Chapter 395: The Cattle and Sheep Levy

"The ox fell off the cliff and died on its own."

Several herdboys said this in unison. As the Scribe listened, he tilted his head to glance at the man seated in the lower position — the Beidi Commandery Livestock Overseer: Wushi Luo.

Livestock Overseer — that was Wushi Luo's official post. He was subordinate to the Grand Coachman and jointly administered the government's livestock operations. His station was in his home county, Wushi County. This place was the old territory of the Wushi Rong; the water and grass were lush, and there were many livestock, cattle, and sheep. Half of them were Wushi Luo's private property, and the other half were public assets.

It was just before the first month's annual cattle-and-sheep levy inspection for all counties, when a case occurred in the county's eastern grazing park: a bull had fallen off a cliff and died. This sort of thing happened often, but the Scribe permanently stationed in this township had not expected that Wushi Luo would happen to arrive here and also sit in on his adjudication of the case.

With Wushi Luo watching, he had no choice but to show his ability, so he slapped the desk and declared:

"The Stable and Park Statutes state: Should any government-owned ox or horse die, it must immediately be reported to the county Livestock Overseer and Stable Clerk. After the officials inspect it, the dead animal shall be turned over at once. If failure to report in time causes the dead ox or horse to rot, then the responsible party shall pay compensation at the price of the sinew, hide, horn, and meat before putrefaction!"

In the Qin dynasty, whether in the border commanderies or the interior, cattle and horses were all valuable property. Their utility value was no less than that of automobiles in later ages. Any fine ox or horse cost thousands or even tens of thousands of cash! So the authorities took them very seriously. While alive, oxen and horses pulled carts and plowed fields; after death, their entire bodies were treasures. Sinew could make bowstrings, hide could make armor, horns could make signal horns and bow materials, and the meat went without saying. In short, they strove to waste nothing at all.

Furthermore, every year, the Livestock Overseer would tally the number of cattle and horses in each stable and park: "Out of ten adult cows, if six fail to calve in a year, fine the Foreman and his Assistant one suit of armor each — for not diligently breeding the cows!"

If there were ten or more head of cattle and a third of them died within a year — no matter the cause, epidemic or accident — the clerk in charge of the cattle and the convict laborers who tended them were all held culpable!

After the Scribe cited the statutes one by one, the herdboys realized they were likely in serious trouble.

"This official has already sent men to inspect the valley you spoke of. On the cliff, there were few traces of an ox losing its footing and falling. They also searched below the cliff and found no ox carcass."

"Maybe a tiger or leopard ate it!"

The older herdboy shouted out, while the others looked at each other in dismay.

"Would a tiger or leopard swallow the bones and horns whole as well? And how could not a single drop of blood have been spilled?"

The Scribe saw that these herdboys were beginning to lose their nerve, so he separated them one by one and continued interrogating them. The herdboys had never experienced such a scene; they were utterly flustered and soon confessed the facts one after another.

It turned out that, egged on by the adults in their families, they had secretly led the cattle away and then falsely claimed the ox had fallen off a cliff and died. They had assumed the cliff was bottomless and no one would go down to check. Who would have thought the authorities would hire honey-gatherers, who tied on hemp ropes and went down to investigate thoroughly…

The truth was now clear. The next step was to send men to arrest the person who had incited the herdboys to steal the ox — best to catch him with the stolen goods. Then, what awaited him would be punishment for both "ox theft" and "instigation" — a life sentence of hard labor as a "Wall Builder" was unavoidable.

As for the herdboys, the Scribe also intended to sentence them harshly, demoting them to Junior Bonded Servants and assigning them labor even more grueling than herding. The oldest youth among them was even to be face-tattooed!

After drafting the wording of the verdict, the Scribe cupped his hands toward Wushi Luo and asked his opinion. At that moment, Wushi Luo, who had been observing silently for a long time, finally spoke.

"The people of the borderlands are no virtuous sort to begin with. They were all banished and exiled to this county for crimes. Although three or four generations have passed, they remain impoverished. How could their descendants be filial sons and obedient grandsons?"

"And we barbarians — "

Wushi Luo pointed at himself and said with a smile, " — ever harbor the hearts of birds and beasts. We are hard to nurture and easy to ruin. Now you, sir, handle cases with severity, but you hardly realize: when the water is too clear, there are no big fish. These herdboys have not even been registered on the conscription rolls yet, and they were deceived and incited by others. Why not leave them a way out? Spare them the face-tattoo punishment and just send them to the Reclusion Office to do heavy labor."

After pondering, the Scribe adopted Wushi Luo's suggestion and gave the young herdboys a break. He only sentenced them to hard labor and did not carve characters onto their sun-darkened faces.

"Elder brother, how is it you've suddenly grown kindhearted?"

After leaving the court hall, Wushi Luo's younger brother, Wushi Yan, was waiting for him at the door.

"It is not kindness."

The Wushi Luo brothers were dressed exactly like Qin scholar-officials, but when they spoke to each other, they used the Rong tongue.

Stroking his beard, he said, "I was merely reminded of things from our own childhood…"

Though now immensely wealthy and honored, the two brothers' origins were not at all lofty. They had been merely poor children of the Wushi tribe beyond the border, orphaned of both parents from a young age, making a living by herding for others.

That year, because of a drought, the grass on the mountain all withered. The cattle and sheep did not get enough to eat and grew thinner by the day. The tribal chieftain vented his fury on the two brothers: a whipping every few days, and no food given.

Watching his frail younger brother go two days without food, Wushi Luo steeled his heart. He drove the cattle and sheep into a deserted mountain hollow, raised his knife and brought it down, slaughtering a sheep on the spot. The two brothers ate their fill.

He was not like those herdboys, stupid enough to use a clumsy excuse like "it fell and died." That would not spare them punishment, and might even cost them their lives. So he took his younger brother and fled, driving the cattle and sheep with them!

At that time, the Wushi tribe had already been split in two by the Long Wall, with groups inside and outside the border, and movement between them was not heavily restricted. They fled inside the Qin passes. Wushi Luo, relying on his older-looking face, even though they did not share a language, still managed to sell off those cattle and sheep.

Of course, Wushi Luo was ruthlessly swindled. Three head of cattle and ten sheep sold for just over twenty thousand cash — but that was the first pot of gold he ever obtained.

If the garrison soldiers at Xiao Pass back then had rigidly blocked them outside the pass, the two brothers would likely have been beaten to death by the chieftain long ago. How then could they be the great merchants of today, whose wealth rivaled that of enfeoffed lords?

After tasting the sweetness of trade, Wushi Luo began his journey to fortune. First, he obtained a temporary residence permit — an inspection tag and travel pass — acquiring legal status. Then he used that first pot of gold to buy cattle and sheep calves, raised them for two years and sold them, then used the money and goods from the sales to purchase Central Plains silk and fabrics, which he took beyond the border to give to the Rong kings and chieftains, trading them for even more livestock.

In this cycle, the profit from exchanging silk for horses was extremely rich. His business grew larger and larger; the cattle, sheep, and horses he owned spread across the mountains and plains, so numerous they had to be counted by the grain-measure…

It was by using vast amounts of money as a door-knocker that Wushi Luo was able to gain the notice of Qin Shi Huang, ascend into high circles, obtain an official post, and conduct buying and selling for the government.

"The one thing a merchant must pay most heed to is treating others with goodwill."

Reflecting on the business wisdom of half a lifetime, he looked back at those herdboys. Learning that they would not have to be face-tattooed, they cast grateful looks at Wushi Luo.

"In a few more years, my house may gain a few more loyal bonded followers." A trace of a smile appeared on Wushi Luo's face.

These delinquent youths of poor background and few prospects were an important component of Wushi Luo's merchant caravans. How could sons of good families deign to lower themselves and be driven by a Rong merchant like him, transporting goods a thousand li away?

The so-called "sons of good families" were a special group in the commanderies west of the pass, and their numbers were not large.

First, they had to be persons other than physicians, shamans, merchants, artisans of all trades, and live-in sons-in-law. In agriculture-centered Qin, these were all regarded as base occupations; merchants and live-in sons-in-law, especially, were the first choices for banishment to the border.

Second, a son of a good family not only had to be law-abiding himself — tracing back three generations, his family must also have no history of criminality.

Finally, a son of a good family had to possess a certain amount of family property. Movable assets like slaves, horses, and cattle, and immovable assets like fields and houses, were all counted, and the total had to be above one hundred thousand cash…

Only one kind of household could meet these criteria: the military-merit aristocracy.

They esteemed martial valor and were proud, making much of "the four black steeds are massive; the six reins are in hand; the lord's beloved followers attend the lord on the hunt."

Wushi Luo liked delinquent youths and detested sons of good families. Heifu, however, was exactly the opposite.

"I hear that the newly arrived Commandant, when touring the counties, at every county first summons the sons of good families to see him?" Wushi Luo asked his younger brother.

"Exactly so."

Wushi Yan said, "Not only does he summon them, the Commandant also dons armor, personally mounts a saddled horse, selects the strong and able among the sons of good families, and gallops and shoots at Jingyang, drilling battle formations. He publicly recounted his own experience of rising from a commoner all the way to General of the Center, greatly encouraging the sons of good families. In the end, he actually recruited all those sons of good families to enlist as commandery soldiers…"

Heifu could also be counted a combat hero of Qin's war to unify the six kingdoms. His story of leaping from commoner to Commandant was an extremely inspirational "legend." Inspired by him, the sons of good families of each county eagerly volunteered to enlist.

"This Commandant, though newly arrived, first pacified the Rong of Dajuan, then won the hearts of the commandery soldiers, and finally conscripted every last son of a good family into the ranks. He is single-mindedly set on doing great things…"

Wushi Luo was lost in thought. He knew perfectly well what Heifu intended to do, but his own position was somewhat delicate.

"Once the Beidi administration tightens, the water will surely become clear, and when the water is too clear, there are no big fish."

When that time came, their family, being the biggest fish of all, would find it hard to get by.

Moreover, Heifu's target of war was bound to be either the Yuezhi or the Xiongnu. Wushi Luo traded with both states every year, receiving bribes and earning vast sums of money and silk. Once the flames of war ignited and the border became unsettled, Wushi Luo's business would plummet.

That was why he was deeply troubled.

But however troubled he was, Heifu was about to arrive at Wushi County. Wushi Luo had no choice but to force a smile and go to the border to welcome him, and to see, further, what methods this fellow would use on him to persuade him to support this war.

It wasn't that Wushi Luo was boasting — without his active cooperation, providing financial resources, cattle, and horses, Heifu's war plans would likely have encountered many difficulties.

At the end, Wushi Luo suddenly asked his younger brother.

"What kind of man is Heifu, really?"

Recalling all that had happened over the past two years, Wushi Luo always felt this man seemed to have appeared out of nowhere — suddenly rising to prominence, suddenly winning favor, suddenly proposing all sorts of new ideas and new strategies, yet always managing to suit Qin Shi Huang's tastes.

If it were mere coincidence, that would be fine, but if he had calculated it all meticulously in his mind, then it was truly terrifying.

"I wouldn't dare say much else."

Wushi Yan recalled his few meetings with Heifu in Xianyang; through brown sugar, Heifu also had business ties with his own family.

He said with certainty, "This man Heifu — if he were a merchant, his wealth and achievements would likely be no less than yours, Elder Brother!"

……

"Lord Wu!"

The next day, as soon as the Commandant's carriage stopped, Heifu, clad in crimson official robes and wearing a silver seal with a blue sash, stepped down. Under Wushi Yan's introduction, he and Wushi Luo became acquainted, and then he amiably helped up Wushi Luo, who had made as if to bow...

"Lord Wu, your rank matches that of an enfeoffed lord — you do not bow to commandery or county officials. For you to salute me would truly overwhelm this junior!"

Wushi Luo also dared not be remiss, but looking at this dark-complexioned young man with a simple, honest face, he still could not imagine how his younger brother could say such a person possessed "commercial vision" comparable to his own.

The two observed each other and exchanged pleasantries for a while. Wushi Luo brought up the grand cattle and horse competition in Wushi County that was to begin the next day, but Heifu showed little interest. After a few polite words, he simply came out and stated the purpose of his visit.

"Lord Wu, what I wish to discuss with you in detail is not the fatness or leanness of cattle and horses, but a great deal involving hundreds of millions of cash!"

PS: I'm going to learn from the lily-boosting of Divine Three next door, and focus exclusively on the pre-Qin and Qin-Han periods.

Recommending a newly released book, "Rise of the Strategist in the Warring States."

Transported to the Warring States, right on the front lines of battle. Bai Hui, who has never even killed a chicken, has three choices: cut people down, be cut down, or be cut down by Qin law for refusing to fight.

How to escape the fate of cutting and being cut?

Shocked to learn his elder brother is named Bai Qi!

Bai Qi: Fortunate to have my younger brother! No more worries from behind!

King of Qin: That Qin has the Bai brothers is Qin's great fortune!

Qin soldiers: General Bai is a truly good man!

Bai Hui: Your Majesty, your servant has something to say, though I know not if it should be said!

(End of Chapter)