After the Double Ninth Festival, the weather turned cooler.
According to military regulations, each unit consisted of fifty soldiers led by a unit commander. Ten units were commanded by a general, who was accompanied by a flag bearer. The flag, known as a "zhang," was a type of banner. Five hundred soldiers, or ten units, were entitled to one zhang flag, hence the term "one zhang" for five hundred soldiers. The general commanding these five hundred soldiers was also referred to as the "zhang commander."
A zhang commander wasn't a high-ranking official. The top military positions were monopolized by powerful aristocratic families, while mid-level positions were mostly held by scions of influential families. Only a few exceptional individuals from humble backgrounds, through hard work and a bit of luck, could rise to such ranks.
As for the zhang level, unless it was a private army, most zhang commanders in the imperial army were ordinary people, as aristocratic families rarely occupied these positions. However, even among ordinary people, there were hierarchies. If nothing unexpected happened, zhang commanders were often local strongmen. The reason was simple: they had extensive networks, their children had access to better martial arts training, and their starting point was different, giving them a strong competitive edge.
The new zhang commander was finally decided—it was Mi Huang, the Protector of the Sikong Mansion. From Shao Xun's observations, Mi Huang's abilities were limited, and he wasn't a suitable candidate for the position. This was evident from the daily training sessions, which were rigidly by the book.
Mi Huang had no military experience, was unfamiliar with the basic situation of the entire zhang, and couldn't conduct targeted training. Sima Yue, the Prince of Donghai, had very few capable people at his disposal. Moreover, he was overly suspicious and unwilling to entrust the zhang troops to outsiders, preferring to dig for talent within his own domain.
This led to the current situation.
After ten days, over a dozen of the older soldiers had died from the harsh training, and Mi Huang finally realized something was wrong. He reorganized the troops, separating the young and strong into three units as the "elite" of the zhang. The elderly and children were also grouped separately. At the same time, he requested the Sikong to transfer some guards to serve as officers at various levels. In this situation, Shao Xun and a few trusted soldiers managed to secure positions as unit commanders and squad leaders, even though they were only leading a group of children.
On the fifteenth day of the ninth month, a long procession trudged eastward along a dilapidated post road. The autumn wind rustled, and the sky was clear with scattered clouds. Shao Xun carefully observed the soldiers in his unit. The youngest were around seven or eight years old, while the oldest were in their late teens. Their faces were filled with curiosity but also exhaustion.
Going from being a squad leader in the Sikong Mansion's guards to leading a group of children wasn't necessarily a good thing. However, looking at it dialectically, every situation had its pros and cons. If given the opportunity to manage things properly—this was crucial—it could turn a bad situation into a good one. It all depended on whether fate would grant him that opportunity.
"...Wang Bao was wronged. Although he was killed, the Prince of Qi and the Prince of Changsha have likely fallen out."
"Trouble is not far off... I just wonder which side our lord will choose."
Two riders approached side by side, their fragmented conversation reaching Shao Xun's ears. While he ordered his unit to maintain formation, he pricked up his ears to listen.
Wang Bao was a well-known figure in Luoyang, serving as the Chief Clerk to the powerful Grand Marshal, the Prince of Qi, Sima Jiong. How could he have been killed?
The sound of hooves grew closer. It was Dai Yuan, the Military Advisor, and Liu Qia, the Left Marshal.
"I heard that before Wang Bao died, he shouted that his head should be hung on the Grand Marshal's gate so he could watch as external troops attacked the Prince of Qi's mansion."
"Actually, Wang Bao was talented. The strategies he proposed were quite feasible. It's a pity the Prince of Qi was so foolish."
"This is a good thing. If the Prince of Qi had followed Wang Bao's advice and sent the other princes out of the capital, Luoyang would have been completely under his control."
"The Prince of Qi hasn't said anything, but our lord is already scared and doesn't dare to keep his allies in the capital."
"What about the Prince of Changsha?"
"It's said he kept about a hundred of his followers and sent the rest out of the city."
"He's quite stubborn. But using Wang Bao to get the other princes' followers and warriors out of the capital isn't a bad trade."
"Wang Bao was highly talented. The Prince of Qi's actions will likely chill the hearts of scholars."
"Who cares! In the next few days, we should focus on recruiting those who might flee the Prince of Qi's mansion. Wang Cheng, also known as Wang Ziqi, is from a prominent family in Taiyuan and is well-known. Ji Zhan from Danyang is one of the Five Talents of Jiangdong..."
Their voices faded into the distance.
Shao Xun watched their retreating figures in silence. Turning to look at his unit and the neighboring ones, he saw that almost no one was interested in the conversation.
This was the Western Jin Dynasty!
The aristocratic families monopolized all resources for a reason. It wasn't just because of their power and connections, but more importantly, they controlled knowledge.
Dai Yuan and Liu Qia dared to discuss such sensitive matters on the road because they didn't consider these soldiers as people. Almost none of the soldiers could read. They were ignorant, slow-witted, and lacked any experience. They couldn't think effectively and had only a superficial understanding of the world's affairs. Even if you told them confidential information to their faces, they wouldn't be able to analyze it properly.
In this era, if you didn't use talent from the aristocratic families, who else could you use?
The procession continued, arriving at a semi-abandoned manor before nightfall. The estate was overgrown with weeds, and foxes and rats scurried about, giving it a desolate appearance.
"This is Pan Manor, originally owned by Pan Yue, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat," said Wu Qian, the commander of the fourth unit, his small eyes gleaming as he searched the courtyard. After a moment, he showed disappointment and cursed, "Those damn looters didn't leave anything behind. They took everything."
Shao Xun chuckled at him. He always thought Wu Qian's name was unfortunate—"Wu Qian" sounded like "no money." No wonder the old man always looked so miserable, as if everyone owed him a few strings of coins.
From what Old Wu said, Shao Xun roughly understood the history of Pan Manor. Two years ago, Sima Lun, the Prince of Zhao, had Pan Yue arrested and executed, exterminating his entire family and confiscating their property, including the Pan family's mansion in Luoyang and their rural estate.
The officials who carried out the confiscation were seasoned professionals. How could they leave any treasures behind?
"If you're brave enough, Wu Qian, you could go rob someone and ensure a life of wealth," said Yang Bao, the commander of the eighth unit, as he passed by, laughing arrogantly.
Behind him followed fifty soldiers, mostly strong and well-armed, looking quite formidable.
Shao Xun glanced at him, a faint smile on his lips.
Yang Bao caught his gaze and instinctively shivered. But then, remembering the soldiers behind him, he mustered his courage and gave Shao Xun a challenging look before walking away.
Mi Huang had divided the entire army into ten units. Units one to three were mostly composed of children and teenagers, with Shao Xun as the commander of the first unit. Units four to seven were mostly elderly, with Wu Qian as the commander of the fourth unit—he was fifty years old this year. Units eight to ten were the strong and capable, with Yang Bao as the commander of the eighth unit.
"Yang Bao needs to be taught a lesson. If you beat him up a few more times, Young Master Shao, he'll behave," Wu Qian said with a toothless grin.
"Private fights are forbidden in the army," Shao Xun replied.
"Young Master Shao, you're being too formal," Wu Qian said, displeased. "Last month under the big locust tree, you took on two at once and beat Yang Bao and Qin San to the ground. Yang Bao was okay, but Qin San begged for mercy, didn't he?"
Shao Xun was surprised. He hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly.
But it wasn't a big deal. Before being conscripted, the soldiers in their zhang were all farmer-soldiers. With his current martial arts skills, taking down Yang Bao and Qin San was easy. Moreover, while military law strictly prohibited private fights, let's be honest—such things happened every day. When a group of men spent years together, it would be strange if they didn't fight.
"Young Master, you beat them well, beat them wonderfully," Wu Qian said with a laugh. "When it comes to promoting officers, your chances will be even better. Don't forget to take care of this old man when the time comes."
"Nothing's certain yet. Why talk about it?" Shao Xun shook his head.
"Ah, you can't say that," Wu Qian said. "Low-level military officers—no one from the aristocratic families wants those positions. You don't need to know any military strategy. Just be brave, fight hard, and have outstanding martial skills. Among our motley crew, only a few have any hope. If you beat Yang Bao and the others a few more times and make a name for yourself in the army, when it's time to appoint a commander, the higher-ups will think of you first."
Shao Xun didn't respond.
In truth, who didn't want to rise in rank? This was a world with strict hierarchies. The higher your rank, the more resources you could enjoy. Especially in these turbulent times, low-ranking soldiers were destined to be cannon fodder. Low-level officers were also cannon fodder, but if you could climb higher—reach the ceiling of a zhang commander—your chances of survival would increase significantly.
"However—" Wu Qian looked around and leaned in closer, whispering, "I heard Yang Bao is related to Marshal Liu. He might try something underhanded. Young Master Shao, you should be careful."
"Liu Qia?" Shao Xun frowned, puzzled.
"That's right, Liu Qia," Wu Qian nodded emphatically.
"How could a military family member marry an outsider? Are you sure you're not mistaken?" Shao Xun asked, confused.
Military families were just that—families who served as soldiers for generations. They could only marry within their own circles, not with outsiders.
Actually, this wasn't unique to military families. To some extent, the entire society operated under a "status-based marriage system," meaning people only married those of equal status.
The treatment of military families was poor. They farmed in peacetime, with most of their income going to the court, and fought in wars, where life and death were uncertain. As a result, many didn't want to be part of military families, and the daughters of these families often sought to marry outside, hoping their descendants could escape the military family status.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Jin, Sima Yan, due to a period of lax control, many daughters from military families married commoners. When the court found out, they ordered a crackdown, forcibly separating these women from their husbands and marrying them off to single soldiers, creating one of the largest official "cuckolding" incidents in Western Jin history.
The strictness of the laws was evident.
"There are always exceptions," Wu Qian said with a bitter smile, as if recalling something painful.
Shao Xun patted his shoulder and sighed.
The "caste system" of the Great Jin Dynasty—how wonderful, how marvelous.
If this nonsense wasn't smashed, wouldn't he also be forced to marry a woman from a military family?
He thought back to the military family women he had seen before and felt even more speechless.
"With your physique, martial skills, and insight, it's a shame if you don't become a commander," Wu Qian muttered before quickly walking away.
(End of Chapter)