Longzang

Chapter 75 The Rule of Two and Eight
Li Zhi smiled and said, "There are many members of the Xu family, but only a few are truly influential. Forget it, since Commander Liao looks down on us, there's no need for us to force our way in. The title of militia is a minor matter; it will be useless once the war is over. How about we do something more practical? How about Lord Sun allocate some provisions and pay?"

Sun Chaoen said, "General Li comes from the Li family, isn't that more noble than the Xu family? Besides, that Liao fellow is a generation removed from the Xu family, I really don't understand what he's so arrogant about! As for the provisions..."

Sun Chaoen gritted his teeth and said, "Three hundred militiamen, two taels each, that's six hundred taels! How about it?"

Fang Hetong was furious and slammed his fist on the table: "The imperial court allocated 200,000 taels of silver, and you only gave 600? Such embezzlement, are you really not afraid of being choked to death?"

Sun Chaoen said with a wry smile, "Junior Brother Fang, you've gone down a dead end with all your studies! Don't you know the rule of the second and eighth digits?"

What is the "20/80 rule"?

County Magistrate Ren Youwei said, “Let me speak on behalf of Lord Sun. The ‘two-eight rule’ is common knowledge in officialdom. It refers to the transfer of funds from top to bottom. When the imperial court grants a hundred taels of silver, it passes through layers of government, and twenty taels reach the county. The tax silver collected by the county is transferred to the treasury, and finally, twenty taels reach the emperor. This is the ‘two-eight rule.’ Being able to follow the ‘two-eight rule’ means that the government is clean and efficient, and that one is an honest and good official.”

"This, this... This is outrageous!" Fang Hetong was dumbfounded.

The registrar also said, "His Majesty did give 200,000 taels, but only 36,000 taels reached the county. Of this silver, Lieutenant General Liao took 30,000 taels as military pay, so the county only received 6,000 taels. Then, the clerks and runners were in arrears on firewood and other supplies. Now it is wartime, and people are risking their lives to do what they can, so we can't afford to owe any more. That took another 3,000 taels. The remaining 3,000 taels will have to come from here for all the militia and garrison soldiers in the county. So, even if Lord Sun gives 600 taels, he will probably have to pay some out of his own pocket."

Fang Hetong said it was absurd, and then said, "What about those Liao barbarian heads? You must have made at least ten thousand taels of silver, right?"

Sun Chaoen smiled bitterly: "I've already handed over my head to the prefect, how could I possibly get such an easy way to make money? If I didn't have these heads, do you think that 36,000 taels would have been allocated? I do get a share of the money that wasn't there. But if I don't take it, how will the prefect take it? If the prefect doesn't take it, how will the governor take it? Brother Fang, the kind of upright and incorruptible official you imagine wouldn't even survive three stories in the mouths of storytellers!"

Fang Hetong wouldn't give up: "What about those who pocketed the profits without actually doing so?"

Sun Chaoen sighed and said, “Junior Brother Fang! All you ever do is complain about your humble origins and lack of connections. We studied together, and while you have no connections, I do! How did I climb to this position? Was it just through ability and talent? Being capable is one thing, but being sensible is another! If I hadn’t spent all that money giving away to others, where would I be today?”

The county magistrate said, "Lord Sun is actually a rare and good official. Putting aside everything else, just take the matter of the vacant positions. Liao Jingwu made so many threats back then, but in the end, he could only get 50% of the quota with Lord Sun. In other places, he probably would have gotten at least 80%! Look at the surrounding counties, which one doesn't get 70% or 80%? In fact, Lord Sun has already offended Liao Jingwu badly over this matter."

Sun Chaoen sighed and said, “Junior Brother Fang, one can only govern if one is in a position. What use is your talent if you are not in this position? What can you do with your flesh and blood? I don’t have that much ability. I have to protect myself first. I can only do better than the neighboring counties and be more honest than my colleagues, so that the people of this county can breathe a little more freely.”

Li Zhi raised his cup and said, "Lord Sun is indeed talented, but being caught in the middle of this situation, he inevitably has no choice in what he does. How about this, Lord Sun, lend me six hundred taels, and I will contribute another six hundred taels to solve our immediate crisis. What do you think, Brother Fang?"

Fang Hetong paused for a moment before slowly nodding.

Late at night, Wei Yuan and Li Zhi returned to Shayang Village. Sun Chaoen wanted them to stay overnight at the county government office, but they refused.

The village of Shayang was very rudimentary, with only one well. The well water was just enough for cooking and drinking; there was no way to even wash one's face, let alone bathe. Wei Yuan and Li Zhi decided not to sleep and stood in front of the map to discuss tomorrow's battle.

Li Zhi had initially taken out a map, but after seeing Fang Hetong's hand-drawn map, he quietly put it away. "Brother Wei, what do you plan to do?" Li Zhi asked. This was actually a bit of a test and probing.

Wei Yuan pondered, "Simply defending is too passive and not a long-term solution. If we could have Brother Li's iron cavalry, I plan to take the initiative and wipe out the Liao barbarians' camps on the outskirts first."

Li Zhi's eyes lit up and he said, "I was just planning to have a field battle with the Liao barbarians to test their mettle. It's good that Brother Wei thinks the same way. I brought a total of sixty personal guards with me this time. Call them all over tomorrow and divide them into two teams. I will lead thirty and Brother Wei will lead thirty."

"That won't do. Brother Li should still command. I'll just follow along," Wei Yuan declined. He had no experience leading troops, and war was no child's play; he couldn't risk lives to give him experience. Besides, Wei Yuan felt that having dozens of men following behind would be a burden and hinder his efforts to gain merit.

The two then agreed on their route of advance. Fang and Tong marked four possible campsites, and they planned to proceed from west to east, sweeping through them one by one.

After the agreement was reached, Li Zhi sent two riders back to his own defense zone and transferred all his personal guards there. Wei Yuan had no horse, but Li Zhi had three, so he gave one of his spare horses to Wei Yuan.

Just after the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), Li Zhi's personal guards arrived. There was still some time before dawn, and the guards, all of whom were highly trained and had extraordinary energy, did not need to sleep. So they made preparations for the expedition, tending to the horses, maintaining the weapons, and then, led by two captains, studying the map and memorizing the marching route.

In warfare against the Northern Liao, night battles are the worst thing to do; this is common knowledge in the military. Therefore, we must wait until dawn before engaging in battle.

As preparations for battle were underway, Li Zhi handed Wei Yuan a small box: "Want a set?"

Wei Yuan took the box and saw the Four Saints Academy's mark on the lid. He opened it and found a stack of talismans inside. Among them were Sharp Weapon Talismans, which, when attached to weapons, could add effects such as armor penetration and sharpness, lasting for one day; Armor Talismans, two in total, one for himself and one for his warhorse; Rejuvenation Talismans, which could accelerate stamina recovery and were also for his warhorse; and finally, Water Healing Talismans, which, when attached to himself, could accelerate wound healing.

These talismans are all low-level talismans, but they are exquisitely crafted, and all of them have the standard effect of one day. The Four Saints Academy has always been famous throughout the world for its words becoming law, and its talismans are also exceptional.

Wei Yuan was still considering whether to use it now when he saw each of his guards take out a box, pull out the talismans inside, and apply them to themselves and their warhorses. All the talismans were exactly the same as the one Wei Yuan had. Wei Yuan then realized that this box of talismans was standard issue for Li Zhi's guards.

As Li Zhi patted the talismans onto his body, he said, "Don't underestimate these low-level talismans. If used properly, they can be much more useful than high-level talismans. I plan to order another three thousand boxes from the academy later, and I'll give ten boxes to each of my own troops first."

In the final moments before dawn, all the guards began to eat, enjoying a hearty meal. Their military rations were similar to the dried meat from the Taichu Palace, a thin strip that could sustain them for a day. However, the rations used by Li Zhi's guards were of a higher quality than those issued by the Taichu Palace; they not only stifled hunger but also boosted morale and accelerated the recovery of spiritual energy.

With all preparations complete, the sky gradually brightened, the turbulent night faded away, and the field of vision expanded until it was blocked by the deep yellow and light brown in the distance.

A troop of cavalry left Shayang Village in single file, heading along the predetermined route toward the first suspected Liaoman camp.

(End of this chapter)