Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 16: The Return Journey

The 8th day of the 10th month, Year 30 of the Republic At dawn, Huang Junxian sounded the bugle. No matter how chaotic last night had been, they were still technically in a state of combat, and strict discipline was essential. The soldiers from each unit quickly formed ranks in the same order they’d departed from town. The critically wounded were gathered on several empty sleds, and the Yi women were still responsible for tending to them. Auxiliary troops guarded the prisoners—even the Yi people captured by the Di and Qiang were treated as auxiliary troops. Opening the door and catching a glimpse of two Di women emerging from Ou Yang’s room, Liu Chenyong slung his arm around Ou Yang’s shoulder and made a lewd gesture with his left hand, saying, “Captain Ou really is a man of passion—that’s quite something…” Ou Yang suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to punch that leering, sleazy face. However, Liu Chenyong was a veteran of the regular army; he was nearly twice as broad as Ou Yang, and Ou Yang feared he wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Besides, there was no way he could explain to anyone that he hadn’t touched a single one of them last night—he’d merely let the mother and daughter make their own straw mats and sleep in the corner of the room. People of this era couldn’t understand his sudden burst of maternal compassion—not even that terrified Di-Qiang mother could grasp it. All last night, the woman had been restless, trying with a trembling voice to offer either her daughter or herself to Ou Yang. It had infuriated Ou Yang so much that he had to issue a stern order for them to go to sleep immediately before she finally calmed down. Several Han officers stood on the steps, surveying the scene below. The combat troops were in high spirits, their formation tight and disciplined. The auxiliary troops, however, were in disarray due to the recent addition of numerous non-Han tribesmen of unknown affiliation, along with several hundred Di slave laborers. Their necks were bound together in strings of five, and they carried spoils of war—hides, jerky, and grain—on their backs. With such a massive and chaotic force, there was nothing else to do on the return journey—merely ensuring a safe march was headache-inducing enough. Just yesterday, the officers had discussed leaving a detachment of combat troops to guard the village, but now, upon seeing the situation, they knew it was out of the question. They’d have to consider it another time. “Withdraw.” Once again, a simple command was all it took, and the Yi soldiers—having already vented their thirst for blood and violence—screamed as they formed ranks and marched away. Ou Yang stared at the column of prisoners and counted them; there were indeed far fewer women. Yesterday, he had heard clearly that over two hundred Di women had been captured; now there were at most one hundred fifty or sixty left, and the remaining women staggered as they walked, clearly all bearing injuries. In contrast, the women selected by the officers last night showed no obvious external injuries aside from listlessness and bruises on their faces. Heheli and Takurai tied the mother and daughter up like dumplings and tossed them directly onto the sled. They were now the personal property of their masters; if they were to walk alongside the other female slaves and get jostled by the crude barbarian soldiers, it was anyone’s guess whose head would roll. The girl had been quietly sobbing the whole time. The mother, however, was noticeably calmer; she even gave Ou Yang a faint look of gratitude. That look made Ou Yang feel very uneasy. The burly Di-Qiang man killed by Liu Chenyong was either this woman’s brother or her husband—which meant, strictly speaking, she should have held a grudge against him. Had protecting her daughter for one night simply erased that enmity? “I still just can’t understand this era or the way these people think.” Unlike on the way there, no one was in the mood for hunting on the return trip. Their haul had already been extremely bountiful; including men, women, and children, the newly captured slaves far exceeded the original number of troops who had set out. At this point, it was naturally impossible to split into separate groups; after Huang Qianzong arranged the vanguard and rearguard, the various units simply mingled together. At this moment, the officers were most concerned with claiming credit for their achievements; the distribution of spoils had to be put aside for the time being. Consequently, all the officers from the Anxi Garrison’s Thousand-Man Corps headquarters gathered together, discussing as they marched—how they could maximize their chances of earning merit and rewards. The problem was that if that so-called Oak Empire truly had 30 million able-bodied men, a series of major battles would surely follow. Assessing merit in a war of this scale was beyond the authority of the field commanders; at the very least, it would need to be reported up the chain of command all the way to Xijing. Of course, there were also considerable benefits to this. In major wars against the great powers, the Ministry of War was very generous in awarding merit. For example, during the decisive battle against the Tatar Khanate, officers and soldiers at the rank of Assistant General and below were granted a solid merit for every high-ranking enemy commander they beheaded. If the Empire decides to go to war with the Oks, the heads of the Di and Qiang tribes probably wouldn’t count, but that lion who calls himself a prince and his dozen or so followers would certainly be awarded twenty or thirty merit points. Add to that the merit earned by our own unit for conducting effective reconnaissance in advance and providing the Empire with early warning intelligence… Even Huang Qianzong felt that a promotion to the next rank was not out of the question. That being the case, the orc merchant caravan that had once transported the barbarian prisoners of war absolutely could not be spared. This was a major reason why the army withdrew without burning the village—everyone was planning to use the village to ambush that caravan, which might return at any moment. Of course, there was another possibility—that the Empire didn’t view the Orcs as a threat at all, and that the envisioned major war between the two empires would never happen. In that case, the credit for this operation would depend entirely on how many connections the officers themselves had along the way. We must be prepared for both scenarios. On the return journey, Huang Qianzong discussed with the group who should be sent to the Lingxi Road Command to report on the battle—Liu Chenyong has connections within the regular army; he once served for several years in the personal guard of Zuo Yunyi, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Lingxi Road, so he must go. Song Wenmu comes from a distinguished family; several of his cousins who passed the imperial examinations hold high-ranking positions, so he’s included as well. Then there was Ou Yang; there were plenty of reasons for him to go. First, as a scholar (xiucai)—the only true educated man in the expeditionary force—he would be better able to communicate with civil officials. Second, that lion was essentially Ou Yang’s kill, and he was the one who instigated this operation. As the senior-ranked officer with the greatest contribution, he simply had to make an appearance; otherwise, people might cast doubt on Huang Qianzong’s character. Third, while others might be overlooked, Murong, the School Supervisor of Anxi Garrison—the highest-ranking civil official there—should share in the spoils of this operation. As a fellow provincial native, it was only fitting for Ou Yang to act on his behalf. Of course, this matter would first need to be discussed with the School Supervisor; he would likely not object. With representatives from both the civil and military spheres, this would sufficiently reflect the consensus of the entire Anxi Garrison—even if a major war doesn’t break out, shouldn’t Anxi Garrison at least receive more support to crack down on the increasingly restless Di tribes in the surrounding areas? Finally, there’s Huang Junxian, representing Huang Qianzong. Huang Dexia doesn’t have much influence; otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent nearly twenty years on the frontier only to rise to the rank of Huang Qianzong—and not just any Huang Qianzong, but one stationed in Lingxi Road, the harshest and coldest region of all. This young man is tagging along purely to make an appearance and claim a share of the credit. After all, he’s still the current commander, so the local military officers will certainly grant Huang Qianzong a little face. Politeness never hurts; naturally, everyone needed to prepare a few gifts to present to their superiors—local specialties like fine hides from their hunts and crystals from demon beasts. Originally, giving a few slaves would have been a good idea, but handing them over directly would be far too conspicuous. It would be more appropriate to find an excuse to “resell” them at a low price after the mission was complete. Since this involved everyone’s interests, the cost of the gifts would be split evenly among the families. Ou Yang gave a wry smile to himself. If it weren’t for the spoils from this expedition, he feared he wouldn’t even have been able to scrape together the capital needed for speculation. It seemed he’d have to venture out a few more times in the future—at the very least, to line his own pockets a bit.