Chapter 54: Joy at the Sound of Battle and a Family of Valor

Time was set aside for the villagers of Guguan to pack their belongings, while Yun and the others began searching the hills and fields for horses. Along the way, they disembowelled and hauled away all the dead horses, refusing to let the meat go to waste.

Many horses had perished in yesterday's battle, a small portion had been ridden off by the Qiang and Di tribes, and quite a few had strayed during the night. How many they could ultimately recover was left to fate.

They had acquired them for nothing anyway, so any number recovered was a cause for joy.

By afternoon, the villagers had practically cleared out everything inside their lean-tos. Tattered shoes, bamboo baskets, chipped pottery bowls—these constituted the entirety of their worldly possessions.

The sole eye-catching item among these belongings was an old hen held tightly in the arms of a small child, who used both hands to guard it desperately against the covetous glances of the people around.

Once they had finished packing, Le Dan and the others had nearly completed their search for the horses. A final tally revealed just over four hundred head.

These were not wild mustangs; they had originally been domesticated. Therefore, as they were driven back one by one, although the lingering stench of blood from the battlefield made the herd somewhat restless, they still moved in clusters following the flow of the people and did not panic excessively.

"Ride one and lead another! Don't let the horses stray, we are heading back to Long County!"

Yun had originally wanted to have the villagers of Guguan mount the horses, as their physical condition was so poor that walking back would likely slow the march considerably. However, he soon realized that riding was no simple task. Although these animals were domesticated, they still posed certain hazards. The elderly and the weak lacked the stability to stay mounted, and having never learned horsemanship, they dared not climb onto a horse's back.

In the end, the Guguan villagers could only walk slowly in the middle of the procession, while the militia was split into two groups: part of them rode ahead to clear the path, while the remainder brought up the rear to ensure no villagers fell behind. Slow as it might be, so be it.

When they had come out, it was a drizzling, dreary day. Fully equipped, the militia and laborers might have superficially worn the air of elite troops, but inside they had still been fraught with cowardice and unease.

On the return journey, however, not only did they bring back people, horses, and the wealth seized from the Qiang tribe, but more importantly, these militiamen had developed a distinct aura of martial prowess and hardened ferocity native to a true military unit.

True soldiers tempered by a hundred battles are ultimately forged on the battlefield.

Even though this had been a one-sided victory, it was still enough for those militiamen to genuinely step out of their identities as deserters and bid a thorough farewell to that shameful past.

The march home was arduous. On the way, driving the horses ahead of them, they first made a stop at Lengdixia Village to resupply their rations and concurrently integrated the two hundred-plus people into the village. After settling their destination and distributing grain to see them through the winter, Yun was delayed in Lengdixia Village for another two days.

In the end, from the time they set out until their complete return to Long County, it took a full eight days. On the eighth day, they arrived safely back in Long County.

Magistrate Li going out to suppress bandits was something the entire population of Long County had known about from the very day they departed.

Because taxation had become excessively burdensome, a great many people had been reduced to unregistered vagrants or refugees. Numerous able-bodied men simply fled into the mountains to become bandits, frequently launching indiscriminate raids against the people of Liangzhou or outsiders.

Such phenomena were widespread; not only in Liangzhou, but even more severely in the wealthy provinces of the Central Plains. Some aristocratic clans even proactively harbored bandits. After all, with the world growing increasingly chaotic, who could feel secure without some armed protection?

Yet these outlaws were indeed a constant torment to many villagers.

For years, Long County had frequently talked about suppressing bandits, but suppression required money. The previous county magistrate had demanded donations from the prominent local families and levied an extra bandit-suppression tax on the villagers. In the end, the money was collected, but nothing was done. This time, Magistrate Li was taking the initiative to suppress the bandits, and practically the whole county was waiting for news.

Marching with such a large herd of horses, coupled with the fact that the roads were teeming with refugees engaged in massive construction projects, Yun made no specific effort to conceal their tracks. Thus, even before they reached the city gates, the people of Long County already knew that Magistrate Li and his bandit-suppression force were returning.

It was a bustling scene.

Despite the bitter winter cold, those eager to witness the spectacle still huddled together with retracted necks, peering out by the city gates. They wanted to see whether this campaign had ended in victory or defeat.

*Clop, clop.*

"Why is there the sound of horses?" The bustling crowd near the city gate suddenly began to murmur.

Soon after, they saw a cavalry troop of a hundred men galloping toward them, followed closely by the remaining horses driven by the riders behind.

Do not assume that four hundred horses were a meager number. In reality, when these horses surged forward in a charge, they resembled an irresistible torrent that made people's hearts pound with panic. Not to mention the militia mounted upon them—though many still possessed youthful faces, their eyes already held the nascent ferocity of battle-hardened soldiers.

To the inhabitants of this impoverished Long County, the sights they were most accustomed to were robust outlaws or barbarian tribesmen. When had they ever laid eyes on a truly disciplined army?

Many of these people had likely never left Long County in their entire lives. Even so, the townsfolk and the refugees outside the city under Lü Tou were left staring in speechless astonishment.

Were these the soldiers Magistrate Li had brought back?

Goodness me, Magistrate Li's household truly possessed divine capabilities. They had only gone out once, yet these green recruits they took with them had completely transformed.

"Dismount!" Today, Li Fu was also wearing light armor, which gave him somewhat the air of a scholar-general.

His cold had only cleared up two days ago, and his body still required recuperation. Yet this appearance today had to be made by him, for Yun was simply too young.

At this moment, no one lagged behind.

With practiced agility, the militiamen dismounted in a synchronized motion that once again left the townsfolk marveling.

"Good citizens!" Li Fu said in a deep voice from the city gate. "I, Li Fu, have the honor of serving as the magistrate of this county, and coming here, I am your father and mother official. I am well aware that Long County has suffered in hardship for far too long, and I know that bandits currently plague the entire Hanyang Commandery!

"Today, I tell you this: starting from this day forth, there will be no need for donations from you, nor any additional bandit-suppression taxes. The militia of Long County shall suppress the bandits ourselves and restore a pristine Long County to you all!"

Li Fu shouted at the top of his lungs.

Yun had previously been carried on horseback by Uncle Jiang, but he had since dismounted and secretly gave Li Fu a thumbs-up.

"Today is the Li family's first foray into bandit suppression, but it will by no means be the last!

"From this bandit suppression, a certain amount of wealth has been confiscated. All of this wealth will be meticulously registered in ledgers. The Li family shall never misappropriate a single coin; it will all be used to train the militia, cover reasonable expenses, and build the new villages! This will also include the previous donations from you worthy citizens, and every subsequent expense will be recorded.

"From now on, Long County will issue a financial report every three months, posting it on the county office notice board, or you may subscribe to the reports directly! All expenditures can be reviewed within these reports, allowing each of you to inspect them individually and know precisely where the funds have gone."

In truth, it had taken Li Fu a very long time to fully grasp these concepts himself; Yun had explained them to him along the road over the past two days.

Yun had said that the current issue with the impoverished peasant class was that as long as one displayed a modicum of benevolence, they would immediately place their trust in you. However, there was another segment—the middle and upper classes. Among them were many who, much like Meng Fu, had grown utterly disillusioned with the Liang Dynasty. Possessing the mindsets of gamblers, they were already secretly scouting for a reliable gambling table to place their bets.

These people could be won over.

If the Li family intended to build a foundation, they needed not only to capture the hearts of the poor, but also to secure the support of a certain portion of the middle and upper classes. After all, most of the literate population possessing any degree of education was concentrated within these strata.

For now, it was fine for Li Fu and Yun to bungle things on a small scale in Long County. But what if one day the banner of rebellion was raised and their territory expanded?

Someone would eventually be needed to assist them.

Could they afford to train people from scratch then? Not in time. They would have to wait until the new village construction was well underway and the food crisis was tentatively resolved before establishing schools; otherwise, no one would be willing to come study.

Of course, not everyone from these prominent clans could be employed; they still had to seek out those who shared their ideals and aspirations. Thus, Yun cast out some bait first, to see if he could reel in a few discerning gamblers.

After Li Fu finished speaking, as expected, the majority of the townspeople remained bewildered, utterly failing to comprehend what he had been talking about. Only a small fraction understood, and their eyes held expressions of astonishment and awe, while they inwardly thought that this Magistrate Li evidently harbored grand ambitions.

If a man was not greedy for money, was he without desires? No, it meant his desires were far greater.

Fame, wealth, power—he was bound to be plotting after one of them.

Yet for Li Fu to reach this level showed that his ambition was far from ordinary.

When the rustling chatter subsided slightly, Li Fu's expression turned sorrowful once again as he continued: "During this bandit suppression, four of our county's brave laborers unfortunately fell in battle, wrapped in horse hides."

As he spoke, everyone saw four corpses wrapped in horse-hides, carried forward on the shoulders of pairs of militiamen.

"They sacrificed their lives to protect Long County, and not a single one of them flinched during the suppression. They are true fine sons of Long County!

"The battlefield is crude, and they could only be buried wrapped in horse-hides. I, Li Fu, vow that the coffins, burial garments, and all related expenses for these four men shall be funded by the county office. We will properly care for their elderly family members and young children, and I shall personally bestow upon them the title of 'Families of Valor,' as heroes of our Long County. Let all worthy citizens bear witness!"

Many in the crowd remained bewildered, but that was unimportant, for they would personally witness the significance of this act.

Li Fu departed with the militia, as numerous administrative tasks still awaited his attention.

Yet on that very day, the news of the bandit suppression and the words Li Fu had spoken at the city gate utterly detonated across the entirety of Long County.

From four- or five-year-old children to seventy- or eighty-year-old elders, everyone was hearing names like Li Fu and Li Yun, and spinning countless tales from those two names.

A day later.

The people of Long County watched as four coffins were borne out of the county office. Each coffin was carried by four soldiers clad in light armor, led by an advance guard of eight soldiers. Accompanied by his young son Yun, Li Fu personally escorted the coffins, delivering them one by one to the homes of the fallen laborers.

These four families had known since yesterday that Magistrate Li would be returning the bodies, so they had spent the entire night arranging the mourning halls and waiting anxiously at their doorways.

The moment they caught sight of the coffins, their legs turned to jelly and they broke down in uncontrollable tears.

Yun let out a silent sigh. No wonder they said that the achievement of a single general is built upon ten thousand withered bones, and no wonder they said that benevolence does not command troops.

"Lower them!" At Li Fu's command, four solemn soldiers carefully placed the borne coffins in the center of the mourning halls. The lids were lifted so the grieving families could have one last parting glance.

It was evident that the bodies had been meticulously tended to; they were dressed in neat burial robes, and a set of light armor had been placed beside each as a burial accompaniment.

Yun looked toward the family. The deceased was presumably the husband and father of the household. In the home remained a wife in her thirties and four children. The wife did not appear frail; on the contrary, her hands and feet were sturdy, and her countenance bore the look of a resilient person.

The four children consisted of three boys and a girl, with the youngest daughter around four or five years old. The eldest son was nearly as tall as his mother, likely fifteen or sixteen years of age.