[{"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-68":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},2364337,4623,"Chapter 68: One General","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>“Stop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everybody, stop right now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renlong’s furious shouts did nothing but attract a group of soldiers blinded by bloodlust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for his personal guards fighting desperately to cover his retreat, he might have been trapped in the chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebel army was hastily assembled; the soldiers didn’t even know their own commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if they all did know him, he’d barely have a chance to escape alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides a few soldiers who genuinely wanted to join the rebellion, most were forcibly conscripted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To cut off the soldiers’ escape routes, they didn’t just take away their grain—they burned down their homes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To many soldiers, Huang Renlong was not just their commanding general, but the man who destroyed their families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Human flesh was merely the spark; the chaos in the camp was fundamentally a concentrated explosion of internal rebel conflicts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, the army is in complete disarray—there’s no way to turn the tide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the granaries are burned; even if we quell the chaos, we can’t conjure up grain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without food, our allies will tear us apart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While they haven’t reacted yet, we should leave now—it’s still not too late!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renliang pleaded urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were originally salt smugglers; they joined the rebellion only to profit from the chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All their grand ambitions were implanted in them during the rebellion by Zong Guangtai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After encountering hardship, their solution was still the mindset of salt smugglers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leave? Where to?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a band of broken troops, we’ll either be absorbed by other rebel forces or crushed by the imperial army.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either way, you and I won’t escape death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renlong laughed bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could do the first, others can do the fifteenth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when he absorbed other rebel bands, to maintain stability, he always eliminated their leaders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by himself, he dared not seek refuge with any other rebel group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, retreat to Taizhou—there’s still ten thousand troops stationed there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gather some stragglers, and we’ll still be a rebel force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Avoid big cities like Yangzhou; strike only small towns, slowly rebuilding our strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s all that bastard Zong’s fault—if he hadn’t given those idiotic ideas, we wouldn’t be in this humiliating situation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renliang angrily shifted the blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After such a massive upheaval, the rebel army needed to offer an explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the brothers didn’t want to take responsibility, they had to dump the blame on the strategist Zong Guangtai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, it wasn’t unfair—if Zong Guangtai had planned more carefully or spoken up to stop it, tonight’s tragedy wouldn’t have happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That bastard Zong Guangtai is just a fraud with empty reputation—if his family weren’t the main conspirators, I’d suspect he’s an imperial spy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that brat hadn’t run off so fast, I’d flay him alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid curses, the Huang brothers and their loyal followers set off on their flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a commander to intervene, the chaos in the camp spread outward, dragging nearby rebel factions into the turmoil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Screams and battle cries pierced the sky, clearly visible even within Yangzhou city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the city gate tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the flames rise from the rebel camp and hearing the commotion from across, Li Mu’s tense nerves gradually relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tonight’s raid was almost certainly a success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now it depended on whether the troops could withdraw safely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One general’s glory is built on ten thousand bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounds easy to say, but when it’s time to act, staying calm is still terribly hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain, Lieutenant Zhou has returned with his men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this good news, Li Mu’s heart settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell the kitchen to prepare a victory feast immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After speaking, he immediately stood up to welcome these meritorious officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at each returning soldier, Li Mu began counting in his mind: five hundred had set out; fewer than two hundred returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest either died in the night raid or fell behind and got lost in the chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether they return later depends entirely on luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain, I have not disgraced your orders—I successfully burned the rebel granary!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Chuanfa exclaimed excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though opera often features scenes of “ambushing supply lines” or “burning granaries,” real-life successes are exceedingly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone with basic sense knows how vital grain supplies are.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To protect them, besides heavy garrisons, they usually set up decoy granaries to mislead the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu sent the death squad on the night raid primarily to create greater chaos and make the rebels turn on each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Burning the granary” was the ideal goal, not a mandatory objective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In pitch darkness, finding the enemy’s granary inside the rebel camp was already difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me—how did you manage it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu asked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creating chaos in the rebel camp only reduced pressure on the city walls; but if you burn their granary, Yangzhou’s siege is lifted outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain, when we arrived, the rebels were already in chaos—their camp defenses were lax.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We grabbed a scholar trying to flee—he knew the rebel camp inside and out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his guidance, we slipped in undetected, reached the enemy granary directly, and then... hehe...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Zhou Chuanfa’s explanation, all the officers present were stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching the granary directly? That was too legendary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the raid succeeded—the guards never imagined an enemy attack could happen inside their own camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you strike with intent against unprepared foes, by the time they realize it, the fire is already blazing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If nearby units had rushed to rescue, they might still have saved the granary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the rebels’ internal problems meant someone deliberately sabotaged things, causing them to miss the critical rescue window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As commander, Li Mu thought further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, the rebel artillery camp had an accident; now the main camp had another. Two accidents together weren’t coincidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebel army was a mix of good and bad, with chaotic internal structure—impossible to verify every soldier’s identity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Infiltrating a few imperial agents was only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Loyal gentry coerced into joining, imperial troops dragged in against their will, or embroidered uniform guards planted as spies—all could have helped us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who exactly helped? That could be investigated later—what mattered was that the merit was secured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lieutenant Zhou, you’ve done great service—prepare for promotion!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All soldiers who participated will receive generous rewards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the promised silver, I’ll personally petition for more—just wait for good news!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The victory feast is ready—Lieutenant Deng, host the heroes on my behalf.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Commandant is deeply concerned about the night raid—I must report to him immediately!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing what they wanted, Li Mu didn’t waste words—he gave them a firm reassurance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the night raid succeeded, it was time to deal with the issue of acting first and reporting later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Launching an attack without superior orders was a grave taboo in officialdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such things could be done—but never admitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before news spread, he had to secure Marquis Hou’s approval and cement this legendary military achievement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1142,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","80c6f778791cef8f130fb971b15edee45a9b2ec52f943a70551f4fb41f8d6cb2","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-69","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-67",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]