Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

On the tenth day of reclamation on the north slope, all forty mu of uncultivated land had been turned over. The dark, fertile soil stretched out under the sunlight, the furrows were straight as lines, and the brambles at the edge of the field were piled up like small hills. Zhao Tiezhu was leading his men to further level the land with a stone roller, preparing to sow the first batch of millet seeds—although the season was a little late, the land could not be left empty.

Within the fence of a secluded garden in the southeast corner of the fortress, pale green shoots had quietly broken through the soil, unfurling their two plump cotyledons under the spring sun, changing with each passing day. The four Wei soldiers guarding the garden were as iron-willed as cast iron, casting cold glances at the occasional curious passersby, and no one dared to approach and inquire.

At midday that day, as wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, a warning whistle sounded from the watchtower on the eastern mountain path—three short whistles signifying "an unidentified group approaching, a non-armed threat."

Chen Wei was supervising the soldiers' drills at the drill ground when he heard the noise and immediately led a group of men to climb the wall and look out. Zhao Tiezhu also put down the stone mill, wiped his sweat, and hurried to the gate of the stockade.

On the winding mountain path to the east, a small group of people, about twenty in number, appeared, their clothes tattered and their steps faltering. There were men and women, young and old, carrying tattered bundles on wooden poles and leading emaciated donkeys, with a sickly old woman sitting on the back of one. Their faces were sallow, their eyes vacant; they were clearly refugees fleeing from war.

The leader was a thin man in his forties, with high cheekbones. He leaned on a thick tree branch, cautiously looking around as he walked. When he saw a fortified village surrounded by earthen walls, with smoke rising from its chimney, standing prominently on the hillside ahead, he visibly paused, then his eyes lit up with hope, only to quickly turn into deeper wariness. He raised his hand to stop the group behind him, and walked a few dozen steps further, stopping a short distance from the wall, looking up at the soldiers on guard and the imposing gate.

"Sir on the wall!" the man cried out in a hoarse voice, his voice torn by thirst. "We are poor refugees from the north! We are just passing through this blessed land and dare not disturb you. We only ask... we only ask for a bowl of water and a way to survive!" With that, he put down his wooden stick, knelt down towards the wall, and kowtowed deeply. The group of refugees behind him also knelt down, and several children cried out in fright, but the adults quickly covered their mouths.

On the wall, Chen Wei, his face grim, gripped his sword hilt as he carefully observed the group. Zhao Tiezhu leaned closer and whispered, "Commander Chen, they do look like refugees, not bandits. Most are old and weak; there are only seven or eight able-bodied men, and they all look malnourished."

Chen Wei remained noncommittal, then raised his voice and asked, "Where do you come from? Why are you fleeing? There are no government offices within a hundred miles of this place. How did you know you were here?"

The leader hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the general! We were originally farmers from Baishi'ao, seventy miles to the north! A month ago, a group of Rouran scavengers raided the area, burning, killing, and looting... The village was gone, all the food was stolen, and more than thirty people were killed... We, who escaped by chance, have been hiding in the mountains, eating grass roots and tree bark. We heard that there were caravans and warehouses in the Heifengling area to the south, and that there might be a way to survive, so we came here... We never expected that there would be a stronghold here! Please, general, have mercy, give us some water to drink, and let us live!" As he spoke, he kowtowed again, his forehead covered in yellow dust.

Chen Wei and Zhao Tiezhu exchanged a glance. Baishi'ao? That place is further north than Zhao Family Village, so it seems the area infested by the Rouran cavalry was quite large. The stories told by these refugees are quite similar to the experiences of Zhao Tiezhu and the others, so they don't seem to be fabricating.

"Wait here!" Chen Wei said, then turned and descended the stockade wall, hurrying towards the council hall inside the fortress. Zhao Tiezhu remained on the wall, continuing to observe.

Chen Xing was in the hall checking the recent merit records and material consumption accounts with Li Shu. After listening to Chen Wei's report, he put down the bamboo slips in his hand and pondered for a moment.

"More than twenty people, mostly old and weak... Their arrival now is an opportunity." Chen Xing stood up, walked to the window, and looked eastward. "The fortress needs manpower for land reclamation, and it will also need able-bodied men for future defense. However, hastily accepting them may bring hidden dangers. Food and supplies are one aspect, but we need to be even more cautious about whether their people are of good character and whether there are any spies infiltrating."

Chen Wei said, "What you say is absolutely right, my lord. Judging from their appearance, they do indeed resemble refugees. However, in chaotic times, people's hearts are unpredictable, and we must be cautious."

Li Shu whispered, "My lord, although we have some grain reserves, the sudden addition of more than twenty mouths to feed will consume a lot of resources. Moreover, if the newcomers are not obedient or may cause discord with the existing inhabitants..."

Chen Xing nodded: "We need to take them in, but we can't do it haphazardly. Chen Wei, you take ten men out of the village and set up a guard post thirty paces outside the gate. Make them hand over all their weapons and sharp objects for us to keep temporarily. Ask them one by one about their names, hometowns, ages, and special skills, and record them separately. Pay special attention to whether there are any injured or sick people in the group, or anyone acting suspiciously. Zhao Tiezhu, you come with me. With your experience, you might be able to see the clues better."

"Yes, sir!" The two men accepted the order and left.

Chen Xing then said to Li Shu, "Prepare some thin porridge and water, and place them outside the village gate. After the inspection is completed, distribute them to the women, children, the elderly, and the weak to temporarily quench their thirst. But do not allow them to enter the village for the time being."

"Yes!" Li Shu hurriedly went to prepare.

Outside the gate, the leader, seeing that the gate remained closed but a troop of brightly armored soldiers stood ready, felt even more uneasy. However, when he heard them demand his weapons and be questioned one by one, a look of "it's only right" of relief appeared on his face. In chaotic times, it would be truly unsettling if the enemy opened their gates wide without any precautions.

He first unsheathed a chipped machete from his waist, then had the able-bodied men behind him hand over several rusty sickles and sharpened wooden sticks, piling them in a designated area. Afterward, the refugees were ordered to line up, and Chen Wei and Zhao Tiezhu questioned and recorded their statements one by one. The process was far from gentle; the cold gazes of the Wei soldiers and the half-drawn blades made several children tremble with fear, clinging tightly to their mothers.

After questioning, the situation was roughly as the leader had described. This group came from Baishi'ao, their village destroyed and their homes destroyed, and they had wandered here. The leader, named Zhou Dashan, was a stonemason with some knowledge of building walls and houses. The group also included two carpenters, a blacksmith's apprentice, and the rest were mostly ordinary farmers. There were nine elderly and infirm people, eight women and children, and seven able-bodied men. One old man had a leg injury that made walking difficult; a woman was holding an infant who had a fever and whose cries were weak.

As Zhao Tiezhu listened to the baby's cries and saw the same despair and hope in the eyes of the women as his own wife had felt back then, he felt a pang of sorrow and whispered, "Commander Chen, judging from the situation... it doesn't seem like a trap."

Chen Wei nodded slightly, but still said, "As instructed by our lord, we need to question them separately and verify their statements."

He separated the refugees into several groups and had his soldiers ask them for details, such as the village's topography, the names of their neighbors, and what they saw along their escape route. Their accounts were mostly consistent, except for one young man who claimed to be a blacksmith's apprentice. When asked about the details of the blacksmithing process, his answers were slightly vague, and his eyes darted away. Chen Wei made a separate note of him.

After the inspection was completed, Li Shu and his men carried out several buckets of thin porridge and water. The refugees' eyes lit up at the sight of the food, but they still held back, and at Zhou Dashan's signal, they let the elderly, weak, women and children go forward first. Watching the old people tremblingly hold up the earthenware bowls, and the children greedily sucking on the thin porridge, Zhou Dashan and the other young and strong men swallowed hard, but they all stood obediently at the back.

Seeing this, Zhao Tiezhu felt a pang of pity and said to Chen Wei, "Commander, should we...?"

Chen Wei raised his hand to stop him: "Let the lord decide."

Before long, Chen Xing appeared atop the village gate. He was not wearing armor, only a blue robe, and his gaze calmly swept over the bewildered refugees below.

Zhou Dashan looked up and saw that this person must be the person in charge of the fort. He immediately knelt down again and said, "Please, sir, take us in! We are all honest farmers and craftsmen. We are strong and capable of working! We only ask for a place to shelter from the wind and rain and some food. We would never dare to cause trouble!" The refugees behind him also knelt down and begged in their pitiful voices.

Chen Xing declared loudly, "I am Chen Xing, the lord of this Starfire Fortress. I have heard of your plight. Survival in chaotic times is no easy task."

He paused, then continued, "When Starfire Fortress was first established, there were indeed fields to cultivate, houses to build, and walls to fortify. Taking in refugees was also our original intention. However, the fortress has its rules, and people must abide by them."

"I now offer you two paths," Chen Xing's voice was clear and reached everyone's ears. "First, those who do not wish to be bound by these rules, I will give you three days' worth of dry rations and direct you south to find another way to survive."

The refugees looked at each other, no one answering. Their three days' rations were gone. In this vast wilderness, where was their path to survival?

"Secondly," Chen Xing's gaze swept over the crowd, "those who wish to join my Starfire Fortress must abide by my Fortress's 'Merit Order' and 'Fortress Citizen Covenant.' Regardless of their previous background, upon joining the fortress, they become fortress citizens, exchanging labor for merit, and using merit to exchange for food, clothing, and shelter. Merit is rewarded, and transgressions are punished! However, newly arrived individuals must undergo a 'trial period'!"

"The trial period?" Zhou Dashan looked up and asked in confusion.

"That's good," Chen Xing said. "Newcomers to the fort will have a trial period of one month. During this time, their labor merits will be counted at half the rate. They will reside in a specially designated 'New Auxiliary Camp' within the fort, under unified management, and will not be allowed to freely enter or leave the core area. Within one month, they must memorize the fort rules, work diligently, and avoid any offenses or misconduct. Only after passing the assessment at the end of the period will they become official fort residents, enjoying the same merit benefits and being assigned a fixed residence. If they violate the fort rules during this period, or are found to have ulterior motives, they will be expelled at best, and severely punished according to the rules at worst!"

"This is a fair law, granting you a way to survive while ensuring the peace of my fortress. Are you willing?"

The refugees murmured amongst themselves. The trial period meant their merits would be halved, and they would be confined to a newly established camp under strict control… the conditions were harsh. But at least they had a place to stay, and the hope of earning sustenance through their labor. Compared to starving to death in the wilderness or being killed by bandits, this was an immense blessing.

Zhou Dashan and several other able-bodied men whispered a few words to each other, then kowtowed again: "Your kindness is like a second life! We are willing! We are willing to follow the rules and undergo the trial period! We only ask that you give us a way to survive!"

"We are willing to abide by the rules! We beg for a kind person to take us in!" the refugees echoed.

"Alright." Chen Xing nodded. "Zhou Dashan, you will be the temporary commander of the new attached camp, responsible for disciplining everyone and conveying the camp rules. Li Shu, register them and issue temporary identity tags. Zhao Tiezhu, take them to the newly established 'new attached camp' on the north slope for resettlement, and set up temporary shelters for them. They can have porridge for today. Starting tomorrow, they will be assigned labor according to the 'Merit Order,' including land reclamation, wall repair, and earth transport."

"Thank you, Lord of the Fortress! Thank you, Lord of the Fortress!" Zhou Dashan and the others were moved to tears and kowtowed repeatedly.

Chen Wei whispered, "My lord, that blacksmith apprentice..."

"Place him in a separate location and have Wang Jian keep an eye on him secretly. If he truly has skills, he might be useful in the future; if he harbors ill intentions, he will surely be exposed during the trial period," Chen Xing said calmly.

Led by Zhao Tiezhu and "escorted" by Wei Wuzu, the refugees entered the fortress through a side gate and headed to the designated area on the north slope. They looked around the fortress with curiosity and trepidation: neat houses, patrolling armored soldiers, busy fortress residents, and the newly turned black soil in the distance... New hope gradually ignited in their eyes.

Watching their departing figures, Chen Xing said to Chen Wei and Li Shu, "With refugees coming to join us, once this trend starts, the influx will likely be endless. We need to quickly improve the management system of the new attached camps and clarify the assessment details for the trial period. Food and supplies need to be carefully recalculated. Land reclamation needs to be accelerated, and we also need to pay extra attention to those 'miracle medicines from the Western Regions'."

"Yes, sir!" The two solemnly obeyed.

The setting sun cast long shadows over Xinghuo Fort and illuminated the newly erected, simple shacks on the north slope. Smoke from one chimney appeared from two, and the sounds of people were louder than usual.

Life is growing, the population is increasing, and hope seems to be spreading. But the ensuing management pressures, resource consumption, and challenges of internal integration are like weeds quietly growing, waiting for the leaders of Starfire Fortress to deal with.

Acceptance is never as simple as just opening the door.