Chapter 147: Controlling the Regions!

Zheng Kui did not stay in Linshui for long, not even lingering for a night. After discussing official business, he took his leave and departed.

Although he was also from a prominent aristocratic family, coming from such a background did not mean he was incompetent. On the contrary, due to their education, many aristocratic scions of this era possessed abilities far exceeding those of scholars from humble origins and commoners; it was just that these young aristocrats rarely did anything good.

Even Cui Shao, who possessed only mediocre abilities, had successfully shouldered the responsibilities of the Prefect of Xuanzhou and was doing a rather decent job, performing no worse than Tian Jing had during his tenure.

Though Zheng Kui's military capabilities were ordinary, he had no major issues with his professional competence as an Observation Commissioner. Upon receiving Su Jing's arrangements, he hurried off to make preparations.

After Zheng Kui left, the Great General Su first penned several letters in the commander's tent. Once these had been dispatched, Su Jing pulled out a map, scrutinized it repeatedly back and forth, and then spoke.

"Go and summon Li Zhao."

The soldiers outside the tent quickly acknowledged the order and went to look for Li Yun.

By the time Li Yun arrived at the commander's tent, it was already dusk, and night was quickly falling.

Stepping into the tent, Li Yun cupped his fists in salute to the Great General Su and asked, "Did the Great General summon me?"

"Sit down and speak."

Li Yun stood on no ceremony and took a seat as instructed.

Once Li Yun was seated, Su Jing looked at him and said, "Today's events were completely beyond this old man's expectations. To this moment, I still cannot fathom why the imperial court would make such an arrangement."

"However, since the court has arranged it thus, I am powerless to change the outcome."

At this point, the Great General Su looked at Li Yun and a smile appeared on his face. "What is even more unexpected to this old man is that you were actually able to endure it today. Given your temper—you dared to brawl with me on your very first day—I fully expected you to fly into a rage on the spot."

Li Yun chuckled softly and made no reply.

If his core interests were involved, he indeed had a fiery temper, but this matter had not actually had any significant impact on him, and naturally, it did not provoke a violent reaction.

"I never intended to become a high-ranking official in the first place. Instead, it was the men under my command who spent the entire day fuming over this injustice."

Su Jing reached out and tapped the table, saying, "Since this matter has already happened, this old man will not take advantage of you. Now, I have another assignment for you."

He paused for a moment before adding, "This task will not require you to go head-to-head with the rebel forces; it will be much easier. Furthermore, once it is accomplished, your contributions will not be lacking, and I will personally travel to the capital to submit a report of your merits."

Li Yun rubbed his chin and asked, "Great General, what is this assignment?"

"To garrison Wuzhou."

Su Jing pointed to Wuzhou on the map and said, "Currently, our forces have blocked the rebels' westward advance, and their southward route will soon be blocked as well. As for going north... they simply lack the capability."

"Wuzhou lies at the southwestern corner of the rebel territory. By plugging this gap, we can essentially encircle the rebels and trap them within a ring."

After another brief pause, the Great General Su continued, "This place is not too close to Yuezhou, so the rebels will most likely not launch an attack here. Therefore, it is not a particularly difficult task."

Li Yun thought for a moment and asked, "How many men will the Great General give me?"

"You are now officially appointed as a Commandant by the court. I shall issue an additional military order designating you as a Duwei within the pacification army, and assign you the manpower of two Commandant battalions."

He looked at Li Yun and continued, "Your existing Commandant battalion will count as one of them, and I authorize you to select another five hundred men to bring with you to Wuzhou."

"This trip to Wuzhou is ostensibly for defense, but the likelihood of the rebels attacking it is slim. Your unit's ultimate mission is to coordinate with the main army in a pincer movement, forcing the rebels back to Yuezhou to be completely exterminated in one fell swoop."

Hearing this, Li Yun's eyes lit up. He spoke up, "Great General, could you give me the hundred cavalrymen under the Young General's command?"

Su Jing glared at Li Yun and scolded, "Those hundred cavalrymen are elites I brought from my own estate! How could I possibly give them to you?"

Li Yun knew that those cavalrymen—who could slip into enemy camps by night to start fires and retreat without startling the horses—were elite troops, and he hadn't realistically expected to get them. Asking was merely a setup for his next request.

"Then the Great General can write me a pass, ordering the local government offices in Wuzhou to fully cooperate with my garrison duties."

As the Military Superintendent, Su Jing possessed the authority to command local authorities and could delegate this power of command.

Hearing this, the Great General Su looked at Li Yun with a cautious gaze and asked, "What are you up to?"

"What kind of talk is that, Great General?"

Li Yun frowned. "Naturally, subordinate wishes to handle the Wuzhou assignment properly. Wuzhou is so vast; how can two Commandant battalions manage to cover the defense? We must have the cooperation of the local offices to make the defense of Wuzhou airtight."

The Great General Su hesitated slightly, but mindful of the favor he and his son owed from the morning, and coupled with the fact that Li Yun seemed reasonably reliable, he pondered for a moment before nodding. "Very well. I will give you three days to select your men. Before you depart, I will write you the pass."

"There is one thing you must remember."

Su Jing said in a deep voice, "The men under your command have been tempered into shape, but the troops in the other battalions are mostly green recruits. Once you arrive in Wuzhou, you must not slack off on training."

Li Yun remained cheerful, smiling as he said, "If you ask me, the Great General doesn't need to train them too harshly, as long as they can defeat the rebels. Even if the Great General truly manages to forge an army, once the pacification is over, heartbreak will still be unavoidable."

The court's finances were in difficulty.

Or rather, national strength was no longer quite sufficient.

Precisely for this reason, the rebellion in Yuezhou had dragged on until today without a resolution, forcing an old veteran like Su Jing to raise troops locally to resolve the crisis.

In other words, the court might have the capability to sustain this army's existence for a short time, but had no way to maintain it for long. Therefore, once the pacification ended, this army would be disbanded right where they stood.

At best, those who achieved merit in battle, like Li Yun, would be rewarded by the court, while the ordinary foot soldiers would return to their respective homes with a meager payout.

Li Yun's words evidently struck a raw nerve in the Great General Su. He abruptly looked up at Li Yun, wanting to scold him, but forced himself to hold back. Finally, he said in a muffled tone, "Training more is never a bad thing. Every bit of hardship endured now translates to an extra measure of skill later on, and skills always belong to oneself."

Li Yun smiled without answering, glanced around the commander's tent, and then said, "Great General, do you have any books on military strategy here? Subordinate would like to borrow one or two to take back and read."

Hearing this, Su Jing looked at Li Yun and sneered, "Just now you said you didn't want to be an official in the imperial court. If you don't want to serve as an official in the court, why bother reading military treatises?"

"As the Great General just said, gaining an extra bit of skill is never a bad thing."

Su Jing stared at Li Yun for a few moments, then stood up, walked over to his cot, and handed a heavily worn book—one whose pages were nearly tattered—to Li Yun.

"This is a treatise on military strategy written by the Duke of Su, a founding meritorious official of our dynasty, and it also contains his personal campaign notes. Over the years, I have kept it close at hand and consulted it frequently. Although it is not overly profound, it is very suitable for a younger generation like you who has never read military books before."

"Take it and read it."

Li Yun received it with both hands, expressed his gratitude, and left with a cupped-fist salute.

Su Jing gazed at Li Yun's departing back and stroked his beard.

Having lived in retirement for over a dozen years, he had done almost nothing else, pouring his heart and soul into studying military manuals. Now, the treatise that embodied his life's work was only missing its final volume to be considered complete.

Seeing a young man who was eager to learn and possessed some degree of aptitude inevitably reminded him of the military treatise he was about to finish.

The Great General Su was lost in thought for a moment, then shook his head and sighed, "I wonder who will be able to inherit my mantle."

..........

Inside Li Yun's own tent.

Upon returning, he lit an oil lamp, grabbed a wooden stick, and began sketching and measuring on the table. Li Zheng had already fallen asleep, but in his drowsy state, he saw Li Yun gesturing over the table while muttering under his breath.

"Second Brother, what are you doing?"

He asked sleepily.

"Nothing."

Li Yun looked back at Li Zheng and yawned as well. "Go back to sleep, pay no attention to me."

Li Zheng let out a long yawn and then muttered, "I just heard you muttering something about land reform and equalization... what does that mean?"

"It means nothing."

Our Mr. Li gave a cough, nearly spitting out the tea in his mouth. After brushing it off with a vague remark, he looked back at the rudimentary map he had drawn with water on the table and sighed inwardly.

Pity that he still lacked a base of operations.

Otherwise, he really would have given those gentry and aristocratic families a shock by reforming and equalizing the land!