[{"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-56":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},2364325,4623,"Chapter 56: Tai","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>The military meeting ended, and Li Mu walked out of the yamen with a complex mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone understood military affairs, but only in theory; leading troops into battle was all new to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weakest of all, the North City Battalion Command, was responsible for urban security and served as a reserve force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other four battalion commands each guarded one direction; although troop allocations were somewhat balanced, war isn’t just about having soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking Li Mu’s South City Battalion Command as an example, it was assigned fifteen hundred local troops and six thousand able-bodied men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The total force approached eight thousand—on paper, it seemed more than sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The problem lay in management.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among Yangzhou's troops, there might be agents of the salt merchant syndicate, and they couldn't be entrusted with important tasks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For safety’s sake, commanders must use only their own people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original company commanders were now doing battalion commander duties, yet Li Mu still felt he lacked officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gentlemen, the chance to achieve glory has arrived!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone, push hard—before the rebels arrive, train the soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among your retainers, some have fought in city defenses; have them pass their experience to the newcomers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels are nothing but a rabble; as long as we prevent them from opening the gates from within, there’s nothing to fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Choosing to defend the city is prudent; once the imperial capital troops arrive, we’ll strike out and crush the rebels in one blow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether others believed it or not, Li Mu’s face radiated confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the recruitment officer, he had already secured the best recruits for himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Battalion Commander, other matters can wait, but our soldiers lack weapons!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six thousand able-bodied men, over five thousand armed with bamboo poles—it’s suicide on the battlefield.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Captain Yun said, visibly troubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning bamboo into spears sounded poetic, but on the battlefield it meant disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Make do for now—the rebels are worse off than we are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court strictly controls iron goods; even if the Two Huai clans have hidden weapons, they can’t have much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, we’re the defenders, with strong walls as our advantage; the enemy can’t break in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are we afraid of being besieged without reinforcements?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu decisively changed the subject.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weapon shortages were a real problem; even with prior measures, it was like trying to bail out the ocean with a cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was needed now was to stabilize morale—only if commanders believed in victory would the soldiers believe too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worst scenario was simply being besieged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yangzhou’s location was unique—it was one of Great Yu’s most vital trade hubs, with no shortage of grain, cloth, or salt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holding out for a year or more was no problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time favored the defenders; the longer they held, the more imperial troops would arrive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, we’re about twenty li from Tai’an City. Will you enter tonight or tomorrow?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The middle-aged man stepped forward to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xiancai, how many times have I told you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Two Huai situation is urgent—we must move faster. Why won’t you listen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wenyue scolded his subordinate sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had set out together, and the army had entered Two Huai for over ten days, yet this imperial envoy still dawdled in Shandong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He talked of speeding up, yet traveled daily in an eight-man palanquin, making no progress at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This performance wasn’t due to Xu Wenyue’s fussiness—it was pure political necessity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Two Huai clans’ rebellion shattered the Cabinet’s entire plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the stigma of rebellion, the salt merchant interest group’s purge was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he arrived too soon, his fellow Qingliu colleagues implicated in the rebellion case would come begging for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ignoring them outright would seem heartless and severely damage his reputation among the Qingliu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But intervening to save them was taboo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the eunuch faction caught wind, he might end up dragged down with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency is right—I was rash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Xiancai immediately apologized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he finished speaking, the cavalry beside him spurred their horses, breaking from the column and racing ahead toward Tai’an.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Grand Secretary traveled south, local officials along the way would surely seek to impress. Their hospitality was hard to refuse, and Xu Wenyue was no stranger to human sentiment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sending word ahead was his gesture of goodwill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only those within his circle could enjoy such treatment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they weren’t allies, no matter how well arranged, he would simply stay at the official posthouse to demonstrate his integrity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tai’an City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Huang, order the restoration of order in the city at once!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this chaos continues, the city will be ruined!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Guangtai urged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two days had passed since the army breached Tai’an, and looting had lasted two days—the once-prosperous city had become a living hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The commander, Huang Renlong, a former salt smuggler, ignored everything in the city, letting his troops vent freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zong, our soldiers receive no pay; their gains come entirely from plunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I order them to stop, I cut off their livelihood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How can I expect them to fight for me later?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renlong sneered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was life—before, he’d trailed behind the Zong family selling salt, earning meager wages and enduring constant humiliation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He regretted his ignorance back then, thinking the Zong family was heaven itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he saw them as nothing but stubborn scholars, half-hearted in rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Tai’an rebel army, the Zong family was merely nominal leadership.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fiercest troops were all his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been for the court as a common enemy, he would have turned on the Zong family long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To think they could still command him like some obedient servant—pure fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Huang, according to our earlier alliance agreement, after capturing Tai’an City, we must immediately march on Yangzhou Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’ve held Tai’an for two days—when will you launch the offensive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Guangtai forced back his anger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The salt smugglers had proven unreliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each was short-sighted; once they gained a little power, they became reckless, disregarding even their own masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all due to Great Yu's flourishing literary culture—their aristocratic families' sons all studied literature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A nest of scholars, when raising rebellion, revealed their flaws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could plan well, but actual fighting had to be left to outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Salt smugglers were inherently unruly; previously, with official status, they were kept in check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After rebellion, their former awe faded, and each developed his own ambitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Few sought to seize the throne; most just wanted to loot enough to live comfortably for life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the rebellion began, many salt traders had already fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renlong, with his ambitions, was already among the rebels’ elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Zong, rest assured—I’m not blind to the bigger picture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First take Yangzhou, then seize Nanjing, and secure the southeast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve memorized it well!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1129,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","867cba1aa7f9d80e925759ee56e1b9a858aa4d13db47244cc1dce3d824c8f7d8","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-57","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-55",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]