[{"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-57":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},2364326,4623,"Chapter 57: The Master of Drawing Cakes","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-57",57,"\u003Cp>Yangzhou City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since assigning the tasks, Li Mu’s life had become busy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trained troops, reinforced city defenses, and had to spare energy to pacify the local gentry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occasionally, he also punished unruly aristocratic playboys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, his reputation in the city rapidly split into two extremes, earning him the nickname “Iron-Faced Yama.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heaven and earth bear witness—he did nothing that could possibly be linked to Yama.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At most, he’d hang criminals and beat them, then throw them into prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief moment of frustration, Li Mu quickly accepted reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bad reputation had its advantages—even aristocratic playboys from the capital avoided him at all costs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially during troop assignments, these men strongly demanded not to be placed under Li Mu’s command, leaving the other battalion commanders deeply frustrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d known beating this bunch of liabilities would rid him of these useless teammates, they wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Battalion Commander, you are truly a genius at training troops!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In less than half a month, these three hundred men have already taken shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they’ve been tempered by battle, they’ll become elite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lan Linjie praised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t understand troop command or warfare, but he could sense whether soldiers had combat potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This unit before him wasn’t just much more physically robust—they radiated a deadly aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, such an aura should only appear on seasoned veterans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Lan, you’re mistaken this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re still far from elite. Their imposing appearance comes simply from being carefully selected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two-thirds of these three hundred are hunters from the mountains; the rest are butchers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing livestock may not compare to killing men, but they’ve all seen blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, they’ve only just learned basic discipline and formations—they look decent on the surface, but they still have a long way to go before becoming truly combat-ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smile at the corner of his mouth betrayed his inner satisfaction—his personal guard unit had exceeded expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men were selected from over twenty-one thousand; they could truly be called one in a hundred, possessing the qualities to become elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you’ve come!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this address, Li Mu glared sharply at the man and scolded irritably:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Er, remember this—in the camp, you address by rank!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it was an open secret that military officers kept retainers, officially they were still imperial troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calling someone “Master” inside the camp, if word got out, would bring bad consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless this entire unit were his personal retainers—then any title would be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commanders always wanted more troops, and Li Mu was no exception. But his rank was only Battalion Commander; keeping three hundred retainers would be too conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Battalion Commander!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Er replied solemnly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he preferred calling him “Master” to show closeness, since Li Mu had demanded it, he would obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking slowly through the ranks, Li Mu said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know many of you resented being conscripted to defend the city, but since you’re here, face reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the battlefield, soldiers who drift through days without purpose die the fastest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To survive the battlefield, you must train harder and become the best soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In narrow paths, the brave prevail!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either kill all your enemies, or be killed by them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your selection for the personal guard unit proves you’re already the best. Compared to others, you have the greatest chance to earn merit and glory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Imperial Envoy has ordered: for every rebel soldier you kill, you’ll receive two taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I guarantee full payment—no deductions, no counterfeit paper money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who kills five or more enemy soldiers may choose to become my retainer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The treatment of a retainer—you can ask around. It's far better than scraping by at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Step outside, and you’ll be a respectable man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Village heads and constables won’t dare bully you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When your family pays taxes, no one will use an oversized measure on you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The government will give you preferential treatment when conscripting labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you suffer injustice, I’ll stand up for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was absurd—he was offering soldiers the dream of becoming retainers, not promotion or wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a byproduct of a warped military system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Great Yu Dynasty, not only did common soldiers suffer, but even junior officers lived miserable lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officers at the level of Platoon Leader or Squad Leader in the garrison system still had to till their own fields and worried over firewood, rice, oil, and salt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court didn’t pay military wages; in years of disaster, they couldn’t even survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recruited soldiers fared slightly better—annual income, including pay and subsidies, was roughly fifteen to eighteen taels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the Liaodong front, recruited soldiers earned more—nearly two taels per month, totaling about twenty-four taels a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, these were theoretical figures. Great Yu soldiers had never received full pay—discounts were the norm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When wages were drawn from the Ministry of Revenue, thirty percent vanished before leaving the treasury. If soldiers received half, that was due to a clean commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the capital garrisons and border troops, the court’s top priorities, ever gave soldiers over sixty percent of their pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many units deducted food and uniform costs—year after year, soldiers ended up working for free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hoping for merit and promotion to escape their miserable fate was equally futile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In peacetime, only the borders saw fighting—and there, the military clans ruled. No matter how outstanding a commoner performed, it was nearly impossible to cross the threshold of Company Commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these conditions, expecting voluntary enlistment was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless utterly desperate, no one would join the army if they had any other option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Retainers fared better—they were family, so pay was usually guaranteed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering the camp, they typically served as the commander’s personal guard; outstanding ones could even hold official posts within the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the commander was transferred, retainers followed him—his career was entirely tied to his master’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the excited expressions on their faces, many were clearly swayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they’d never heard of the Five City Military Command before, after entering the camp, they knew this was a good office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No other reason—simply because they got three full meals a day, sometimes even meat, unlike any army they’d known before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they were hunters and butchers, constantly around meat, their actual lives were just as hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, the Great Yu Dynasty had grown so populous that nothing was in short supply except space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One or two butchers sufficed for a market—there was no way every son could inherit his father’s trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hunters fared worse—the forests were seized by powerful clans. To hunt, you needed their permission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you made a kill, the majority was taken from you, and you still had to pay state taxes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without exploitation, forests could support only a tiny population.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the Great Yu Code, only sons were exempt from conscription.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those sent here to serve must have had low status at home—definitely no chance of inheriting the family’s livelihood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1166,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","da8ee2f2d98da2fbc008d0209dcdb1026fc088a01c414c34c4c93de7a64f7f17","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-58","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-56",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]