Chapter 54: Expanding the Army

After the pardon documents were sent out, Li Mu’s residence suddenly became bustling, with visitors coming in an unbroken stream.

Previously, people had only heard through channels that a powerful Battalion Commander had arrived in Yangzhou, but they knew nothing specific.

After witnessing his influence firsthand, everyone quickly grew warm and friendly.

Even if not entangled in the counter-revolutionary case, having one more friend meant one more path—no one could guarantee they wouldn’t need it someday.

The local gentry not only organized able-bodied men and raised funds and grain, but also gratefully presented him with lavish gifts, leaving him no choice but to accept.

It made Li Mu feel somewhat embarrassed, even wondering if his earlier demands had been too harsh.

What others saw as his extraordinary power, he knew best—it was simply a matter of riding the tide.

As the Imperial Envoy, Marquis Wuyang needed to maintain a detached status and could not directly interact with the gentry, thus giving Li Mu his chance to shine.

It was a beautiful misunderstanding, impossible to explain publicly.

Judging solely from public information, his relationship with Marquis Wuyang was indeed strong; he could speak with the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he was himself a member of the noble elite.

Aside from his weak connections within the civil official bloc, he had virtually no weaknesses.

The final weakness could not be fixed—officialdom never allowed perfect men to exist.

To hold a high position, one must clearly define one’s role; crossing multiple political factions made it nearly impossible to gain support.

…

“My lord, with the cooperation of the gentry, the conscription of able-bodied men has exceeded its quota.”

A total of twenty-one thousand three hundred and twenty-six able-bodied men were recruited, and forty-two thousand six hundred and fifty-two taels of resettlement funds were distributed.

Fifteen thousand have already entered the main camp; the rest, due to their longer journey, will arrive tomorrow.

The biggest problem now is that the Yangzhou arsenal is empty, weapons and equipment are scarce, and siege machinery is severely insufficient.

Of the newly conscripted men, only a few brought their own bows and arrows; seven or eight out of ten lack equipment.

As per your orders, we’ve organized blacksmiths to forge weapons. But there are few blacksmiths in the city, and official iron reserves are limited—output is extremely low.”

Hearing his private secretary’s report, Li Mu nodded slightly.

Conscription under a feudal dynasty differed sharply from the precision of later eras.

To ensure exactly twenty thousand able-bodied men, more had to be recruited initially.

Only then could losses from desertions or training casualties be immediately replaced.

For ordinary civilians, being conscripted to defend the city felt like half the sky had collapsed.

Usually, such duties were unpaid, and the harsher ones even demanded soldiers bring their own rations.

Receiving two taels of resettlement funds was due not only to Li Mu’s efforts but mostly because everyone was uncertain.

When rebels captured counties, conscripted militia had broken down under pressure and mutinied on the battlefield.

This Yangzhou campaign has been extremely profitable, and everyone now values their lives.

With that precedent in mind, everyone unanimously decided to show their generosity toward the conscripted men.

After all, it was the court’s money—no need to be so stingy.

Weapon shortages were inevitable; if the troops were fully armed, that would be the real problem.

In peacetime, storing enough arms in a local arsenal to equip twenty thousand soldiers was simply an invitation to regional warlordism.

As for the common people, most weapons were banned from private ownership; even if they had hidden ones, they dared not bring them out.

“Well done. Send word to Marquis Wuyang that conscription is complete—let him decide troop allocation.”

Never mind, I’ll go tell him myself.

Wu Dagé, take your men immediately and select soldiers—first, fill my personal guard to three hundred!”

Li Mu gave the order at once.

Workplace experience taught him: to draw closer to superiors, report often and seek guidance frequently.

Keep showing up, get familiar, so when benefits arise, you’re the one who can claim them.

Besides, he wasn’t going empty-handed—the gifts from Yangzhou’s gentry included a share for Marquis Wuyang.

Li Mu dared not embezzle his superior’s money; even if he had to skim, it would be from the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard’s portion.

The two sides couldn’t sit down for an audit; how much to give depended entirely on how the situation developed.

If the noble and imperial in-law factions were strong enough to dominate the Yangzhou issue, merely urging Marquis Wuyang to make a call would suffice.

As for the Emperor’s pardon edict, it was pure empty rhetoric. At his current level, Li Mu had no standing to speak directly to Emperor Tianyuan.

At most, he could add a few flattering words in his memorial to the Emperor.

Such matters didn’t require Li Mu’s special attention—the lavish gifts prepared by Yangzhou’s gentry were enough to ensure Marquis Wuyang’s special treatment.

Compared to cultivating connections, Li Mu placed greater emphasis on expanding his own loyal forces.

As a military officer, having only thirty retainers was far too insecure during wartime.

In the capital, circumstances were special and expansion was inconvenient; now, with the Yangzhou defense underway, things were different.

He chose to expand his loyal force to three hundred because when he left Hanzhong, he had brought only thirty retainers.

Even if these men were to be trained as junior officers, they had never commanded troops; adding too many would overwhelm his ability to manage them.

Deep inside, Li Mu had already resolved: after the war, he would expand his retainer force to one hundred.

If he was promoted and assigned to a local post afterward, his retainer force could grow even larger.

He genuinely envied the generals of the Nine Borders who commanded thousands of retainers.

With such a base, why bother defending Yangzhou? They could simply lead their troops out and crush the rebels with ease.

“Yes, sir!”

Wu Dagé answered first.

Then he rushed out in a panic, as if arriving late would mean missing out on promising recruits.

This was Li Mu’s fault—he had drawn too many pies during training to motivate his men.

As a result, his soldiers all dreamed of becoming generals.

“My lord, Captain Wu is in such a hurry!”

Lan Linjie chuckled.

Having followed Li Mu for months, he had grown familiar with the retainers and understood them somewhat.

They were all blunt, straightforward men who never flattered or kowtowed.

They seemed like an entirely different species from the retainers he had known before.

“Hah!”

That fool has always been impulsive.

If you have time, Master Lan, perhaps you could help me train them.

They’re mostly semi-literate—if I didn’t keep a tight rein, they probably couldn’t even write their own names.”

Hearing Li Mu’s words, Lan Linjie instantly regretted it.

He had witnessed how these men learned—it was truly unbearable.

Yet recently, he had owed the lord a major favor for his classmate’s sake and couldn’t refuse easily.

“My lord, rest assured—after this great battle, I’ll find them a tutor!”

Lan Linjie decisively chose to let someone else bear the burden.

There were plenty of down-on-their-luck scholars; someone would bow for five shi of rice.

Pick one with strong nerves—he shouldn’t be driven to death.

(End of Chapter)