Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 21: Dividing the Spoils

October 14, Year 30 of the Republic Evening. Ou Yang finally returned to 8th Battalion with his troops. Word of their victory had already reached the village the day before. As a result, all the villagers who hadn’t accompanied the battalion on the mission were waiting at the village entrance to welcome them. “Wansheng!” “Victory to all!” The Pai Jia held the highest authority in the village, so none of the Di Yi people dared to howl as they would in their home tribes to welcome warriors returning from a hunt, but they could at least cheer loudly in the manner of the Han people. Sure enough, the Pai Jia leader did not take offense; he even smiled and waved to the villagers on both sides, looking very pleased. Heheli, Wukeshan, and the others followed behind Ou Yang. They had performed exceptionally well this time and thus received generous rewards. It would take time for the powerful bows to be shipped from the interior, but the cotton jackets and fur hats were distributed right there in town—one set for each combat soldier. Auxiliary soldiers who had performed particularly well—such as Hamuha—also received a set, though the cotton jackets were made to fit adults, so when worn by Di youths, they nearly dragged on the ground. “When I get home, I can have someone alter it. The extra fabric can be used to make a cotton vest for my younger siblings,” the boy said, running his fingers over the broken-tooth necklace in his bosom, feeling warmer in his heart than in his clothes. The villagers followed the group to the Ou Yang family’s doorstep. This was where Ou Yang had selected conscripts before the hunt; now it was time to distribute the rewards. The main rewards were game: this time, they’d obtained bear meat, mutton, and some rabbit and pheasant meat, totaling over five hundred jin. The family of the fallen soldier would receive thirty jin, along with one shi of mixed grains. This was Ou Yang’s personal custom; under normal circumstances, fallen slaves were not given burial money. Each of the eighteen combat soldiers received ten jin; since the originally planned hunting expedition had turned into a military campaign, the eight auxiliary soldiers were also uniformly allocated five jin each, rather than receiving only their own game. Hamaha, who performed best among the auxiliary troops, was counted as a combat soldier and received ten jin. Hu Lanshan, as the sole wagon driver—a “specialized role”—also received ten jin. The severely wounded non-Han soldier, named Daha, had managed to pull through thanks to his robust physique and tenacious spirit; he was now able to get out of bed and walk on his own. To ensure he survived and to reward his bravery, Ou Yang gave him an additional ten jin as a bonus; furthermore, Ou Yang decided to betroth the Yi woman who had cared for him to him as his wife. The generous rewards drew gasps of astonishment from everyone present, and Daha, overcome with emotion, knelt before Ou Yang and banged his head on the ground several times in succession. The most generous reward went to Heheli—Ou Yang had always believed that his stepping forward at the critical moment had effectively saved his life. Therefore, Ou Yang gave him fifty jin of meat and three live sheep. Just as Heheli was about to kowtow in gratitude, Ou Yang threw him an even bigger bone. “Heheli dealt a severe blow to the enemy chieftain in this battle and assisted this official in beheading him on the battlefield. Furthermore, as the standard-bearer, he remained unflappable in the heat of battle and demonstrated exceptional performance. I have already reported this to the Lingxi Road garrison and the Imperial Household Department, recommending that Heheli be registered as a commoner.” Ou Yang pulled out a household register (equivalent to an ID card) and handed it to Heheli, who stood there dumbfounded: “You’ve done well. From now on, you should learn to style your hair like the Han people.” The typical hairstyles of the Di and Sheng Yi peoples were either a shaved head with a braid or, in the case of the Sheng Yi, a small “coin-shaped” ponytail. The Di people usually shaved the top of their heads and braided three to five small plaits around the perimeter. Once captured by the Empire, they were all subjected to the policy of “keep the braid or lose your head,” but slaves were not permitted to imitate the Han custom of growing and styling their hair. Consequently, the able-bodied Di and Yi slaves had no choice but to go completely bald, leaving not a single strand of hair. Binding one’s hair was a privilege—and an obligation—reserved for those of commoner status and above. This grant of status truly astonished everyone. Commoner status meant that his personal rights within the Empire would be fully protected—unless he violated military law in the heat of battle, Ou Yang could not beat or kill him at will as he might a commoner or a slave. In the Empire, for a military officer to kill a slave under his command was no different from slaughtering a chicken; killing a commoner was equivalent to the crime of killing a large animal; but killing a person of commoner status was tantamount to murder. Unless a commoner cowered in battle or disobeyed military orders, even if he committed a capital offense, his death sentence could only be carried out after the case was referred to the Lingxi Circuit for approval. This meant that Heheli had become the undisputed second-in-command of the 8th Company. In addition to his elevated political status, economic benefits naturally followed. At the very least, when purchasing grain, rice, and cloth in the future, he would be able to enjoy civilian prices without any quantity restrictions. The scene fell deathly silent. Everyone stared wide-eyed at the official appointment document in Ou Yang’s hand, their eyes filled with a mixture of envy and jealousy, before shifting to Heheli with ingratiating glances—if Ou Yang were ever absent, Heheli could temporarily assume the duties of the Jia Chief. Seeing that Heheli was still standing there frozen, his mouth agape and unable to utter a word, Ou Yang cleared his throat. “Elementary education is compulsory. Your children have reached the required age and must attend the official school in town. You’d better change your name—and your children’s as well—to Han names. It will be to their advantage at school.” Only then did Heheli snap out of it. He fell to his knees with a thud before Ou Yang, his voice already choked with tears: “Thank you… my lord… from now on… this servant will certainly…” Before he could finish pledging his loyalty, Ou Yang cut him off: “Stand up! Commoners of the Empire are only permitted to kneel before Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, parents, and teachers. If you kneel before me again, we’ll both be punished. Furthermore, taking a commoner as a slave is punishable by hanging. Now that no one can be your master, you must not refer to yourself as a servant to anyone.” “Yes… as you command…” By the time Heheli stood up again, the once-mighty old hunter was sobbing so hard he could hardly speak. In addition to meat, Ou Yang had also bought back a considerable amount of mixed grains. Each participant in the battle—whether combatant or support staff—received three dou. For those who did not participate, able-bodied men received two dou, while women, the elderly, and children each received one dou per person; this constituted the village’s communal distribution. This time, everyone was filled with excitement. Shouts of “Victory!” rang out across the land. After a long while of commotion and cheering, the crowd finally dispersed to their homes. By then, it was already dark. Ou Yang stretched, turned, and walked back to his own home. His house was a two-courtyard compound. On the north side were three main rooms—where Ou Yang lived—and two side rooms. There were three outbuildings on both the north and south sides. Outside the second gate, along the east and west walls, a livestock shed had been built with dry grass and wooden slats, followed by five rear rooms on the south side. A house this large, occupied by Ou Yang alone for several days, felt eerily empty. Fortunately, while Ou Yang was away, the village slaves took turns cleaning the first courtyard and the main compound, so it remained reasonably tidy—though the slaves dared not enter the second courtyard, which had become filthy after being unoccupied for dozens of days. In the courtyard of the first courtyard, Takurai stood with his hands at his sides. Kneeling beside him were the Di-Qiang mother and daughter—the mother was named Toya, and she was probably just under thirty. The daughter was named Tana; according to Han Chinese reckoning, she was fourteen in lunar age. These three were considered Ou Yang’s personal slaves. After making some arrangements, Ou Yang had Toya and her daughter move into the eastern side room; as female slaves, they were tasked with attending to Ou Yang’s daily needs. Takurai chose a room in the rear wing; in truth, he was more like a personal bodyguard. However, since Ou Yang currently had no male servants and Takurai had no family, he would have to make do for the time being. He himself didn’t mind this at all; though the room in the rear wing was small, it was built of brick and tile, which was far better than the thatched huts he’d lived in back in his tribe. Perhaps because Ou Yang had, in a sense, saved Tana that night, Toya had been serving Ou Yang with great care these past few days. She was now leading her daughter as they cleaned room by room—their primary task at the moment. On the way back to the army, Liu Chenyong had even asked him in a lecherous tone how he’d managed to win over this beautiful Di-Qiang woman so quickly. Before Ou Yang could answer, he put on a look of sudden realization and said, “They always say in Peking Opera that young ladies love scholars. Old Liu here never believed it before, but who would’ve thought this Di woman is the same…” This infuriated Ou Yang so much that he ignored him for the entire journey back. Three personal slaves, a hundred or so jin of meat, and several hundred jin of grain—these were Ou Yang’s main gains from this expedition. If it weren’t for the merits still awaiting evaluation, Ou Yang would have felt he’d come up short. ‘Qin Qing, Heheli, and all the slaves in the village are thoroughly satisfied with this raid. Why am I the only one who didn’t make any money?’