Capital

In the end, Yang Ge still failed to escape Shen Fa's clutches.

Before he had even finished a basin of fish with pickled mustard greens, he was out the door with Shen Fa.

"Here we are!"

Shen Fa led Yang Ge into a secluded alley and pointed at the residence beside them. "This is the Embroidered Uniform Guard's covert post in Luting County. From now on, it'll also be the headquarters for your banner!"

Yang Ge surveyed the old residence. Its towering gray-brick courtyard walls still retained traces of a wealthy household's grandeur, and he muttered inwardly about how the Embroidered Uniform Guard really did have deep pockets and vast holdings.

The two reached the side gate, and Shen Fa stepped forward, lifted the knocker, and tapped it gently.

"Coming..."

"Creeeak."

The gate opened, and a fleshy face with thick eyebrows and large eyes poked out. At the sight of Shen Fa, its owner hastily cupped his fists in greeting. "Boss, you're back."

Yang Ge peered over Shen Fa's shoulder. Wasn't that Fang Ke?

"Mm."

Shen Fa gave a faint acknowledgment, and the two stepped over the threshold, one after the other.

Fang Ke closed the gate and hurried after Yang Ge, his face wreathed in smiles as he lowered his voice to greet him. "Banner Commander, have you eaten?"

Yang Ge waved a hand, too heartsick to answer.

The three passed through the flower-adorned inner gate and entered the courtyard.

A group of broad-shouldered, thick-waisted men already stood waiting inside. Seeing the three enter, they all cupped their fists toward Shen Fa at the front. "Your subordinates pay their respects, Thousand-Household Commander!"

Studying their builds and movements, Yang Ge kept feeling that these men all had some military training behind them.

"Rise!"

Shen Fa lifted a hand slightly and answered in an indifferent tone.

"Thank you, sir!"

The soldiers straightened, heads high and chests out, trying hard to keep their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Yet none could resist stealing grateful glances at Yang Ge behind Shen Fa... They all knew he was their new immediate superior, the benefactor who had saved their lives last night, and the man who had given them a second life by sparing their entire families the miserable fate of being reduced to outcasts and exiled to Lingnan.

Yang Ge was studying the soldiers too. Besides the few who had knocked their foreheads bloody at his house earlier, there were another twenty-odd men, making roughly thirty in all.

"They're your men from now on!"

After glancing over the soldiers in the courtyard, Shen Fa turned directly to Yang Ge. "Fang Ke has served under me for two years. He's reasonably clever and alert, though he tends to lose his brains on missions. I'll leave him here as a Junior Banner Officer to knock some polish into him. Ask him anything about the Guard Office. If he doesn't know, come straight to me!"

"As for these brutes, they're all still under review. Drill them as hard as you please. If any prove useless or refuse discipline, beat them when they deserve beating and kill them when they deserve killing. You've already shouldered an enormous responsibility for them. Don't let them drag you down any further!"

"All right, there's plenty of business waiting in the Guard. I'll be off. Report any further matters directly to me!"

Almost before he had finished speaking, Shen Fa was ready to leave.

In front of so many people, Yang Ge could hardly act as casually as he had at home. He hastily cupped his fists and bowed. "Your sub-subordinate respectfully sees you off, sir!"

Shen Fa had already taken two steps when he heard that stumbling farewell. He stopped, turned his head to glance at Yang Ge, then waved a hand and strode out toward the gate.

Yang Ge saw it clearly. The bastard was hiding a laugh...

Damn your lungs!

Cursing inwardly, Yang Ge nevertheless kept a broad smile on his face as he beckoned to Fang Ke. "Fang Ke, see the commander out for me!"

Fang Ke cupped his fists and hurried after Shen Fa.

Yang Ge turned around and stared expressionlessly at the soldiers.

They met his gaze with gratitude all over their faces for a moment, then unconsciously lowered their heads.

Before long, Fang Ke hurried back. Standing beside him, he cupped his fists. "Banner Commander, the Guard Office screened all these brothers overnight. They're men of good families with clean backgrounds who served in the Border Army. Once this busy spell is over, the Guard Office will send another twenty or thirty men our way to fill out our ranks!"

Under Great Wei's military system, a guard consisted of 5,600 men, a Thousand-Household Commander Office of 1,120, and a Hundred-Household Office of 112, with two Banner Commanders and ten Banner Captains.

With a regulation strength of fifty-one men per Banner Commander, Yang Ge's unit was still nearly half empty.

The Border Army...

Yang Ge repeated those words quietly to himself several times, and his gaze finally softened little by little.

"All right, everyone, raise your heads and look at me!"

He spoke listlessly.

The soldiers hastily lifted their heads, looking at him with burning eyes.

"I won't waste words!"

"First, if anyone doesn't want to work under me, step forward now. We can part on good terms!"

Yang Ge did his best to rally his spirits and asked loudly, "Don't worry that you'll have nowhere to go if you leave. I'll ask Banner Captain Fang to find you another position!"

The soldiers stood utterly motionless. They did not even blink!

"Second, if anyone likes wearing an official uniform and brandishing weapons, step forward. I'll arrange a good posting for him!"

A brief stir ran through the soldiers. In the end, two decided this might be a good opportunity and worked up the nerve to step forward.

Beside him, Fang Ke shook his head speechlessly.

Yang Ge couldn't care less whether Fang Ke was speechless. He turned to him at once. "Send these two gentlemen back. Ask the Guard Office to find them a nice posting where they can wear official uniforms and carry swords!"

Thud!

The two men who had stepped out were instantly so frightened that their knees buckled and they dropped to the ground. "Sir, we know we were wrong..."

Yang Ge hardened his heart and did not look at them. He merely waved to Fang Ke.

Taking the hint, Fang Ke stepped forward, seized one in each hand, and dragged them out like dead pigs... He knew perfectly well that the Thousand-Household Commander, who had said he was leaving, was actually waiting right outside!

The two men's wails, as though their fathers had died, echoed through the courtyard for a long time. The soldiers, who had been somewhat relaxed a moment ago, now stood ramrod straight, not daring to meet Yang Ge's eyes.

Arms folded, Yang Ge kept sweeping his expressionless gaze over them. That unreadable look made every soldier's scalp prickle!

Only after quite a while did Fang Ke hurry back into the courtyard and cup his fists to Yang Ge. "Banner Commander, those two have been sent back to the Guard Office!"

Yang Ge nodded, lowered his arms, and gently breathed out.

The great stone hanging over the soldiers' hearts dropped with that breath.

"All right, now let's discuss proper business!"

Yang Ge eased his tone and spoke gently. "There are three rules for working under me."

"First, follow orders."

"Do whatever you're told to do. Whatever you're told not to do, you absolutely must not do. If you don't want to listen, I won't do anything to you. I'll simply ask you to go back where you came from."

"Second, endure hardship."

"I know you may have made your living through fighting and killing before, but from now on, you may be doing plenty of things that have nothing to do with either. For any gentlemen who want to flaunt their might in official uniforms with official sabers, this temple of mine is too small to house you!"

"Third, don't cause trouble!"

"I don't need to explain why you all ended up here. From now on, don't act like fools when something happens. Use your heads, and spare more thought for your wives, children, and elderly parents. Don't let a rush of hot blood make you think your life is worthless anyway. If you really encounter something you can't handle, come to me. If I can't handle it, I can still go to the higher-ups. We're conducting official business, not settling private grudges!"

"Is that clear?"

The soldiers answered in unison, "Your subordinates obey!"

Yang Ge waved both hands repeatedly. "From now on, unless you're wearing official uniforms and carrying official sabers, none of this 'your subordinate' or 'sir.' Wouldn't that practically announce to everyone that we're government men?... When we meet privately, call me Young Brother Yang. When we meet here, call me Boss."

The soldiers replied, "Yes, Boss (Young Brother Yang)."

As their voices faded, all the soldiers turned to look for the blockhead who had said "Young Brother Yang."

Yang Ge nearly lost his composure too. He quickly turned to Fang Ke. "What arrangements has the Guard Office made for us?"

Fang Ke answered, "Boss, we're an independent banner directly under the Thousand-Household Commander, carried on the rolls as his personal guards. He wants us to take over Inspection and Arrest duties in Luting County as soon as possible."

Yang Ge tilted his head and studied this thick-browed, wide-eyed fellow with his utterly honest face. He clicked his tongue inwardly and thought, You can't judge a man by his looks, any more than you can measure the sea with a dipper.

What made a trusted confidant?

In just a few words, this fellow had spelled out every favor Shen Fa had been too embarrassed to mention!

But that made sense. How big a head did Yang Ge have, anyway, to bear a hat this heavy?

After considering for a moment, Yang Ge asked, "Are there other covert posts in Luting County at present?"

Fang Ke nodded. "As far as your sub... as far as I know, yes."

Yang Ge felt a little relieved. Even as an outsider, he knew that Luting County, the gateway to the Upper Capital, had to be fiercely contested ground for intelligence work.

If such a crucial position were dumped into his hands without any time to prepare, wouldn't that be driving a duck onto a perch?

He turned to study the soldiers, who had once again straightened their backs and thrust out their chests. After a long while, he said, "I have two jobs for you."

Fang Ke hastily cupped his fists. "Please give your orders, Boss."

Yang Ge said, "First, put all the brothers among the towmen on the Bian River and have them haul boats. They can come back once they look like proper laborers!"

He made no attempt to conceal it. Every soldier in the courtyard heard him, and bitter looks appeared on all their faces.

Following Yang Ge's gaze, Fang Ke studied them for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "You've thought this through, Boss. With the bearing these brothers have, anyone could tell at a glance that they came from the army!"

That was exactly what Yang Ge meant.

As the saying went, the greatest hermit hid in the bustling city. A fake assassin wore a sharp suit, sunglasses, and gloves, and carried a silenced pistol. A real assassin needed only work trousers, a polo shirt, a white face mask, and a homemade gun...

"Second!"

Yang Ge continued, "Submit a request to the Thousand-Household Commander for me. See whether the Guard Office can give me some open, unimportant Inspection and Arrest case files so I can learn from our predecessors' experience... Preferably files from many years ago, cases that have been completely closed. Whatever you do, don't bring me anything connected to current affairs. I can't shoulder the responsibility for leaking secrets."

Fang Ke gave Yang Ge a surprised look, then nodded. "I'll report it to the Thousand-Household Commander afterward."

Yang Ge nodded and waved a hand. "All right, I'll leave this place to you for now. Draw up a roster later and send it to my house. It should give a detailed account of every brother's background and abilities, including but not limited to martial arts, weapons, military service, whether they've had any schooling, temperament, and family circumstances. In short, the more detailed, the better!"

"Oh, and unless it's urgent, you're the only one who may come to my house to find me!"

Fang Ke committed each instruction to memory, nodding his assent.

Yang Ge said goodbye to the soldiers and hurried away as though fleeing.

Watching him leave, Fang Ke wondered how such a capable man could willingly work as a waiter, ordered about at everyone's beck and call.

No sooner had Yang Ge left the alley than

Fang Ke appeared before Shen Fa.

"He really said that?"

Shen Fa set down his teacup and straightened in surprise as he sought confirmation.

Fang Ke cupped his fists. "Reporting to you, sir, I haven't changed a single word!"

Shen Fa slowly settled back into his chair, gazing unfocused at the blue sky outside the window, filled with delighted surprise.

From his previous dealings with Yang Ge, he had already known that this was a talented man who had read books, understood reason, and knew when to advance or retreat.

But even driven like a duck onto a perch, Yang Ge had arranged the work steadily and methodically while buying himself time. That truly was a tremendous surprise!

He had worried that Yang Ge was young and softhearted, with no experience in either the army or official service, and might fail to keep those brutes from the Border Army in check. That was why he had made a special trip to lend him support.

Now, it seemed his worries had been needless...

Privately, pushing Yang Ge into the position of Banner Commander had been both an opportunity and a test.

If Yang Ge had immediately begun throwing his weight around with his newfound authority, or focused solely on honing those brutes' fighting skills,

then no matter how great Yang Ge's talent for martial arts, he would never become more than a high-level enforcer...

"Someone come!"

Shen Fa suddenly called out.

A young servant in blue hurried inside at his summons and cupped his fists. "Boss."

Shen Fa took a token from his waist. "Take my token and hurry to my office to fetch the sealed... Never mind. Go straight to Room D in the Northern Pacification Office's Archives Repository. Bring a hundred or so copies of Inspection and Arrest case files here, then hand them over to Banner Commander Yang Ge!"

Standing respectfully to one side with his body bowed, Fang Ke could not help a twitch of his brow at the words "Archives Repository." At "a hundred or so," it twitched again.

Only after Shen Fa finished did he muster the courage to cup his fists and ask quietly, "Sir, taking case files from the Archives Repository, wouldn't that..."

Shen Fa waved a hand and said casually, "Doing business requires capital, of course... Don't tell him those files came from the Archives Repository. If you do, he won't accept them!"

Fang Ke could only answer, "Your subordinate obeys."

Reclining in his Grand Master's Chair, Shen Fa rested his chin on one hand and tapped the armrest with the other, murmuring to himself, "Yang Ge, oh, Yang Ge, just how many more surprises do you have waiting for me..."

"You wouldn't believe it!"

Sitting on the steps in his little courtyard, Yang Ge gently stroked Little Yellow's head. Unsure whether to feel happy or worried, he murmured, "It still feels like a dream. Just yesterday, the two of us, father and son, were worrying about getting meat to eat, and today Daddy's an official..."

"By all rights, that ought to count as a good thing, shouldn't it?"

"But I keep feeling like I've taken the wrong road, and I'm getting farther and farther down it..."

"What do you think, Little Yellow?"

Little Yellow raised his head and enthusiastically licked Yang Ge's cheeks.

Helplessly, Yang Ge pulled the dog's head away. "All right, all right, I know you'll always stay with me!"