Chapter 225: County Inspection Tour in the Fourth Month

The Start of Summer had just passed; in the mortal world, the fragrance of April flowers was fading, and the days gradually took on the look of summer. Leisurely, the wind grew parched, and the sunlight lost its former gentleness.

On this day, beneath the scorching sun, a massive convoy set out from Jiangling City, winding its way north along the main road—the very procession of Commandery Governor Teng on his "County Inspection Tour."

At the very front, two war chariots cleared the path. The left- and right-side warriors were both fully armed, some bearing dagger-axes and halberds, others carrying bows and arrows on their backs; even the charioteers wore long swords at their sides and kept hand-crossbows close at hand.

After them came two guide carriages for officials, both with white canopies, each carrying a single armored soldier and a minor clerk.

Only then came the commandery governor's tall, canopied carriage. Its canopy was black, and the side panels were painted red. Drawn by a team of four solid-red horses, Governor Teng's figure was concealed within the curtains. One could see him, however, in full solemn regalia: dressed in a black robe, wearing a black crown, a long sword at his waist, bearing a silver seal and blue cord. Halberd-bearing guards and officers flanked the carriage on all four sides.

Behind the governor's carriage were over ten more vehicles carrying officials great and small, several dozen mounted riders, and over a hundred foot soldiers following along—truly, transport carts and light carriages blotted out the sun, chariots and riders filled the road! There were even drum wagons beating out a rhythm and musicians playing reed pipes and panpipes, so that travelers along the way, hearing them from afar, would step aside to yield the road, even retreating to distant field ridges to watch, their eyes full of reverence and envy.

"In this day and age, a provincial leader can put on such a show of might just going out."

Heifu's horse-drawn carriage was also in the convoy. Grumbling aside, he understood that this was because Qin's laws and ordinances were extremely strict. Just as the military matched different hair-bun and headband styles to ranks of nobility, in the commanderies and counties, officials of different ranks had to ride in carriages befitting their status—otherwise, it was considered a breach of official decorum.

So, as a major regional official, forget any notion of traveling incognito on a lone horse. You might barely step out the door before the Supervisory Censor the King of Qin had placed in the commandery would impeach you for the crime of "damaging the state's dignity"...

Heifu was reluctant about this trip the commandery governor had forced upon him. He would much rather have stayed in Ying County helping Li You drill the troops. The autumn harvest, and the start of the war, drew nearer by the day. Heifu also understood that no matter how much else he did, when battle commenced, the soldiers and trusted aides under his own command would be his greatest reliance for survival and merit.

Regrettably, heaven does not always grant one's wishes. Since he couldn't escape it, before setting out, Heifu had made a point of consulting the Military Section Head, the Right Military Section Clerk, and other commandery officials about what exactly a "County Inspection Tour" entailed, to understand what he needed to do.

As it turned out, the County Inspection Tour was a tradition passed down from the Zhou Dynasty. As early as the Western Zhou and the Spring and Autumn period, in the fourth month, there was a ritual system where "the Son of Heaven orders the Wilds Overseer to go forth into the fields and plains, to labor on the farmers' behalf and exhort the people, that none miss the season. He orders the Minister of Education to tour and inspect the counties and outlying districts, and orders the farmers to work diligently, without idling in the cities."

By the Warring States period, as the various feudal lords began implementing the county system, tours of inspection by lords and high ministers came into being. Most such tours had clear objectives. For instance, when King Wuling of Zhao toured the counties in Zhao, it seemed like aimless wandering, but was actually to promote the adoption of Hu-style attire and mounted archery. When Wei Ran, the Marquis Rang and Chancellor of Qin, went east to tour the counties, it was to take a look at the fief of Taoqiu he had illicitly acquired for himself under the guise of official business; halfway there, he encountered Fan Ju sneaking into Hangu Pass, and had Fan Ju not been clever, he would have nearly been caught red-handed...

The purpose of Governor Teng's County Inspection Tour this time was also quite clear. First, to go into the countryside and exhort the farmers—this showed concern for agricultural affairs. Second, to supervise the senior officials of each county and warn the powerful and prominent families to abide by the law—this held significance for oversight and justice. At the same time, it was to urge each county to prepare for the great conscription during the agricultural off-season and to inspect the military registers. This was the reason Heifu, as Left Clerk of the Military Section, was accompanying them.

Their first stop was Zhijiang County, located over a hundred li northwest of Jiangling City. It was said that the county magistrate had been personally promoted by Governor Teng from among his own attendant clerks—a trusted aide among trusted aides. Hearing that the commandery governor was touring the counties, he had long since led a crowd ten li outside the city to welcome them.

Zhijiang County had originally been the territory of a minor vassal state, the State of Luo. Later, Luo was annexed by Chu, and the area became a Chu town. After Qin occupied the Jiang-Han region, because the Yangtze River branched here, they renamed it Zhijiang—"Branching River."

The hydrological conditions of the Yangtze in this era were quite different from later times. The great river flowed east from Shu into the borders of Nan Commandery, emerged from the Three Gorges, and reached Zhijiang. There, blocked by local silt and sand, it split into numerous islets, forming dozens of waterways. It was said that only at Jiangjin Pavilion, west of Jiangling, did they merge back into a single channel.

Heifu also witnessed this strange sight from the riverbank. He asked a minor black-robed clerk who had come to welcome them, "How many small islets are there in this river altogether?"

The clerk smiled and replied, "Someone truly did count them out of sheer boredom once. At the most, there were ninety-nine islets, yet the number has never reached a full hundred... Hence, a local proverb says: 'If the islets fall short of a hundred, then no true king shall emerge!'"

This clerk spoke without restraint. The Zhijiang County Commandant standing nearby immediately scowled and scolded him, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

He then hurriedly apologized to Heifu. Although Heifu's official rank and salary were equivalent to the County Commandant's, he was a commandery official, which placed him imperceptibly half a rank higher. Moreover, he was to inspect Zhijiang County's conscription preparations on the governor's behalf—how dare the County Commandant show any disrespect?

Driven by Governor Teng's swift and resolute style of handling affairs, on their very first day stationed in Zhijiang County, Heifu took two Military Section copyists and worked through the night inspecting the local military registers and the prepared conscription plans.

Zhijiang County had a population of no more than thirty thousand, with able-bodied men numbering only five thousand. Starting next month, a thousand men were to be conscripted, pulled away from farming to focus solely on military training—a considerable impact on the local economy. Thus, the conscription quotas for each township had to be properly allocated. According to the "Statutes on Garrison Service," "members of the same household shall not serve concurrently," absolutely forbidding a situation where father and son, or two brothers, from a single cohabiting household were summoned simultaneously.

As Heifu leafed through the meticulously detailed bamboo slips, he thought to himself, "In the original course of history, Heifu and Jing were probably already living in separate households. And because their family had a grudge with the village head, they were schemed against, a loophole in the law exploited, and conscripted together to take part in this war."

He felt empathy for those in similar plights. Therefore, during the County Inspection Tour, Heifu's duty was to urge the County Commandant's office to conscript according to the law and prevent similar situations from occurring!

So, after spending the night reviewing the bamboo slips, Heifu righteously held a meeting for everyone in the County Commandant's office. The general content was much like a "Notice on Earnestly Doing a Good Job of This Year's Conscription Work" from his past life.

Guided by the Qin army's spirit of "The King rouses the troops; let us polish our dagger-axes and lances," and the King's important directive from last year, "The King of Jing has reneged on the treaty; dispatch troops to punish him," and based on the conscription clauses in the Qin legal code, the "Statutes on Garrison Service," they were to resolutely carry out the higher authorities' conscription orders, persist in taking quality as the core, strengthen organizational leadership, rigorously organize implementation, firmly grasp work execution, and ensure the successful completion of this summer's conscription tasks...

That's right—unlike the previous hasty conscription for the campaign against Chu, this time the King of Qin's great conscription placed greater emphasis on the quality of the soldiers!

"The poor from the left side of the village gate may be made to transport provisions and fodder, but they must not be used as regular soldiers in the battle lines."

The reasoning was simple. As Mencius once said, those with a stable livelihood have a stable heart; those without a stable livelihood lack a stable heart! No matter the dynasty or era, the "sons of good families" from the middle class were the elite backbone of the army.

Just like in later ages, conscription also required a clear political history, that direct relatives had not participated in illegal organizations, that the conscript was law-abiding, of good moral character, and had no record of theft, brawling, or other illegal or disciplinary violations.

Perhaps these sons of good families were no match for delinquent youths in a one-on-one fight, but once they joined the army and underwent several months of training, they could thoroughly thrash a unit composed of delinquent youths.

Furthermore, this conscription was to "first recruit the wealthy," and only when numbers were insufficient, or after the busy farming season ended, "recruit the poor during the slack season." This was to ensure the normal progress of each household's agricultural work, which would also reduce public resentment.

After finalizing the targets and scope of the conscription, the next step was the schedule and procedures.

"Conscription begins in early May, with three months of training in between. In May, drill them in marching in ranks and files. In June, teach the soldiers to recognize the gongs and drums and familiarize them with the banners. In July, open the armories, issue them blades, and formally practice combat and enemy-striking techniques! In August, after the autumn harvest, the troops of each county, under the leadership of their County Commandants, shall assemble at Yan City, where the Commandery Commandant will preside over a grand combined drill of ten thousand men!"

Everyone assented in turn. With a ready-made, rigorous system in place, and under the supervision of the Commandery Governor's Military Section, each county could also do its utmost to carry it out.

Although the fighting had not yet begun, Heifu felt that when the King of Qin and the entire state of Qin got serious and faced the enemy squarely, starting from the very beginning of conscription, this war was already half won...

"Thus it is said: Victory in war is forged at court. To triumph without donning armor is the ruler's victory; to triumph in formation is the general's victory."

Thinking of this saying, Heifu could not help but sigh inwardly. If the King of Qin last year had not so underestimated his opponent and been so impatient, if he had heeded Wang Jian's counsel early on, so many comrades-in-arms would not have had to die in a foreign land.

By the time all this was done, it was already noon of the second day. Heifu's tasks in Zhijiang County were complete. He was just about to yawn and catch up on sleep when, unexpectedly, the Commandery Governor's Chief Clerk came looking for him, saying the governor was going into the countryside to inspect the crops and wanted Heifu to come along.

"Governor, I am an official of the Military Section, in charge of military affairs. The farming matters in the countryside have nothing to do with me. For me to accompany Your Excellency, this humble official fears it might invite suspicion of overstepping my duties..."

A quarter-hour later, Heifu was before Governor Ye's carriage, complaining endlessly. He was both sleepy and exhausted, and truly did not want to go.

Ye Teng, however, stroked his beard and smiled. "Zigong asked about governance. Confucius replied: Sufficient food, sufficient arms, and the trust of the people. Only with sufficient food can there be sufficient arms. How can farming matters be unrelated to military affairs? Furthermore..."

At this, Governor Ye's expression changed. He said with a stern face:

"Was the method of compost and manure fermentation not contributed by your household? Zhijiang County, by my order, was the first place to promote this technique. The three hundred mu of winter wheat planted locally are about to ripen. Whether this method is true or false will soon be known. If it is effective, we can justly have it used in the rice and millet fields as well. If the village elders complain that it has had no effect, this commandery governor will justly have you arrested and punished!"

PS: See the "Statutes on Garrison Service" found in the Yuelu Qin bamboo slips. Second chapter in the evening.

(End of Chapter)