Chapter 12: Chapter 11: Wuqi Town (1)

The next day, the group of wounded soldiers from the camp arrived by ox cart at a military garrison called Wuqi Town, located southwest of Luzhou City. There were about forty or fifty wounded men in the unit, and as people kept dying along the way, they could only dig pits to bury them hastily. Most of the wounded had to rely on the laborers for care. The army had only one man who claimed to be a physician; he held the low-ranking post of a clerical scribe, a job that usually involved nothing more than copying documents, but in wartime, he had transformed into a physician for the wounded. Regardless of his medical skills, he was simply overwhelmed by the sheer number of patients.

A "town" (zhen) was a county-level military stronghold, typically guarded by a garrison commander and troops. But when Guo Shao arrived at Wuqi Town, he was immediately stunned by the sight before him. Was this really a town?

A memorial arch stood on the dirt road with the words "Wuqi Town" written on it; this was likely the only structure in the area with any trace of human civilization. Behind the arch, the dilapidated, collapsed earthen walls showed signs of weathering and were riddled with holes, making the crude city gate a mere decoration. There was not a single sentry to be seen. Looking into the distance, the town was filled with low, broken-down houses—some were thatched huts, little more than shacks. Calling it a town office was a stretch; it looked no different from a village.

Upon entering the town, all they saw were the old, the weak, and women. Able-bodied men were nowhere to be found, and ragged, disabled old men came up to beg.

The person who came out to process the paperwork was a fat man who claimed to be the garrison commander, Li Desheng, though he didn't look like a military man in the slightest. Li Desheng was forced to disperse the wounded soldiers into various civilian homes, and he issued a mandatory order that every household of wounded soldiers was to be supplied with food and cared for by ten neighboring families in rotation.

Guo Shao naturally stayed with Yang and Luo, while the other wounded soldiers also huddled together with those they knew.

After settling in, they learned that their impression of the place as a village was spot on. Aside from the name "Wuqi Town," it had another nickname: "Widow Village." This was because the town consisted almost entirely of a few types of people: the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and widows.

The prefectures under the Zhaoyi Army Jiedushi of Hedong had long been responsible for resisting incursions from Northern Han and the Khitan, serving as a northern human barrier for the Central Plains dynasties. War was frequent here, and casualties were high. When garrison soldiers died or were disabled, their families, who relied on military pay for survival, lost their source of income. The Luzhou administrative office lacked the resources to continue supporting them, so these people were forcibly relocated from military strongholds and given a separate plot of land to fend for themselves. Wuqi Town was one such place.

With barren farmland, a backward economy, and rampant disasters, bandits, and the ravages of war, most of the relocated people lacked strong labor, making life extremely difficult. Even so, the military government did not miss the opportunity to shift some of its burdens onto these suffering people. Caring for the wounded was one such burden, and the military government hadn't sent a single grain of food to support it.

Next to where Guo Shao lived was a dilapidated thatched shack inhabited by a lonely, destitute old woman. She was blind and so thin she was nothing but skin and bones, hanging onto life solely through the charity of the townspeople. Not long after arriving, they heard her story: her husband and three sons had died one after another on the battlefield, and her daughter had been dragged into the grass and humiliated to death when the Khitan moved south. Now, she was the only one left of her family, an old woman with one foot in the grave.

Living, it turned out, could be this painful. Every day, Guo Shao and the others heard the old woman’s dry, rasping wails.

Luo Mengzi couldn't bear such tragedy and often saved a portion of his own rations to give to the blind woman. Yang Biao, that scoundrel, would occasionally grumble and curse: "What’s the point of living? Close your eyes and it’s all over. What’s the point of staying alive!"

But he was just all talk; in all the time Guo Shao had known him, he had never heard a kind word from him. Yet, despite his harsh words, Yang Biao would still toss her half a pancake or something similar. Guo Shao believed that one shouldn't judge a person by what they say, but by what they do.

...

The three of them spent their days and nights together, their relationship growing even closer than it had been in the Eastern Capital. After a while, they discussed addressing each other as brothers.

Luo Mengzi proposed that Guo Shao be the eldest brother. Guo Shao was the youngest of the three, so he immediately declined: "Brother Yang is many years older than me. How would it be proper for you to call me eldest brother?"

Luo Mengzi insisted, "We aren't born of the same parents; we should rank ourselves by ability, not by age! In the plays, Liu Xuande is younger than Lord Guan, yet he is still the eldest brother, isn't he?"

Guo Shao pondered, casting a casual glance at Yang Biao’s face. Yang Biao kept a straight face and said, "Luo Er’s words are rough but true. We should indeed rank by ability."

"Is Brother Yang truly convinced?" Luo Mengzi teased with a grin. "Back in the Eastern Capital, the eldest brother was a rank above you. Didn't you, a dignified Commander, find it hard to swallow your pride?"

That scoundrel really knew how to poke at old wounds. Guo and Yang had long since stopped mentioning their past grievances, but Luo Mengzi just had to bring it up.

Yang Biao snorted, "If I, Yang, am not convinced, I wouldn't call someone 'eldest brother' even if they held a blade to my throat!"

Hearing this, Guo Shao saw no point in further nonsense; to say more would be hypocritical. He made a swift decision: "Fine, then I shall reluctantly take the role of eldest brother. From now on, we share in both blessings and hardships."

"Eldest Brother!" "Eldest Brother!" "Second Brother, Third Brother!"

Guo Shao held his palm up in the air. Yang and Luo looked at each other, then hesitantly reached out their hands. Guo Shao slapped his palm against theirs with force: "All for one, and one for all!"

Luo Mengzi chuckled for a while. Yang Biao remained expressionless, only speaking after a long pause: "That day, the general surnamed Zhao came to the camp specifically to commend you, saying you 'should be appointed as a Commander.' The Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards, Zhang Yongde, also seems to appreciate you, having spoken on your behalf twice. Since he holds the power over the Palace Guard armies, it looks like you really will be promoted directly to Commander. With your extraordinary feat of slaying Zhang Yuanhui in battle, you can certainly command respect, but rising too quickly can lead to an unstable foundation. In the future, when you command five hundred men, relying on just the two of us won't be enough. I have an idea: there are forty or fifty wounded soldiers here in Wuqi Town, and twenty or thirty of them should be able to return to combat once they recover. These men have been scattered from their units, they don't know their officers, and they have nowhere to turn. Why doesn't the eldest brother take this opportunity to bring them under your command?"

Guo Shao nodded repeatedly as he listened: "Second Brother’s words make sense. As expected of a man who has served as a Commander, your advice is very sound."

Yang Biao continued, "We came from Gaoping, and all these wounded soldiers were in the same camp at the time. That General Zhao had a loud voice that night; I’m sure the whole camp heard about you killing Zhang Yuanhui with a single arrow and the Emperor’s personal commendation. Even if the wounded don't know us, the eldest brother can win their hearts based on that prestige alone."

Guo Shao thought for a moment and said, "Zuo You, the clerical scribe and military physician, has the roster of soldiers. If it’s not in his hands, it must be with the garrison commander. We need to do two things: first, get the military roster, and second, gain the support of the garrison commander."

With the plan settled, they wasted no time and split up to act. Yang Biao went to find Zuo You, while Luo Mengzi helped Guo Shao go to visit the garrison commander, Li Desheng.