Chapter 11: Soldier or Thief?

Gongsun Zan’s reaction was entirely expected.

At this time, the realm was not yet plunged into chaos. In a place like Zhuo County, if the county magistrate wanted to raise a private militia, he either had to spend a great deal of money to maintain retainers or, under the pretext of military disaster, organize local militia volunteers.

However, retainers were forbidden from carrying armor and crossbows, as that would be considered treasonous.

Zhuo County was adjacent to the city walls, making violations of regulations easy to detect.

Therefore, the best approach was to fabricate a border threat or a large-scale bandit problem, then report this to the prefectural government under the guise of suppressing bandits to protect the countryside, thereby obtaining the prefect’s approval to recruit local militia.

Following this, they would stage a “battle,” using the county’s funds and provisions as “military supplies,” then “eliminate the border threat” and disband the militia, using the seized funds and supplies to convert the militia into private troops.

This way, they wouldn’t have to pay out of their own pockets, could procure armor and weapons, and even earn military merit.

Raising convicts as penal troops was also a form of recruiting local militia, and it was the fastest way to create combat effectiveness.

Convicts were the most suitable group to recruit as private soldiers because most were able-bodied young men, and if their crimes were pardoned, it would be a great favor.

To avoid suspicion, the magistrate naturally wouldn’t command the troops himself, so someone else was needed to officially recruit and lead the militia.

That way, if anything went wrong, there would be someone to take the blame.

Or even deliberately cause some trouble—such as letting the troops run amok as bandits harming the people—so someone else could shoulder the black mark first, and then the magistrate would “clean up” afterward, gaining reputation and also subduing local overlords.

At this moment, for Gongsun Zan, the best person in Zhuo County to take the fall was Liu Bei.

Therefore, he recommended Liu Bei as the Exiled Military Officer, allowing him to raise a troop of convicts.

Liu Bei actually understood that once the convict troop was formed, Gongsun Zan would likely send him and his penal soldiers to a real battlefield, not a staged skirmish.

But that was exactly what Liu Bei wanted. He had been guiding Gongsun Zan toward this outcome through various hints.

Because, besides Gongsun Zan, no one else would grant him the official right to command troops at this time.

Though the position of Exiled Military Officer was temporary and his subordinates were all criminals, it was still a legitimate military post.

Though such temporary posts dealing with criminals seemed to hold little promise, at least it allowed him to recruit soldiers legally.

Having an army in hand was the hard truth.

As for raising funds independently...

The common understanding was, whoever fed the soldiers commanded them, and Liu Bei was more than eager to pay for the troops himself.

Besides, with a troop already assembled, why would he fear not receiving funds?

...

Gongsun Zan was very efficient. The next day, he drafted and submitted a letter to the prefectural government recommending Liu Bei as Exiled Military Officer under the pretext of “guarding against border threats and eradicating Hu bandits.”

Zhuo County was the seat of Zhuo Prefecture, and the prefect’s office was very close to the county government, making reporting convenient.

The prefect of Zhuo Prefecture, Liu Wei, was a relative of Liu Kuan; both came from the noble Hongnong clan.

Liu Wei actually knew there were no Hu bandits in Zhuo County; last year, the only place in Zhuo Prefecture troubled by Hu bandits was Liangxiang County in the north.

But since Gongsun Zan was under Liu Kuan’s command and considered an insider by Liu Wei, he approved the request—especially since the prefecture didn’t have to supply funds. Gongsun Zan had just taken office in Zhuo County and deserved this courtesy.

Thus, Liu Bei’s appointment as Exiled Military Officer was quickly confirmed.

Gongsun Zan also thoughtfully assigned Liu Bei an assistant.

Though called an assistant, he was essentially a supervisor.

This supervisor, Zou Dan, was one of Gongsun Zan’s retainers, now appointed as Zhuo County’s clerk in charge of finances and prisons.

Of course, Zou Dan’s main role was to oversee the finances.

Because the people most familiar with Zhuo County’s prisons were Liu Bei and Jian Yong.

After all, most of the prisoners in the jail had been put there through their joint schemes.

“Greetings, heroes, we meet again,” Liu Bei greeted his old acquaintances inside the prison. “I bring good news. Soon you won’t have to eat prison meals anymore—I plan to release you.”

“Son of Liu, don’t mock the magistrate… The magistrate ended up in such a predicament because you set the trap to frame him!”

The heroes in the cell were the bandits Liu Bei had previously schemed against. Naturally, they bore him no goodwill.

But they didn’t speak harshly; after all, most knew Liu Bei well and had been beaten by him.

These prisoners truly understood the kinds of plots Liu Bei and Jian Yong had been running together...

“Ah, you came to rob me of your own accord. Should I not have arrested you? In fact, killing you outright back then would have been justified,” Liu Bei shook his head and smiled.

“Now that you’re to serve under me, rather than vent your anger verbally, you’d better think about how to curry favor with me to avoid old grudges.”

“Serve? How can we sinners serve?”

Some prisoners doubted, but no longer called him magistrate.

They also agreed Liu Bei was right; now was the time to ingratiate themselves, not to offend him.

“If you dare to rob travelers on the road, you shouldn’t fear military service, right?”

Liu Bei sat at the head of the cell, picked up a bamboo slip, and wrote:

“The county plans to raise penal soldiers. Those willing to serve in the army, come and enlist. For each enemy head taken, previous crimes will be pardoned, and a reward of one thousand coins will be granted.”

“Penal soldiers can get rewards too? Are you tricking us?”

The prisoners showed little interest in military service; they knew about forced conscription but also knew going to the battlefield only redeemed prior crimes without earning merit.

But when Liu Bei mentioned the thousand-coin reward, their spirits lifted.

“If you achieve kills, of course there are rewards—not only money but also merit. According to prefectural troop regulations, merits are counted, and only half the spoils need to be handed in.”

Liu Bei nodded seriously: “However, to earn merit and rewards, you must obey military orders.”

Zou Dan nodded beside him, confirming the truth of Liu Bei’s words.

Penal soldiers usually could not earn merit or rewards; these conditions were actually the standards for retainers.

To Zou Dan, the presence of rewards, merit, and only half the spoils being surrendered indicated these were the terms for becoming Gongsun Zan’s private troops.

“Sign up quickly... But by law, bandit leaders cannot join the army, so you leaders must pay a ransom to redeem your crimes.”

These bandits were originally small gangs, and Liu Bei knew all their leaders.

“Xuande, bandit leaders are usually brave and capable. Why not let them serve? This is a special army formation; why follow the usual laws?”

Zou Dan was puzzled since most leaders were skilled fighters, yet Liu Bei insisted on the law forbidding bandit leaders from becoming penal soldiers.

“They remain bandits as long as the leaders are with them. Only without their leaders can they be controlled. This is the method of training troops,” Liu Bei explained quietly.

Zou Dan reported this to Gongsun Zan, who agreed with Liu Bei’s reasoning.

To Gongsun Zan, recruiting penal soldiers was merely a pretext. Ultimately, it was for his private troops, and stricter control was indeed necessary.

But Liu Bei was deliberately preventing those gang leaders from joining the army.

Because the force he was assembling was not truly an army.

It was a band of thieves.