Chapter 38: I Have a Bold Idea

Suddenly attacked, Heifu started, instinctively jerking backward to dodge, then immediately raised his right foot and kicked straight at the figure's chest!

"Aiyo!"

The dark figure was kicked onto the earthen platform with a miserable cry. Heifu was about to follow up with another blow when two more figures darted out, raising their hands high in front of him — fortunately, this time they finally made a sound.

"Squad Leader... stop, don't hit!"

"Heifu, it's us."

Only after they had laboriously lit the firewood with a flint did Heifu see clearly: the two before him were actually Dongmen Bao and Xiao Tao, and the one he had kicked flying to the ground — who else could it be but Ji Ying?

"What are you doing?" Heifu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Dongmen Bao touched his hair bun and said, "Ji Ying made a bet with me, wondering if you'd be scared, so he hid behind the door to test it..."

"Brother Heifu, that kick of yours is really vicious. Xiao Tao, quickly help me check — are my ribs broken?"

At that moment, that fellow Ji Ying let out a scream like a slaughtered pig. Xiao Tao hurried over to check him, but there was absolutely nothing wrong. Fortunately, Heifu's posture for that kick had been off, so he hadn't put any real force into it.

"You really deserved it. If I had been startled into drawing my sword, you'd be a dead man by now."

Heifu pulled up Ji Ying, who was still clutching his chest and groaning in pain, then asked, "The conscripts have all dispersed. Why are you still here?"

"To wait for you, of course!" Ji Ying grimaced.

"Uncle Chao and the others were in a hurry and left first. I thought that no matter what, I had to wait for Heifu to return and bid you farewell in person." Dongmen Bao was a man who kept his word.

Xiao Tao also stammered, "I... Squad Leader and I are from the same hometown... so I thought we could travel back together."

"So that's it." Heifu suddenly understood. It turned out these three had waited specifically for him, and he couldn't help feeling somewhat moved. It seemed he wasn't the only one who cherished this bond of brotherhood-in-arms.

With this thought, an idea suddenly sprang up fiercely in Heifu's mind!

He had the three sit down and asked, "After this farewell, who knows when we can gather again. May I ask you all, what trade will you ply when you return home? What plans do you have for the future?"

"What trade can we ply? Farming, of course."

The moment Ji Ying thought of going home, he felt somewhat deflated: "My family has many brothers, and they've all split off one after another. I'm the youngest, so I can inherit the fields, but my family's meager land yields little. I might use the thousand-odd reward coins from catching bandits this time to try and secure a job as a neighborhood gatekeeper in my hamlet..."

Xiao Tao also said, "I... I'll farm too."

Then he stammered out a long explanation. It turned out Xiao Tao's family was the poorest among everyone present, with thin land. Before coming to serve, his family could barely afford rice. The three hundred coins Heifu had given him had truly solved his most urgent need, which was why Xiao Tao was so deeply grateful to Heifu.

But the problem was, if converted to rice, this money could at most last two or three months. Xiao Tao was very worried that once his family fell into destitution, he would be forced to become a "retainer" for a title-holder in his hamlet.

The "retainer" here does not mean a son born of a concubine. The military merit rank system stipulated that any soldier who could sever one enemy head would obtain one rank of nobility, along with the corresponding fields, houses, and retainers — that is, servants who farmed for you. These were all people from poor families without rank, their status lower than that of ordinary people.

Dongmen Bao rolled his eyes: "Although I live in the Eastern Gate quarter and have fields, they were reclaimed by the authorities when my father died of drink. I can only go to the western city docks every day to help unload cargo from passing boats, just to earn a mouthful of food and support my widowed mother and wife. It was like this before my service, and it will be the same after." He was the only one among those present who was married.

All three were from bitter backgrounds, their prospects not broad. Heifu nodded, lost in thought.

"Brother Heifu, what about you? What are your plans?" Ji Ying asked.

"I was just about to tell you all."

Heifu smiled and recounted in full detail how the Right Commandant had summoned him to the official temple today and told him the county was recruiting him to be the Chief of Huyang Station, omitting only the struggle between the Right and Left Commandants.

"That's wonderful news!"

Ji Ying slapped his thigh and stood up in delight: "Though a Station Chief isn't a big official, normally when we see one, we have to bow respectfully with clasped hands. If scolded by one, we wouldn't even dare talk back."

Dongmen Bao's eyes were also full of envy: "From now on, Heifu will be a clerk, with a monthly salary of grain. He'll no longer be the same as us commoners."

Heifu quickly waved his hand: "Don't say that. Whether I can become Station Chief still depends on the assessment a month from now."

Xiao Tao, however, said, "Squad Leader... your martial skill is outstanding, and you also... have talent. You will surely... be able to handle it!" After speaking, thinking of his own future, a hint of dimness couldn't help but appear in his eyes.

Heifu took in all their attitudes — on one hand happy for him, on the other full of envy.

It seemed that idea of his might actually be possible to realize...

So Heifu stood up, clasped his hands toward the three, and said, "Gentlemen, truth be told, I have a bold idea!"

"Heifu means for us all to go to Huyang Station together, to serve as Thief-Catcher and station runners?"

A moment later, after Heifu had finished explaining his idea, Ji Ying was somewhat astonished.

Dongmen Bao also widened his eyes: "Can it even be done like that?"

"Of course, my word alone doesn't count."

Heifu explained: "But I've heard that ever since the former Huyang Station Chief, Thief-Catcher, and three station runners were all punished and sent to penal labor a month ago, no new clerks have taken office. The new Thief-Catcher sent to manage things was even killed while pursuing bandits."

"Right now, Huyang Station is just an empty shell — no Station Chief, no Thief-Catcher, and the station runners are also lacking. They're recruiting hands, but since cases frequently occur at Huyang Station, everyone dreads it, so responders are few."

After explaining the situation, Heifu said to Dongmen Bao and Ji Ying: "If you two are interested, why not go to the county or township to volunteer? Dongmen is a First-Rank Noble, highly skilled in martial arts, and has served as a Squad Leader — he can be the Thief-Catcher. Ji Ying can be a station runner. That way, we can all work together at Huyang Station, jointly governing this ten-li area. Not only will we each have a salary of coin and grain, but we'll also have the chance to catch bandits, solve cases, earn merit, and gain noble rank. Wouldn't that be splendid?"

The reason he had conceived this idea was that although Station Chief was a minor post, it required governing a ten-li area, inspecting for lawlessness, and pursuing bandits — a heavy responsibility with considerable risk. Moreover, Heifu was unfamiliar with the place and people. If he went to Huyang Station alone, he would inevitably feel some unease. But if he could have acquaintances as his right-hand men, it would be entirely different.

At the end, Heifu realized he had overlooked Xiao Tao and casually added, "If Xiao Tao is willing, he might as well give it a try too!"

After hearing Heifu's "bold idea," Dongmen Bao and Ji Ying looked at each other, both somewhat eager to give it a go.

Like Heifu, they were somewhat reluctant to part with the brotherhood forged over this month. After all, they had trained together and together won first place in the ten-day drill, earning rewards and money — truly an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. If possible, they all wished to continue this bond.

And now, by coincidence, an opportunity had presented itself!

Huyang Station was located at the border of the county seat and Yunshui Township, not too far from either of their homes — reachable in just over half a day. Moreover, although Thief-Catcher and station runner weren't formal positions, they still came with a ration of grain. Plus, Qin state functionaries had higher status than ordinary people, so they could hold their heads high before their fellow villagers.

Yet both had their own hesitations. Ji Ying worried about the risks of being a station runner — Huyang Station had poor public order, and routinely arresting bandits could well cost someone their life. His parents would probably never agree to this, preferring he honestly farm in the hamlet.

Dongmen Bao was someone who relished violence and danger. The riskier the work, the more excited he became. But he still had his mother and new wife at home. Once he took up the post at Huyang Station, he might only be able to return home once every ten days or half a month...

Heifu saw their hesitation and quickly apologized: "I was rash, thinking only of the pleasure of us working together, forgetting everything else."

"I'm willing to give it a try!"

Dongmen Bao, however, slapped his thigh. Before the bond of brotherhood and comradeship, those problems were utterly insignificant!

He stood up and said, "Once I go back and persuade my mother and wife, I'll go to the official temple to volunteer. A true man should patrol a region with a sword in hand — what the hell is there to hesitate about!"

"I'm the same!"

After pondering for a moment, Ji Ying also rose and clasped his hands: "Although Ji Ying has little ability, I can still manage the minor post of a station runner. Even if there are risks, as long as Brother Heifu is in charge, I won't be afraid."

Xiao Tao also stammered, "If... if the Squad Leader... doesn't think me useless, I... I'm also willing to give it a try!"

"Good!"

Heifu's heroic spirit surged. He clapped the three on the shoulder and laughed heartily: "Then it's settled. When I return, I'll prepare diligently for the official assessment. You fellows should also volunteer on your own and do your utmost. If we are fated to serve together again, then one month from now, we meet at Huyang Pavilion!"

The four men's hands met, and they swore an oath with a clap!

"Meet at Huyang Pavilion!"

PS:

Regarding the death of Fan Sui. The Grand Historian records that although Fan Sui deserved execution by association, he was ultimately pardoned by King Zhaoxiang of Qin. However, unearthed Qin bamboo slips have revealed a different account.

"In the fifty-second year of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Wang Ji and Zhang Lu died..." — From the *Yunmeng Qin Slips: Chronological Records*, personally recorded by Scribe Xi. Zhang Lu is Fan Sui, who was implicated by Wang Ji, the man he had recommended, and executed by association.

This shows that the Grand Historian, in collecting the persuasive speeches of the Warring States strategists, made another blunder. In Qin, if a recommended person commits a crime (committed in their original post, without having been promoted), the recommender is also punished by association. This is also why, in this story, the Right Commandant only dared to indirectly recruit the protagonist and did not dare to personally recommend him.

There will be an extra chapter at midnight.

(End of Chapter)