Chapter 23: Unfair Allocation

At noon the next day, Li Qing’an was inspecting the troops in the camp when he suddenly heard a commotion at the gate. He hurried over and saw a dozen or so women surrounding Han Jinping, arguing loudly and passionately.
“My husband risked his life in battle and almost lost it, yet he was only given ten acres of land. Captain Han, I cannot accept this!”
“Qin Erniang, your husband is fine—unharmed. My husband was slashed in the stomach and almost lost his life, yet he was only given twenty acres. That’s unfair! Captain Han, if you don’t settle this for me today, I’ll throw myself at you!”
“Silang! How are your widow and orphans supposed to live now that you’re dead? They all have land, but after your death, they ignore us. Your wife and children won’t even get a patch of land. Silang, wake up!”
One woman sat on the ground, pounding it with her fists and crying out loudly.
Han Jinping tried to calm one, only for another to start arguing, leaving him overwhelmed and in disarray.
“Captain Han, what’s going on?” Li Qing’an asked sternly.
Seeing Li Qing’an appear, Han Jinping rushed over and reported, “General, these are the families of my subordinates. They’re dissatisfied with the land allocation and have come to make a fuss. I’m at a loss as to what to do.”
Han Jinping then introduced himself to the women, “This is the superior of your husbands—the Lieutenant Li of the Scout Camp. If you have any complaints, you can address them to him.”
The women immediately quieted down, staring at Li Qing’an uneasily, none daring to speak.
“If you have any complaints, feel free to speak,” Li Qing’an said in a more gentle tone.
At that moment, one woman mustered the courage to speak, “My husband is Qin Lei from the Second Scout Team. Lieutenant Li, I think your land allocation is unfair.”
“How is it unfair?”
Qin Erniang, tears and snot streaming down her face, complained, “My husband has fought alongside you through thick and thin, yet while others got twenty or thirty acres, our family only got ten. Why is that?”
Her emotions grew more intense as she spoke. “Lieutenant Li, if you don’t give me more land today, I’ll throw myself at you!”
With that, she turned to ram herself into a wooden pillar in the camp. The others rushed to hold her back. “Qin Erniang, don’t be foolish! Lieutenant Li will settle this for you. Lieutenant Li, please calm her down!”
Li Qing’an shook his head. “Soldiers are rewarded based on their military achievements. The reason you got less land is because your husband didn’t achieve as many merits. If you don’t believe me, I’ll call your husband here so he can explain himself.”

He turned to Han Jinping and said, “Go call Qin Lei out—no! Call out all their husbands.” The women immediately panicked. They had come here on their own accord, thinking that since Li Qingan had taken office as a new official, they could put pressure on him to gain some benefits. But if their husbands really showed up, things would get serious. Most women are self-interested, with little sense of loyalty; once their own interests are at stake, their temporary alliances collapse instantly. They looked at each other and began blaming one another, “Qin Erniang, none of us wanted to come; it was you who insisted. What should we do now?” Qin Erniang was also stunned, but she still stubbornly said, “Don’t be afraid. If he dares to act recklessly, we can go to Commander Cheng or Governor Fumeng and complain about him.” Li Qingan suddenly felt a hint of suspicion—what did this have to do with Cheng Qianli? He smiled calmly and said, “If you think it’s unfair and want more land, fine. I can give it to you. But during battles, your husbands will have to be the first to charge—that’s the price. Are you really sure about this?” The women began to turn against her, saying in unison, “No! None of us want it. It’s Qin Erniang who wants it; we just came with her.” Li Qingan nodded. “Then fine. Since none of you want it, it will go to Qin Lei alone.” He waved his hand and said to Han Jinping, “Go tell Qin Lei that his wife thinks the reward is too small. I plan to give him an extra 20 mu of land.” Fear appeared in Qin Erniang’s eyes. Seeing Han Jinping heading toward the camp, she quickly knelt down and said tremblingly, “Lieutenant Li, please wait!” Li Qingan slowly walked over to her, squatted down, and asked, “Weren’t you going to complain about me to Commander Cheng and Governor Fumeng? I’m afraid, so I’m giving you an extra 20 mu of land. You should be happy. What are you afraid of?” Qin Erniang glanced back secretly but remained silent, head bowed. Li Qingan stood up and said to the others, “You may go! Let’s drop this matter. I’ll handle each person’s military merits properly. Don’t cause trouble again—it won’t benefit your husbands. Understand?” The women all agreed and scattered like birds and beasts. After they left, Li Qingan asked Qin Erniang again, “Speak! Who sent you here?” Qin Erniang bit her lip, hesitating to speak. Li Qingan sneered and said, “Since you refuse to talk, go and get your 20 mu of land!” With that, Li Qingan stood up and left. “Ah! Lieutenant Li, I’ll talk! I’ll talk!”

Qin Erniang’s lips trembled as she whispered, “It’s… it’s Commander Cheng who sent people to order me to do this, to create trouble. If we question Captain Li, he’ll then take us to Governor Fumeng to file a complaint.”
It was indeed related to Cheng Qianli. Li Qing’an snorted and asked, “What benefits did he offer you?”
“They promised to give me five guan once this was done.”
“Five guan? Is your life only worth five guan?”
“Life?” Qin Erniang looked at Li Qing’an in confusion.
Li Qing’an said coldly, “Let me tell you the truth! This is a power struggle among the high-ranking officials in Anxi. You, a mere nobody, have rashly gotten involved. If things escalate, they’ll just kill you to silence you. Don’t you understand?”
Qin Erniang’s face turned deathly pale. She was just an ordinary housewife, seeking a little gain—how could she understand such political intrigues? Hearing that her life was in danger, she trembled with fear and hurriedly asked, “W-what should I do then?”
“When they ask, just say that Li Qing’an refused to give you even a single coin more.”
…
Inside the tent, Li Qing’an sat in silence, deep in thought. He hadn’t expected himself to be drawn into the conflict between Cheng Qianli and Gao Xianzhi. Clearly, because Gao Xianzhi had privately rewarded him, they wanted to use this matter to gain an advantage and eventually turn the blame onto Gao Xianzhi.
At that moment, Han Jinping spoke up softly, “General, I think Cheng Qianli isn’t being very clever.”
Li Qing’an glanced at him. Remembering that Han Jinping had a formal military background and had once served as a county captain, he thought he might have some good suggestions, so he smiled and said, “Go on, explain why he’s not clever.”
Seeing that Li Qing’an was willing to listen, Han Jinping quickly said, “He sent people to incite the military families to cause trouble. On the surface, it seems like he’s putting pressure on the general, but in reality, it not only fails to achieve anything but also exposes his intentions. If I were him, I wouldn’t let some women make a fuss. Instead, I’d secretly gather evidence against the general and find a few military family members to testify, then go straight to Governor Fumeng to accuse the general. With solid evidence, the general would be in trouble. But now, with his actions, the general can handle the situation calmly.”
Li Qing’an nodded. Han Jinping was right. He then asked, “So what do you think I should do?”

“It’s simple. This time, General Gao gave the general fifteen hectares of land as a reward for his military achievements. As long as the general distributes the land fairly and justly to everyone, even if Protector Cheng goes to report the matter to Marshal Fumeng, General Gao can defend the general’s decisions one by one. What the general needs to do now is to prepare the most detailed basis for distribution as soon as possible.”
Li Qing’an took a list of distribution details from the table, which was filled with detailed records of each soldier’s merits and bravery. Families of soldiers who died in battle were entitled to fifty mu of land as compensation, but this was not within the scope of his rewards. Each participating soldier received ten mu as a basic reward, with additional land given based on their merits, with the highest amount reaching forty mu per person.
If there was any possibility of unfairness, it would only involve one person—a veteran scout he had stationed on the periphery. After the battle, this person disappeared; it was unknown whether he was killed or escaped, so he received neither reward nor compensation.
Now, he didn’t want to overlook any detail. He immediately ordered, “Prepare a horse. I’m going out.”