Taiheiki

Chapter 324 Training Course

The fundamental reason for the empire's destruction was actually singular: starting in the late Western Han Dynasty, the climate in the north of the empire became increasingly cold and dry. This climate change acted like a whip, driving savage, fierce, and destitute tribes from the vast, barren Altai Mountains, the Siberian wilderness, and the Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains to migrate towards the warmer, more humid southern grasslands. This, in turn, drove the original inhabitants of these new territories further south. This snowball effect grew larger and larger, eventually crashing violently against the empire's northern border.

The empire might be able to withstand the first, second, and third attacks, but ultimately it would be overwhelmed by these successive snowballs. The reason is simple: this climate change impacted the empire from both internal and external sources. Besides the external barbarian incursions, the truly devastating effect of the arid and colder climate on the empire's irrigated agriculture was the earlier onset of frost, and the reduction and irregularity of rainfall, all of which severely damaged agriculture, even leading to complete crop failure. As a result, the hundreds of thousands of border troops and the corresponding border settlement system of the Western Han Dynasty were reduced to only one-tenth of their original size by the mid-to-late Eastern Han Dynasty, along with a vast and complex army of barbarian vassal states.

Faced with all this, Wei Cong might be able to reorganize the northern border troops, equip them with better gear, select more outstanding officers and generals, and even utilize the advantages of new military technology to launch expeditions to destroy the Xianbei, Qiang, and Wuhuan peoples. However, as long as the trend of arid and cold climate continues, no amount of military victories can change the decline of the empire's northern frontier. Sometimes, successful military operations can even backfire—after all, the Xianbei, Qiang, Wuhuan, and Southern Xiongnu are all considered "civilized barbarians," having interacted with the Han Empire for centuries and acknowledging its sacred status. Their hostile actions are largely predictable, primarily aimed at acquiring necessary spoils, and can easily be bought off or won over.

Further north, however, lay countless more savage and ferocious "uncivilized barbarians," utterly devoid of respect for the empire, their sole aim being to storm its warm and prosperous lands, burning, killing, and looting—barbarians with whom communication was impossible. While the Xianbei and other civilized barbarians posed a threat to the empire's northern borders, they also formed a barrier or buffer zone, blocking the direct assaults of these even more threatening "uncivilized barbarians." If they were to be eliminated militarily, the empire would have to directly confront the onslaught of these more savage and threatening enemies. In this light, previous military victories would seem like a net loss.

Therefore, in the long run, before this trend of a drier and colder climate reverses (historically, this would be around the Sui and Tang dynasties, four hundred years later), a certain degree of contraction in the northern frontier is inevitable. Furthermore, it is crucial to expand southward as much as possible within one's lifetime. Frankly speaking, every inch gained in the south benefits future generations, while even if one wins a war in the north now, it will most likely be lost within the next four hundred years—a reality beyond human control.

“But now that Zhang Huan is gone, we must at least have a backup plan!” Wei Cong put down the letter in his hand and pondered for a moment: “It seems that the matter of establishing a new army needs to be put on the agenda!”

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Fan Yang and Wang Kuang arrived at the General's Mansion and presented their identification tokens, requesting permission to enter. The guard, after verifying their credentials, smiled and said, "So you're here for lessons. Remember, go straight down that street, cross the intersection, and the courtyard on the left is the one!"

"A class?" Wang Kuang was stunned. "We came here on the orders of a military advisor named Qin. How could we be here to attend a class?"

"Military Advisor Qin? Qin He! Then it must be him!" The gatekeeper laughed, "Go on, don't be reluctant, going to class is a good thing! You don't know anything now, what can you do in the General's headquarters? This place doesn't tolerate idlers!"

Fan Yang and Wang Kuang exchanged a glance. Fan Yang said, "Let's go take a look first. It's not far anyway, and we can come back if something's wrong!"

"Alright!" Wang Kuang nodded helplessly, and the two walked side by side in the direction the gatekeeper pointed. "Classes? Why do we have to attend classes after entering the General's Mansion? It sounds just like when we were students at the Imperial Academy!"

"We're new here, so we should just follow orders. Besides, being a student at the Imperial Academy doesn't come with a stipend of two hundred shi of grain per year!"

"That's true!"

As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the courtyard gate the captain had mentioned. There, they saw a table in front of the gate, and behind it sat a man—it was Qin He, the military advisor, who was talking to someone while taking notes on the table. The two exchanged a glance and hurried forward.

"I am Wang Kuang (Fan Yang), paying my respects to Military Advisor Qin!"

"Oh, oh, just a moment, it'll be ready soon!" Qin He finished her work, looked up, saw Wang Kuang and Fan Yang, her eyes lit up, and she smiled, "You two are here, good, good, I just happen to have something for you to do! Which of you two writes better?"

"Him!" Wang Kuang reacted quickly, pointing at Fan Yang and saying, "He often copies books to supplement his family's income!"

"That's great!" Qin He was overjoyed. He stood up, grabbed Fan Yang's sleeve, pulled him to the table, and pressed him down to sit. "Now you're the clerk. When someone comes, collect their name tag, check it against the list, and copy it here. It's that simple! As for you!" He turned to Wang Kuang, "You'll be in charge of miscellaneous tasks. First, organize these things and put them in the side room in the courtyard. Arrange them properly! Alright, let's get to work!"

With the two strong men, Fan Yang and Wang Kuang, Qin He felt much more at ease. He only needed to gesture and give orders to keep Wang Kuang and Fan Yang running around like headless chickens. It wasn't until dusk, past 5 PM, that he finally told the two to stop, laughing, "That's enough for today. Hmm, the transcription is good. There are only four or five people missing from the list. Never mind, they dare to be late for something like this; they're truly unlucky. Once you report this, these guys will be in for a beating!"

Wang Kuang rubbed his aching arms and said with a wry smile, "Military Advisor Qin, we've been busy all afternoon, and we still don't know what we're doing at the General's mansion! The gatekeeper said we're here for a lesson? Is that true?"

"That's right!" Qin He laughed. "It's a logistics officer training course! The General himself is teaching it. You two are very lucky. You should thank me properly!"

"The General himself is giving the lessons?" Wang Kuang and Fan Yang exclaimed in unison, both ignoring the strange name preceding Qin He and focusing their attention on the following sentence: "Really?"

"Of course it's true!" Qin He laughed. "You'll see in the future. There have been precedents for this. Of course, there are some classes that no one else can teach besides him. Of course, he doesn't teach all the classes; I also teach one or two!"

"The Grand General, holding a position unmatched by any official, actually has time to teach?" Wang Kuang exclaimed. "It's truly unbelievable!" "Hehe!" Qin He chuckled. "From what I see, he enjoys teaching far more than anything else. Every time he comes to class, he stays longer than scheduled; he calls it 'going overtime,' and judging from his expression, he thoroughly enjoys it!"

"Military Advisor Qin!" Fan Yang asked cautiously, "You just said you'd also be giving us a lesson. May I ask what you'll be teaching?"

"It should be warehouse logistics management!" Qin He said, "This was the course I studied best, and I got an A in the final exam. It's more than enough for me to teach you!" He patted Fan Yang on the shoulder and said, "Classes officially start the day after tomorrow. Considering how hard you worked today, I'm giving you a heads-up: relax a bit tomorrow. The next month will be very, very tough for you!" He then burst into laughter.

Fan Yang looked at Qin He with some astonishment. This guy held a high position under the General, yet he lacked all the dignity and demeanor of a scholar. If it weren't for his robes, he would have looked like a commoner. Were all the people under General Wei's command like this? He suddenly remembered Pan Yang's earlier instructions and quickly coughed, "Military Advisor Qin, if there's nothing else, we'll take our leave!"

"What's the rush!" Qin He said, "This training course is a closed one, and you'll be eating and sleeping in this courtyard. You two come with me to choose a dormitory first, and then bring your belongings tomorrow. Remember, no servants or maids are allowed, and no spittoons or junk. The General hates luxury the most, so the simpler the better. Basic food and lodging are provided here, so you don't need to worry about it!"

The two followed Qin He into the courtyard, and he walked to the right, through a bamboo grove, and came to a row of houses. Qin He pointed to the leftmost house: "This is the academy dormitory. It is originally for four people to a room, but there are extras. Considering that you two have worked hard this afternoon, you can stay in a two-person room!"

Fan Yang arrived at the door, pushed it open, and saw that the room was about three zhang long and two zhang wide. It was bright and clean, with four beds, a table in front of the beds, a cabinet for miscellaneous items, a bookshelf, and a reed mat on the floor. The room was dry and clean, a world of difference from the house the two of them rented next to the Imperial Academy.

"Are we going to stay here for the next month?" Fan Yang asked in surprise.

"Hmm!" Qin He nodded: "If you are not eliminated after the training course and work in the manor, the dormitory provided will probably be like this! Of course, if you feel that this is not good enough, you can rent a house outside, but I advise you to live in the manor for the first year or two. There are too many things to do, and there are twelve hours in a day. It is more convenient to live in the manor!"

"No, no!" Fan Yang quickly shook his head: "This is already very good. Can I cancel the lease on the other room? I'm not going to live there anyway, and I can save a month's rent!"

"Sure!" Qin He laughed. "Why don't you move your luggage over and store it in the storeroom? It'll be easier to move it directly to the dormitory later. Hmm, you don't have any mules or horses, right? That might be inconvenient. No problem, I remember there are a few mules in the stable in the backyard. You can borrow them, just bring them back tonight!"

"This, this is too much trouble," Fan Yang quickly declined.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about. We'll be colleagues in the manor soon anyway, so what's the big deal?" Qin He laughed. "As long as you work hard and get an A in your graduation exam, helping me out here will be a great favor!"

The two men thanked him profusely, went to the stables in the backyard, and led away a mule. After registering it with their waist tags, they went out to their lodgings. Wang Kuang laughed and said, "This Military Advisor Qin seems to be a really kind person. He lent us a big mule without hesitation, and only asked us to register it with his waist tag. That's rare indeed!"

"Yes! He's definitely someone who's willing to mentor younger generations!" Fan Yang nodded. "But judging from his tone, this training course doesn't seem easy. We'll have to be careful and work hard!"

"Brother Fan, what are you saying!" Wang Kuang laughed. "Military Advisor Qin should have said that to me. When it comes to diligence, among the 30,000 students of the Imperial Academy in Luoyang, few can compare to you. You spend all day with bamboo slips and silk books, either reciting or copying. I've never seen you relax for a moment. If someone like you can't get the top grade, then no one can!"

Hearing Wang Kuang say this, Fan Yang felt relieved and laughed, "I hope it's as you say, and that I won't embarrass myself in the mansion!"

The two men, leading the mule, chatted and laughed as they returned to their lodgings. They first went to the landlord's place to inform him that they no longer wished to rent the room. The landlord, seeing the strong mule behind them, laughed and said, "It seems you two have found a better place to stay. Congratulations!"

"We have a new place to go, but we don't know if it's good or bad!" Fan Yang was tight-lipped. He took the deposit from the landlord and returned to his lodgings. The two of them didn't have much luggage to begin with, so they quickly packed it up, loaded it onto the mule's back, closed the door, and prepared to leave. It was already late, and the night, like a giant velvet blanket, covered the daytime poverty and clamor of the slum alleys. Only a few lights from the tavern at the alley entrance cast a dim, yellowish glow. The light barely touched the mottled walls on both sides, which were covered with all sorts of filth and moss.

The air was thick with the damp, musty smell, mingled with the sour odor of feces and garbage. Occasionally, the cries of children and women, and the barking of dogs, drifted from afar, like echoes from another world, which only served to accentuate the gloom of the place. A black cat silently leaped down from the wall, a gray squirrel in its mouth, its green eyes flickering like will-o'-the-wisps in the darkness. It glanced warily at Fan Yang and his group before disappearing into the deeper darkness. The sound of mule hooves was exceptionally clear, each thud seeming to strike the hearts of the two men.

Without realizing it, both of them fell silent. The darkness seemed to possess some kind of power, making them wary. As they walked deeper into the alley, the only light they could see was fragmented and broken by the walls and tree branches. The shadows on the ground were like ghosts, twisting and deforming in the darkness, like lurking monsters.

In the shadows, human bodies could occasionally be seen—perhaps homeless people, perhaps corpses. At the alley entrance, the two saw several blurry figures leaning against the wall, conversing in hushed tones. Their dangerous gazes lingered briefly on you, scrutinizing and assessing you, sending chills down your spine. Wang Kuang and Fan Yang simultaneously gripped the hilts of their swords with their right hands, their breathing becoming heavy.

(End of this chapter)