Chapter 116: About Private Retinues [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Aside from that incident years ago, Qi Shan's blood pressure has rarely spiked this high. But ever since he met Shen Xiaolangjun, he feels like he's living in hell every day, and the good self-cultivation he's cultivated over the years is teetering on the brink of collapse.
Is it really that his demands are too high?
Qi Shan stared blankly at Shen Xiaolangjun, who was obediently leading the pig over, and wondered if he should change his ways—but then again, the standard couldn't be lower than riding a pig, could it? Because he was distracted, he didn't react immediately.
When he came to his senses, he saw two pairs of innocent black eyes.
A pair of almond-shaped eyes that Young Master Shen deliberately widened.
Zhai Le has a pair of bright, expressive peach blossom eyes.
Being stared at by those two pairs of eyes, Qi Shan had a momentary illusion—had he done something heinous?
He helplessly rubbed his forehead, shielding himself from the two brats' glares. Forcing himself to harden his heart, he said coldly, "It's one thing for Young Master Shen to do this, after all, he's of a certain age. But Young Master Zhai is already a child, and you're still going to join in his antics?"
Zhai Le gave an awkward, sheepish laugh, trying to get away with it by acting cute.
Shen Tang shrank her neck, which was feeling the chill, and slowly retreated to the side, trying to hide herself in Zhai Le's shadow, silently chanting in her heart, "Yuan Liang can't see me, Yuan Liang can't see me."
Qi Shan: "..."
The more the two of them acted this way, the more frustrated he became.
In the end, he had no choice but to give up and put the matter aside. He thought to himself that he would have time to get some heart-protecting pills to carry with him, and to have a few extra in case of unforeseen circumstances. He did not want to die young.
Seeing that his expression had softened, Shen Tang finally spoke up and asked him a question.
"What brings Yuanliang down to see me?"
Shouldn't they stay deep in the mountains and discuss the strategy with Chu Yao?
Qi Shan said, "I came to find you to buy some people."
"Buy...buy people?" Shen Tang was taken aback. "What for?"
Qi Shan glanced at Zhai Le to the side, her eyes flashing a few times, and said in a low voice, "There aren't enough people in the stronghold. We need to buy some more to expand our military strength. Sibao County is also becoming unsafe. With so few people, which force can we possibly fill their teeth with? It's safer to have more."
He spoke euphemistically, and Shen Tang, unaware of the situation, didn't immediately notice anything amiss. However, Zhai Le, standing to the side, bluntly exposed the veil of pretense: "Given the current situation, it's wise for Brother Shen to maintain more troops; at least it will provide him with the ability to protect himself."
Shen Tang frowned: "A detachment?"
Originally, "部曲" (bùqǔ) was a general term for the army, but with the advent of bandits and the chaos of the world, it gradually evolved into the private troops of generals, i.e., private soldiers. Now, it refers to the household troops of powerful clans and gentry, essentially private armed forces, loyal to their masters, slightly lower in rank than ordinary citizens, and only becoming commoners upon the master's release. The nature of "部曲" is quite different from that of bandits who "expand" their ranks to increase their military strength.
The former belongs exclusively to a single person and is subject to their commands.
The latter, however, carries a public attribute and belongs to a village.
Qi Shan's expression changed slightly.
Zhai Le seemed to sense something, and when he looked up, he met Shen Tang's icy gaze. Just one glance sent a chill down his spine, as if he were being sucked into a dark, deep pool. Before he could even fathom the source of Qi Shan's malice, he heard Shen Tang say, "But I have no money..."
It costs money to build a private army.
It's not just about daily expenses, but also the cost of hiring people.
Although most ordinary people don't have much talent, let alone cultivating literary and martial spirit, they find it difficult to even sense the energy of heaven and earth, let alone the preliminary steps of guiding energy into the body and opening up the dantian.
Even so, the expenses for a regiment composed entirely of ordinary people are still enormous! It's certainly not something she, in her impoverished state, can afford.
We can't just feed the troops empty promises every day, can we?
She doesn't want to touch the Lin family's assets right now.
Qi Shan's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this. He had expected Shen Tang to refuse or raise objections, but his first reaction was "not enough money" rather than "cannot be done." Shen Tang was far bolder than he had imagined; keeping a private army was not something just anyone dared to do.
and--
It's likely that even Young Master Shen himself didn't notice a detail—Qi Shan was planning to buy more people to expand his retinue, but he never said who the retinue belonged to. Young Master Shen's opening line, "But I have no money," subconsciously implied that the power belonged to "him."
Shen Tang seemed to see through the expression on his face.
"Yuanliang is surprised?"
"A little. I thought you would refuse."
Why should I refuse?
A fist is power, and power is truth.
The force with which a fist is thrown determines the weight of one's words.
In this world, if we don't strengthen ourselves, are we going to wait until disaster strikes and be taught a lesson by the chaos of the times, like duckweed adrift on water?
The only thing that surprised her was Qi Shan's approach: instead of recruiting more people for the village, he formed a private armed force.
but--
Judging from the results, the two should be about the same, right?
Shen Tang didn't ask any further questions.
As an indigenous person who achieved fame at a young age, Qi Shan certainly understands what he is doing better than she does.
Qi Shan: "...Let's go."
Shen Tang followed: "Me too?"
"go!"
Zhai Le thought for a moment. He had originally come to hang out with Brother Shen, so what was the point of Brother Shen leaving him alone? So he took a long stride and followed: "Mr. Qi, Brother Shen, wait for me!"
Qi Shan said, "Young Master Zhai is here too?"
"I also have a private army; I can offer my advice."
Shen Tang asked, "You also have a private army?"
Zhai Le not only didn't answer, but also looked at Shen Tang and smiled smugly. Qi Shan once again rubbed her forehead in exasperation—these basic common sense things really need to be taught to young master Shen properly.
"A fifth-rank physician can meticulously assemble his own private retinue, ranging in size from a dozen to over a hundred people."
Zhai Le was already a seventh-rank duke, and he had an unknown cousin by his side. Judging from their attire and background, they were not from ordinary families, so it was perfectly normal for them to form a private retinue. Judging from the looks of it, it was probably quite large.
Considering his current age and strength, this person has exceptionally high talent and potential. If he can hone his skills in the military and gain enlightenment amidst life and death, and if he's lucky enough not to die young, once his body reaches its peak of growth, he will at least reach the rank of Fifteenth Grade Junior Master.
Based on this standard, his elite private retinue should number between five and eight hundred. If there are greater expectations and ambitions, it is possible that it could gradually increase to one thousand.
These private retinues possess terrifying power.
Yes, it's quite expensive.
Qi Shan did intend to create such a private retinue for Shen Tang, but unfortunately she was a scholar with a literary heart rather than a warrior with a martial spirit.
Most importantly—
poverty!
No matter how clever you are, you can't cook without rice.
Shen Tang asked again, "Where are they?"
Zhai Le said, both amused and exasperated, "Still at my hometown."
This question was so stupid that Qi Shan wanted to roll her eyes.
He said, "Young Master Zhai is out traveling, not looking for trouble with other forces. He's leading over a thousand elite private troops and swaggering out like this. If he passes through a country with a stable political situation, that's fine, but if there are warlords in various places, there will be big misunderstandings."
Shen Tang asked, puzzled, "Is it that serious?"
Qi Shan said, "Yes."
If Zhai Le were a 19th-rank Marquis or a 20th-rank Marquis, leading over a thousand private retainers, he could easily raze a medium-sized city if the opposing forces were not strong. Martial heroes can travel freely, but their private retainers cannot.
We still need to maintain our private army.
Initially, "部曲" (bùqǔ) was a general term for troops, referring to the military organization. However, during the Eastern Han and Three Kingdoms periods, it became the private force of a general, meaning they were subordinate to the general, not their lord. It's roughly like saying, "My boss's boss isn't my boss?"
Later (around the Wei and Jin Dynasties), it developed into a leisurely agricultural settlement, and in wartime it was used for fighting. By the Tang Dynasty, there were laws stipulating that retainers were similar to household servants and slaves. I remember reading in a book that retainers were lower in status than ordinary people.
The setting of this article is a mixture.
|ω｀)
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(End of this chapter)
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