Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 319: Merit Verification and Enlistment

Tong Zhongkui was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No. My unit is still planning renovations and has not yet sent anyone into the valley."

"Who could that be?" Hou Shilu asked doubtfully, "Did the governor send someone else into the mountains?"

"Just call him over and ask him and you'll know." Tong Zhongkui said.

"That's true." Hou Shilu nodded and ordered the soldier who came to report: "Bring the person here."

"Yes." The soldier hurried out of the yamen again.

After a while, Ding Xiu and Li Xian were escorted by several soldiers to Hou Shilu and Tong Zhongkui.

"Your humble servant greets you, sir." The two men knelt down and kowtowed.

"Where is the head?" Tong Zhongkui said nothing, and Hou Shilu did not let the two of them stand up.

"General, here we are." Three soldiers guarding the city each carried a bag.

"Open them all." Hou Shilu looked from side to side at Ding Xiu and Li Xian, his eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion. It wasn't until the soldiers pulled three heads, each with distinctly foreign features, from the blood-soaked "pocket" that Hou Shilu's expression softened.

Back when he was an official in Liangzhou, he encountered a robber who brazenly took the heads of innocent people as if they were the heads of northern barbarians and brought them to the government for a reward. The robbers were caught on the spot, and the case was brought to Beijing. In the end, the main culprit was tortured to death by slow slicing, and the accomplices were beheaded. No one survived.

"You two stand up and talk." Hou Shilu waved his hand.

"Thank you, sir." The two men bowed again and stood up.

Hou Shilu rubbed his tired and sore eyes and asked, "Where are you all from? What do you do for a living?"

"In reply to your Excellency, I am originally from Kaiyuan. I once assisted General Ma in defending Kaiyuan as a brave soldier. After General Ma was defeated, I fled south to Shenyang. Now I make a living by hunting in the mountains." Ding Xiu replied.

Hou Shilu stared at Ding Xiu intently, his eyes gleaming with piercing insight. "Shenyang is over a hundred miles from Weining. Aren't you wandering too far?"

"After fleeing to Shenyang, I briefly made a living in the Baijia Chong and Sancha areas. Last year, the bandits invaded en masse, and I..." Ding Xiu choked for a moment, the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitching unnaturally. "I luckily escaped, but I didn't dare go back. So I've been trying to make a living around Fengji."

"Yes." Hou Shilu nodded. "Then how did you get these heads?"

Ding Xiu thought for a moment and decided to start from the beginning. "To answer your question, sir. A while ago, I was hunting in Fushun, near the eastern Great Wall. Although I had some success, I encountered a large-scale invasion by bandits. I had no choice but to abandon my prey and flee. Along the way, I was discovered by several bandit scouts and had no choice but to surrender."

"Were you captured by the bandits?" Hou Shilu straightened his posture.

"Yes." Ding Xiu was a little thirsty, but at this point he could only quench his thirst with his own saliva. "I was captured. But later I took the opportunity to escape."

"How did you escape? It's not an easy thing." Hou Shilu glanced at Tong Zhongkui and found that he was also looking at Ding Xiu with interest.

"To answer your Excellency, this slave thief has taken a fancy to me..." Ding Xiu was stunned. He didn't want to tell anyone about this, so he lied, "My clothes!"

"Robbing clothes?" Hou Shilu had been a low-ranking officer all his life and had seen all sorts of robberies. But this was the first time he had heard of a story of someone fighting back and killing an enemy because their clothes had been stolen.

"Yes!" Ding Xiu said firmly. "At night, the bandits wanted to steal my clothes, so they untied me. I'm quite strong, so I took the opportunity when the bandits untied the ropes and used all my strength to break free. Then I attacked and beat the bandits to death. I hid in the tree for the rest of the night, and only after the bandits broke camp did I get down from the tree and escape."

"Hmm." Hou Shilu looked Ding Xiu up and down. He noticed that his clothes, aside from being a little dirty, had no obvious patches or holes. He was indeed a valuable asset worth robbing. "And then you cut off his head? And then killed two more?"

Ding Xiu shook his head and said, "No. I only hid in the tree for one night and didn't cut off the thief's head. These heads were found later."

"Later. How did you fight?" If Ding Xiu just nodded like that, Hou Shilu would not believe it.

"After the slave soldiers broke camp, I fled south along the mountain path. In an empty village, I discovered a group of deserted slave soldiers, three of them, barbecuing meat with smoke rising from their chimneys." Ding Xiu pointed at the three heads lying on the ground. "Then I took advantage of their inattention and attacked them, shooting them dead."

Hou Shilu asked sharply, "Why do you think they are deserters rather than scouts?"

Ding Xiu hadn't given it much thought until Hou Shilu asked him about it. He then began to think carefully. He pointed to the lynx and rabbit skins. "Because they hunted a rabbit and a lynx, and didn't bring their horses. The bandits are everywhere, and it seems they're going in big. They must have gotten away from the group hunting at this time."

"The furs and weapons are all theirs?" Hou Shilu was already 80% convinced.

"Yes. There are four sets of weapons in total. The three in the pockets belong to the three heads." Ding Xiu looked at a soldier holding a bow and sword. "And that set belongs to the slave I killed in the enemy camp. It was with this that I was able to launch the sneak attack."

"A sneak attack." The Jurchen armored soldiers were highly skilled individually, and even Hou Shilu himself would have struggled to take on three in a head-on fight. But since it was a sneak attack, there was no problem. "Bring them all over here," Hou Shilu waved to the soldiers.

The soldiers understood and brought the head and four sets of weapons to Hou Shilu and Tong Zhongkui.

After examining it carefully, Hou Shilu nodded and said, "I think this one deserves a reward." He then asked Tong Zhongkui, "Deputy General Tong, what do you think?"

"It's well-founded. The physical evidence also matches." Tong Zhongkui looked at Li Xian. "But what about him? You two came together to report your achievements, so why did you only talk about yourself and never mention his role?"

Ding Xiu blinked in confusion. It took him a moment to realize that Lieutenant General Tong was asking about Li Xian. He replied, "To answer your Excellency, I rescued him by chance."

"Were you also captured?" In order to prevent Tong Zhongkui from being embarrassed, Hou Shilu took the initiative to take over the conversation and asked on his behalf.

"Your Excellency," Li Xian said cautiously, "I was abducted and taken to the bandits' lair after the fall of Tieling two years ago. A while ago, the bandits launched an attack on the Ming Dynasty and forced me to transport their supplies. I escaped at night, but was recaptured while hiding. Fortunately, this chivalrous man saved me and I was able to escape and no longer be an accomplice to the enemy."

Hou Shilu asked, "What's your name?"

"My surname is Li, and my given name is Xian."

"Li from Tieling, are you a close relative of the Earl of Ningyuan?" Although there have been voices in the court and the country calling for the dethronement of the Li family's hereditary earldom after Nurhaci corrupted Liaodong, since the emperor has not issued such an edict, Li Chengliang is still the Earl of Ningyuan.

"Outside the five generations of mourning." "Then they are distant relatives." Hou Shilu asked again: "Do you have any other family members?"

"Gone." Li Xian shook his head. "My parents were brutally murdered by the bandits when Tieling fell. My brother and I escaped the bandits' lair together, but he's nowhere to be found now."

"Alright," Hou Shilu said. "Since you have no family, no one can verify your identity. According to the current regulations of our Liao, you will be sent to Liaoyang for further questioning. Once the facts are clarified and the suspicion of being a spy is eliminated, you can move freely. The government will provide you with food during this period, so you don't have to worry."

"Thank you, sir." Li Xian kowtowed quickly to express his gratitude.

"Yes." Hou Shilu accepted it calmly and waved to a soldier: "Take him away and send him to Liaoyang with the other people who escaped from the thieves' den."

"Yes."

"Brother Ding, I'm leaving now. I will definitely repay your kindness." Li Xian kowtowed to Ding Xiu again. Regardless of Ding Xiu's rhetoric, he had indeed saved Li Xian from the hands of the bandits and brought him safely to the Ming-controlled territory. To say he had saved his life was no exaggeration.

Ding Xiu's expression changed slightly, but he still said, "No need to thank me, just give me the money."

--------

After Li Xian left, Hou Shilu said to Ding Xiu, "Let's continue talking about the first merit."

"It's all up to you, sir." The corners of Ding Xiu's mouth curled up unconsciously.

"The imperial court offers the same reward for slaves as it does for the northern barbarians: fifty taels of silver each." Before Hou Shilu could finish his words, Ding Xiu couldn't wait to thank him. "Thank you, sir!"

"Don't be too happy yet." Hou Shilu poured a bucket of cold water on him. "You definitely won't be able to take all the fifty taels. How much you can take depends on your choice."

"I understand." Ding Xiu wasn't surprised. It was just a common practice to show respect. It would be a miracle if officials didn't take a cut.

Hou Shilu said as a matter of course, "Let me make it clear to you first. For every head, the General's Office will deduct ten taels. This is unchangeable and cannot be changed by the wind."

"Yes." Ding Xiu breathed a sigh of relief. It was only 20%.

Hou Shilu's tone was filled with a hint of satisfaction. "The process of reporting your achievements won't be completed in a day or two. I can only give you money after the court pays me. Until then, you need to wait."

"How long will it take?" Ding Xiu asked subconsciously.

"I don't know." Hou Shilu said, "Let me tell you this. This month, the court awarded General He of Shenyang a reward for his outstanding achievements. But most of these achievements were reported last year or even the year before."

"so long!"

"Waiting a year or two is normal, nothing strange about it. Unless the slave bandits are eradicated and the court wants to repatriate the foreign soldiers and dismiss the conscripted soldiers, then things will usually go faster." Hou Shilu smiled and said, "If you want the full forty taels, you have no choice but to wait. But if you want the money quickly, I can give it to you now, but you won't get enough forty taels."

"How much can I get?" Ding Xiu suddenly felt that the general might be deceiving him and wanted to embezzle the reward money.

"Half." Even with Tong Zhongkui right beside him, Hou Shilu didn't shy away from the question. "For three heads, I'll give you sixty taels. I'll give it to you now. Take this money and leave in peace. These heads will have nothing to do with you. They will become the credit of others, and the experiences you just described will be slightly modified and attributed to others."

"Isn't this taking credit for something?"

"Young man, don't be so harsh. This is customary." Hou Shilu wasn't offended by Ding Xiu's bluntness. "Heads are valuable. Not only can they be exchanged for money, they can also be used for promotions, and they bring honor to the army. Even if you're willing to wait a year or two and take the 120 taels, the credit for this first achievement won't be attributed to you." Hou Shilu paused. "Unless, you're willing to join the army."

"You want to draft me into the army?"

"Are you a military household?" Hou Shilu asked back.

"No." Ding Xiu shook his head.

"That's it. You're not a military household, so why should I conscript you? I'm just giving you options. It's up to you to choose which one." Hou Shilu yawned and continued:
"Choose. Take the sixty taels now and leave, or wait for the imperial reward to arrive and take the full one hundred and twenty taels. Or join the army, serve the court, and earn yourself a title and a chance to have your wife and children blessed." Hou Shilu was thinking of finding talent. "You're a rare talent. I can initially offer you a position as the head of the Inner Guards. It's almost equivalent to a general flag, but with a rank but no official uniform. If you can earn some merit and pass the military examination, you can be promoted to an imperial official. Later, you can become a captain, captain, guerrilla commander, lieutenant general, or even a deputy general or general. Isn't that how He Zhenshuai of Shenyang rose to prominence?"

He Shixian was a living example of someone who rose from a lowly soldier to a high-ranking officer. Whenever an officer wanted to make a promise to his subordinates, they would use He Zhenshuai as an example.

"If I had joined the army, how much money could I have earned now?" Compared to the illusory "title for wife and children", Ding Xiu was more concerned about his money.

"It's still twenty taels per head, but you can receive salary every month," said Hou Shilu.

"Can you add a little more?" Ding Xiu said, "Silver isn't worth much these days. One dan of rice costs four or five taels of silver."

"If you think it's too little, you can wait in the army. It won't deprive you of food. You took all these heads by yourself anyway. They're clear and obvious, so you don't have to share them with anyone. The court may be slow in rewarding you, but as long as you can report it, it will be given." Hou Shilu looked at the heads again. "These three heads have complete facial features and distinct features. With these sets of weapons, we can definitely report them."

"Okay. I'll join the army and wait there." Ding Xiu nodded.

"That's settled then." Hou Shilu was also very satisfied.

"Thank you, sir."

"Take this and go to the battalion to find Hou Gongji, the captain of the detachment." Hou Shilu wrote a note to Ding Xiu. "He will arrange accommodation for you."

"What about these things?"

"Of course, I'll keep it with you. I'll give you weapons and uniforms." Hou Shilu pointed to the remaining lynx meat and rabbit skin wrapped in lynx fur. "You can take the fur and meat."

"Thank you, sir." Ding Xiu knelt down and kowtowed in thanks.

　In the next chapter, our focus returns to Beijing.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)