Chapter 074: A Generous Gift

When Wei Ba left the Wei family estate early in the morning, twenty burly men stood at the gate, each carrying a bundle on their back, with sabres and bows strapped at their waist, gripping spears in their hands, their postures as straight as the weapons they held. Dun Wu stood before them, his face alight with joy. As soon as he saw Wei Ba emerge from the manor, he went up to him and spoke in a low voice, "Young master, these are the twenty warrior guards arranged for you by the Lady."

Wei Ba glanced over the warriors, recognizing them as the finest fighters of the Wei family. When he set out from Mianyang, his father had given him twenty personal guards, all drawn from these martial ranks. Now Lady Zhang had arranged another twenty, matching his father's number—both a gesture of care and a subtle assertion of her equal standing in the household.

He approached, letting his gaze sweep across the faces of the twenty warriors, nodding in satisfaction. He could tell they had seen battle—their faces bore the unmistakable mark of those tempered by war.

"Squad leaders, step forward!"

Two warriors stepped forth, their voices clear, "Squad leader Tang Qianyu, Zhu Yi, pay respects to the young master."

"Very good. From now on, you will follow me. Dun Wu is your commanding officer."

Tang Qianyu and Zhu Yi exchanged a glance, then saluted Dun Wu, "Greetings, Commandant Dun."

Though young, Dun Wu was not daunted, returning the salute with calm composure. Wei Ba then asked each warrior's name in turn before giving the order to depart. He had learned from his father Wei Yan and his teacher the art of leading men; both emphasized the importance of familiarity with one’s soldiers—not only to win their loyalty, but to understand their strengths and weaknesses for future appointments. With time scarce, he could only ask names for now, but later he would make it a point to know their abilities.

Lady Zhang had not only gifted Wei Ba twenty warrior guards, but also fifty sets of newly forged Wei family armor. All crafted with a modified steel-making method, the armor was twenty percent lighter than standard issue, yet twice as sturdy. Forty sets were naturally for the forty warrior guards; one exquisitely made set was for Wei Ba himself, with the remainder kept in reserve for future gifts. For warriors who risk their lives, a fine suit of armor can be a life-saving treasure.

Previously, Lady Zhang had sent fifty sets to the main camp, but neither Wei Yan nor Wei Feng were sociable, and so far only two sets had been given out—one to Fu Xing, as repayment for saving Wei Ba, and one to Zhao Yun, as part of the ceremony when Wei Ba became his disciple. Even Zhao Guang had not received a set.

Wei Ba bade farewell to his mother Deng Shi and the little maid Lan'er, who had risen early to see him off. With forty warrior guards and a cartful of gifts, he set out for the riverside dock.

In the rear courtyard of the Wei family manor, Lady Zhang stood at the window of a small building, silently watching Wei Ba depart. Her expression was weary, as if she had not slept well the night before. Maid Huan'er stood beside her, her rosy lips pursed in a sulky pout. Lady Zhang had spent half the night pondering, and was still deep in thought, yet her most trusted confidante knew nothing of it. This was the first time in her memory that Lady Zhang had kept everything to herself; before, no matter how important the matter, she would always share a little, sometimes even consult her. Only this time, Lady Zhang had revealed not a single word.

So far, Huan'er could only guess one thing—the matter concerned Wei Ba and was very important, but nothing else was clear.

...

By noon, Wei Ba was waiting at the riverside dock in Nanzheng when Zhuge Qiao’s army arrived. Boarding his own vessel, he settled the warrior guards, then brought Tang Qianyu and a set of armor to Zhuge Qiao’s command ship to pay his respects. Zhuge Qiao was having lunch, dressed not in battle gear but in ordinary attire. He wore no headdress, his hair tied with a plain silk ribbon, the simple silk clothes lending him an air of refined elegance.

"Commandant, you truly seem like a celestial being, making all earthly worries vanish at a glance," Wei Ba greeted him, half sincere, half jest.

Zhuge Qiao burst out laughing, spraying a mouthful of millet porridge. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he shot Wei Ba a sidelong look and replied, "Celestial beings don’t partake of earthly food, and here I am eating lunch. Are you teasing me on purpose?"

"Wouldn’t dare," Wei Ba answered solemnly. "Even when eating porridge, the Commandant stands apart from the crowd, exuding otherworldly grace."

"Bah!" Zhuge Qiao scoffed, beckoning him over, "Have you eaten yet? Come sit."

Wei Ba took his seat, and an attendant brought lunch. Wei Ba did not rush to eat, first signaling Tang Qianyu to present the armor. Zhuge Qiao glanced at the armor, then at Tang Qianyu. "Who is this? I haven’t seen him before."

Wei Ba knew Zhuge Qiao possessed a keen memory; he recognized all those around Wei Ba, even if he didn’t always recall names, and could instantly spot a newcomer. Today, bringing Tang Qianyu was a deliberate move, letting Zhuge Qiao see that he now had more men. These were his own followers, essentially private soldiers. Zhuge Qiao could not command them, but he was responsible for allocating their provisions—he had to be informed.

"This is my mother’s precaution—she’s assigned me twenty more personal guards. Tang Qianyu, present yourself to the Commandant."

Tang Qianyu stepped forward and presented the new armor.

Wei Ba said, "This is armor prepared for me by my mother, a new product from our Wei family forge. A small gift, but sincere in meaning."

Zhuge Qiao stroked the armor, picked up the helmet, and inspected it inside and out, praising, "Ziyu, your mistress truly cares for you. She’s willing to give away priceless premium armor. I’m almost embarrassed to accept."

Wei Ba smiled. Though the armor was not quite priceless, it was indeed a rare treasure. Zhuge Qiao was unaware of the real situation—if he knew that each of the forty warrior guards had a new set of armor, albeit less ornate but equally practical, who knows what he would think.

"Thank you," Zhuge Qiao had an attendant stow the armor, then turned to Wei Ba, "Why are you back in such a rush? Weren’t you going to the Prefect’s Office to arrange provisions?"

"I’ve already asked the Prefect’s secretary, Zhao Su, to handle it. In half a month, the supplies will be ready to ship," Wei Ba explained, "Commandant—"

Zhuge Qiao cut him off, "Ziyu, there are no outsiders here, so no need for formalities. Are you reminding me your rank is higher than mine?"

Wei Ba was a bit embarrassed; strictly speaking, as adjutant, his position was indeed slightly higher than Zhuge Qiao’s. "Then... shall I be bold?"

"Heh, when have you ever not been bold?" Zhuge Qiao chuckled, waving his hand, "Alright, let’s talk business."

"Well... I’ve made a preliminary estimate. There are about twenty thousand households in Hanzhong—few people, abundant land, so each family has a sizable plot. After years of cultivation, nearly every household has a hundred mu. At four shi per mu, with a tax rate of one in thirty, Hanzhong’s field rent this year is about two hundred seventy thousand shi. After paying officials’ salaries, about one hundred fifty thousand shi remain. Five thousand troops for half a year need sixty thousand shi; ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a problem, but—"

Zhuge Qiao’s eyes flashed, "How much does the Chancellor’s main camp require?"

"One hundred thirty thousand shi."

Zhuge Qiao frowned, "So I won’t have enough, will I?"

Wei Ba nodded. The difficulty of warfare lay chiefly in funding and provisions. If this weren’t an issue, one could conscript endlessly, overwhelming the enemy with sheer numbers. But reality was harsh—each additional soldier meant responsibility for food, clothing, equipment, all of which cost money. Equipment could be economized somewhat, but food could not. Each soldier consumed six sheng of rice daily, one shi and eight dou per month, twenty-one shi per year. Hanzhong’s field rent, after paying officials, could only support ten thousand troops under normal conditions—a hard limit, and that’s with two in ten on regular furlough, eating at home. If kept on duty year-round, even ten thousand couldn’t be sustained.

Now, with the Chancellor’s army of over a hundred thousand camped in Hanzhong, daily consumption neared ten thousand shi. Local supplies could last only half a month; hence Zhuge Liang dispatched Zhuge Qiao to ship grain from Chengdu. The journey was arduous, costing immense resources, and the burden on people along the way was heavy. If the army camped long-term, the economy would collapse even without fighting.

Indeed, Zhuge Liang’s later campaigns failed chiefly due to lack of provisions. His repeated northern expeditions dragged Shu Han’s economy into the mire; under Jiang Wan and Fei Yi, few wars were fought and the situation eased, but when Jiang Wei took power and launched annual campaigns, the economy neared collapse. With Qiao Zhou as their spokesman, the people of Shu were ultimately willing to surrender because they could no longer bear the strain.

Of course, the current economic situation was not yet so dire; there was still grain, but the legally stipulated rents were insufficient. The people had surplus grain—it just depended on how it was collected: by raising taxes or buying with money.

"The grain storehouse of the Hanzhong Prefect’s Office holds a little over ten thousand shi, clearly not enough. Should we levy locally or ask the Chancellor for unified allocation?"

"Local procurement—how much can we get, and at what price?"

Wei Ba breathed a sigh of relief. Since Zhuge Qiao mentioned price, it wouldn’t be a forced levy, making his task much easier. "Since the Chancellor’s army arrived in Hanzhong, grain prices have risen sharply. But restoring the Han is a noble cause, and I believe the people will support it. At the previous market rate—eighty coins per shi—acquiring a hundred thousand shi shouldn’t be a problem."

Zhuge Qiao considered, then nodded in agreement. "Very well, I’ll send a request to the Chancellor’s Office for eight million coins to the Hanzhong Prefect’s Office. Negotiations with local merchants will be your responsibility."

Wei Ba smiled, "This is my duty—no hardship at all. I’ve already discussed it with Zhao Su; he can issue grain in advance to ensure the army’s supplies."

Zhuge Qiao smirked, "It seems Father made the right choice appointing you as my adjutant in charge of provisions."

Wei Ba did not smile. He paused, then spoke quietly, "Bosong, I’m not being alarmist, but this can be done once, maybe twice, but not thrice. The first effort brings enthusiasm, the second wanes, the third is exhausted. Now everyone has grain and full confidence in the Chancellor’s northern campaign, so they’re willing to sell to us. When grain grows scarce, they’ll be far less generous."—Dropped from the new book rankings, all metrics are declining. I beg for support! Recommendations, favorites, clicks—I need them all!