Aoyama

Chapter 445 Soap Boots and Straw Sandals

Chongli Pass, the foremost pass of the Ning Dynasty.

If you leave the capital and head north, you can reach your destination in three days by fast horse.

Further north, beyond the Da Ma Mountains, lies the territory of Fengsheng Prefecture in the Western Capital Circuit of the Jing Dynasty. The nearest city of the Jing Dynasty is Baidadan City in Fengsheng Prefecture, about two hundred li away.

On the official road south of Chongli Pass, a caravan slowly appeared on the horizon, with copper bells hanging around the necks of the mules in the caravan, jingling incessantly.

Chen Ji rode Zaozao alongside the caravan and tossed a copper coin to the man leading the mule: "Brother, are you all going to Jingchao to do business?"

The man, his face etched with wrinkles from years of wind and sun, tossed the copper coin into the satchel slung over his shoulder: "How could that be? To get out of Chongli Pass, you need a travel permit, and you need connections to the highest authority to get that."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Where are these goods going?"

The man remained silent.

Chen Ji smiled and tossed another copper coin. Only then did the man reply, "These are all being transported to the Chongli Pass military market. They have everything from small items like needles and thread to large items like fine wine and smoked meat."

Chen Ji looked back at the end of the mule caravan. Dozens of mules were carrying women on their backs. The women sat sideways with their heads down, their heads and upper bodies wrapped tightly with large blue scarves, only their eyes showing.

He tossed a copper coin to the man: "Are these military dependents or..."

The man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth: "Sir, you're joking. Why ask a question you already know the answer to?"

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow and tossed another copper coin: "Chongli Pass doesn't care? I've heard that the three Imperial Guards are strictly disciplined, how could they allow such a thing?"

The man tucked the copper coins into his satchel and said with a smile, "Sir, you don't even know this? The three Imperial Guards usually train in Xuanhua Prefecture. Only the night scouts from various departments are outside the pass. Unless there's a war, the others won't go to Chongli Pass."

Chen Ji responded with an "oh".

He had often heard people say that the three Imperial Guards were located below Chongli Pass, and he thought that these three Beijing garrisons had always stayed inside Chongli Pass. It turns out that they were only located in Xuanhua Prefecture, a hundred miles away.

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Brother, how many people are there inside Chongli Pass on a normal day?"

The man suddenly became alert, cautiously glancing at Chen Ji before confidently declaring, "Chongli Pass is usually guarded by 300,000 troops. If those Jing Dynasty traitors come, we'll make sure they never return... By the way, sir, what brings you to Chongli Pass?"

Chen Ji casually replied, "I'll be a night watchman at Chongli Pass."

The man looked him up and down: "Night clerk? Sir, you're not kidding me, are you?"

Chen Ji asked with great interest, "Then what do I look like I'm going there to do?"

The man looked at Chen Ji's clothes and then at Zao Zao sitting next to him: "I think you look like a noble young master from the capital who has come out to travel."

Chen Ji smiled and said no more. He slowed his horse and followed the caravan to the middle of the carriage to shield himself from the wind and sand.

……

……

Chen Ji left the capital without telling anyone else. He took the documents from the Ministry of War and set off immediately, but was still stopped by Zhang Zheng at the city gate and handed Zaozao over to him.

He didn't want to take the job, but Zhang Zheng said that no horse is good enough to serve as a night watchman.

Chen Ji had traveled for twelve days with the caravan, stopping and starting along the way, until the first day of the fourth month, when he finally arrived at Chongli Pass, which was originally intended to be reached in three days by fast horse.

After noon, he saw a section of the Great Wall stretching and undulating among the towering mountains, like a giant dragon disappearing into the mountains. On each mountain peak was a beacon tower, with the red banners of the Great Ning Dynasty fluttering in the mountain wind.

Chongli Pass is like a giant blue stone gate embedded in the valley between two mountains, towering hundreds of feet high, blocking the only way for Jingchao to go south.

Chen Ji followed the caravan. Before they even reached Chongli Pass, they saw countless yellow tents scattered outside the pass, with men and women moving among them, and hundreds of wisps of smoke rising into the sky and drifting into the heavens.

As the caravan entered the military market, countless people swarmed forward, and someone shouted, "Did you bring any wine?"

The cargo owner laughed and shouted back, "Yes, yes, I brought it!"

Someone else shouted from the edge of the crowd, "I want tea bricks!"

The owner, leading the mule, said, "Don't rush, don't rush. I brought a lot of goods this time, and everyone has a share. After you've divided them up, I'll head back to the capital the day after tomorrow to make as many trips as possible before the hottest days of summer begin. Otherwise, once the hottest days start, the mule will slow down."

Chen Ji ignored everyone else and led Zao Zao through the military market alone.

The tents stretched for a mile, most of them very simple, with only a few enormous tents covered with felt, standing out like cranes among chickens.

The women who had been brought by mules were all taken to large tents.

Chen Ji arrived at Chongli Pass, where the south gate was wide open.

Three layers of barricades stood in front of the gate, and behind the barricades stood twenty soldiers guarding the city, leaning on their long spears.

Before Chen Ji could step forward, the man who had spoken to him earlier emerged from the side, pointed at Chen Ji, and shouted, "Gentlemen, this kid has been asking about Chongli Pass the whole way, and he kept asking me how many troops are guarding the pass. He's probably an enemy spy!"

“Oh, right,” the man added, “he didn’t even know that the three Imperial Guards were usually stationed in Xuanhua Prefecture!” Upon hearing this, the soldiers guarding the city changed their tune and immediately climbed over the barricades, surrounding Chen Ji.

Chen Ji looked around, staring at the cold glint of the spear tip: "Misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" the centurion guarding the city said in a deep voice, "Why are you inquiring about matters within Chongli Pass? What are your intentions?"

The man standing nearby shouted, "Sir, quickly seize him and interrogate him thoroughly; we're sure to get something out of him!"

Chen Ji took out a document from his bosom: "General, I am Chen Ji, a junior officer from the Chongli Pass garrison, who came from the capital. This is my travel permit and a document from the Ministry of War. Please take a look."

The centurion took the document with some skepticism, but saw that the envelope was stamped with the Ministry of War's sealing wax and read "To Zhang Lanjin, Commander-in-Chief of Chongli Pass Garrison".

Unopened documents from the Ministry of War are not for everyone to read.

After thinking for a moment, the centurion handed the document to his colleague beside him: "Take this to General Zhang for verification."

A soldier ran towards the pass.

The centurion looked Chen Ji up and down, and when he saw the boots on Chen Ji's feet, he suddenly realized, "Another guy wearing black boots has come to Chongli Pass to get his credentials."

Chen Ji looked down at his own black boots, then at the soldiers' feet. They were all wearing straw sandals, their insteps and toes exposed in the cold wind, their feet bruised from the cold.

The centurion sneered and pointed at Chen Ji: "Search them! Don't let a single Jing Dynasty spy get through!"

Chen Ji did not resist, but obediently opened his arms and let the soldiers guarding the city touch him thoroughly.

The centurion then said, "Take off your boots!"

Chen Ji took off his boots in front of everyone.

The soldiers guarding the city drew their daggers, cut open the soles of the boots, and then cut open the lining of the boots to make sure there were no hidden items before throwing them aside.

Not satisfied with that, the centurion personally took matters into his own hands, using a dagger to peel open the seams of the old clothes and cut them to shreds.

Chen Ji was not angry: "General, you inspect everyone so carefully?"

Baihu replied stiffly, "Yes, it's better to be more careful."

Chen Ji replied with a smile, "That's right, it's better to be more careful."

The centurion paused for a moment. He had already guessed that Chen Ji was a young master from the capital, so he wanted to vent his anger before handing over the documents and revealing his identity. It would be inappropriate to do so after the documents were confirmed.

But when he looked at Chen Ji's face, he found that Chen Ji really wasn't angry.

At this moment, the soldier who went to hand over the documents ran back breathlessly and said, "The general said it's true."

The messenger cursed his bad luck and turned to walk into the military market: "I don't know where this idiot came from. I thought I could get a reward."

At this moment, the centurion guarding the city calmly asked, "Did the general give any further instructions?"

A soldier whispered, "The general said there's no need to take him to the government office. We'll just send someone to take him to the Qianhu Office in Xuanfu, find a place to dump him, and make sure he doesn't die on our territory."

The garrison commander understood the implication immediately. He looked at Zaozao, the horse Chen Ji was leading, and exclaimed, "What a fine horse! I just don't know if the rider is worthy of it. Come on, I'll take you to the former Thousand-Household Office in Xuanfu. Be a lowly flag bearer there and don't wander off."

Chen Ji said sincerely, "My lord, I am here to work as a night watchman."

The soldiers guarding the city were taken aback by this, then looked at each other in bewilderment, before bursting into laughter: "You? Night Scout?"

Chen Ji asked in confusion, "Isn't it written in the Ministry of War's documents?"

The soldier who had gone to hand over the documents earlier laughed: "The documents only say that you are coming to Chongli Pass as a minor flag officer, but they don't say that you are coming to be a night scout. Besides, what kind of official position is a night scout? We've never seen it mentioned in the documents."

"Night Scout" is a well-known title, but it's not written that way in official documents. Instead, the official title is noted: Chongli Pass Guard Post, Junior Officer, Chen Ji.

So the document the Ministry of War gave him only stated that he was coming to Chongli Pass as a junior officer, but it didn't mention that he was coming to serve as a night watchman. This is the little trick of civil officials: they do everything the Emperor asks them to do in accordance with the rules and regulations, but this particular task just can't be accomplished.

The centurion patted him on the shoulder, his tone softening: "Young man, a night scout must be skilled in archery and horsemanship and have been through countless battles. There are plenty of people who want to be night scouts at Chongli Pass, but it's not something you can just do as you please. You need the general and the deputy general to give their approval. Besides, being a night scout is a tough job, and you young nobles can't handle that kind of hardship. It's for your own good that we're not letting you be one. Come with me, we'll arrange for you to go to the Qianhu Garrison in Xuanfu first."

Chen Ji was silent for a moment, then smiled and agreed, "Okay."

The centurion walked towards the pass. Chen Ji looked at the torn black boots on the ground, and then walked barefoot on the cold stone road and followed him.

He led Zaozao through the city gate and was immediately enveloped in a huge shadow. The city gate was majestic and blocked out the sunlight, making the entire Chongli Pass gray and gloomy.

The centurion glanced back at him and casually instructed, "If you want to accumulate enough merit to return to the capital as soon as possible, go to Hong Zu'er and Zhang Baishi and buy ears. They have plenty, maybe enough for you to be promoted to chiliarch and go back to enjoy life. The price is not cheap, but it will save you from suffering and dying on your own."

Chen Ji asked curiously, "Who are Hong Zu'er and Zhang Baishi?"

"Night thieves."

(End of this chapter)