CH 36

Two more groups of people transporting items from the mountain trickled back to the Liang Estate. Yiyan arrived with the last group as the sun was setting on the western horizon.

The sky was dark, yet the Liang Estate shone like a lantern, welcoming weary birds home. But Yiyan hadn’t imagined that his lord would personally greet them at the gates. 

Stretching one stride into the length of two, Yiyan approached Liang Feng and kneeled, “My lord, I have fulfilled your orders and utterly annihilated the Qingyang Stronghold!”

He’d not only annihilated it, but also emptied it out, hadn’t he? Liang Feng smiled as he stepped forth and grasped him by the arm, “You did very well. Stand – let’s talk inside.”

His hand was a bit cold, either because he’d waited outside for too long, or because his body temperature was just low. Yiyan quickly got up and supported Liang Feng. Like the first time they’d met, he was bloody, dirty, and unkempt; that person was clean and elegant as ever, like a cloud in the sky.

Step by step, Yiyan’s heart began to calm – no longer wrathful, apprehensive, or lost. Everything fell into its rightful place, tied to the person next to him. 

It wasn’t long before they returned to Liang Feng’s bedchambers. He sat down on the couch stretched out languidly, “Thank goodness everything went smoothly this time. How did you break through their defenses?”

He didn’t even ask what was in all the stuff he’d brought back. Yiyan’s chest warmed as he meticulously recounted the process by which he’d taken down the stronghold. Liang Feng nodded as he listened. Yiyan had employed the same methods that spec ops used against fortified positions. Perhaps he could consider using special forces training to create a tac squad?

After Yiyan finished, he added, “I had everything in the stronghold shipped back, then I burned it down. In the future, it won’t be occupied by bandits anymore.”

No wonder he’d needed four trains of carts to transfer it all. Liang Feng asked curiously, “What was in the three carts that you brought back?”

“Money and silk,” Yiyan answered succinctly. “There’s also silver, gold, jewels, pearls, and some intricate trinkets. I suppose they must’ve robbed it off of merchant caravans. They’d hidden it in their rooms, too covetous to sell it.”

Wow! Three large cart’s worth – it must be worth hundreds of thousands altogether. Liang Feng couldn’t help chuckling, “This sure is an effortless profit.”

“I can lead the troops and attack other strongholds!” Yiyan instantly said.

Yet Liang Feng shook his head, “The Qingyang Stronghold was a special case. Their main force had already been destroyed, of course it was easy to assail their base. You cannot underestimate the difficulty of overcoming a walled fortress. Unless your numbers are several times that of your enemies, don’t expect to win without heavy losses. If the defenders are strong-willed and the city is well-stocked, they can last for years even when they’re outnumbered ten to one. Sieges often turn into battles of attrition. So, unless there is absolutely no other choice, don’t get any ideas about conquering a city.” 

Just like how, in time of the Southern Song Dynasty, tens of thousands of Mongol troops ground to a halt against small, insignificant Diaoyu City, “the place where god’s whip broke.” Not only that, but their commander-in-chief died of sudden illness, causing the Mongol army to fall into disarray, and changing the course of history. Building key fortifications at key locations was generally a key element of war. He couldn’t let a measly Qingyang Stronghold give Yiyan the false impression that sieges were a simple matter.

Yiyan nodded thoughtfully. But Liang Feng continued, “Besides, I didn’t train you so you could raid homes and plunder houses. No matter whether you rob civilians or bandits, both could result in serious consequences. All is lost once an army loses its integrity. You did well not to let them loot at will or unofficially issue rewards. Only with outstanding discipline will soldiers remain unmoved by immediate benefits.”

“Are you going to reward them, my lord? They’ve already received many graces!” Yiyan frowned. He hadn’t considered all those implications; he’d only prevented his subordinates from partaking in the spoils because he felt it belonged rightfully to his lord.

Liang Feng shook his head, “They should be rewarded for a victorious battle. Still, gold and silks sway hearts – it’s never the best way to reward troops. This unhoped-for encounter opened my eyes to a number of issues. I may as well take this opportunity to restructure the militia and increase their numbers.” 

He’d made a slight mistake. It was nice to have an army fully comprised of elite soldiers, but it wasn’t entirely suitable for the Liang Estate. At present, they were too short of manpower. If he relied only on professional soldiers, he’d never scrounge up enough to wage large-scale war with. Instead, he’d learn from the Tang Dynasty’s “local militia system” and create a reserve army that rotated between fighting and farming. And the professional soldiers amongst them would act as the very tip of the sword, where they were most effective.

That was exactly what Yiyan wanted to hear, “You’re right. There’s not enough people to attend to multiple responsibilities. You need an ample amount of guards by your side as well, my lord!”

It seemed the attempted kidnapping really had caused Yiyan quite a lot of distress. Liang Feng smiled, “That’s true. In the future, I’ll keep a team of guards by my side. The servants in the main residence must also be trained, to improve security measures. Though, those are secondary concerns. Most importantly, I want to set up a systemized reward system. It will have three tiers, and work as so…”

Liang Feng spoke with great enthusiasm, but the more Yiyan heard, the deeper he frowned, until finally, he couldn’t help saying, “My lord, there’s no need for such reward. And also, the number of fields seems too high. How will the estate maintain its livelihood?” 

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His policy was unremarkable when applied to an army less than a thousand strong. But once his soldiers totaled in the tens of thousands, the number of civilians that depended on them would be enormous. Still, that was a long way off yet. Right now, what he had to do was make sure that all the soldiers who’d shed blood and sweat received their due compensation.

Liang Feng was in an excellent mood after sorting out all his ideas. Yiyan’s eyes brightened when he saw that Liang Feng was glowing with passion, despite his sickly pallor. He knew his lord was kind, or else he wouldn’t have rescued them from the government soldiers, much less returned their freedom, but he hadn’t known that his lord was so farsighted! If he could administrate a county – or perhaps a province – who knew how many people would be spared the fate of becoming homeless and displaced, living peacefully and prosperously instead? 

No matter how the militia was restructured, it was his lord’s base of power. He would do his utmost to mold them into great wings that could bear his lord aloft into the sky!

※

In the barracks, the shared bedspread rumbled with snores. Sleeping in the corner, covered by a thin blanket, Zhu Er comfortably rolled over, nearly bumping into the comrade right next to him. But then again, they were both laying spread-eagled, so neither of them was really disturbing the other.

About another fifteen minutes later, Zhu Er yelped in alarm and sat up, “We’re gonna miss morning training!” 

His volume was loud enough to wake half the barracks. Instantly, someone yelled, “What’re you hollerin’ for? We got the day off!”

Quite a few people went right back to sleep at his reminder. Zhu Er’s face flushed. After he got over his embarrassment, he wasn’t sleepy anymore, so he crept off the bedspread and headed outside.

The sky was beginning to glimmer with the first rays of dawn. Zhu Er lingered aimlessly by the edge of the empty training field. It’d been three days since the bandit attack, but in his bones, he was still trembling the same way he had been when he’d slaughtered the enemy. His heart was still clutched in the grasp of terror and exhilaration.

He’d killed three bandits and injured two in that battle. After it had been over, his hands had shaken for the entire day, so badly that he hadn’t been able to participate in the attack against the bandit stronghold. Even now, he could still remember those gory, mangled faces, but strangely enough, they never showed up in his dreams. On the contrary, he slept like a baby. 

It must’ve been because those people deserved to be killed. Zhu Er clenched his fist, his conscience oddly clear. His household belonged to the Liang Estate, and he’d been born here. His land, family, and friends were in the estate – he couldn’t’ve let those bandits destroy it all. If those bastard thugs dared to come again, he’d make sure to kill a few more of them and toss their corpses to the carrion!

“Huh? Zhu Er, why’re you up so early?” Sun Jiao asked his subordinate as he came out of the adjacent room.

“Team leader!” Zhu Er hurriedly fixed his posture, put his right hand to his chest, and executed a military salute. That was also something the sergeant had taught them. He’d said that they’d be wearing armor in the future, which’d get in the way of a kneeling salute, and that using this formality would be enough.

Sun Jiao casually waved him off, “Don’t bother with all that etiquette. There’s no training today, so why’d you get up so early?” 

“I.. I couldn’t sleep, so I came to get some air,” Zhu Er said dumbly as he scratched his head.

“Haha, nervous about today’s inspection?” Sun Er glanced at the wooden platform that’d just been built over the last couple of days and said matter-of-factly, “I heard the master’s gonna hand out rewards! Maybe it’s some of the money we seized from the bandit’s den!”

“Really?!” Zhu Er was shocked, “If each of us gets a string or two of coins, it’s still a lot!”

“It’s hard to say.” Sun Jiao tsked, “Although, I also heard that the woodworks got a few rewards already. With how great we did this time, surely there’s something in it for us?” 

“Well really, the master’s already good enough to us.” Zhu Er mumbled timidly, “Just the three meals a day, the clothes, and the fields, is already really expensive. And isn’t it our job to fight in the first place? It seems a bit much to ask for more…”

Sun Jiao choked, “It’s just a bunch of rumors I happened to get an earful of, who knows? Anyways, this’s the first time the master’s inspecting the troops, so look alive, soldier! I’m not wastin’ words with you, I’m goin’ shooting.”

Ever since he’d lost to Yiyan, Sun Jiao had started sneakily practicing archery as well. Zhu Er alone had bumped into him quite a few times. He sighed as he watched his team leader walk away. Sun Jiao was right, he had to get his act together before they started doing demonstration drills for the master. He didn’t want to lose face for the militia.

He thought for a second, then jogged over to the well. The sergeant washed every day before returning to the main residence, so it couldn’t hurt to splash his face and freshen up a bit. 

About an hour later, after the team leaders harried everyone out of bed, they got into their new uniforms and retrieved the spears that hardly left their sides. After the battle that day, they’d issued a long red tassel to tie to the heads of their spears. Supposedly, it could prevent blood from flowing down the shaft and making their hands slip. It was an extremely practical accessory, and it looked rather nice too – made their weapons seem more impressive and imposing.

Once everything was settled, the sound of drums rang throughout the training field. All the soldiers, instantly recalling the scene of battle that day, gripped their spears, straightened their backs, and marched up to the platform.

However, contrary to their expectations, there was no soft couch or short table on the platform, but rather a strange tall-legged long table that was draped with red cloth and had something resembling a silver plate sitting on its surface. Still, despite being confused, they didn’t whisper amongst each other. They had that much discipline at least from all the standing in formation they did every day.

Amidst this tranquil and solemn atmosphere, two people ascended the steps. One was clad in armor, his hand resting on the hilt of his longsword, a hint of fearsome killing intent in his blue-gray eyes. The other was swathed in soft robes, his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, his bearing indescribably stately. 

Once they walked to the center of the platform, the armored man took a step forward and shouted, “All units – atten-tion! Salute!”

With an orderly clamor, they clacked their heels together, raised their right hand to their left breast, and executed the Liang Estate’s military salute. Though they were only twenty people, they exuded a sense of dignified gravitas when they moved in perfect unison.

Liang Feng scanned them for a moment, then nodded, “You fought valiantly in the previous battle, defeating bandits that outnumbered you five-to-one. Your courage and resolve are worthy of being rewarded.”

A few short sentences, and many were already blushing. They were being praised by the master! And they really were going to be rewarded? How come there weren’t any copper coins put on the table? 

Liang Feng didn’t drag out the suspense, “Henceforth, the Liang Estate’s military merits will be divided into three classes. The third-class military merit is as follows: every soldier who had part in achieving a major victory will be fully exempt from land tax for three years!”

A mild disturbance rippled through the crowd. They’d thought that even if they were rewarded, it’d be a few strings of coins at most. But three years’ tax exemption was another matter altogether. They all had ten mu of military fields – if all of it was untaxed, would they have the means to support their entire families?

“Third-class military merit can be accumulated. Each time you attain a major victory, you will earn three years of tax exemption!”

Now, even the steadiest of them started losing their composure. If that was the case, then winning ten battles meant their military fields would be tax-exempt for thirty years? Thirty years! That could last until the rest of their lifetime! 

Liang Feng ignored their agitation and continued, “Any soldier capable enough to turn the tide of battle and lead the militia back to victory will earn second-class military merit. Ten years of tax exemption!”

Everyone’s eyes shot to Yiyan. They’d all seen him risk his life all-out combat before. If it weren’t for him, they would not have won so easily. How glorious it was, to be able to single-handedly prise victory from certain defeat. And by those deeds, one could lay claim to merits that were several times their own! If one day, they became team leader, or sergeant, would they have the chance to obtain such honor?!

Upon seeing their heated fervor, Liang Feng smiled and threw them another surprise, “Those who suffer crippling injuries in battle will also receive second-class merit! For those who die in battle, the estate will not only exempt their land tax, but also provide for their widows and children. Those who earn twenty third-class merits or ten second-class merits will be honorarily conferred first-class military merit. For those who earn first-class merit, their military fields will be permanently tax-exempt and heritable by their children and grandchildren!”

Setting aside the bereavement indemnity, just the first-class merit alone meant that their military fields would belong to them forever! Just by following their lord, they could experience privileges that were normally exclusive to nobles and princes? What an incredible prestige! They were all speechless. Money could perhaps feed them for a time, but merits like these could guarantee them for a lifetime – could rouse them to spill blood for it, to strive for it regardless of any peril! 

They’d followed the right person!

“Willing to serve and die for the lord!”

Once the first person cried out, the rest echoed as well, “Willing to serve and die for the lord! Willing to serve and die for the lord!”

They truly meant it. They’d all grown up on farmlands; they’d all been born as farmers. They knew the importance of land and loved it with all their hearts. Whoever could give them land, free them from the burden of taxes, grant them lifelong ownership of their land, whoever was their god! 

Liang Feng sighed subtly at all the faces that’d grown red with excitement. The three-tier merit system was modified from a more modern military merit system. Another round of adjustments later, and it became tied to the Former Qin Dynasty’s “land grant system.” Legally speaking, he didn’t have the authority to privately distribute land ownership. In any generation, the only ones with the power to do so were the emperor and the imperial court.

But these were the times of chaos that preceded the fall of a dynasty, and he needed an army that was loyal enough and strong enough. Since land could maintain their loyalty, then he would overstep his authority and bestow his own land to those who would fight for his sake.

Liang Feng made a slight gesture, and their thunderous shouts instantly came to a stop. This is what it meant for the army to respond to the commander’s every will; it was proof of their obeisance. Liang Feng nodded and said, “This battle also exposed weakness in the Liang Estate’s lack of manpower. Thus, I have decided to expand the militia. Soldiers like you, who are only responsible for doing battle will be classified as primary troops; those who join will receive ten mu of reduced-tax military fields. The organizational structure of the militia will be as follows: a hundred men to a company, led by one captain and two vice-captains, five to a team, led by a team leader, ten to a squad, led by a corporal, thirty to a platoon, led by a lieutenant.”

Sun Jiao instantly became giddy upon hearing his words. If they were getting new recruits, then perhaps a team leader like him might be promoted to corporal, or even lieutenant, as a matter of course? 

Liang Feng went on, “I will establish another two companies to act as auxiliary troops. In times of peace, they will farm. In times of battle, they will assist you and receive pay from the military. One company of primary troops and two companies of auxiliary troops will comprise a battalion, led by a battalion commander. All those who are lieutenant or above will be considered commissioned officers. All commissioned officers will receive different amounts of military fields depending on their rank. A battalion commander will receive fifty mu, a captain, thirty mu, a vice-captain, twenty-five mu, and a lieutenant, fifteen mu.”

Now, Sun Jiao wasn’t the only one worked up. The rest of the troops wondered if they, as soldiers who’d seen battle and earned third-class merit, might be promoted as well? If they became officers, could they possess several times more fields than they already did? If ten mu of tax-exempt fields could support a family of three, then if they had thirty or fifty mu, did that mean they could be landlords with their own servants and tenants?

“This battalion will be named the ‘Bravesage Battalion,’ for it is written thus in the ‘Six Strategies:’ ‘Marshal into an army those who fear no death nor injury for they are “the ones who brave the sword.” Marshal into an army those most fierce, strong, and violent for they are “the ones who break the enemy’s ranks.” Marshal into an army those who are odd of appearance, skilled of sword, and neat of step for they are “the ones who fight with bravery and sagacity.”’ What I want is not a mob of berserkers willing to throw themselves upon their enemies’ blades nor a pack of lone wolves who know only brute force, but an army of elites who march as one with the drums and wield their spears in perfect order. You are the vanguard, the blade with which I protect our homes. Remember your designation, for, without a heart of courage, you are not worthy of being soldiers of the ‘Bravesage Battalion!’‌”

Then, Liang Feng retrieved two items from the silver plate on the tall table and said gravely, “Yiyan.” 

“Present!” Yiyan stepped forth and kneeled before him.

“These are the banner and the ‘book of merits’ of the Bravesage Battalion. The banner is the soul of the army. The chain of command functions when the banners are aloft and falls apart when the banners are destroyed. The ‘book of merits’ is the foundation of the army. It is the record of each soldier’s merits and military service, to be passed down for generations. I now bestow these to you, in the hopes that you will command this battalion. May you never be defeated!”

“I will not fail thee, my lord!” Yiyan ceremoniously received the two items, with both hands raised above his head. He stood and walked to the front of the platform, then thrust his arm forth and unfurled the banner.

“Glory to our lord! Victory for the Bravesage Battalion!” 

The word “Bravesage,” embroidered with gold thread upon red cloth, shimmered radiantly under the sunlight.

Everyone yelled at the top of their lungs, “Glory to our lord! Victory for the Bravesage Battalion!”

Their shouts shook the sky, reverberated throughout the winding corridors of the main estate, the broad expanse of the open farmlands, the ramshackle huts of the destitute refugees the deep valleys of the faraway mountain ranges, and on into the distance.

The translator has something to say: 

…… the translator dug herself into a pit by trying to translate all these (somewhat) made-up military ranks using modern military ranks as reference….. these might have to be revised in the future….. (๑˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥)

…… and the translator couldn’t find any translations of “The Six Secret Teachings” that are free, so this tl is really kind of iffy……