[{"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-70":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},2364339,4623,"Chapter 70: Incredible","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-70",70,"\u003Cp>As the city gates opened, the soldiers erupted with maximum enthusiasm, sprinting at full speed toward the enemy camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The orders were issued simultaneously, but transmission required time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Colleagues who received the news later wore expressions of bitter regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After waking up, they hadn’t just missed the first kill—they were even too late to collect the heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew full well the enemy camp had been in chaos last night, yet failed to send anyone out to join the fray; many now bitterly regretted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worst off was the group from the North City Battalion Command, who had thought serving under the commander inside the inner city was a good posting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never imagined the massive rebel force was all show—its actual combat power was trash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every other unit had fought the enemy; their share of the credit for the defense was guaranteed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never even touched an enemy, and when it came time to collect heads, they got nothing fresh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other units were stationed along the walls and could charge out immediately upon receiving orders; those stationed inside the inner city were stuck with the worst luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time they assembled their troops, the others had already finished their work—and they barely made it in time to clean up the corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, we patrolled the streets day and night—surely we’ve earned some merit, even if not from combat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you please allocate a few heads to us on the battle report…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Su Battalion Commander could finish begging for credit, he drew a wave of disgusted glares.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What nonsense—these rebel heads were won by sheer skill; how could they be simply divided up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Connections mean nothing here; everyone present is a connection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The North City Battalion Command ranked last among the Five City Military Commands, meaning its officers had the weakest networks among peers of equal rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t say I’m not looking out for you—the moat is filled with the corpses of enemy soldiers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since you missed chasing down the remnants, you'll handle clearing the riverbed—still a share of the credit.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Move quickly—the temperature is high; corpses rot easily.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of War is the most demanding; they won’t recognize rotten rebel heads as valid.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang spoke with a pained expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being a commander is hard—trying to balance everything fairly is simply too difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Military merit has always been taken by force, never given away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hard work means nothing in the Great Yu Dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servant obeys!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Su Xiaofei agreed, the spoiled rich kids under his command instantly rebelled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was too much—they’d been excluded from interrogating the salt merchants and reaping the benefits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, when distributing military merit, they were given only scraps, treated as if they didn’t exist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they never fought, their ranks were high—they held multiple nominal deputy commander posts, even some nominal commander posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis, this is unacceptable!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We maintained order in the city, arrested rebel accomplices—this too was great merit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had we not stabilized the city, Yangzhou would have fallen long ago—there would be no great victory today!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frontline commanders’ merit should at least be half ours!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Rong Zhishi spoke, the atmosphere turned heavy; countless murderous gazes locked onto him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu, who had just thought the Emperor cruel for sacrificing his own kin to reform the salt monopoly, now suddenly felt Emperor Tianyuan hadn’t gone far enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’ve seen fools, but never one this foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the finest merit means nothing if you’re dead collecting it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you truly want a share, quietly buy some heads privately—everyone wins, no one exposes you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To demand half everyone’s merit out of thin air is to offend every powerful officer here—you won’t live to return to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander Rong has rendered great service, but imperial edicts strictly state: military merit belongs to whoever claims the head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebellion has only just begun; more major battles lie ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here’s a solution: in future operations, rotate assignments.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let those who haven’t fought get priority to go into battle and earn merit!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu smiled, digging a deep pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the top merit recipient of this battle, if he didn’t respond when others pushed their luck, he’d have no standing in the army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Battalion Commander’s suggestion is excellent—we’re all colleagues; everyone deserves a chance to earn glory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commander Rong’s bravery is famous in the capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely clearing a few rebel remnants is no challenge for him!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zhao Yawei of the East City Battalion finished speaking, the room erupted in laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commander Rong was indeed brave—but not on the battlefield, only on women’s beds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He once held the record of bedding seven women in one night; details unknown, but he was carried home unconscious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scandal rocked the capital; when Emperor Tianyuan heard, he flew into a rage. Had the Imperial Consort not pleaded for him, he’d already be in hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those sent here as cannon fodder all had similar “achievements.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either they’d shamed the imperial family or disgraced their own clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each was loathed by all, yet protected by powerful elders, leaving their families’ leaders in agonizing dilemmas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Both of you speak wisely—I propose Commander Rong lead the provisional battalion as vanguard, to annihilate the rebels entrenched in Taizhou and Nantongzhou!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Jincheng, the West City Battalion commander, followed with another knife twist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the three battalion commanders setting the tone, all officers piled on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing the mood, the spoiled rich kids themselves, half-drunk with the moment, joined in blindly, cutting off any escape for Commander Rong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well—since Commander Rong is the unanimous choice, in future battles, he shall lead the provisional battalion as vanguard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang sighed, exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, the military aristocrats were setting a trap—but these fools actually believed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if the rebels were weak, they weren't something a band of spoiled rich kids could handle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps in their eyes, everyone was the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, these battalion and company commanders had once frequented brothels and taverns just like them before taking office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it—if they want to die, let them. I won’t be dragged down with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, when assigning troops, able-bodied men were fought over—but the five battalions of the provisional unit were passed around, none wanting them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let these pig teammates kill themselves; the Emperor’s nephew had repeatedly urged him before departure to purge the empire’s poison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two Huai salt clans were a tumor; these imperial pests were tumors too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The minor incident ended. A battle report from Yangzhou spread across the realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nanjing Ministry of War.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impossible!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could the Five City Military Commands—those useless wastes—defeat hundreds of thousands of rebels and decapitate tens of thousands?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a colossal joke!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister Tian Zhisheng immediately declared this was false reporting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officially an army, but the Five City Military Commands’ real function was no different from yamen runners or police inspectors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was filled with the empire’s most numerous connection-holders—how could it possibly produce elite troops?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, this report was delivered by the Marquis of Wuyang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We verified with Zhenjiang: when delivering supplies, the rebel forces surrounding Yangzhou had vanished.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Marquis dared let us verify the heads, the report is likely true.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vice Minister Yin Dengjia hurried to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nanjing’s Ministry of War lacked the clout of its northern counterpart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we didn’t send someone to verify the heads promptly, the imperial relatives and nobles would accuse us of dereliction of duty—and we’d be in deep trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This makes no sense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Seven Great Salt Clans of Huai rebelled—how could they compare to ordinary bandits?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those salt soldiers were ferocious; ordinary imperial troops couldn’t stand against them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang doesn’t seem like a man who can command troops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it be that these noble youths truly inherited their ancestors’ valor?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister Tian’s question received no answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis’s report listed only results: a night raid burned the enemy’s grain stores, then a full-scale assault crushed the rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The detailed combat sequence, specific events—all were standard, vague, brushstroke-style phrasing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Statistically, the Five City Military Commands had fought an exceptionally brilliant battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1350,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","070b58e91ebb5dfee73ff4f71251a127f2a94fd2c5c7c7b13b236f9ef9a4a429","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-71","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-69",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]