A shadow fleeted through the tall grass of the plains, its subtle movements were nimble and swift as he avoided the predators in its path. The shadow finally stopped at a stope and laid on it, peering down at the activity below.
Er Gouzi was one of Wang Daniu’s craftiest men. This was because he had a sharp mind, and did everything to earn his superior’s favor. He also spent his younger years often going about climbing trees for birds, fishing in the river and trekking hilly terrain.
He was here to gather knowledge of the environment, which was a paramount skill to any scout. After Zhong Yu explained his order, Wang Daniu picked ten of his men to fulfill it and Er Gouzi was one of them. (T/N: Er Gouzi lit. means second dog. It’s how the second son of a peasant family is called in teasing.)
As Er Gouzi gazed upon the column of smoke, he saw two dozen people preparing their meal. They were so primitive that they had to rub sticks to make a fire.
It was a toiling and crude process rubbing the stick between your hands to make sparks and they even ran their kills through before hanging them over the fire.
The people circled the fire while dancing and singing some tribal song in abject bliss.
‘They’re sure having it easy. Curses, and to think I never could fill my stomachs in the Yellow Turban Army. Waiting for me was either starvation or death from the official army.’
The way these people easily enjoyed their meal, with even meat on top, made him outraged with envy.
The carousal of the tribal folks only fueled his desire to end them. He wanted to go then and there to report to His Grace to have these savages killed.
Even though he desperately wanted to do this, his mission came first. He suppressed the envy and carried on assessing their situation, only to find them weak. Eleven adult males, twelve adult females and six children.
‘They cast out the elderly, just like in our village because in those harsh years, the elders couldn’t carry their weight nor contribute to the family. So not to be a burden on everyone, they climbed the mountains by themselves, meeting their end from starvation or in the jaws of animals.’
‘They must also be in the same situation, unable to feed the weak and old, only to cast them out. Instead, raising a few children,which were the future of the tribe.’
Er Gouzi crawled back down the slope in thought, careful not to get spotted. ‘ Getting found out will put them on guard and will earn me a lashing.’
As he started getting ready, he noticed a few dangerous animals around which he needed to keep away from.
Cunningly avoiding a few encounters with predators, Er Gouzi ran back distraught to Luoyang.
As he came back, he noticed four of his friends had already returned, ‘Here I thought I’d be the fastest but some got here before me.’
Er Gouzi reported to Wang Daniu on his scouting, then grilled with endless questions. This was causing Er Gouzi to get impatient which meant that Wang Daniu had to stop.
Wang Daniu gathered all the information and went to Zhong Yu with Er Gouzi. Wang Daniu kept reminding him on the way to mind his manners, what to say and not say. To be respectful at all times and not irk His Grace.
Er Gouzi didn’t like being chewed out but he accepted it on account of Wang Daniu’s heavy look.
Passing many corridors, they arrived at the hall and in front of them was an average, plain-dressed, yet imposing man staring at him.
Er Gouzi tensed, ‘I gotta be cautious and careful of every word I say.’ Wang Daniu’s reminders kept coming back to him. He made a deep bow and reported his mission with utmost seriousness.
Zhong Yu sat in his office chair, placed in the middle of the hall, with supreme indifference and awe.
The four earlier scout’s reports replayed in his mind. Two small tribes with a dozen people, of which around nine were adults, were hardly a challenge. The other two had over twenty people with a dozen able bodied, though not something his men can’t handle.
The assessment brought relief and now just noticed the bowing Er Gouzi and smiled inside.
“You’ve done well. Go to the storeroom and take half a kilogram of grain and a tael of meat as reward for your hard work. Keep up the good work!” Zhong Yu politely exclaimed with a raised voice.
Er Gouzi was touched by Zhong Yu’s reward, ‘The grant Lord treats me with such kindness! He’s such a benevolent master. I will even die if I have to for my Lord. I must repay my Lord’s care for me.’
‘There’s even meat. It’s been so long since I had some I already forgot its taste.’ He uttered as he choked on his voice and tears overflowed his eyes.
“I cannot return My Lord’s gratitude. All I can do is use my life to live up to Lord’s favor!”
Zhong Yu was mighty pleased with himself. ‘When dealing with people, the carrot and the stick applies at all times. One can even make his men lay down their lives.’
“You entrust me with your life and I will make sure not to disappoint. You may go, and remember to do your best.” Zhong Yu added as Er Gouzi was filled with awe.
Er Gouzi calmed his overanxious heart, his eyes filled with tears and said in a trembling tone, “Yes, sir.”
After this, he walked backwards while repeatedly bowing at his lord as he walked out of the hall.
A little while later, two hours maybe? In this time, Wang Daniu brought the other scouts. Zhong Yu repeated his grandstanding act and made each of them declare their undying loyalty.
The ten scouts canvased ten kilometers around his new seat of power finding eleven tribes. Three tribes had under twenty people, four had under fifty, two had under a hundred and two had more than a hundred.
He reckoned the two strongest had to have around two hundred men. Their strength was out of his reach, for the time being. ‘I need to just take a couple of small tribes into my fold and those strongest won’t know what hit them.’
Hopes aside, Zhong Yu considered his plan of attack and how to go under the radar of the strongest tribes. ‘Keeping the losses to a minimum can only be done by taking everything into consideration.’
After a long time of brainstorming, Zhong Yu came up with a rough plan. Next was carrying it out.
‘When I unify those twenty plus men tribes and those fifty ones, it’ll be enough to reach a hundred homes, a borough.’
‘That settles it. Now to gather the troops and start from the weakest, the tribes having a dozen men at most. Then I will slowly work my way up through the tribes and to the reward.’
