Chapter 108: Traveling With Refugees
In the Da Yao imperial court. Emperor Shu had just withdrawn from the morning court session today. A eunuch beside him helped remove his court robes, but he did not relax. Memorials were still laid out before him.
Among them, the memorials from the Mobei tribes under attack and seeking aid were all held down by a white jade paperweight. These tribes that collectively submitted to the Da Yao Emperor fifteen years ago were one of the typical examples of Emperor Shu’s civil and military achievements back then. But now, signs of disloyalty had appeared.
Emperor Shu tossed this memorial into the waste pile. As the troop strength on the Northern Front’s borders began to develop into a fiefdom system, the Imperial Court had lost the ability to dispatch excess troops. It could only use finances to constrain the fiefdoms to guard their territories, but could not order the four fiefdoms to go to war. The court’s financial resources were already stretched thin.
This was completely different from a hundred years ago, when the Da Yao Emperor could retrieve the tiger tally and strip a general of military power.
Emperor Shu picked up another memorial, paused slightly, and said with a hint of surprise, “Finally arriving in the capital soon?”
This memorial reported that Gong Qian’s group had led Wu Fei back. Three months ago, just as the busy Emperor Shu was about to forget that the Wu Family in the south owed the court a hostage, this imperial envoy sent a letter saying he had already set off to return and report on his duties, requesting that various local prefectures facilitate his journey.
The imperial envoy had lingered outside for two years—how was Emperor Shu only reacting now? Because he simply did not care, just like a small pebble tossed away casually.
The imperial envoy served to represent and strengthen royal authority. Those sent to the border and to places not fully submitting to royal rule were all marginal figures in the court. For example, the previous imperial envoy sent to Prince Lelang was a wandering rogue recruited from below.
As long as these rogue imperial envoys did not die or rebel outside, there was no problem.
As for the imperial envoy lingering? Da Yao was vast, with distant roads; it was common to go months or half a year without returning, so why would the emperor wait at home every day for letters? Over time, they were thrown to the back of the mind.
Due to the emperor’s indifference, sometimes these rogue imperial envoys, to attract the monarch’s attention, would even stage performance art in foreign lands, getting themselves killed to remind the monarch to properly value them and their families.
Now, Emperor Shu glanced at the position of Gong Qian’s group on the Map of Mountains and Rivers, recalling the “fiery red” streak calculated from the south a month ago. Surprised in his heart, he idly toyed with the local reports of the imperial envoy passing through: “Right, what did I say back then to reward the hostage upon arriving in the capital?”
For the moment, he had even forgotten about marrying an imperial family noble lady. After all, his decision at the time was to keep the Wu Family disciple in hand, so Wu Hanluan would not harbor any ideas.
…Perspective shift to this side…
Upon becoming an ant under heaven and earth, Wu Fei could sense the disharmonious tilts in heaven and earth even more than when he was originally in the box.
Da Yao’s Way of Heaven was biased. For example, from the Da Yao center to the outside world, the extreme heat and drought became increasingly unstable in terms of seasonal nodes; some places often had one year of flooding, with rivers expanding over thirty kilometers wide—the southern border’s some barren mountains and treacherous waters were like this.
While in certain years, it was so parched that weeds grew thick. As a result, many ferocious species in the southern border were either short-lived with one-year lifespans, or monsters that hibernated intermittently, awakening from hibernation to become extremely brutal and gluttonous. Of course, now with tamed beasts placed, it was much better.
Heading north, Wu Fei felt the disharmony between human affairs and mountains and rivers sharply increasing. This disharmony was evidently influenced by the northern warfare.
It was said that for warfare, many tamed beasts suppressing mountains and rivers within Da Yao had been pulled out, causing the northern seasonal nodes to become disordered.
Rumors said some places even frequently had snow in June. For this, Hao State used “sacrifices” to appease heaven and earth, ensuring favorable weather and peace in all directions. But Da Yao, having been stable too long, had not adapted to the cruel era of collapse after human affairs were destroyed.
…Transit documents being stamped one by one…
In the caravan, as sunlight shone or a breeze blew past, Wu Fei’s aura grew increasingly harmonious.
These past few days, as his observations of heaven and earth became clearer, he discovered that some tiny qi flowing in his body was of the same origin as heaven and earth qi. It could be drawn and strengthened by the qi flowing between heaven and earth. The process of strengthening this internal qi was like magnetizing metal powder in a magnetic field, or like creating a small capacitor ring corresponding to a large charged one to borrow electricity remotely.
After careful sensing, Wu Fei confirmed these tiny qi were not growing by absorbing him, but by drawing energy from outside. If it were absorbing him to grow, it would be a parasite, and Wu Fei would call the system to work and cure him. But now, “photosynthesis” outward—that was not just a potted plant?
As the successor to the farming and war bloodline, no conditions meant raising a potted plant in the office; with conditions, find some soil and plant something.
Wu Fei screened out several thousand faint auras in his body that corresponded to external flows. And after precisely locking onto seventy-two strong periodic auras outside via Yao calculation, he focused on cultivating these seventy-two auras.
Thus, Wu Fei’s magic system attributes began awakening.
The sensing between his internal aura and heaven and earth qi grew stronger; now Wu Fei could mobilize these strands of aura power from the surrounding environment.
But with Xuan Chong present, he could set up many “potential energy” release points in the field; these potential energies could summon flames, or make stones precipitate metal (turn stone into gold).
Wu Fei was well aware he was cultivating the Dao; it was just that the system was biased against the word “cultivation,” so he did not bother asking it.
Moreover, Wu Fei was no longer fanatically enthusiastic about cultivating immortality like before, just as adults lose interest in children’s shows like Teletubbies. Thus, now everything followed affinity.
Wu Fei raised his hand and flicked out a few strands of high-concentration alcohol mist; the mist precisely entered the noses of those doing reconnaissance beside the caravan, making them drowsy.
By the time these reconnaissance guys woke up, only wheel tracks remained on the road.
…Martial world hearts complex…
Before arriving at the Da Yao Capital City, there were already three waves of merchant caravans tailing Wu Fei’s caravan; behind the merchant caravans was a refugee group of several hundred people—some were opera troupes, some were escort agencies, and others were fleeing disaster.
The reason the merchant caravans followed near Wu Fei’s group was to rely on a big tree for shade.
Wu Fei’s group was escorted by troops. Along the way, there were often bandits blocking and robbing; even without bandits, people away from home are despised—passing some villages, local strongmen would forcibly intercept on the road and buy men and women by force.
Just as animals in nature like to move in groups, humans, when moving to another place with nothing, also like to band together.
Thus, it was not just Wu Fei’s current group; in recent years, when some great clans of Da Yao migrated, they would also have nearly ten times as many refugees following. Sometimes too many followers even risked uprising, forcing the migrating powerful clans to drive away these refugees and keep them from following.
The martial world had stories like this: during a famine year, a landlord fled with his family, followed by a massive refugee group over twenty times their size. Halfway, cooking pots triggered chaos behind, and among such a large refugee mass, there were always bold ones with incitement ability; plus twenty times the numbers emboldened them. Driven by hunger, they turned on the landlord. Under fierce charge, the landlord’s estate guards could not fend off twenty fists, resulting in the entire landlord family dying, and the female dependents even being violated.
Of course, there were other versions of these stories: the landlord, fleeing halfway, was suddenly “hailed” by refugees as rebel army leader and directly attacked the county city.
Wu Fei smiled at this: “Hailed by several hundred refugees with hunger-reddened eyes—which scholar would dare refuse in this situation? By the way, if these refugees drag me in and I ‘helplessly’ become their leader, what then?”
When Wu Fei first led troops, the first thing was to observe the soldiers’ mindsets below. Orders given must not too much violate the officers and soldiers’ loyal hearts.
Of course, the current imperial envoy group had no need to drive away refugees.
The foremost imperial envoy caravan now had bright flags, and fifty armored soldiers escorting. This was enough to deter ninety-nine percent of roadside bandits.
Most bandits had no armor. A single armored soldier in one-on-one could kill four or five robust unarmored before being brought down.
As for facing formed-up armored soldiers? If bandits lacked four or five hundred in scale, had no powerful bows and crossbows, and no prestige to drive cannon fodder into melee, they could not inflict casualties. Of course, if they did, they were rebels.
When Wu Fei passed some mountain tops, he found some stronghold leaders had this strength, but the scouts on the mountain tops saw the yellow flag of the caravan and all retreated. The court’s prestige was still strong now. Thus, a large bunch of followers trailed this disaster-avoiding caravan eagerly.
These following groups were also divided into grades; the closest were actually some merchants’ escort agencies, trailing tightly only two hundred paces behind; they would occasionally come forward, bringing bribes to ask the imperial envoy group’s underlings how far they planned to travel today. Upon learning the road ahead was muddy with mountain rocks blocking, they would send men to clear obstacles.
If clearing followers, it would just mean clearing out these propertied merchants. The even larger mass of propertyless refugees behind would still closely follow. The rearmost refugee group’s composition was unstable.
…”Scatter beans to create soldiers” is Daoist Sect term for inciting rebellion…
During this journey, Xuan Chong was actually watching the rearmost group while holding a pen and calculating.
Xuan Chong: Under the current roads system, the upper limit for refugee gatherings is five thousand per group.
Refugee groups lacked army-level discipline; private fights and plundering caused chaos constantly occurring, driving away the weak at every moment. In constantly driving away the weak, what remained in the refugee camps were the strong youths.
Such strong youths, in the process of getting familiar, would form small teams of five to six to thirty people based on habits left in human genes from primitive tribe times. In these temporarily formed small teams, each person would, through mutual temperament probing, recognize some big brothers.—This seemingly irregular gang situation, if formalized a bit, was the prototype of “ranks” and “camp teams.”
From driving away the elderly and weak to the strong youths spontaneously forming secret societies, this process took about one or three months; occasionally a hero could accelerate this “rebel army formation” process.
Xuan Chong: “Central Plains land is vast, with large stretches exceeding ‘three months migration distance,’ and this journey is the refining process for refugee groups.”
Then Wu Fei marked these potential “rebel army” population migration lines on the map in his memory, and based on his current “Daoist Sect aura observation” method, estimated the “celestial-terrestrial disharmony” in various prefectures under heaven and the future refugee numbers it might cause.
Yes! If during lean times, a prefecture had only ten thousand refugees, eighty percent would be absorbed by mountain strongholds and local strongmen, but if over a hundred thousand refugees, it would follow the above development process: first gather, then automatically split into clusters of teams, then each team leader conspires, finally catalyzed by instigators into uprising army.
Wu Fei looked at the groups following his own group. Actually, the merchant caravans and local strongman groups participating in migration were, in years of great disaster, the initial condensation nuclei for the “snowball” of rebel armies.
The goods carried by these “condensation nucleus” groups were the key for refugees to break the shackles of “killing and seeing blood.”
And once killing and seeing blood, plundering merchant caravans and incorporating refugee accountants and scholars, this could even give the rebel army its first strategic direction, rather than aimlessly following the crowd in fleeing disaster as before.
Of course, if even luckier, a newborn rebel army had an experienced leader—that would be great winds rising, clouds flying.
…Can it be done? Is there such a breed?…
At this time in the refugee group, the martial world had already formed. In a mid-tier opera troupe, under the cover of the troupe, a flower dan singer said to his accomplice: “Scouted clearly—the foremost noble person is from the General Who Pacifies the South’s Mansion, heading to the capital.”
The troupe leader-like person: “In the world today, the southern general counts as a regional hero—why still send someone to pay respects to the old emperor?”
A young male lead beside said: “Troupe leader, should I still go offer tea and ask the front merchant caravan?”
This young male lead naturally played “sheng roles” (like fresh young idols in later film/TV) in the opera troupe, but outside, he occasionally lifted things from great households. Sometimes jade pendants from young masters, and these goods would ultimately be fenced by the troupe.
Now that this gang had successfully reconnoitered the front group, he wanted to know if he should act.
The troupe leader thought: “Don’t move recklessly—the front are martial practitioners. Isn’t Nightmare Moon Cult always collecting court officers and soldiers? Sell this intel to them.”
On the other side, Wu Fei, through a small “magnetic powder resonance” spell, overheard the conversation a hundred zhang away, somewhat disappointed: turns out not plotting rebellion, just cult stuff.
……Listless dividing line…
Suling County—this county was at the node passed by north-south couriers; it gave the most filial piety to superiors every year, and its county magistrate also had connections in officialdom and the martial world.
When Gong Qian’s group arrived at the local post station outside the county city, the post station masters immediately prepared a welcome. Over fifty carts, plus horses and mules, were all properly settled. Wu Fei, who had led troops, could not help but look a few more times at the post station’s layout—the cart resting area alone was a full thirty mu.
Occupational habit flaring, Wu Fei immediately brain supplemented like solving a problem: after taking this county city, must control the post station and seize everyone inside.
Wu Fei: Just as in later times, not knowing which bus stop to wait at—ask the bus staff; after uprising, not knowing which county city to hit next—ask post station personnel to know the routes of court troops coming to suppress, and thus avoid them.
So much so that when the county magistrate came to visit, Wu Fei was considering whether to hold or abandon this city after taking it.—This county on the transportation hub strangled an extremely important traffic artery.
“Marquis, Marquis?” At others’ prompting, Wu Fei stopped his reverie and began responding to this county magistrate, telling him to rise quickly.
As this county magistrate rose steadily with firm horse stance, Wu Fei’s eyes lit up: “Still a martial practitioner!”
You know, normal forty- or fifty-year-olds, rising from kneeling due to insufficient power accumulation, wobble unsteadily.
Wu Fei thought to himself: “As expected of a north-south crossroads hub—the waters here run deep!”
After the many attendants settled into the post station, Wu Fei began assembling the group’s men and horses for arrangements.
At the post station entrance, looking at the people lined up collectively, Wu Fei laid down three regulations, emphasizing to these grooms and guards: “When checking in, report all room fees to me. Tonight at dusk, the group will settle half; after leaving, settle the other half. Everyone stay alert here—don’t stir up extra trouble. I don’t oppose going out for fun; you’ve all endured the carriage fatigue, relaxing in the city I can’t control, but! Don’t cause trouble for me—don’t bully with power, don’t disregard the local snakes here.—Whoever dares proactively stir trouble here, don’t blame the whip.”
With that, Wu Fei said to Gong Qian: “Lord Gong, anything to add?”
Gong Qian officially endorsed Wu Fei’s words: “The marquis’s meaning is my meaning.” (In another two or three hundred li, it would be Yao Capital; Gong Qian had no need to vie for leadership with his escort group.)
The armored soldiers, hearing this, all expressed obedience to Wu Fei.
Although the true decision-maker returning to the capital was Gong Qian, their direct superior, during this northward journey, Wu Fei’s handling of food and lodging was far more proper than theirs.
Gong Qian, now also seasoned in travel, could naturally sense the mixed fish and dragons around the caravan; he approved Wu Fei’s vigilance. Better no trouble than some.—If something really happened and Wu Fei was not safely delivered to the capital, his responsibility would be great.
When half the people had gone, Wu Fei suggested to Gong Qian: “Let the young lads properly indulge, lest the group becomes unstable.”
Wu Fei, with keen ears and eyes, always heard the young lads in the group discussing women; the topics were like the atmosphere in some porn groups from his previous life. Only they had no porn pics. Continuing like this, halfway they might harm poor girls in the trailing groups behind.
In a socialized group, the two most hated behaviors are: first, feeding food to a dog in front of a starving man; second, wantonly violating women in vulnerable groups.
The remaining journey to Divine Capital was still long; those large trailing groups outside the post station would continue sticking behind them.
Just after Wu Fei gave Gong Qian a plan for the armored soldiers to take turns relaxing in the county city, Deputy Envoy Qian Zheng mocked: “Pimping so proficiently too, General?”
Wu Fei looked up at him: “Military affairs are perilous; if not attending everywhere, don’t blame ‘heaven’s will toying with men.'”
Ultimately Gong Qian felt it embarrassing and could not do it, so Wu Fei promoted Plan B.
…Night moon obscured by a cloud…
At the evening banquet, Wu Fei attended with Gong Qian. But Wu Fei only drank alcohol, not dishes, while the other ten guards split: half drank alcohol, half ate dishes.
The county magistrate smiled inquiringly if the “alcoholic dishes were not to taste”; Wu Fei said he had eaten earlier.
Then the county magistrate smiled apologetically and retreated without asking more.
Wu Fei stared at the county magistrate, taking “interest” in his overly deferential demeanor.
The county magistrate broke cold sweat; after being stared at by Wu Fei, it felt like being eyed by a ferocious beast.
As half a martial world person, the county magistrate naturally knew Wu Fei’s group was doing this to guard against him.
The county magistrate thought: “Could the matter of contacting Nightmare Moon Cult have been discovered?”
Due to Wu Fei’s sufficient caution, the county magistrate dared not neglect; after confirming the grain and grass and supplies needed by the group, he had the post station prepare overnight.
Of course, Gong Qian’s group fully paid all silver money, even giving customary tips (small fees) to the officials handling these per martial world rules.
The group stayed one night in Suling County. Though their own side was calm, it did not mean all was stable. Outside the county city, the gathered refugee groups did not leave and grew more; when great households entered/exited the city, chaos erupted in refugees demanding food, great households uniting rural defense teams and yamen runners to suppress this civil unrest, beheading several porridge-robbers. And ordered the charitable merchants dispensing porridge to empty it all in front of the refugees.
Those opera troupes also began conspiring actions, planning something; just then, Wu Fei had the group assemble overnight, then slipped out the county city’s back gate under night cover, shaking off all the accompanying safe merchant caravans in the county city.
The moon flickered in and out of clouds, silver glow and pitch darkness alternating on the ground; the outside the city refugees, seeing the fully armored caravan emerge, dared not block at all.
