Volume One Southern Rivers Commandery Chapter 18 Escape

A deeper danger lingered, and Wei Fufeng was unwilling to leave behind the seeds of future vendetta. A young boy would eventually grow up, and driven by hatred, would stop at nothing to harm the kin of his enemies by any means necessary.

Wei Fufeng stood in silent contemplation for a while, comforting himself with the thought: “It was the garrison commander who wiped out the powerful clans; tomorrow I’ll explain it to my sister.”

Exhausted, he retired to rest, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, someone reported that Yang He, the judicial officer from the Governor’s Office, requested an audience. Wei Fufeng went to meet him in haste.

Currently, the main duty of the judicial officer in the Governor’s Office was oversight.

Wei Fufeng had ordered Li Chenggang to head south of the Great River, accompanied by many officials from both the Governor’s Office and the Transport Bureau. Their tasks were to supervise military discipline and to tally the spoils.

Wei Fufeng’s policies forbade the army from descending into chaos and looting at will, while also limiting the financial and reward-granting powers of the military commanders. The commanders held authority over directing battles, but the power to punish lawlessness belonged primarily to the officials of the Governor’s Office.

These officials were, in effect, half-military supervisors, though they had no right to interfere with battlefield command.

In the front hall, Yang He appeared with two subordinates, presenting confiscated account books and the roster of meritorious deeds.

Wei Fufeng took the ledgers and listened to Yang He’s oral report.

Yang He was just over thirty, with a dark, round face, fine brows and small eyes, a mustache, and hailed from Jingnan. He had once served as a minor county official.

“Very good. What is the current situation with the household troops?” Wei Fufeng asked calmly, though he was inwardly delighted—the gains from confiscating the gentry’s assets far exceeded his expectations.

“Upon receiving your command, I interrogated many of the household troops. Among them, there are 323 noted for their martial prowess, nearly half of whom served as leaders. I have already brought them to Luxian,” Yang He replied respectfully.

Wei Fufeng nodded. “You have done well. The establishment of the Governor’s Office, Transport Bureau, and Military Department is precisely to divide authority and govern efficiently, so that the capable are rewarded with office and wealth, and the soldiers with land and sustenance.”

Yang He replied, “Your laws, my lord, are the foundation of peace and good governance.”

Wei Fufeng smiled faintly. “Merit will not go unrewarded. I am well aware of your contributions, but for now, your rewards must be the same as the soldiers.”

“Thank you, my lord.” The three officials rose and bowed in gratitude.

Wei Fufeng nodded and continued, “Yang He, issue a proclamation in my name from the Governor’s Office: any mountain bandits within our territory who surrender will receive land, and those leaders with martial abilities may become military officers.”

Yang He paused in surprise. “My lord wishes to accept the surrender of the bandits?”

“Yes. I hear there are over ten thousand bandits in Luzhou. I want to reduce the harm to the people and put them to use,” Wei Fufeng replied.

“My lord, mountain bandits are fierce and untrustworthy. Taking them in could foster internal troubles. Please reconsider,” Yang He advised.

“Life in the wilds is harsh. Few truly wish to be bandit kings. The chiefs may refuse, but the common bandits yearn for a home and livelihood. Carry out my orders,” said Wei Fufeng softly but firmly.

Yang He said no more and withdrew respectfully.

After Yang He and his team departed, Wei Fufeng also left for the Transport Bureau, which was temporarily housed in the county office of Luxian. The original magistrate was under guard, with Zhang Wencheng acting as interim magistrate.

Upon arrival, after meeting with the officials, Wei Fufeng issued a command as Military Commissioner: the Transport Bureau was to immediately reward merit according to Yang He’s roster.

The first thousand soldiers to storm into Naxi County were to receive double rewards, and all others, including surrendered household troops and local garrisons, were also to be rewarded.

The Transport Bureau officials, carrying the commissioner’s order, set out with Military Commander Zhang Wencheng for the lands south of the Great River. Zhang Wencheng’s task was land distribution, while that in Luxian fell to Yang He.

After instructions at the county office, Wei Fufeng toured the city, meeting with the garrison, kindly inquiring after their needs, and then headed to the military camp outside the city to visit the officers.

As dusk fell, Wei Fufeng returned to his residence, weary not only from the day’s toil, but also from the constant vigilance required—always on edge against mutiny or assassination.

Despite his exhaustion, he first visited Lin Qingxue. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw the petite figure of Xiaoxue.

Seeing Wei Fufeng, Xiaoxue anxiously blurted, “My lord, my mistress has left. She forbade me from telling you.”

Wei Fufeng froze in shock, as if doused in ice water.

Xiaoxue’s face was pale with fear, her eyes furtively watching him. After a while, she whispered, “She’s gone?”

“My mistress left before noon. She said you no longer needed her escort, and it was time for her to go. I dared not disobey her, so I waited here,” Xiaoxue recounted timidly.

Wei Fufeng nodded wordlessly and walked to the small pavilion, staring blankly at the fiery clouds on the horizon.

Xiaoxue followed to the pavilion’s edge, watching him with timid eyes, clearly afraid.

After a long silence, Wei Fufeng whispered, “Sister, I truly did nothing wrong. If I cannot be decisive in killing, I will forever be a mere servant of fate.”

Then he turned to Xiaoxue outside the pavilion and said gently, “You did well to remain loyal to your mistress. In a few days, I’ll take you away.”

Xiaoxue nodded quickly, then hesitated, “My lord, if you take me away, are we returning to Yuzhou?”

“We’re going to Rongzhou,” Wei Fufeng replied softly.

...

Wei Fufeng left Xiaoxue and returned to rest. Lin Qingxue’s departure left his heart hollow and anxious, stirring up all the accumulated sense of crisis from the past days.

Suddenly, he longed to leave Luzhou, afraid of the coming war. Under a toppled nest, no egg survives. If the army of the Eastern Chuan Military Commissioner advanced, could the Luzhou forces resist?

Lin Qingxue’s departure sapped his courage.

In fact, Wei Fufeng had long anticipated defeat by the Eastern Chuan forces. He had tried his best to gather usable troops, but his confidence in victory remained weak.

“To leave—temporarily retreat from Luzhou, take some troops to seek refuge with my great-uncle. Bringing troops will win his favor. If I stay, and the Luzhou army is defeated, I’ll likely be killed by my own officers seeking credit—such betrayals are not uncommon.” Wei Fufeng made his decision to flee.

At dawn, he went to the military camp outside the city.

The camp was organized into nine main units: eight Military Departments and one White Tiger Hall.

The eight Departments of Agriculture and the White Tiger Hall were equals in authority. Each also had officers and justices assigned from the Governor’s Office and Transport Bureau.

Of course, the camp could not house all twenty thousand troops; it was only the headquarters for these bodies, with the Governor’s Office and Transport Bureau located in the city.

Wei Fufeng entered the camp and went straight to see Old Feng.

Old Feng looked much changed, wearing a bright red official robe over fine scale armor, and a gleaming silver helmet. Though he sat in a wheeled chair, he exuded authority.

He greeted Wei Fufeng with a formal salute.

Wei Fufeng dismissed Old Feng’s guards, sat across from him, and spoke gravely, “Old Feng, I’m leaving Luzhou.”

Old Feng started, looking at Wei Fufeng in surprise. “What do you mean, young master?”

“I wish to take five thousand troops to Rongzhou,” Wei Fufeng said.

Old Feng frowned, then quietly asked, “Do you not wish to claim Luzhou as your foundation?”

Wei Fufeng shook his head. “I do, but I do not wish to lose all hope of survival. I lack confidence in resisting the Eastern Chuan army, so I plan to retreat to Western Sichuan.”

Old Feng was silent for a while, then Wei Fufeng added, “I know you’ll be disappointed—think me cowardly. But my thinking is simple: survival is everything.”

Old Feng nodded. “I understand, young master. Still, abandoning Luzhou is a great pity.”

“I’m not abandoning it entirely, just refusing to be trapped. The White Tiger Hall, Governor’s Office, Transport Bureau, and Military Departments I established can balance each other and function in my absence,” Wei Fufeng said softly.

Old Feng nodded. “Your arrangement for divided authority does create checks and balances, but if you’re gone too long, things may change.”

“That’s a problem for the future. For now, we must hold off the Eastern Chuan army. I came to ask if you will stay or come with me to Western Sichuan.”

Old Feng looked at him. “Young master, I will stay. A crippled man like me would rather have one moment of glory, even if it means death.”

Wei Fufeng nodded and said no more, leaving the White Tiger Hall to personally oversee the land distribution. Most of the military farms for the twenty thousand troops were located in the Jiangyang area of Luxian.

Jiangyang was rich in good land. Soldiers who received their allotments would often grasp the soil and sniff it with satisfaction. But there were too many men, and only a thousand could receive land per day, so the officers and squad leaders were given priority.

Most of Jiangyang’s fields had belonged to the Gao and Zhao clans, with the Zhao family holding seventy percent.

At noon, floating wealth from both clans arrived from north of the river, as well as the martial household troops recorded by Yang He.

Wei Fufeng ordered that the copper coin wealth be distributed as rewards to all twenty thousand soldiers and officials, while the martial household troops became the Governor’s Office’s personal guard and joined the first group to receive land.

Land distribution, rewards, and appointments were Wei Fufeng’s methods for rallying military strength regardless of internal risks.

Had he worried about potential threats and instead executed the martial household troops or split up the army to guard them, his forces would be weakened.

Wei Fufeng did not meet with these martial men—wisdom dictated not to stand beside a crumbling wall. Approaching them carried too much risk of sudden attack.

The Governor’s Office’s guard was, in practice, a rotating post for the squad leaders. Wei Fufeng intended these martial men to serve as squad leaders, enhancing the Luzhou army’s combat power.

In the afternoon, Wei Fufeng returned to his residence in the city and saw eleven chests of gold and silver treasures brought from the north.

His heart thumped with excitement. He selected the most valuable items, personally sank a chest of gold ingots into a well, and ordered the other ten sent to the Transport Bureau for safekeeping.

Besides the floating wealth, the two clans had also stockpiled large stores of grain and well salt.

Wei Fufeng ordered the granaries opened to provide porridge for the poor and refugees in Luzhou, and sent orders to Changzhou, instructing Prefect Li Song to do the same and to make public the promise of clemency for surrendered bandits.

Two days later, at dawn, a messenger from Changzhou returned to inform Wei Fufeng that Prefect Li Song had already resigned, taken his seal, and led his family away toward Hanzhong.