Glory and Honour

"A big road passes by my house

My family lives under Liang mountain

Under the mountain, the soil is fertilised on five acres of land

On this land, what should I grow?

A big river passes by my house

I have a wife, a son and my house is big

The chickens are fat, the geese are plump, the cows and goats are strong

Plant beans, plant paddies, or canola flowers."

Under the scorching sun, a long column of soldiers marched forward at a slow pace.

The column stretched out past the horizon, roughly nine li in length. At the front of the column were a disorganised mass of peasant militiamen, marching under a blue banner. 

The Blue Flag company was composed primarily of conscripts.

The only professional soldiers were the higher ranking officers, while the rest, like the lieutenants and below, were all poorly trained and poorly equipped, with some wearing a few pieces of armour here and there.

Their weapons were uneven as well, with some holding spears, some holding ji halberds and some holding farming equipment.

The Blue Flag company was the largest portion of the army, measuring 5 li in length.

In the centre of the column was the Yellow Flag company.

These were more organised than the Blue Flag company and better equipped, but were also primarily composed of peasant militia.

If the Blue Flag company were to be considered the chaff, there to make up the numbers, then Yellow Flag company could be considered the wheat, the main fighting force of the regiment.

They measured 3 li in length, slightly fewer in men compared to the Blue Flag company.

Finally was the Red Flag company.

These were Liang's elites, veterans of several battles, highly disciplined and uniformly equipped.

The company itself was split into many different squadrons, with a few wielding swords and shields, a few wielding halberds and so on.

In the Blue and Yellow companies, there was one lieutenant for every four men. In the Red Flag company, every man possessed at the very minimum the rank of lieutenant.

From what Wuxian had learned, Liang's favourite bread and butter battle strategy was to deploy their weakest troops against the enemy's weakest troops, their ordinary troops against their enemy's strongest troops and their own elites against the enemy's ordinary troops.

Unlike the states of Qin or Han, their strength lay not in their elites.

Liang's men did not have the discipline or ferocity of Qin's men, nor did they have the high quality equipment or the experience of Han's men.

What they did have, however, was lots of militia. The idea was to delay the enemy elites, gain an edge in the militia battle and annihilate the enemy's ordinary soldiers, finally using their total numerical superiority to crush the remnants.

However, whether this strategy was effective or not was up for debate.

In the previous war against Qin, Liang had been losing tragically, only being able to broker a peace after ceding an entire commandery.

There had been many calls within the court to demote the Commander-in-Chief at the time, but unfortunately, said Commander was a member of the royal family, and a favoured one at that.

"A big road passes by my house!

My family lives under Liang mountain!" 

"I say, isn't this marching song somewhat demoralising?" Asked Xiao Chong.

Mian Ji scratched his face. "I don't think so. It's relatively upbeat, isn't it?"

"Aren't the bigwigs afraid that after singing this song we'll all get homesick and cause a mass desertion?"

Wuxian thought for a moment. "I think the idea of the song is to make us want to defend our homeland."

"But the issue is that not only is my house not big, I don't have a wife, nor do I have any children! This song is for the wrong demographic!" Xiao Chong exclaimed.

"I-if I may…" Wu Wen said timidly.

"Humph! What do you whippersnappers know about marching songs? This is culture! C-u-l-t-u-r-e!" Sun Tao interrupted, stressing each vowel.

"What do you know about songs, old fart?! Out of all of us, your singing is the worst! When you sing, you sound like boar in heat!" Xiao Chong scoffed.

Sun Tao turned red, grabbing the boy by the scruff of his neck.

"Yeah? When I, your father, was fighting in war, you weren't even born yet! When I sung marching songs, you didn't even know how to speak, let alone sing!"

"Uh, excuse me…" Said Wu Wen.

"What?" The tousling pair asked in unison.

"Isn't the part about planting beans and paddies accurate?"

A brief pause. The two had blank expressions on their faces.

"Indeed it is. Good observation." Wuxian chuckled. He then separated Sun Tao and Xiao Chong. "You're making a racket, calm down."

The two reluctantly obliged, staring daggers at one another.

As they marched on, occasionally singing, occasionally humming along, the sun began to set. The column moved steadily forward, quickly reaching no man's land.

To the sides of the road were a few villages or guesthouses, increasingly sparse the further they marched. And increasingly more desolate.

Looking at this, Mian Ji sighed aloud. He placed one hand behind his back and the other under his chin, adopting a wise man's pose.

"When at war, the common man receives suffering." He said poetically.

"Acting all sagely, yet you can't even get the phrase right." Xiao Chong scoffed.

"Third brother speaks the truth, you used the wrong tone. It's endure, not receive. Use the fourth tone." Wuxian advised.

"Quit posing, kid." Sun Tao snorted.

"I think brother Mian spoke quite well." Wu Wen added supportively.

Mian Ji ignored the mockery and saluted Wu Wen. "You have good taste."

"…Thanks."

Looking at this shameless display, Wuxian felt bittersweet inside.

'Indeed, the common man suffers.'

———

"I don't care what you and your men do. Rape, pillage, murder, it's all free game out here. But there are certain boundaries you must not cross. 

First, no setting fires. If you come across a field of crops, station guards and notify your superior officer. Those crops will help supply our men. Under no circumstances are the fields to be burned.

Second, be thorough. If you are going to 'have some fun', leave no witnesses. Do not allow anybody to escape and alert the local authorities.

With the main column right behind us, our goal is to survey the area and build fortifications. It's fine if the local garrison sallies out, but we're not equipped to deal with Qin's elite banner forces.

Third, do not sleep out in the open. If you cannot make it back to camp before the eleventh hour, find a concealed location like a guesthouse or the like. Always have someone on guard- sleep in shifts and rotate throughout the night.

Understood?"

"Aye!" The officers chorused.

"Dismissed."

The officers saluted and retreated while half-bowing.

Meng Hao poked Wuxian with his elbow. "Riches and women, all for the taking." He smirked.

"But no glory or honour, hm?" Wuxian then gave him a half-hearted salute. "My men are waiting, I must take my leave first. Please excuse me."

He turned briskly and left the tent, long red scarf billowing behind him.

Meng Hao tsked as he watched him leave. 

"Stuck-up bastard."

Wuxian walked swiftly to his company's campsite, easily locating his squad.

Mian Ji saw his dark expression. 

"How did the briefing go?" He asked.

Wuxian didn't reply, merely packing up some supplies and hoisting his spear.

"Alright, you lot, pack up your things. We're deploying in half an hour, so no slacking."

Usually, their squad mates bantered even in serious or tense situations, but Wuxian's uncharacteristically serious behaviour was unsettling.

Xiao Chong sidled up to him as the others packed up.

"I say, what's got you all worked up?"

Wuxian sighed. "Nothing. Have you finished preparing?"

"Nope. I'll go do that now."

——— 

Wuxian's squad travelled alongside two others. They were also militiamen and similarly to Wuxian, their lieutenants weren't professional soldiers. 

One was a man named Li Qian, someone with a scholarly and kind disposition. He merely wore cloth armour, a sheathed short sword by his waist.

The other was Li Dong, the polar opposite of Li Qian. Despite the similar family names, they were unrelated.

Li Dong was large and boorish, wearing a full set of bronze armour. His helmet had a battle mask on it, depicting the visage of a yaksha. His weapon of choice was a zhanmadao, or horse-killing sabre.

Surprisingly, Li Dong was easier to get along with. Despite his thuggish appearance, he was honest and easy going.

'I suppose I'm one to talk. My height is fairly intimidating, after all.' Wuxian thought to himself.

The three lieutenants marched at the front of the group, their followers closely behind.

Wuxian found the scholarly Li Qian difficult to talk to, as he often merely responded with nasal sounds, so he preferred to chat with Li Dong.

"Brother Dong, what did you make of what the captain said?" He probed.

Li Dong scratched his chubby neck, making scraping sounds. "Eh, you mean the briefing?"

Wuxian nodded.

Li Dong gave him a look, quickly figuring out which part of the briefing Wuxian was referring to.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure. I have a wife and kids back home and some of the men in my squad are from the same hometown as me, so some certain activities are off the table, heh." He joked.

Wuxian felt slightly relieved. "I didn't expect it from you, brother Dong. So fierce on the outside, but so principled on the inside."

Both men chuckled roguishly, earning a sideways glance from Scholar Li Qian.

"What's so funny?" He asked, feigning disinterest.

"Nothing at all." Li Dong lied, splaying his hands in innocence.

As Wuxian and Li Dong returned to chatting quietly, Li Qian subconsciously moved closer to listen in.

His curious look was met with the staring of the other two lieutenants.

Wuxian looked at the blushing Li Qian, determining that he was a harmless individual.

"Pfft, if you want to join us, just join. No need to be so touchy about it!" Li Dong chortled, trotting over and wrapping his arm over Li Qian's shoulder.

The latter tried resisting, but Li Dong's strength was too great. He had no choice but to yield.

Sighing, Li Qian cupped his fists at both men in turn. "Apologies for my aloofness. I was merely digesting the contents of the briefing."

He paused for a moment before displaying a helpless look. "Being a poet and scholar, some of the things that came up are hard for me to digest." He admitted.

Li Dong let out a hearty laugh and thumped his chest. "Well you're in good company."

Wuxian nodded and returned the salute. "We share the same concerns."

"Truly?" Li Qian exclaimed in surprise. "Then being conscripted does have some benefits after all."

Wuxian smiled and Li Dong nodded his head repeatedly.

The rest of the journey continued like that, harmonious and with some joking about here and there. After a few hours, they discovered a rundown inn.

"My two good brothers, to apologise for my previous coldness, I volunteer to bring my squad and secure the guesthouse. Do not consider rejecting me- this is something I must do." Li Qian announced with a salute.

Wuxian found the lad's antics to be amusing, giving a nod of approval.

"Hey, hey, hey, it couldn't be that you're hoping to go first to get ahead of us in the search for valuables, hm?" Li Dong asked with a raised eyebrow.

Li Qian turned pink. "Nonsense! Nothing of the sort!"

"Alright, alright, brother Dong was joking, go ahead. We'll come if there are any signs of trouble." Wuxian said.

"Many thanks. You four, come with me." 

Li Qian and his men readied themselves and then jogged off towards the building. Wuxian watched them rush off into the distance, their shadows turning long against the ground.

"Brother Wuxian." Li Dong said.

"What's the matter?"

"About what scholar Qian said earlier…"

"He said a lot of things, you'll have to be a bit more specific."

Li Dong rubbed his neck, recalling their previous conversation.

"He said that being conscripted has some benefits! Pray tell, what benefits are there?"

Wuxian stared at him with wide eyes, causing the plump fellow to feel slightly embarrassed. After the realisation settled in, Wuxian started laughing uncontrollably, tears of mirth marking his eyes.

Li Dong had a confused expression.

Wuxian patted the man on his shoulders. "Why don't you ask him yourself later? Let's go and join them at the inn."

———

While Wuxian and the other two lieutenants were against harming the locals and indulging in their primal urges, their men may not feel the same way.

Furthermore, living witnesses were a real risk.

While their regiment as a whole were unafraid of the local garrison, this mere gathering of three squads was not the whole regiment and was most certainly afraid of conflict.

The best case scenario for them was that the guesthouse was uninhabited. Unfortunately, things often did not go the way one wished.

Wuxian looked at the quivering and trembling family in front of him, the old man repeatedly kowtowing, drawing blood with the force at which his head collided with the floor.

The wood chips scattered around from the recently demolished door boards didn't help much either.

He felt a headache coming on.

"Please, please, kind sirs, don't hurt my family… please…" The man whimpered.

He was a broken record, repeating the same lines again and again no matter what the officers tried to do.

In one instance, they had two men pull him up, but the moment they released him, he shot down to the floor again, as if grovelling was his natural posture.

Li Dong and Li Qian had similar expressions on their faces, clearly unsure of what to do.

"Don't worry lieutenant, I've got this." Said Sun Tao.

He made his way behind the old man. Before anyone could react, he gently struck him with the hilt of his sword, knocking him out cleanly.

One problem down, several more to go. 

Wuxian's gaze fell upon the rest of the family. An elderly woman, presumably the wife of the unconscious man, a younger couple and their three kids.

Wuxian then looked at his fellow lieutenants, silently asking if either of them wanted to helm the situation. He received blank looks in response.

'Hm… let's try this.'

He cleared his throat.

"Look here. We don't mean any harm- we won't kill you or anything of the sort as long as you behave." 

At the same time, he realised the irony of an armed soldier saying that to a family who's home he'd just barged into.

The family did not react, still kneeling on the floor.

"Alright, how about this. If you can pay us some money, we'll guarantee your safety. After one or two days, we'll be gone. How does that sound?"

This way, he could kill two birds with one stone. He could earn some money to keep the men happy. At the same time, asking for money was in fact more convincing than saying that he would spare them out of the kindness of his heart.

The young woman looked up at him. "Really?"

Wuxian nodded affirmatively. "Really."

Her look of vigilance didn't fade, merely regarding him with less suspicion than before.

"We have some silver here and there in the draws. We also have some family inheritance hidden underground. I'm warning you, if you try anything at all, you'll never get that money from us."

Clearly, she hadn't considered the possibility of torture. Luckily for her, Wuxian was not interested in such a thing.

"You have my word." He reassured.

"And mine." Li Dong added.

"These two are honourable men. They are trustworthy." Li Qian said.

"You dolt, why would they believe you? You're one of us." Li Dong admonished.

"What do you mean 'one of us'? I'm from a cultured family in the big city, you pig farmer!" Li Qian retorted.

The young woman's guard dropped significantly at their bickering.

After that short ordeal, the group settled in. The civilians were locked up in their bedrooms, forbidden from roaming about or escaping.

At the same time, the locked doors would act as a barrier, preventing any of their men from doing anything uncouth.

They had fifteen men in total, including lieutenants. As the sun had already begun to set, arranged a rota for night shift and other housekeeping activities.

At meal time, the squads generally sat apart from one another.

Wuxian and the others made some idle talk, but most of the time was spent eating or in silence. The terrified appearances of the family had shaken most of them.

Out of everyone in Wuxian's squad, only Sun Tao had served before and was presumably used to it already.

Since there weren't enough spare rooms, many of the men had to sleep on the floor or against the walls. Wuxian gave up the privilege of having a room, sleeping on the floor with the rest of his squad.

As night fell, a quiet descended upon the guesthouse.

"Big brother? Are you awake?" Xiao Chong asked.

"I am now. What is it?" Wuxian replied groggily.

After receiving no response for several moments, he became curious. "Third brother, what's the matter?"

"Are we the bad guys?" The boy asked.

Unexpectedly, it was not Wuxian who answered, but Sun Tao instead.

"This is war, kiddo. There are no good guys or bad guys." He said gruffly.

"But we're invading someone's land and we just broke into someone's house. If we wanted to, we could do much worse things."

"But we won't and didn't. If I have any say in it, it'll stay that way." Wuxian interrupted.

Xiao Chong made a low non-verbal grunt in response, shifting to find a more comfortable position.

"Stop being so noisy you guys, I'm trying to sleep." Mian Ji complained, turning over.

Soon enough, the sounds of stable breathing could be heard across the room.

Wu Wen stared at the ceiling blankly, reminiscing of home.

But he began to tire and his nerves settled. A few hours later, he finally fell asleep.

Unfortunately, the night was not destined to be peaceful.

A crashing sound broke the silence, followed by the wailing of children and a piercing scream.