford the furs they had once found too expensive. It was Ji Ying who had clamored for everyone to pick them out together in Wan City. The group felt that, having survived near-certain death and received so much reward money, if they didn't dress up a bit to go home and show off, they'd be doing themselves a disservice!

Heifu, on the other hand, wanted to save the money for more meaningful things, so apart from the bearskin cloak Li You had given him, which he truly could not refuse, he did not buy many ostentatious items.

As for ranks, the Qin authorities were not nearly so generous. Basically, those who died in battle could rise two ranks, while those who lived rose one to two ranks depending on their merits. Because Heifu had yielded the credit for planning and directing the Battle of Tongyang to Li You, he only rose to Official Grandee.

But Heifu was already very satisfied. Spending this small price to board the great vessel of Li Si and his son was no loss at all.

Ji Ying and Li Xian, who had been common soldiers when they left Anlu, rose to Zanniao. Gong Ao, who had parted ways with them at Yan City, was also a Zanniao. Bu Cheng was now a Shangzao, and the other several Anlu men who had set out together with Heifu were Shangzao as well.

"We don't have the Official Grandee's ability; we're just riding on his coattails. But little Tao — he's now a Bugeng, and won't ever have to serve corvée again," Ji Ying said enviously.

Little Tao had been taciturn throughout the meal, and with his hair still in a topknot instead of changed to a small cap, he was easily treated as part of the background. Hearing that this youth, only two years older than himself, was already a Bugeng, Jing felt both respect and envy.

"There's another Bugeng who hasn't come yet."

Heifu laughed: "The moment he entered the city, he rushed home to see his son."

The group burst into laughter too; the person they were talking about was none other than Dongmen Bao.

Just as they were speaking, a big man draped in a deerskin cloak came stomping into the eating house, plopped himself down cross-legged right beside Ji Ying, picked up the cup in front of him, and drank!

Discovering it was hot water, he cursed his bad luck, slammed the table, and roared: "Where's the wine? Shopkeeper, can you heat some wine or not!"

Heifu rebuked him: "This isn't Wei or Chu — what are you looking for wine to drink? This eating house is run by the authorities; where would wine come from? Stop making a racket and stirring up trouble!"

Dongmen Bao obediently shut his mouth, but he was still huffing with rage, as if he had suffered some enormous grievance.

"What's the matter with A-Bao?" Everyone looked at each other. Hadn't he just gone home, carrying many specialties bought in Nanyang Commandery, to see his son?

Could it be…

Everyone fell silent. In this age, the mortality rate for newborns was very high, and many mothers tragically died alongside them — could it be…

Dongmen Bao looked up, saw everyone looking at him sympathetically, and saw Heifu sigh and pat his shoulder, about to offer words of comfort. This made him even angrier, and he hurriedly said: "Don't you lot let your imaginations run wild! My wife is safe and sound! She even gave birth to two in one litter! They're almost one year old now!"

Everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief, then grinned cheekily: "That's good news — why the long face?"

"Because they're not sons — they're daughters!"

Dongmen Bao stood up, filled with righteous indignation, and thrust out two fingers for emphasis: "Two of them! The male name your father spent over a year thinking of — all for nothing!"

(End of Chapter)