CH 124

“Liu Yuan has returned to the City of the Left Division and is currently amassing the Five Division’s military forces.” Liang Feng set down the report. Now that he was grand administrator, he enjoyed access to the official postal system, worn down as it was by years of war, although it still functioned fluidly within Bing Province. Information of the like that could affect the safety of a province would make its way to his desk in three to four days. 

He hadn’t thought Liu Yuan’s intended destination would be the City of the Left Division, the former site of the Xiongnu royal court. It was clear then how audacious his ambitions were. 

Duan Qin frowned, “His return can only mean that the Prince of Chengdu wants to borrow Xiongnu troops; but now that Ye City has been breached, he is a tiger returned to the mountain. There are possibly two hundred thousand Xiongnu households in Bing Province. Liu Yuanhai, if he were to revolt, could easily muster an army one hundred thousand strong.”

Moreover, the true number of Xiongnu might be even greater. Just the thought of so many barbarian horses stampeding towards the south chilled him to the bone.

AD

“Press the remaining few counties to collect their autumn harvest with all haste; halt the reclamation of fallow land; transport all foodstuffs to its nearest fortified location, and strengthen the cities’ defenses!” Liang Feng ordered.

They couldn’t afford to let their guard down at such a crucial time. 

“What is General Linghu’s situation?” Liang Feng asked.

“He has already appointed officers of all ranks. Defending Huguan and Bai Pass shouldn’t pose an issue,” Duan Qin answered.

In essence, they could protect the cities, but anything else was pushing it.

Liang Feng sighed, “If only commanderies were able to raise armies.”

That was another one of Liang Feng’s headaches. Under the laws of the Qin and Han dynasties, a commandery would have its own commandery army that the country could mobilize in times of need. But in the final years of the Han dynasty, provincial governors began expanding their armies, causing chaos by their power struggles. Having learned from the previous dynasty what not to do, Emperor Wu of Jin disbanded the territorial armies; the soldiers shed their armor, returning to the fields; military power became concentrated in the hands of the imperial court and the various regional commanders. Truth be told, it wasn’t a bad idea. Within a short time, the provinces saw rapid population growth and the resurgence of agriculture. What was maddening though, was that while the territories belonging to the country had their armies dismantled, the “privately owned” territories could still recruit soldiers and purchase horses.

Because the Sima clan had obtained all under Heaven through usurpation, when Sima Yan ascended the throne, he made princes of more than twenty relatives; the eight sons of his who reached adulthood were also granted principalities of their own. Thus, the Sima family controlled more than half of all military power. During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, his mere attempt at weakening the principalities provoked the Liu-family princes to rebel, setting off the Rebellion of the Seven States. How could the Sima princes, those possessing military strength, be willing to sit still when their current Son of Heaven was a doltish fool? And so, there was Empress Jia’s seizing of power and the subsequent Sima princes’ free-for-all battle royale.  

Liang Feng had no power to influence imperial court politics, but he sure could feel its consequences. The commandery had no troops. He could neither exercise authority over nor infiltrate Linghu Kuang’s troops, for they belonged to Sima Teng. If conflict broke out, he’d be putting his life in someone else’s hands, of course he was worried.

AD

“There’s no way to form an army within the commandery, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other options.” Duan Qin said, “Why not adopt the same approach as of the auxiliary forces; establish government farms, take in refugees to increase the population, and recruit soldiers from amongst them. Although it won’t be the station-field system in name, it will be in practice.” 

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Slowly nodding his head, Liang Feng said, “That is an option. It’s fortunate that General Linghu is stationed here in Shangdang; he could be convinced to make an allowance or two.”

Linghu Kuang had earned his most recent promotion entirely thanks to Liang Feng. As he was neither deceitful nor conniving, and was rather of a mind to repay his gratitude, his posting in Shangdang was most convenient for them.

“General Linghu asked only yesterday if he could enroll his youngest son in Chongwen Academy. I’m sure he won’t be an obstacle to you, my lord,” Duan Qin chuckled 

That was one of the things he admired most about his lord. He’d been able to attract disciples of the Cui family, prized pupils of the renowned Ruist scholar Cui You, with just a simple school. They were no inferior to the students of the Imperial College in Luoyang. They were great mentors that the lowborn could only ever wish to meet. And they were there in the Grand Administrator’s Mansion, teaching anyone who was gifted enough, regardless of class or status. Countless officials jumped at the opportunity! 

Perhaps there were no longer any truly prestigious families in the commandery, but even the minor gentries were tempted by the quality of the teachers at Chongwen Academy. And so, to satisfy everyone and to enable the selection of the best, the academy was split in two sections, one meant for children of the scholar-gentry, the other for orphans and soldiers’ offspring. What’s more significant was that, somehow, without noticing, all the commandery officials’ children had slipped into his pocket – a far cry from the way Yan Ji had kept their families under confinement.

Linghu Kuang might have come from an upper-class family, but he was a soldier all the same. He wouldn’t lightly offend Liang Feng, not when there was such an excellent school to send his children to.

“We’d do well to invite more academics whenever we get the chance, there is yet capacity for them in Chongwen and the local academies.” 

Truthfully, Liang Feng had wanted to establish an elementary school, but in this era, “elementary school” referred to the study of ancient phonology, in other words, linguistics; or, in its original sense, to primary schools meant for the descendants of the bureaucratic aristocracy. Obviously, he could use neither of those definitions, but simply calling it “initiatory school” was too crude, so he named the academy “Chongwen.” Although it was similar to Chongwen Institute, existing during the reign of Emperor Ming of Wei, it had a good meaning.

The school had received over a dozen students just after its inauguration. Intelligent orphans and the children of those who’d earned merit were taught literacy by average teachers, while also learning mathematics and military doctrine, in preparation for becoming entry-level civil and military officials. The children of learned families from ages six to ten, like Liang Rong, were under the tutelage of Cui Ji and company in the upper section.  

At the end of the day, though, it was only basic education. It was quite possible that he’d get the chance to stuff some more prominent Ruists into higher-level learning institutions like the local academies. There was no such thing as too much talent, so he had to increase the throughput of the instructional system, and soon.

※ 

“Battalion Commander Yi, are the primary forces you’re taking really enough?” Zhang He asked.

“I can’t take them all without compromising the Liang Estate’s defenses. There will be thirty cavalry and twenty saber-and-shields left in the estate. You have three months to build a new fighting force,” Yi Yan answered briskly.

Zhang He nodded at once. He’d been promoted to vice battalion commander for his valiant service in the operations at the commandery city, given responsibility over the forces left in the Liang Estate.

He and Yi Yan had returned to the estate for the hand-over of military leadership. Yi Yan, who’d practically brought up the militia by his lonesome, knew most about the security measures of and troop deployments around the Liang Estate. Being one of the first team leaders, Zhang He, of course, obeyed his every word. 

“The sentry stations on the mountain must raise their alert level and the guard changed every five days. Make sure that the people manning the post stations are also switched out regularly. Stay vigilant.”

Until the roads were fixed, they were the fastest way of communicating alarm, faster than the post stations by up to a day. It was one of the mechanisms by which the Liang Estate protected the nearby counties.

“Also, Wang Long and his unit will be reassigned to the commandery city.”

That was a relief to Zhang He. On the surface, it seemed that transferring the Jie unit to the commandery center was stripping the Liang Estate of its strongest troop, but in reality, it would lessen his pressure by giving him, a vice battalion commander from the serf caste, more control over the remaining militia, and prevent a schism from forming between their people. 

“Understood. In three months, I will have certainly trained up another batch of soldiers,” Zhang He replied seriously.

That was the answer Yi Yan wanted to hear. As his lord’s territory expanded, what had seemed to be a sufficient military force was immediately short on manpower. Thus, expanding the primary forces had become top priority.

Luckily, the estate’s increased household limit allowed them to further accept more refugees. Since his lord’s next step could be to raise another battalion near the commandery city, the preparations here became all the more important.

Even so, he was confident in Zhang He’s capabilities. The man was smooth and sly, reliable, and had the strongest desire for self-improvement out of nearly everyone in the militia – after all, he’d been the first one to willingly take classes in the schoolhouse. Still, looking at Zhang He, he said, “Your family can settle in the commandery city as well. I will see to their housing.”  

Zhang He laughed, “I’ve only got my old ma and little sister, but it’d be great if they could live in the commandery city. Too bad I haven’t got a wife and kids yet or I could send em to Chongwen Academy.”

Yi Yan was mildly surprised, “Why haven’t you married?”

There were indeed serfs in the Liang Estate, that, due to their poverty, weren’t able to get a wife until they were in their twenties. But anyone who entered the militia was fought over by prospective families from miles around, looking to marry their daughters off, let alone an “up-and-comer” like Zhang He, who’d climbed his way up from team leader. If he expressed any desire for a wife at all, his threshold just might be worn down to the ground. 

“Last year, I was only a foot soldier, but this year, I’m already vice battalion commander. If I’d married back then, won’t I have missed a better match? As long as I keep following the lord, I’ll marry a noble girl sooner or later,” Zhang He replied, with open candor.  

How brazen he was! How could a mere serf ever bridge the chasm of class and marry a noble girl? The gentry aside, even the average yeoman was too high a target for him to reach. Yet, Zhang He brimmed with self-assurance, with absolute belief that he could one stand on equal level with the nobles. Then again, rising step by step through military accomplishment was not impossible in these chaotic times.

Yi Yan felt a stabbing pain in his chest. After a moment, he coolly said, “Well, you can send your relatives to the commandery city then.”

Saying that, he strode towards another watchtower. Knowing he couldn’t lag behind, Zhang He rushed to catch up.

※ 

“Ji’en, you must’ve had a hard journey. Your residence has been provided for; you can move your family in anytime.” Jiang Da’s return from Tongdi was a breath of relief.

Due to overwork and lack of rest, his condition had become somewhat worrying. Naturally, he was glad to see his health provider return. Moreover, he was his expert in disease control who could set up a hospital in the commandery and teach it to others. That would considerably lower the risk of an outbreak in Shangdang.

Jiang Da was moved, not anticipating that his lord would go as far as to arrange a residence for him, and said, “Thank you for your consideration, my lord. On this return to Lu City, I brought along several kinsmen, all excellent practitioners of the Jiang family. Ah, and also, there’s someone I simply must introduce to you, my lord! He is a man of Danyang Jurong, come north to search for pill formulas. It is after hearing of your distinguished reputation that he accepted my invitation. And he is the great-grandnephew of Supreme Immortal Elder Ge, disciple of Zheng Siyuan, master of alchemy and cultivation. With his aid, you could sooner convalesce!”

Liang Feng felt awkward. It was one thing to find a doctor for him, but some old immortal’s disciple? Jiang Da must have been conned, right? Or did he want him to use immortality pills? He’d suffered enough from cold-food powder, and would rather not ingest any more heavy metals, thank you very much! 

Well, he couldn’t just say it like that. Liang Feng cleared his throat, “I hadn’t imagined that anyone could earn such praise from you, Ji’en. And just what might his name be?”

“He has the surname of Ge; name, Hong; courtesy name, Zhichuan. He’s waiting outside right this very moment; if you please, my lord, I will bring him over at once!” Jiang Da said excitedly. It seemed he truly did think highly of him.

“Well……,” Liang Feng was just about to say: it’s not so urgent that it can’t wait till tomorrow. Abruptly, he paused. Wait, his name was Ge Hong? Why did the name sound so familiar? 

Ge Hong….. Immortal Elder Ge…. in a flash, the memory came back to him. Liang Feng couldn’t help but smile, could it really be that Ge Hong?! 

“Quick, see him in! No, I’ll greet him myself instead!” Without further hesitation, Liang Feng shot up to his feet and dragged Jiang Da outside.