By evening, most of them had gathered at a fork in the official road south of the Huai River. No one lit a fire to cook, and sobbing rose from every direction.
Brother Qi did not cry. He merely sat on the ground, clutching his sheep desperately, blood still dripping down his face. The others did not know what to do about it. As soon as Third Grandpa Liu arrived, he went to the center of the group, whether to ask after his family or find someone to treat his injured mouth, no one knew.
These were the people who had successfully stopped the robbery. What about those who had not resisted, or whose resistance had failed?
From what they overheard, nearly eight boats out of ten had carried wounded people. Some had indeed been killed and thrown into the river. Women had been violated, too, though the time and place had made such cases unexpectedly few. By comparison, the number of women abducted was about the same as the number of dead. Under such circumstances, livestock and portable wealth had been swept clean away. Reportedly, only Liu Rengong had managed to retain a few chests, seven or eight animals, and several dozen bows and blades.
How could they not cry?
Liu Cheng sat there until his chest felt stifled, then rose to walk around outside. Once he left, however, the crying only grew louder in his ears. Up close, some of it amounted to outright wailing, making it hard to linger. The only things of any value were the whispered conversations: some wanted to go back, some wanted to leave the group and travel alone, some wanted to gather the able-bodied men and abandon the women and children, and some thought Liu Zhi's family was utterly useless and wanted to find some more capable household to attach themselves to.
Some even wanted to head downstream to Huaiyin City and report it to the authorities?!
Clearly, the soldiers' systematic robbery on the Huai River that day had pushed this band of refugees to the brink of collapse.
They were only on the brink, rather than already scattered, because they had encountered the same predicament Liu Cheng had faced when he first transmigrated here. Whatever ideas they might have, in reality they had no one else to rely on besides one another and Liu Rengong, and nowhere else to go besides continuing forward.
But the situation really was dangerous already.
After making a circuit and doing nothing more than relieving himself in the woods, he returned to find several more people where he had been sitting. Grandpa Wang had stumbled along the official road until he found them, stopping only when he saw familiar faces. Now he sat motionless with his granddaughter in his arms, while the child simply cried.
The sight left Liu Cheng feeling as though something were crawling beneath his skin, yet there was nothing he could do.
Reason told him that he had already saved one person... An incapable outsider, with a body like this, had already saved one person and a sheep. What more could he do? In that situation, had he boarded a larger boat instead, he probably could not even have saved a sheep.
Besides, the timber had already been fashioned into a boat; what was done was done. The whole group was in this state now. What good did that crawling discomfort do? Rather than continuing to spill useless sympathy, he should consider whether an old man with a child could endure the rest of the journey.
As for the more distant future, in a world like this, if he could become the lord of a fortified estate soon enough, perhaps he could continue looking after these people. If he could not gain wealth and standing early, even this uncomfortable scrap of sympathy would probably be worn smooth.
"Ah Chen, Ah Chen?" As his thoughts wandered, someone suddenly called out nearby amid flickering firelight.
The voice sounded somewhat familiar. Liu Cheng initially paid it little attention, then reconsidered: he only knew a handful of people. Since he had not recognized the speaker immediately, and the name being called was wrong, the person surely was not looking for him.
Only when the man approached did he realize it was Third Grandpa Liu, whose mouth had been battered, returning and calling for him.
"What is it, Third Grandpa?" Liu Cheng hurried forward to support him.
"Rengong wants to see you." Third Grandpa Liu's mouth was swollen, and he was panting. "Come with me at once."
Liu Cheng's heart gave a start, but he said little and followed him.
There were still several campfires here, with quite a crowd gathered around them. Liu Huzi was here as well, pacing among the fires, unable to contain his anger. Apparently, his mount had crossed with the other livestock, and the whole boatload had been seized. Only seven or eight animals had been left, allotted according to the number of the family's core male members. By comparison, his father Liu Zhi and his two elder brothers, Liu Sheng and Liu Pei, merely looked dejected. They sat cross-legged together beside the central campfire, their disappointment plain on their faces.
Third Grandpa Liu introduced him, and Liu Cheng stepped forward and offered a solemn bow.
In the firelight, the refugee leader raised his head. He seemed to try to smile, but failed, sighing instead. "Your surname is Liu?"
"Yes." Liu Cheng answered with his head lowered, missing the strange expression on the other man's face.
Liu Rengong paused, then pointed at Third Grandpa Liu, who stood to one side covering his mouth. "Brother San from East Dike told me what happened aboard the boat today. If you killed them, you killed them, and you handled it cleanly. Besides, you did it to save someone. You need not be afraid."
"Yes." Liu Cheng kept his head lowered.
"There is just one thing I want to ask. Brother San said you were young, and I did not believe him at first. Now that I have seen you, I naturally have questions. How could someone so young be so bold, killing without hesitation?" Liu Rengong asked earnestly. "And how did you think everything through so thoroughly, so quickly?"
Everyone around them turned to look as well.
In fact, this was why Liu Zhi had summoned Liu Cheng. Though he certainly would not be held accountable, someone who had done such a thing had to be examined. After all, even the companions he had saved regarded him with suspicion and alarm.
"To be frank, Rengong." Liu Cheng finally raised his head and replied in a clear voice, though he kept his hands clasped in salute. "This junior was puzzled too. Why did everyone resist so little? After thinking it over, I decided it must be because you had sheltered them so well back home, shielding them from the stench of blood and savagery. As for me, I actually escaped from the north after Shi Hu died. First I fled back to my ancestral home in Qiao Commandery, but it had long since fallen into ruin, and I could not remain there. Only then did I come toward Pengcheng and find shelter with you..."
"You escaped from the north?" Liu Zhi was visibly startled. "No wonder."
"I told Brother Hu about this." As Liu Cheng explained, he turned to look for Liu Huzi. Only after looking around did he discover the other youth standing right behind him, staring.
Quick on his feet, this one!
"Yes." Liu Huzi faltered, thought for a moment, then simply nodded. "Father, I asked him in Pengcheng. He said he belonged to our clan, but his branch had lived in Qiao Commandery for three generations. Later, his father and grandfather went north during the unrest. He had only just escaped back here alone."
"Our clan?" Liu Zhi's voice rose noticeably, but he soon grew somewhat hesitant again, finally asking slowly, "Your father and grandfather... Never mind! Since you came from the north, do you know how the Imperial Army is progressing there?"
"This junior is young and knows nothing of the overall situation, but personally, I do not think it is going very well." Liu Cheng blurted out an answer that did have some logical basis, though its chief purpose was to bluff his way through the present encounter.
"Not going well?" This gentleman of the Huai River region could not help shaking his head. "Very well, let us leave that aside too! As the saying goes, one who shares your surname may come a thousand miles seeking shelter, and blood kin are one and the same. All the more so when we belong to the same clan. Stay here with an easy mind. We can discuss the rest once we reach Jingkou."
Well now, his attempt to pass himself off as a member of the Pengcheng Liu clan had made a breakthrough. At the very least, a genuine pillar of the gentry who also led a band of refugees was willing to acknowledge him. Naturally grateful, Liu Cheng hurriedly bowed again with clasped hands. "Thank you for taking me in, Rengong."
At this point, by rights, he ought to have quit while he was ahead. Yet after a moment's hesitation, Liu Cheng kept his hands clasped and continued, "Rengong, since you have taken me in, there is something I should not conceal..."
He then gave a broad account of what he had observed that evening.
Before Liu Zhi could speak after hearing him out, his youngest son Liu Hu was already fuming behind him. "I said that if we did not fight back on the river today, sooner or later we would lose everyone's loyalty! But you insisted on stopping me! And those people-we were not the ones who robbed them! Why blame us instead of those soldiers? Just as this fellow said, Father has sheltered them too well! Without Father's protection, they would have died back in Huaibei! How could they ever have crossed the Huai River?"
Liu Rengong remained silent for a moment. Once his youngest son had finished venting, he looked at the youth before him, who was about the same age as his son. "Then what... What do you think, Cheng? What should we do?"
"In answer to you, Rengong, this junior thinks Brother Hu is quite right," Liu Cheng said earnestly. "Though these people are resentful and grieving, they have nowhere else to go, so they can only continue to Jingkou. They have no one else to rely on either, only you, so in the end they will still follow us... But the danger is that one or two more incidents like this could provoke internal strife and turn them against one another! Then it will no longer be a question of whether the group can hold together. We ourselves will be caught in the violence!"
"They would dare?!" Liu Huzi roared.
"Cheng has a point." After considering it carefully, Liu Rengong instead grew solemn. "The danger is not dispersal, but internal strife. If our own fellow villagers are injured, how will we continue the journey?"
"In answer to you, Rengong, this junior has a suggestion that might help a little." Liu Cheng did not wait for an opening, but stated his idea directly. "Could we gather everyone skilled at weaving Grass Sandals into one large group and settle them here with you?"
Liu Rengong froze. Quite a few people nearby who had heard some of the conversation were equally bewildered. Liu Huzi in particular stared sidelong with eyes practically gleaming.
Wait, weren't we talking about possible internal strife and people's loyalties? Everyone had just suffered such a massive, systematic robbery. So many had died or been wounded, so many had lost all their possessions. Everyone was sick with worry, afraid of fighting among themselves or being robbed by soldiers again. How had the conversation suddenly veered toward Grass Sandals?
What did Grass Sandals have to do with any of this?
"Rengong, the reasoning is this," Liu Cheng explained slowly, clearly having already formed his plan on the way over. "To avoid internal strife, first we must travel as quickly as possible. Especially now that we have lost our baggage, we can travel light and move quickly. Every day sooner we reach Jingkou is a day sooner we can be safe. Besides, the authorities distribute grain according to distance traveled, not days spent on the road. The faster we move, the faster we receive provisions..."
"Exactly!" Liu Sheng, Liu Zhi's eldest son, who had been managing the grain but had remained silent until now, suddenly interjected.
Liu Cheng turned and inclined his body slightly toward Liu Sheng, then continued addressing Liu Rengong himself. "Second, you must control as many of the group's vital points as possible to keep the situation stable... There are many such points: grain, firewood, guards. Grass Sandals may seem insignificant, but they are essential for traveling, no different from grain. Without them, people cannot walk; with them, they can move quickly. Moreover, controlling Grass Sandals is easier for people to accept than controlling grain or using force, and less likely to stir up trouble."
Though the refugee leader before him was plainly weak-willed, he was no fool. Halfway through the latter part of the explanation, he understood, and at the final sentence he nodded outright. "Correct. This is a vital point, and more importantly, no one will mind if we gather them together. We can do it."
"In answer to you, Rengong, when this junior was learning to weave Grass Sandals, I carefully asked around about more than half the skilled sandal weavers in the group. This is just the opportunity to serve you. Please let me assist Third Grandpa in gathering them quickly." As Liu Cheng spoke, he pointed at Third Grandpa Liu, who stood bewildered to one side. "We can also gather those whose relatives were killed or abducted in this robbery, as well as those who were injured themselves. On the one hand, they can help collect and pound rice straw and reeds. On the other, we can keep them apart, so they do not unsettle everyone else."
"That is a good idea." Liu Sheng nodded immediately, then looked at his father.
Liu Pei nodded as well.
"Since we belong to the same clan, naturally we should support one another. You are willing, and your reasoning is sound, so that is what we shall do." Liu Rengong finally smiled and made his decision at once. "From now on, you will assist Brother San here with me, specifically handling the group's Grass Sandals."
The youth's spirits finally lifted-the matter had actually been settled so easily. In his previous life, he had worked nine to nine, six days a week, until his thirties before becoming a department manager. In this life, he had reached this level in a dozen-odd days. Who could still claim he had not been dealt a heavenly winning hand?
Leaving aside how Liu Cheng had climbed the pole while striking the snake, seizing his chance to enter the exalted management ranks of the refugee band, and how, newly appointed, he could hardly wait to recruit people that very night to improve his performance... After he hurried away, those close to Liu Rengong inevitably began discussing this memorable youth.
"Father." Beside the fire, Liu Huzi finally stopped losing his temper, only to grow rather listless. Disregarding the crowd around them, he asked bluntly, "Does this Liu Cheng really belong to our clan? Could he be an impostor?"
"Why do you ask?" Liu Rengong had been staring blankly into space as well, and only came to himself when addressed.
"I think there is something strange about him..." Liu Huzi shook his head. "He does not seem to come from a respectable family."
"Strange is exactly what he should be, and his family was indeed not respectable." Liu Rengong sighed. "I knew as soon as he spoke..."
"What do you mean?" Liu Huzi became a little curious.
"He calls himself 'this junior' and says 'in answer to you' when addressing me... 'This junior' is a lowly form of self-address; respectable families like ours do not use it that way. No one uses 'in answer to you' either, but both parts convey the right meaning. When he puts them together, we understand what he means. Is that not strange?" Liu Rengong explained, gazing at the fire. "But if you consider that he grew up in the north and his speech was influenced by the Hu, it fits perfectly."
"Oh." Liu Huzi understood a little. "So he was not lying?"
"Correct. And when he said his family had moved to Qiao Commandery three generations ago, and his father and grandfather had gone north, what he really meant was that they had been captured by the Hu and bowed their backs in service to them." Liu Rengong continued, "With Later Zhao in its present state, even if the Imperial Army is faring poorly, it should collapse on its own. Naturally, he would conceal that background. Besides, he came here alone, so his father and grandfather's fate must be unknown. That is why I deliberately changed the subject instead of asking about them. I feared that, young as he is, he could bear it neither in his heart nor on his face."
"Doesn't 'fate unknown' just mean dead?" Liu Huzi said dismissively. "You could have said it outright, Father."
"Hu, you must show some consideration, or you will offend people without even knowing how." Liu Rengong shook his head repeatedly. "Still, none of this is why I am certain he is of the gentry..."
"Father, do you mean his ability? Not only was he so meticulous about killing, he also knew to use sandal weaving to draw people together." Liu Sheng, Liu Zhi's eldest son, roused himself enough to join in.
"No. A servant or dependent might have learned such abilities from his master... I mean that he understands propriety." Liu Rengong answered his eldest son, but kept his eyes on his youngest. "When your Third Grandpa from East Dike came earlier, he said that this 'junior' would repeatedly bow and offer thanks even to a widow in the group. He has offended no one, high or low. Did you not hear?"
"Doesn't that make him sound even more like a servant?" Liu Huzi was plainly puzzled. "Look at me, Father. I am rude to everyone... It is the household servants who bow to me."
"And you think that is something to be proud of?" Liu Zhi was nearly beside himself with anger.
"Servants and dependents always respect those above them and bully those below. I have never seen one observe propriety in private toward women and children beneath him, much less widows. That clearly proves he is not a servant." Liu Pei, Liu Zhi's second son, nodded, having understood. "As for why he is so cautious and bows to everyone, I fear it is because he grew up among the Jie Hu in the north and has now lost his family."
Liu Huzi finally understood, but sneered again. "Even so, his situation is worse than a servant's now. Once he reaches the lands south of the river, people will ask questions. His father and grandfather bent their backs in service to the Jie Hu. Whether he admits it or dares not say it, they probably will not grant him a title or specifically enter his name in the gentry registers. Without registered gentry origins, he cannot hold office. Alone, with no property and no relatives or old connections, isn't he just a refugee on the white registers?"
"He is still of our clan." Liu Zhi truly felt powerless before this youngest son of his. "We must maintain appearances, or how will others regard us when we reach Jingkou? Besides, everyone surnamed Liu in this world, even if they are not of our Pengcheng clan, descended from the Han imperial house five hundred years ago. Why quibble over it? Show people more kindness. It may prove useful someday."
The father spoke with painstaking earnestness, but someone like Liu Huzi merely nodded carelessly.
----------A painstakingly earnest dividing line----------
Taizu... Emperor Gao, was a native of Congting Village, Pengcheng County, and a descendant of Liu Jiao, Prince Yuan of Chu, younger brother of Emperor Gao of Han. Liu Jiao begot Marquis Tiao of Jile; Marquis Tiao begot Biqiang, Director of the Imperial Clan; Biqiang begot Marquis De of Yangcheng; Marquis De begot... Kui begot Jin, Chief of Lelang; Jin begot Chang, Magistrate of Dongguan under Wei; Chang begot Zhun, Magistrate of Zan under Jin; Zhun begot Zhao, who first moved to Qiao and attained the office of Magistrate of Ancheng. Amid unrest, he wandered in the northern lands. Zhao begot 𨐅, Magistrate of Gaoyuan, who was the emperor's late father.
-Old Book of Qi. Imperial Annals, volume one. Taizu, Emperor Gao, part one
Taizu... Emperor Gao's ancestors were natives of Congting Village, Pengcheng, and descendants of Liu Jiao, Prince Yuan of Chu, younger brother of Emperor Gao of Han. They later moved to Qiao Commandery. Amid great upheaval, the family scattered north of the river. His father, 𨐅, left an only son, who became Taizu.
-New Book of Qi. Imperial Annals, volume one. Taizu, Emperor Gao, part one
PS: My thanks to our new alliance leaders, The Moon Is a Wound in the Night and adrian-fufu, and to everyone for your tips. I am endlessly grateful.