Chapter 29: Attributing Merit to Others

Inside the barracks, Pei Xiu listened to the proposals from Zhao Ji and Jia Kui, falling into deep contemplation.

Beside them, Wuqiu Xing brought Zhao Ji another bowl of rice porridge and spoke his mind bluntly: "I think it's difficult. By the time those people from the north of the commandery return, they'll have captured thirty or fifty men at least. Everyone will want a bite of these two hundred sturdy laborers."

Pei Xiu glanced at Wuqiu Xing, then looked at Zhao Ji. "A-Ji's idea is good, but as A-Xing says, the Commandant, Ma Zhi, will certainly reach out to claim these people. He will offer grain and weaponry in exchange. He wants the men, and he wants the horses."

"Seventh Brother, I don't want to give them to him. Not the living, and not the dead."

After finishing the warm porridge in one gulp, Zhao Ji continued: "Aside from those with wealthy backgrounds like Wei Zhongjian, Seventh Brother, and A-Xing, most in this camp are younger sons or concubines' sons. If we organize the pure-blooded Hu into laborers, it will make things easier for us; if the captured border people and sons of good families are organized into auxiliary troops, we will have men to stand watch and feed the horses."

"The sons of Han-Hu mixed blood can be distributed as servants to the meritorious soldiers. Officially speaking, with these servants to tend to their daily needs, the meritorious soldiers can focus on training and combat. Privately, with servants as guards, the brave comrades of the meritorious are less likely to fall in battle. Even if they return to their fields in the future, they won't be without the means of a wealthy household."

Zhao Ji paused before adding: "The men from the north of the commandery will surely agree. Jia Liangdao of the Granary Section and Jia Tong, the commander of the cavalry, are two; counting Seventh Brother and me, that makes five. With five sections and seven platoons, twelve men total in the council vote, we hold five votes."

Hearing this, Wuqiu Xing also urged Pei Xiu: "Seventh Brother, these two hundred captives cannot be sold cheaply. How can we let outsiders benefit? Before the Xiongnu raid, they provided no warning; since the fighting last night, we haven't seen anyone nearby lead their sons or clansmen to assist. If we sell the captives cheaply, who will dare to fight with their lives next time?"

"I understand A-Ji's meaning; this is to motivate the camp soldiers. But offending the local powerful families will surely lead to trouble. Our goal is to support the Imperial Court; if we are delayed by trifles, will we not hinder the greater cause?"

Pei Xiu truly looked down upon these captives. Under the inspiration of the Imperial Court's righteousness, he could easily conscript two or five hundred young men at a low cost to serve as camp laborers or auxiliary troops. The rewards from the Court were far superior to a few captive servants or horses.

"Seventh Brother has a grand family background; how could you know the hardships of a commoner family?" Zhao Ji pointed to himself. "With my own strength, when I lived alone in the wilderness, I wanted to forcibly abduct men and women for my own use. It was only out of regard for my village that I humbled myself and followed the law. Now that these captives have come legitimately, I do not want to give them up."

Wuqiu Xing spoke up again: "With Liu Fu here, the second platoon also supports us; we have six votes. Wei Zhongjian wants to win A-Ji over and won't get angry with him over a few dozen captives. Jing Wenqing of the third platoon, from Fenyin and Longmen, also fears the Xiongnu growing too powerful; he will also support us in keeping the captives."

Wuqiu Xing turned to Pei Xiu: "Seventh Brother, the Court currently lacks money, grain, and equipment. What meaning do rewarded official titles hold for the brave men in this camp? Since the White Wave army came to 'protect the Emperor,' even low-level soldiers have been given Colonel ranks. Who in this camp likes such Colonels?"

Shentu Lan, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Seventh Brother, if the captured Xiongnu men and horses are given to outsiders, let alone others, even I would be unwilling. I would rather execute the captives to present their heads and slaughter the horses for meat than give them to outsiders."

Zhao Ji added: "Seventh Brother, if you are worried about the lack of equipment and grain supplies, we can put our heads together and find a way. But these captured men and horses must not be given to outsiders. Why strengthen outsiders instead of strengthening our own comrades in the camp?"

Pei Xiu nodded slowly. "I have never been worried about equipment; we captured a great deal in last night's battle. Knowing Wei Zhongjian, he will naturally do his part to replenish the camp's supplies. A-Ji is right; it is better to strengthen our own comrades than outsiders."

Having made his decision, Pei Xiu finished the rest of his porridge and said: "A-Ji, go change your clothes first; I will go to persuade Wei Zhongjian privately. He cares much for his reputation; if we debate this in public, even if he knows it is right, he will be stubborn. Once Jia Tong and the others return to camp, we will hold a council; let Wei Zhongjian make the suggestion, and we will simply agree."

After a pause, Pei Xiu asked: "The distribution of the captured men and horses requires detailed discussion. What are your thoughts, A-Ji?"

"I haven't thought that far; I just feel that the men and horses we captured should be distributed by us. The Court is in danger and can hardly offer help. If we want to motivate the tigers of the camp to fight to the death, we must take what we need ourselves."

As Zhao Ji spoke, he accompanied Pei Xiu out. Outside, the three squads under his command were fully assembled, though only twenty-six men remained. Seeing Zhao Ji emerge, they gathered around, but Zhao Ji waved them off.

After seeing Pei Xiu out of the camp, Zhao Ji turned back and said: "You have all heard; I am going to distribute the captured heads among you. But there aren't enough for everyone. Geng Yu, who fell in battle, has one, and I will allot him two. The remaining three who were seriously wounded, all suffering wounds to the front, will each receive one."

Looking at the men before him, Zhao Ji continued: "That leaves me with twenty-two. There are twenty-six of you. Those with wounds to the front, step forward; let me see..."

Seven men immediately stepped forward, their eyes filled with anticipation. A swordsman thought for a moment and stepped forward as well: "Platoon Commander, I fought bravely; my comrades on either side can testify. It was only when the main Xiongnu force flooded into the training ground that I was wounded in the back."

Zhao Ji looked at the other swordsmen, and seeing them nod in agreement, he asked: "Are there any others who were wounded in the back during the chaotic fighting?" Two more men stepped forward, and their comrades confirmed their stories.

Zhao Ji said: "You all fought bravely; I will allot one head to each of you." He turned to Yang Ji: "Bring them to distribute."

As Yang Ji gestured for the archers to bring the heads, he said, "Platoon Commander..." Before he could finish, Zhao Ji stared at him coldly, and Yang Ji lowered his head, not daring to speak.

After the lightly wounded soldiers received their heads and returned to the ranks, Zhao Ji said: "I know some of you are not satisfied. But those who were not wounded in this battle either possess superior martial skills—making it easy to earn merit later—or they were trying to save their own lives during the fight, or they were simply very lucky. Regardless, they shed blood, and I will not let them bleed in vain. Who else is dissatisfied?"

After this round of distribution, twelve heads remained. Zhao Ji continued: "For the remaining sixteen men, regardless of whether you personally captured someone, I will put up another eight heads; you can bid for them yourselves."

Just then, Hu Ban hurried over. Seeing Zhao Ji distributing heads, he laughed, "Others are collecting heads, why is A-Ji distributing them?"

"Big Brother, you've come at the right time. Has the report on Rui Dan's death been sent out yet?"

"Not yet."

"Then please rewrite it to report that he died fighting bravely, and I will allot two more heads to him."

Hu Ban was astonished. He straightened his expression, looked at the heads held by the men, and said: "We must inspect the heads shortly to confirm their identities. Everyone, go wash them quickly; it will be hard to clean them once it gets hot at noon."

After Zhao Ji nodded, the men left with their portable rewards to scrub them in the nearby stream. Once they were gone, Hu Ban advised Zhao Ji: "A-Ji, it is very unwise to distribute your merit to others. The Court is in trouble and lacks good generals and fierce warriors. By scattering your merit now, even if Lord Pei wants to promote and recommend you, it will be questioned by others."

"Big Brother, if I report this to the Court, will anyone believe that I alone captured over twenty heads?" Zhao Ji asked with a smile. Hu Ban hesitated and said: "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that A-Ji possessed the courage of King Xiang."

"Before the battle, I was doubtful myself," Zhao Ji remarked with a sigh, then shifted his tone: "Merit can be taken at will. As a Platoon Commander, what benefit does it bring me?"

Hu Ban nodded. Once one reaches the rank of Squad Leader or Platoon Commander, promotion depends on the total captures of the entire unit. Since Zhao Ji distributed the heads to his own men, the unit's total data would not change. When the spoils were tallied and distributed later, they would still be divided based on the unit's total captures, and then redistributed internally. The only thing lost was personal fame—but could such fame really be kept hidden?

Hu Ban calmed his mind and asked: "What was your unit's total capture?"

"One lost in battle, forty-seven heads captured, two horses seized." Zhao Ji smiled and asked: "Big Brother, I have two surplus heads; do you want them?"

"A-Ji, keep them. A-Shang is not in your unit; it's inappropriate to share merit."

"I have no use for them, so I will give one each to you and A-Shang." Zhao Ji looked up at the sky: "Capturing more than four times but less than five times the number of men I have only grants the rank of Tiger Ben Zhonglang."

With thirty-one men in his unit, ten captures would promote him by one rank. After losing one man and deducting one head, he had forty-six left, enough to promote him to the midpoint of a Tiger Ben Lang, which is a Tiger Ben Zhonglang.

The ranks of the Tiger Ben guards, from lowest to highest, are: "Equivalent to 200 Shi" (Junior Tiger Ben), then "Equivalent to 300 Shi" (Tiger Ben Lang Jiang), "Equivalent to 400 Shi" (Tiger Ben Shi Lang), and "Equivalent to 600 Shi" (Tiger Ben Zhonglang).

A Tiger Ben Zhonglang is equivalent to a battalion commander. Above them are the Tiger Ben Puye and Tiger Ben Bizhang, who assist the Tiger Ben Zhonglang Jiang in managing the units. Due to the nature of palace guard duty, the management is not strictly vertical but cross-managed.

Basically, the Tiger Ben Puye bypasses the Zhonglang and Shi Lang to directly manage the squad-level Tiger Ben Lang Jiang. This is also called a Tiger Ben Langzhong, equal in rank to the Langzhong of other offices. The left and right Tiger Ben Bizhang are responsible for duty scheduling, while the Zhonglang and Shi Lang take turns guarding the Emperor.

Historically, only the children of nobility and high officials could hold such prestigious positions with long-term access to the Emperor, but now there are no such strict rules. The current Court is helpless, its throat gripped by Yang Feng; to this day, they have not yet appointed a new Tiger Ben Zhonglang Jiang. The Court is still holding on, refusing to relinquish this position.

However, Zhao Ji didn't care. If someone from the White Wave system were to come and take over his military power, and a stray crossbow bolt failed to kill them, he would simply draw his sword and charge over to cut them down.

Pei Xiu also had a side that was weak and compromising. To these people, this was just a game; if their venture failed, they could just go home and rest for a few years. But for him, this was a venture where he risked his life every step of the way.