Han Qian’s discourse on employing people truly shocked Fan Xicheng and the others. They simultaneously looked toward the Master Han Daoxun, really not knowing what effect Han Qian’s such “chaotic methods” would have, but they didn’t know how to refute him.
“All matters in this courtyard will be controlled by you, Qian’er. I still have an essay I haven’t finished writing. You handle things here first, then come find me later.” After Han Daoxun spoke, he stood up and had Old Man Han accompany him back to the main residence first, ordering Fan Xicheng, Zhao Kuo, Fan Dahei, Lin Haizheng and the others to remain and assist Han Qian in instructing these household troop descendants.
Han Qian had Lin Haizheng call the five youths whom Fan Xicheng considered dull and simple in temperament—also about the weakest five—to come under the corridor. Seeing these five youths gaunt and skeletal, submissively not even daring to stand straight, he thought that giving them four or five years to gradually cultivate and temper them might achieve the effect of “everyone being capable” that he mentioned. But at this moment, what weighed most heavily on his mind was still that if the historical trajectory didn’t change, his father would soon be beaten to death before Wenying Hall for submitting remonstrations, and when he fled Jinling, he would very likely be apprehended by these household troops who normally received support and kindness from his family and delivered to the authorities to be torn apart by chariots in the marketplace.
Although over these past two or three months Han Qian had also intentionally shown both kindness and authority toward Fan Xicheng and others to establish prestige, as long as no incidents befell the Han family, his authority over these household troops under him was sufficient—except for Zhao Kuo whose background was mysterious, Fan Xicheng, Fan Dahei, Lin Haizheng and others wouldn’t casually disobey him.
However, if one day his father was beaten to death before Wenying Hall and he became a “rebel faction member” hunted by the court, could his “authority” still make Fan Xicheng and these household troops obey his every command?
Even without the fragmentary memories of this historical process from the person Zhai Xinping in the dream, after deeply reflecting on methods of controlling people during this period, Han Qian deeply doubted this point!
The five descendants Fan Xicheng selected were all legitimate offspring of household troops who had followed their fathers and brothers in martial training since childhood and grown up in the Han household. Having seen much of the world, they were naturally exceptionally sharp and all had the potential to become military officers. But Han Qian knew that these household troop descendants, like Fan Xicheng and the others, once he became a “rebel faction member,” would also be insufficient to make them obey his every command.
Han Qian selected refugee children, and even selected those five among the refugee children who looked most dull and simple, most inconspicuous, to be at the forefront—valuing their simple minds was one aspect.
Another aspect was that these five could only obtain the status and treatment they wouldn’t even dare hope for from Han Qian. Once something happened to Han Qian, they would lose everything.
This destined their loyalty to Han Qian to be much more reliable than those exceptionally sharp household troop descendants.
Of course, Han Qian wouldn’t reveal his true thoughts.
The five weak youths didn’t know why they’d been called under the corridor. Hearing they were to be selected as squad leaders to lead other youths daily in reading, literacy, and practicing swords, bows, fists and footwork, they were all both shocked and doubtful, completely suspecting they’d heard wrong.
In the courtyard there were thirteen youths who were originally household troop descendants whose fathers and brothers all served before the Master. They knew these adopted household troop descendants were actually wretched refugee children. First, they looked down on them based on status, and second, seeing their sallow and emaciated, timid and cowardly appearance, they were even more disdainful.
They never imagined that Young Master Han Qian would actually select the five refugee children they most despised to lead them in daily training.
Still young, not knowing how to conceal their inner dissatisfaction, they immediately began clamoring and discussing below, their faces showing indignant expressions.
Han Qian glanced at Fan Xicheng and said sternly: “Is this how you, Elder Fan, have instructed these household troop descendants?”
Fan Xicheng’s face darkened, wanting to defend himself with a few words.
Han Qian ignored him, his eyes fixed on the five weak youths before him who still hadn’t figured out the situation, saying: “From now on in this courtyard, each of you will lead seven people to receive discipline, and the daily affairs of these seven people will all be under your supervision. Lin Haizheng and Fan Dahei will tell you what to do each day and how to do it, but what you must remember is this: if you yourselves make mistakes or don’t do things well, you will be punished. If those under you make mistakes and don’t do things well, and you cannot punish them to correct it, you will also be punished. You should know that having enough to eat is not an easy thing, and I won’t support useless people here. Whichever among you accumulates more than ten punishments in a year, I will drive you along with your family members out of the city again to fend for yourselves. This courtyard won’t support idle people who are useless and won’t accept discipline.”
Han Qian’s voice was very calm and his expression very gentle, but then his brows rose sharply as he said: “Those who just clamored below, you each pick one person out and severely whip them ten times with a horse whip to serve as punishment!”
The five weak youths looked at each other, looking at Han Qian, looking at the horse whip resting on the corridor railing, then hesitantly looking toward those youths below whose eyes held disdain and mockery. No one dared point out a person to receive punishment.
“Light an incense stick. When the incense burns out, if they don’t act, they themselves will be punished with ten lashes, counting as one time,” Han Qian said unhurriedly to Fan Dahei.
Fan Dahei brought out a bronze burner and set it under the corridor, inserting and lighting incense.
The youths in the courtyard no longer dared clamor at this point, but they still didn’t believe that those five fellows who were much thinner than them and timid in temperament would truly dare to each select one person from among them and pick up the horse whip to severely lash them ten times.
Han Qian sat under the corridor and said nothing, just watching the incense in the bronze burner burn bit by bit. The youth Zhao Wuji carried the Black Cloud Bow on his back, silently pondering Han Qian’s method of selecting people.
Lin Haizheng and Fan Dahei both felt the atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive. Zhao Kuo narrowed his eyes, staring at the pomegranate tree in the southeastern corner of the courtyard, impossible to tell what thoughts were hidden in his eyes.
After waiting until that stick of incense had burned about halfway, one weak youth finally gritted his teeth and stepped forward to pick up the horse whip.
Han Qian had an impression of this youth—his name was Guo Nu’er. He was fourteen years old now but was so weak he looked like a ten-year-old child. He was originally from Chaozhou. In the eighth year of Tianyou, Chaozhou was invaded by Liang State. Ten thousand households were destroyed, and over a hundred thousand people from Chaozhou crossed the river to seek refuge. His father died en route, and his mother had been begging for food in Jinling with Guo Nu’er and his two young siblings for several years.
Guo Nu’er was too weak, and his mother was also frail and sickly, so originally they weren’t within Han Qian’s selection range.
Guo Nu’er’s young brother had just starved to death a few days ago. Because Guo Nu’er and his mother were weak, they used tree branches to dig a shallow pit and buried the small body.
When Han Qian went outside the city the day before yesterday, he happened to see Guo Nu’er’s brother’s body dug out from the wild grave by a pack of wild dogs. Guo Nu’er, his mother, and his sister were bitten all over by the wild dogs, yet still desperately tried to snatch the brother’s body back from the dogs’ mouths.
Han Qian and the others drove the wild dogs away, and in the end couldn’t bear it, so they sent Guo Nu’er’s siblings and mother to be settled at the Qiuhu Mountain villa.
It happened that a lame household troop originally from Chaozhou didn’t mind taking in these three suffering fellow townspeople, so Guo Nu’er legitimately became a household troop descendant adopted and registered at Qiuhu Mountain.
Guo Nu’er mustered his courage and walked down below, walking up to a household troop descendant whose body was much stronger than his. Just as he was about to say something, he was glared at and retreated timidly to walk toward the next person. But after hesitating for a moment, he still steeled himself and walked back before that household troop descendant.
Indeed, this person had been clamoring the loudest earlier.
Han Qian saw that household troop descendant glaring with gritted teeth and bulging eyes, seemingly threatening Guo Nu’er in a suppressed voice, probably still not believing this weak youth who was about the same age but a head shorter than him would truly dare do anything to him.
“Lin Zongqing, kneel under the corridor to receive the whip!” Lin Haizheng, standing behind Han Qian, shouted in a low voice.
Han Qian took the registry to look and only then learned this household troop descendant was Lin Haizheng’s nephew, only thirteen years old this year but already tall as an adult. His father had originally also been a household troop at his father Han Daoxun’s side. After his father died in the Chuzhou campaign, Lin Haizheng formally became a Han family household troop.
Lin Haizheng’s words still had an effect. Lin Zongqing was completely unconvinced in his heart, but still steeled himself to walk before the corridor steps and kneel on both knees.
Guo Nu’er walked over holding the horse whip, but after walking behind Lin Zongqing, he still hesitated indecisively.
Han Qian took out another horse whip, pointed it at Guo Nu’er, and sternly demanded: “Lin Zongqing clamored without cause, showing contempt for family rules—he deserves punishment. Guo Nu’er, if you don’t punish him now, do you want to receive my ten lashes in his place? And from now on Lin Zongqing will be under your supervision. Every time he’s rebellious and unruly, you’ll be punished in his place. Think in your heart how long it will take before you, your sister Guo Ling, and your mother Guo Yang Shi are driven out again to fend for yourselves?”
“…” Guo Nu’er bit through his pale lips, a trace of fresh blood seeping out. Holding the horse whip with somewhat trembling hands, he walked behind Lin Zongqing.
Lin Zongqing was rebellious and unruly, turning his head to glare at Guo Nu’er again. Han Qian raised his whip and viciously lashed him twice on the head and face, knocking him to the ground: “Worthless wretch, you’ve turned heaven upside down!”
Han Qian’s two lashes showed no mercy, striking directly on Lin Zongqing’s head and face. They immediately raised two bloody whip marks, nearly bursting his left eye!
“Guo Nu’er, for the remaining eight lashes, you strip off Lin Zongqing’s clothes and whip him to death for me!” What Han Qian hated most in his heart was household troops being rebellious and unruly. He ordered Guo Nu’er to continue applying corporal punishment to Lin Zongqing, walked back under the corridor, glared at Fan Xicheng, Lin Haizheng and the others, then sat back in his chair to watch Guo Nu’er strip off Lin Zongqing’s jacket.
During this period, on one hand he needed to regain his father Han Daoxun’s trust, and on the other hand he needed to make up for lessons that had been neglected too long before. He hadn’t yet found time to properly deal with these rebellious and unruly household troops and household troop descendants.
Guo Nu’er didn’t have much strength. Originally, receiving his ten lashes through thick padding wouldn’t have mattered much, but now with clothes stripped off and bare back exposed, each lash that struck down also left a shallow bloody mark.
“Are you finding people to receive punishment, or will you be punished in their place?” Han Qian’s stern eyes fixed on the four remaining weak youths before the corridor as he asked.
With Guo Nu’er whipping Lin Zongqing as precedent, when picking out others next to strip naked for punishment, no one dared bare their teeth and glare anymore.
“With the ambition of tigers and wolves in your hearts, you won’t fear tigers and wolves. Could it be you’re willing to spend your lives as lambs to be bullied, to be devoured, to starve to death on the roadside?”
Han Qian stared at Guo Nu’er and the five youths, demanding with resounding force.
Seeing Guo Nu’er and the other youths didn’t dare respond, Han Qian also didn’t expect them to complete the transformation from lambs to tigers and wolves in a single day. He said to Zhao Wuji: “From now on, Guo Nu’er and the others will be under your supervision.”
After giving some other instructions, Han Qian left Zhao Wuji, Fan Dahei, Lin Haizheng and the others at the residence by the river to first teach these youths some basic rules. He and Fan Xicheng and Zhao Kuo returned to the main residence first, not knowing what matter his father wanted to discuss with him at such a late hour.