Chapter 397: then translation of chapter title

The battle at Sifang Shan.

The Xue Family had become a thing of the past; the Li Family also suffered heavy losses, and now only Li Linguo and his son remained, struggling to hold on with a few retainers.

The loot they had madly plundered in Yunan during this period was basically wiped clean after these two battles. In fact, they themselves had consumed little of it; most fell into Chen Wuji's hands.

Now it can truly be called an Attack-Defense Easy Form; the situation has reversed.

Chen Wuji now actually can't even figure out how much wealth he has.

For someone who grew up poor, calculating every copper coin's destination, this situation should count as being rich, even filthy rich.

Chen Wuji temporarily rested and regrouped at Sifang Shan.

First, to confirm military merits and distribute rewards accordingly.

Second, to reorganize the captives.

At the strong urging of Xu Zengyi and Li Run, they took prisoners in this battle.

Chen Wuji and Xu Zengyi argued for a long time, each holding their own view, neither yielding.

Later Li Run entered the fray, joining Xu Zengyi's camp.

Chen Wuji, facing two against him, couldn't prevail, so he had to agree to their demands.

Xu Zengyi and Li Run believed that now the Xue Family had been wiped out, the Gu and Li Families were spent forces, and there was no need to continue the previous cruel practice of taking no prisoners; they could retain those who surrendered and execute only the ringleaders.

Chen Wuji already controlled most of Yunan; he needed to focus on his reputation, lest the populace fear and dread him, which would hinder future governance of Yunan.

Many prisoners were taken in this battle, the total exceeding two thousand.

Xue Yi's retainers suffered over half casualties, but the retainers Li Xun brought were almost intact.

This was strongly urged by Xu Zengyi and Li Run; Chen Wuji naturally went along, tossing the ball to them to sort out which of the prisoners had committed grave crimes and needed to be killed, which should be retained and formed into troops, and which should be discharged and sent home.

This matter was very tedious.

Xu Zengyi and Li Run led a considerable number of officers and soldiers, busily working for two full days before finishing.

They executed over three hundred who had committed grave crimes.

Notably, a large portion of these over three hundred were actually reported by their former comrades-in-arms.

A unit of retainers is also a small society, with layers of big and small kings within.

Those rooted out were basically such people.

They threw their weight around in the army, and when plundering the populace they employed every cruel means, to the point that even their own comrades could not stomach it; now with this opportunity, they all came forward to point them out.

He also discharged nearly five hundred elderly and weaklings, leaving Chen Wuji with fifteen hundred troops.

After being shaken up, these people were respectively incorporated into the commands of Qian Yong, Wu Bu Yong, and Chen Wu Yin.

Since Chen Wu Yin and Chen Baojia were then garrisoning Yunan City, these troops were temporarily placed under Yang Tiejiang's command.

This round of troop reinforcements pushed the forces of Qian Yong, Wu Bu Yong, and Chen Wu Yin's three units each past a thousand, reaching about twelve hundred Bīngmǎ.

Chen Wuji's total forces under his command also reached the number of nine thousand.

He, a Negotiation Colonel, commanded the troops of eight Negotiation Colonels.

The commander with the most troops is naturally the veteran Yang Tiejiang; adding the new able-bodied recruits not yet arrived at Sifang Shan, his force totals about thirty-five hundred.

The remaining forces of Chen Wu Yin, Qian Yong, and Wu Bu Yong are roughly equal.

The smallest force is the Clan Troops led by Chen Baojia.

After several mergers, he now leads fewer than six hundred.

This time, Chen Wuji had originally planned to reinforce Chen Baojia, but after thinking, he abandoned the idea.

The Chen Clan Troops and the Old Veteran unit brought by Yang Tiejiang are, like each other, inherently somewhat special within the whole retainer corps; let them remain special for now.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen Wuji also reallocated authority.

Or put another way, he clarified what had previously been unclear.

Qian Fugui and Chen Bushi, these two Colonels, were previously nothing more than mascots.

With limited forces, Chen Wuji commanded directly, leaving no chance for the two of them to command.

Now that forces have rapidly expanded, authority naturally needs to be further clarified.

Chen Wuji placed Qian Yong's and Wu Bu Yong's brigades under Qian Fugui's command.

Chen Wu Yin and Chen Baojia were placed under Chen Bushi's command.

Yang Tiejiang's side, consisting entirely of new recruits and captives, will have its brigade and battalion commanders etc. appointed by himself as needed; Chen Wuji can simply approve in bulk.

At this point, Chen Wuji suddenly realized he seemed to have transformed, now appearing proper and capable.

He had a military advisor, a Chief Clerk, and three Colonels.

His Negotiation Colonel rank should also be considered unique under Da Yu.

When Chen Wuji's rest and regroup were nearly done, Qin Zhanhong came down the mountain, timing her descent.

After spending a few days in the mountains as a wild woman, this carefree woman remained radiant and charming, full of allure.

If Chen Wuji hadn't known she went into the mountains to live as a wild woman, seeing her like this would even make one suspect she had sneaked out for a stroll.

"They're just young girls, and you were really harsh."

In the camp tent, Chen Wuji handed Qin Zhanhong a cloth dampened with warm water, telling her to wipe her face.

Qin Zhanhong glanced sideways, smiling sweetly: "Which little girl inside made you feel sorry for her? Don't tell me you feel sorry for all of them."

"I think a group of young, weak women might not be able to endure this hardship!" Chen Wuji was speechless, "Don't drag me into this; I'm already struggling to handle you few, I can't afford to add more burden."

Qin Zhanhong's eyes were like silk, she giggled for a moment, then said solemnly: "I'm making them train hard now precisely because I worry they can't endure this hardship, so they should get used to suffering early."

"The path is theirs to choose; I don't have time to accompany them in acting out the drama of 'I'll take revenge today, I'll be unable tomorrow.' For most people, hatred's drive can at most keep them going for about a month, so now we must not let them be too comfortable; they must get used to suffering."

"In our line of work, if you can't even subdue pain, you'll eventually become a traitor."

Chen Wuji had never given this much thought before; now, after a little reflection, he understood what Qin Zhanhong meant—having watched spy dramas since childhood, he knew this principle was repeated throughout.

"What training plans do you have next?" Chen Wuji asked.

"Next……" Qin Zhanhong gave a seductive glance and softly clung to Chen Wuji's body, "Next I plan to train myself a bit; I've been in the mountains for so many days, I'm almost starving to death, quickly let me have a bite."

Saying that, she was about to act.

Chen Wuji hurriedly stopped Qin Zhanhong, whispering in her ear: "Nowadays things are different; my camp tent is surrounded by people, and at any moment someone could burst in, so bear with it a little, tonight."

Qin Zhanhong gave a displeased soft hum, "No, I said let me……have a bite."

She furtively glanced outside, then pulled Chen Wuji to behind the curtains.