novelSusiti Chapter 16 Roll Call
Chapter 16 Roll Call
After leaving Junhu Village, Meng Xuanzhe did not return to the county government office.
Gao Chengli had been thinking that His Highness, having inspected the granaries last night and visited the military households this morning, should at least go back for a cup of hot tea and catch his breath before slowly making his plans with the demeanor of the Crown Prince. But instead, this man mounted his horse, gathered his sleeves, and uttered only five words: "To the West Camp, roll call."
Gao Chengli swayed on his horse on the spot, almost hurting his old back.
Goodness, when other people go to the countryside, they just take a look, ask questions, and sigh; but when their prince goes to the countryside, he dismantles granaries, checks accounts at night, goes to villages in the morning, and even takes down a troop of soldiers before noon.
This schedule is even tighter than a house raid.
Cao Lie, riding beside him, was unusually energetic, as if the pent-up frustration he had been carrying had finally found its outlet.
"Your Highness, the western camp is just ahead."
He spoke in a low voice, but it carried an indescribable fierceness.
Meng Xuanzhe nodded without saying anything.
Xiying was actually not far from the county town; in fact, it was quite close. So close that if you stood at the camp gate and the wind was blowing, you could even smell the stewed meat from the taverns south of the town. Logically speaking, a place like this, with such a contingent of attached soldiers, should at least be properly organized.
But when they arrived at the destination, Meng Xuanzhe only took one look before laughing.
I wasn't happy, I was so angry I laughed.
The camp gate was crooked.
The flagpole is leaning.
The wooden sign above the entrance, bearing the character "肃" (su), was missing a corner, making the character look like it was missing half its spirit and standing awkwardly like the character "萧" (xiao). Weeds grew outside the earthen wall, and several broken wine jars lay piled beneath their roots. Looking out over the drill ground, it was a series of potholes, as if pigs were the ones running around there instead of soldiers.
Gao Chengli gasped and lowered his voice, saying, "Your Highness, this camp... is a bit too simple."
Meng Xuanzhe glanced at him: "If you really can't speak like a human being, you can shut up."
Gao Chengli immediately bowed his head: "This old servant misspoke."
This is not simplicity.
This is rotten in a very stylish way.
Several people were kneeling outside the camp gate. The leader was a military officer in his thirties wearing old armor. He had a dark face, a broad nose, a thick waist, and a broad back. He looked like he could take on two people, but the fear in his expression was obvious.
Cao Lie whispered a reminder: "Your Highness, this is He Biao, the battalion commander of the Qingcheng garrison."
He Biao prostrated himself in salute, his voice surprisingly loud: "This humble general, He Biao, greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
Meng Xuanzhe dismounted, stood in front of him, and glanced at him.
The man's armor is old, but his boots are new.
The scabbard was polished to a shine, but his hands were so rough that they didn't look like someone who had spent years training in the camp; they looked more like someone who spent his days running errands, delivering invitations, and indulging in drinking and eating.
He was a military officer.
But he was most likely not a clean-cut military officer.
"Have you brought all the troop registers from the camp?" Meng Xuanzhe asked.
He Biao hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, the troop registers, roll call books, and ration books are all there. It's just that things happened so suddenly today, some brothers are on duty in the field, and some—"
"What now?" Meng Xuanzhe looked at him.
He Biao choked on his words and quickly corrected himself: "What I meant was that some brothers haven't had time to return to camp yet."
Meng Xuanzhe nodded, his face showing no anger, and simply said, "That's perfect."
"Beat the drums."
He Biao was taken aback: "Now?"
"Now," Meng Xuanzhe said, "first, summon the troops; second, order them to line up; third, mark those who are absent as absent."
He Biao's expression clearly changed.
"Your Highness, this... there are established procedures for roll call in the army. Usually, this humble general must first organize the ranks—"
"I'm here today to see what you've done before," Meng Xuanzhe said slowly. "If I let you go through the motions first, would I be watching a military exercise or a play you've prepared for me?"
Gao Chengli subtly raised an eyebrow from behind.
well.
In a single sentence, "first organize the team" was translated as "first collude to fabricate evidence."
He Biao was speechless with frustration, but he didn't dare to argue back. He could only grit his teeth and agree, then turned around and ordered the drum to be beaten.
"Thump—"
The first drumbeat sounded.
The camp, which had been as relaxed and disorganized as a dilapidated courtyard, was immediately jolted awake by the sound of the drum. A moment later, a few people began to run towards the drill ground.
Some ran quite fast, almost losing a shoe; some were fastening their belts as they ran, clearly having just been dragged out of some unknown corner; and a few were limping, as if hearing the drumbeats, their first thought was, "Oh no, I have to put on a show again."
Standing below the reviewing stand, Meng Xuanzhe watched as these people emerged in waves, and his understanding of the situation grew stronger.
Whether an army is good or bad doesn't depend on its weapons and armor.
First, let's see what they look like when they come out after the drum sounds.
The way this team came out clearly showed how awful they were.
When the second drumbeat sounded, there were probably sixty or seventy people gathered on the drill ground.
They were standing crookedly.
Not only were they of varying heights and builds, but some were so old that their beards had turned completely white, while two young men were so thin they looked like they had lost all their muscle. Meng Xuanzhe even suspected that if the wind were stronger, it could blow them back into the barracks, let alone carry a knife.
Cao Lie stood to the side, his face gradually darkening.
"Your Highness, do you see him? The second one from the left in the third row, that's Wang Laoshuan. His legs were frostbitten the year before last, and he gets out of breath after walking ten steps. He's still listed as an archer in the troop register."
"And then there's that short guy in the back, Li Xiaoyi. He used to be a fire starter for the camp, but now he's joined the team too."
"As for those few missing in the first row..." Cao Lie sneered, "One of their graves is already overgrown with weeds."
Gao Chengli felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
He had initially thought the registers in the county government office were blank or falsified. Now, standing on the drill ground and hearing Cao Lie point it out word by word, he realized that the registers weren't being used to collect grain, but rather to collect people.
"Thump—"
The third drumbeat sounded.
Before the drumbeats had even stopped, Meng Xuanzhe raised his hand.
"Let's begin."
Gu Chengyan stepped forward with the troop register and stood to one side, while Pan, the registrar, held the roll call book, his face as white as paper. He Biao stood at the front of the ranks, sweat beading on his forehead, yet he still tried to remain calm.
Meng Xuanzhe glanced around the training ground and suddenly said, "Sun Kuo."
"Your subordinate is here!"
"Guard the door. No one is allowed to leave or enter until roll call is finished."
"yes!"
Sun Kuo waved his hand, and the guards immediately took control of the entrance to the drill ground.
He Biao's face turned even uglier.
Meng Xuanzhe ignored him and only said to Gu Chengyan, "Read it."
Gu Chengyan turned to the first page of the military register, his voice clear and bright.
"Wednesday Prosperity".
No one answered.
The wind blew across the drill ground, stirring up some loose dust, but there wasn't even a cough.
Gu Chengyan read it again: "Zhou Sanwang".
Still, no one answered.
Meng Xuanzhe turned his head and looked at Cao Lie.
Cao Lie said coldly, "He's dead. In the twenty-second year of Guangzheng, he was shot by an arrow on the Lizhou transport route and buried at Baiyang Slope. The military token at the city gate last night belonged to his family."
A commotion suddenly broke out on the drill ground.
Several soldiers looked at each other, their expressions not very pleasant.
Because of this name, it's impossible for them not to know each other.
As familiar as they were, no one would openly discuss something like "a person who has been dead for three years is still on the register" on the drill ground.
When the Crown Prince arrived today, the first person he called out was a dead man.
This is very unlucky.
It's also very dangerous.
Gu Chengyan lowered his head and made a note next to the military register.
Meng Xuanzhe didn't let the matter drop, but instead asked He Biao calmly, "Is Commander He aware of the list of dead?"
He Biao's Adam's apple bobbed: "This humble general...this humble general usually only manages the camp's drills, and the accounting and verification are mostly handled by the clerks above—"
"Very good." Meng Xuanzhe nodded. "A dead man, the military officers don't care, the civil officials don't punish him, and the county continues to distribute grain as usual. Your cooperation is as if it were arranged by God himself."
He Biao: "..."
Some people on the drill ground wanted to laugh but dared not, so they tried their best to keep their faces straight, and their expressions almost became distorted.
Gu Chengyan continued reading.
"Li Dacheng."
"Here!" A tall, thin man immediately stepped forward, his movements quite swift.
Meng Xuanzhe's eyes flickered, and he was about to speak when Cao Lie sneered first.
"What are you going to?"
The man's face stiffened.
Cao Lie took half a step forward, staring at him: "Li Dacheng is a head taller than you, with a scar on his left cheek. He escaped from the western route last autumn. You are his cousin, Li Xiaoyi, who usually tends the fire and carries water. When did you change your name to Li Dacheng?"
The crowd fell silent immediately.
The tall, thin man, whose identity had been exposed, turned pale, his legs went weak, and he almost knelt down on the spot.
He Biao suddenly shouted, "Li Xiaoyi! What are you doing, giving such nonsense!"
Li Xiaoyi's lips trembled, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence: "I...I'm just used to it, I always do it like this..."
Upon hearing this, many people in the training ground changed their expressions.
"I usually take turns doing this" —
This isn't just someone temporarily impersonating someone today.
This means that impersonating someone to clock in has become a daily habit.
Meng Xuanzhe felt a chill run deeper in his heart, but his lips merely twitched slightly: "I see."
"Your roll call in your camp is quite convenient. If you don't have enough men, just call whoever you want; if the dead don't leave, the living will take their place. One person gets two rations, and shouldn't you thank me later for being so thrifty?"
Li Xiaoyi's face turned ashen, and he knelt down with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.
Gu Chengyan quickly wrote it down: Li Dacheng was actually acting on behalf of Li Xiaoyi.
The pen tip glides across the paper like a knife slicing across a face.
Sweat began to drip from He Biao's forehead.
Gu Chengyan continued reading.
"Wang Laoshuan".
This time, someone actually responded.
The person who responded had just taken a step when he stumbled. Fortunately, his companion caught him, preventing him from falling to the ground.
Everyone fell silent upon seeing this.
Old Wang was at least fifty years old, with a sallow complexion and waxy hair. One leg dragged on his back, and his hands trembled so much that he couldn't even hold a fist salute properly. Standing there, he looked like an old locust tree that was about to rot away.
Meng Xuanzhe glanced at him, then looked down and flipped through the military manual in Gu Chengyan's hand.
"Wang Laoshuan, an archer?"
Gao Chengli couldn't help but look up at the old man, then at the words "archer," and thought to himself: If this bow can really be drawn, what it's drawing isn't a bow, but the belt of the King of Hell.
Cao Lie said from the side, "His eyesight is so bad that he can't even hold a rice bowl steadily, let alone a bow."
Old Wang stood there, his face flushed red, as if trying to prove himself, but in the end he could only stammer out, "I... am still alive."
As soon as these words were spoken, the training ground suddenly became strangely quiet.
Because everyone could tell that this wasn't a reply.
It's as if they're begging for their fate to be erased from the register.
Meng Xuanzhe remained silent for a moment before saying, "It's a good thing to be alive."
"But living like this, still hanging on the bow, is not a good thing."
He turned to look at He Biao: "Does someone like that even count in your squad?"
He Biao's lips were dry: "This humble general...this humble general is also acting according to the old rules..."
"Another old record." Meng Xuanzhe nodded. "In your Qingcheng County, everything seems to be based on old records."
Gao Chengli's eyelids twitched as he stood to the side.
The phrase "everything can be recorded in the old books" is so accurate it's almost unbelievable.
The dead are in the old register, deserters are in the old register, and the sick and disabled are still in the old register.
This isn't a booklet; it's clearly a donation box. They stuff all sorts of dirty things into it, and once it's full, they can keep collecting incense offerings.
Roll call continues.
The further you go, the more problems arise.
"Zhang Erma" - bedridden for three months, too weak to even be lifted today. "Wu Qilang" - went missing last winter and hasn't returned. "Zhao Chenggui" - the register is there, but he went to another county to pay off his brother's debts. "Liu Wudou" - no one answers when called, but someone nearby whispers, "He was buried last year."
A string of names points out a string of holes.
Gu Chengyan remembered that his hands were almost sore.
Pan Lushi stood aside, his soul almost leaving his body.
He had initially thought that the information in the booklet was ultimately just on paper; as long as everyone in the county insisted on the explanation of "distant disrepair and miscommunication," it could at least be somewhat justified. But now that the Crown Prince had put Cao Lie, the old military tablets, the military households' village, and the living people on the drill ground all together, the booklet was no longer just paper.
It is evidence.
Moreover, they will come forward on their own to provide evidence.
When the thirtieth or so name was called, He Biao's forced composure finally crumbled.
He had initially tried to justify himself with excuses like "being on rotation outside" or "old errors in the records," but now, seeing the dead, deserters, imposters, and the sick and disabled being pointed out one by one, he finally couldn't help but step forward, clasp his hands in greeting, and say, "Your Highness!"
Meng Xuanzhe raised his eyes: "Does Commander He have something to say?"
He Biao gritted his teeth: "In military roll call, I should first organize the ranks and then fill in any vacancies. Your Highness is calling the roll in front of everyone, and the brothers in the camp are in a panic, so it's inevitable that they will answer incorrectly, stand in the wrong place, or get confused—"
"Mixed up?" Meng Xuanzhe interrupted him, his eyes perfectly calm. "Commander He, are you saying that dead men can be made into living men, deserters can be made into archers, fire-starters can be made into regular soldiers, and old men who can barely hold a bowl can be made into archers, all because I scared them with this drumming today?"
He Biao felt a lump in his throat from those words.
The soldiers behind them were terrified, but after hearing this, one of them couldn't help but let out a low chuckle.
Meng Xuanzhe heard this but didn't point it out. He continued, "I arrived in Qingcheng yesterday, inspected the granaries last night, and checked the military households this morning. I've only been at the drill ground for half an hour."
"If you can reorganize a squad of 120 men into what you have now within this half-hour period of time—"
He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Then I really wish to recommend you for merit."
This time, someone on the drill ground actually laughed out loud.
The laughter wasn't loud, but it was like a needle, piercing through He Biao's last shred of shame.
A vein throbbed on his forehead, and his face flushed red and then paled. After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer, "This humble general dares not."
"If you're afraid, then just stand there and watch," Meng Xuanzhe said slowly. "Gu Chengyan, continue reading."
Gu Chengyan lowered his head and flipped through the book, then suddenly paused.
"Your Highness."
"explain."
"If we consider the number of problematic soldiers already identified, plus the old soldier badges from the military households' village, the uncancelled pensions, and the substitute payments..." He looked up, his voice a little heavy, "In this troop of soldiers, more than forty have problems with their records."
Gao Chengli felt a chill run down his spine.
forty.
This isn't just empty slots, it's a sieve.
Of the 120 people in the group, more than 40 had problems. After deducting the sick, disabled, elderly, and weak, there might not be many left who could stand up and look like human beings.
Cao Lie, speaking in a slightly lower voice, said, "I said thirty yesterday, it seems I was too kind to them."
He Biao's face had turned almost blue.
Meanwhile, those who were truly registered, truly alive, and truly standing on the drill ground were becoming increasingly uneasy.
At first, they were just afraid.
They were afraid the Crown Prince would investigate them, afraid the old records would be dug up, and afraid that someone would suffer the consequences later.
But now, the fear on many people's faces is slowly starting to mix with something else—
anger.
Because they finally understood why they had never received full rations, armor, or decent weapons all these years.
It's not that the imperial court is truly that poor.
Someone is using their names, their food, their lives to feed the dead in the accounts.
Several of the younger soldiers had already begun to grit their teeth in secret.
Meng Xuanzhe saw this emotion but remained unmoved.
He knew it wasn't the right time yet.
The best thing about roll call is that it's not just about checking people.
It will also allow the living to see clearly who is actually eating their share.
At this moment, Gu Chengyan turned to the next page and suddenly frowned.
"Your Highness, there is another page here that has been temporarily added."
"read."
"In the first month of the twenty-fifth year of Guangzheng, eight men were added to the ranks and temporarily assigned to regular soldiers, with monthly rations provided."
Meng Xuanzhe raised his eyelids slightly: "Where are they?"
He Biao's face finally turned completely pale.
Gu Chengyan also looked up at the queue.
But no one in the queue responded.
Pan, the registrar, stood with his head down, as if he wished he could write himself into the book so that no one else would be able to call on him.
Meng Xuanzhe was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.
"it is good."
"Seven replacements weren't enough, so we're adding eight more."
"Your Qingcheng County's way of supporting soldiers is like a business transaction; it leaks while you patch it up, and then it leaks again. If you were given another two years, I'm afraid you could even add that stone drum at the camp gate to the ration register."
Gao Chengli couldn't hold back this time and quickly lowered his head and coughed hard twice.
It's not his fault.
Your Highness's mouth is becoming more and more like a knife, the kind that's been dipped in salt.
Just then, a series of chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the training ground.
First, someone shouted, then there was the clanging of metal, and then, with a "bang," the side gate of the training ground seemed to have been hit by something heavy.
Sun Kuo turned around abruptly and shouted sharply, "Who!"
The next moment, someone shouted from outside the door.
"Open the door!"
"What the hell are you investigating the Crown Prince's name for! If you keep investigating, what will the brothers eat!"
"If we don't give you an explanation today, nobody's going to have a good time!"
The moment the sound rang out, the atmosphere on the training ground instantly changed.
The soldiers who were originally standing in the ranks all tensed up. Some subconsciously looked towards the door, some took a small step, and some had a complex look in their eyes that clearly said, "They're here."
He Biao's face turned completely white in that instant.
Meng Xuanzhe didn't move, but slowly turned around and looked at the side gate of the training ground that had been knocked and shaken again.
More and more footsteps sounded outside the door.
Some people carried knives, some carried guns, and some deliberately stomped their boots loudly, as if afraid that no one inside could hear them.
Sun Kuo had already led the guards to the door, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his expression somber.
Gu Chengyan held the military manual, and his expression changed.
Gao Chengli felt a chill run down his spine, and only one thought remained in his mind: They're here.
coming.
These people aren't here to take attendance; they're here to block the door.
Meng Xuanzhe stood in front of the reviewing stand, his gaze calm as he looked at the swaying door, a slight smile playing on his lips.
well.
Before the roll call was even finished, the person in question came knocking on the door.
Outside, the door slammed shut again.
Immediately afterwards, a group of soldiers armed with knives and clubs completely blocked the entrance to the drill ground.