On the third day of the first lunar month, Duan Yan returned to the training grounds in high spirits and relieved Third Son Qian, who had been on duty for the past several days.
During the New Year festivities, the lively atmosphere inevitably made the common folk let down their guard. Duan Yan was worried that thieves might take advantage of the celebrations to sneak into town, so he had arranged for the militia patrols and guards to be particularly strict, doing everything he could to build a solid line of defense around the settlement.
In these chaotic times, no one could truly relax during the holidays. There always had to be people willing to shoulder the burden.
Fortunately, the blow dealt to the mountain bandits back in the twelfth lunar month had been severe enough that no other bandits dared act recklessly for the time being. The group they had captured earlier had been bound and put to work repairing the city walls. They served as a living warning to any other bandits who might see them.
Duan Yan drilled the soldiers at the training grounds for a while. Most of the militia he had trained were already seasoned, and the squad leaders he had promoted could now lead their respective units through the daily exercises with ease. There was no longer any need for Duan Yan to personally oversee every detail and teach them step by step.
He was thinking that once the first lunar month was over, they could begin recruiting the second batch of militia.
Just as he finished a set of punches, another batch of weapons arrived from the blacksmithy. Song Xuemu came along with them.
Duan Yan raised a hand and instructed the squad leaders to continue drilling the soldiers before walking over to greet him.
“Second Uncle, what brings you here?”
Song Xuemu replied, “The weapons were finished at the smithy, so I went over to report them to the yamen. After checking that everything was in order, I came along to supervise the delivery.”
The batch consisted of broadswords and red-tasseled spears. They had originally been old weapons found in the yamen’s storehouse—arms that had been piled up there for years and hardly ever used. Some were badly dulled, while others were covered in rust. Before the New Year, they had all been cleared out and sent to Duan Yan’s smithy to be reforged.
Duan Yan already knew about this. He inspected the weapons and counted them: sixty broadswords and eighty spears.
“With the yamen’s old iron reforged into new weapons, we can finally equip every militiaman with a weapon.”
It was almost embarrassing to admit, but of the fifty militiamen they had recruited previously, only thirty had been issued weapons. It was not that the yamen had chosen to arm only the top thirty men; there simply had not been enough weapons to go around.
Song Xuemu let out a quiet sigh. “There’s no need to worry about weapons for this batch of militia, but I heard that you plan to recruit a second batch in another month or so. How many men are you planning to take?”
“We’re planning to reduce the number this time and set aside forty places. Once the first lunar month is over, spring will arrive. We can’t use every able-bodied man for military preparations. If we do, there won’t be enough hands left in the fields, and crops and grain are just as important.”
Song Xuemu nodded. “Forty isn’t many, but once these newly forged weapons are distributed, they’ll only just be enough to equip the next batch of militia.”
“There’s still some iron at the smithy, so we don’t need to worry about the next batch for now. But if we recruit a third batch, weapons will truly become a problem.”
Song Xuemu did not answer. Instead, he called Duan Yan into the tent and took a stack of drawings from inside his robes.
Duan Yan picked them up curiously. They were all illustrations of farm tools.
“Back before the turmoil, I spent some time working in the fields and gained quite a few insights. During the autumn months, whenever I had free time, I drew up plans for some new farm tools.
“Take this curved-blade hoe, for example. I only altered the straight blade of the old wooden hoe into a slight curve and made it thinner. That way, it can enter the soil more easily than the heavy old hoe, without bending or curling the blade.”
“And this is an iron harrow. The teeth on the original are too widely spaced, too short, and too thick. Using it to break up the soil takes a great deal of effort, and it can barely bite into hard earth, only managing to rake the shallowest layer of loose soil.
“I thought of forging the teeth into sharp, three-edged points and increasing their density. That way, they can pierce the soil in a single pass, break apart compacted clods, and rake out the sand, stones, and plant roots buried in the earth.”
Duan Yan listened to Song Xuemu’s explanation while studying the drawings carefully. Song Xuemu’s illustrations were vivid and precise, making every detail clear.
On one side of each page was the old type of tool currently used by farmers; on the other was Song Xuemu’s improved version. The two were placed side by side, making every alteration immediately apparent. There were even detailed written explanations.
Even without anyone explaining them, anyone who had farmed or worked as a blacksmith could understand the drawings.
The hoes and harrows used for plowing; the seed drill used for planting; the sickles used for harvesting… Song Xuemu had created a mature, improved set of tools for every stage from spring sowing to autumn harvest.
“Second Uncle, how did you manage to be so meticulous and capable? You spent only a few months working in the fields, yet you’ve drawn up so many plans. You must have put an enormous amount of effort into this!”
Looking at the improved farm-tool designs, Duan Yan could not contain his delight. “With these tools, farmers will certainly be able to work faster and with less effort. Productivity will surely rise once they’re put into use!”
Yan Town was small. Including the five villages under its jurisdiction, it had only a few thousand residents, most of whom were elderly or otherwise unable to work. Many of the young, able-bodied men had gone elsewhere to make a living. Once war broke out, some of those working in the county had returned, but those who had traveled farther afield would probably never make it back.
Under such circumstances, the town was caught in a dilemma.
To build a strong military force, the town had to recruit a large number of able-bodied men. But once those men joined the militia, there would be fewer hands available in the fields, and food production would inevitably decline under the labor-intensive farming methods of the time.
Yet in an age of war, both military strength and grain were vital. If the town’s defenses were weak, bandits could come and plunder it, leaving the people as helpless as meat on a chopping block. But if the militia were strengthened at the cost of reduced harvests, it would be difficult to feed them—and that was without even considering the possibility of severe natural disasters…
Duan Yan was troubled as well. He had been trying to find the right balance, unwilling to solve one problem only to create another. Yet simply rearranging the available manpower was no easy task.
But if Song Xuemu’s improved farm tools could be produced, then they could be distributed to farming families whose men had joined the militia. The tools would make up for the shortage of labor. The town would have soldiers to defend it, while agricultural production would not suffer. Wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?
“Spring plowing will begin before long. If we want to use the new tools this year, we need to start forging them now!”
Song Xuemu looked at Duan Yan. Before coming here, he too had imagined everything going smoothly. But after visiting the smithy and hearing Gou San’er report on the iron currently in stock, his enthusiasm had immediately dimmed.
“All the iron implements in the yamen have already been put to use. If we use the iron stored at your smithy to make these improved farm tools, what will we do about equipping the new militia?”
Duan Yan’s brow furrowed. When he had stockpiled supplies earlier, he had focused mainly on food and daily necessities. He truly had not given much thought to iron.
For one thing, he had been in charge of the town’s iron production from the start and had assumed that the existing reserves would be enough. For another, iron was expensive and heavy, making it extremely difficult to transport. Buying it from elsewhere was nearly as troublesome as acquiring salt. With limited funds, he naturally could not spare much money for it.
He had not expected the yamen office to be so lax. Its stock of iron tools and raw iron was pitifully small—barely enough to keep one office running, with nothing stored up for emergencies.
“Let’s take care of the farm tools first.”
Duan Yan said this and nothing more.
Song Xuemu looked up at him.
“Red Mountain Town is the closest town to ours. There’s a small mine in that area that produces iron. It isn’t large, but at least it has some. In the past, my shop sometimes bought raw iron from there. When their supply was plentiful, they were willing to sell, but when production was low, they refused, and I had to buy from the county instead.”
Duan Yan said, “We’ll prepare on both fronts. Send people to the county and to Red Mountain Town separately and see whether either place will sell to us.”
Song Xuemu knew it would be difficult, but there was no other choice. They could only give it a try.
Thus, he first took the blueprints to the shop and had several sets of improved farm tools made. He then had the farmers in the estate try them out to see whether the new tools could achieve what they had been designed to do.
The yamen arranged for someone to leave through the checkpoint and go to the county. Duan Yan waited for word; if the attempt failed, he would go to Red Mountain Town himself.
They had assumed it would take two or three days to get a result, but the person sent to the county returned after only one day.
The county checkpoint was tightly sealed and heavily guarded. No one was allowed into the city without good reason, much less permitted to purchase supplies. Lin Er had personally witnessed two commoners attempt to rush through without being searched or heeding the guards’ warnings. No one even bothered to shout at them. Two arrows came whistling down from the watchtower and killed them on the spot.
After calling in a few favors and making inquiries, they learned that not long ago, a rebel force that had risen amid the chaos had infiltrated the county. With help from inside, they had attempted to assassinate the county magistrate and had nearly seized the city.
The official in charge of Kang County’s yamen had always been timid. He had not even dared to take up his post when he first heard that unrest had broken out beyond the county. Now that he had nearly been killed inside the city itself, how could he not be terrified? He had immediately ordered the city to be guarded with the utmost strictness.
The guards at the county checkpoint were nothing compared to those near the city. Without proper authorization, they feared that not even a fly would be allowed through the gates.
As for buying raw iron, in such troubled times, even someone carrying an iron requisition order personally approved by the authorities might be seized by the county yamen and thrown into prison. Naturally, no one was willing to sell them such an important material.
Clearly, no one in the yamen had realized how serious matters had become outside. In a chaotic age, all sorts of people who refused to submit to the imperial government could easily emerge and take advantage of the disorder to cause trouble.
Learning this, everyone was troubled not only because they could not buy iron, but also because their hearts grew heavy. Though they called themselves a rebel army, with their lack of supplies, they were really no different from bandits.
There was no time to think it over. Duan Yan prepared to make a personal trip to Red Mountain Town. He had at least known the people there in the past, so he would see whether he could negotiate with them and bring back some iron for the town.
“How do you plan to negotiate with Red Mountain Town? We don’t have much money in our accounts right now, and the yamen has even less. Raw iron is already expensive, and at a time like this, even if they’re willing to sell, they’ll certainly raise the price.”
Song Fengsui sounded worried.
Duan Yan said, “They may not even want money. I’m thinking we might be able to exchange grain and meat for it.”
Song Fengsui nodded slightly. “If that isn’t enough, add medicinal herbs. The herbs in the estate are growing quite well. Once the season comes, we should be able to harvest a batch.”
“Anything our town can still produce should be negotiable.”
Song Fengsui wanted to accompany him to Red Mountain Town to negotiate, but he was a young master—and a particularly striking one at that. In these troubled times, traveling with Duan Yan to another man’s territory could easily cause trouble. He might even end up being used as one of the terms of the negotiation.
So he abandoned the idea and instead went to the medicine room, where he gathered several pills and salves for Duan Yan.
“It’s cold in winter, and I don’t go out much, so I made some especially effective medicines while staying at home. The salve in the green box treats frostbite, and the salve in the white box is for external wounds. The pills in the red porcelain bottle treat chills and headaches, while the pills in the yellow porcelain bottle are for coughs.”
Song Fengsui introduced each one to Duan Yan. “They’re all easy to carry and work well. Treating these ailments usually takes a great deal of time and effort, and they can’t be mass-produced. Otherwise, we could take them along as bargaining goods. There are only a few bottles, so keep them on you. They may come in handy if you need to win someone over.”
Duan Yan carefully put them away. When it came to thoughtfulness, who could compare with Young Master Song?
“Don’t worry. Red Mountain Town isn’t far from ours. Even in winter, if I ride there and don’t dawdle, I can return before dark. No matter whether it works out, I’ll be home today.”
Song Fengsui acknowledged this. He did not waste time on further discussion, but helped him get ready and urged him to set out early.
Duan Yan brought along a horse, called for Gou San’er and Tie Da, and summoned three or four other capable men before heading to Red Mountain Town.
This trip was only for preliminary negotiations. Getting there was easy; riding at a gallop, they reached the checkpoint of Red Mountain Town before noon.
Red Mountain Town had a mine, and the terrain there was flatter than around their own town. The official road had been built wide and well maintained, making trade more convenient and allowing the town to develop more quickly.
The town itself was nearly half again as large as Rock Town, and it had five or six more villages under its jurisdiction. The two places were hardly comparable. When a girl or young master from Rock Town married into Red Mountain Town, people said they had found a fortunate match. But when someone from Red Mountain Town married into Rock Town, it was considered marrying down, and everyone would shake their heads over it.
The town checkpoint had been equipped with watchtowers many years ago. When the soldiers in the tower spotted the mounted party approaching, they immediately drew their bows. The iron arrowheads gleamed beneath the snow-white sky, their reflected light making everyone’s heart tighten.
“Who are the people approaching on the official road? Report yourselves at once!”
“We’re from Salt Town! Huo the Checkpoint Chief, Happy New Year!”
While announcing his name, Duan Yan called out to the guard he knew.
A moment later, the checkpoint constable came out from the tower. Recognizing an old acquaintance, he raised a hand to signal that the soldiers above could lower their arrows for the time being.
“Brother Duan, what brings you here to make your fortune? It’s been a long time since I last saw you.”
The two exchanged greetings and chatted briefly. They also discussed the bandit attack on Rock Town before the New Year, news of which had evidently spread quickly. At last, the checkpoint chief asked Duan Yan what had brought him there.
Duan Yan smiled. “What else could it be? You know what kind of business I’m in, Huo the Checkpoint Chief.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible. The mine in town is small, and it isn’t shipping anything out.”
At once, Huo the Checkpoint Chief waved his hand. He had shared drinks with Duan Yan in the past; had it been anyone else, he would have changed expression and driven him away outright. In times like these, someone still dared to covet their town’s iron?
But they were old acquaintances, so he could not bring himself to be that blunt. He only said, “You’ve come all this way during the New Year just to leave empty-handed.”
Duan Yan’s brows drew together slightly. He knew the material was highly coveted and that this trip would not be easy.
As he fell silent, his eyes happened to land on the hand Huo the Checkpoint Chief rested idly on the broadsword at his waist. The hand was red, swollen, and cracked. It had probably been exposed to the cold for so long while guarding this place that it had split open from frostbite.
Duan Yan immediately took out a jar of the frostbite salve Song Fengsui had prepared for him and pressed it into Huo the Checkpoint Chief’s hand.
“It’s bitterly cold. Look at your hands—they’re frozen and cracked. Guarding this place must be hard work. I’ve used this frostbite medicine before, and it works quite well. Put some on while you’re on duty. You need to take care of yourself too.”
Huo the Checkpoint Chief watched the man hand over the ointment and let out an exaggerated sigh.
“Really now, it’s New Year, and you don’t even know to give me a red envelope.”
Still, the man was practical. The world outside was in such chaos that it would likely take one or two years before things settled down. Money was certainly a good thing, but only in times of peace did everyone love it. In the present circumstances, a jar of ointment might truly be more useful.
He squeezed the ointment into his palm. “We’re brothers. Why be so polite?”
“Since you’re being honest with me, I’ll be honest with you too. That stuff is in short supply. Even if you go to the town today and use your iron token, it won’t be easy to get anything done.”
“I know it’s difficult. But since I came all this way to pay a visit and have already reached the door, it wouldn’t be right not to go in and pay my respects to the host. At the very least, I should pass along my greetings.”
Huo the Checkpoint Chief fell silent for a moment, but finally nodded.
Following Duan Yan’s instructions, he called over two constables and sent them to find Constable Zhao in the town. The man was an old acquaintance of Duan Yan’s; whenever Duan Yan had come to Red Mountain Town in the past, he had obtained iron materials through him.
The two of them had therefore built up some friendship, and Duan Yan made a point of adding that they should try to negotiate everything amicably.
They did not have to wait long. After roughly the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the men returned with a reply.
Constable Zhao had agreed to let Duan Yan through.
Red Mountain Town was actually building city walls too! Its progress was currently a little slower than their own town’s. Red Mountain Town was larger, so its project was naturally more extensive, but it also had more manpower.
Duan Yan made a rough calculation. The construction must have started after theirs… though he could not tell whether it had been the townspeople’s own idea, or whether they had noticed what was happening on their side and imitated it.
If it was the latter, Red Mountain Town’s intelligence network was frighteningly efficient. Once he returned, he would have to be more careful.
In these troubled times, it was impossible to say who was friend and who was foe.
Once they entered the town, they found it bustling with activity.
A squad of constables appeared on the streets every so often. They were likely the reinforcements Huo the Checkpoint Chief had mentioned. After hearing that bandits had raided their city, Red Mountain Town had strengthened its defenses as well.
Gou San'er also noticed the constables. He leaned close to Duan Yan and muttered, “Having your own mine sure is nice. Even those scrawny, weak lower-ranking soldiers are equipped with fine, sturdy sabers.”
Duan Yan watched one row of constables after another pass by. Every one of them was armed with good blades and weapons. Even the arrowheads carried by the sentries atop the watchtowers at the checkpoint were thicker and larger than those in their own town.
They had fewer materials and had been reluctant to make many iron arrowheads. Most of the time, they still used bamboo arrows.
Before long, the constables led Duan Yan and the others directly to the yamen. Constable Zhao was there as well, though Duan Yan had assumed they would be able to discuss matters privately at the ironworks. He had not expected to be brought straight to the government office.
At that moment, Constable Zhao was sitting with one leg crossed over the other in a grand armchair. When he saw Duan Yan arrive, he did not rise to greet him. He merely set down his teacup at his leisure, said, “You’re here,” and told him to sit.
Duan Yan did not take offense at Constable Zhao’s arrogance. Instead, he asked courteously, “Might I have the honor of speaking with the Town Supervisor this time?”
Constable Zhao gave him an ambiguous smile, apparently thinking Duan Yan was being far too presumptuous. What qualifications did he have to ask for a meeting with their Town Supervisor?
He called for a cup of tea to be brought over. Without answering Duan Yan’s question or exchanging any pleasantries, he got straight to the point.
“Old Duan, you and I have known each other for years, so I won’t waste time with idle chatter. You want iron materials. In times like these, they aren’t something money can buy. But for the sake of our past friendship—and because we’re neighbors—our town is willing to sell them to you.”
“Five catties of salt for one catty of iron.”
After saying this, Constable Zhao added languidly, “And don’t bring us some inferior rock salt and ruin the friendship between us.”
Duan Yan steadied his emotions. “What kind of salt does Constable Zhao want?”
“At the very least, sea salt—the kind Old Duan would normally be willing to eat himself. The Town Supervisor is being quite accommodating. He said that if it’s well salt, three catties for one catty of iron will do.”
Duan Yan’s brows drew together. Listening to the man make such an outrageous demand while putting on the air of someone granting a great favor left him feeling more than a little resentful.
In peaceful times, after proper negotiation, one catty of good-quality rock salt could be exchanged for one catty of iron. Even at the worst, two catties would have been the market price.
But now, with prices rising along with the waters, the exchange rate had suddenly increased fivefold!
Duan Yan said slowly, “Constable Zhao, you still enjoy making jokes. Salt and iron have always been inseparable, precisely because everyone knows how essential they are. Given the current circumstances, it is only natural that iron has become more valuable. But hasn’t the price of salt risen as well? What’s more, salt from Qianzhou is a rare commodity.”
“Five catties of salt for one catty of iron? Constable Zhao, you’ve truly given me quite a fright. Not to mention that I’m trapped here in Qianzhou, where we can’t produce salt ourselves—even if I had some on hand, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to bring it here for a trade.”
Duan Yan continued, “If you would accept grain, however, I would sincerely be willing to do business with you.”
Constable Zhao let out a derisive laugh. “Old Duan, you’re unwilling to cut into your own flesh, but there are plenty of people eager to cut into yours. That bandit raid before the New Year must have been unpleasant. If you’d had enough weapons, perhaps those thieves wouldn’t have dared set their sights on you.
“Just look at Red Mountain Town. We’ve never suffered a bandit attack.”
“I’ve said all I have to say. If you truly want iron materials, accept our price. Don’t tell me you have no salt. Rock Town isn’t short of it. During the autumn months before the New Year, your town had more merchants on the official road than anywhere else. Since you opened the pass and allowed merchants to stock up on goods, how could you possibly have failed to acquire salt?
“Exchanging these two essential commodities is a way for us to help each other. If we continue doing business, we can look after one another in these troubled times. What’s wrong with that? If you try to fob us off with grain, you’ll be destroying the friendship between us!”
Duan Yan saw that Red Mountain Town was determined to extort him. He was not foolish enough to agree.
He abandoned his earlier pleading tone and spoke courteously, yet firmly. “Since we are good neighbors, let me say something unpleasant as well.
“The mine in Red Mountain Town is not privately owned. It belongs to the authorities. Since iron is an essential commodity, if the county comes to demand your iron materials in these troubled times, I wonder whether you will still be as willing to trade as I am, bringing grain and medicinal supplies in exchange.”
Duan Yan’s meaning was simple. If Red Mountain Town traded with him, it could at least obtain grain and other supplies. But if it refused, then when the county came to demand its iron, the authorities would simply requisition it by force. Let alone salt, they would not be able to keep even a single grain of rice.
If Red Mountain Town could still hold its ground and refuse the county as firmly as it had refused him, then it could wait and see whether the county would attack the town for the sake of weapons.
Their own town might be short on resources, but scarcity had its advantages. At least they would not become a target for everyone in the way Red Mountain Town might.
Sure enough, Constable Zhao’s expression changed sharply. Duan Yan had struck directly at the heart of the matter.
He said coldly, “Then there’s nothing more to discuss!”
Duan Yan was ordered out. He exhaled a breath of stale air but did not shamelessly linger. Since Constable Zhao had flown into a rage, it showed that he understood the danger involved.
He straightened his clothes and led his men back without once looking behind him.
