Marching to War!

"Indeed it is." His eldest son's words proved he had a clear grasp of the realm's situation, of He Chunhua's own circumstances, and even of the rebels in Longchuan. To have grown so much in just one year? "If you succeed in one blow and crush the rebel main force, the remnants left in Longchuan will be of little concern. You can garrison troops in the villages and stockades, Father, clearing out small bands of enemies region by region—advancing steadily until every last remnant surrenders or is wiped out." In his heart, however, He Lingchuan thought: *If the river bandits of over a century ago had dared leave their nest and march north like today's rebels, Yuheng City would have rounded them up in one fell swoop long ago. Why would it ever have taken so much trouble?* He Chunhua gave a nod. "Your thinking is close to Wu Shaoyi's." Wu Shaoyi had originally been a general under Hong Xiangqian. Subdued by the He father and son on their journey north to Xiazhou, he had served He Chunhua ever since. Though illness prevented him from mounting a horse to fight, his insight remained. *Did the old man want him to bring something new to the table?* He Lingchuan smiled. "Suppression campaigns can be slow or fast. The slow way is what Wu Shaoyi and I just described." "And the fast way?" "To do it faster, you must pair it with your governing touch, Father." He Lingchuan tapped the sand table where Yazhou lay. "You are already Chief Administrator of Yazhou; your word is law on that turf. Issue decrees as soon as possible to reduce taxes, lighten corvée labor, and show benevolence to the people. Doing so will soften the hostility that local villagers and rebel sympathizers feel toward government troops, and the progress of reclaiming Longchuan will speed up." Lower taxes and lighter levies—where, then, would the treasury's revenue come from? No need to worry about that now; there would be plenty of ways down the road. The commoners at the bottom had long been crushed under burdens so heavy they could barely breathe. If their load were not lightened now, if real benefits were not delivered to the people, then the populace and the authorities would remain at odds. "Good, very good!" He Chunhua clapped his hands. "Well said. My other advisors only talk about how to fight; not a single one has considered winning the hearts of the people." He sighed. "If only you could march out with me, that would be wonderful." "I'd like to go too, but alas, I am the Mount Rong special envoy and must remain in the Yuan capital to monitor where the loan goes." He Lingchuan spread his hands in resignation. "Good steel must be used on the blade's edge. With this modest sum of money, we can't let others squander it away. Otherwise, you won't even be able to fight on the front lines." "True enough." If his eldest son did not hold the fort in the Yuan capital to audit the use of the funds, wouldn't these millions of taels vanish into thin air? He Chunhua understood this very well. "Priority must be given to supplying the front lines. Generals Ke and Zhao are having a very hard time out there as well; they cannot be left short." Wu Di had even died in battle on the northwestern front. Zhao Pan had now stepped into his place, partnered with Ke Jihai. These men had poured out their utmost devotion for the realm, and He Chunhua held great admiration for them. "It's a pity there's a bit of friction between General Zhao and General Ke. They don't cooperate nearly as well as Wu and Ke used to." He Lingchuan looked at the sand table once more. The river bandits of the past had possessed strong soldiers and sturdy steeds, fighting for riches, backed by Beijia and Jintao, their web of interests deeply entangled. Today's rebels were ragged wretches fighting just to survive. Their makeup was pure simplicity: impoverished peasants. Give them a full meal, and they might stop making trouble altogether. In combat strength, scale, and even staying power, the two could not be mentioned in the same breath. He let out a quiet sigh. Time flowed onward. Yuheng City and the Longchuan river bandits of a hundred and seventy years ago—that pair of mortal enemies—had long since been buried by history. All of it was gone, leaving only war to begin its next cycle. The only power enduring from that age was Beijia, as formidable as ever. *** The following day, He Chunhua invited the Mount Rong special envoy—his own eldest son—to inspect the troops alongside him. The main components of this army were the Xiazhou army core that had followed the He family south, soldiers from four nearby Garrison Commands, and a detachment of the Outer Imperial Guard garrisoning the vicinity of the capital—totaling over forty-five thousand men. With time so short, He Chunhua had to stage multiple mock battles, hoping to swiftly integrate this mixed force. To He Lingchuan's eyes, the strongest among them was, unsurprisingly, the Xiazhou army. He still remembered He Chunhua's desperate straits when he first raised this force last year: short on food and clothes, lacking officers, racking his brains just to secure a first victory against the hit-and-run tactics of the Xunzhou skirmishers. Now, however, their ranks stood in neat formation and were well-equipped, charging with impressive poise. A veteran of the battlefield himself, He Lingchuan could tell at a glance that this force had already seen combat and blood; they did not panic when trouble struck. No doubt they had fought several rounds against the Xunzhou army. A stir of emotion rose within him. Over the past year, he had grown at breakneck speed, but He Chunhua had also been laboring just as diligently, never slackening for a moment. Heaven rewards diligence. He Chunhua had gritted his teeth and waited through it all, lacking only an opportunity. Now, the opportunity had finally arrived. It remained to be seen whether he could seize it. The monarch of Yuan had done his utmost as well, assigning the pick of the elite from the Outer Imperial Guard and the Garrison Commands to He Chunhua. His eagerness to achieve total success in a single campaign was plain to see. With the march imminent, He Chunhua grew as busy as a spinning top, taking his meals and sleeping directly in the camp rather than returning home. He Lingchuan seized the chance to invite Wu Shaoyi to dinner, making a request of him over the meal: "Elder Wu, on your journey to Yazhou, please look through the Tu County gazetteers from the past two hundred years for me—preferably anything related to Longchuan." Unable to go in person, he had to rely on someone trustworthy. "Longchuan?" "Yes. Any clue related to Longchuan, I want it! The more detailed, the better." Wu Shaoyi agreed without hesitation. "A trivial matter. Leave it to me." He Lingchuan had saved his life. Repaying that debt with such a small favor was effortless. Two days later, the military supplies aided by Mount Rong arrived, creating a sensation throughout the royal court. This was life-saving silver; this was timely rain. The threshold of the monarch of Yuan's imperial study was nearly worn flat by petitioners. Yet under the vigilant gaze of the Mount Rong special envoy and Assistant Hu, the royal court weathered the pressure, ensuring that provisions and pay went first to the two great battlefields. That evening, He Chunhua rushed back to He Manor to reunite with his family. Early the next morning, he led the army south to put down the rebellion. The monarch of Yuan ascended the city gate in person to see him off, drawing a tremendous crowd along the route. He Lingchuan stood on the gate tower beside Madam Ying. When his father turned back, he waved and smiled at him. Father and son looked at each other across the distance. Amidst the sea of people, both felt an estrangement between them, even as their smiles shone brightly. Then the army marched into the distance. The bustle in the Yuan capital came to a temporary pause as the crowd gradually dispersed. Her heart surging with emotion, Madam Ying was in no hurry to return to the manor and dragged He Lingchuan along to browse the streets for half the day. While practicing martial arts for half a day was nothing to him, walking the shops for less than an hour left his legs aching, forcing him to slip away on the pretext of urgent official business. No sooner had he left the street corner than Qiu Hu materialized out of nowhere. "Mission complete." Catching his meaning, He Lingchuan found a tavern, booked a private room, and poured Qiu Hu a cup of wine. Qiu Hu kept both hands planted firmly on his knees, not touching the cup. "Reporting to the Young Master: I've followed General He for the past five days." Although He Lingchuan was easygoing, the line between master and subordinate remained. With his report yet unfinished, how could he indulge in eating and drinking before his master? He Lingchuan took note of this and gave a slight smile. The task he had assigned Qiu Hu was to shadow He Chunhua. "What did you find?"