Chapter 2, Heheli

When a mother is Han, her own child naturally carries half Han blood. The laws of the empire (Heheli's understanding of the law is that it is greater than rules; rules must be followed, but laws must be followed even more strictly) dictate that enslaving Han people is a capital offense, thus her own child cannot be a slave. According to the Han people's incessant talk about filial piety, the child is not a slave; how could a father expect his own child to call him master? Therefore, Heheli cannot be a slave either. According to the Han people's incessant talk about filial piety, the child is not a slave; how could a father expect his own child to call him master? Therefore, Heheli cannot be a slave either

It is precisely because he is Han Chinese

The indigenous people are not skilled in farming, especially those from Heheli and Wukeshan, who come from Liaodong and the Tartars. They are adept at herding and hunting, but it seems more challenging for them to tend to the fields than to fight with bows and knives

Hehe Li's wife helped him stack firewood around the house. The small dwelling they lived in was constructed with a few stones and pieces of wood, along with a large amount of branches and thatch, making it more akin to a livestock shed than a proper house. Stacking the firewood around the drafty house could provide some degree of warmth.

The old man who guides them in farming is also a commoner who has committed a crime and been exiled here, sharing the same political status as the Heheli. However, the empire is a Han empire, and the Han people refer to them as 'barbarians,' claiming they are no different from beasts, and the people here can only listen. In such remote areas, the Han people's superiority is openly regarded as an implicit rule.

Therefore, Hehe Li did not feel much sympathy for Wukeshan's complaints. He was a Jurchen, and even when the Golden Horde of the Tatars was still in existence, the Jurchens were also the servants of the Tatars. Hehe Li did not see much difference between being a slave to the Han people and being a servant to the Tatars

"Don't say that! He is a Han!" A companion nearby advised with a hint of fear, "If he finds out you said that about him, even if he lacks the strength to draw his sword and strike you, he will ensure that you starve or freeze to death by refusing to lend you food or an axe in the future"

The empire stipulates that villages with more than 100 households must appoint a minor official to promote agriculture and sericulture. Since their village did not have that many people, they established a farming official together with the neighboring village. Although this official, who was supposed to teach agricultural techniques, did not seem to improve grain production significantly, he was certainly unyielding when it came to extortion. He claimed that the empire mandated each household to provide him with one dou of grain as compensation, and these foreigners, unsure of the truth, dared not refuse. Although this official, who was supposed to teach agricultural techniques, did not seem to improve grain production significantly, he was certainly unyielding when it came to extortion. He claimed that the empire mandated each household to provide him with one dou of grain as compensation, and these foreigners, unsure of the truth, dared not refuse.

Even now, Heheli is very much hoping for a master. He believes that as long as he has a good master to take him out hunting, with his skills honed from a young age fighting great bears alongside his father and brothers, he will eventually be able to earn a good fortune.

Now, the strong men of Jia are all commoners and slaves. The village is located on the vague border of the northwest of the empire, and it does not take long to enter the territory of the wild Di Yi, which is not under the jurisdiction of the empire, by heading west from the village. Without a licensed leader, if they venture out to hunt and encounter a hunting team with a license or the regular army of the empire, they are very likely to be treated as fugitives or attacked by the wild Di Yi. They do not dare to retaliate, as it is a capital offense for commoners and slaves to attack licensed individuals, which is naturally punishable by death. If they encounter someone with a violent temperament, it is also normal for their entire family to be executed. Therefore, these few can only dare to hunt small, careless beasts near the village, and they do not even dare to venture too far to gather firewood, making life increasingly difficult.

We can only hope that the higher-ups will quickly send us a master with a badge. Hehe Li sighed and replied blankly, As long as we have a master with a badge leading us out for a hunt, with your and my skills, we could dig out a bear's den and have a better life next year

Ukeshan disdainfully spat and said: "That old farmer merely moves his lips; every household is required to provide a measure of grain each year. He claims that if we listen to him, the land will yield abundantly, but for us outsiders, no matter how we farm, how much grain can we possibly produce? We still face hunger every year. Even borrowing his axe to chop firewood is charged by the day; after paying for the axe with the wood chopped in a day, there is hardly anything left, just enough to keep the fire going, with nothing extra to sell to him. That old scoundrel, if the Great Khanate were still around, I would surely have executed him!"

He Heli casually wiped his nose with his sleeve and replied in a muffled voice, "You can chop more firewood and sell some small game to the old farmer; you will always be able to survive. I have a wife and children at home, and I am not as skilled at archery as you. If I don't go hunting this winter, life will truly become difficult."

The imperial envoy sent to the border to serve as grassroots managers in the villages is privately referred to as "Pai Jia." This group includes both seasoned warriors from the military and scholars who have lost hope in their studies. The likes of Wukeshan prefer the former, as these individuals tend to appreciate the bravery of the Tatars like Heheli and Wukeshan, and are eager to hunt frequently. In contrast, the latter are quite disliked; most Han scholars prefer tranquility over action. The Pai Jia do not venture out themselves, so what difference is there between them and those who hunt privately? There are instances where the Yi Ding and Nu Ding, upon being ordered to hunt, were attacked and killed by other Pai Jia, while the Pai Jia from their own village, who are scholars, dismissively label them as "barbarians and beasts" without any concern.

Having their own sheep and iron pot, as well as an axe that belongs to them, Heheli is no longer considered poor in this small border village

Thus, because there was a Han woman, Heheli's clothing stitches were denser than others, and the thatch inside was finer than that of others. Moreover, he was a commoner, subject to a tax rate of one-sixth. Therefore, even without a noble master to take him hunting, he, along with his wife and two children, managed to get by this year in a state of half-satisfaction and half-hunger. What more could he possibly be dissatisfied with? Nothing. As long as there was a good master who enjoyed hunting, Heheli believed he lacked nothing.

He was accompanied by several attendants of the same rank. They all wore garments of the same material, but the straw stuffed inside their clothes was not as finely packed as that of Heheli, appearing instead to be haphazardly stuffed. The stitching was also not dense enough, and the garments were already in a tattered state.

The woman was still diligently mending clothes for Heheli, while he held a bowl of rice in one hand, not caring that the thin porridge was hot, and slurped it down greedily. The two little ones looked at him eagerly, waiting for their mother to finish her work so she could serve them their meal

His wife is a Han woman. She is the only Han woman in the village that everyone, including the old farmer Guan, envies.

In Anxi Town, a commoner named Heheli was struggling to walk along the village road while carrying a large bundle of firewood. He was dressed in a garment made of small pieces of leather and tattered cloth sewn together, which was densely stuffed with straw inside. A thin hemp rope was tied around his waist, and a long axe was hanging from it.

In speaking of this, Heheli himself felt that the reason he was a commoner, while Ukeshan, who was better at archery, remained a slave, was precisely because he had a Han woman as his wife

"What does it matter that I am a commoner? As long as I am not Han, everyone else is my master." Hehe Li replied sullenly, no longer speaking as he returned home in silence

"You and the children eat first. Keep the house safe, and do not open the door if I am not back." Heheli habitually instructed his wife a few words, then hurried off to the old farmer Guan Nong's house. Although wild Diyi generally lacked the courage to attack the villages of the Empire, in this dreadful weather, one could never know if a famished beast might sneak into the village and harm people or livestock. His wife and children were Heheli's most important treasures, and he could hardly imagine how he would survive without them.

Beyond the Congling Mountains, the further west one goes, the earlier the snow falls. It is barely September, yet the snow has already blanketed the ground, and it falls again every few days, increasing in intensity each time

This house indeed serves the purpose of a livestock shed. The two young ones of Heheli are huddled around the fire pit, warming themselves next to their own ewe. Heheli carefully draws out the axe hanging at his waist and hides it beneath a large pile of hay that serves as a bed.

At home, the wife of Heheli has already started a fire and cooked half a pot of thin porridge. This porridge, made from wild vegetables, grass seeds, wild fruits, acorn flour, and a small amount of corn, is a common food for their family. The mixed grain pancakes are only available as an extra meal for strong laborers like him when they go out to work in the morning; everyone has been living this way.

"Hehe, you are a commoner, and when the card armor arrives, you need not call him master." Wukeshan glanced at him, seemingly displeased with Heheli's words. "Moreover, it also depends on the background of the card armor. If he is a scholar, we will have no way to survive."

Hehe Li's wife served him a full bowl of thin porridge, and then took out a bone needle and hemp thread to mend the several tears in his clothing that had been made by branches today. The stitches made by his wife were very fine, and Hehe Li believed that only Han women possessed such excellent craftsmanship

The closest Nuding Ukshan who walked with Heheli was a Tatar. Although he was merely a slave, everyone endured hunger and cold together, and Heheli did not feel himself to be of a higher status than him. Moreover, Ukshan was also a warrior, an exceptionally skilled archer. Heheli had once witnessed him shoot a poorly made bone arrow into the eye of a fox, and that perfect silver fox pelt was exchanged by Ukshan, who had fed his family, for enough food to last half a year. For these commoners and slaves stationed at the border, a warrior is always more trustworthy than a coward.

However, now even a sharpshooter like Ukshan finds life difficult. He grimaced and said to Heheli: "The snow has fallen early this year, and the old farmer has indicated that there will surely be a severe drought next year. The grain harvested this season is not enough to last us through the year; how are we to survive next year?"

He He Li is strong and robust, hailing from the colder region of the Liaodong Yi tribe, which is generally more resilient to cold. However, today he has only consumed a bowl of thin porridge and half a grain cake, leaving his stomach devoid of nourishment, and at this moment, he is already shivering with a runny nose.

The woman handed him a handmade arrow holder, which contained 10 bone arrows and 2 iron arrows. The iron arrows were also valuable property for them, the commoners and slaves, and Heheli knew that Ukeshan had always wanted to obtain a few.

We only established our garrison this spring, but nearly a year has passed and we have yet to receive any official notice. Wu Keshan did not dare to continue scolding the agricultural official and could only helplessly say: "Our situation here is different from other places; just a short distance outside is uncharted territory. Without the approval of the garrison, how can we dare to hunt on our own?"

A sudden, crisp whistle sounded from outside the door. The woman paused her work and looked outside in confusion. The border village of Baojia Tunkeng is governed by both military and civil law, where the village chief uses the whistle as a signal, and all able-bodied men in the village must gather at the door to listen for orders, as per military regulations. However, their village does not have a formal militia, and the bamboo whistle has been kept by the old farmer, with no one having blown it for an entire year.

Moreover, in the villages of the Liaodong Jurchens, there are also the Mukden lords. It is worth mentioning that this Mukden also governs a village of Bian Ding, similar to the Pai Jia. Since his ancestors, Ma Fa and A Ma, have referred to the Mukden as lords for generations, Hehe Li did not find it inappropriate to call the Pai Jia lord.

However, since the whistle has been blown, one cannot pretend not to have heard it. Hege Li hurriedly took out the axe and hunting bow hidden beneath the grass mat. These items are both tools for production and weapons. Even the poorest laborers must borrow a set; otherwise, they cannot survive in this desolate place.

September 6, 30th year of the Republic