CH 35

“The corpses in the courtyard belonged to Wang Hu and Wang Bao?” Liang Feng couldn’t help frowning when he heard their names.

Liang Feng had never intended to kill Tian Chang or the Wang brothers. In his eyes, they hadn’t deserved death for their crimes. But, he’d forgotten that this ancient society wasn’t governed by the rule of law; it was a time when subjects could usurp their lords, and princes could dominate court politics. When social mores were crumbling apart, even the barest hint of disloyalty could bring about dire consequences. 

What was even more annoying was that he still lacked personal protection. Because he wasn’t used to being waited on hand and foot, and because the Liang Estate was desperately short of manpower, he’d pared down the number of servants in the main residence several times. And so the gaping holes in their security had been taken advantage of by those who harbored evil intentions.

It seemed he’d been too naive. Liang Feng sighed and ordered, “Take them away and bury them then.”

Truth be told, it wouldn’t be considered overboard to flay the corpses of treacherous servants like these and hang their severed heads on the walls. But the weather was getting hotter by the day, and using their bodies as some kind of vague deterrence wasn’t nearly as practical a concern as disease prevention was.

By this time, Lüzhu had recovered already. She’d not only wiped her face but changed into new clothes. She exhorted her master, on the verge of physically dragging him away, “Master, you should bathe! Doctor Jiang said you have to rest soon!” 

Being caked in blood was indeed rather uncomfortable, so Liang Feng agreed easily, “Prepare some hot water then…”

※

When the soldiers arrived at the barracks, they were welcomed by not only a doctor to see to their injuries, but also freshly heated water, which the servants had originally prepared as a defensive measure against any bandits that might’ve tried to climb the high walls of the main residence. Now, the large barrels of hot water became makeshift bathtubs for the soldiers, so they could rinse off all the dirt and blood on their bodies. What’s more, clean bandages and concentrated brine had also been prepared for the purpose of attending to their wounds.

Coming back to such thorough arrangements after they’d just been fired up by their sergeant, the soldiers became even surer of the fact that they’d followed the right person. Yiyan didn’t stay to bathe. He headed towards the side courtyard that Liang Feng was temporarily staying in. There were servants standing guard outside, but none of them would stop Yiyan. He opened the door.

He walked face-first into a cloud of humid steam, saturated with the fragrance of flowers and herbs. There were faint watery noises coming from behind the screen. Yiyan instantly stopped. He hadn’t cleaned up yet and was still covered in mud and filth. His mere presence tainted the air with a metallic scent.

Liang Feng heard the door open and asked, “Is that you, Yiyan? Has the militia returned to base already?”

“Yes, they have.” Yiyan answered, unwittingly taking a step forward.

Slightly enervated from soaking in the bath, Liang Feng effortfully tried to stay awake, “What about casualties?” 

“Two people got injured in the legs, several in the torso. The rest are all minor injuries,” Yiyan answered. Though, he didn’t count himself in his report.

Liang Feng let out a breath. It was much better than what he’d been anticipating. With Jiang Da here, these minor wounds wouldn’t pose any problems. All in all, his priceless seedling of an army had been preserved; no one had died in combat.

“What about the enemy? How many deaths?” He continued to question.

“We killed over seventy bandits, including their leader.” 

Seventy? That was over half their number! How were the casualty rates so high? Liang Feng pressed, “What about the others? Did they escape or surrender?”

Yiyan paused, then replied icily, “We only took two live captives. The rest scattered and ran.”

It didn’t quite line up with his estimations, but then again, it was their first battle; some oversight was unavoidable. Liang Feng nodded, “Those results are already fairly decent. Tell the soldiers that their fields will be fully tax exempt for three years.”

Unexpectedly, Yiyan crisply refused, “You should be the one to announce it, my lord.” 

Oh? He even knew to let him, the head of household, confer rewards? Liang Feng chuckled; the youngster wasn’t a dense blockhead anymore. It seemed he hadn’t read him all those history books for nothing.

“Mhm, then it’ll have to wait a couple days, once I personally inspect the troops. Ah, that’s right – the captives. Have you found out where this group of bandits came from?”

“They’re from the Qingyang Stronghold! The ones who ambushed you before, my lord, were also their people. Five days ago, they caught Tian Chang and came to invade the Liang Estate at his instigation, using Wang Hu and Wang Bao as moles.”

Yiyan had indeed “questioned” the two captives very thoroughly and knew that the Wang brothers had already died. But to him, simply burying them wasn’t nearly enough to relieve his seething hatred. They should be decapitated and hanged, ground to dust and ashes! 

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“My lord!” Yiyan frowned subconsciously, “They’re only refugees, why should we waste the militia’s strength on them? What if the Liang Estate is attacked?” 

Were they really going to have to risk their lives for the sake of those lowly refugees just after they’d been sold out by Tian Chang? Yiyan knew that his lord was kind, but not to this extent! If the militia was deployed, then what about the estate? Who’d guarantee his safety?

Behind the screen, Lüzhu gasped quietly, “Master, your hair’s not dry yet, you can’t just go out like this.”

But she wasn’t able to stop him. Carelessly wrapped in outer robes, his hair still dripping, Liang Feng came out from behind the screen and said gravely to Yiyan, “That’s not the point. The Qingyang Stronghold must be dealt with. If we leave them be, then it won’t be long before smothered embers reignite. They’re greatly weakened; now is the best chance to exterminate them all! Those refugees are all innocent civilians. I can’t just watch them fall into the hands of bandits. To prevent good people from becoming outlaws, you must give them a way out!”

Using his soldiers to save refugees seemed like a costly act of charity, but he wouldn’t sit back and let the bandits have their way with them. Not to mention that the escaped bandits might very likely return to their stronghold and press-gang the refugees into joining their ranks. If refugees kept turning into outlaws, then the Qingyang Stronghold would never disappear; and, they would become their eternal nemesis. Besides, it wasn’t like the refugees were useless. Right now, the estate was underpopulated; he needed both more soldiers and more farmers – might as well take in the refugees and use their labor where it was most appropriate. It would be of far greater significance than simply defeating a band of outlaws. 

Suddenly, Yiyan was pinned to the spot. The person before him hadn’t dried off yet. His outer robe hung loosely around him, the barely concealed bruises on his torso making his pale skin even whiter in contrast. His wet hair draped languidly over his shoulders, dark and soft, with several strands reaching into and drenching his thin outer robe. He was beautiful, beautiful to the point of perfection, yet in a way that didn’t evoke profane intentions – because of his piercing gaze, his solemn dignity. The only thing he was ever moved by was human lives – innocent lives.

Yiyan flinchingly averted his eyes as if they’d been scorched. He lowered his head and said softly, “Tomorrow, I will overcome the Qingyang Stronghold for you, my lord.”

“Let ah-Liang choose a few more men to go with you. There is no comparison between the enemy stronghold and the Liang Estate. Be careful. Also, if there are any refugees that don’t want to come, just let them go. Don’t pressure them,” Liang Feng couldn’t help advising. Even though Yiyan had done well in repelling the bandits, attacking a stronghold and bringing in refugees wasn’t easy. It couldn’t hurt to say a few extra words of caution.

By that time, Lüzhu had come back with a towel, “Master, you have to dry your hair or you’ll catch a cold!” 

Only now did Liang Feng notice that Yiyan was still bedraggled as before. He said, “Yiyan, you should bathe as well, so that Doctor Jiang can treat your wounds. Don’t take it lightly.”

Tetanus and other infections could easily take one’s life. Getting injured in this era was no laughing matter.

Yiyan silently saluted and exited without another word. He took another glance at his lord, who Lüzhu had already pulled to the couch to towel his hair, then sucked in a deep breath and made for the barracks.

※ 

Early the next morning, Yiyan set off with the troops. The bandit’s hideout was on the nearby Daqing Mountain, only about a dozen kilometers away from the Liang Estate. It’d take normal soldiers half a day to get there by foot, but not for the Liang Estate’s troops, who had practice with long-distance running. That distance was but a mere walk in the park.

Even though not many had sustained injuries in the bandit invasion, Yiyan only brought ten soldiers along with twenty young serfs, since there had been several who’d strained their backs from overexertion and the estate still needed guards. Intimidated by the tried-and-true soldiers, the young serfs didn’t make a single peep of protest as they followed tightly behind the formation.

An hour later, they were at the foot of Daqing Mountain. Instead of instantly moving to attack, Yiyan sent out a scout to conduct reconnaissance. Shortly after, the scout giddily reported back, “Sergeant, I didn’t see any patrols, and the stronghold was rather quiet too. Maybe the bandits haven’t gotten back yet!”

Yiyan coldly glanced at the surrenderers who’d lead them there. They quavered and kneeled, “I beg ya not to kill us – I didn’ lie. Pretty much all of us came out yesterday. Even if some’a them got back, it wouldn’t be a lot.” 

After the battle had scared them witless, they’d truthfully spilled everything they knew. Nearly all the higher-up bandits had died at these people’s hands. It was likely that none of the bandits who’d returned was anyone important, and it was certain that none of them would dare cross blades with the Liang Estate’s soldiers!

Yiyan turned and said to the soldiers behind him, “Ascend the mountain!”

When thirty people went up a mountain at once, they were going to make noise no matter how surreptitious tried to be. But, they moved quickly enough that by the time the bandits realized what was going on, they were already at their gates. Yiyan glanced at the sentry on the corner tower and commanded, “Sun Jiao!”

Sun Jiao stepped up, nocked an arrow, and several moments later, the panicked sentries had been shot down. Yiyan gestured, “Fulong!” 

A Jie man along with five other soldiers immediately ran up to the gates. Half of them crouched while the other half, daggers clamped in their mouths, springboarded over the walls off of their compatriots’ shoulders. In the blink of an eye, three people had entered the stronghold. A few tortured screams later and the wooden gates creaked open.

“Attack!”

At his order, the soldiers hefted their spears and charged forth. The young men behind them weren’t as orderly, but it didn’t affect morale at all. They burst into the stronghold like a knife stabbing into flesh.

The remaining bandits exploded with frenzy, having already experienced how deadly those spears were. Some shrieked, some kneeled and begged for mercy, some tried to scale the walls. Yiyan ignored their pleads as he ruthlessly left a trail of blood in his wake. In less than fifteen minutes, there were no more living bandits in the stronghold. 

Yiyan shook the blood off his spear, then asked, “Where are the refugees being held?”

The surrenderer was shaking too badly to stand. He stammered, “The, the newly kidnapped people are all kept in the cowshed. And a few of the broken-in farmers and women are locked in the back courtyard.”

Yiyan instructed Sun Jiao and Fulong to each take a group of men and find them. Before long, the two team leaders gradually herded the prisoners out of their cages and to the center of the stronghold.

When Yiyan laid eyes on all the cringing, emaciated refugees, he frowned and declared, “I came upon my lord’s orders to annihilate the Qingyang Stronghold! Now that all the bandits have been slain, you can come with us to seek asylum under my lord. Or, you can leave however you please!” 

The refugees didn’t know who they were; at first they’d thought the bandits had succumbed to infighting. The piles of corpses lying around made their knees weak with fear. But suddenly these people didn’t seem to be bandits anymore, and they were all a bit dumbstruck. A relatively courageous farmer worked up the nerve to ask, “May, may I ask which lord you serve, sir general?”

“The lord of the Liang Estate, fifth-order marquess!” The farmer shivered when Yiyan’s icy gaze landed on him.

The bandits had abducted him to the stronghold as well. He was good at planting fields, so he hadn’t been forced to participate in all the robbing and murdering; and he was also good at reading people. He could tell that their demeanors were different from that of regular outlaws. The spear-wielding men aside, the youngsters behind them didn’t look wicked or deceitful. On the contrary, they were all rosy-faced and neatly dressed.

One was more likely to end up dead than alive when fleeing famine in chaotic times. Instead of taking that risk, why not go along with this lot! It had to be better than being enslaved by bandits! 

He hesitated for a moment before kneeling, “I’m willing to go with you, general!”

Once he kneeled, the rest of the indecisive refugees began kneeling one by one as well, their jumbled clamor filling the air. Ignoring the refugees, Yiyan asked of the surrenderers, “Where is your stronghold’s storehouse?”

※

After seeing the militia off, Liang Feng returned to his rooms and drowsily dozed off. He’d really overdone it the other day, especially when he’d used this frail body to kill those two bandits; he was hurting all over now. And to think, he’d used to be able to fight one versus five. Now, he couldn’t even think about exercise until his sickness was cured. 

Liang Feng napped for a while and wen he opened his eyes again, he found a little bun kneeling stiffly beside his bed. It seemed that Liang Rong had been here for quite some time, staring at him tearfully and pitifully as if he was about to become an orphan.

“You’re here, Rong-er?” Liang Feng coughed lightly and sat up. But the motion twinged his shoulder, making him hiss with pain.

“Dad, I heard you were captured by evil people yesterday!” Liang Rong sobbed as he tugged at Liang Feng’s sleeve, “Are you injured dad?”

Liang Feng, not wanting to frighten Liang Rong, hadn’t told him what was going on. He’d had Zhaoyu accompany him in his stead and excused him from paying his respects that morning. Somehow the child had found out about the attempted invasion anyways and came to see him. It was because their relations had thawed that Liang Rong had entered his bedchambers unhindered. 

Liang Feng soothingly patted Liang Rong’s soft hair, “Can’t you see, Rong-er? I’m perfectly fine, do I look injured? There were bad people attacking the estate yesterday, but they were chased off by the militia. Don’t worry, Rong-er.”

“Were the bad people very fierce? How did they chase them off? I want to learn too, so I can protect you dad!” Liang Rong, though his were still wet, grit his teeth and said determinedly.

Liang Feng couldn’t help but laugh silently. Still, it wasn’t bad that the little one was so driven.

“Of course you’ll learn these things in the future. Horsemanship, archery, leading troops and fighting wars. But for now, do you have the time to have a meal with me, Rong-er?” Liang Feng teased as he softly pinched Liang Rong’s chubby little cheek. 

How could Liang Rong ever refuse such a request? He nodded right away. Liang Rong had apparently went to find him first thing in the morning. He must’ve gotten quite hungry.

“Lüzhu, go retrieve some breakfast from the kitchen. Bring some extra sheep’s milk as well as a bowl of egg soup for Liang Rong. He’s rather fond of it.”

A while later, there was steaming hot breakfast was sitting on the table. Unlike other households, Liang Feng fed Liang Rong himself instead of having the nursemaid handle it. Liang Rong stubbornly insisted on using a mini pair of chopsticks, like an adult, instead of a spoon. Though, he was remarkably dextrous and didn’t make a mess at all.

Perhaps because he did too much vigorous activity the previous day, Liang Feng actually had some appetite – plus, he needed to recover his energy. He drank a bowl of sheep’s milk and half a bowl of bean porridge before setting down his chopsticks. Liang Rong had already cleaned his plates. Ever since Liang Feng had told him he’d grow up faster if he ate more, he stopped being a picky eater. 

Of course Liang Feng praised him for his good behavior. Then, he comforted him once again and promised to find someone to teach him riding and archery before Liang Rong obediently left with Zhaoyu. Without any distractions, Liang Feng’s thoughts turned to the assault on the bandit stronghold. It was, after all, Yiyan’s first time leading a campaign, and with only thirty people to boot. He worried that there might be unforeseen setbacks.

But, much sooner than he’d imagined, the first group of people arrived at the estate just after noon.

“All this was seized from the stronghold?” Liang Feng was slightly gobsmacked by the seven large carts parked outside, as well the various horses and livestock.

Liang Feng, to avoid restricting the militia’s actions, had only given Yiyan a few suggestions as to how to attack the stronghold and told him not to worry about capturing grains or resources. In truth, he would’ve permitted them to set fire to the stronghold if that’s what it took, so long as they ensured the refugees’ safety. 

And yet Liang Feng was still surprised that in half a day, they’d showily towed back whole cartfuls of war spoils.

Sun Jiao, who was the one responsible for transporting the goods, was a bit flustered upon his first one-to-one meeting with the master, “There’s still some more valuables on the way. Sergeant said he’d escort it himself.”

The Qingyang Stronghold had collected quite some wealth over the years. War profiteering was always easy money. Liang Feng abruptly asked, “Yiyan didn’t tell you to split some wealth amongst yourselves?”

Sun Jiao instantly tensed up and started shaking his head, “Sergeant said this all belonged to you, master. And that you should be the deciding what to do with it.” 

Liang Feng put his worries to rest. If soldiers were allowed to secretly loot and plunder, their moral character would quickly hit rock bottom. Then, it’d be difficult to rein them in them ever again. It was okay to distribute war spoils, but it had to be done through him, their supreme commander.That was the only way to keep hold of their allegiance.

Moving on to the next issue, Liang Feng asked, “What about the refugees? Did you rescue them all?”

“We rescued them all! Eighty-six people in total. They’re back there; they’ll get here in just a second.”

“Alright. Take me to see them.” 

He’d viewed many depictions of refugees from movies and the like, but upon seeing them for himself, he still couldn’t help frowning. These people weren’t hired extras with special effects makeup. They were gaunt and haggard as the most destitute African refugees. Most of the women silently stared at the ground with lifeless eyes. There weren’t any children or elderly among them either – perhaps killed by the bandits or starved to death on the road.

A brief pause later, he said, “Take them to the nearby creek so they can clean off all their ticks and louses while its still sunny and warm.”

Making the refugees take baths seemed really fussy, but then again, his own sergeant ran off to the river to wash up every day. Sun Jiao also knew that the master was probably a bit of a clean freak, so he led the refugees away.

Liang Feng said to Lüzhu, “Go summon ah-Liang.” 

Soon, ah-Liang arrived at the main residence and saw all the cartfuls of grains. He exclaimed with joy, “My lord, are these the provisions they seized? Wonderful!”

Liang Feng cleared his throat, “I’m afraid this might not be enough. They brought back eighty or so refugees from the bandit stronghold. I plan to settle them outside the estate.”

Ah-Liang’s face instantly fell, “Master, there’s not much grain in our storehouses. Why are you taking in refugees? None of them will be able to work in the short term. At the very least we’ll have to feed them for free at least half a month before they’re in any condition to work. Also, I reckon most of them have houses and fields in their hometowns and only fled cause of famine. What do we do if they eat our food then run right back?”

Liang Feng pondered for a moment then shook his head “It’s nearing spring harvest season. It doesn’t make sense to flee famine at this time. It’s more likely that they were fleeing war. Without powerful backers to depend on, nothing will change if they go back. The Liang Estate has both soldiers and fields. As long as they pay similar land tax as the serfs, getting them to stay shouldn’t be difficult.” 

His words did make sense. The Liang Estate could easily repel even a hundred bandits, weren’t they now a powerful household whose protection was worthy of being sought after? And besides, his master was still a fifth-order marquess, in name at least. He could levy as much tax as he wanted, independently of the government. Countless refugees sought shelter from noble families during troubled times – these would likely do the same.

Ah-Liang dithered for a second and asked, “Then, what about the grain?”

“Lets use some of the militia’s stockpile for now, until they’re in better shape. There’s large swaths of uncultivated land outside the estate, as well as forests. We could have them cut down some trees and clear out some farmland. With the extra cows we now have and some metal ploughs, they might even make it in time for summer planting season.”

“Another huge expenditure….” Ah-Liang sighed in acquiescence. 

Liang Feng smiled, “What’s there to be afraid of? Yiyan will be bringing the rest of the spoils soon enough. As long as we have people, we’ll always have the means to make money and foodstuffs. Make arrangements as soon as possible. Designate an area outside the estate, build some temporary shelters, and make a list of all the refugees’ names. From now on, the Liang Estate will be divided into the inner and outer estate, and separately managed.”