Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Huai County.

Since their defeat in Wei County, the injured rebel king Li Gang had led his troops back to Huai County to regroup. Through a combination of chasing and plundering, he managed to gather another twenty thousand soldiers.

When Xiao Mu sent a messenger with a letter, Li Gang and Mr. Fan, among other generals, were discussing how to attack Ding County. The small Ding County was not a major concern, but they feared interference from Wei County.

"Your Highness, someone has come from Wei County!"

Li Gang's face darkened as he recalled the despicable actions of the Xiao family. He asked, "How many came? On donkeys or mules?"

Li Zhen glared angrily, remembering that day when his elder brother had arranged for reinforcements far away. Otherwise, covering over three hundred miles on foot would have taken days and nights.

"Just one person, riding a mule."

Li Gang sneered, "Take his mule first."

Mr. Fan interjected, "Your Highness, perhaps we should hear what the Xiao family has to say before acting rashly."

They had just suffered a defeat; mimicking the Xiao family's arrogance would only lead to more trouble. What if the Xiao family decided to attack them?

Noticing Mr. Fan's signal, Li Gang calmed down slightly and changed his tone, "Fine, bring him in."

This time, the messenger from Wei County was not Qiao Changshun, but he looked kind and likable, clearly a clever individual.

Li Gang read the letter first. Seeing the formal language, he tossed it irritably to Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan translated it into plain speech, frowning, "He Lianqing has sent several thousand pounds of copper and iron to Wei County. The Xiao family has agreed to form an alliance with He Lianqing. If either county is attacked, the other will send troops to assist. Old Master Xiao hopes Your Highness will give him face and refrain from attacking Ding County again."

Li Gang flew into a rage, glaring at the messenger from Wei County, "That old man is pushing his luck! Does he really think I'm afraid of him?"

The messenger lowered his eyes, seemingly intimidated by Li Gang's anger, but stood firmly without showing any fear.

Mr. Fan instructed a soldier to take the messenger away.

Li Zhen's eyes hardened as he suggested, "Brother, last time we underestimated them and suffered a defeat. This time, let me lead the troops. I guarantee I'll crush both counties in one go."

Other generals also volunteered, confident that their twenty thousand troops would easily overpower the combined forces of Wei and Ding Counties, which totaled less than ten thousand.

Li Gang glanced at the bandage on his arm and then at Mr. Fan.

Mr. Fan remained calm and analyzed the situation, "The Xiao family now has a thousand cavalrymen. Even if they haven't fully trained yet, each cavalryman can match five infantrymen. A thousand cavalrymen are equivalent to five thousand. Additionally, their troops are all young and strong, and Old Master Xiao is skilled in military tactics. Our two thousand ordinary militia may not stand much of a chance against them."

Li Zhen retorted, "Are we just going to let them bully us like this?"

Mr. Fan replied, "No, but we need to wait until our forces are stronger. We've just suffered a defeat and our morale is low. We need a victory to boost our spirits and reputation. Yun County and Yu County to the west, and Ying County to the south, are better targets than Ding County. And we must act quickly to prevent other forces from getting there first."

Li Gang nodded, "Mr. Fan is right. Let's attack Yun County tomorrow morning and then deal with the Xiao family later."

Mr. Fan added, "When the messenger returns, Your Highness might want to show some weakness to lower the defenses of Wei and Ding Counties."

Li Gang grumbled, "If I show weakness, won't I lose the chance to take his mule?"

He still couldn't swallow the humiliation of having his mule taken by the Xiao family.

Mr. Fan smiled, "A mere mule. When we eventually conquer Wei County, the entire Xiao family will be at your mercy."

—

On the tenth day of the tenth month, the Xiao family gave most of the new recruits a day off, provided they returned before dusk.

Tong Sui accompanied Xiao Zhen, while Xiao Yuchan initially wanted to join but decided to go shopping with her aunt and grandmother instead.

Xiao Zhen first took Tong Sui to the cavalry regiment he commanded.

The four main camps within the city were allocated to the four infantry regiments, while the cavalry regiment and another infantry regiment occupied the gardens of two wealthy families as their bases.

The garden was large, but as a camp for over a thousand soldiers, Tong Sui felt it was cramped and inconvenient.

She asked, "How do you train your cavalry here?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "We ride out of the city every day and return after training. It's a temporary measure. We've already sent people to build a new cavalry camp outside the city, using adobe houses. Six hundred able-bodied men started construction on the eighth, and it should be ready in two days. Then we'll move there."

Tong Sui was curious, "Six hundred able-bodied men? Are they hired civilians or new recruits?"

Xiao Zhen smiled, "We captured over two thousand prisoners from the rebel king. We released the elderly and weak, leaving about twelve hundred able-bodied men. Half of them are building the camp, and the other half are cutting wood. They handle lumber processing, blacksmithing, and transportation. We provide food, so we don't have to pay wages."

Tong Sui had seen the gun-making operation in Taohuagou, where her mother distributed wages. She felt pangs of sympathy even then. Now, Wei County saved a significant amount of money by using prisoners, which made her both happy and uneasy: "Will those people work willingly for free? Won't they try to escape?"

If they escaped, they would likely kill the guards from Wei County, who were mostly local young men, including familiar faces from Taohuagou and Lingshui Village. Tong Sui didn't want any of them to get hurt.

The prisoners were indeed pitiful, but she wasn't so naive as to feel sorry for outsiders who had once fought against Wei County.

In war, capturing prisoners meant freeing up more able-bodied men and saving money.

Xiao Zhen explained, "They won't escape. If they do, they'll be caught and forced back into the rebel army. It's safer for them to do manual labor here. Besides, if they remain loyal to Wei County, they could eventually join the Wei County army, which pays salaries, unlike the rebel king's forces."

Tong Sui nodded, agreeing that she wouldn't escape either.

"Where are you building the camp?"

Xiao Zhen led her to his study and took out a map.

Tong Sui had never seen such maps before. The one Xiao Zhen showed her was slightly yellowed at the edges, with simple outlines of mountains, rivers, and the locations of towns and cities. She asked, "Is this the map? Did you find it in the county office?"

Xiao Zhen replied, "The county office's map mainly covers the local mountains and villages. This is a military map used for battle plans, meticulously updated over years by my grandfather."

Tong Sui looked at him in shock.

Xiao Zhen pulled her onto his lap. "Don't overthink it. Grandfather was a thousand-household commander in his youth, and his mind is full of military matters. Suddenly moving to the countryside, although he adapted to being a farmer, he still loves military affairs. He walks around and explores, then goes back home to study these things in his study, finding joy in it. Just like your maternal grandfather, the Zhou family has been practicing medicine for generations. Even if you let him rest, he wouldn't be able to give up saving lives."

Tong Sui understood.

Xiao Zhen began explaining the map that covered more than a dozen counties around them.

Finally, he pointed to a place between Wei County and Ding County in the north. "The cavalry camp will be built here. The surroundings are open, making it convenient for daily drills. The camp is thirty miles away from both Wei County and Ding County. It's fifty miles from the iron mine north of Ding County, which can be reached within half an hour on horseback. No matter which side the rebel king attacks, we can respond promptly."

Tong Sui grew increasingly impressed. "Did you and Grandfather plan all this out early?"

The captives caught on the seventh day were already dispatched to build houses and cut wood on the eighth day, ensuring that building the camp and preparing weapons didn't delay each other. Including He Lianqing sending copper and iron to seek an alliance, it must have been anticipated by the two of them.

Xiao Zhen: "Yes, the rebel king is a threat, and the weather is about to get cold. We can't afford to waste a single day."

Once winter officially arrives, the ground freezes, making digging difficult, and the harsh winds on the mountains make logging challenging. Although the laborers are captives, they cannot be treated like beasts without regard for their well-being.

Tong Sui couldn't help but shift her gaze from his face to his head. Everyone eats the same food and drinks the same water, yet how could he and the old man think so far ahead and arrange everything so meticulously?

Xiao Zhen saw her admiring dark eyes, bright and sparkling like two stars fallen from a winter night sky.

He slowly moved closer.

Tong Sui hadn't noticed the change in his expression, but another part of him changed, immediately alerting her.

In the camp, in the study, this man could still get excited.

Taking advantage of his lack of guard, Tong Sui nimbly jumped away, running to the study door before blushing slightly and demanding, "This isn't even a military camp. Take me to see the other camps."

Xiao Zhen chuckled, sitting for a while longer before standing up and accompanying her to the southern camp.

Thus, Tong Sui saw the large barracks where dozens of soldiers could lie side by side, the kitchen in the camp, the armory, stables, and more. Xiao Zhen also explained the camp's military discipline and the meaning of different horn signals on the battlefield.

Leaving the camp, the two went to the southern city wall.

There was much more to talk about here because Tong Sui asked detailed questions. Xiao Zhen explained the structure of the city walls inside and out, so thoroughly that after memorizing it, she could build four city walls herself with enough materials and manpower.

Xiao Zhen took a waterskin from a guard, drank several large gulps, then looked at the girl standing at a crenellation, gazing into the distance, and teased her, "If I had known you were so eager to learn, I should have taken you as a child bride when you were seven or eight, letting you listen to Grandfather's teachings along with Fifth Younger Brother."

Tong Sui hummed lightly. "Only poor families who can't afford to feed their daughters would sell them as child brides. Even if your family was wealthy, my parents would never have agreed back then."

Xiao Zhen placed his hand beside hers. "When I was eighteen, people praised me for having a face like jade. You should have found me attractive."

Tong Sui's gaze had already fallen on his hand. This tall man had long, slender fingers, and his hands, like his face, were sun-tanned to the color of ripe wheat.

At eighteen, Xiao Zhen must have lived the life of a young master in a wealthy household, not needing to work the fields, naturally fair-skinned.

Tong Sui thought for a moment and asked, "You went to the battlefield at twenty. With your background and looks, why weren't you engaged?"

Xiao Zhen smiled. "In his youth, full of vigor, he looked down on the girls from the neighboring villages."

Tong Sui: "……"

Xiao Zhen: "Having been to battle and traveled far, his standards grew higher, making him even more selective about choosing a wife."

Tong Sui: "Selective and yet ended up with a hunter's daughter?"

Xiao Zhen: " precisely because he couldn't find anyone himself, and with age catching up, he had to listen to his grandfather's arrangement, never expecting it to work out perfectly."