The next morning, right after breakfast, word spread throughout the camp from top to bottom that Liu Ren Gong was leaving.
In truth, this could hardly be kept secret anyway. Liu Ren Gong's departure was not simply a matter of his immediate household; as noted before, he intended to take his clansmen with him... Back when his ancestors had moved away from Congtingli in Pengcheng to resettle on the western bank of the Si River in Guangqi County, at Pengcheng's northwest corner, there had surely been kinsmen following them, much like his cousins and nephews today. Generations had passed since then, and the branches of the family had flourished. It was just that Liu Ren Gong's father had still been able to hold an official post of two-thousand-dan rank to uphold their lineage's reputation, while the rest of their blood kin remained right there beside them.
That meant these two to three hundred households, Old Liu San's included.
How could he possibly abandon them? By the standards of this era, they were truly one family!
In fact, as Liu Cheng observed, had it not been to ensure these two hundred or so clansmen households survived the winter, Liu Ren Gong would not have felt compelled to go to Jiangsheng... People starving or freezing to death—what was unusual about that?
This was the Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms! Moreover, an Eastern Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms on the verge of plunging into a second climax of warfare!
Solely because he had to keep his blood kin from starving and freezing if possible, he had no choice but to abandon the refugees of other surnames who had attached themselves to his entourage.
Yet, the reason the entire camp learned of Liu Ren Gong's departure was not because the Liu clansmen had begun packing their nonexistent belongings, but because Liu Cheng had stepped forward and made the announcement of his own accord.
A few months ago, the boy had merely been an outsider in a coarse tunic and rough trousers, who even had to barter on the road just to get a pair of straw sandals. Now, he was acknowledged by the vast majority of the camp as a scion of the Pengcheng Liu clan and one of the camp's managers. At this moment, he was even clad in a short winter fur under a teal-blue outer robe, wearing hemp sandals woven by Liu Ren Gong's own hands, and sporting a crimson headcloth—looking thoroughly well-to-do and trustworthy.
And yet, it was this very trusted Pengcheng Liu clansman who, right after breakfast, walked over to the wooden palisade at the valley mouth, sat down, and played "Orchid Grass" on his flute. Once a crowd had gathered, he publicly announced Liu Ren Gong's plan, swiftly shattering everyone's illusions.
He laid it out with total clarity:
The authorities were not going to look after them. Liu Ren Gong had gone to plead with the Grand Commander, but failed to even secure an audience. Left with no alternative and unable to bear watching his people starve or freeze to death, he had no choice but to seek refuge with an old friend in Jiangsheng. Because that friend's resources were limited, he could take only the Pengcheng Liu clansmen and the straw-sandal and straw-mat crews.
However, this did not mean Liu Ren Gong was washing his hands of everyone else. If next spring the imperial court remembered them and provided grain seeds and supplies, Liu Ren Gong would definitely return to clear the land alongside them. In the meantime, Liu Cheng and Liu Jili had been appointed chief and deputy managers of the camp to assist everyone in enduring the winter and to receive official relief whenever the government came around.
Still, their capabilities were limited, and they could not guarantee life or death over the winter. Those who had connections were free to seek their own ways out, but none were allowed to damage the camp's firewood stores, rob others, abduct women or children, or fight, on pain of severe punishment... As for those without connections, they were to stay dutifully in their shacks and await reorganization into new crews once the Liu clansmen departed in three days.
Having spoken, explained everything, and answered every question, he took his flute, moved to another part of the camp, and played another round of "Orchid Grass," making the rounds to deliver his announcement everywhere.
After two circuits, the camp residents, who had still clung to a shred of doubt, could bear it no longer. Some were pushed forward to question or plead with Liu Ren Gong; others became hysterical and cursed at the top of their lungs, though they only cursed heaven and earth, not daring to curse people, much less Liu Cheng; some wept and wailed piteously as though doom had arrived; while others began gathering friends and associates to plot their next move.
In the middle of the morning, having lost their final layer of psychological defense, the camp instantly plunged into chaos.
Right at this moment, the well-prepared Liu Huzi immediately set to work beating people... Anyone caught robbing, stealing, deceiving women, or brawling—or merely identified by the shouts, or even habitual loafers caught red-handed—was met by Liu Huzi and his clan tiger-hunting squad. A flurry of clubs rained down upon them, and in this late autumn chill, they were stripped down to their coarse trousers and cast out of the camp.
The few who had actually carried out heinous misdeeds were stripped stark naked, not even spared their trousers. They were bound to the wooden posts by the central fire pit and handed over to Liu Jili, who stood guard there. Liu Jili counted the strokes while someone dipped a whip in water in the biting cold and lashed them. Once the beating was done, their trousers were tossed back to them, and they were dragged out of the camp.
One had to admit that when it came to brute suppression, Liu Huzi, that ruffian youth from the Huai region, was thoroughly dominant—especially with their ambush prepared in advance.
Thus, just as quickly as the disorder had erupted, it was quelled. The unrest that broke out that morning was completely cleared away by afternoon.
Not only that, under the threat of clubs and whips, the small, organized groups that did not bear the Liu surname recognized reality and stopped arguing with Liu Ren Gong. That very afternoon, seven or eight households totaling thirty to forty people surnamed Zhang packed up and left. Word was that they had previously run into an acquaintance of the same surname who had become an overseer at a canal warehouse, and they were heading over to rely on him, planning to earn a living hauling cargo.
This sort of departure was naturally a good thing. Liu Ren Gong was thin-skinned and felt too embarrassed to face them, but Liu Cheng enthusiastically saw them off all the way, even grasping Old Zhang's hand and insisting on giving them a flute rendition of "Mom is the Best in the World" as a farewell tune.
With someone taking the lead, the rest followed suit. Soon people were constantly streaming in and out of the camp, all looking for avenues of survival.
Over the next two days, exactly as Liu Cheng had anticipated from his inquiries, many of the cohesive small groups and able-bodied individuals chose to leave whenever they could find an opportunity. And Liu Cheng treated every single one the same: whether they went to the cities, sought out old acquaintances, joined the Way of the Five Pecks of Rice, or were introduced by fellow townsmen to sell themselves into servitude as bondservants to great families—as long as it sounded like a way to survive the winter, Liu Cheng personally saw them off, shaking hands with each and bidding them a fond farewell.
Remarkably enough, quite a few broke down in tears while gripping Liu Cheng's hand, whether weeping for their own plight or genuinely touched by their bond with this youth.
Thus, over the course of three days, the camp emptied out considerably. If the Liu clan's departure the following day managed to draw away some of those still reluctant to give up, by tomorrow afternoon there might truly be only about a thousand people left.
Yet, after dinner that evening, around the time the Liu clansmen had likely finished packing their nonexistent belongings, an unexpected visitor sought out Liu Cheng in the dark.
"Old Liu San, aren't you packing your things? Why come over here—were you waiting for me?" Liu Cheng asked as he returned from outside. Only after making out the familiar figure by the distant glow of a campfire did he breathe a sigh of relief, smiling again.
"What things could there be to pack? We were looted clean back in the Huai region." Having waited for him, Old Liu San forced a bitter smile at these words, then visibly hesitated.
Seeing this, Liu Cheng chuckled. "Old Liu San, you're usually such a brisk and straightforward man. Why the hesitation now? You're an elder—whatever you have to say, just say it."
"A-Cheng... tell me the truth. After this, are you parting ways with us for good?" Old Liu San stepped forward half a pace, taking his hand just as Liu Cheng usually did when talking to people.
"What are you saying, Old Liu San? I made it clear to Ren Gong: if we can make it through the winter, he'll still need to come back and lead the rest in clearing the land. When I saw off those who left, I told them plainly as well: if things don't go well for them come spring, they can all come back together." Liu Cheng grasped the old man's hands in turn, his tone earnest. "And if we can't survive this winter, I told Ren Gong that too—just leave a straw pallet for Brother Jili and me in Jiangsheng, and we'll come seek shelter with him then."
"If that's truly the case, then good. I only feared that you're young and prideful, and that if you couldn't hold out here, you'd be too ashamed to go to Jiangsheng and end up led astray by that Liu Jili..." Old Liu San seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Hearing this sounded strange indeed. Liu Jili had no way out himself right now—how could he lead Liu Cheng astray? Baffled, Liu Cheng was about to offer some words of reassurance.
To his surprise, having reached this point, Old Liu San suddenly choked up for reasons unknown: "A-Cheng, I know you're an ambitious young man. People in the straw-sandal crew have been talking, and they all say that after this parting, you probably won't be on the same path with us anymore... Old Wang put it best: in times like these, even if you want to stay together, once you part, it's almost impossible to reunite... A-Cheng, you don't know, but I blame myself. I felt early on that we couldn't hold onto you, that I should have found you a wife. If you had settled down and started a family, you'd have been willing to stay with us... But I looked over several young girls in the camp and felt that humble families like theirs weren't good enough for you, so the chance slipped away."
*He's actually crying? And finding me a wife?*
Liu Cheng felt goosebumps prickle across his skin, yet he could only offer comfort: "Old Liu San, as the saying goes, those sharing a surname come from a thousand li away to seek shelter, no different from blood kin. Besides, we are of the same Pengcheng clan, and I am all alone in this world. In times like these, who else would I rely on if not all of you? Even if we wanted to avoid each other, we couldn't."
Old Liu San nodded repeatedly. Being advanced in years, once he started crying, it took an immense effort to stop. Fortunately, one could say, he didn't cry himself to death like the Grand Commander.
Once his weeping subsided, the old man lifted a pair of hemp sandals from the shadows at his feet and set them carefully into the straw nest nearby. "These are from Old Wang for you. He has a child to look after, so there's no two ways about it—he can only follow the young master. But he asked me to tell you that he's known your kindness in his heart all along. If not for you, he and his grandson wouldn't have survived after crossing the Huai River..."
What could Liu Cheng say? He could only nod. "Please tell Old Wang and the others for me to live on well. Only by staying alive can we speak of any of this. Whatever happens, they must never let that spirit break."
Old Liu San nodded again and again, pointed at the hemp sandals, and finally took his leave.
Once the man had gone, Liu Cheng couldn't help but sigh in relief. The whole camp said he was easy to get along with, but dealing with people was exhausting work, wasn't it? It truly wore a person out.
"You certainly have a knack for winning people over. How many does that make now?" Liu Jili emerged from behind the haystack and plopped down onto the straw bed, gesturing at the hemp sandals with a sneer. "I stayed with Liu Agan for two or three years and did plenty of work for him, yet when I left, not a soul gave me a single pair of straw sandals. And here you are with two pairs of hemp sandals already."
"How could there be that many?" Liu Cheng also sat back down in the straw, reaching out to pick up the noticeably oversized hemp sandals. "Counting Brother Qi, they were all folks who shared meals in the same mess from the very beginning and fought off bandits with us on the Huai River. Tall Liu on the first day was too. It's just that Old Liu San can't let go of the idea that you're going to lead me astray. If you ask me, you shouldn't take it to heart. Even if there were people over there who looked out for you, they probably had to defer to Liu A—"
Mid-sentence, he broke off abruptly. Reaching inside the suspiciously heavy hemp sandals, he pulled out a whole handful of Shenlang coins!
Evidently, the people of the straw-sandal and straw-mat crews had pooled this together. Only they would possess so much spare loose change, yet without pooling it together, there could never have been this much.
Liu Jili was stunned as well. Reaching into the other sandal, he pinched out another Shenlang coin, blew on it, and suddenly felt a wave of dismay—even if these people were of no help to his own ambitions, what on earth had he accomplished over the past two or three years?
Yet on second thought: could Liu Cheng truly have cultivated such genuine prestige?
Chapter 24