[{"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-83":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},2364352,4623,"Chapter 83: Rifle Formation Tactics","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-83",83,"\u003Cp>Forward Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain Li, since you’ve discovered the rebels are approaching, why not rally the entire army?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang asked with clear dissatisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nancheng Battalion’s personal guards added up to only two thousand troops total.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such a small force, setting up camp and waiting for the rebels to attack was, in his view, far too risky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you intend to fight the enemy, you should gather all five-city military forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, we captured several prisoners and interrogated them about the rebels’ origins.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most are locals from Xinghua County, coerced into joining the rebellion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They appear to number in the tens of thousands, but few are truly combat-capable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the prisoners, they are merely the vanguard; the main force is still behind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we concentrate our entire army, the enemy might just flee in fear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’ve come this far—we must fight at least one battle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our three units are close enough that we can reach the battlefield within half an hour once war breaks out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just rest easy, Commander!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the enemy draws near, we’ll launch a surprise attack—we’re bound to inflict heavy losses!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu said, exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What they call rebels are really just rioting civilians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rebellion is a technical craft—not simply raising a flag and turning farmers into soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pure peasant uprisings at least had experience storming landlords’ estates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rebellions instigated by local gentry, aside from a few officials who resist, mostly see mass surrenders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Capturing a county town might not even result in three-digit casualties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’ve never experienced killing or received training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such enemies are perfect for training our troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You dare lead troops into battle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang asked, surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, Li Mu was good with money, knew how to read the situation, and had some courage—but not much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Risky tasks were always left to others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I dare!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu answered, gritting his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frankly, he had no intention of fighting personally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the atmosphere had built to this point—he couldn’t back down now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as the enemy was weak enough, the risk was manageable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could just wear armor and bring more personal guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it’s settled!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll join you in action—perfect chance to see battle firsthand!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang slapped his thigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His excitement revealed it: this was a man’s obsession, only held back by fear of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rare to find a subordinate who was equally cowardly yet skilled in military affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that safety seemed assured, he had to fulfill his general’s dream at least once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, you may come along, but you must not interfere in command.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The battlefield may have stray arrows; for safety, you must wear full armor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Armor is heavy and stifling—you’ll suffer greatly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu advised gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang was his political lifeline—such a powerful patron who absorbed blame and delivered results was hard to find.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he intended to take a local post, he still needed someone in court to speak for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he died accidentally on the battlefield, it would be a catastrophic loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—I’ll stay behind and watch. I won’t charge into battle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If possible, lure the enemy near our camp—I’ll observe from within.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if something goes wrong, reinforcements can arrive in time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang pondered for a moment before speaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reason prevailed; his dream yielded to reality—he was, after all, a man who cherished his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu swallowed a flood of curses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he’d wasted his breath, the outcome was good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rebel Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General Wu, we’ve spotted the imperial camp five li ahead—roughly one or two thousand troops!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the soldier’s report, Wen Jianshao frowned sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably more lazy troops sent out on recon—they only spotted the enemy now, across this flat terrain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No scouts needed—soldiers marching ahead could see the enemy camp with their own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who arranged the scouts? Why wasn’t this reported earlier?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Jianshao demanded angrily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the imperial force was small—if they’d encountered the main imperial army, it would be disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, I arranged the scouts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today, we sent out five scouting parties—all still missing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By military protocol, scouts who haven’t returned by You Hour must report to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A middle-aged fat man explained nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The south lacks horses; the court strictly controls horse imports, and all imported horses are castrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Wen’s rebellion, they seized only a few warhorses from local post stations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To form cavalry, all warhorses and draft horses from across the region were gathered in Gaoyou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xinghua was neglected—aside from General Wen Jianshao, who received one draft horse, all other officers rode mules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so few horses, the soldiers suffered terribly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officially called scouts, they had no horses at all—they had to walk like horses themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, reconnaissance required only twenty or thirty li—they could handle it easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, the range expanded to fifty, then a hundred li; the growing workload left reconnaissance troops exhausted daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they realized better performance meant heavier tasks, soldiers began slacking off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since officers weren’t watching, everyone chose to leave early and return late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never returned before the deadline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To avoid making commanders think the mission was too easy and assign even more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When nothing went wrong, no one saw a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Idiot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your scouts were all intercepted by the enemy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our intelligence may have been leaked to them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Jianshao couldn’t hold back his rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If looks could kill, the middle-aged fat man would already be shredded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, please calm down—I truly didn’t know!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fat man pleaded, face pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the rebellion, he’d been a butcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only because he was bulkier than average had he been promoted to officer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commanding troops? He simply followed orders from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cursed, but Wen Jianshao forced himself to suppress the urge to kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a makeshift army—dozens of officers like this fat man, all thrust into roles they never trained for.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he demanded too much, his men might mutiny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the rebellion began, deserters appeared nearly every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sometimes entire villages fled together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Wen Jianshao, maintaining morale mattered more than assigning blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go get twenty lashes yourself. If you do it again, I’ll cut off your head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Order all units: surround the enemy camp!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Jianshao reached into his sleeve and touched the military manual—his anxious heart eased slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the manual, many methods stabilize morale—one is winning a battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing enemies is secondary; the key is to make the soldiers stained with imperial troops’ blood, cutting off their retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his view, the men dared to desert simply because they believed they had nothing to do with rebellion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They thought if they shed their rebel identity, once the court crushed the uprising, they could return safely to farming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the soldiers held such thoughts, those thoughts must be crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the watchtower, watching the rebels surround them from all sides, Marquis Wuyang lowered the telescope in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain Li, are you certain those outside are rebels, not civilians in armed conflict?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The extended hoe was the rebels’ “ge.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cleaver tied to a wooden pole became their long spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were among the better weapons—they at least carried sharp blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most soldiers carried nothing but wooden staves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They looked freshly cut, wobbling in their hands; a moment’s inattention could cause them to injure their own men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Lord, even when we defended the city, we couldn’t equip our soldiers fully with weapons—how much less a band of rebels?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strategically speaking, Baoying holds far greater military value than Xinghua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The strength of the capital garrison vastly exceeds ours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels stationing their elite there is entirely logical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at the enemy’s center—there’s a unit armed with long spears, and some even carry matchlocks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu explained calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The power of the Dayu clans lay primarily in the court; their influence in the countryside was their main remaining asset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms eras, a clan lord’s command could summon ten thousand soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s local gentry risked execution for secretly hoarding even a few sets of armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the system’s rules, scholarly clans were nearly invincible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside those rules, these men were nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among scholarly clans, the seven families controlling salt troops in the Two Huai regions had the highest martial strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In over two hundred years since Dayu’s founding, only princely rebellions and military governors’ secessions had been heard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scholarly clans raising arms in rebellion were a first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they truly possessed formidable military power, how could the civil bureaucracy fear the execution blades of the Eastern Depot and Embroidered Uniform Guard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand. You take command of the battle!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Close contact with the rebels gradually dispelled the soldiers’ fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just fear of the rebels—but of the court’s civil officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reality showed him that those seemingly formidable figures were, in truth, hollow shells.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fundamentally, civil officials and he, as imperial in-law, derived power from the same source: the throne.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent years, however, the civil bureaucracy had grown rapidly, no longer content to merely rely on imperial authority—they now sought to constrain it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To some extent, the civil officials had succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the early emperors of Dayu’s founding, later monarchs wielded far less power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the formidable Emperor Tianyuan had been cautiously testing the civil officials’ limits, inch by inch reclaiming imperial authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should he tell the emperor what he had seen?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hesitation, Marquis Wuyang chose to say nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew better than anyone how much his nephew could stir up trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even under constraints, he dared to push reforms under pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he realized the civil officials’ true weakness, who knew what chaos he might unleash?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your servant receives the order!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu replied immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang was deeply shaken—this was inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not studied history in his past life, knowing how meek scholarly clans became under the Qing’s slaughter, he too would have been shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empire’s largest power group, holding no armed force to defend its own authority—just thinking of it was unbelievable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time passed second by second; the camp was now completely encircled by rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having survived the Yangzhou defense, the soldiers’ morale was far steadier than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issue orders: prepare the matchlock troops for battle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once the enemy enters range, deploy volley tactics!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu ordered, expressionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rarely had such cooperative enemies appeared—perfect for testing the new tactic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no idea how effective the matchlock volley tactic would be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The range was too short, and the firing distance was unstable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Effective kill range was roughly fifty to one hundred meters—actual distance depended entirely on the soldiers’ individual skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Li Mu had strictly ordered standardization of ammunition, it was wishful thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A slight tremor while loading could alter the weapon’s range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang, bang, bang…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A volley of gunfire erupted, followed by a chorus of screams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking in the direction of the noise, over a hundred corpses lay on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels’ chaotic charge had turned themselves into living targets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those killed outright were lucky—they simply lay still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worst were those hit but not killed, writhing and screaming on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how loud their cries, this was a battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind them, countless rebel soldiers pressed forward, shoving the front ranks into the guns—like a massive suicide scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the battlefield from the watchtower, the brutality made Li Mu feel ill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Lord, let’s go down! The battle has begun—the enemy will surely target the watchtower with weapons. This place is no longer safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The great battle has already begun; the enemy will surely have weapons ready to attack the lookout tower—this place is no longer safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>War epics were thrilling on screen; experiencing them firsthand was a disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A war epic is thrilling to watch on screen, but experiencing it firsthand is a disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1969,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","f5db9bd44b92051d5fc82d895ac053edcdc79858955d02282236d674c7a9cd42","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-84","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-82",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]