Chapter 42: The Dust Settles

Amidst the drifting smoke, Zhao Ji entered the manor and went first to inspect the granaries.

There were six granaries in total, all built as elevated wooden structures to prevent dampness, yet four were filled to the brim. In one of them, he found unhusked rice. He scooped up a handful, rubbed the grains together, and saw the husks clinging tightly to the kernels. After sniffing them, he concluded it was last year’s harvest. Given that the previous two years had been plagued by drought, locusts, and localized warfare, it was astonishing that the Hou family had managed to stockpile fresh grain.

Zhao Ji felt a complex mix of emotions, unsure how to judge the situation. In reality, there was no lack of irrigation water in the surrounding area. To the south of Mount Zijin lay the Su River, which had been torrentially powerful in ancient times and remained quite abundant in recent years. Even through the droughts of the past few years, the Su River had not run dry and could still provide irrigation. To the north of Mount Zijin flowed the Hui River, running east-west, which eventually emptied into the Fen River near the city of Jiangyi. The Fen River was even more bountiful, and the lands along its banks were exceptionally fertile. Even the small stream in the village where the Zhao family resided had not run dry during last year’s drought, though it had become shallow enough to barely cover one’s feet. It would have been simple to build a small dam there to store enough water to irrigate over a hundred acres of life-saving crops.

The destruction caused by drought and locusts paled in comparison to the chaos of lawlessness and the ravages of disease.

Throwing the rice back into the granary, Zhao Ji stepped out and stood before the wooden stairs, hands on his hips, surveying his surroundings. Ximen Jian approached him, carrying a bloody head.

Ximen Jian’s face was filled with joy. "Chief, here is the head of Hou Jing."

Zhao Ji merely glanced at it before asking, "What are the casualties of the Huben?"

"Five men with minor injuries. Our unit has taken four heads, and the remaining Hou family retainers have been driven into the buildings by my men, as I did not order a pursuit."

"Very good. Where is Wang Fu?"

"He is currently patrolling and dispatching men to arrest the male members of the Hou family." Ximen Jian looked around and asked, "Chief, how much grain is stored here?"

"I do not know. In all my life, I have never seen so much grain." Zhao Ji glanced back at the granary. "We will only know for sure once we have the Hou family’s ledgers, but there is enough here to feed us until autumn."

Suddenly thinking of his own home, his mood grew heavy. He shook his head and smiled. "It is laughable; before I enlisted in the Huben, the lifelong dream of my father and brother was to accumulate an estate like the Hou family’s."

Ximen Jian smiled as well. "Your father and brother have great ambitions, Chief. My own father only ever thought about having a few more mares at home."

"In such chaotic times, excessive wealth is not necessarily a blessing. Your father saw that clearly." After a moment of reflection, Zhao Ji asked, "Have you notified the Merit Officer yet?"

"I forgot." Ximen Jian was unapologetic. "Chief, how should we deal with the Hou family’s women?"

"I think Wei Xing makes a valid point; this matter is not suitable for the Merit Officer or the Legal Officer to intervene in. Who do you think would be best to handle it?"

"Let me do it. Please allow Tang Xian to accompany me so we can inventory the gold, silks, and other valuables."

Ximen Jian did not fear offending anyone. Even a force as formidable as the Hou family had been easily wiped out by them; from now on, whether in the Pingyang region north of the Fen River or the various counties of Anyi to the south, no one would dare ignore them.

It had been a clever move—a night raid that crippled the main strength of the Hou family. If they had allowed the Hou family time to prepare their defenses, even the entire Huben battalion would have struggled to break through. The Hou family manor was only slightly smaller than a township, and their remaining retainers could not have filled the defensive line. Regardless, they had managed to conquer and pacify the rebellious Hou brothers at a relatively low cost. As long as the combat power of the Huben battalion remained intact, other powerful clans of similar strength would naturally be cautious in their dealings with them.

Hearing this, Zhao Ji turned to look at Tang Xian. "All spoils must be surrendered to the public, and rewards will be distributed based on merit."

Tang Xian stepped forward and bowed. "It is a pleasure to fight under your command, Chief."

"Good. I will not treat my partners unfairly." Zhao Ji patted Tang Xian on the shoulder. "Go quickly; we still have to prepare to intercept Li Le."

"Understood!" Tang Xian acknowledged, took a few men, and departed with Ximen Jian.

Zhao Ji left the guard unit to hold the granaries and walked down the main street. Perhaps because the Huben had maintained order and prevented looting, some of the women had emerged to search for their fathers, brothers, and husbands, their expressions filled with misery and uncertainty. Some who found the bodies of their loved ones wailed over them or knelt on the ground weeping.

Zhao Ji remained expressionless. Encountering a squad leader from the Second Battalion, he said, "The Hou family has rebelled, and those who bore arms for them are accomplices. Investigate the families of those who participated in the rebellion and demote them all to slavery."

"Understood!" The squad leader became invigorated immediately. He had long grown weary of the weeping and had felt a twinge of guilt due to his own pity. Now that Zhao Ji had provided a solution, he was instantly freed from his internal conflict. They were the families of traitors—how dare they cry in the streets? Would they be asking for compensation next?

The various sounds of weeping soon ceased, and Zhao Ji felt much more at ease.

He walked quickly to the Hou residence and saw the women and maidservants kneeling in the front courtyard. A few of the wives and concubines who had resisted had regained their composure and were staring at Zhao Ji with hateful eyes. Zhao Ji looked around and saw a dozen Huben soldiers checking the Hou children. Any male, even if dressed in the coarse cloth of a servant, was dragged away on the spot if their skin was soft and fair.

Seeing some pregnant women looking at him nervously, he walked over and said, "The Hou family has committed treason, and the crime extends to their descendants, but the children in your wombs are not to be questioned. However, once you are registered into the government workshops, you must remarry quickly."

"The General is merciful; this humble concubine thanks you for your grace." A woman wearing a pale green silk robe bowed. Her hairpins and ornaments had already been confiscated, and her thick, black hair hung loose behind her shoulders. The other women also offered their thanks. Zhao Ji said nothing and turned to leave.

One pregnant woman called out, "May I ask the General’s name?"

Zhao Ji paused and looked back at her, seeing no malice in her eyes. "Huben Commander, Zhao Ji of Jishan."

He walked toward the corporal in charge of the area. "Organize the maidservants here and have them cook meals immediately. Do not hold back on the ingredients; take the best and let everyone eat their fill! Tell these maids that whatever they did before, they shall continue to do!"

"Yes!" The corporal had been hungry for a long time, but without a higher order, he had not dared to direct the labor here. They generally lacked experience, and although they were valiant in battle, many did not know what to do once the fighting ceased.

Zhao Ji watched this without urgency. Experience could be learned over time, but their character and the spirit of the army could not be allowed to falter. He would rather his junior officers be a bit slow or dull than have them exercise "initiative" in the wrong ways.

Sitting on the steps facing the rising sun, Zhao Ji removed his helmet. Steam rose from his head, and the red cloth wrapped around it was soaked through. He took out the meat jerky from his pouch, pulled out a small dagger, and began to slice it. He cut across the grain so that the horse meat would be easier to chew and would not get stuck in his teeth.

The sound of hoofbeats approached. Wei Xing dismounted slowly and walked over with a limp. "Chief, after I displayed the head of Hou Jing, the people at the smelting plant surrendered."

"The smelting plant is important. What about the Hou family members there?"

"They led some guards to attack the Merit Officer last night and never returned; they were likely captured or killed by our troops."

Wei Xing sat on the steps, stretched out his left leg, and squinted at the golden morning sun before looking at Zhao Ji’s profile. "Who shall we send to manage it?"

"I think Ximen Jian is suitable; he is shrewd. The priority now is to stabilize the smelting plant. Once we defeat Li Le, we can handle the details."

"He is cunning and can keep the smelting plant under control." Wei Xing straightened his body slightly, leaned toward Zhao Ji, and whispered, "Chief, how should we handle these women?"

"Once their identities are verified, the Hou family women will be demoted to state slaves to reward our meritorious soldiers." Seeing the eager look in Wei Xing's eyes, Zhao Ji asked, "How many heads did you take?"

"Three..."

"That should be enough for you to be allocated one. Don't think about the principal wives of the three Hou brothers, but a concubine or a daughter of the Hou clan should not be difficult."

Zhao Ji was making a rough calculation. They had killed or captured many of the Hou family retainers who had resisted, and the wives, daughters, and children of those men would all be demoted to collective slavery. Much like the captured Xiongnu and Han-Hu children, they were to be distributed among the Huben. While this would increase the burden of managing human resources, it would immensely boost the army's morale and loyalty. Without economic advantages, how could they recruit new Huben soldiers or auxiliary forces?

Situated where he was, Zhao Ji had to consider every possible choice that lay ahead. Different choices meant different paths and different outcomes. His comrades, too, would either deepen their bond with him or gradually drift away, depending on their backgrounds, stances, and ambitions.