[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-54":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364323,4623,"Chapter 54: Expanding the Army","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-54",54,"\u003Cp>After the pardon documents were sent out, Li Mu’s residence suddenly became bustling, with visitors coming in an unbroken stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, people had only heard through channels that a powerful Battalion Commander had arrived in Yangzhou, but they knew nothing specific.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After witnessing his influence firsthand, everyone quickly grew warm and friendly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made Li Mu feel somewhat embarrassed, even wondering if his earlier demands had been too harsh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What others saw as his extraordinary power, he knew best—it was simply a matter of riding the tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a beautiful misunderstanding, impossible to explain publicly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from his weak connections within the civil official bloc, he had virtually no weaknesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final weakness could not be fixed—officialdom never allowed perfect men to exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To hold a high position, one must clearly define one’s role; crossing multiple political factions made it nearly impossible to gain support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, with the cooperation of the gentry, the conscription of able-bodied men has exceeded its quota.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fifteen thousand have already entered the main camp; the rest, due to their longer journey, will arrive tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biggest problem now is that the Yangzhou arsenal is empty, weapons and equipment are scarce, and siege machinery is severely insufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of the newly conscripted men, only a few brought their own bows and arrows; seven or eight out of ten lack equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his private secretary’s report, Li Mu nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conscription under a feudal dynasty differed sharply from the precision of later eras.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure exactly twenty thousand able-bodied men, more had to be recruited initially.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then could losses from desertions or training casualties be immediately replaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For ordinary civilians, being conscripted to defend the city felt like half the sky had collapsed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, such duties were unpaid, and the harsher ones even demanded soldiers bring their own rations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Receiving two taels of resettlement funds was due not only to Li Mu’s efforts but mostly because everyone was uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When rebels captured counties, conscripted militia had broken down under pressure and mutinied on the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Yangzhou campaign has been extremely profitable, and everyone now values their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that precedent in mind, everyone unanimously decided to show their generosity toward the conscripted men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was the court’s money—no need to be so stingy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weapon shortages were inevitable; if the troops were fully armed, that would be the real problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In peacetime, storing enough arms in a local arsenal to equip twenty thousand soldiers was simply an invitation to regional warlordism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the common people, most weapons were banned from private ownership; even if they had hidden ones, they dared not bring them out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well done. Send word to Marquis Wuyang that conscription is complete—let him decide troop allocation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never mind, I’ll go tell him myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Dagé, take your men immediately and select soldiers—first, fill my personal guard to three hundred!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu gave the order at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Workplace experience taught him: to draw closer to superiors, report often and seek guidance frequently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep showing up, get familiar, so when benefits arise, you’re the one who can claim them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, he wasn’t going empty-handed—the gifts from Yangzhou’s gentry included a share for Marquis Wuyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two sides couldn’t sit down for an audit; how much to give depended entirely on how the situation developed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At most, he could add a few flattering words in his memorial to the Emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to cultivating connections, Li Mu placed greater emphasis on expanding his own loyal forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a military officer, having only thirty retainers was far too insecure during wartime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital, circumstances were special and expansion was inconvenient; now, with the Yangzhou defense underway, things were different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chose to expand his loyal force to three hundred because when he left Hanzhong, he had brought only thirty retainers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep inside, Li Mu had already resolved: after the war, he would expand his retainer force to one hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he was promoted and assigned to a local post afterward, his retainer force could grow even larger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He genuinely envied the generals of the Nine Borders who commanded thousands of retainers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such a base, why bother defending Yangzhou? They could simply lead their troops out and crush the rebels with ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Dagé answered first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he rushed out in a panic, as if arriving late would mean missing out on promising recruits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Li Mu’s fault—he had drawn too many pies during training to motivate his men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, his soldiers all dreamed of becoming generals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, Captain Wu is in such a hurry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Linjie chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having followed Li Mu for months, he had grown familiar with the retainers and understood them somewhat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all blunt, straightforward men who never flattered or kowtowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They seemed like an entirely different species from the retainers he had known before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That fool has always been impulsive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you have time, Master Lan, perhaps you could help me train them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re mostly semi-literate—if I didn’t keep a tight rein, they probably couldn’t even write their own names.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Li Mu’s words, Lan Linjie instantly regretted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had witnessed how these men learned—it was truly unbearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet recently, he had owed the lord a major favor for his classmate’s sake and couldn’t refuse easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, rest assured—after this great battle, I’ll find them a tutor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Linjie decisively chose to let someone else bear the burden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were plenty of down-on-their-luck scholars; someone would bow for five shi of rice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pick one with strong nerves—he shouldn’t be driven to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1230,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","28e5338b836a602e4e748bea1e7144e3cd6e3b7da4f48c6b69b91812743fab55","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-55","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-53",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]