Chapter 128: The First Merit in Quelling the Rebellion!

It was not until twilight that Li returned to his base camp. Pulling Zhou Liang aside, he said with a smile, "Third Uncle, I only realized today that even when it comes to marching and fighting, there’s a hell of a lot of strategy involved—even in where you dig the latrines!"

"If you build them upwind, the whole camp suffers."

During this period, Li Yun had truly learned quite a few useful things. It had to be said that although Su Jing had a temper and was completely ignorant of social graces, he certainly possessed genuine skill when it came to military affairs. If nothing else, his ability to organize and reorganize over twenty-three thousand new recruits so that they didn't fall into complete chaos was a feat.

That kind of capability was something Li Yun currently lacked. Managing his own five hundred men was already a handful. It was clear that being a commanding general was no easy task; to lead tens or even hundreds of thousands of men and keep them in orderly formation was an incredible talent. As for sitting in the central command to coordinate their efforts, that was even harder. Only now did Li Yun realize how terrifyingly profound the military genius from another world—the one who coined the phrase "the more, the better"—must have been.

Watching the somewhat excited Li Yun, Zhou Liang smiled and said, "The Chief seems much happier now than he was back at Cangshan Stronghold. It seems this military camp is the place where the Chief truly belongs."

Li Yun shook his head with a laugh. "Nonsense. I’m happy because I’ve learned some useful skills." He glanced at the surrounding tents and curled his lip. "As for this camp, we won't be staying here for long."

Zhou Liang paused, looking at Li Yun. "General Su came to inspect our camp this afternoon. Before he left, he said he wanted to see you; he has a mission for you."

Li frowned. "He wants to see me? And he has a mission for me?" He muttered, "We’re still in the middle of training, aren't we? It hasn't even been half a month, and he’s already assigning us tasks? That old man, he isn't trying to settle a private grudge, is he?"

Zhou Liang laughed. "I doubt that. General Su has a good reputation, especially in warfare; he rarely suffers a defeat."

Li Yun scoffed, unconvinced. "Third Uncle, I’ve been reading biographies of various generals lately. I’ve discovered that the better they are at war, the darker their hearts."

Zhou Liang was speechless for a moment before asking, "So, are you going or not, Chief? If you don't go, we might have to pack up and flee under the cover of night."

"I have to go. Let’s see what he wants." Li straightened his clothes. "I’m off to see him. That little old man is really bored—a grand Marshal of the expedition, and he has nothing better to do than see a mere captain like me?"

After grumbling about Su Jing, Li Yun headed toward the central command tent. After passing through several guards, he successfully entered and found the General hunched over his desk, writing furiously. Li Yun clasped his hands in a salute, but seeing the General didn't even look up, he didn't rush him; he simply stood there and waited quietly.

After a long while, Su Jing set down his brush and let out a long sigh. After blowing on the ink to dry it, he looked up at Li Yun and said slowly, "If I hadn't been so distracted by these administrative matters over the years, I wouldn't necessarily have lost to you."

Li Yun found this somewhat amusing. The General was rather petty; he still remembered their scuffle from half a month ago. Li coughed and cupped his hands. "The General’s blade is still sharp; I just had the advantage of youth."

"Where did you go today?" Su Jing asked, staring at Li Yun. "You abandoned your post. I could have you court-martialed for this."

Zhou Liang had already mentioned this, and Li Yun was prepared. "I took my men out for training," he replied. "I didn't leave the camp; we just ran a lap around the perimeter. That shouldn't violate military law, should it?"

General Su poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "I have a mission for your unit."

Li Yun narrowed his eyes. "The General has only to command."

"East of Qiantang County, there is a town called Linshui. Intelligence indicates it has been occupied by rebel forces. This town is extremely close to the county seat and is of great strategic importance. I intend to send your unit to Linshui."

Li Yun’s eyes widened. "The General wants us to retake Linshui?"

"If you have the skill to retake it, that would naturally be for the best," Su Jing said coolly. "But I will not issue such an order. Once your unit arrives at Linshui, your primary task is to serve as the vanguard and scouts to gain a clear picture of the situation there."

After a thoughtful pause, the General continued, "Once you depart, I will mobilize the main force toward Qiantang County in about half a month or a month to purge the rebels. You will be informed of the exact timing by messengers. When our main force reaches Qiantang, we will strike directly at the county seat, and at that moment, your unit is to charge into Linshui and retake it."

Li Yun didn't immediately agree; he stood there frowning.

"Don't worry," the General said, sipping his tea. "If I wanted to settle a private grudge, I would have sent you to lead a frontal assault. You’d be lucky if a tenth of your five hundred men survived. If you can take Linshui, however, I will record this as your primary achievement and secure your future."

Li Yun’s eyes darted around. He didn't care much for this "primary achievement," but he would certainly like to have a county... though that request was hard to realize for now.

After a moment of thought, Li Yun said, "General, my men have only been training for ten days. Wouldn't it be better to let them train a bit more before throwing them into battle?"

"I inspected your camp this afternoon," Su Jing said indifferently. "Even if the other camps trained for another month or two, they would struggle to reach the level of your unit. The sooner you set out, the more of an advantage I will have."

Li Yun thought for a moment and cupped his hands. "General, since we are here to suppress the rebellion, we will naturally follow your orders. However, this is a difficult task, and you must provide the necessary equipment."

"Speak. What do you need?"

"One hundred sets of full plate armor," Li Yun said, pausing before adding, "and as many crossbows as possible."

The imperial armor currently being issued was not full plate; it only protected vital areas and was far inferior to full coverage.

Su Jing coughed, nearly spitting out his tea. "You aren't being asked to charge the front lines; why do you need full plate armor?"

"Who knows? Perhaps your subordinate will end up taking Linshui after all?"

Su Jing held up five fingers. "Fifty sets. Allowing one out of every ten men to have full plate armor is already an exception."

Li Yun agreed readily. "Fine."

The General waved his hand. "Go. Depart within three days."

Li Yun held out a hand. "General, the written order."

Su Jing glared at him, suppressing his anger as he wrote out the order and stamped it. "You think I’d go back on my word? You scoundrel!"

Li Yun wasn't offended by the insult; he stepped forward, took the order, and turned to leave. The moment he stepped out of the tent, he was ecstatic. Such a stroke of luck! A large part of why he had clashed with Su Jing and wanted to leave the army was because he hated being forced into collective actions, where the fate of his men was at the mercy of the chaos of a large battlefield. Now, he could operate independently, giving him much more room to maneuver.

As if afraid Su Jing might change his mind, Li Yun hurried back to his camp and immediately summoned Li Zheng and Zhou Liang to his tent. It was dark now, and as he sat down and recounted the mission, he grinned. "I didn't want to move with the main force anyway; this is a perfect opportunity. Let’s pack up tomorrow and head out for Qiantang County early the day after tomorrow!"

Li Zheng smacked his lips. "Fifty sets of full plate armor... wonder how much that would fetch if sold..."

Li Yun glared at him, and Li Zheng shrank back, daring not to speak further.

Zhou Liang coughed. "Chief, there is a huge difference in quality even among armor. When we go to collect it tomorrow, you must be careful. Make sure to pick the best ones."

Li Yun nodded with a smile. "I know. I’ll make sure to choose carefully tomorrow." He then changed the subject. "I wonder where this Linshui County is, to have that old man so concerned."

"It's right on the edge of the Qiantang county seat," Zhou Liang added. "Probably only a few dozen miles away."

Li Yun frowned. "The Zhao fellow from the Yuezhou army is still attacking Qiantang. Damn it, isn't this Su fellow shoving us right into the enemy's face?"

After cursing, Li Yun pulled a small booklet from his robes. It was a crude map he had managed to get his hands on a few days ago. After pointing at it for a while, he placed his finger near Tianmu Mountain. "I don't know how many rebels are in Linshui, but fortunately, we aren't strictly required to capture it immediately. We’ll head to Tianmu Mountain first."

"As for the rest..." Li squinted. "We’ll play it by ear."