The Rule of Twenty-Eight

Li Zhi smiled faintly. "There are plenty of people in the Xu family, but few truly carry weight. Forget it. Since Vice General Liao looks down on us, there is no need to force ourselves on him. Official status for militiamen is a minor matter anyway; once the fighting is over, it becomes useless. How about this: let's aim for something tangible. Magistrate Sun, how about allocating some grain and pay?" Sun Chao'en said, "General Li hails from the Two Lis—isn't that far nobler than the Xu family? Besides, that man Liao is separated from the Xus by a degree of removal. I truly don't know what makes him act so arrogant! As for provisions and pay..." Sun Chao'en gritted his teeth and said, "Three hundred militiamen, two taels each—I will give six hundred taels! How about that?" Fang Hetong flew into a rage, slamming the table as he rose. "The imperial court allocated two hundred thousand taels, and you give a mere six hundred? Embezzling like this, are you truly not afraid of bursting your belly?!" Sun Chao'en gave a bitter smile. "Junior Brother Fang, you've read your books straight into a dead end! Don't you know the rule of twenty-eight?" "What is this rule of twenty-eight?" Assistant Magistrate Ren Youwei spoke up. "Allow me to explain on Magistrate Sun's behalf. The rule of twenty-eight is common knowledge in officialdom, referring to the flow of revenues submitted upward and funds allocated downward. When the imperial court awards one hundred taels of silver, passing through layer after layer of hands, barely twenty taels will reach the county. When the county collects tax silver and submits it to the state treasury, barely twenty taels will ultimately reach His Majesty's hands. That is the rule of twenty-eight. If an administration manages the rule of twenty-eight, that is considered enlightened governance, and the officials are considered honest and clean." "This... this is preposterous!" Fang Hetong was dumbfounded. The registrar chimed in as well. "His Majesty granted two hundred thousand taels, but by the time it reached the county, only thirty-six thousand remained. Vice General Liao took thirty thousand of that as military pay, leaving the county with only six thousand in reality. Then there are the clerks, yamen runners, and the like, who are owed substantial back pay and firewood allowances. In wartime, when we need people to risk their lives and fight to the death, we naturally can't keep owing them, so that took another three thousand. From the remaining three thousand, the funds for all militiamen and garrison troops in the whole county must be paid. So for Magistrate Sun to give six hundred taels, he will probably have to dig into his own pocket." Fang Hetong repeatedly muttered how absurd it was, then added, "What about those Liao barbarian heads? You made at least ten thousand taels from them, didn't you?" Sun Chao'en smiled bitterly. "The heads were all handed over to the commandery governor. How could such an effortless way to make money ever fall to me? If not for those heads, do you think those thirty-six thousand taels would have been allocated at all? As for the money from payroll padding, yes, I get a cut. But with silver like that, if I don't take it, how can the commandery governor take his? If the commandery governor doesn't take his, how can the provincial governor take his? Junior Brother Fang, the lofty, clean-sleeved incorruptible officials of your imagination don't even survive three chapters in a storyteller's mouth!" Fang Hetong would not let it rest. "And what about your cut from that payroll padding?" Sun Chao'en said helplessly, "Junior Brother Fang! Day in and day out, you do nothing but complain about your humble origins and lack of background. We studied under the same master—if you don't have a background, do I? How did I climb to this position today? Solely on ability and talent? Being competent is only one part; knowing how to conduct oneself is the other! If I didn't spread that silver around to pay my respects, where would I be today?" The assistant magistrate said, "Magistrate Sun is truly a rare good official. Setting everything else aside, take this payroll padding: Liao Jingwu made no shortage of harsh threats back then, but under Magistrate Sun, he could only take fifty percent. Anywhere else, eighty percent would probably be considered modest! Look at the surrounding counties—which of them isn't at seventy or eighty percent? Over this matter alone, Magistrate Sun has already deeply offended Vice General Liao." Sun Chao'en sighed. "Junior Brother Fang, only by holding office can one attend to the duties of governance. If you aren't in this seat, what good is a bellyful of talent? With nothing more than your flesh and blood, what can you achieve? I don't have such great ability; I must protect myself first. All I can do is be a bit better than the neighboring counties and a bit cleaner than my peers, giving the people of this county just a bit more room to breathe." Li Zhi raised his cup and said, "Magistrate Sun is a man of talent as well; it is only that being caught in the system, one cannot always act as one pleases. How about this: Magistrate Sun will allocate six hundred taels, and I will contribute another six hundred to resolve the pressing crisis at hand. Brother Fang, what do you say?" After a moment, Fang Hetong slowly nodded. In the dead of night, Wei Yuan and Li Zhi finally returned to Shayang Village. Sun Chao'en had wanted them to stay overnight at the county yamen, but both declined. Shayang Village was utterly crude. It had only a single well whose water was barely enough for cooking and drinking; let alone bathing, even washing one's face was out of the question. Wei Yuan and Li Zhi simply gave up on sleeping and stood before a map, discussing tomorrow's battle. Li Zhi had initially produced a map of his own, but upon seeing Fang Hetong's hand-drawn map, he silently put his away. "Brother Wei, what is your plan?" Li Zhi asked. This was subtly probing and testing him. Wei Yuan thought it over. "Relying blindly on defense is far too passive; it isn't a long-term solution. With Brother Li's armored cavalry, I plan to take the initiative and strike first, clearing out the Liao barbarian camps on the perimeter." Li Zhi's eyes brightened. "I was just planning to fight an open-field battle against the Liao barbarians to test their mettle. It's rare to find Brother Wei thinking along the same lines. I brought sixty mounted personal guards this time. I will summon them all tomorrow and split them into two units—I'll lead thirty, and Brother Wei will lead thirty." "How could that do? It would be better for Brother Li to command while I fight alongside you," Wei Yuan demurred. He had no experience leading troops, and war was no child's play; he could not use men's lives to build up his own experience. Moreover, Wei Yuan felt that having dozens of men trailing behind him would be an encumbrance, hindering him from reaping merit. The two then agreed upon a marching route. Fang Hetong had marked a total of four potential camp locations, and they prepared to sweep through them one by one from west to east. Once that was settled, Li Zhi dispatched two riders back to his defense zone to summon all of his personal guards. Wei Yuan did not have a horse, whereas Li Zhi had three, so Li Zhi lent one of his spare mounts to Wei Yuan. Shortly after the hour of the Tiger, Li Zhi's personal guards arrived. There was still some time before dawn. Each of these guards was well-cultivated and endowed with boundless vigor, so none needed sleep. Instead, they began preparations for battle: tending to the horses, maintaining weapons and armor, and studying the map under the lead of two squad captains to memorize the march route. When fighting Northern Liao, nocturnal combat was the greatest taboo; this was common military knowledge. Therefore, they had to wait until daylight before marching out. During their preparations, Li Zhi handed Wei Yuan a small box. "Want a set?" Wei Yuan took it and saw the insignia of the Four Sages Academy stamped on the lid. Opening it, he found a stack of talismans inside. Among them was a Sharp Weapon Talisman, which could be affixed to a weapon to grant armor-piercing and sharpness effects lasting for a full day; two Hard Armor Talismans, one for oneself and one for the warhorse; a Revitalization Talisman to accelerate physical recovery, also meant for the mount; and finally a Water Healing Talisman, affixed to the body to speed up wound healing. These talismans were all low-grade, yet exquisitely crafted, and every talisman's effect reliably lasted a standard day. The Four Sages Academy had always been world-renowned for its command of words becoming law, and their talismans were likewise peerless. While Wei Yuan was still wondering whether to use them immediately, he saw each of the personal guards pull out a box, draw out the talismans within, and apply them one by one to themselves and their warhorses. Everyone's talismans were identical to the ones in Wei Yuan's hands. Only then did Wei Yuan realize that this box of talismans was standard-issue military supply for Li Zhi's personal guards. As Li Zhi slapped talismans onto himself, he said, "Don't look down on them just because they're the lowest grade. Used properly, they're far more practical than high-grade talismans. Later, I plan to order another three thousand boxes from the academy; in the future, every man in my forces will start with ten boxes." In the final moments before dawn, all the guards began to eat, having a hearty meal. Their rations were similar to the Palace of Grand Beginning's dried meat, where a single slender strip could stave off hunger for a day. However, the rations used by Li Zhi's guards were of superior quality compared to what the Palace of Grand Beginning issued: not only did they satisfy hunger, but they also bolstered energy and accelerated spiritual power recovery. With all combat preparations complete, the sky began to lighten. The churning darkness of night gradually receded, expanding their field of vision until obstructed by distant shades of deep yellow and pale brown. A column of armored cavalry filed out of Shayang Village, advancing along the planned route toward the first suspected Liao barbarian camp.