The weather was turning cold.
Still, no one came to attend to the refugee camp... This time, thanks to another message sent by Gao Jian, Liu Ren Gong's entire household, including Liu Cheng and Liu Jili, knew what was going on.
In truth, even without Gao Jian's message, they would have known.
Or rather, everyone throughout Jingkou now knew that on that day, Grand Commander Chu Pou had not merely caught a passing chill. He had taken to his bed, gravely and desperately ill, hovering on the brink of death!
Along Jingkou Road, an endless stream of retinues bearing physicians and medicine shuttled back and forth between the imperial palace and the major aristocratic clans. Rumors abounded among the common people, claiming that Chu Pou had abandoned the soldiers in the Battle of Daibei and offended the ghosts and gods. As to which god he had provoked, accounts varied: some claimed it was the God of Jiang, others the God of Mount Tai, and still others the Water God of the Huai River—though if asked which water god, they were thoroughly muddled. Among the lower-ranking gentry who had crossed south, people vividly recounted the rumor of how Chu Pou had heard the weeping of the soldiers' families upon Mount Beigu and collapsed on the spot, as though they had witnessed it with their own eyes. Meanwhile, the truly high-ranking aristocrats and powerful officials had their own reasons for ignoring the refugees: their minds were entirely consumed with who would succeed the Grand Commander to oversee Southern Xuzhou and the Northern Garrison, whether the Northern Expedition would continue, and whether a sweeping reshuffle of appointments was imminent. This concerned everything in their lives for the years to come.
After a bit of sorting and reflection, Liu Cheng and the others quickly reached an absurd conclusion: just as whether they could receive relief before had depended on when they could obtain an audience with Chu Pou, now their chances of timely relief depended entirely on when this kindhearted Grand Commander would finally drop dead!
Once the Grand Commander died and the high-level appointments were settled, relief might genuinely be granted, and they might actually pull through.
Yet that was only a theoretical possibility.
People's hearts had changed; virtually everyone had lost faith that the refugees who had followed Chu Pou south could safely survive the winter.
In the wild markets along Jingkou Road, many refugees appeared with straw markers pinned to their children, their wives, or even themselves, hoping to sell themselves as bondservants just to survive the winter. Inside the camp along Jurong Road, things had not yet reached the point of selling off sons and daughters, but large numbers of able-bodied refugees had fled, trying to slip into the urban areas around Jiankang, Jincheng, Jurong, and the canal to stay alive... In just ten-odd days, their numbers were already counted in the hundreds.
Beyond that, hooligans brawled, stole, and harassed women in endless variety.
That brought up an obvious question: setting aside other places, was Liu Ren Gong's household doing nothing about the camp here on Jurong Road?
They were indeed managing it—flogging those who deserved flogging, expelling those who deserved expulsion. Yet everyone knew that they, too, were preparing to leave. In fact, it was precisely because everyone knew they were leaving that so many troubles had erupted.
To be fair, the incident at Mount Beigu had struck this refugee commander's clan even harder than it had affected the common refugees... As mentioned before, Liu Zhi himself had long wanted to slip away, held back only by the era's traditional attachments to home and kin. As for his sons, at heart they only wanted to leverage their status to rub shoulders with officials and secure offices for themselves. Now that any chance of gaining an office through the Grand Commander was utterly dashed, they had no reason left to cling to the mantle of "refugee commanders."
The first to depart was Liu Zhi's cousin's household, which packed up and moved straight to Jiangsheng.
When he left, people claimed he had harbored a grudge over not receiving cloth earlier and had departed in a huff. But in reality, seeing that he settled in Jiangsheng—Gao Jian's garrison post and the current gathering place of the Gao clan—it was obvious that Liu Zhi had dispatched him as an advance scout.
Sure enough, merely four or five days later, Liu Zhi's nephew's family went there as well.
By then, mid-autumn—the middle of the ninth month—had arrived. Liu Cheng had already changed into his winter attire, becoming a proud wearer of the long gown. Liu Jili, sharing his quarters, had pressed him repeatedly about what to do next, but Liu Cheng still had not made up his mind.
The choice of path lay before him. According to his previous idea of using other people's resources to build a fortified manor—borrowing a chicken to lay an egg—he ought to seize the chance to stay behind, put on a show of leadership, and cultivate some prestige. Come next spring, he might well gather a following to clear land on their own. The trouble was that without government relief and with Liu Ren Gong abandoning the place, the winter camp was liable to collapse completely, and his efforts might all go to waste.
Besides, to be candid, he had also been somewhat shaken that day at the foot of Mount Beigu. The feeling that the slightest tremor from the high officials and aristocratic clans above could upend the fate of commoners like himself was truly wretched. It forced him to confront a practical question: under the political system of the Great Jin, even if he did establish a fortified manor, would he not still be caught in the web of high-level politics? Would he not still be dragged, against his will, into the entanglements of officials, clerks, great clans, and the military?
And if he were destined to be dragged into it anyway, shouldn't some of his thinking change?
Of course, while some remained undecided, others had already made up their minds.
"Brother Qi, you're going to join the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice?" Over the past few days, Liu Cheng had not been looking after the straw sandal business; instead, he had been wandering the camp carrying a wooden board. It was not until the afternoon that he ran into someone who seemed to have been searching for him for quite a while. "Is your mind made up?"
"It's made up." This man surnamed Qi, undoubtedly a familiar face in the camp, looked visibly nervous, his hands constantly rubbing the rope tethered to his sheep. "Still, it was you who brought me into the straw sandal crew, A'cheng, and you gave me ten chi of cloth... On... on the Huai River, you even saved my sheep... Since I'm leaving, I felt I ought to let you know."
"I was just about to ask about that." Liu Cheng set the wooden board, covered in charcoal marks, to one side and casually sat down on a tree stump, speaking solemnly. "Brother Qi, going to the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice is your own path, and no one has any right to interfere. Especially now, when everyone is looking for a way out. But as far as I know, the earnings from the straw sandal crew are steady enough, and I reckon Ren Gong won't let go of it either. Even so, you still want to leave instead of following him to Jiangsheng?"
"I've heard people say Jiangsheng is crowded, and they don't farm there—they just do business in the streets and row ferryboats. All I know is how to farm and herd sheep, and pounding straw isn't something to last forever." Brother Qi still looked uneasy. "And to be honest with you, A'cheng, I need to take a wife and have children eventually. Those Lius... I don't mean you... but your kinsmen are all relatives of the Pengcheng Liu clan. They look down on me from the start. I wouldn't even know how to hire a matchmaker or whether I'd need to build a house. If I go with them, who knows what year or month I'd ever manage to take a wife."
"That brings us to another key point." Liu Cheng nodded, then pressed further. "Brother Qi, surely you know that in the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice, women aren't personal wives? And children are raised communally?"
Indeed—inside the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice, they practiced high-end collective child-rearing!
"I know." Hearing this, Brother Qi's eyes actually brightened, and his words quickened. "I asked around and made sure of it... But isn't that even better? No matter how poor or wretched one is, everyone is brothers and sisters. Even if I have no ability, or even if I die someday, they will look after my woman and children for me. Besides, you might not know this, A'cheng, but over there, all children are kept alive. Boys or girls, none are ever abandoned!"
Liu Cheng had originally intended to persuade him further, but hearing this, he found himself with nothing left to say and could only nod. "I see. So, Brother Qi, are you planning to go alone, or have you made plans to go with others?"
"There are seven or eight of us; we're going together tomorrow at noon," Brother Qi answered quickly. "I've heard people say over the past few days that hooligans have started raiding nearby."
"Even so, keep a close eye on your sheep," Liu Cheng offered as a final reminder. "Think about it—where did those hooligans come from? Aren't they just refugees who broke away? So you must be wary of those traveling with you as well... If some among them have no property whatsoever, they might think of robbing you of your sheep to buy their own entry into the Way, or they might even be colluding with those hooligans, targeting folks like you."
Brother Qi froze, then nodded repeatedly. "You're right to warn me, A'cheng! I..."
"If your mind is made up and won't waver, leaving right now isn't too late. While it's still daylight, find just one or two you can trust, explain the situation, and lead your sheep straight there together. So long as you don't run into a tiger along the way, what harm is there in enduring a night outside their estate?" Liu Cheng thought through the options on his behalf as best he could. "Otherwise, if someone has long had their eyes on your sheep, you'll really be in trouble."
Brother Qi nodded immediately and made to leave, but after taking a few paces, he hesitated again. "Still... I made an agreement with them, and we all know one another. In the future, we'll be brothers and sisters in the Way together..."
"As long as you trust them, that's fine. It was only a word of caution. The way things are now, there's risk no matter what you do, but the danger hasn't gotten that great yet." Liu Cheng nodded, pressing the matter no further. He merely picked up his small wooden board and stood. "If there's a chance, I'll come over there and talk with you again, Brother Qi."
Brother Qi could only nod once more.
At this point, their conversation should have been over by any measure. Yet this man, who treasured his sheep like his own life, remained standing there with his beast, watching the other depart with the small wooden board. Even when Liu Cheng met up with someone else at the corner ahead, Qi still had not moved.
Over on the other side, the person Liu Cheng met as he walked up was none other than Liu Jili. The two had clearly discussed things beforehand, and Liu Jili, dressed almost identically, crossed his arms and asked outright, "A'cheng, have you finished your calculations?"
"Wait a little longer," Liu Cheng said, shaking his head. "I still need to do some figuring. Hearts are unsettled right now, and plans can't keep up with changes."
Hearing this, Liu Jili could only shake his head with a cold chuckle and turn to leave, gesturing with a jut of his chin.
Turning around, Liu Cheng saw the man he had been speaking with still standing there holding his sheep. Feeling helpless, he had no choice but to turn back and ask, "Brother Qi, is there something else? If you have concerns, just say them."
"A'cheng, I asked you before: you're only wearing that crimson headband because a preceptor of the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice gave it to you, and you never intended to join the Way yourself, right?" the man asked hurriedly.
"I never intended to join."
"That makes sense. Since you're of Ren Gong's clan, you're bound to go with him." The honest man, whose sheep had been saved on the Huai River by Liu Cheng, hesitated a moment, then spoke earnestly: "Still, on the Celestial Master Way's side, once you enter, everyone is truly like brothers. Are you really not coming?"
Liu Cheng was genuinely dumbfounded for a moment, but after a second he could only chuckle and shake his head. "Brother Qi, I come from a proper gentry family of the Pengcheng Liu clan. I still intend to become an official!"
Brother Qi finally said no more. Nodding, he murmured an agreement and retreated.
This small interlude was hardly worth mentioning, but time was indeed running short for Liu Cheng. Another seven or eight days passed, and finally, toward late autumn—just as the middle of the ninth month was drawing to a close—Liu Cheng received a private summons.
It was an impressive gathering. Liu Zhi's entire household was present—his three sons, his two sons-in-law, and his eldest daughter who oversaw the storage chests—while everyone else had been ordered to keep their distance. It was an ample show of respect to Liu Cheng.
There were no probing overtures. Upon seeing him arrive, Liu Zhi, who had been weaving a pair of hemp sandals, freed his hands and cut straight to the chase:
"A'cheng, you're a clever lad; without my saying much, you see things clearly... I am an old man. There are still several thousand people in this camp, and with winter approaching and the authorities paying no heed, I am truly powerless. Fortunately, back in Pengcheng I knew enough to treat others well and retained some old ties. Over the past few days, I spent some effort and finally secured an arrangement. You've met Garrison Commander Gao; he is willing to tighten his clan's belts to take me in, and I have agreed with him to betroth your younger cousin to his nephew Gao Heng, so that is a connection we can certainly rely on. There is also our kinsman Ying Gong, whom you've met once; he is willing to lend me some funds and grain... Yet all this is barely enough to give our own clan a way to survive the winter."
Having said this, Liu Ren Gong took a careful look at the youth before him, but seeing not the slightest ripple of emotion from him, he could not help but sigh deeply. "A'cheng, you are my kinsman and so clever; naturally, I hope you will come with us. Besides, you did truly splendidly with the straw sandals and straw mats, and as for the tiger hunt, I will be grateful to you for the rest of my life... So not only you, but even Liu Jili—if you wish to take him in, he can serve as your assistant. In three days, we will all head to Jiangsheng to settle down together. What do you say?"
This proposal exceeded none of Liu Cheng's expectations, and Liu Zhi could truly be said to have done everything within reason and duty.
By now, Liu Cheng had already prepared himself mentally, or rather, had vaguely realized what it was he truly wanted.
Therefore, he gave an utterly candid nod. "My deepest thanks to you, Ren Gong, for sheltering me all the way here. But I would ask Ren Gong to leave a way out for me in Jiangsheng and allow me to stay behind here to make another attempt. I want to keep this camp from falling apart... If things truly prove impossible, I will come to Jiangsheng to seek your shelter."
Hearing this, Liu Zhi and his sons and sons-in-law merely exchanged glances, showing no evident surprise. Evidently, they had discussed Liu Cheng beforehand and were surprisingly prepared for his choice.
"Didn't I say so? You have grand ambitions, A'cheng! Since your heart is set on the Northern Expedition, how could you easily abandon our people?" Liu Huzi spoke with visible bashfulness. "You must be following the example of Minister of Works Xi, who never deserted his fellow townsfolk even in direst poverty. Otherwise, even if you join the army in the future, no one would follow you... In the past, I underestimated both your ability and your ambition."
Had those few words by the stream been so lasting in their effect? Or was there some new rumor he was unaware of? For a moment, Liu Cheng was somewhat taken aback.
Liu Zhi nodded and beckoned to his eldest daughter. Huzi's elder sister lifted a familiar bag from behind her and handed it to her father—it was the bag that had previously held the silverware, though it had flattened considerably.
"Don't decline it... I questioned A'hu closely. That day during the tiger hunt, aside from covering for him, the hundred bolts of cloth and these wares were entirely due to your efforts alone. Since you are staying behind, even though you earned gratitude from distributing the cloth before, without silver in hand it will be hard to get anything done." Saying this, Liu Zhi pushed the bundle over. "I exchanged all those silver and bronze wares with Ying Gong for broken silver and copper cash. I need to keep the copper coins, but the broken silver we'll split right down the middle, fifty-fifty."
Liu Cheng had nothing to say, only gratitude.
In truth, the conversation could have ended there, but Liu Zhi and his sons were visibly ill at ease, seemingly holding back more words.
Liu Cheng could only wait.
"A'cheng, you have ambition, and I have nothing to say against that. But you are too young; you have no idea how heavy a burden several thousand people can be," Liu Ren Gong finally spoke up after a long silence. "With your abilities, I'd say you could certainly find a way to pull through with dozens, or even a few hundred. But several thousand is truly a different matter... With several thousand, you can't even march south to escape the winter cold... So do not stubbornly drive yourself into a dead end. If things truly become impossible, remember this: we are right in Jiangsheng. Come over at any time."
"Ren Gong thinks too highly of me." Liu Cheng was grateful, yet found it somewhat amusing. How could he not understand that quantity produces a qualitative leap? Besides, distributing the cloth that day had already given him firsthand experience of it. Why did these people think so highly of him? "How could I not know the weight of several thousand people, and how could I not know that I am merely a youth? When it comes down to it, it is simply that you have a large family and a substantial burden, so you cannot afford to gamble, whereas I have nothing to my name and can afford to take the chance. Thus, I am only trying to see if I might seize an opportunity. If we can hold out until the imperial court and authorities step in with resettlement, wouldn't I gain people's loyalty for nothing? And as I said just now, please be sure to keep a way out open for me, Ren Gong—I still want to eat the botuo noodles Eldest Sister makes."
With that, he bowed deeply.
Liu Ren Gong nodded. "So long as you understand."
"Ren Gong, that being the case, I have two final requests that must be made clear," Liu Cheng said, his expression turning solemn again. "First, from time to time I will still need to borrow Brother Hu's martial strength to suppress the hooligans and down-and-out troublemakers in the camp, establishing my authority and keeping order. Second, I ask that Ren Gong permit me to continue using your name to make preparations and issue directives."
"As for hooligans and such, you brothers can settle that between yourselves—as if he'd have anything serious to do once he reached Jiangsheng anyway," Liu Ren Gong sighed. "Only, A'cheng, since I am abandoning them and leaving, aren't you afraid that using my name will backfire?"
"Without the name of a local gentry leader like you, Ren Gong, they would probably tear themselves apart in internal strife and scatter at once," Liu Cheng explained with a smile. "Besides, Ren Gong, these people are your fellow townsfolk after all. Your leaving today is not abandoning them; it is simply that you know you cannot save them and cannot bear to watch. And if they truly manage to survive this winter, would you continue to play deaf and mute? It will still require you, Ren Gong, to lead them to nearby lands to clear and farm. If you ask me, why not leave them something to hope for?"
Though Liu Ren Gong was usually timid, he had never lost his composure. Hearing this now, his eyes reddened, and only by forcing a nod did he hold back his tears.
At this point, Liu Cheng had nothing more to say. He bowed deeply once more, took up the bag of silver, and turned to leave.
"A'cheng," Liu Ren Gong called out unexpectedly just then. "I've already pounded this pair of hemp sandals smooth; it only needs the top edge finished. Wait half a quarter of an hour—it's just right to leave for you."
Liu Cheng sat back down without a word. Liu Ren Gong hurriedly wove the sandals, while his three sons, two sons-in-law, and eldest daughter remained silent as well, merely watching their father's movements in a daze... After a moment, Liu Ren Gong indeed finished weaving the winter hemp sandals. Snapping the cord with his own hands, he handed them over.
Taking them, Liu Cheng sat on the ground and tried them on. Finding that they fit quite well, he took out the straw padding from his old straw sandals and stuffed it inside. Then, slipping on the hemp sandals right then and there, he stamped his feet, picked up the bag of broken silver, bowed once more to Liu Ren Gong, and turned and departed.
Chapter 22