Chapter 849: The Rank-Seeking Decree

Hai Sanxia and his elder brother Hai Erxie walked arm in arm down the main street of the West Market. In this age, two men walking arm in arm as they strolled together did not yet carry the repulsive connotations it would in later times; it was perfectly ordinary.

Yet one could also say it was not ordinary at all, because Hai Sanxia was wearing a purple robe.

The Great King of Yan, Murong Xinzhang, had decreed that in the State of Yan, the Great King wore robes of blue with silver-white trim or silver-white with gold trim; lords wore silver-white robes; regional lords wore purple robes.

Gentlemen, junior lords, and inspection commissioners all wore red robes, except that the red robes of gentlemen and junior lords were flame-red, while those of inspection commissioners were dark red.

At present in the State of Yan, the only marquises of the two provinces of Chaori and Penglai were the Lord of Sendai, Zhao Kuangyin, and the Lord of Etchu, Wang Jing.

The former ruled the two prefectures of Mutsu and Dewa, while the latter ruled the two prefectures of Echigo and Etchu. Apart from these two, there were sixteen regional lords, each controlling a single prefecture.

From this one could see how great Hai Sanxia's achievements had been, and how good his luck.

He had gone from a volunteer who gave up a position as inspection commissioner in Korea, to becoming one of the eighteen high-ranking nobles of the State of Yan, able to rank alongside brave generals like Li Hanqiong and Luo Yanhuai. Truly, neither strength nor luck could have been lacking.

Seeing such a great noble enter, the Japanese women who had been kneeling on ragged cloths nearby immediately swarmed over, each one urgently trying to sell herself in standard Tang-accented speech.

Before long, nearly half the West Market was in motion. The scene was enough to make even Hai Sanxia, who had rampaged invincibly across battlefields, go weak in the knees.

But before matters could get out of hand, a squad of constables charged over, wearing silver-white gauze caps, with the character "Arrest" written large on the chests of their robes, hengdao sabers at their waists, and whips cracking loudly in their hands.

The constable squad leader at the front drove off the surrounding Japanese women with blows and curses. Those finger-thick whips struck the women for real, raising a chorus of shrill screams, until even Hai Sanxia began to find it hard to bear.

After barely dispersing the crowd of women, the squad leader caught sight of Hai Sanxia in his purple robe and immediately put on an utterly fawning smile, bowing and scraping from a great distance.

"I know not which great lord has deigned to visit. I, Wu Bolang, squad leader of the Third Constable Squad of the West Market, beg to serve as the great lord's guard."

When the capital Heijo-kyo fell, Murong Xinzhang had ordered the execution of all officials in Japan of the Junior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade — roughly equivalent to all officials of the seventh rank and above.

However, petty officials below the Junior Seventh Rank, Lower Grade, and ordinary clerks, some had still survived.

Later, when order began to be restored, these people were immediately selected to continue their former work.

Since all the officials above them were dead, most of them not only kept their original posts but were even promoted.

Wu Bolang was one of them. Originally he had been no more than a hanger-on to a soldier of the West Market, but after this, Wu Bolang was rapidly promoted and became a squad leader commanding fifty constables.

Originally called Dalang, he had quickly taken the surname Wu because he owned a house in the West Market, and had also asked someone to help him choose the given name Bolang — a strange, half-plausible sort of name.

And once people like him rose to power, the more obsequious they were toward the conquerors from the Great Zhou, the more vicious they were toward the daughters of those nobles who had once looked down on them without a glance.

Hai Sanxia still was not quite used to it. His status had changed too quickly. Three years ago he had been a boat-dweller barely scraping by in Quanzhou, whom any farmer on shore could look at with contempt.

But now, the very officials he had once needed to look up to were desperately currying favor with him.

Hai Erxie adapted better than Hai Sanxia, because he was by nature a snobbish man, and such people, in such circumstances, actually adapt more easily than ordinary folk.

He gave a cold snort and glared hard at Wu Bolang. "Before you stands the Great Lord of Tosa, Regional Lord Hai Xianzhong.

You're lucky you came quickly. If those low women had jostled the regional lord, you'd be off to Sendai to fight the Emishi."

The three Hai brothers had all become wealthy and distinguished, so naturally they could no longer use names like Fish, Crab, and Shrimp. The year before, as they were about to set sail from Busan Harbor, their eldest brother Hai Dayu had spent a dan of white rice to hire a Confucian scholar newly arrived in Korea to give them proper names.

All three brothers used "Xian" as their generational character, signifying their willingness to offer up everything for the Sage and Great King Murong, while the final characters were Jie, Yi, and Zhong — integrity, righteousness, and loyalty.

Thus Hai Dayu was now called Hai Xianjie, Hai Erxie was Hai Xianyi, and Hai Sanxia was Hai Xianzhong.

Hearing that the man before him was the Count of Tosa, Wu Bolang lowered his head several more degrees.

On Fangzhang Island, there were only two counts — Tosa and Iyo — while the rest were a heap of viscounts, barons, and inspection commissioners.

This meant that henceforth on Fangzhang Island, it would be this Count of Tosa before him and the other Count of Iyo who had the final say.

And after this squad of constables had lashed out freely with their whips, the surrounding Japanese women had only scattered a little, but had not gone far.

They gazed at Hai Sanxia from a distance, constantly calling out their family backgrounds in Tang-accented speech. Some even stripped off their coarse outer robes right there in the street, leaving only their undergarments, displaying their healthy, vigorous bodies.

Hai Sanxia noticed a small, sturdy Japanese woman in the distance who had a certain charm. He was just about to go over for a look when Wu Bolang immediately stopped him.

"Great Lord, please follow this humble one inside. The State Chancellor has given special instructions that those of gentleman rank and above may enter to make their selection."

Hai Erxie had also taken a fancy to the same Japanese woman Hai Sanxia had spotted, and asked with some puzzlement:

"That little lady has both looks and figure — her breasts and buttocks are big and round, clearly good for bearing children, and she looks sturdy too. She'd certainly be a capable hand at running a household. Why can't she be chosen?"

Wu Bolang lowered his head and smiled faintly, then said to Hai Erxie, "That is the daughter of a former soldier of the Nintoku Hall guard. She comes from a military family and is indeed a fine match. You, my lord, may choose her, but the Great Lord may not."

After saying this, he waited until both Hai brothers cast inquiring looks at him, clearly expecting him to reveal the answer, before continuing his explanation:

"You, my lord, are an inspection commissioner, with a rank-equivalent of above two thousand dan and below three thousand dan. Therefore you need a robust and beautiful lady who can bear you many sturdy offspring and raise them to be clever and strong.

But the Great Lord is one of the sixteen regional lords, with a rank-equivalent of over one hundred thousand dan. A robust and beautiful lady can be obtained at will, and is not worth making his principal wife.

The Great Lord's principal wife should be a woman of learning, insight, and refinement — one who, within the bedchamber, can bring the Great Lord the utmost pleasure.

Outside the bedchamber, she must be able to manage the concubines and servants of the household, ensure the continuation of the line, preside over domestic affairs, keep income and expenditure in order, and assist in handling the Great Lord's relations with his retainers.

A woman with such abilities is not something an ordinary family can produce."

Hai Sanxia was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly recalled that the Great King and State Chancellor Wang Pu had indeed said the same thing to them.

He himself also felt that affairs in Tosa Prefecture would be immensely complicated, and that he truly did need such a capable helpmate.

He nodded with satisfaction at once, then looked at Wu Bolang, who kept his head lowered and dared only to look at his feet, and asked:

"Who else is in your family? Are you familiar with the customs and conditions of Tosa? Would you be willing to serve me as a two-thousand-dan magistrate?"

Hai Sanxia might have come from a lowly background, but his intelligence and emotional acuity were by no means low — otherwise he would not have had the nerve to give up an inspection commission already in hand and gamble his life by coming to Japan.

All this talk from Wu Bolang was nothing more than waiting for a stepping-stone to advancement.

Wu Bolang dropped to his knees with a thud. His ancestors had been descendants of the Oe clan, but because his birth mother was of low status, the family name had been taken back. Yet although the family had fallen on hard times, they had preserved the tradition of speaking Tang-accented speech and studying Tang writing.

In the past, not to mention a commoner like him who merely knew Tang-accented speech, even those warriors who could cut men down with their blades and win merit by suppressing rebellions and bandits for the court had found it very hard to rise.

But now things were different. The heavenly troops of the Central Plains had arrived and slaughtered the entire middle and upper ranks of Japan. Now it was these people — who had been kept below the upper ranks, the Japanese stratum that had originally been suppressed — who had the possibility of leaping up to high office.

Wu Bolang prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face in agitation, and then performed three full kowtows to Hai Sanxia.

From this moment on, he was a magistrate of the County of Tosa, a two-thousand-dan retainer of the Regional Lord of Tosa.

Hai Erxie felt somewhat uncomfortable. His younger brother Sanxia had once urged him to resign his post as inspection commissioner in exchange for a reward, and then follow him to Tosa Prefecture to become a six-thousand-dan retainer in the future County of Tosa. But Hai Erxie, thinking it better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix, had refused.

And now, watching his third brother grant a two-thousand-dan retainer post — nearly equal to his own rank — with a single sentence, he finally understood that a clear class gap had opened between the two brothers.

He also understood what a regional lord with a rank-equivalent of one hundred thirty thousand dan meant to an inspection commissioner like himself, with a rank-equivalent of just over two thousand dan.

Hai Erxie looked at his third brother in the purple robe, and for the first time solemnly clasped his hands toward his younger brother. "Sanlang, I do think that little lady is quite fine. If you don't fancy her, I'll take her with me."

Hai Sanxia froze for a moment, then grasped his elder brother's hand. The two brothers had also reached the time when they would soon have to part.

"Once Second Brother reaches Mino Province, be sure to send word with your exact address. If anything comes up in the future, just have someone deliver a message."

Hai Erxie nodded, then turned and walked toward that sturdy Japanese woman. His red robe instantly drew the gaze of many Japanese women.

Although they had just been whipped and did not dare come closer, they still gazed at Hai Erxie with eager, longing eyes.

Hai Erxie walked up to the sturdy Japanese woman, reached out and seized her chin, squeezing hard. The woman opened her mouth in pain — fortunately, her teeth were not too black.

Hai Erxie nodded in satisfaction and slowly reached his hand downward.

The warm, delicate touch made Hai Erxie's heart stir.

The Japanese woman let out a startled cry tinged with fear and tried to press down Hai Erxie's hand, but halfway there she abruptly stopped, not daring to move. She only stared at Hai Erxie with wide, glistening eyes, pleading, and softly begged, "Please, young lord, have mercy."

Hai Erxie laughed heartily. Back in Quanzhou, he had not even owned a broken-down boat of his own. If after thirty he could marry a dark-skinned, rough-handed widow dragging along a few children from a previous marriage, he would have counted himself lucky. How could he ever have toyed with a healthy little beauty like this?

"You're the one!" Amid his loud laughter, Hai Erxie wrapped his arms around her legs and hoisted the Japanese woman up in one motion, slinging her over his shoulder like a slab of pork, his hand giving her plump buttocks a few satisfied smacks.

The Japanese woman lay obediently still on his shoulder. The women with her chased after them a few steps, calling out something, and she answered softly, as if saying farewell.

A petty clerk from the West Market came over, bowing and scraping. Hai Erxie tossed out a handful of Japanese copper coins. This was the Great King's rule: carrying off a Japanese woman from the West Market who understood Tang speech required paying a little money.

Having received the copper coins, the clerk very considerately brought over Hai Erxie's carriage, then led Hai Erxie toward the far end of the West Market.

At the place where the West Market and East Market met, a dense mass of Japanese men knelt sitting on the ground.

These men were the same — the moment they saw someone in a red robe approaching, there was a stir among them.

They had originally been provincial army troops, that is, prefecture and county soldiers, from various provinces. Those still here now were the lucky ones who had not been killed on the battlefield.

But since they had become captives, the fate awaiting them was also cruel. In the future, they would either work themselves to death in some mine or be sent to the Kanto Plain to labor until death.

The only chance to return home, keep their lives, and even gain a little wealth and rank was to be chosen by the red-robes and become guards for these red-robed men.

"Which of you are from Ikeda County in Mino Province? Hurry over and pay respects to your lord!" The petty clerk cracked his whip and shouted imperiously.

At once, the kneeling men surged forward like white ants from an overturned nest, shuffling on their knees in a dense mass before Hai Erxie.

With the clerk's help, Hai Erxie identified more than seventy men from Ikeda County in Mino Province, then selected ten of them.

These ten men would serve as Hai Erxie's guards and go with him to Ikeda County in Mino Province to take up his post.

The ten estates under Hai Erxie's control were estimated to hold forty to fifty thousand mu of land, so he would certainly be able to set aside some land to support these guards, and later select the most loyal and strongest to become his private retainers.

The ten chosen men wept with excitement, tears streaming down their faces, and kowtowed rapidly on the dry ground, raising clouds of dust, their mouths jabbering in Japanese that Hai Erxie could not understand.

Hai Erxie turned his gaze to the Japanese woman kneeling properly on the carriage. She quickly performed a kowtow to Hai Erxie, then said in clear, standard Tang speech:

"They are thanking you for your grace and swearing loyalty to you, my lord."

Hai Erxie laughed heartily again and waved his hand. "To the East Market! Let's go see our family property!"

"By the way, what's your name?" Only now did Hai Erxie remember that he did not know the Japanese woman's name.

The Japanese woman nodded very obediently. "I am Lord Hai's person now, so naturally Lord Hai should give me a name."

Have him name someone? Hai Erxie froze. His own name had been bought by his elder brother, who had paid someone else to come up with it.

But soon Hai Erxie thought of the great Liu family of Quanzhou. They had a famously beautiful daughter, said to be called Zhu Niang.

"Then from now on you'll be called Zhu Niang — Hai Zhu Niang, Hai Zhu. Hmm, not a bad name!" Hai Erxie wagged his head, seemingly very pleased with his own cleverness.

The Japanese woman on the carriage was overjoyed and cried out happily, cherishing the name: "Yes! From now on I bear the surname Hai."

At the East Market, Hai Erxie rode a Japanese horse only a little taller than a donkey from the Central Plains.

He wore interlocked-ring armor and an iron helmet that his elder brother Hai Dayu — Hai Kaka — had equipped him with by selling over a hundred shi of grain. At his waist hung a fine-steel hengdao saber, and on the horse's side were two bows, one for mounted use and one for foot, along with a quiver of arrows.

He looked thoroughly imposing — at a glance, a soldier of the Celestial Army of the superior kingdom.

Behind him followed ten guards holding long spears with hair-tip greatswords at their waists, the two in the lead even wearing armored coats.

Hai Zhu Niang was farther back on the carriage, with a maidservant beside her. In the maidservant's hands was a recognition banner with a somewhat Japanese style.

On it were written the words: "Imperially Appointed Patrol Commissioner Hai of Ikeda County, Mino Province."

Seeing the words "Ikeda County, Mino Province," a group of estate lords belonging to Ikeda County hurried over, holding up wooden placards.

But their faces showed both expectation and deep worry and fear, like a crowd of gamblers.

Their worry was well founded. Sure enough, after Hai Erxie had carefully selected ten adjacent estates, an official from the Yan Ministry of War walked over and, holding a list, said something to Hai Erxie.

Hai Erxie nodded, dismounted from his warhorse with a flourish, then drew his hengdao saber and walked past the ten estate lords kneeling on the ground like quails.

When he reached an old man with graying hair and beard, Hai Erxie smiled coldly.

"You've got bad luck, old man. A son or nephew in your family colluded with the rebels. In your next life, be sure to educate your children and grandchildren properly."

As Hai Erxie spoke, Hai Zhu Niang also walked to his side and, with fawning eagerness, translated these words for the old man on the ground.

Upon hearing this, the old man let out a despairing wail, scrambled to his feet, and tried to run.

Hai Erxie smiled disdainfully and waited unhurriedly until the old man had run several steps. Only then did he let out a thunderous shout, cover the distance in three great strides, and flash his hengdao saber in a streak of white light like a bolt of silk.

Not even a scream escaped. A gray-haired head flew into the air, and the headless corpse spurted a tall fountain of blood, the legs still running forward several steps from inertia before it crashed to the ground with a thud.

Then Hai Erxie slowly wiped the blood from his hengdao saber and looked at the nine remaining estate lords.

"As long as you behave as obedient subjects of the court from now on, nothing will happen to you. I am not, in fact, fond of killing. Back in the Central Plains, I was a great philanthropist.

But if anyone lacks sense, this fine blade of mine can leave its sheath at any time."

In truth, the unlucky old man might not have had anyone in his family colluding with rebels. But who could blame him for having the richest estate?

I, Hai Erxie — Hai Kaka — have arrived at my fief without a single estate under my direct control. How else was I supposed to support private retainers and intimidate the others?

And it was not just Hai Erxie who did this. Every patrol commissioner and lordling sent out to the provinces had to do the same.

As for those of higher rank, once their territory grew large, they had other methods of securing their power.

Having killed a man, taken an estate, acquired guards, and gained a Japanese woman who could serve as interpreter, Hai Erxie had barely made himself ready to serve as a patrol commissioner.

In the distance, just outside the East Market gate, five fierce cavalrymen on warhorses came up beside Hai Erxie.

These five were men in the army who lacked the merit for a noble title. They could either become senior garrison soldiers in lands directly controlled by the court, or choose to serve as guards for a vassal like Hai Erxie.

With Hai Erxie's resources, he certainly could not support five armored soldiers. These five comrades would only be hired for a few months. Once Hai Erxie had full control of the area, they would leave.

And just as Sea Two Crab was making his preparations before taking office, Sea Three Shrimp, as the Lord of Tosa, received an entirely different treatment.

The Japanese women offered for his selection were not kneeling outside in a row — instead, he went from room to room to make his choice.

In every room there was a Japanese woman of almost flawless birth and ability, usually a daughter of a great noble house of Japan.

Though most of them had already blackened their teeth, they were all accomplished in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and were also skilled at managing the affairs of the inner household.

Moreover, each room did not hold just one such woman, but a full thirty of them, nearly all between thirteen and sixteen years old and without blackened teeth.

Only after the high-ranking vassal who had come to choose was satisfied with the leading woman's abilities would the selection of looks begin.

At that point, the leading woman would have all the other women, excluding herself, remove their clothing and display their lovely bodies completely naked.

Then the high-ranking vassal could freely choose however many he wished to enjoy, and if he was not satisfied, he could move on to the next room to choose again.

If he was satisfied, they would all become members of the vassal's harem — whether as court ladies or serving maids was entirely up to the vassal's choice.

This utterly exhausted me, Sea Three Shrimp Hai Xianzhong, Lord of Tosa — in no time at all I had fought three or four rounds in succession.

When he reached the third room, he discovered a pair of sixteen-year-old twin little girls whose faces were almost identical.

Small and soft, he could lift either one easily with a single hand, and their moans were as lovely as a beautiful melody being played.

Sea Three Shrimp Hai Xianzhong, Lord of Tosa, was satisfied on the spot — they were the ones!

As for the estate lords and the guard force, Hai Xianzhong did not need to worry about those at all. Once he confirmed his choice, every estate lord in Tosa Prefecture would come over, to be killed or spared entirely at his pleasure.

At the same time, the court would dispatch a guard force of five hundred armored soldiers for him, and the retainers he had recruited himself had already selected a private guard force of fifteen hundred men.

In the eighth year of Shaoming, 953 CE, in the fifth month, just as his subordinate vassals were enjoying the conquerors' dividends to their hearts' content in the eastern and western markets, Murong Xinzhang issued two more edicts.

One was the Rank-Hunting Edict, and the other was the Armor-and-Sword Edict.

The Rank-Hunting Edict stipulated that all officials and nobles of the former Japanese state — that is, anyone not appointed by the present Yan court as an official or vassal — were required to surrender themselves at Heijo-kyo within twenty days.

If they did not surrender, then after twenty days, anyone in the entire country, even children and the elderly, could lawfully take their heads.

For every person captured or killed, if one delivered the head along with proof of identity to the authorities, one would receive a reward graded according to the rank of the office held.

The Armor-and-Sword Edict stipulated that, except by special permission of the court, no vassal — even one of the lord level — could possess armor exceeding the prescribed number.

At the same time, no one below the rank of Grand Garrison Soldier could possess any weapon whatsoever, unless permitted by a vassal of Inspection Commissioner rank or above.

Even crude hair-plucking swords, spears with iron heads, and arrows with iron points were forbidden — naturally, higher-grade weapons were even more out of the question.

The moment any such violation was discovered, the offender would be put to death immediately.

At the same time, when a Grand Garrison Soldier met a vassal, he was required to remove his sword and salute.

When a commoner encountered a member of the sword-bearing warrior class, he had to step back to the side of the road and bow his head in salute; if the warrior demanded it, he could also order the commoner to kneel and prostrate himself on the ground.

If a warrior killed a disrespectful commoner, he needed only to consult with his liege lord and pay an appropriate sum of money as compensation, or hand over some of the common people under his own control as compensation.

Well, history does move forward — the warrior class truly is the best choice for Japan.

(End of chapter)

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