Company Commander

Early the next morning, Wei Yuefu went to report to the military camp. He was the only one reporting there; most of the others had gone to serve as bronze badge constable chiefs in outlying counties or towns. A few had spent exorbitant sums pulling strings to secure a place in the prefectural capital's Six Doors. In the end, it all boiled down to two words: internal strife. As a company commander in name only, Wei Yuefu had no need to fight for now, because he had nothing to fight over. To be exploited, one had to have value. At present, Wei Yuefu held little value; at most, he was simply ignored. Once he acquired value and profits, of course, conflict would be unavoidable. Ultimately, the Great Jing Dynasty was rotten to the core. "Greetings, Commandant." Yesterday, Wei Yuefu had visited the Windwhisper Bureau to review intelligence concerning the military, though there was not much. After all, both Six Doors and the military were imperial institutions; deep infiltration into the army by the Windwhisper Bureau could easily cause misunderstandings. Unless deemed necessary or authorized by a Silver Robe head constable's written order, generally only superficial information was kept. Fortunately, he had a clear picture of what kind of man Commandant Xu Cheng'an of the Qingchuan prefectural capital was. He was capable enough, but summed up, he was greedy for money and lustful after women. So long as no one cut in on his revenue or took his women, he remained fair and even-handed. And if someone presented him with money and women, so much the better. "Well now! Company Commander Ding is here! Please sit, please sit," Xu Cheng'an welcomed Wei Yuefu with great warmth. Anyone who came from Six Doors was bound to be an expert at raking in silver. Xu Cheng'an did not ask for much—a fifty-percent cut was all it took for him to act as Wei Yuefu's backer. "You honor me too much, sir. How could an inferior officer deserve to have the Commandant greet him in person?" Wei Yuefu replied in an appropriately nervous, deferential tone. Hearing this, Xu Cheng'an felt that 'Ding Shoucheng' was truly worthy of having come from Six Doors—he knew just how to speak nicely. How completely unlike the boors under his command, who argued until they were red in the face over a few copper coins! Once the two entered the command tent, Xu Cheng'an finally asked, "Company Commander Ding, what brings you to the army? With your seniority, even if you couldn't stay in Six Doors, transferring to a county wouldn't have been an issue." Wei Yuefu's situation was simply too abnormal. No one wanted to join the army, so why had he come? "Reporting to the Commandant, I had a falling out with Bronze Badge Shen," Wei Yuefu said immediately. "And he has Silver Robe Xia backing him." Upon hearing this, Xu Cheng'an understood at once. So someone had pulled strings to shove him out! As for that Silver Robe Xia, he had heard of him as well—someone with quite an impressive background. "Oh? What caused the falling out?" Xu Cheng'an pressed further. Wei Yuefu had been waiting for him to ask this exact question. Feigning embarrassment, he replied, "Bronze Badge Shen was originally a Patrol Envoy—a man who couldn't tolerate a single speck of sand in his eye. As for me... sigh..." With that, Xu Cheng'an understood completely. This was a man with a knack for making money. As for where the money came from, Xu Cheng'an did not care in the slightest. "Fifty percent," Xu Cheng'an said abruptly. Wei Yuefu understood immediately what he meant, yet feigned confusion. "Fifty percent of what, sir?" "Whatever money you rake in, I take fifty percent," Xu Cheng'an said bluntly. "I don't care how you get the money, but I want half. I'll make sure you stay out of trouble." Hearing those words, Wei Yuefu immediately put on a horrified look and stammered, "C-C-Commandant, surely... surely this isn't right? We are... law-abiding... citizens." Xu Cheng'an snorted derisively at that. "You people from Six Doors always need a fig leaf just to make a little coin! Scrimping and scraping, never honest about it. Go ahead and do whatever you want—boldly. What are you afraid of with me around? Once you give me half, if something goes wrong, do you think I can get away clean?" Listening to this, Wei Yuefu felt that the Great Jing Dynasty wasn't just on the verge of ruin—it was already finished. Hong Qiming had at least kept things under wraps, but Xu Cheng'an, a fellow commandant, did it all out in the open. The difference, though, was that Hong Qiming had the identity of a remnant of the previous dynasty and harbored ambitions of rebellion, so he still cared somewhat about his reputation. Xu Cheng'an, on the other hand, was different; he only wanted money and women... far purer than Hong Qiming. "But I don't have any men," Wei Yuefu could not help saying. "Without a fig leaf, shouldn't we at least have some muscle?" "I can only issue you official slips," Xu Cheng'an said. "You'll recruit the men yourself. Horses, armor, weapons, and provisions can be bought from me. I'll only take a fifty-percent markup on those. "By the way, when I said fifty percent earlier, I meant fifty percent of the total revenue, not the profits. What your costs are is your own business. "I will deduct my cut from the military payroll beforehand, so by the time it reaches your hands, fifty percent will already be taken. How much you pocket from the remainder is no concern of mine. "Don't worry, though. I'll report your troop count as a full company to higher authorities, so there'll be plenty of profit for you." Wei Yuefu fell silent after hearing this. This was simply too lawless. Just how many troops were there in Qingchuan Prefecture, and how many of them could actually fight? In the Great Jing Dynasty, the situation in Qingchuan Prefecture was likely the norm, while elite forces like Hong Qiming's were the exception. "Thank you for your patronage and guidance, Commandant," Wei Yuefu said hurriedly to show his stance, then asked with cautious curiosity, "May I ask, sir, what are the prices for ranks and posts in the army?" At this question, Xu Cheng'an's eyes lit up. He praised him, "A teachable pupil indeed! You've only just arrived and already know how to take the initiative and apply it! Still, these positions don't come cheap." With that, he pulled a sheet of paper from the desk and handed it to Wei Yuefu. "You can buy promotions, lateral transfers, or concurrent appointments," Xu Cheng'an said. "Each has a different price. As long as you hand over the money, I guarantee it will be settled within a month. You won't have to worry about a thing—just sit back and wait. But positions are limited, and the prices will only go up." Wei Yuefu took the paper and looked at the price list. The figures were absurdly steep. Even selling offices and titles had been turned into a streamlined business. "The Commandant is truly magnanimous," Wei Yuefu said, before adding with an embarrassed look, "It's just that I fled in such haste that most of my family property fell into the hands of the rebels. I fear it may be some time before I can ask you to pull strings on my behalf, sir. Please do not take offense." The smile on Xu Cheng'an's face grew even broader. Those words hit right at his heart. "What's there to take offense at? As long as you don't forget to buy from me when the time comes, that's all that matters." Xu Cheng'an didn't care about the wait; anyone who brought him money was one of his own. Hearing this, Wei Yuefu understood that if one wanted a promotion here, this was probably the only path. As for military merits? For that, one needed a superior like Tian Muchuan who actually let his subordinates rise through merit. With someone like Xu Cheng'an, your achievements would be credited to whoever paid for the post instead. "By the way, do you want to buy a plot of land?" Xu Cheng'an continued. "After all, your company needs an encampment to garrison in." As he spoke, Xu Cheng'an produced a map. "There are still quite a few prime spots available. Take a look and see which one you want," Xu Cheng'an said. Although he asked Wei Yuefu if he wanted it, Wei Yuefu could tell this was a forced purchase. Still, the man wasn't wrong—Wei Yuefu did indeed need it, so he agreed without hesitation.