Chapter 17: Half a Military Merit

Today, the three of them really played no significant role in the battle. To be precise, only Zhao Mang from the entire squad managed to kill two Tibetan bandits. The rest, aside from Zhu Qiqi’s somewhat effective archery, were merely bystanders. Zhao Mang was somewhat speechless. After all, he couldn’t instantly grant everyone abilities. He had to devise a proper training plan.

In the coming days, aside from routine patrols, the team would run three laps around Dunzi Peak daily to build stamina and teach coordinated combat. They were encouraged to spar constantly to build courage and boldness. The remainder of the time was dedicated to serious archery practice. But such intense training brought its own troubles for Zhao Mang. Training without proper nutrition only weakened their bodies. His own funds, plus the reward money from killing the two bandits, wouldn’t last long. Zhao Mang felt they at least deserved to have nourishing meat broth. His already tight purse grew even emptier.

This deepened Zhao Mang’s craving for money. If not restrained by his status and the small number of men in his squad, he would have led them to hunt bandits for both wealth and fame. Such methods were the most direct and straightforward. Yet now, lacking both funds and manpower, these ambitions were impossible.

Suddenly, he thought of Jiang Wan, the young woman he was somewhat fond of. She was currently overseeing the Liuxiang Courtyard, the eldest lady of the Jiang family and manager of its affairs. Perhaps he could seek some assistance from her. For someone transported back to ancient times without any initial capital, the beginning was always tough, let alone trying to wrest resources from a prestigious family’s hands. The best outcome would be to gain their support — to rely on them, join them, become one of them.

Modern ideas couldn’t be forcibly transplanted into the past. The reason these noble families had endured for so many years was no accident. Without something to trade in return, a mere squad leader like himself would never be respected by their powerful backers.

After much thought, Zhao Mang came up with an idea. In the ancient northwest region of Longyou, once winter arrived, people had no access to fresh vegetables. For months, they survived on dried or pickled vegetables alone. Fresh vegetables were rare, arriving only by urgent delivery from the south, with transport costs beyond common means. Zhao Mang seized upon this notion. He wrote a letter describing his idea of a greenhouse, hoping to temporarily win Jiang Wan’s support through this innovative method. The details of construction and cultivation would be revealed gradually later.

This was a great opportunity! Although the greenhouse wouldn’t be useful during the current summer, by autumn around October, the cold would prevent vegetable growth. At that time, if they could impose this transportation method, they could surely capture a share of the market. No merchant from a noble family would fail to covet such a plan. The key was to let the Jiang family seize the market first. Zhao Mang believed Jiang Wan possessed the vision to recognize its benefits, or at least the Jiang family would.

After finishing the letter, Zhao Mang was pleased with his argument. He summoned another ordinary soldier, Li Dabing, instructing him to deliver the family letter. As the sun set, Wang Kang returned to Dunzi Peak with the reward silver. This time, Zhao Mang hadn’t handed over the two strong horses, so the reward wasn’t much. Wang Kang seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

Upon inquiry, Zhao Mang learned that after Wang Kang submitted the two heads, he was supposed to receive two merit rewards but ended up with only one. This felt unfair to Wang Kang, who had never before experienced such discrimination within the camp. This was the source of his unhappiness. Zhao Mang understood immediately. His current position as squad leader was earned through military merit, so it made sense that the rewards were split. His own strength was still too weak; to rise through merit, he couldn’t bypass the brigade commander above him.

After briefly comforting Li Dabing, Zhao Mang put the matter out of his mind — effectively forgetting the incident. He distributed the silver among the men according to their work. The soldiers’ opinions of Zhao Mang shifted once more. They thought, “This squad leader is truly different from the others who only make empty promises.” When good things came, he shared them with everyone. Zhu Qiqi was now completely convinced of Zhao Mang’s leadership. His strength was considerable, and he genuinely cared for them, inspiring deep respect.

Meanwhile, Wang Mazi wrestled with inner conflicts. Everyone harbored secrets. Like Zhu Qiqi, he kept his own thoughts from Zhao Mang. Though the merit rewards had improved Wang Mazi’s feelings toward Zhao Mang, family always came first. He quickly pushed these thoughts aside, refusing to dwell on them.

For several days, Zhao Mang trained with the men, sharing meals and sleep. Their view of him continued to improve as they gradually understood their leader—he was a good man.

Idle for days, Zhao Mang suspected the Tibetan bandit they had released had escaped. After all, he had only killed two men and hadn’t been pursued in retaliation for so long. Even the Zhang family wasn’t so easily frightened. He couldn’t understand why soldiers in the camp were so fearful of these bandits.

Zhao Mang assigned everyone to their posts. In fact, Xiao Han had already completed a rough map of the nearby terrain days before. The map summarized the large features of the area. The landscape around Dunzi Peak was quite interesting, with many ravines and even a canyon—typical of the Longyou region. Dunzi Peak was naturally easy to defend but hard to attack.

Not far from them lay the strategic pass of Yangguan, which, together with Yumen Pass, formed the western defense line of the Shazhou region, guarding against Tibetan invasions from the southwest. These passes were vital to the ancient southern Silk Road, ensuring safe trade and communication between Shazhou and the southern Western Regions. They also served as the frontline against Tibetan incursions, making their position quite important.

Often, seemingly insignificant places were the starting points for larger disasters. Their current location was the passage to Dunzi Peak. To the south rose two mountains flanking a canyon, through which all travelers from the south would pass. Beyond the canyon lay the small hills of Dunzi Peak, while to the west was a small forest.

Days passed without a reply from Jiang Wan. Then, the Tibetan bandits sought vengeance. One day, just as Zhao Mang finished inspecting the men’s posts and setting traps, Xiao Han hurried over from a distance. Arriving beside Zhao Mang, he immediately announced, “Five Tibetan bandits are coming!”