Chapter 132

Chapter 132

The Xiao family held firm to seven counties. Although they had dispatched some scouts to monitor the movements of various parties, their main concern was the border troops of Datong and the surrounding large and small rebel kings. They were unaware that Han Zongping in Jizhou, over seven hundred miles away, had already planned to move south. Han Zongping was waiting for news from the border generals of Liangzhou; with the round trip of messengers, it would take at least twenty days.

By the time Han Zongping received the reply from Liangzhou and finally organized his troops to set out, it was already early March, and the spring breeze was gradually warming.

The Xiao family's side remained calm.

Tong Sui accompanied the old man on another inspection tour of the seven counties.

After He Lianqing of Ding County reformed himself, he turned out to be an excellent county administrator. He presented several good strategies to the old man, which were implemented across the seven counties. As a result, the long-standing practices of bullying the weak and exploiting the poor were largely eradicated, both inside and outside the cities. The people were well-fed and warmly clothed, and they received seeds and farming tools from the government for the spring planting season. Everywhere was filled with a festive atmosphere, awaiting the warmer weather to begin planting.

With the iron and copper mines of Ding County and the large amount of ironware plundered by the rebels from five counties, the blacksmiths, carpenters, and laborers of the seven counties worked tirelessly for over a hundred days. They not only equipped each of the forty thousand soldiers with a sharp iron-tipped spear but also forged sufficient swords, bows, arrows, ladders, and siege engines—common military weapons.

From the old man to the young commanders like Xiao Zhen and Xiao Yan, none of them slacked off in training the troops. Every month, they organized a mock battle between two counties to ensure all soldiers were familiar with the various dangers and responses on the battlefield, aiming to train a truly elite army.

The last county they inspected was Ying County, the southernmost one.

Qiao Changshun came out of the city to greet them, smiling at the old man. "General, you arrived just in time. The military advisor from Prince Dai has just arrived and was planning to have a cup of tea here before heading to Wei City to meet you."

As the troops of the seven counties became more like a regular army, the young men had grown accustomed to addressing the old man as 'General.'

Xiao Mu smiled and asked Tong Sui, "Aman, guess why Prince Dai is looking for me?"

Tong Sui replied, "After occupying Shuozhou, Prince Dai has been recruiting soldiers and forming alliances. Last month, he even formed a marriage alliance with Prince Shun. This time, sending his advisor must be to recruit Grandfather and form an alliance among our three families."

Xiao Mu sighed, "If the three families could truly ally, we would have a total of two hundred thousand troops, which indeed sounds capable of plotting for the empire."

Qiao Changshun sneered, "Those more than one hundred and fifty thousand troops are just a rabble. With just a word from you, we brothers could capture Shuozhou."

Xiao Mu said, "Underestimating the enemy before a battle is a great taboo. Don't treat all the rebel kings as the likes of Li Gang. Prince Dai defeated thirty thousand border troops to take Shuozhou, proving his capabilities."

Qiao Changshun bowed, "I understand, General. I will remember this."

Xiao Mu said, "Let's go meet that Mr. Deng."

Mr. Deng was at the southern camp of Ying County, watching the soldiers' drills. His eyes couldn't hide his envy as they swept over the iron-tipped spears.

The Xiao family preferred to build a strong army, which was more costly to train but easier to maintain. Prince Dai's ten thousand troops required twice as much food and fodder as the Xiao family's, and there wasn't enough money or time to equip every soldier with a spear. Moreover, Prince Dai needed to win the hearts of the people and dared not be as brutal as Li Gang in plundering resources, so his military pay and supplies were always tight.

If he could obtain the Xiao family's ready-made forty thousand elite troops, it would be like adding wings to a tiger.

"Old General, long admired!"

Seeing Xiao Mu, Mr. Deng greeted him respectfully.

The Xiao family had already investigated Prince Dai thoroughly, knowing that he was originally the leader of a group of tenant farmers, and Mr. Deng was his brother-in-law, a scholar in his forties.

Xiao Mu dismounted with Tong Sui and others, returning the greeting to Mr. Deng.

After exchanging pleasantries, they entered the council hall, where Mr. Deng stated his purpose. He said that Prince Dai had heard that the old man had four young talents who were unmarried and intended to offer his only beloved daughter in marriage, thus forming both a marital and an alliance relationship to jointly plan for the empire.

Upon hearing this, Qiao Changshun coughed and said, "Please don't think me impolite, but I am the oldest among the four young talents, so if we were to marry, I would be the first. Therefore, I would like to know how old Prince Dai's beloved daughter is and what her appearance and character are like?"

Mr. Deng smiled, "My lady is sixteen years old, gentle and virtuous."

Qiao Changshun asked, "Is she beautiful?"

Mr. Deng glanced at Tong Sui and said, "In terms of beauty, she naturally cannot match Lady Second, but she can be described as 'graceful.' Besides, a man should marry a virtuous wife, not overly focus on appearance."

His additional comment made Qiao Changshun realize that Prince Dai's daughter might not even be graceful.

Knowing that the old man did not want to ally with Prince Dai, Qiao Changshun deliberately showed disdain. "Then let's pass. We brothers are picky; we want both a virtuous and a beautiful wife."

Mr. Deng's face darkened.

Xiao Mu immediately scolded his grandson and apologized to Mr. Deng, "Sir, please forgive him. You see, my grandsons are crude, only their martial skills are commendable. They truly do not match Prince Dai's beloved daughter, and I must decline his kind offer."

Mr. Deng said, "No harm done. If we cannot become in-laws, we can still be allies. What does the old general think?"

Xiao Mu smiled bitterly, "Prince Dai's invitation is tempting, but I am old and increasingly cautious. I dare not openly oppose the court unless absolutely necessary. My greatest wish is to protect the people of the seven counties. The great cause of saving the people is best left to your younger generation."

Mr. Deng understood, smiled faintly, and took his leave.

The old man saw him off at the door of the council hall.

Xiao She asked, "Will Prince Dai attack us for losing face?"

Qiao Changshun laughed, "Let him come. If he doesn't fear following in Li Gang's footsteps, he can come. It will be a good opportunity for our new recruits to practice."

—

The next day, Tong Sui and her party set out at dawn, riding hard for a day and returning to Wei County at dusk.

Xiao Zhen had been waiting outside the city for a long time. Seeing the old man and the others, he spurred his horse forward to greet them.

The old man stroked his beard and teased, "Now that it's warmer, you don't need to bring a cloak. What else do you want to give me?"

Tong Sui tilted her head to look at the side.

Xiao Zhen withdrew his gaze and smiled, "This time, I bring Grandfather a piece of news."

The west, south, and north sides of the seven counties were monitored by scouts sent by Xiao Ye, Qiao Changshun, and Xiao Shouyi, respectively, while the east side was entirely handled by Xiao Zhen's men.

Xiao Mu's expression changed slightly, knowing that his grandson would not joke about serious matters. Tong Sui also looked surprised.

Xiao Zhen instructed the old man's entourage to return to the city first, then slowly rode toward the city gate with his family as he spoke.

"I previously sent a scout to Wanping City to gather information. He returned this morning and reported that seven days ago, a group of imperial envoys rushed into Wanping City. The city was then placed under martial law. He stayed for two more days and learned that General Han Zongping of Jizhou was defying orders and plotting rebellion. The emperor ordered the commander of Wanping to mobilize nearby troops to defend against Han Zongping's advance south."

Wanping was once the capital of the old dynasty, and its city walls were as sturdy as those of Jizhou, a key stronghold. After Imperial Uncle Dou took control of the government, he could not shake Han Zongping's position as the general of Jizhou, so he appointed his younger brother, Dou Dechang, as a major general to garrison Wanping with an army of eighty thousand men.

On the map, Wei County, Wanping, and Jizhou almost lie in a straight line, with Wanping five hundred miles east of Wei County and Jizhou another two hundred miles east of Wanping.

Dou Dechang’s garrison at Wanping was meant to guard against the Han family’s troops, so he did not interfere with the several uprisings nearby.

A fire ignited in Xiao Mu’s chest; after seeing too many so-called rebel kings engage in minor skirmishes, a real battle was finally about to take place.

Xiao She found it hard to believe: “General Han would actually rebel?”

Han Zongping was the top general of the current dynasty, close to Wei County. The old man often used Han Zongping’s victories and defeats to teach military strategy to his grandsons. From Xiao Zhen to Xiao She, the brothers grew up listening to stories of the Han family’s army, admiring Han Zongping’s military genius and respecting his unwavering loyalty to the emperor.

Xiao Mu said, “If the Emperor were still alive, General Han would never rebel. But if treacherous ministers forged an imperial edict demanding that Han hand over his command or even threaten his life, Han would have no choice but to raise arms for self-preservation.”

Xiao She slammed his fist: “Great! Second Brother always said the court isn’t worth our service. Now that General Han is rebelling, he must be a wise ruler. Grandfather, let’s lead our troops to join him right away!”

Xiao Mu: “Dou Dechang’s eighty-thousand-strong army stands between us. How do you plan to join him?”

Xiao She: “We can sneak past first. When Dou Dechang and General Han clash, we’ll launch a surprise attack from behind, creating a pincer movement with General Han. We’ll ensure that the Dou clan won’t leave a single soldier alive.”

Xiao Mu asked Tong Sui: “Aman, if the decision were yours, what would you say?”

Tong Sui thought for a moment and said, “Since Grandfather took charge of Wei County, he has made it clear that our family only seeks to protect the territory and its people, and will not rise in rebellion. Suddenly joining General Han would be breaking our word. Moreover, General Zhao of Da Tong’s intentions are unknown. He has ignored us, possibly intending to continue supporting the court. If we rashly attack General Dou, and General Zhao then attacks us from behind, we will be the ones caught between two armies.”

Xiao Mu nodded at Xiao She: “All those extra years of learning with me, and you’re still outmatched by your second sister-in-law who has only studied for a few months.”

Xiao She scratched the back of his head: “I just want to fight alongside General Han against the court.”

Of course, he would support a good court, and even help the court fight against General Han if necessary, but this court was rotten to the core, and neither the emperor nor the imperial uncle were decent people.

Xiao Zhen said, “Fifth Younger Brother, don’t rush. If General Han truly rebels, he will surely continue to occupy surrounding cities after defeating Dou Dechang. Sooner or later, he will reach us.”

Actively leading the forty-thousand-strong army of the seven counties to join Han Zongping would be an act of rebellion. However, if they surrendered under the pressure of Han’s advancing army, it would be seen as a forced move, which would be less damaging to their reputation and also earn them favor with Han Zongping.

Therefore, the Xiao family pretended to be unaware of the outside turmoil, and both the military and civilians focused on the spring plowing.

Ten days later, the scouts Xiao Zhen had dispatched returned with news: Han Zongping had led fifty thousand elite soldiers to crush Dou Dechang’s eighty-thousand-strong army. He now controlled Wanping and, after integrating the surrendered troops, had over one hundred thousand well-trained regulars, in addition to the ten thousand troops left to guard the border in Jizhou.

Tong Sui calculated the time: Wanping was five hundred miles from Wei County, and the round trip for the scouts took about seven or eight days. This meant that General Han had taken a key city with fewer troops in just two or three days?

Was this younger brother of Imperial Uncle Dou also a mediocre commander like Li Gang?