Chapter 168: Is That Enough for You to Start a Family?

Inside the prisoner-of-war camp.

"I know your Commander Liu! You can't touch that blade!"

He Yong, clutching his head, was about to rise when a bandit soldier's blade-tip came thrusting forward. He had no choice but to hug his head and squat back down. "Brother, watch the blade-tip, watch the blade-tip — let me have a word in private!"

The bandit soldier guarding the prisoners was an auxiliary. His elder brother had been killed by cannon fire from the city wall during last night's battle, so he had no kind face for these captives. He sheathed his blade and spat out a curse: "You're the damn troublemaker — squat still!"

He Yong could see it clearly now: this soldier was in a foul mood.

The journey had gone smoothly enough at first — he'd taken the household retainers back to his old home in Mizhi, asked around about the young men who'd joined the bandits, left a few men in each village, and sent several retainers off to seek out chieftains they knew.

Once that was done, he headed for Wen'an Post on his own, turning over in his mind the whole way what to say when he met the bandit soldiers, and how he ought to speak with Liu Chengzong.

Last night, He Yong had slept rough in a roofless, ruined temple beside the official road, fifteen li out. The booming rumble of cannon fire kept him awake.

Later, when the cannon fire ceased, came the thunderous tramp of hoofbeats.

By the sound of it, ten-odd riders.

He Yong thought to himself, these are deserters from the battlefield, and dared not show his face. Only after the horse column had passed did he emerge from the ruined temple — and was promptly seized by Wei Qian'er's scout cavalry.

He never even got a chance to identify himself on the road before a cloth was stuffed into his mouth and he was thrown straight into the prisoner camp, where he listened to wounded soldiers rolling on the ground and groaning, clutching his head and watching the moon for half the night.

When daylight finally came, it seemed the bandit soldiers at last had time to deal with the prisoners, and He Yong was frantic with worry.

What if, in a moment, they simply slaughtered all the prisoners? He desperately sought someone to talk to, hoping to run into a fellow from Mizhi or a former comrade from the border army.

Ha. None.

Not a single man from Mizhi!

The few medics who came into the camp only tended to the wounded whose feet had been pierced by caltrops; they paid no attention at all to a man with all four limbs intact like him.

And he dared not, in front of so many government troops, announce that He Renlong had sent him. He had no choice but to wait along with everyone else for his disposition.

Right now, all he wanted was to get his blade back — the sword He Renlong had given him had been confiscated by the bandit soldiers.

It was only when several men entered the prisoner camp and spoke with the guards — he didn't know what was said — that, before long, the ill-tempered bandit soldier returned and nudged him with the top of his foot. "Weren't you the one wanting a private word? Come on, time to dig pits."

Soon, He Yong and a few other prisoners were led to the north side of Wen'an Post city. Someone tossed down several iron spades and told them to dig.

At the sight of the iron spades, the prisoners' expressions changed — but after sweeping their eyes around, they lowered their banners, silenced their drums, and obediently began digging.

The men guarding them nearby were few, but all wore armor and carried bows and blades. What's more, they offered words of reassurance: "This is a grave for burying your fallen comrades. Finish this, go back and get some food. Those willing to follow us can stay; those unwilling will be released back to Guanzhong."

Now that there were fewer men around, He Yong stepped forward and said, "Brother, listen to my accent — I'm not from Guanzhong. I knew your Commander Liu from before. Find someone to pass word for me."

Before the auxiliary soldier could refuse, He Yong hastily added, "If Commander Liu says he doesn't know me, then take your blade and hack me to pieces."

A look of suspicion crossed the auxiliary soldier's face. He pressed a hand to his saber hilt and deliberately widened the distance. "You really know the General?"

"I really do. Hurry and have someone report it."

But when the auxiliary asked his name, He Yong glanced back at the other prisoners and dared not give it. He only said, "Just tell the Commander: 'Tonight I'll bring the goose-quill blade to you.' Remember that — ten words."

When those ten words were delivered up to the post city wall, Liu Chengzong, who was directing men in clearing the southeast corner tower, froze.

Buried in the corner tower's rubble were several cannons. The cannons themselves mattered little; what mattered were the powder and shot.

Not just the enemy's cannonballs, but every shot they themselves had fired — all of it had to be retrieved.

And he wanted to examine these cannons. The vast majority of last night's casualties had come from them — not just the Lion Battalion's losses, but the scores of wounded among the Guanzhong troops as well, all struck by grapeshot from these very guns.

"Tonight I'll bring the goose-quill blade to you?"

Liu Chengzong murmured the words to himself for a moment, then called Zhong Bao over to keep watch on the wall. To the messenger auxiliary he said, "Bring that man here. And everything he had on him when he came — weapons, armor, warhorse, silver — find it all and return it to him."

Only He Yong had ever spoken those words to him.

When he saw He Renlong's retainer captain again, Liu Chengzong leaned on the battlements and looked down. He couldn't help feeling that He Yong, beneath his guarded manner, looked utterly pitiable.

Liu Chengzong had imagined this many times in his mind — meeting his old comrades from Yuhe Fort again.

He had even imagined that, if they met away from the battlefield, the one who came would most likely be He Yong. He had just never imagined He Yong would turn up in a prisoner-of-war camp.

"Lion. We meet again."

Dressed in nothing but a single layer of thin clothing, He Yong looked every bit the prisoner. When he climbed the wall and saw Liu Chengzong, his face was full of helpless resignation. He said, "Somewhere we can talk?"

Liu Chengzong nodded and had someone bring a coat to drape over him. He found a room inside the post city, ordered some food sent over, and, with retainers standing guard at the door, led He Yong inside.

They entered and both sat down on the adobe sleeping platform.

He Yong came straight to the point. "This time, General He sent me. He was also acting on orders from the Yulin command, so — wait a moment. Lion, there's no grudge between you and me, right?"

Because he was sitting cross-legged on the platform in an open, easy manner, while Liu Chengzong was half-crouched sideways on it, his leather belt still fastened, ready to draw his blade and cut him down at any moment — the sight made He Yong's heart quail.

Liu Chengzong still said nothing. He looked at him, paused for a long moment, then nodded.

"What I'm about to say — none of it has anything to do with me or with the General. I'm just the messenger. If it makes you angry, don't take it out on me."

Having delivered his preemptive disclaimer, He Yong then said, "The Regional Commander now is Du Wenhuan. A few days ago, he summoned the General to Yulin. He wants me to pass word to you: he wants you to produce three thousand taels of silver and release Ai Mu."

"I produce three thousand taels, and release Ai Mu?"

Liu Chengzong had earlier thought of several things that might anger him, but the moment He Yong spoke these words, he felt not the slightest ripple of emotion in his heart.

Wasn't this just a joke?

True, money came fast in his line of work, and it was admittedly rather hard to spend.

But what couldn't he do with that silver? Throw it into the Yellow River — at least you'd hear the splash. Send it to Yulin Garrison — that was funding the enemy.

Who knew He Yong wasn't finished. He paused, then added, "If you add another seven thousand taels, Du Wenhuan will guarantee you an appointment as a Brigade Commander."

Before coming, He Yong had thought carefully about his phrasing when speaking with Liu Chengzong. Except when referring to He Renlong, whom he called "the General," he addressed all other civil and military officials by name, to draw the two of them closer.

This time Liu Chengzong couldn't help it — he burst out laughing.

To be honest, if he didn't have that other set of memories in his head, knowing there were still more than ten years of drought ahead, and that bastard Hong Chengchou who slaughtered men who'd surrendered, he might actually have considered this proposal.

Liu Chengzong laughed. "He's got a fine imagination — doesn't even look to see who he is."

He laughed, and He Yong laughed along with him. Not only did he laugh, he sat cross-legged and joined in the analysis: "I said the same thing. A surrendered general — whoever he surrenders to, he's that man's man."

"Surrender to a Li Bei or an Ai Mu, or surrender to our General — at least you can treat each other with utter sincerity. Follow a civil official, a governor or grand coordinator with no trusted commanders of his own, and you'll gnaw the hardest bones in battle, but at least you might skim a little benefit when the meat broth is shared."

"But follow Du Wenhuan — what's that worth?"

He Yong shook his head. "The Du family has a whole pack of direct-line commanders. Outsiders can only trade their lives to gnaw on the hardest bones, and when the grain and pay come, they never see a real share."

Hah!

Liu Chengzong looked at He Yong as if seeing him for the first time. In his memory, He Yong had always been a quiet, honest man of few words.

So it turned out his own status had been too low before — he'd never had the chance to see this other side of He Yong!

"From the sound of it, what are you getting at?" Liu Chengzong asked with a smile. "You've already picked out my next employer for me?"

"Huh?"

He Yong had only been following Liu the Lion's line of thought. Hearing this, he froze, then quickly shook his head. "No, no, I just thought Du Wenhuan's message for the general was pure fantasy."

But just as He Yong was thinking he'd done rather well today, he suddenly noticed Liu Chengzong shift his sitting posture.

Liu Chengzong crossed his legs too, his posture more relaxed, but the smile on his face vanished entirely. He said, "Brother He, we worked together for over a year. Both of us know in our hearts there was never any enmity between us — but no kindness either."

"You came this time only to deliver a message. If the message is delivered, I've already sent someone to fetch your armor and horse. After a meal, you're free to leave. If there's more to say, speak openly — no need for false pleasantries. We were comrades once; since I agreed to see you, I won't harm you."

He didn't much like He Yong sitting there like an old friend.

He wasn't a fool.

Back at Yuhe Fort, their relationship was exactly as he'd said — no enmity, no kindness, just simple official dealings, not a shred of personal connection.

Now one was a soldier, the other a bandit, and suddenly they were baring their hearts to each other.

It didn't ring true.

Better to be frank and open. What could be done conveniently, he'd do; what couldn't, he'd let go.

This kind of cozying up at a time like this felt to Liu Chengzong exactly like the "You there?" before someone asks to borrow money.

Whether I'm here or not — is that really up to me? It can only depend on what you're about to say.

Liu Chengzong's posture had relaxed, but He Yong grew tense. He shook his head. "There is more, but I don't know what it is."

"You don't know?"

"General He told me to come tell you this, but he also said it was just to let you know — whatever you decide is fine. From what I gathered, he just wanted me to come and build some rapport with you."

He Yong didn't actually know what his mission was. He couldn't even figure out He Renlong's thinking.

All he knew was that He Renlong's method was building ties with the bandit groups of Mizhi, and the goal was to get the Yuhe Fort Commander a promotion and more wealth.

But the part between the method and the goal — that, he didn't know.

Colluding with bandits?

He didn't know what good colluding with bandits could do He Renlong either. Even if it was about raising bandits to boost one's own importance, that wasn't something a tiny Yuhe Fort Commander was in any position to do.

He Yong said, "Commander Liu, help a brother out and analyze this — what does the general want me to do here?"

"You're his close man and even you don't know — how would I?"

Liu Chengzong had no interest in analyzing it for him. He shook his head. "Better you tell me how Du Wenhuan plans to deal with me."

"How would I know that? I was still thinking if I ever had nowhere else to go, I'd come join you."

He Yong thought for a moment, then said, "But when the general came out of the Supreme Commander's office, he said Du Wenhuan had gathered several Mobile Corps Commanders at Yulin. No idea what for."

Now that was useful intelligence.

Liu Chengzong pondered the use of Mobile Corps Commanders. Before he could figure it out, he heard He Yong sigh and mutter to himself, "After leaving Yulin, I've never seen the general like that — so miserable. Those Mobile Corps Commanders were all younger than him. He asked me, what has he been doing all these dozen years."

"I'd like to know too. They said fight and the whole household rises to heaven — we fought. The general didn't become an immortal, and I didn't rise to heaven either."

"Brother He is telling me all this — can't find anyone to talk to back at Yuhe Fort?"

It was funny, really. Compared to He Renlong and He Yong, Liu Chengzong actually trusted Fu Renxi, whom he'd only just met, a little more.

At least Fu Renxi acted normal — said he was cold when he was cold, hungry when he was hungry, said he wanted to go to Liaodong when he wanted to go to Liaodong.

Not like He Yong, who kept making excuses.

Liu Chengzong felt he was just making excuses — though the excuses might not be meant to convince him; maybe He Yong was struggling to convince himself.

Sure enough, He Yong ignored the jab and just went on, "I'm not young anymore. I don't dare think too far ahead. I want food and clothes without worry, I want a family. Tell me... if I traded official army intelligence, could I have food and clothes without worry, could I have a family?"

Now that made things a bit more interesting.

But still not quite enough.

Liu Chengzong shook his head. "The little intelligence Yuhe Fort has might buy a few new outfits. I'm afraid it's not enough for a family."

"I'm not giving you news of Yuhe Fort. The court owes me two years' back pay — I'll sell it for a good price. The brothers at Yuhe Fort don't owe me anything. Du Wenhuan does."

He Yong gritted his teeth. "When Yulin Garrison moves troops south, Yuhe Fort can't be bypassed. Is that enough for a family?"

Liu Chengzong said nothing.

He was weighing the pros and cons in his mind.

He Yong's arrival might well be He Renlong sending a spy to win his trust.

But if Yulin Garrison marched south, they truly couldn't bypass Yuhe Fort.

Before the troops even reached Yuhe Fort, relay riders would come ahead with dispatches — grain rations to prepare, horses to rotate, sick soldiers to arrange for in advance.

He Yong's words were indeed very tempting.

He was thinking — even if He Yong was He Renlong's spy, how could he turn this man into his own spy?

At the very least, a double agent.

"Brother He, how much silver does the court owe you?"

He Yong's face lit up at the question. Almost without thinking, he said, "By next month, one hundred fifteen taels, four mace, and three candareens."

"Good. I remember you studied at the fort. Five taels."

Liu Chengzong raised his hand and spread his fingers before him, facing the deeply disappointed He Yong. "I want every relay dispatch and court gazette the Commander can see."

"You can't easily leave the fort. Send a trusted man every month to Crouching Tiger Mountain south of Yanchuan County seat. As long as I'm not dead, five taels of silver every month."

"If Yulin Garrison marches south — the moment they march south, where the troops come from, where they're going, where they're stationed — ten taels per report. If they're coming to suppress me, twenty taels per report. Whether they're too strong and I flee, or I seize the initiative and ambush them — once, just once."

"The court can give official posts. Mizhi isn't my territory; I can't give those. But if the intelligence you send is useful even once — forget the odd change, one hundred fifteen taels. I, Liu the Lion, will pay every bit of silver the court owes you."

"Lion, you…"

He Yong's eyes went wide. Words stuck in his throat, unable to come out. He blinked hard, swallowed, and only then managed: "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. Brother He works for me — a year with no trouble, deliver the court gazettes and military dispatches twelve times, sixty taels in hand. But deliver any military intelligence, and it's two hundred taels of silver a year. Enough for you to start a family?"