Chapter 14: I Heard You’ve Become a Banner Captain
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“If their horses are swift, we dig pits to trap them! If their archers are accurate, we use smoke and fire!”
Er Gou gestured excitedly.
“We can dig concealed pits along the main roads and bury them with iron caltrops…”
“Hold on, hold on!” One-Eye grabbed him by the collar. “Slow down, damn you!”
“Don’t rush me!” Er Gou broke free, his eyes shining with alarming intensity.
“Most importantly, we have to make them think we’re fleeing!”
“And then?” One-Eye asked, frowning.
“And then?”
Er Gou suddenly drew a finger across his throat and flashed a crooked grin.
“When they chase us into the ambush, we’ll sneak up behind them and stab them right in the arse!”
Lin Chuan burst out laughing. “That’s exactly how we killed six Tatars yesterday!”
Several veterans stared blankly at first.
Their expressions shifted from confusion to astonishment, then finally to wild delight.
So that was the secret behind the Banner Captain’s impressive haul!
If they learned to fight this way as well…
Wouldn’t that mean…
A fortune in military merit would be theirs for the taking?
Lin Chuan watched the flames ignite in the veterans’ eyes and knew the moment had come.
Every soldier understood this.
In an army, nothing won a soldier’s wholehearted respect like solid battle honors and captured spoils.
Just then, the orderly thunder of hooves sounded beyond the fort gate.
Everyone turned and saw a troop of armored cavalry reining in outside.
At their head sat Pang Dabiao, a captain of the Imperial Guard Battalion.
He wore iron-scale armor, and the red tassel on his helmet swayed in the wind.
“Banner Captain Lin.” Pang Dabiao sat upright in the saddle, his voice neither warm nor cold. “The general has sent me to deliver your reward.”
He turned his head slightly. One of his guards immediately brought forward a lacquered wooden chest.
“For five ordinary Wolf-Rong heads, fifty taels of silver. An additional fifty taels for the head of a centurion, making one hundred taels in total.”
Hu Dayong’s eyes flew wide.
Under the Great Qian Code of Military Rewards, this was the highest possible award in full.
Lin Chuan accepted the chest with both hands, neither servile nor arrogant. “My thanks to the general. I’m sorry to have troubled you with the journey, Captain Pang.”
Pang Dabiao gave a slight nod, then produced a scroll of yellow silk.
“The general has ordered that the frontier army examinations be held in two months.”
He cast a meaningful glance at the disheveled veterans.
“Ironwood Fort must take part.”
Lin Chuan stepped forward at once. “Captain Pang, the fort is desperately short of grain and weapons. Could you perhaps—”
“I am responsible only for delivering the order.”
Pang Dabiao tugged at the reins. His warhorse pawed the ground impatiently.
“As for provisions and pay, go speak with Minister Wang of the Revenue Office yourself.”
With that, he waved a hand, and the Imperial Guard cavalry turned their horses as one.
Pang Dabiao was just about to raise his whip when he suddenly pulled the reins tight.
“One more thing!”
He turned and fixed his gaze on Hu Dayong. A sly smile crept across his dark face.
“Big-Head Hu! The general told me to say this—”
He deliberately cleared his throat, then imitated the general’s rough northwestern accent:
“You dog’s bastard! If you dare steal my liquor again, I’ll chop off the two ounces of flesh in your trousers!”
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The surroundings fell utterly silent.
“General, you’ve misunderstood!” Hu Dayong clasped his fists toward Pang Dabiao. “It was only last time, when the general came to inspect us. I truly couldn’t help myself…”
Pang Dabiao let out a cold laugh. “You think the general couldn’t smell it? Of all things, why did you have to steal that jar of daughter-red wine?”
Hu Dayong’s rough face flushed crimson.
Several veterans bit their lips hard, not daring to laugh aloud.
“That’s enough.”
Lin Chuan suddenly kicked Hu Dayong in the backside.
“If you want a drink in the future, wait until we’ve killed twenty Wolf-Rong!”
He turned toward Pang Dabiao with a smile.
“I’ll personally go ask the general for celebratory wine!”
Pang Dabiao threw back his head and laughed, finally pressing his heels against his horse’s flanks.
“I’ll be sure to repeat those words exactly!”
Only after the cavalry had vanished from sight did Er Gou dare breathe freely.
“Good heavens, the Imperial Guard really knows how to make an entrance…”
One-Eye sidled up beside Hu Dayong.
“Chief Hu, is there any daughter-red left?”
“Get lost!”
…
The following day.
With the exception of two veterans who remained on watch, everyone else followed Lin Chuan down the mountain to recruit soldiers.
The moment they turned onto the dirt road leading into Willow Tree Village, they saw several villagers seated beside the millstone at the entrance.
“B-B-Big Brother Lin!”
Zhang Xiaonian spotted them first and called out excitedly, stammering over every word.
The villagers surged toward them all at once.
Blacksmith Zhao pushed to the front and seized Lin Chuan’s arm with a pair of coarse, powerful hands.
“Chuanzi, I heard you’ve become a Banner Captain. Is it true?”
Before Lin Chuan could answer, Hu Dayong stepped forward and shouted,
“Old Zhao, take your filthy hands off him! The Banner Captain has only just received that new armor—”
“Oh, dear, oh, dear, Captain Hu! I was so busy talking to Chuan… I mean, Banner Captain Lin, I didn’t see you there…”
“Enough, enough. Spare us the false politeness…”
More and more villagers gathered around.
An old man wiped away his tears and murmured, “Heaven has finally opened its eyes. Our village has produced an official at last!”
Several boys crowded at the front, their eyes shining as they stared at the long saber at Lin Chuan’s waist.
“Don’t push! Stop pushing!”
Blacksmith Zhao waved his hammer-like hands to keep order.
“Let Chuanzi… no, let Lord Lin speak properly!”
Lin Chuan looked around at the villagers’ plain, honest smiles, and warmth welled up inside him.
“My appointment as Banner Captain was possible only because everyone stood together and killed those Tatars that day.”
Wang Tiezhu and Zhang Xiaonian exchanged a glance, unable to stop themselves from straightening with pride.
“General Chen has elevated Ironwood Fort to a garrison post. From this day onward, Willow Tree Village will also fall under the protection of Ironwood Fort.”
The villagers’ delight grew even greater.
Several elders nodded again and again, murmuring prayers for their ancestors’ protection.
“What are you waiting for?” Blacksmith Zhao suddenly shouted. “Go fetch the village head and have him dig up that old jar of wine! We have to celebrate properly today!”
“Uncle Zhao, we have important business today. No drinking.”
Lin Chuan raised a hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down, then swept his gaze over their eager faces.
“General Chen has granted Ironwood Fort the authority to recruit soldiers. That is why I’ve come—to tell everyone about it!”
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The crowd immediately erupted in commotion.
Wang Tiezhu was the first to step forward.
“Big Brother Lin, I’ll go with you!”
Zhang Xiaonian stammered anxiously, “A-and—and me!”
Blacksmith Zhao asked, “Banner Captain Lin, tell us plainly: how many bowls of rice does a soldier get to eat?”
Lin Chuan beckoned.
Hu Dayong understood at once and drew a proclamation from inside his robe.
“Anyone who joins the camp will receive a monthly allowance of one tael and two mace. Once accepted as a regular combat soldier, the allowance will be two taels a month. Every enemy head taken will earn a reward of ten taels of silver!”
He paused, then raised his voice sharply.
“If you earn merit and receive a promotion, your entire family will be exempt from taxes for three years!”
“Good heavens, three years without taxes?”
“So Banner Captain Lin earned his promotion through merit, then?”
“Call him Banner Captain Lin!”
“That’s right, Banner Captain Lin…”
Once the villagers’ exclamations had subsided, Hu Dayong slapped the proclamation against the old locust tree beside them.
He tapped the paper with a rough finger.
“In addition, we are recruiting fifty auxiliary soldiers!”
“Captain, what do auxiliary soldiers do?” one villager asked.
“Auxiliary soldiers don’t have to fight on the front lines. They mainly handle farming, repairs, laundry, and other such duties.”
Hu Dayong explained in detail.
“The monthly allowance is six mace. Those with useful skills will receive eight. Food and lodging are provided, and they receive the same tax exemption.”
“What counts as a useful skill?” several people asked in unison.
Normally, whenever the villagers saw these soldiers, they behaved meekly and respectfully.
But now that Lin Chuan had become a Banner Captain, everything felt different.
They even dared speak loudly to the soldiers.
“Carpentry, blacksmithing…”
Hu Dayong counted on his fingers.
“Knowledge of medicinal herbs, horse handling—those all count. If you can repair military equipment, you’ll receive even more!”
“Eight mace? That much?”
The villagers began whispering among themselves.
The thought of not having to fight while still receiving eight mace of silver every month immediately stirred several men who had been hesitating.
Even the women were eager to try.
Seeing that the moment was right, Hu Dayong suddenly grew solemn.
“Under military regulations, auxiliary soldiers normally receive only five mace.”
He turned and clasped his fists toward Lin Chuan.
“It is Banner Captain Lin who took pity on everyone and had the allowance increased specially!”
The crowd grew increasingly animated.
The women began discussing what household goods they should bring, while the craftsmen were already calculating how much reward money they might earn.
“Uncle Zhao.” Lin Chuan moved closer to the blacksmith. “You have to come help me.”
Blacksmith Zhao gazed at his dilapidated smithy and let out a long sigh.
For nearly half a year, business at the forge had steadily declined. Most days, he could do little more than mend the occasional farm tool, and even scraping together enough to eat had become difficult.
He looked into Lin Chuan’s eager eyes and nodded firmly.
“All right. All right. All right!”
“Everyone, quiet down!”
Hu Dayong jumped onto the millstone.
“At dawn tomorrow, gather here with the tools of your trade!”
He emphasized the final point.
“Remember, bring tools for working—not bowls for begging!”
The crowd burst into cheerful laughter.
Amid the commotion, Lin Chuan suddenly noticed Yunniang standing at the edge of the crowd.
When she saw him looking over, the young woman hurriedly lowered her head, her ears turning crimson.
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