CH 99

Writing the Thousand Character Text couldn’t have been the only cause of Duan Qin’s exhaustion and excitement. And a qualified advisor, upon discovering his lord’s intentions, wouldn’t simply proclaim their loyalty with empty words. There was a good chance that Duan Qin had already formulated proposals addressing the current state of the Liang Estate.

As expected, Duan Qin nodded, “Though your forethought is keen and judicious, nearly perfect, my lord, there exist three hidden dangers; one of which is the awarding of military service with land.” 

Liang Feng didn’t return to the head seat, sitting, instead, across from Duan Qin, and asked, “What hidden danger might there be in rewarding land for merit?”

“The military field system you have in place, my lord, is far greater than Wu of Wei’s, comparable to the military-merit social system of the Qin and Han Dynasties. The military fields belong to the soldiers, but as the soldiers train all day, they must be tended to by tenant farmers. Even as the military fields support the soldiers, they provide a livelihood for several times more people than there are in the army. Also, since military merit is rewarded with exemption from land tax, the soldiers must protect the Liang Estate at all cost, ensuring its safety and prosperity, to redeem that reward. So long as this system doesn’t fail, the soldiers and farmers will not turn their backs on you, my lord. This is the building of a foundation that will last a hundred years, and the true significance of your awarding merit with land, my lord.”

Liang Feng sighed silently in his heart; he certainly was astute. Most people would only focus on the losses incurred by exempting taxes, overlooking the fact that what he was exempting was the yearly land tax. After earning three years of tax exemption, one would have to guarantee that, in those next three years, the Liang Estate remained safe and sound. And those who’d earned twenty years, or even a lifetime, of tax exemption, wished even more that the Liang Estate would persist for a hundred years so that they could reap the benefits of their reward.

He was chaining everyone onto his battleship. The adhesiveness of land was far stronger than that of golds, silvers, and pearls. It was a marvelous tool that could truly impel them to never leave or abandon him. And when one fought to protect their homes and interests, their determination and will to fight was far greater than those who sold their lives for others.   

Judging by Liang Feng’s expression, Duan Qin knew he’d guessed correctly. His words took a turn, “However, my lord, the tiers of military merit you have set are too few. With only three tiers, the rewards are too evenly distributed; it is inevitable that they will become demotivated. The military merit of Qin was divided into twenty grades, thus were each and every one of their soldiers vigorous and valiant, daring to race to the forefront. If you wish to expand the militia, my lord, it is imperative to increase the number of merit tiers!”

“Noble titles are within the domain of the imperial government; how could a mere fifth-order marquess lay hands on it?” One needed status and authority to enact reforms, or else what difference was it from open rebellion?

Yet Duan Qin smiled, “You’ve mistaken me, my lord, power is the cornerstone of nobility. With a clear difference of power and privilege, what need is there for a title to distinguish the noble from the common? For example, the estate’s schoolhouse – only the descendants of those who have earned military merit may attend. Is this not a kind of special privilege?”

Ah! Of course! Liang Feng realized. Feudal society was, at its core, a class-stratified society. What a so-called noble rank signified was entry into a special class that received better treatment and more rights than the common people. For example, exemption from tax and corvée labor; for example, the right to not bow to officials; for example, indemnity from criminal penalties. That was the true nature of nobility, and the true substance of the Qin and Han’s twenty grades of military merit. It was like how, the fourth of the twenty grades, “bùgēng,” was only exempted from back-to-back military conscription, while the eighth grade “gōngchéng” was wholly exempted.   

The twenty-first century education he’d received hadn’t taught him any of this. Though there was still some degree of social stratification, there wasn’t anyone who lacked access to education due to lack of power. And there certainly wasn’t anyone who was barred from wearing certain colors of clothing, having certain hairstyles, using certain accessories, or riding certain vehicles because of their status. These all-encompassing restrictions on clothing, food, housing, and transportation, which delineated the boundaries between social classes from the very root, simply couldn’t exist in modern society.

That was precisely what Duan Qin had pointed out. 

But, would he really act in accordance with such a strict division of privilege? Liang Feng pondered for a moment, and helplessly realized that he couldn’t jump out of this hoop yet. When a certain society ran a certain way, reforms which flowed along the current had a possibility of succeeding, but those which went against the tide would certainly be extinguished. If he wanted to preserve the Liang Estate, he had no choice but to make concessions to this stratified society.

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Even though, as a lowborn, he too hoped that there was a path of advancement open to the lowborn, the rites and laws had been established for a reason and they could not be recklessly altered. 

Duan Qin, invigorated because his advice had been listened to, continued, “However, the matter of military fields must be kept secret, for it is too important. I’m afraid it would be inappropriate for it to be discovered. And whilst the size of the primary forces must be limited, the auxiliary forces should be enlarged, so as to allay other’s suspicions.”

The dynasty did allow marquesses who ruled a marquessate to build an army, but Liang Feng was only the lowest of marquesses, and did not have a marquessate. A militia of two hundred was acceptable, but suddenly increasing their numbers would surely raise eyebrows. Moreover, the tax exemption for military fields greatly reduced the estate’s tax income. Even if they could make up for the loss in tax income through trade, they had to consider the estate’s future financial pressures. So long as his lord was not conferred a larger estate, none of this could be spoken of openly. But, if his lord attained a high-ranking office, and was conferred more households, it would be another matter altogether.  

These were all gems of wisdom, and relevant to Liang Feng’s current endeavors – of course he recognized that. However, reforming the military system was not the work of a single day; it had to be done cautiously. 

Having received his lord’s approval, Duan Qin promptly continued to the next subject, “Secondly, you must take hold of the Taihang and Zhiguan Passes, my lord! The Liang Estate is situated in Gaodu, which will inevitably suffer invasion if you do not control these passes. Only if both passes are staunchly defended and unassailable, forcing marauding troops to take another route, will the pressure on the Liang Estate be alleviated.” 

Liang Feng said, “This is no difficulty. General Wu, who guards these two passes, has deep ties with the Liang Estate. The last time marauding troops trespassed these lands, he lost over half his forces. So long as he remains here, he cannot shake off the Liang Estate.”

“It really was the Liang Estate’s troops which exterminated the Xiongnu rebels,” Duan Qin said at once, his eyes sparkling. 

“Two hundred militiamen eradicating four hundred cavalry – it was a hard-fought battle.” Having no reason to conceal it now, Liang Feng described to him, in detail, the battle that had occurred, and didn’t omit the fact that he’d had Wu Ling use military rations to feed refugees.

“What a fantastic scheme, my lord!” Duan Qin couldn’t help but exclaim, after hearing Liang Feng’s account. The combat power of the Liang Estate was actually secondary – what was more important was how the aftermath had been handled. He’d pulled the magistrate of Gaodu and the general of the Taihang garrison onto his ship, and used military rations to save the lives of refugees. He’d obtained tangible benefits, gained two allies, enlarged the population of the Liang Estate and Gaodu, and increased his strategic depth; how meticulous his thought was.

“Still, simply guarding them isn’t enough. Additional fortresses should be built upon these passes so that they may become invulnerable to attack! And with refugees entering from Si Province, if General Wu was entrusted to select a group from amongst them to build cities along the road, then it will be failsafe!” Duan Qin added. 

That was another way of solidifying his control over the two passes. Now, it was too late to begin cultivating barren land, and Gaodu didn’t necessarily have the capacity to take in any more refugees. Better to let Wu Ling levy laborer from them to construct fortifications. At any rate, since the passes were so excruciatingly narrow, the cities didn’t need to be very large, so it wouldn’t cost too much money or grain. 

“It is worth an attempt!” Wu Ling had gained much at Jinyang. Since he would be guarding the passes either way, of course it would be better to guard them well. Convincing him shouldn’t be too much trouble.

“Once you’ve secured the passes, you should associate with other counties. Gaodu alone is far from sufficient. Only by connecting several counties, can you stand firmly amidst turbulent times, my lord! Presently, most magistrates are lowborn, impure officials. With your status as an assistant administrator of the general staff, it will be easy to achieve your goals.”

This, was an advantage that Sima Teng had given him. Even if he refused the appointment, it would become widely acknowledged that he had the capability to assume that role. If Liang Feng hadn’t the title of fifth-order marquess, others would have to address him respectfully as “Administrator Liang”; moreover, he did have the rank of marquess. That, plus the name he’d made for himself in Jinyang, and his new paper and white porcelain, was more than enough to compel those lowborn magistrates to scrabble after him like ducks!

Liang Feng understood his meaning already, “Shangdang must remain our foundation.” 

“Correct. Shangdang is a contested land, but conquering it is no easy task. Even the Xiongnu cannot overrun it with massive forces, as the Qin armies once did.  And with the Taihang and Zhiguan Passes in our grasp, no one will ever recreate the Battle of Changping. On the contrary, they would have to fear facing enemies both before and behind them. Thus, the only way to assail Ye City or Luoyang, would be to circle around through another pass, turning threat to safety for the Liang Estate.”

That was Duan Qin’s ultimate strategic vision. If the Xiongnu were to rebel, they would first have to duke it out with Sima Teng in Taiyuan. They couldn’t possibly bear down in force to take Shangdang directly. And with both passes under control, the enemy could not reenact the Battle of Changping by marching straight into their back line from behind. Thus, they could protect themselves while being surrounded by danger.  

Liang Feng exhaled a long breath, “It appears I will have to do as Lord Pingyuan did.”

Back in the day, it was because Lord Pingyuan had advocated taking Shangdang from Han that the Zhao armies were encircled and annihilated by the Qin, that the Grand Scribe said of him: “profit blinds wisdom.” Standing his ground in Shangdang, in the face of approaching chaos, and using it as his foundation – was it not the same as stealing meat from a tiger’s mouth?  

“Coveting a territory whilst enjoying a kingdom, how could Lord Pingyuan compare to you, my lord?” Duan Qin smiled, “So long as you weather the chaos, my lord, you will have the opportunity to advance. Then, your struggles will dissipate in due course!”

With reputation, meritorious deeds, and military strength, was there any fear that the court would not turn to him in crisis? He truly didn’t need to cleave to Sima Teng in order to achieve the status and station he deserved.

“Upon hearing your counsel, I feel as though my eyes have opened to the light,”  Liang Feng sighed. Before, he could only fumble in the dark alone, muddled and confined. Now that he had a reliable aide, he finally felt the burden on his shoulders lighten.

Duan Qin felt livened from head to toe to be praised so by his lord. He’d spent days cooped up inside, wracking his brains over these matters. The feeling of having his talents appreciated, of not spending his efforts in vain, was something every man of learning dreamed of.  

Shortly, the bout of excitement passed, and Duan Qin regained his calm. He thought for a moment, then said, “My lord, are you resolved to use the Jie people?”

The question was unexpected, but not strange. After all, most people saw the barbarians as a single entity; it mattered not whether they were Xiongnu, Qiang, Jie, Wuwan, they were just a bunch of motley barbarians. If the Xiongnu raised troops, the rest of them could only be enemies too.

Shaking his head, Liang Feng answered, “Yiyan and the others, I saved personally. They are loyal and fearless, and excel in combat. If I didn’t use them, allowed them to roam about and fall in with bandits, they would become a scourge. The barbarians are fearsome only due to their chieftain. When they lack a leader, barbarian commoners are no different from the Han people, save only for what they eat and wear.”

Looking at Liang Feng’s beautiful, serene, face, Duan Qin sighed silently in his heart. Without absolute self-confidence, how could he ever think to use barbarians?  

Emperor Wu of Han had had a general of Xiongnu birth, Jin Midi, loyal and devoted, who he later designated as co-regent and trusted to support his youngest son. While Emperor Wu of Wei commanded the Wuwan cavalries as if they were his arms and hands. So long as one’s grasp was firm, barbarian horses could be tamed into fine steeds. 

Moreover, his lord was known as a bodhisattva. This was all-important to the Buddha-worshipping barbarians, or else those Jie wouldn’t have brought their entire village here.

Duan Qin nodded slightly, “In that case, why not order those Jie to assimilate, and take on Han surnames?”

The author has something to say: 

As for the relationship between Lord Pingyuan and the Battle of Changping, there are some historians who think that it is his fault. When Han ceded Shangdang, Lord Pingyang (Zhao Bao) said that taking it would turn out badly, but Lord Pingyuan said that since it’s free, of course they had to take it, later on, he agreed that Zhao Kuo should be appointed as general. But in the end, they nearly got offed by Qin. This bit of history is where the saying “profit blinds wisdom” comes from.

(Records of the Grand Historian, “The Biographies of Lord Pingyuan and Subject Yu”: “The Grand Scribe spoke: Lord Pingyuan, a fine noble, gracefully flitting through this turbid world, he was, but he did not see the big picture. It is said, disparagingly, that ‘profit blinds wisdom.’ Lord Pingyuan was tempted by Feng Ting’s treacherous words, resulting in the loss of over four hundred thousand Zhao soldiers, and the near annihilation of Handan.”)

But there are also people who say that Qin would’ve beaten them up whether or not they took Shangdang, that Shangdang was merely an excuse, that Lord Pingyuan was merely a scapegoat.

The stuff about Lord Pingyuan in these couple of chapters are pretty much all based around that story. 

As for the Battle of Changping, it happened right around Gaodu. At the time, the Qin armies took a shortcut through Taihang Pass and Zhiguan Pass to cut off the Zhao army from the rear. And that is why Shangdang is so strategically important.