Translator: Ink Hub

Editor: Yoog

“Yunyang Pass… I’ve finally returned!”

Gazing at the ancient border city built of blue-gray stone, Luo Yu couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

When he had left this place over a month ago, he was still a green recruit; he had headed to the front lines with nothing but a broken blade. In the blink of an eye, he had become a standard commander, with dozens of comrades who had crawled out of the gates of hell following behind him.

Perhaps because he had stayed in those palm-sized fortresses for too long, the once-ordinary Yunyang Pass looked exceptionally grand today. Cavalry teams moved in and out, drums thundered like roars, and a solemn, murderous aura shrouded the city walls.

Thousands of commoners were laboring on the walls: some swung pickaxes, while others stacked sandbags. Most of the civilians were dressed in rags and were nothing but skin and bone; they looked no different from beggars.

The soldiers in charge of supervision held their reins, shouting and cursing at these laborers.

“Damn it! Stop dawdling! A donkey works faster than you lot!”

“If you keep moving like this, you’ll all be dead when the Qiang soldiers strike. If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you! Move faster!”

Crack! Crack!

Whips constantly lashed the backs of the commoners, leaving streaks of blood. Their eyes were filled with a kind of numbness and vacancy; they seemed long accustomed to such abuse and lived like the walking dead.

Some even collapsed while working, their breath stopping the moment their noses hit the dirt. The corpses were moved casually to the corners, waiting for wagons to cart them away for burial. A foul stench permeated the air.

“Damn, another one died. How unlucky. Drag him away, quickly!”

“These old things are truly useless. They can’t even last four or five days before kicking the bucket. A bunch of trash.”

The deaths did not draw any sympathy, only the disgusted glares of the soldiers.

Even someone with a heart of iron like Luo Yu couldn’t help but frown. To think they were so cruel; the lives of the commoners here truly weren’t treated as lives at all.

Among the refugee ranks, someone whispered quietly.

“Why does this feel just like the Slave Court? Did we come to the wrong place?”

The crowd fell silent. Did such tragic scenes not happen frequently in the borderlands?

Xiao Shaoyou also wore a cold expression.

“Most of these are conscripted laborers; some are even prisoners released from jail. They handle the heavy lifting: moving military supplies and repairing the walls. They do the most work, but they eat the least food.

“To put it bluntly, for these commoners, dying at the hands of the Qiang or at the hands of their own people makes no difference. Death is death.

“It isn’t just Yunyang Pass; the entire border is like this. If one day I held military power and repelled the foreign invaders…”

Luo Yu’s eyebrows quirked slightly. “What then?”

“I can’t say I would make them worry-free regarding food and clothing, but at least I could let them live like human beings.”

Luo Yu nodded secretly. Although this Xiao Shaoyou was somewhat unscrupulous in his pursuit of power, he wasn’t truly evil at his core.

Unable to bear looking at the corpses in the corner any longer, Xiao Shaoyou urged his horse forward, and the group followed closely. With Xiao Shaoyou’s centurion token, they entered the city gates without any hindrance.

As they passed the gate tower, Luo Yu looked around with curiosity. He noticed that the military flags on the walls didn’t just bear the character for “Qian”; there were also flags with the characters “Jun” and “Li.”

On the way to the military camp, Xiao Shaoyou gave a brief overview of the recent situation.

“In these past few days, it wasn’t just Jiming Fortress and Black Ditch Fortress that suffered Qiang attacks. Most of the twenty or so outer fortresses have been broken; the remnants have gradually retreated to Yunyang Pass.

“Currently, there are over ten thousand civilians and four thousand defenders in the city. According to reliable intelligence, the invading Qiang force numbers five thousand. This battle will be very difficult to fight.”

Luo Yu nodded silently. If five thousand Qiang soldiers were in the open field, they would be enough to slaughter the defenders completely. The solid walls of Yunyang Pass were their only shield.

Xiao Shaoyou pointed to a row of barracks ahead.

“This is the station for my hundred-man unit. You will be stationed here for the time being until the higher-ups issue new orders.”

“Brother Dong, Meng Hu, take the brothers and tidy up the barracks.”

Luo Yu gave a light wave of his hand.

“Same old rules: the refugees are to stay in the camp and not go out, lest they cause trouble.”

“Yes, sir!”

As the crowd dispersed, Xiao Shaoyou added.

“You should also get ready. Tomorrow, I will take you to see the commander of Yunyang Pass, General Kong Xian. You established great merit in the battle of Black Ditch Fortress; I’ll take you to claim your rewards.”

“Alright.”

Luo Yu nodded readily. Claiming rewards, his favorite activity.

“By the way, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Luo Yu suddenly stopped Xiao Shaoyou and pointed to the high-flying military flags.

“Why are there flags for ‘Jun’ and ‘Li’ on the walls in addition to ‘Qian’?”

Xiao Shaoyou clearly hadn’t expected Luo Yu to ask this. He said in astonishment.

“You don’t know about the Jun family and the Li family?”

His shocked gaze made it seem as if Luo Yu had missed something monumental.

“I’ve never heard of them.”

Luo Yu rolled his eyes. “I told you already, I lived in a small mountain village and barely visited the county town. How could I know about any Jun or Li families?”

“Fine, then I’ll explain it to you properly.”

Xiao Shaoyou sat down patiently.

“Our Longxi Circuit is divided into three prefectures: Que Prefecture, Ding Prefecture, and Bing Prefecture. Among them, Que and Ding are near the border, while Bing is inland. Each prefecture has a governor who holds absolute military and political power.

“The governor of Que Prefecture is surnamed Li, and the governor of Ding Prefecture is surnamed Jun. Every time the Qiang invade, these two families send troops to fight alongside the imperial court. That is why their military flags are also planted on the city walls.”

“Fighting alongside the imperial court? What does that mean?”

Luo Yu grew more confused as he listened.

“Aren’t they all imperial troops? Why distinguish between them?”

“It seems you truly are a country bumpkin who knows nothing.”

Xiao Shaoyou’s disdain grew.

“They are indeed officials appointed by the court, but within their respective jurisdictions, their words carry more weight than an imperial decree.”

Luo Yu was shocked. How could that be?

“A hundred years ago, Great Qian suffered internal strife that left the world in chaos. The government army suffered repeated defeats, and the rebels pointed their blades directly at the Imperial City. The emperor at the time was forced to decentralize military power and fiscal authority, calling upon the clans and local officials of the world to recruit their own soldiers to resist the rebels.

“Later, the rebellion was quelled, but the private armies of the local officials were retained. They are called Ya Bing, or ‘Teeth Troops.’

“The original intention of forming the Ya Bing was to protect the territory and people, but after gaining control over their own troops, the ambitions of the local officials grew daily. They gradually became too powerful to be controlled, and today they have grown to the point of standing on equal footing with imperial power.

“To put it bluntly, even if it is an imperial decree, the regional commanders and provincial governors can simply ignore it. The imperial court can do nothing to them.”

Luo Yu suddenly understood. This was just like the so-called late Tang Dynasty in his special memories!

Regional military governors became too powerful to control, and the imperial decrees were nothing but wind in their ears. They only nominally respected the emperor as the Son of Heaven, while in reality, they each acted as local kings.

“After a hundred years of development, it isn’t just the regional governors who can recruit Ya Bing now; even county magistrates and clan leaders can do so. Small-scale conflicts even break out among them to fight over territory.

“Small clans attach themselves to large ones, and large clans use their military power to seize as much profit as possible from the court.

“In short, whoever has the harder fist makes the rules!

“Therefore, the troops within our Great Qian are divided into two categories: one is the government army that follows the imperial family, and the other consists of the Ya Bing owned by local clans of all sizes.”

Luo Yu was dumbfounded. This was way too chaotic.

“Now, do you understand why two family flags are planted?”

Xiao Shaoyou said coldly.

“When the Qiang invade, the court sends troops to resist. The territories of the Jun and Li families are at the border, so they naturally send troops to join the battle.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Luo Yu subconsciously asked.

“If three forces are combined to fight, can they truly work together with one heart?”

“One heart? Hehe.”

Xiao Shaoyou gave a mocking laugh. “Won’t you find out once the fighting begins?”

“What about us? Are we the Ya Bing for some family, or are we government soldiers?”

“We are imperial government soldiers, of course! We eat the court’s grain and take the court’s pay!”

“Huh. Then why don’t you join those clans? With your talent, you should be more highly valued there.”

Xiao Shaoyou said coldly.

“These clans control the local military and political power but care only for their own interests. They are the reason our national strength wanes daily! A bunch of parasites!

“Following them is no way to build a strong army; one would be nothing more than a running dog.”

Luo Yu remained silent regarding his statement. It was hard to say whether the Ya Bing or the government soldiers were better or worse; at the very least, not a single one of the government officers he had met was any good.

“Forget it. No more talk.”

Xiao Shaoyou braced himself.

“Tidy up quickly. Tomorrow I’m taking you to see General Kong!”

Luo Yu stood with his arms crossed, deep in thought. He murmured to himself.

“According to what he said… if I have strength, can’t I also recruit my own Ya Bing?”

NOTES

Ya Bing (牙兵): Literally “Teeth Troops.” These were the elite private guards or retainers of regional military governors during the Tang Dynasty. Here, it refers to the private armies of powerful clans and local officials.

Country bumpkin (土包子): A slang term for someone unrefined or from a rural background who lacks knowledge of the world.

Running dog (走狗): A common insult meaning a lackey or sycophant who serves someone powerful without dignity.