Chapter 16: Eight Zhang and Nine Chi

To become the leader of a bandit gang with dozens of brothers under his command—this world had already proven their capabilities. Liu Bei did not worry about their skills; his concern was only with their attitude.

Therefore, Liu Bei planned to grant household registration to these men who had pledged allegiance. But the registrations would not be for the bandit chiefs themselves, but for their wives and children.

The plot of land Liu Bei had acquired earlier at no cost was quite sizable; official county records listed it as two thousand acres. Although it was barren and infertile land, the sheer size qualified it as that of a large landowner.

Most importantly, the land was exempt from taxes.

Since it was tax-free, the quality of the soil mattered less. No rent, no taxes; whoever cultivated the wasteland could keep it, though the land itself still belonged to Liu Bei. The people living there had to obey Liu Bei’s arrangements.

Though these former bandit leaders were used to earning their living with their lives on the line and were reluctant to farm, they at least understood what it meant not to pay rent or taxes.

It did not matter how these bandit chiefs would live in the future; they could consider themselves dead and continue to make their living by force.

However, if they had children and were willing, Liu Bei could adopt one child as his ward, now or in the future.

Moreover, they could decide the child’s surname themselves.

Their wives could be registered as tenants or weavers in Shili Pavilion, with no land rent charged by Liu Bei.

Their children, as Liu Bei’s adopted sons, could become part of the gentry and study under Liu Bei—after all, Liu Bei was a disciple of the great Hebei scholar Le Yin, whose school bore an illustrious reputation.

There were no other unrealistic promises, nor demands for vassal loyalty.

Liu Bei only accepted the establishment of households and the adoption of their children.

This offer was more than sufficient.

Liu Bei’s sole requirement was obedience to orders.

More precisely, obedience to orders from Liu Bei alone.

After hearing Liu Bei’s generous offer, these men stayed awake all night. The next day, they requested leave from Liu Bei and set off in separate directions to bring back their wives and children.

...

By early March, the reassembled militia looked different.

The former leaders were now all squad captains.

Everyone had changed their address and now respectfully called Liu Bei “My Lord.”

Most of the loot previously divided was converted by the captains into weapons and armor.

Liu Bei did not bother acquiring weapons himself—it was unnecessary. These men, accustomed to life-and-death struggles, knew how to arm themselves.

Only armor was scarce because it was difficult to buy and craft.

Since their return, they no longer raided but hunted down those who had not rejoined the ranks.

Liu Bei had already recorded over sixty kills—his captains had indeed eliminated those disloyal men.

No one claimed credit for kills unjustly, as the imperial court did not recognize the militia’s merits. Liu Bei was recording achievements within his own forces to distribute rewards.

Currently, squad sizes varied, and two captains found themselves commanding alone...

But this was normal; they would recruit when needed.

Although Liu Bei lacked the authority to conscript troops freely, the militia roster numbered 210, yet only 142 were present—many vacancies remained.

Where to find heroes? Most wanderers knew, and so did many former bandits.

Where to find heroes with a criminal past? They knew that as well.

With more men, operations were no longer as difficult as before.

This force was now truly an army.

Liu Bei no longer permitted them to rob but allowed them to engage in “black-on-black” conflicts...

Oh, it was no longer called “black-on-black.”

Now it was “bandit suppression.”

After all, no one knew bandits hiding in the hills better than those who had once been bandits themselves.

Especially the horse thieves—these were prime targets, and Liu Bei encouraged them to suppress horse thieves.

However, as they set out in search of these fat targets, an unusual situation arose.

“Zhang Ba, did you really steal these two horses from the nomads?” Liu Bei asked a tall, fierce-looking man.

“Sure did,” Zhang Ba chuckled, scratching his tangled beard. “I figured the nomads were horse thieves too, so I went north to look. Didn’t expect to run into a nomad horse patrol halfway there. I took advantage of the night to steal two horses. Only got two, though—only have two hands, otherwise I’d have taken more…”

This man, nicknamed Zhang Ba because he was nearly one zhang tall—about ten feet—was not the real name but a fitting alias. Such nicknames often reflected the person’s true traits, like “Big Eye” for someone with large eyes.

Zhang Ba was immensely strong but not the leader of his gang; that was his older brother, Jiu Chi—his real name, though ironic since he was only about six feet tall and rather stocky.

It was clear they were not biological brothers.

Liu Bei was impressed with this gang because it was the only one that had reassembled completely—all ten members.

“Zhang Ba, you can’t ride horses. How did you get the horses from the nomads?”

Jiu Chi asked his brother.

“I led them back on foot. Got them about thirty li north—‘li’ is roughly half a kilometer—so not far,” Zhang Ba replied, still chuckling foolishly.

Liu Bei sensed something amiss. “Thirty li north? That’s where the beacon tower is. The nomads were there? How many did you see? Were they Xianbei or Wuhuan?”

Zhang Ba scratched his head, looked up thoughtfully, and said, “No, not the beacon tower, the foothills to the northwest... Too many to count, about the same number as us here. Xianbei? Wuhuan? I don’t know what those are.”

“My brother can’t count or distinguish nomad tribes. My lord, I will go scout again,” Jiu Chi said, frowning deeply upon hearing the nomad numbers rivaled their own.

“If there are that many nomads northwest, they probably came through Shanggu. We are from Shanggu. If that many nomads have entered Zhuo County territory, something serious has happened…”

Liu Bei saw the genuine anxiety in Jiu Chi and handed him the reins of the two horses. “These horses are your spoils from the nomads. Ride them alternately. Go quickly and return swiftly.”

Jiu Chi bowed his head in salute to Liu Bei, then struck his right fist against his left chest before mounting his horse and galloping away.

Though short and stocky, his horsemanship was excellent.

“Military salute? Zhang Ba, did your elder brother serve in the army?”

Liu Bei was surprised; Jiu Chi’s demeanor suggested experience as a military scout, though he had never shown it before.

“Yes, I did. So did I,” Zhang Ba nodded, still looking simple-minded. “But the officials wanted to kill our people. My elder brother refused, so we fled.”

The other militia members who had returned with Zhang Ba nodded in agreement. “We used to be county soldiers. The military commander killed good men unfairly and even attacked our hometown...”

Most who became bandits were pushed by circumstances, which did not surprise Liu Bei.

What did surprise him was that a sizable nomad force had suddenly appeared in Zhuo County, so close to home.

The militia, formed under the pretext of fighting nomads, had truly encountered the nomads at last.