Chapter 156: A Thousand Catties

A roadside inn at Sangbi Mountain.

Hong Bi, Chief of All Flags of Ningshan Guard from Zezhou, crouched on the ground, holding his saber high above his head, his face looking like he had just swallowed a fly.

The forty banner soldiers behind him wore much the same expressions, all crouched on the ground, each looking more wretched than the last.

Two red-barbarian cannons sat on carts, the barrels and carriages transported on separate vehicles; there were only the cannons and one cannonball, no gunpowder, loaded onto four carts in total and hauled by eight horses.

This should have been a very easy transport mission.

The road from Zezhou to Xizhou was not difficult to travel, they had brought plenty of grain, and it was all within the province.

There was also silver the Hundred-Household Commander had granted for this transport — every man got four-tenths of a tael.

On the road, Chief Hong had figured that if the Hundred-Household Commander was willing to part with twenty taels for them, the Guard Commander must have allocated at least fifty.

But this was still not bad; their Hundred-Household Commander was a good man. Isn't that just how it is — the big boss eats the meat, and the little guys behind just need a sip of the broth.

Besides, this was not a military transport, just hauling some things for an idle official in Xi County, so there was no need to keep a terribly tight schedule.

The biggest danger came from the frontier troops fleeing back from the capital relief campaign. They had kept their spirits up a bit on the road, but after waiting the whole way, the deserters never came.

So Chief Hong traveled quite comfortably — just marching each day, sleeping when it was time to sleep, eating when it was time to eat, and whenever there was countryside wrestling or a temple fair, he would take his brothers to have a look.

Where there was a roadside teahouse, he could let his brothers rest and drink a bowl of frothy tea to quench their thirst.

After all, with these cannon carts, you couldn't just rely on the mules and horses — men had to push the wheels from the side too, and it was exhausting.

Just moments ago, he had decided to rest his feet at Sangbi Mountain. They were not far from the destination, so he let his brothers have some tea and sent two riders ahead to inform that old master, so the government troops passing through wouldn't frighten the common folk.

He knew perfectly well that when common folk saw government soldiers, they were even more afraid than when they saw bandits.

After finishing their tea and resting their feet, they would wait for Old Master Huo to send someone to meet them. With a local guiding them, they wouldn't end up troubling the people.

He had just cut a mace of silver for the tea-stall owner and was feeling he'd gotten the short end of the stick, wanting the tea master to give him ten wen of Tongbao in change, when he saw his trusted banner soldier come running over in a fluster and whisper, "Brother! Frontier troops are here."

He turned his head to look — good heavens.

The relay scouts had planted themselves by the roadside, small flags stuck in their backs.

The official road was quite broad to begin with, but in the distance came a column of riders three abreast with no end in sight, every man mounted on a tall, large horse, every man in crimson cotton armor, iron arm-guards strapped to their forearms, the helmet plumes atop their bowl helmets practically thrusting into the sky.

Damn — seeing that equipment, Chief Hong was truly green with envy.

He even went and asked one of the relay scouts which general's command these brothers belonged to, only for that young scout to glance at him through his nostrils, then turn his head and stare straight ahead.

Chief Hong thought to himself: Elite troops.

He hurriedly called his brothers to their feet, made them clear a space beside the official road, and prostrated themselves in salute.

He had grown used to this along the way — you never knew when you might meet an official's carriage or sedan chair coming down the official road; you just saluted at the roadside and that was that. No one was interested in paying him any attention anyway, at most sending someone to check his documents.

If someone actually did pay him attention, it was never good news. For this job, the Hundred-Household Commander had given him twenty taels in total; after distributing to the banner soldiers, he himself had four taels left.

On the road, arranging extra meals and tea for his brothers had cost less than one tael, and the return trip would probably cost another tael, leaving him two taels in the end. He had already planned out exactly how to spend it.

One tael would buy rouge and brocade cloth for his wife in Linfen — that was something he had promised her before leaving home.

The last remaining tael would let him go to Panyunsheng in Zezhou and buy that pair of muntjac-skin boots he had been longing for. He had been eyeing them for two years and could never scrape together the money.

Then on the road he ran into a eunuch and got squeezed out of one tael by the man's retinue.

Just like that — the joy of buying the boots went pop and vanished.

And there was nothing he could do about being squeezed. Although the Emperor had abolished all the local garrison eunuchs, since last year's Jisi Incident, there was a trend toward employing eunuchs heavily again.

Hong Bi didn't understand any of these damn things — it was all stuff he'd overheard when the Chiliarch and Hundred-Household Commanders were drinking. Truth was, no matter how the Emperor treated eunuchs, he himself had absolutely no way to deal with them.

He could only be grateful that the eunuch lord, in the midst of his busy schedule, had still found time to come out and harm him.

That was the only one who had ever spoken to him.

He didn't want this general to speak to him either — what if he decided to take the cannons? He wouldn't be able to hold onto them.

So he knelt properly at the roadside, lowered his head, and watched that endless string of horse hooves pass before his eyes.

As long as I keep my head down, they won't see me.

Hong Bi had never even considered running into bandits. He had just passed by Xizhou city, and outside the city walls all was peace.

Right now they were not far from Yonghe County town, and they were on the official road — how could they possibly run into bandits?

And besides, bandits couldn't possibly look like this. They ought to be bare-assed and carrying a firewood cleaver.

One cavalry company passed, another cavalry company passed, another cavalry company... the cavalry company stopped?

A pair of straight-seamed cowhide boots drew closer and closer before his eyes. Chief Hong cautiously raised his head and saw a young man dressed like a general.

The young officer smiled at him and asked, "Did you pay for your tea?"

"Paid, paid, I paid — gave a mace of silver, and the tea master owes me ten wen of Tongbao in change." Hong Bi did not dare rise, only asking, "Your humble subordinate is Hong Bi, Chief of All Flags of Ningshan Guard. May I ask which general I am addressing?"

"My surname is Liu. You're the one transporting two cannons from Zezhou to Huo Family Fortress — let me see the documents."

Liu Chengzong was practically bursting with laughter inside. He extended a hand, and Chief Hong hurriedly produced the documents.

He glanced at them — the documents didn't say much of anything anyway — so he simply folded them and tucked them into his bosom. "All right, the cannons have been received. You can go back."

"No, General, that won't do. Your humble subordinate was ordered to deliver the cannons to Huo Family Village, and I must deliver the cannons to Huo Family Village."

Then Chief Hong's soldiers were disarmed.

The whole bunch crouched beside the official road by the teahouse, holding their weapons high above their heads, as the Lion Camp soldiers collected them one by one.

Afterward, many people came down from the mountain — people who looked very much like guard-battalion troops, all wearing helmets with the character for "courage," some in earth-colored padded jackets, others with studded armor thrown over the outside.

Some came down to drive the carts, others to escort the prisoners, heading straight for Huo Family Fortress.

From start to finish, the tea master stood to the side, not daring to make a sound.

Those government soldiers had no intention of paying him any mind either.

The Lion Camp's division of labor was very clear: the combat sentries were responsible for not disturbing a single blade of grass — which, put simply, meant ignoring the common folk entirely.

Dealing with common folk was the job of the logistics sentries; it had nothing to do with anyone else. The officers kept them all in check — as long as they didn't cause the common folk any trouble, that was enough.

And so, until those "government troops" took the men away and hauled the cannons off, the tea master had no idea what had actually happened at his own teahouse.

Belatedly, the teahouse assistant asked the boss, "Shopkeeper, what just happened back there?"

The innkeeper said, "Maybe that Chief Banner made a mistake? It's none of our business, just keep quiet and it'll be fine."

In human connections, timing is everything.

When Liu Chengzong had just dealt with those banner troops from Fenzhou Garrison and then met Chief Banner Hong, a banner soldier who actually paid for his tea, he suddenly felt his hope for the world return.

He really did intend to let Chief Banner Hong go, but Chief Banner Hong refused to leave and insisted on personally delivering the cannons to Huo Family Fort. Liu Chengzong had no other choice but to take both the cannons and the men along.

"Chief Banner Hong, do you know that bandits from Shaanxi have entered Shanxi?"

Chief Banner Hong watched his subordinates be disarmed while he himself was being escorted away in such a humiliating manner. He was deeply displeased but dared not show it, so he simply nodded and said, "Is the General part of the troops sent from Shaanxi to suppress the bandits? My centurion has instructed that I must personally deliver these cannons to Huo Family Fort. I hope the General will grant me this convenience."

He had caught on — Liu Chengzong's accent did not sound very Shanxi. Although the accents of the two regions were somewhat similar, he could still detect a slight difference.

Unexpectedly, Liu Chengzong ignored him entirely. Only after the column turned off the official road onto a mountain path did he say to him, "I am not troops from Shaanxi here to suppress bandits. I am the bandit from Shaanxi."

Did this general enjoy joking around that much?

And it wasn't even funny.

But Chief Banner Hong still cooperated with a few chuckles. "The General is truly humorous."

"I'm serious. Those transporting the cannons are famine refugees from Shaanxi. The earth-colored padded jackets they wear are homemade."

Liu Chengzong actually found it quite strange — why did this Chief Banner not suspect him of being a bandit in the slightest? It was rather endearing.

Even now, Chief Banner Hong still did not believe it. He went on to analyze the situation on his own, citing their strict discipline, their refraining from the slightest infringement on civilians, and their armor and weaponry, finally concluding, "These are clearly frontier troops, and those others are garrison soldiers."

"We were all formerly soldiers of the Three Frontiers of Shaanxi — some deserters, some who surrendered. See those helmets? They're spoils from defeating the Fenzhou Garrison banner troops a few days ago. Those bastards were truly evil; they massacred two villages on their way here."

Chief Banner Hong's state of mind underwent a change.

His neck felt a little stiff. He turned his head to search for his own banner troops among the ranks and found that his men were being treated exactly the same as he was.

Namely, each man had at least two armored frontier soldiers with hand on saber beside him, keeping them company in conversation.

"Gen-General, are you telling the truth?"

"It's true. My name is Liu Chengzong." Liu Chengzong looked at him and asked, "Have you heard this name before?"

Hong Bi shook his head.

"No matter, you'll know it later. Your luck is poor — I gave you the chance to leave and you wouldn't take it. Now you can't leave anymore."

Hong Bi swallowed hard. Watching the mountain path grow narrower and the scenery on both sides more desolate, he couldn't help but say, "G-g-general, please don't kill us. I'm just a minor Chief Banner. My brothers have no money or grain on them either. Look at my boots — my toes are nearly showing!"

Chief Banner Hong's black cloth boots were indeed nearly showing his toes.

It wasn't that he was truly this poor — in fact, he had an old pair of leather boots at home. It was just that this journey was long, and he couldn't bear to wear out his good shoes.

Who would have thought they'd come in handy right now.

Liu Chengzong cared nothing for his shoes, nor did he intend to kill them. He waved his hand dismissively. "Behave yourselves and I won't harm you. I'll let you go in a few days. For transporting these two cannons, how much reward money did your superior give you?"

"Reward money, yes, reward money was given — twenty taels."

Chief Banner Hong's heart pounded violently. He considered whether it would be appropriate to say a smaller amount but didn't quite dare. Hastily feeling inside his clothes, he said, "Sixteen taels were distributed to the banner troops. On the road, one tael was demanded by a eunuch lord's attendant, and one tael was spent. I have here..."

He held out two taels of silver along with a handful of copper coins in his palms. "This is all I have left. I hope the General will kindly accept it."

Pfft.

Liu Chengzong couldn't help it and burst out laughing. "What kind of person do you take me for? Haha, put away that pittance of yours. Just behave yourselves. When you leave, I'll give each of you two taels. And don't go blabbing when you get back — just say the cannons were delivered, understood?"

Whether they blabbed or not didn't really matter. Liu Chengzong was keeping these men only to leave a window of time for transporting supplies to Shaanxi.

They were about to advance toward Fenzhou Prefecture. Before that, he couldn't allow these men to go to Pingyang Prefecture and report him.

Once they crossed the Lüliang Mountains, these banner troops could go report him wherever they pleased — by then it would be of no consequence.

Telling them not to blab when they returned to Zezhou was actually just Liu Chengzong looking out for them.

As for the two taels of silver, on one hand he pitied these banner troops, and on the other, it was to steady their minds. Spending a few days together in peace was beneficial for everyone.

Hong Bi's eyes darted around rapidly. Hearing the implication in Liu Chengzong's words, it seemed he truly had no intention of killing them, so he asked, "Then, then what about Lord Huo?"

"Lord Huo?" Liu Chengzong turned his head to glance at him. "He won't be able to report you."

When Chief Banner Hong and his men actually delivered the cannons to Huo Family Fort, they were settled on a small hill not far away. Aside from having no weapons, they were not mistreated in any other regard.

They were indeed quite well-behaved.

If one had to describe Chief Banner Hong's innermost feelings... mm... the donkey-meat flatbreads were truly delicious.

Cao Yao had long been waiting at Huo Family Fort, his eyes nearly worn through with gazing.

As soon as the two red-barbarian cannons were transported onto the mountain path, this fellow came running over, looking as if he wanted to throw himself onto the cannons.

Liu Chengzong laughed. "Why don't you just sleep holding it at night?"

"Sure!"

Cao Yao acted as if this were only natural and immediately gestured to his subordinates. "Tonight, bring it into my tent — this bronze one."

It was only then that Liu Chengzong took a serious look at the two cannons.

The two cannons were nearly identical in caliber, but the iron one was thicker and heavier. Both had inscriptions on their barrels beginning with "Shanxi Yiguo Ironworks."

In truth, the inscriptions were quite long. First came the time of donation and casting, and the donor's name, followed by the official title and name of the supervisor, and the name of the caster.

After that, it detailed the cannon's weight, the weight of gunpowder for firing, the types of projectiles to be fired, the firing range, and the maintenance method.

If left unused for over a year, it needed to be treated once by slow-burning rice husks around it.

Over four hundred characters were cast across the cannon barrel in a lengthy inscription — practically a short essay.

This was Liu Chengzong's first time seeing a red-barbarian cannon. Its form was indeed more pleasing than the earlier general cannons, and its narrow muzzle and wide breech measurements were likely the modular proportions Shi Chengwo had learned from Wang Zheng.

The ammunition was quite interesting. The total weight was four jin eight liang, of which the main ball weighed two jin, and the remaining two jin eight liang consisted of a cloth bag of broken iron pellets.

When firing, one first poured in the gunpowder, then used straw to tamp it down firmly as a projectile seat, then inserted the cloth bag of broken iron, and finally loaded the main ball.

Cao Yao said this was not the only loading method. "This is suitable for field battles. For defending or attacking cities, it's better to fire a large iron ball. And this iron cannon — it's too heavy, not very usable."

Actually, the iron cannon wasn't bad in itself, but for them, it severely affected mobility. Normally they could travel seventy or eighty li a day, but carrying this heavy cannon they might only cover sixty li.

A difference of twenty li could be enough to cost them their lives.

"Have Chengzu send it back to Yan'an Garrison. Actually, I think the best cannon is still the five-hundred-jin bronze cannon — easy to move around and can also be deployed in field formations."

Liu Chengzong pointed at the iron cannon and finished speaking, then looked at the bronze cannon. "I think the cannon carriage won't work. It needs to be changed to a two-wheeled one, easier to move on mountain paths."

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