Royal Road - Chapter 21

Chapter 21




It wasn’t yet 5 a.m.; the sun had only just begun to peek out from the horizon, but the Jie were already gathered in the courtyard, some jittery with nerves, some with excitement. The speech that they’d heard that day had filled them with hope and aspiration and the desire to carve a future for themselves under the noble’s command.

On the opposite side of the courtyard stood a gaggle of serfs from the estate. Heeding ah-Liang, they’d all come to try their luck. The brothers, Wang Hu and Wang Bao, were the most pompous of the lot, contemptuously pointing every so often at the Jie, and arrogantly bossing around the rest of the meek serfs. They were completely full of themselves, but there were many who bought their act since they did, after all, work in the main residence and were more informed than the farmhands. 

“The way I see it, the master’s gonna pick a person from the estate to take charge!” Wang Hu scowled at the Jie out of the corners of his eyes and spat disdainfully, “Jie slaves are only good for hard labor, how could they ever be accepted into the militia? This is just, how’s it called again… uh, right, wasting gold on horses’ bones! Those guys are just for show! After all, who’s more reliable than us?”

The serfs all nodded in agreement; the Jie shifted restlessly and started to whisper amongst themselves, their hearts full of worry. None of them had ever been soldiers before, who wasn’t nervous? The Wang brothers were emboldened by the crowd’s reactions. They’d prepared for this amply the previous night, and smoothly weaved speculation after speculation, ratcheting up the serfs’ anxiety. The two brothers felt that, with their connections and their prowess, they were the most capable of the bunch, and that there was no way they’d lose out to the Jie. They just had to show their stuff to that sickly invalid and everything would go their way.

Just as they were preening with conceit, they heard footsteps coming from outside. Wang Hu looked over reflexively, then choked on his half-formed words.

Two servants, one carrying a short couch, the other hauling a low table, entered first. Then, two servant girls arrived, carrying incense censers, brushes, and inkstones. The four deftly arranged all the delicately exquisite furniture in the center of the raised platform. None of the peasant farmers had witnessed that kind of extravagance before; their noisy ruckus instantly came to a halt. Then, Liang Feng ascended the steps. 

He wore azure brocade robes and a small headdress made of black muslin. The jade ornaments at his waist swayed gently with each step. He was dressed so formally he could seek an audience with a prince. His attire gave an air of solemn authority to his pale, sickly mien. When his ink-black eyes swept over the courtyard, the crowd unwittingly held their breath.

These peasants had never seen anyone so incredibly dignified before. Many of them hastily averted their gaze. A few of the more insolent people tried to get a closer look at the noble but were stared down by a pair of gray-blue eyes. Yiyan stood behind Liang Feng, impeccably dressed, his chiseled face utterly expressionless. His aura was faintly murderous, like that of a wolf cub baring its fangs.

The news of the bandit encounter had already spread throughout the estate. And thanks to the brazen boasting of all those fellows who’d earned a tax exemption, many had started getting ideas about joining the militia. But still, these people had been farmers for generations and generations. They’d never seen blood. Killing people was something most of them didn’t even dare to imagine. They quickly lost their nerve and looked away in chagrin. The courtyard was utterly silent.

Liang Feng assessed the crowd of antsy, shabbily dressed men as he declared, “Of the Liang Estate’s former militia, some of them left with my aunt when she married out. The others became old or lazy, unfit for battle. Now that I’m reconstituting the militia, naturally, I’ll be recruiting those who are more useful. Everyone who joins the militia will be clothed and fed, and leased ten mu of high-quality land, land tax halved, that they are allowed to hire tenants to work. Those who complete their training and earn merits on the battlefield can earn more opportunities for tax exemption.”

Liang Feng had made that decision after long, careful consideration. In this era, only wealthy, noble families had the resources to support a standing army of professional soldiers. That was precisely the reason that the private militias of aristocratic families had far more fighting strength than ordinary troops.

Liang Feng had entertained the idea of using the station field system to raise his army, but he wanted to create a force of elite, professional soldiers from the get-go. He didn’t have the wealth to provide pay and provisions though, and the simplest way to solve that problem was to tie the militia to the land under his name. It somewhat resembled the former Qin Dynasty’s “land grant system,” where military merits were rewarded with land ownership. Giving the soldiers lease land that was only taxed at half rate would let them and their families live very comfortably. Even for those who hadn’t settled down, they could let others work their fields; the tax money they saved would count as part of their personal income.

Most importantly was that even though the “land grant system” wasn’t much when the population was small, it would prove its worth when refugees began pouring in, bringing whole families of mouths to feed. He could have his pick of soldiers amongst them, and their families would remain behind to work the fields. It would create a cycle of positive reinforcement: the fields wouldn’t go to waste, and the soldiers wouldn’t be distracted by agricultural labor. And, a plentiful personal income would spur those on the frontlines to fight even more vigorously. After all, people were strongest when they were protecting their own interests.

As expected, everyone instantly perked up upon hearing his words. It was even better treatment they’d been anticipating! 

Liang Feng shifted the topic, “However, I’m recruiting the brave and strong for the purpose of protecting the estate. In chaotic times like these, with bandits on the loose, I need people now more than ever. Thus, I only want those who dare to risk their lives in battle. Those who are unable to endure training or listen to orders are unworthy of becoming private soldiers of my Liang Estate.”

With both carrot and stick, the men tensed up anxiously. Many of them clenched their fists, guessing at what kind of training they’d be going through.

Liang Feng gestured casually at Yiyan, who was standing at his side, “This is your sergeant, Yiyan. He will be entirely responsible for your training. Yiyan, go ahead.”

At his order, Yiyan immediately took a step forward and announced, “Everyone, line up into four rows according to height. Shortest in the front, tallest in the back!” 

He didn’t distinguish between the Jie and serfs, catching many of them off guard. But because the noble was watching, and the barbarian youngster yelling at them seemed fierce, no one made any trouble at that moment. The whole crowd of people hurriedly scrambled into lines, buzzing with murmurs. Yiyan hollered non-stop, “You, switch places with the one to your right. You, back there, stand in the front row!”

It took several minutes for them to finally get into four rows. Yiyan stood before the formation and yelled, “First row, from the left, report your name.”

The man who was up first was a rather short and stocky serf. He hadn’t expected that they’d be called to say their names. When he opened his mouth, he stammered, “I’m, Zhu, Zhu Er….”

“Loudly!” 

“I’m, Zhu Er….”

“Louder!”

“Zhu Er!”

“Next!” 

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That wasn’t difficult at all, so it didn’t take long before everyone squared their shoulders and held their heads high. But instead of issuing any further instructions, Yiyan merely stood in front of them. Standing at attention was easy to do, but difficult to maintain. Before long, they started to flag. Several of them surreptitiously shuffled their feet, wanting to find a more comfortable position. But others had beaten them to it.

“Poxun, stand up straight!”

That twitchy fellow just so happened to be a Jie. His face reddened upon being scolded by Yiyan, and he fixed his posture. But right after, one of the serfs who had been laughing under his breath was singled out by name, “Wang Hu! Legs together!” 

Like an astute sheepdog, Yiyan caught all of their little motions. At the same time, he’d remembered all their names and called them out without the slightest error. Many of them felt indignant, but they all had eyes. They could all see Yiyan’s utterly unwavering form. He wasn’t deliberately nitpicking at them, he was demonstrating the most correct posture for standing at attention.

Some gave in to the urge to look at the head of household, sitting on the high platform. But that noble didn’t speak a word as he leisurely sipped his tea and looked over the documents on his desk. He only occasionally spared them a glance. Everyone understood the implication: the young Jie had the head of household’s support. If they didn’t follow orders, then they could forget about getting any of that lease land.

Everyone had some amount of grit, especially when it came to their future livelihoods. Gradually, as time passed, the fidgeting started to decrease. Even though their clothes were still ragged and their faces still sallow, their deportment started shaping up. They stood there for a full hour, up until their legs began to tremble and their heads began to sweat. Liang Feng shut his book and said blandly, “Yiyan, take them on a lap around the estate. Those who make it back within half an hour will be given breakfast.”

Many of them blanched at his words. They’d lived in the Liang Estate for years, how could they not know how large it was? A lap around the estate would be at least five kilometers. Completing that within half an hour was too much! But Yiyan, without any hesitation, loudly answered, “As you command. Everyone, follow me!” 

Then, he took off without even looking back. The Jie reacted quickest. The serfs balked for a few moments before gradually catching up. The crowd of people kicked up a cloud of dust as they vanished beyond the gates.

It looked like this lot was obedient enough. But how many of them managed to persevere remained to be seen. Liang Feng glanced at the sky and told Lüzhu, who was bored from all the standing around, “Tell the kitchens to prepare breakfast.”

※

At first, when they left the doors, the procession was somewhat neat. But not long after, they fell out of formation. After standing around for an hour for no reason, a few of them were broiling with frustration. The sight of Yiyan jogging lazily at the head of the pack was only fuel to the fire. Wan Hu sneered coldly, pumped his legs, and as he bounded past Yiyan, retorted mockingly, “The master’s said, we gotta get back in half an hour. I don’t wanna get dragged down.” 

Yiyan didn’t react to the hint of provocation in his words, continuing at his own pace. Seeing his response, a number of people started getting restless. After all, the only thing this youngster had going for him was the master’s favor. If they were able to get back before him and stand out, would they be able to earn the master’s regard as well?

More and more of them sped up in hopes of doing just that. Not just the serfs, even a few of the Jie became worked up as well and started rushing ahead of the sergeant. Yiyan ignored them and maintained his moderate speed, leading the squadron onward. When the few who’d gone on ahead were no longer in sight, the Jie behind Yiyan asked concernedly, “Yiyan, you’re not gonna catch up to ‘em?”

“No need,” Yiyan wasn’t even out of breath. His stride was steady as ever. He looked back occasionally, and yelled to those lingering at the back of the pack, “Don’t fall behind, or else you might get kicked out of the militia.”

Those with subpar physical conditioning trailing at the back gritted their teeth, and forced themselves to keep up with Yiyan’s carefully managed pace. Less than fifteen minutes later, the people who’d rushed off earlier popped back into view one by one. These people hadn’t had breakfast, and they’d spent an hour standing at attention. They didn’t have the stamina to maintain a sustained sprint. A few of the weaker ones were already leaning on a fence, puking their guts out. Even the fitter ones were noticeably slower. 

Yiyan had no intention of stopping and checking up on them. He remarked coolly, “If you’re too tired to run, you might as well go home and plant fields. Catch up, or else you’re not getting breakfast.”

Wang Hu and the others worked up the energy to sprint for another while at his barb. But of course, a few hundred meters later they started slowing down again, huffing and puffing like a plow-pulling ox.

Yiyan ignored them, his breaths even as he hollered, “Breathe in rhythm with your steps, don’t mess up your pace. We’re more than halfway there. There’s breakfast waiting for us when we get back!”

The word “breakfast” was too enticing to this crowd of people. The people tagging along at the back clenched their fists. Yiyan couldn’t help remembering his lord’s words as he saw them strenuously running along. Last night, he’d turned his lord’s teachings over and over again in his head. “Lead by example” was the phrase that’d left the deepest impression. If the commanding officer was cowardly, how could their subordinates be courageous? They were soldiers of a private militia that existed to defend his lord’s life; he was determined to grind them into the most stalwart shield! 

The last half was far more demanding. The formation got sparser and more drawn out as time passed, stretching out into a long string. When the gates of the main residence came into sight, Yiyan yelled, “If you don’t want to be kicked out, keep up!”

He suddenly increased his speed. The people behind him quickened as well. When they neared the gates, the fragrance of food wafted to their noses. The scent was motivating, even to those who didn’t have much appetite left. Their eyes reddened as they struggled to make it to the doors.

Yiyan, at the lead, dashed into the main courtyard first. Liang Feng smiled faintly after assessing the youth, whose breaths were still steady, “Give him some water.”

A large barrel of warm water was set before him. Yiyan took a moment to catch his breath, then scooped a ladle and slowly drank. He took another glance at Liang Feng, then grabbed the barrel and went over to the doors. 

At this time, the people behind him had arrived. Most of them were Jie, along with a few of the hardier serfs. Each one of them was soaked in sweat, panting like a cow. Yiyan offered a scoop of water to everyone who passed. Their throats were so unbearably dry they couldn’t be bothered with formalities; they drank straight from the ladle. When the barrel was nearly empty, a servant banged on the rattle drum beside him and hollered, “Thirty minutes is up!”

About twenty of them had managed to complete a thirty-minute 5k. It was already quite a bit more than Liang Feng had been expecting. He clapped, “Not bad. You’re all warriors, the lot of you. Servants, bring food.”

The servants instantly brought several wooden barrels. Only now did the new recruits realize that not only did breakfast include hot pancakes and porridge, there were also pickled vegetables and boiled eggs. Even stewards and head craftsmen rarely got to enjoy such luxury, let alone plain serfs. All the resentment they’d built up while running instantly evaporated. Some of them were nearly salivating, holding back the urge to leap over and snatch a mouthful of food.

Liang Feng said measuredly, “In the future, your two meals a day, clothes, and living quarters will be arranged by the estate. You’ll no longer need to work the fields or perform corvée labor. Your only task is to train and follow the sergeant’s arrangements. Those who can’t keep up or express wanton disregard for the rules will be dismissed from the militia. In severe cases, they will be banished from the estate. Do you understand?” 

A chorus of thanks and words of gratitude sounded up. Yiyan frowned, “The lord asked you all a question, speak up louder.”

The clever ones instantly yelled, “Understood.”

Yiyan admonished once again, “Louder!”

“Understood!” They yelled in unison, their manner extraordinarily imposing. 

A faint smile finally appeared on Liang Feng’s face, “Enjoy your meal then.”

Instead of going first, Yiyan let Zhu Er, lined up at the front, receive his meal. He shook with trepidation as the servant handed him his food tray. Everything had been prepared in advance. There was millet porridge in the wooden bowl, eggs, pickled vegetables, and pancakes on the wooden plate. He swallowed and hastily moved off to the side, making space for the person behind him.

Just as everyone was picking up their meal, a couple of people tardily sauntered over. They just so happened to be Wang Hu and Wang Bao, who’d rushed ahead earlier. Because they’d run too fast at the outset, Wang Hu had violently puked from exhaustion. Wang Bao wasn’t that much better off. When they realized they wouldn’t be able to catch up, they’d discussed it with each other, then taken advantage of the fact that they’d once been guards and knew the estate very well, took a shortcut. Who could’ve expected that they’d still arrive late?

Breakfast was already being handed out. The two of them speedily hustled over, hoping to get a spot in line, but they were stopped in their tracks before they could. Yiyan hooked them by the collar, one in each hand, and dragged them into the hall. 

His actions immediately garnered everyone’s attention. Wang Hu yelped and bawled, “Whaddya think you’re doin’, you wretched slave?!”

Wang Bao, who wasn’t going to take it lying down either, kneeled pitifully before Liang Feng, “Honorable master, us brothers weren’t feeling well earlier, we’re only late cause we got loose bowels. This Jie slave’s clearly takin’ it out on us cause we’re folks from the Liang Estate!”

They weren’t simply complaining, they were trying to cause dissent between the old-timers and newcomers. Liang Feng ignored them. He asked calmly, “Yiyan, why did you seize these two?”

Yiyan answered unemotionally, “My lord, they lazed off and took a shortcut.” 

His response gave the Wang brothers pause. Wang Bao leaped to his feet and screamed, “Rascal, you’re making things up!”

Yiyan walked over to them without another word and kicked Wang Hu’s calf. A few bits of grass fell to the ground. He pinched it between his fingers and replied sonorously, “I chose a flat, open route without an inch of grass. There’s grass sticking to the bottom of your shoes and pollen clinging to your clothes. That means you cut through the shrubs in the rear courtyard and took a shortcut!”

Now, Wang Bao was tongue-tied. As luck would have it, a few green-faced men arrived in the courtyard. They’d forced themselves to finish running, despite their subpar endurance. Liang Feng had them brought before him and asked them, “Did you see these two running ahead of you?”

They were already exhausted to death, and were exceedingly vexed at seeing that everyone else was already digging into breakfast. They all shook their heads, “No, we didn’t see ‘em. We were too slow.” 

“Alright. Drink some water and take a rest then,” Liang Feng dismissed. Then he said to Yiyan, “These two slacked off and lied. How would you have them punished?”

“Caning!” Yiyan answered crisply.

“You…” Wang Hu was about to start spitting curses, when his brother Wang Bao promptly grabbed his sleeve, kneeled, and groveled, “We just had a moment of stupidity, please, spare us this time, on account of our loyal service to the estate!”

They thought that since this sickly noble gave out food and tax exemptions, it meant he wasn’t hard-hearted. Wang Bao knew that if they tried arguing with that Jie youngster, they’d only earn the master’s ire. It’d be better to show some tact and beg forgiveness. As long as they dodged punishment this time, there’d be plenty of opportunities to bolster their status in the future! 

But who would have expected that their pathetic whimpering went completely unheeded. Liang Feng spoke frostily, “Servants, drag them away. Cane them twenty times and banish them from the inner courtyard!”

That was even fiercer than what Yiyan had said. Wang Bao blanched, “Master! Master, but we belong to the estate!”

Liang Feng remained unmoved, a trace of annoyance appeared on his icy mien. What servant would dare disobey in such circumstances? A few of them instantly stepped forth and hauled the bawling Wang brothers out the door.

Black eyes swept over the soldiers, who’d fallen into utter silence. Liang Feng said impassively, “I can exempt your taxes, award you, feed and clothe you, but I won’t tolerate nefarious slaves like those. Any idler who dares to slack off will be dismissed from the militia without exception! Yiyan.” 

Yiyan’s gray-blue eyes glimmered as he stepped up, “Present.”

“Five days from now, I want you to choose five team leaders. Five men to a team, they’ll all be under your authority. Those who are unable to bear the training, dismiss them from the militia. All those who remain will become your subordinate soldiers. You have full permission to punish those who violate the rules. You will be held responsible for their conduct, and punished if they act out of line!”

“As you command!”

Yiyan’s resounding response rang through their bones. Many hadn’t even gotten to dig in when the two had been hoisted away; their hearts pounded with disquiet. It seemed that being in the militia was more difficult than they’d expected. What if they accidentally broke a rule and got beaten half to death? Of course, there were those whose eyes shone with ambition and fighting spirit as well. If that youngster Yiyan could be a sergeant, why couldn’t they muddle their way into being a team leader? 

“That’s all for now. When they’re done eating, take them to the barracks.” Liang Feng slowly got up and turned to leave.

After he left, Yiyan took a deep breath and hollered at the new troops, “Continue eating! When you’re done, line up and march to the barracks!”

The sluggish troops instantly buzzed with activity once more. Yiyan addressed those who’d arrived late, “You lot were too slow. You won’t get breakfast this morning. Figure something out during noon break.”

They’d tensed up when the Wang brothers had been dragged away, but let out a breath of relief at his words. Even though they couldn’t acquire provisions issued by the estate, they could still scrounge something up themselves. It was already more permissive than they’d imagined. Anyone who could scrupulously complete the course had some backbone at least. They all nodded and resolved to do better the next time. 

Yiyan didn’t pay them any more attention. After the soldiers had all acquired the food, he went and received the exact same meal. Noting that their harsh commanding officer got the same things they did, two pancakes and a bowl of porridge, the troops suddenly felt at ease. No matter how you looked at it, being a soldier of the Liang Estate’s private militia beat being forcibly drafted into the army, or planting fields for people. They had food to eat and lease land to claim, and they had opportunities to look forward to. It was far better than digging their sustenance from the dirt!

The courtyard gradually bustled with activity as they all started wolfing down their warm rations.

The author has something to say:

I thought for a long while yesterday and decided to write a little something after all. 

This story is called《簪缨问鼎》, 簪缨 (nobility) first, 问鼎 (contesting the throne) second. That pretty much sums up the layout of the story. It’s a “Qidian-type” story. The structure is similar to the《投资人生》story that Liang Feng is from. It’s a “when you’re poor, focus on yourself; when you’re rich try to make life better for everyone” kind of story. Although, I’ll try writing it to be more interesting.

This story’s probably going to be very long. Things are only just beginning. Much of the plot is still behind.

The story’s background is in Western Jin. Perhaps many people know about the culture of Wei/Jin, about the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, but there are some other things they’ve probably never heard about. For example, that He Yan, from the idiom “He-lang with makeup on,” died under Sima Yi’s blade, or that Ji Kang, who composed the Guangling Masterpiece, was beheaded by Sima Zhao, or that Ruan Ji, who “lamented at the end of the road,” after being forced to write for Sima Zhao, died despairingly a month later. Pan An, “with a cart full of fruit,” was killed by Prince Zhao aka Sima Lun. His whole family was massacred. Shi Chong, who was very wealthy, was also killed. Ji Shao, who was “like a crane in a flock of chickens,” died fervently defending Emperor Hui. Wang Yan, who “had the gift of the gab,” was buried beneath a wall by Shi Le, who’d defeated Western Jin’s armies, when he tried to negotiate with him.

They all came from powerful, influential families. They were all brimming with talent, all scholars who left their names in history. They all died and they died violent deaths. This is Western Jin. 

This is a story that takes place in Western Jin. Of course, that means the path that Liang Feng walks won’t be perfectly paved. Although this novel is still a YY novel, so it won’t be as dark as actual history.  It’s mostly for entertainment. I only hope that everyone who reads this will be able to find some pleasure in it.

Translator Note:

千金买马骨 is a saying that comes from a folktale: an emperor wants to buy a horse and announces that he’ll pay 1000 gold for a thousand-mile steed. Three years later, and nothing comes of it. One day a lowly servant stood out and said, “leave it to me!”

The emperor agreed, and three months later, he had indeed found a thousand-mile horse, but when he went to buy it, the horse was already dead. The servant thought for a while and spent 500 gold to buy the horse’s ashes. When he returned with the ashes, the emperor was furious that he’d spend so much on a dead horse. 

The servant explained, “The gold wasn’t spent in vain, once news spreads that you paid such a high price for the ashes of a thousand-mile horse, everyone will know that you genuinely love fine steeds and that you have a good eye. That way, there will definitely be people offering their horses.” Within the year, the emperor really had obtained three thousand-mile horses that their owners had willingly gifted to him.