Dandere General and his Lord

58. Ink Jade

Cheng Qianye was discussing military affairs with Yu Dunsu, Helan Zhen and Xiao Jin whilst walking towards the meeting hall.

On the path outside, two figures—one in red and another in black—knelt in salute. Cheng Qianye quickly stepped forward and stretched out her hands to support them to their feet.

“Cheng Feng.” Cheng Qianye enunciated the words, articulating the name clearly as she walked into the room with a smile. “Why are you here? Are your injuries better?”

She invited everyone into the hall and instructed Bi Yun to serve tea.

Cheng Feng stepped forward and saluted before volunteering himself to join the ranks of those who would be participating in the military campaign this time.

“You want to go out to battle with the army?” Turning and sitting down in the chair, Cheng Qianye looked at Cheng Feng who was kneeling in front of her.

The Qiao Sheng in front of her was like the summer sky, bright and passionate.

Whilst Cheng Feng was like the red wine poured out in autumn, always filled with bitterness and desolation.

At this moment, he was on one knee in front of her, his face devoid of all emotion.

However, Cheng Qianye could clearly see that he was immersed in a dense ocean of anguish, and even Xiao Mo who was behind him had been infected by his sorrow.

Cheng Qianye frowned, “Are you volunteering to join the battle, or is it that you wish to give up your life for the country?”

Cheng Feng froze for a moment before raising his head.

“You and General Yu, not only will you not be allowed to lead the troops in the near future, but you mustn’t so much as think about going out to the training grounds. Set your mind at ease and focus on nursing your injuries until the military physician gives his approval.” Cheng Qianye took the tea offered by Bi Yun and drank a gulp.

“However, there is one matter which I wish to entrust to you.” She placed the teacup onto the table and looked at Cheng Feng before continuing, “I want you to assume the post of Minister of the Left.1 You will be responsible for commanding and enforcing the law within the palace, and guarding at my side.”

Cheng Feng raised his head in astonishment. His mouth fell open slightly and he was nearly speechless.

“Recently—perhaps due to the fact that we singlehandedly repelled the Quanrong—many envoys have come from other countries and requested an audience, and the people within Bianzhou have become more and more mixed.”

“Lu Yao is speeding up the renovation of the former city lord’s mansion which will be used as the temporary imperial residence. Minister Xiao has numerous small tasks in addition to other important affairs. Hence, I need someone who can take on the post of Minister of the Left and be responsible for the palace security, as well as being my personal guard.”

“Are you willing to shoulder this heavy responsibility?”

Cheng Feng stared motionlessly at Cheng Qianye for a long time before averting his gaze. He controlled his emotions and replied softly, “How can I assume such an important position?”

Cheng Qianye straightened out her clothing, stood up and helped him to his feet with both her hands. “For this position, what is required is not an illustrious background, but absolute loyalty towards me.”

She patted Cheng Feng on the shoulder. “Cheng Feng, I need you and I trust you. In the future, I will entrust my safety to you.”

Cheng Feng lowered his head. After a long time, silently and firmly, he performed a military salute.

In the past, Chu Yezhi often said to him, “Chu Feng, trust me, you are just like a younger brother to me. I will protect you and I will never let you get hurt.”

But at that time, his heart had always been filled with a faint sense of uneasiness as he passed his days in a state of constant fear.

And now, Cheng Qianye was saying: “I need you, and I trust you. Stand up and follow me. We will overthrow this system together, and I will let you see a better world.”

At this moment, his heart was incomparably serene. There was no more fear.

He would stand up as an independent individual, straighten his back, and keep up with the footsteps of his Lord.

Receiving trust, receiving expectations.

For the sake of his Lord, and also for his own sake.

Work hard and exert his greatest effort regardless of everything else, in order to see the world that they all desired to see.

“All of you present here, as well as Zhang Fu who is in Jiang Cheng, are my most trusted and capable supporters.” Cheng Qianye granted everyone a seat.

“The siege of Bianzhou this time has allowed me to see a great issue regarding our army. Please aid me in examining this issue.”

Everyone present was brimming with passion and excitement due to receiving Cheng Qianye’s recognition.

We are My Lord’s most trusted confidants.

Everyone sat up straight and listened attentively.

“In the future, in the very near future, we may have to fight quite a few battles.”

Cheng Qianye walked towards the map hanging on the wall and stretched out her hand.

“At present, we have Bianzhou and its neighbouring Gaoyang and Yongqiu.”

Her white palms spread outwards: “In the future, our land will grow larger and larger, and the battles we are faced with will expand from the current scale of thousands of people to tens of thousands of people. We may have to defend Bianzhou from an army of tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands.”

“We cannot conduct a last minute recruitment and train them in a hurry like we did this time; we cannot rely on the temporary recruits to score a narrow victory.”

“I have frequently pondered over how we can better control the strength of our army and people. I want all adult males from military households to have a basic foundation in combat, and once the country is faced with war, they can be recruited at any time.”

Xiao Jin stood up and cupped his fists: “Chen2 has been thinking about this matter for many days and has come up with a strategy, please share any of your thoughts and advice. We can establish a new post of Military County Official working under the County Magistrate in every district of our Great Jin. He will be in charge of managing the military affairs of the county, and all the military households in the area will be under his jurisdiction. Every adult male within the household must serve as a soldier; they will be obliged to serve in the army for one month each year. Half a month will be spent on practicing, and the other half will be spent on serving. This will be the military service.”

“This way, if there is a war, the enlisted soldiers will no longer be inexperienced recruits. Furthermore, there will be enough manpower to handle the irrigation and construction works as well as the city defense of all the counties, and the one-month service period is unlikely to have any detrimental effects on the farming.”

Cheng Qianye clapped her hands. “Wonderful, this is precisely what I wanted, but I didn’t expect such detail. Minister Xiao is a real genius, handing me a pillow as soon as I feel sleepy.3 Let’s just do it like this and implement this policy. You should draw up a detailed memorandum for me as soon as possible.”

Xiao Jin bowed his head and replied modestly, ”Coincidentally, Chen just happened to be thinking of the same thing as My Lord. Chen has been pondering over this matter for a long time now, but the plan still hasn’t been perfected. Today, when My Lord inquired about this, Your Servant was too happy and responded too hastily. Fortunately, My Lord was not startled.”

Cheng Qianye looked through the crowd, her gaze flitting between He Lanzhen and Yu Dunsu.

“General Helan, once General Yu recovers, you will entrust Bianzhou’s defense to him. You will be responsible for implementing this policy. Your Helan family has great accomplishments in training troops; the Helan Clan’s soldiers have made outstanding military achievements during this campaign and have received great recognition. I will be counting on you to train the soldiers of our Great Jin Army and turning them all into such elite soldiers.”

Helan Zhen was filled with excitement as he stood up and saluted. “Your Servant will definitely live up to the expectations of My Lord. Beizhi4 will make sure to oversee this matter personally. Your Servant will send a letter back to Jiangzhou and request my uncle, Helan Yanzhi to carefully observe the training routine of our Helan Clan’s soldiers and compile a concise and easy to understand plan which will be distributed to all of the counties in our state. I vow to My Lord that I will train an invincible army that can sweep away all obstacles for our Great Jin.”

After the crowd dispersed.

Mo Qiao Sheng followed Cheng Qianye through the winding corridor leading towards the bedroom.

The bright moon was high in the sky and the pathway was mottled with the shadows of the railings.

The two of them walked in silence for a while before Cheng Qianye said, “What happened to Cheng Feng today?”

Mo Qiao Sheng was already accustomed to the Lord’s keen insight and he gave a brief account of what he had witnessed today.

“An envoy from the State of Song?” Cheng Qianye snorted softly. “I will bear this in mind.”

She hooked her finger and Mo Qiao Sheng moved a little closer towards her.

“Will that person be coming to see me tomorrow? Arrange for some soldiers to lie low and wait for him in the streets. As soon as he comes out, cover him with a sack and beat him up.”

Mo Qiao Sheng’s mouth fell open in surprise. In his eyes, the Lord had always been gentle and refined. Unexpectedly, he also had such a side.

Cheng Qianye patted him on the chest with the back of her hand. “What is it? There’s nothing to be afraid of. We are within our own territory now, except for killing him, we can do whatever we want. This is the best way to vent our anger. I abhor this kind of degenerated scum the most. Old, ugly and perverted.”

Mo Qiao Sheng laughed. For the first time, he felt that the Lord was no longer such a lofty and unattainable figure who was high up in the clouds, and he couldn’t help but feel close to him.

“What about you?” Cheng Qianye put away her smile. “You will be going to war in two days.”

She turned around and sat down on the railing with her back to the bright moon and the cool breeze.

“Do you understand what I am trying to say?”

“My Lord wishes for me to love myself, to not flaunt off a moment’s bravery, to win and come back safely.” Mo Qiao Sheng looked at Cheng Qianye who was sitting on the railing and knelt down on one knee in front of her before looking up at her, “I remember everything, and I will definitely do it.”

“Qiao Sheng, a skilled fighter is not famous, do you understand the meaning of this sentence?”

Mo Qiao Sheng was somewhat puzzled.

“The real undefeatable generals all move ahead steadily and strike sure blows;5 attacking cities without haste, seeking progress whilst ensuring stability, and making improvisations occasionally. Those that depend on cunning schemes and tricks to achieve victory in their battles are actually hopeless.”

Mo Qiao Sheng listened seriously.

“Maybe they are short of men, or they may not have enough reinforcements, or they may be forced to take risks due to the urging of the sovereign of their nation. Although they might have scored a victory and spread out their name, most of them will not be able to walk far. As long as they are careless once, their life will be gone. Regardless of how great their contributions were, they will only be a legend on a piece of paper, without any use.”

Mo Qiao Sheng raised his head and looked up at the man sitting beneath the bright moon. He suddenly understood everything. The Lord worked hard everyday, day and night without taking a break, leaving no stone unturned6 to enhance the grain production in order to improve the military system.

It turns out that it was all for me. For me who will be going to the front lines.

He suppressed the tears in his eyes and listened to the voice of his Lord.

“My General, you do not need to think about those unnecessary matters like they do. I will be your solid support. Whether it is provisions or manpower, I will spare no effort to provide you with a steady flow. You just need to move forward steadily, that’s it, understand?”

Mo Qiao Sheng reached into his bosom and fished out the object he had been carrying with him the entire time.

He clenched his fist and rubbed it, without opening his hand.

“What is it?” Cheng Qianye smiled.

Mo Qiao Sheng thought for a long time, before finally spreading his hand open.

In the center of his broad palm, there lay a small, black ring.

“Is this for me?” Cheng Qianye’s eyes lit up.

How clever, he had actually thought to send this.

Mo Qiao Sheng’s face flushed red. “This is Ink Jade,7 I looked for it for a long time, and I saw that it had the character for ink, it… it’s just like me…”

By My Lord’s side, just like me.

“Put it on for me.” Cheng Qianye stretched out her hand.

Mo Qiao Sheng looked at the hand that was extended towards him. Under the moonlight, the white skin glowed with a jade-like luster.

His arm, which was capable of lifting a thousand jin,8 was suddenly unable to lift up this small ring. With trembling hands, he slipped that inky blue ring onto that white and tender finger.

Cheng Qianye raised her hand and looked at the moonlight passing through the dark, inky blue ring on her finger.

Under the moonlight, the ink jade revealed a faint, blue light.

“It’s so beautiful, I like it very much. Thank you, Qiao Sheng.”

“Hey, I haven’t cried yet, why are you crying?”

Cheng Qianye looked at Mo Qiao Sheng’s face and dropped a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“You must make sure to come back safe and sound, my General.”

~

1. Here it says 司寇左史, (司寇 – sī kòu, which is an official title which translates to Minister of Criminal Justice) and (左史 – zuǒ shǐ, after searching for this all I saw was Left Historian) and honestly, I couldn’t come up with a complete result, and historian doesn’t really fit with the responsibilities described here, so I just winged it and went with Minister of the Left just to be safe. Gahh.
2. (臣 – Chen) – This Official/Subject/Minister / I, Your Servant [Form of self-address used when speaking to a sovereign.]
3. Someone giving you a pillow right when you feel sleepy; a common proverb used to describe a situation where things fall into place exactly according to one’s desires.
4. (卑职 – Beizhi) – Your humble subordinate, I. [Used by subordinate officials when speaking to their superiors.]
5. (稳扎稳打 – wěn zhā wěn dǎ) idiom meaning to taking everything step by step during war and adopting a safe method to attack the enemy.
6. (殚精竭虑 – dān jīng jié lǜ) Idiom meaning to exhause one’s energy and their mind/wracking their brains.
7. (墨翡 – mò fěi) A type of black jade, and the Mo(Ink) character here is the same Mo in Qiao Sheng’s name.
8. (斤 – jīn) A traditional unit of weight, each containing 10 liang (市两) or 16 old liang (旧市两) and equivalent to 0.5 kilogram or 1.102 pounds.