[{"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-58":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},2364327,4623,"Chapter 58: The Enemy at the Gates","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-58",58,"\u003Cp>After convincing the Personal Guard Camp, Li Mu repeated the same tactic in the other camps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drawing such a tiny pie was something he had never done since entering officialdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be so admired by so many soldiers, Li Mu even felt a little embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing five enemy heads on the battlefield is no easy feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially during city defense, obtaining enemy heads is even harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most crucially, after cutting off five enemy soldiers’ heads, one must survive the battle unscathed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The harsher the conditions, the smaller the pie, the more authentic it appears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wisdom of the common folk is this simple and unadorned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Battalion Commander, we’ve just received word—the rebel army is less than thirty li from Yangzhou City and is expected to arrive at the gates tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis requests you come immediately for a meeting!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The messenger’s words brought an end to the morale-boosting tour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood. I’ll change clothes and head over right away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu replied calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What must come will come; the rebels’ sluggishness had already exceeded his expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Militarily speaking, after capturing Taizhou, the rebels should have attacked Yangzhou immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every day delayed gives the defenders more time to prepare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A major city like Yangzhou must be taken in one decisive blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once it turns into a war of attrition, and the court reacts, the balance of offense and defense will reverse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How prepared are you? Can you hold back the rebels’ advance?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang asked with concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Delegating authority to his subordinates didn’t mean he, as commander, would ignore everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had always closely monitored his officers’ preparations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All their military knowledge came from oral traditions passed down through generations, and their methods varied wildly; in practice, the differences were vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some enforced strict discipline, some bonded with their soldiers, others kept painting them grand pies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only commonality was that all were intensifying training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who was better or worse couldn’t be judged yet, but all appeared plausible enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commandant, rest assured—we’ve made ample preparations and will hold the enemy outside the city!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jincheng spoke up first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Military deployments had long been settled; there was no time now to make adjustments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commandant, Tang Battalion Commander is right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These rebels are nothing to fear—so long as we guard against internal collusion, Yangzhou will not fall!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yawei said, sounding slightly annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent days, the major Battalion Commanders had been secretly competing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the East City and West City Battalion Commands, who fiercely vied for the title of No. 1 Battalion Command of the Five City Military Commission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the speaking order in the command headquarters was often contested between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors circulated privately that the court intended to reorganize the southeastern military.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To select elite troops and capable officers to station permanently in the southeast and strengthen control over southern provinces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such rumors from within the noble elite usually surfaced only after decisions had already been made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other regions were uncertain, but the Huai region would surely open up many positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having witnessed the wealth of the salt merchants, none of them now resisted serving in the south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Battalion Commanders present, securing a minor post was easy; but to obtain a good one, they had to fight and compete for it themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The internal ranking of the Five City Military Commission wasn’t just an empty title—it represented real benefits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to bureaucratic unwritten rules, the Battalion Commander of the No. 1 Battalion Command ranked first in promotion priority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commandant, to boost morale,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suggest we prepare some reward silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a soldier cuts off an enemy head, pay the reward on the same day!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu proposed going with the flow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the East and West City Battalion Commands, the South City Battalion Command was far weaker; directly competing for No. 1 would only invite ridicule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losing in military strength didn’t mean he couldn’t find another path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Promotion priority was only one of several factors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Personal military merit was equally important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In city defense, achieving outstanding battlefield results was difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu didn’t expect to stand out in that regard, but offering small suggestions to gain visibility was still very necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had truly had enough of life in the capital, where he was constantly constrained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Life as a local commander was far more comfortable—on your own patch of land, you could call the shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Provided you secured a good posting!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If sent to some remote, impoverished region, just feeding the soldiers was a deadly challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Daxu army widely suffered from ghost soldiers—not all officers were greedily corrupt; most were forced by circumstance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court’s allocated pay was insufficient, so they had to raise funds themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The northern frontier troops’ combat strength stemmed not only from their frontline position but largely from more reliable pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond court allocations, frontier commanders profited from foreign trade and smuggling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the north, where powerful military families clustered, competition in the south was clearly lighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just dabbling in any industry could make life comfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Agreed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ll allocate ten thousand taels of silver to each of you—earn more silver by bringing back heads.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang made the decision without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon arriving in Yangzhou, he had been opened to new horizons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mere few ten thousand taels no longer moved him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At dusk, the rebel vanguard finally reached the gates of Yangzhou City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Zong, is this what you meant by a night assault?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the exhausted soldiers sitting everywhere on the ground, Huang Renlong asked irritably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The proof was clear: scholars were unreliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They spoke eloquently in theory, but in practice, it was an entirely different matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the original plan, he should have ordered an immediate assault on Yangzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these soldiers clearly lacked the strength to attack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thirty thousand elite troops had abandoned all baggage, carried only rations, and marched fifty li a day—an impressive feat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cost: over ten percent fell behind, and those who arrived were utterly drained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Huang, it’s mainly because these soldiers are too weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you smuggled salt, your men marched a hundred li a day without incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Traveling at night to evade imperial troops was routine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These soldiers have barely marched fifty li and are already exhausted—they clearly lack stamina.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zong Guangtai couldn’t help defending himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had read military texts thoroughly and commanded large armies smoothly in Taizhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never imagined his first plan after leaving Taizhou would suffer such a setback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. This isn’t your fault, Master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Issue orders: set up camp here. We’ll attack tomorrow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this setback, Huang Renlong instantly realized his troops were far from elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With reason restored, his accumulated arrogance evaporated; he became courteous toward Zong Guangtai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1119,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","520175c7d9f49ccfe02a2b269d88e847c4eb345f99b1324c2ecb0eb494c3098c","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-59","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-57",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]