Chapter 60
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Reform
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On the road back to Yide County from the Tianshan tribe's encampment.
The procession was eerily quiet. My subordinates kept stealing glances at me, their eyes quickly shifting to Chienya, who rode right beside me.
'...How did things end up like this?'
I pressed my throbbing temple, recalling the morning's events.
Right after that chaotic mess, I was summoned alone to Takya's yurt.
Takya's face bore not anger, but a smile of complete understanding.
"Hahaha, Administrator. A young man's hot blood can lead to such things. My granddaughter is quite the beauty, after all."
"Chief, I have no memory of it. Nothing happened."
"What does memory matter? The important thing is that my granddaughter spent the night in a man's arms. And now, not just our Tianshan tribe, but every strong tribe gathered here knows about it."
Takya drove the point home, leaving me speechless.
"Take responsibility for my granddaughter. Do that, and Takya and the Tianshan tribe will be your staunchest allies. No, not just us—all the strong tribes here will see you as true 'family.'"
I ground my teeth.
—As a man, out of responsibility, and considering relations with these foreigners, I couldn't wriggle out of it here.
"...I'll take responsibility."
"Haha, a wise choice. The ways of the steppes differ from those of the Han. Just don't starve her and treat her well—that's enough. The rest is up to you, Administrator."
Recalling my talk with Takya only made my head ache more. That's when Ma Deng cautiously approached and whispered in my ear.
"Um... M-my lord, th-the lady..."
The word 'lady' made me flinch involuntarily. I schooled my expression and asked with resignation.
"Yes, what does she say?"
"She wants to learn Han speech... and asks to borrow me for a bit."
Ma Deng's eyes pleaded, 'Please, anything but that...'
But he was the only one here fluent in the strong tribes' tongue.
Hand her off to anyone else, and who knew what rumors would spread. In the end, I had no choice but to pat Ma Deng's shoulder.
"I'm counting on you."
"...Y-yes, my lord."
Ma Deng hung his head low. His retreating figure looked utterly dejected. As Ma Deng was dragged off by Chienya, Jia Xu sidled up beside me.
"Hm, it seems the strong tribes truly wish to forge good ties with you, Administrator."
"Of course they do. Why else push their granddaughter on me?"
"No. They seem to genuinely like you. Because you respected their traditions and customs. I'm from You Province myself, but I couldn't have done what you did. With the Tianshan tribe secured, at least northern Zhangli Commandery will know peace from now on."
"If it weren't so, do you think I'd have accepted her?"
I glanced at Chienya, hardened my expression, and asked Jia Xu,
"...Advisor Jia. I already have a fiancée..."
Jia Xu cut me off firmly.
"You'd best beg for mercy on your knees, Administrator."
"Sigh... Beg on my knees... Ha..."
I let out a deep sigh. Then Wei Sok, who'd been watching nervously, slunk over and cleared his throat.
"Ahem... Brother... You really need to keep it in your pants from now on—"
—Thwack!
I smashed Wei Sok's head good and hard. He suddenly yelped.
"Ow! This time it wasn't my fault!"
"Haa..."
I could only sigh heavily in response.
It felt like no time at all since I'd taken office as administrator, but time flew by.
August had arrived, the height of summer.
Across Zhangli Commandery, Han Chinese folk busied themselves preparing for harvest, while the foreigners stockpiled food for the coming winter.
Things bustled outside, but the administrator's office appeared peaceful on the surface.
'Ha, being administrator is no easy task.'
Even after the feast with the strong tribes, a few Hu clans and strong tribes stirred up troops, but we crushed them with ridiculous ease.
After that, no fools dared draw a blade. If disputes arose, they came to the office begging me to mediate. Fine by me.
After all, I'd raised the banners of 'equality before the law' and 'subjects of the Emperor.' Thanks to that, clashes between foreigners and Han had dropped sharply across the commandery.
The foreigners had been suspicious at first when I treated them equally to the Han, but now they were starting to let their guard down. The biggest reason for that was—
"My lord! The lady... the lady's caused trouble at the training grounds again!"
Ma Deng burst in, looking dazed. Without even looking up, I replied.
"Who'd she beat up this time?"
"Uh... Commander Wei."
"He's tough; he'll live. Go clean it up."
"Yes, sir..."
Ma Deng bolted out, nearly in tears. He seemed to be aging faster lately.
With Chienya by my side, the foreigners dropped their suspicions of me and at least pretended to heed my words.
After sending Ma Deng off, I wrestled with paperwork for a while when a clerk rushed in, pale as a ghost.
"Administrator! Big trouble! The grain shipment to Okran County has stopped!"
"Stopped? What nonsense is this?!"
"Th-the clerk in charge suddenly fell gravely ill and took to bed, the warehouse keeper with the keys went on emergency leave for a family matter back home, and even the ledgers have vanished without a trace..."
I snapped the brush holder in my hand with a sharp crack.
'Ha, can't beat me with swords, so now they come at me with brushes, eh?'
"Then dispatch another official immediately, smash the warehouse doors if you have to, and get that grain moving!"
"B-but no one knows the quantities or types of grain. They can't do a thing."
"Sigh, fine. Withdraw for now and summon Advisor Jia and Advisor Jeon."
"Yes, Administrator."
I dismissed the clerk and called for Dian Feng and Jia Xu. They hurried into the office soon after.
"You've heard, I assume. The Hu clans are slacking off. If administration grinds to a halt, it stalls not just the army but the governor's road reconstruction orders too. What do we do with these bastards?"
But Dian Feng and Jia Xu's reactions were odd. They looked at me like, Why are you even asking?
They exchanged glances, then Jia Xu covered his mouth with his fan and spoke.
"Administrator, you already know the answer."
"The answer? If I did, why call you two?"
Dian Feng took over.
"Culture Advisor's right, my lord. You already hold another brush to solve this land's problems. You just see it as a sword instead."
I furrowed my brow at their cryptic words. 'Not a brush, but only a sword'? What did that mean? I pondered it.
'Not a brush, but only a sword? Meaning... not the Hu clans, but use others...'
I let out an incredulous chuckle.
"...Ha, no way. Use the foreigners?"
"Yes, my lord."
It was an idea I'd never even considered.
A few days later, a new proclamation went up across Zhangli Commandery in Administrator Lu Bu's name.
Its contents were enough to shock every Han Chinese in the land.
It announced that foreigners would be appointed to vacant low-level posts like warehouse keepers and clerks in each county, to ensure the people faced no hardships.
Hearing the news, the Hu clans rampaged in their mansions.
"What?! That madman actually gave those barbarians clerk positions?!"
"He's lost it! Completely insane! Handing ledgers to barbarians? He's out to ruin the whole commandery!"
"Just wait. It'll be a matter of time before those barbarians screw up. Then that bumpkin will come crawling back to us."
The Hu clans, convinced Lu Bu's measure would fail spectacularly, switched to mocking observation.
Foreigners in awkward leather garb began frequenting the Yide County offices.
The existing Han officials eyed them like vermin, ignoring them openly or bullying them, but oddly, the foreigners showed no reaction—they just silently did their jobs.
As foreigners paraded through offices across Zhangli, anxiety peaked among Han commoners facing harvest.
"Heard the latest? Barbarians are running the warehouses."
"Lord almighty... Our grain's all theirs now. This new administrator's just brute strength, no brains."
"He crushed the rebels with a few hundred cavalry, so what can folks like us do? Ha, barbarians hold the warehouses, brainless oaf as administrator—who knows how much he'll gouge us... At least we're still breathing."
As unrest brewed and harvest kicked into gear, Lu Bu's second proclamation went up in every village and market in Zhangli.
Soldiers roamed everywhere, bellowing it for the illiterate masses.
"By order of the Administrator! This year's taxes will not exceed a single grain beyond the national law! Any official collecting unlawful taxes and tormenting the people will have his head struck off in the Administrator's name!"
The soldiers shouted, but the people didn't buy it.
"Hmph, same old song. Every new guy spouts that."
"Yeah. They'll find excuses and fleece us dry."
Despite Lu Bu's stern edict, one Han official was still shaking down a farmer for extra taxes.
"M-my lord, even so, that's too much... And didn't the Administrator say...?"
"Tch! The Administrator doesn't know the commandery's situation yet! If you don't pay up, how can we protect you from the barbarians? Shut up and pay!"
"B-but..."
As the official and farmer argued, Zhang Liao and Gao Shun appeared on horseback. They stared coldly at the scene without dismounting.
"You dare invoke the Administrator's name while tormenting the people?"
"...N-no, th-that's not...!"
The official paled and tried to explain, but Zhang Liao wasn't listening. He drew his sword and lopped off the man's head on the spot.
—Splash!
"Eeeek!"
"He... he really cut off his head!"
The crowd froze at the gushing blood and rolling head. Zhang Liao flicked the blood from his blade and bellowed at the people.
"The Administrator's decree is ironclad, and his will unyielding!"
His voice echoed everywhere.
"By Emperor Guangwu's law, the harvest tax on farmers is one-thirtieth of the yield! Any who take more break the law—heed this well!"
Even then, the people stared disbelievingly between the severed head and Zhang Liao.
Zhang Liao nodded at Gao Shun beside him.
"Hang that head at the market entrance. Let all see the fate of those who defy the Administrator."
"Understood."
Only then did the people realize: this was real.
A trembling voice broke from someone suppressed too long, swelling into thunderous cheers that shook the air.
"Long live the Administrator! Long live! Long live!"
"Waaaaaaaaah!!"