Bestowing Titles and Land, Zhang Yu in a Dream

At the third quarter of the noon hour, in the east of Huaiyang Village, the Village Head was jolted awake from his nap by the sound of a gong. Just as he was about to curse with the lingering irritability of sleep, his voice was drowned out by the cheers erupting from outside.

"Zhang Yu, come out quickly! That little iron man of yours has been granted a noble rank, and you're to go to the County Court to accept it on his behalf!"

"What!?"

Zhang Yu was so startled he jumped straight up.

He's been granted a rank already?

Is he even still alive?

He didn't even bother to put his shoes on properly before rushing out in a frantic hurry.

His aunt followed close behind, her face etched with anxiety, muttering "oh dear" repeatedly, though it was unclear what exactly she was fretting over.

The Clerk who had come to summon him looked at Zhang Yu with a face full of envy and respect, "Village Head Zhang, it's a great honor! Your nephew has been granted a significant rank! Hurry to the County Court, the County Magistrate is waiting for you!"

Zhang Yu sprinted toward the County Court, not even bothering to straighten his clothes, moving in a breathless rush.

The villagers of Huaiyang Village had never seen a noble rank conferred before, let alone upon someone from their own midst. Seeing this, they immediately surged forward to follow Zhang Yu to the County Court.

"I told you that boy had it in him!"

"He's the famous little iron man for ten miles around Huaiyang Village; surely he sent the Han Army scurrying like rats on the battlefield!"

"Look at this spectacle, the rank must be quite high. Could it be a Fifth Rank Grandee?"

"A Fifth Rank Grandee is already a fourth-tier rank; you'd need to lead a squad and kill over ten men to earn that. The little iron man only just enlisted, he's only fought one battle at most. Even a Bugeng would be impressive!"

"Exactly, exactly! A Bugeng requires killing four men, and a Zanniao requires three. That lad is fierce; he hasn't shamed our Huaiyang Village!"

The square in front of the County Court was packed with curious commoners, and the villagers of Huaiyang Village were chattering away in high spirits.

The County Magistrate stood before a bronze tripod, the mugwort burning within it emitting a scent to ward off insects.

He unfolded a silk scroll, his voice echoing across the square.

"From the south of Sanchuan Commandery, Zhao Cheng, a citizen of Huaiyang Village, was the first to scale the walls and break the enemy. He severed 227 heads, led his men to kill 540 of the enemy, severed the head of a deputy general, captured one general, seized one banner, and his military merits are recorded before the army... He is granted the rank of Fifth Rank Grandee."

A sudden uproar erupted in the crowd; the Huaiyang villagers were completely stunned, staring at one another in disbelief.

"What the hell!?"

"He killed 227 people?? No, is there some mistake?"

"The decree has reached the County Magistrate himself after multiple rounds of verification; how could there be a mistake?"

"But our village's Zhao Cheng only just enlisted..."

"This kid is such a killer, 227 kills—that's more than all the people in West Mountain Village combined!"

"Oh, my dear mother, you still dare to call him a kid? Call him Fifth Rank Grandee!"

"First to scale, captured a general, seized a banner, killed 227..." Zhang Yu stood in a daze, muttering to himself, still unable to believe it.

As the Magistrate finished speaking, the Field Overseer stepped forward, holding the Household Register Bamboo Slip and the Land Grant Map.

The Household Register clearly recorded: Zhao Cheng, rank Fifth Rank Grandee, granted 25 qing of land, 25 mu of residential property, and 25 bondservants.

On the sheepskin Land Grant Map, twenty-five square plots of land were circled in cinnabar—they were the very fertile, irrigated fields at the eastern edge of Huaiyang Village!

"Zhao Cheng has no other relatives; his uncle has raised him since childhood. According to Qin law, the rank shall be accepted by his uncle, Zhang Yu, on his behalf."

The Magistrate tied a Bronze Peerage Talisman to the silk scroll and handed it, along with the bamboo slips, to Zhang Yu. "You may take this talisman to the Field Overseer to finalize the land deed. The household registration change must be completed within three days."

Zhang Yu knelt to receive them, his rough, cracked hands trembling as he held the silk scroll, the talisman, and the bamboo slips. Only when he felt the solid, heavy weight of the bronze did it finally begin to feel real.

The Bronze Peerage Talisman was finely polished, inlaid with gold, and edged with delicate silver wire. It was shaped like a gui, simple and solemn.

Inscribed on the talisman were the words "Fifth Rank Grandee Zhao Cheng" in strong, vigorous seal script.

The talisman was split into two halves; one half was to be given to Zhao Cheng, while the other was stored in the County Court archives. When Zhao Cheng returned home in the future, the two halves would be joined to verify his identity.

At the same time, this talisman was not just a symbol of status; it was a credential for signing contracts and passing through checkpoints.

Holding these items, Zhang Yu felt his heart trembling uncontrollably.

He steadied himself, looked up, and asked the Magistrate cautiously, "Is my nephew still alive?"

The Magistrate smiled. "Naturally, he is alive."

Meng Wei stepped forward to help Zhang Yu up, adding kindly, "Rest assured, that lad is doing just fine. Having performed such great service, he is surely valued by the General. He is likely a Colonel by now."

"Good, good."

Zhang Yu walked back toward the village as if in a dream, his steps uneven as he clutched the talisman and the register, followed by two County Soldiers.

By the time he reached the east of the village, the Field Overseer was already waiting by the ridge, holding a bronze measuring tool. He measured the land, one zhang at a time. After an unknown amount of time, all twenty-five qing of fields had been measured.

The County Soldiers set up boundary stones, carving the words "Land of Fifth Rank Grandee Zhao Cheng" on them, with the warning "Those who plow here illegally shall be beheaded" on the back.

Thus, these twenty-five qing all belonged to the new noble, Zhao Cheng. Anyone who dared to encroach upon them would face severe punishment under Qin law.

Afterward, the Field Overseer demarcated the 25 mu of residential land, set up an altar to the earth god, and buried a pottery jar in the center of the foundation filled with grains and coins. He sacrificed a chicken to the earth god, symbolizing that "the land rights belong to the master."

In the distance, the creaking of wooden wheels drew near.

Three ox-carts loaded with pine timber stopped by the field. The County Clerk in charge of the transport lifted the tarpaulin, revealing neatly stacked rafters: "These are the construction materials allocated by the County Court according to the law: one hundred and twenty rafters, five hundred tiles, and thirty cubic meters of clay. Please verify."

Behind these ox-carts were twenty-five bondservants, their necks tethered by coarse ropes, following the carts in a cowering manner.

After Zhang Yu finished the inspection, the Clerk pulled the twenty-five bondservants forward.

"These people are all registered as 'good slaves' in the official records. Most are relatives implicated by criminals under the law of collective responsibility, or laborers who fled their corvée duties, or officials who were dismissed for negligence."

"There are no enemy prisoners of war or major criminals among them, so you may rest assured in putting them to work, sir."

The Clerk smiled very kindly.

Zhang Yu thanked him repeatedly, knowing that this was a convenience the county had granted specifically for Zhao Cheng.

After the Clerk left, Zhang Yu directed the bondservants to begin building the wall, watching them bustle about.

Zhang Yu squatted to the side, smacking his lips, and suddenly grinned, his dark face blooming with a smile.

Inside the County Court, the County Magistrate was busy organizing the records of conferred titles, preparing to synchronize the information with the Sanchuan Commandery government.

At that time, the Lord's Office would transmit official documents to the Metropolitan Secretariat for filing, ensuring that Zhao Cheng's title would have dual records at both the central and local levels, documenting his military achievements, changes in rank, and the location of his land and residence.

Meng Wei sat to the side, looking at the information in the military report, still unable to pull himself away from the details of Zhao Cheng's battle record.

"Tell me, how did this kid manage to kill over two hundred enemies all by himself?"

"How would I know? Didn't you say his archery was divine? He must have killed the majority with arrows and a small portion while charging the city, right?"

"Not necessarily. This child has innate divine strength; I feel that charging the enemy ranks accounted for the majority."

"You haven't been on the battlefield for nothing—you know how difficult it is to charge enemy lines. Even if he has innate strength, being the first to scale the walls and capturing the enemy commander is already the limit. Where would he find the energy to kill so many people?"

"Otherwise, shall we make a wager?"

"Fine, what shall we bet?"

"A month's worth of venison!"

"Hah!" The County Magistrate thought for a moment, felt his odds of winning were better, and said, "It's a bet!"

Meng Wei laughed heartily, placed the military report on the table, and headed back to the Drill Ground.

Han territory.

After several days of marching, the main Qin State army had arrived at Ye County.

Zhao Cheng rode at the forefront, ten miles ahead of the main force, climbing to a high point to look out.

As far as the eye could see, the Zhi River flowed grandly, and the Kunyang Mountains wound like a green dragon.

Beneath the mountains, the walls of Ye County stood tall, facing the Zhi River to the north, leaning against Kunyang to the west, bordering the Li River to the south, and hugging the Shaoche River to the east. The confluence of the two rivers formed a triangular zone, which not only provided water for the city but also served as a defensive buffer zone to the southeast.

It could be said that it was built against the mountains and protected by water, with the city's defenses and the terrain perfectly integrated.

Looking at those walls again, Zhao Cheng's idea of punching a hole through the enemy's fortifications wavered slightly.

The walls of Ye County were built of rammed earth, with the exterior faced with stone.

Wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, the foundation was thick, reaching seven or eight zhang (sixteen to seventeen meters), with the top also being five or six zhang wide and a total height of about three zhang. It was completely incomparable to the small, square forts at the mountain passes.

The four corners of the wall were equipped with two-story watchtowers, housing large crossbows and rolling logs and stones, with beacon towers every mile.

From Zhao Cheng's vantage point, he could also see the two tall gates of Ye City, reinforced with iron plating. He felt that smashing through these gates would be far more realistic than smashing through the walls.

"If Ye County is already this sturdy, what must the famous Wan City be like?"

Since transmigrating to the Qin State, this was the first time Zhao Cheng had seen a town with such heavy and tight defenses.

However, after observing for a while longer, he began to understand.

The location of Ye County not only occupied a strategic position, easy to defend and hard to attack.

It also sat adjacent to a vast plain to the northeast, which led directly to Wan City.

Furthermore, it was a strategic hub leading to Nanxiang and connecting to the Central Plains. Even a layman like Zhao Cheng could easily see its strategic value.

It was no wonder Han had spent so much effort building such heavy defenses.

"With a turtle shell this thick, no wonder I haven't seen a single enemy scout along the way. As soon as they see the Qin army, they just close the gates and hold out."

Zhao Cheng turned his horse and galloped back to the main army, arriving before Meng Wu to report the situation.

Meng Wu nodded with a smile and tested him, "Having seen the defenses of Ye County, what are your thoughts?"

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment, "Attacking the city won't be easy, but if you let me lead the charge, it should be a bit easier."

I shouldn't have asked you.

Meng Wu was caught between laughter and tears, then looked at Meng Tian, "And you? What are your thoughts?"

Meng Tian pondered and said, "Ye County is guarded by mountains and rivers. Aside from the side relying on the steep peaks to the north, the other three sides have natural moats forming a buffer zone."

"It is extremely difficult for our side to force a breakthrough, but we could first build a dam to intercept the water upstream, causing the moats to dry up and applying pressure."

"We could also tunnel into the base of the wall from the shadows and burn the pine pile foundations, causing the wall to collapse."

"Then cut off their supply line toward Wan City, surround them without attacking, and force the garrison to surrender."

Meng Wu nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad, but it is still lacking something."

"Even if we could take Ye County with such a siege, it would be far too slow."

"Do not forget, we still have a fierce general who is a match for ten thousand men."

Meng Tian was stunned. "This... surely you don't mean to let Zhao Cheng go first? Ye City is not like the Mountain Pass; a frontal assault would result in heavy losses, and we might not even take it."

Meng Wu shook his head. "Stubborn."

"It is indeed necessary for Zhao Cheng to go first, but not to assault the city. He is to disguise himself as a woodcutter, act as a suicide agent to infiltrate the city, wait for the right moment to gather intelligence, and then coordinate from within to break open the gates!"

"A suicide agent?" Meng Tian's brows furrowed deeply.

A suicide agent's mission was far too dangerous—disguising oneself, penetrating deep into an enemy city, and waiting for an opportunity.

Once discovered, it would be like catching a turtle in a jar; surrounded by tens of thousands of garrison troops, even a god would be unable to fly out.

Meng Wu nodded. "For others, it is a suicide mission, but for Zhao Cheng, it is a mission of survival."

"Look, Ye County leans against the Kunyang Mountains to the north. The terrain is steep, yet there are a few goat paths that can be traversed. The enemy knows our main force cannot scale the mountains, so their northern defenses will inevitably be lax."

"While our main force makes a grand show of building dams to divert the water and cut off their supply lines, the garrison will surely grow anxious."

"With water shortages and a lack of supplies, they will be unable to forbid the commoners from entering and exiting the northern forests; they might even have to rely on that path to replenish their own supplies."

"Otherwise, the people are already panicked. If they seal off the entry and exit points for supplies, the public sentiment will only worsen. With internal strife and external threats, how long could Ye County possibly hold out?"

Meng Tian suddenly realized. "That is true, but..."

He looked at Zhao Cheng, feeling that the lad's appearance was truly heroic and extraordinary, his body sturdy and tall. Having just been through a slaughter, he was now radiating a thick aura of Sha.

Claiming he was a woodcutter?

Would the enemy believe it?