Chapter 151: Cunning and Old in Sin

The situation in Dongyang was not difficult to control.

In fact, with Su Jing’s official documents in hand, and Li Yun commanding troops, the entire situation in Wuzhou rested firmly in his grasp. The only variable was whether he chose to exercise his power assertively or not.

Once matters concerning the yamen were settled, the next priority was military training. Li Yun spent a few days dividing his men into two distinct factions.

One faction was placed under the command of Zhou Liang, serving as a temporary military major, while the other was led by Li Zheng as a temporary military major, assisted by Deng Yang.

Concurrently, the various squad leaders previously appointed during their bandit-suppression days were now assigned formal ranks in accordance with military regulations, such as platoon leaders.

However, within the bandit-suppression unit itself, the old titles of squad leader and captain were still used. After all, these terms were easier to understand, and this group of former mountain bandits lacked much formal education.

With the basic military infrastructure established, Li Yun no longer needed to summon everyone to an open field for mass meetings as he had in the past. Such an approach was terribly inefficient, and even with loud shouting, most people could not hear clearly.

Instead, he called all the grassroots officers to the entrance of his command tent and instructed them to sit on the ground right where they were.

He himself remained standing to speak.

"Most of you here have followed me since our days in Xuanzhou, originating from the bandit-suppression unit. I need not say much about what that unit was like."

"Now, our numbers have grown, and things will not be done the way they used to be. As you know, we have now divided into two major battalions, respectively commanded by Zhou Liang and Li Zheng."

"Starting today, the two battalions will operate separately, taking turns to suppress bandits within Dongyang County in accordance with my orders."

"Hmm..."

Li Yun pondered for a moment before continuing, "We will rotate every half month."

"Furthermore, merits will be recorded based on the volume of bandits each battalion suppresses."

Li Yun glanced around at the men on either side and said in a deep voice, "Starting next month, the losing battalion will have its meat rations halved, and those portions will be handed over to the winning battalion!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously quiet captains widened their eyes and broke into heated discussion.

Li Yun shouted, "If you want to eat meat, put more effort into it!"

"Do you understand?"

Having absolute faith in Li Yun, the men responded in unison, "Understood!"

"Very well, dismissed."

Only then did the captains stand up and leave one by one.

Zhou Liang and the others remained behind, and even Deng Yang, who had intended to leave, was detained by Li Yun.

Li Yun admonished them, "When it comes to suppressing bandits, the men below can be eager, but those of us in command must not be rash. You must be careful to avoid casualties among our men as much as possible."

The three men looked at Li Yun, cupped their fists, and said, "Understood!"

Zhou Liang thought for a moment, then turned to Li Zheng and asked, "Skinny Monkey, will your side go out to suppress bandits first, or mine?"

"I'll go first, Third Uncle," Li Zheng said, gritting his teeth. "You should stay here in the county town for the time being."

"Very good."

Zhou Liang patted Li Zheng’s shoulder and said with a smile, "Be careful. Without the chieftain leading the charge, breaking through bandit strongholds will be a bit more difficult."

Li Zheng smiled. "Huzi is still coming with me. With Huzi around, he's worth at least half a Second Brother."

Zhou Liang chuckled and exchanged a few more instructions with Li Zheng. After Li Zheng and Deng Yang departed, Zhou Liang walked back to Li Yun's side and spoke softly, "Second Brother and the other elders are still holding down the fort at Cangshan Great Stronghold. If they were to see the current chieftain and the vast number of troops under our command now, I can only imagine how shocked they would be."

Cangshan was too small, and Cangshan Great Stronghold was likewise too small.

Ever since Li Yun seized Lingyang Mountain, the young men from the stronghold had been transferred to the Ten Kings Stronghold on Lingyang Mountain.

Now, the Ten Kings Stronghold managed by Liu Bo boasted one to two hundred men, far surpassing the scale of Cangshan Great Stronghold. What remained at Cangshan was merely the Second Chieftain, Yuan Zhengming, alongside a handful of elders from the older generation.

Compared to the Cangshan Great Stronghold of the past, Li Yun, who now commanded over a thousand men, was simply incomparable.

Li Yun smiled and made no reply.

Zhou Liang continued, "The chieftain could invite Fifth Brother to join the army. His medical skills are quite good, and he is especially skilled at compounding healing medicines."

The Fifth Chieftain, belonging to Li Yun's preceding generation, was the local barefoot doctor of Cangshan Great Stronghold.

Working as a physician in a bandit den naturally meant his most practiced skill was compounding healing medicines, as mountain bandits getting injured and bleeding was an everyday occurrence.

Li Yun thought for a moment and nodded. "Then Third Uncle can write a letter to Fifth Brother. If he is willing to come, have him make haste."

Zhou Liang nodded, then added, "Also, the chieftain still lacks a scholar by your side. Even when marching and fighting battles, we still need a few scribes."

"I am aware of that."

Li Yun massaged his brow and said, "However, this person is crucial and cannot be rushed. We must leave it to fate."

For a complete organization, mere martial prowess was far from sufficient; one also needed individuals capable of handling domestic affairs.

Li Yun was not particularly short of strategists at the present stage, because for the time being, he could figure out many matters on his own. What he lacked was a great talent in internal administration, someone akin to a grand chancellor of the martial court.

Yet a candidate like this was essentially the "prime minister" of the Li Yun faction. Finding someone with both adequate capability and unwavering loyalty was truly no easy task.

After seeing Zhou Liang off, Li Yun sat alone in his command tent and muttered softly.

"County Magistrate Xue would indeed be suitable. I wonder when his term as magistrate will expire..."

At this thought, he shook his head slightly.

Old Master Xue would most likely be unwilling to come. No matter how unfavorable his official career might be, he was still a county magistrate; it was impossible for him to come to the army and serve as a mere scribe for Li Yun.

No need to rush. It could not be rushed.

Li Yun picked up a military treatise from the side and began leafing through it.

If all else failed, he would simply have to summon Liu Bo first.

***

Just as Li Yun was launching the bandit-suppression campaign in Dongyang, using combat as training, the force of over twenty thousand troops in Linshui finally completed their preliminary training.

Great General Su no longer dawdled, quickly mustering his forces and beginning the offensive against the rebels.

When the rebel forces inside Qiantang City had broken through the city gates, only seven or eight thousand men remained. However, over a month had passed since then, and by coercing some of the local townspeople to join them within the city, their total numbers were estimated to now reach around ten thousand.

These ten thousand men still maintained high morale.

After all, many of them had "enjoyed" the thrill of plundering the spoils of war after the city fell, and right then, their fighting spirit was soaring.

General Zhao Cheng stood atop the towering city walls of Qiantang, watching the imperial army advancing toward him, and sneered inwardly.

The disparity in troop strength between the two sides was not large. Having spent the past month establishing defensive works in Qiantang, he was confident that no one could capture the city in a short span of time.

Not even Su Jing!

And his own ten thousand men in Qiantang would be more than enough to bog down all of Su Jing's main force of over twenty thousand troops right here in Qiantang, giving the Prince of Yue ample time to develop his forces in the rear!

What he needed most right now was time. Give him a year or half a year, until the army under his command exceeded fifty thousand men, and he would be able to display his ambitions across the southeast. Marching on the capital in the future to exact revenge and wipe out old grievances might not be entirely impossible!

At this thought, Zhao Cheng surged with excitement and said in a deep voice, "Send men out to closely monitor the movements of these imperial troops. Report back immediately at the slightest sign of trouble!"

"Yes!"

The subordinate bowed respectfully and departed.

Zhao Cheng remained on the city wall, memories of Great General Su Jing rising in his mind.

His appearance had grown quite blurry.

Yet in his memory, Su Jing had always treated him quite well.

Zhao Cheng closed his eyes, then slowly opened them again.

None of that mattered anymore. What mattered was that he must perform the task at hand. Even if... even if he failed to overturn the Wu Zhou Dynasty this time, he would still make the foundations of Wu Zhou tremble to their core!

If he could march his army straight to the capital...

Zhao Cheng clenched his fists, his eyes turning somewhat bloodshot.

Just as he was full of high aspirations, another man hurried up the city wall, dropped to one knee, bowed deeply, and said, "General!"

Zhao Cheng snapped back to his senses, turned around, and frowned. "What is it, rushing about so anxiously?"

"Scouts report that Su Jing has split his forces!"

"Split his forces?"

Zhao Cheng was initially perplexed, then frowned. "He has only so many troops; where would he split them to?"

The messenger lowered his head once more and reported, "Reporting to the General, scouts report that Su Jing left seven or eight thousand men to garrison the southeastern side of Qiantang City, and the rest have headed straight for the southeast!"

"The southeast, the southeast..."

Zhao Cheng's expression suddenly shifted, and he froze in place.

Southeast of Qiantang was none other than Yuezhou!

This old codger was bypassing Qiantang and making a direct strike against Yuezhou!

Although Yuezhou possessed no small number of troops—currently numbering one to two thousand—Yuezhou lacked a competent commander like Zhao Cheng, and their level of training fell far short of Zhao Cheng's subordinates!

Zhao Cheng stood rooted to the spot, gazing at Su Jing's army still maneuvering outside the city, dumbfounded for a moment.

These veteran generals...

They were truly old and cunning foxes.

*(End of Chapter)*