Chapter 60: Establishing Trust

How long has it been since these gunners last practiced?

From the city gate tower, having witnessed the artillery’s “accuracy,” Li Mu asked in confusion.

At a range of only five to six hundred meters, they missed by eighty or a hundred meters.

Even with the artillery’s large margin of error, this was absurd.

It wasn’t the cannon’s fault—it was the men’s.

My lord, I won’t hide it from you.

This is our first time firing; before, we only practiced loading.

The young soldier’s enthusiastic reply left Li Mu speechless.

I’ve seen horses turned loose on southern hills, but never this thoroughly.

They’ve never fired live rounds; just getting the shells to fire safely is a miracle—accuracy is out of the question.

Good work. Keep pushing. Strive to become qualified gunners soon.

Be careful when loading—don’t injure yourselves.

Each of you will receive one tael of silver as a reward!

Li Mu forced himself to encourage them, suppressing his frustration.

Neglecting military readiness isn’t the soldiers’ fault.

They risked their lives operating century-old cannons—no merit, but plenty of hardship.

The minor incident ended; Li Mu’s gaze turned to the rebel forces’ movements.

The enemy was stingy—after firing just a few shells that failed to topple the commander’s banner, they launched retaliation.

Watching the rebels charge in disarray, Li Mu rubbed his eyes.

Their formation was chaotic—soldiers surged forward in a dense, mindless mob.

Order the artillery to fire at will!

Li Mu gave the order on the spot.

The enemy came to deliver their heads—he had no reason not to take them.

The roar of artillery announced the start of the Yangzhou Defense.

Braving the cannon fire, after heavy losses, the rebels finally reached the moat.

Countless soldiers hurled sacks filled with earth into the moat, hoping to fill it.

Seeing this, Li Mu couldn’t help but sneer.

Filling a moat is a massive undertaking.

No carts to haul earth—only manpower to carry it. How long will this take?

Besides, the defenders will intercept them. In just fifteen minutes of assault, enemy casualties already exceeded a hundred.

At this rate, they’re trading lives for gunpowder.

…

General Huang, the siege engines aren’t ready yet—sound the retreat!

Zong Guangtai said wearily.

He’d been busy gathering craftsmen to build siege equipment, yet the commander had already launched the attack.

If the enemy had been unprepared, a night raid might have had a chance.

But it’s daytime—the enemy has been ready for days.

Without siege engines, even if you cross the moat, you can only stare at the walls and sigh.

Hmph!

Those imperial troops dared to shell my camp—if we don’t retaliate, morale will collapse!

Huang Renlong said angrily.

They’re just relying on their cannons. When my artillery arrives, I’ll teach them a lesson.

General, endure a little longer.

Rebel forces from all regions are converging. If we suffer heavy losses here at Yangzhou, it will damage your standing among the rebels!

Zong Guangtai pleaded helplessly.

Anyone with basic military sense knows that a major city like Yangzhou is nearly impossible to take without internal cooperation.

The current defenders are the Five City Garrison Command—yet their secret agents within the city have been purged from power.

Opening the gates from within is virtually impossible.

To storm a city, you must prepare thoroughly.

Even this moat alone isn’t easy to cross.

Whether filling it or building bridges, you need abundant auxiliary tools.

Enough!

For the sake of the Master, I’ll let the imperial troops live a few more days.

Once all rebel forces converge, I’ll tear them to pieces and avenge my fury!

Huang Renlong growled.

He shouted loudly, but deep inside, doubt began to stir.

If Yangzhou is this hard to take, how can he hope to seize the throne of Great Yu?

Master Zong, is there any way to rapidly expand our army and boost its combat power?

Hearing Huang Renlong’s question, Zong Guangtai nearly spat blood.

If such a method existed, the Zong family would have used it long ago.

Just raising this force cost them the loss of their leadership.

But refusing outright would make him look incompetent.

After a pause, Zong Guangtai slowly replied:

Expanding the army is simple—send troops out to conscript recruits.

But Yangzhou Prefecture was prepared—every village we passed through is deserted.

The people either fled into the city or hid in the mountains.

Now, to conscript, we must send men farther away.

As for improving combat power, it’s simple: enforce discipline, intensify training, then take them to battle.

Elite troops are forged in combat. Once we capture more territory, your troops will naturally become elite.

This evasive answer clearly failed to satisfy Huang Renlong.

Thank you for your advice, Master!

He spoke politely, but inwardly he realized this Zong Master was no Dragon among strategists.

To achieve a throne, he’d need to find more talented advisors.

…

After the first assault ended, the defenders—who had been anxious—now carried a new confidence.

Indeed, confidence comes from the enemy.

The rebels’ massive assault failed to even touch the walls, leaving hundreds of corpses behind.

They had shown everyone, by action, what “rabble” truly meant.

Order: every soldier who fought in the last round receives thirty cash as reward!

Tell everyone: for every subsequent repelled assault, participating soldiers will be paid.

It wasn’t that Li Mu was stingy—purely because the enemy died outside the walls, the defenders had no heads to claim for official records.

These conscripted youths came from the lowest strata of society—talk of glory and merit would put them to sleep.

The best way to motivate them was cash.

How much money mattered less than ensuring full, timely payment—to establish his reputation as a man who kept his word.

Only with sufficient credibility would men later risk their lives for promises of greater rewards.

…

Battalion Commander, the Marquis sent me to inspect the battlefield.

The enemy attacked from this side—how many casualties did they suffer?

The visitor was a personal guard of the Marquis of Wuyang; he’d met Li Mu several times, and they were on familiar terms.

Guard Liu, please inform the Marquis: our side is secure.

Through the blood and valor of our soldiers, we’ve slain hundreds of rebels and successfully repelled the first assault!

To highlight his achievements, Li Mu deliberately avoided answering the question directly.

He knew how to report—unfortunately, the battle’s merits couldn’t be precisely verified, so he blurred the details, emphasizing the repulsion of the enemy.

(End of Chapter)