[{"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-85":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},2364354,4623,"Chapter 85: The Pursuit of Self-Destruction","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-85",85,"\u003Cp>The battle progressed too smoothly; the enemy offered no meaningful resistance, leaving Li Mu deeply embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the actual battlefield situation, all the prior preparations had been utterly useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What lay before him wasn’t an army at all—just a mob of farmers, forced into battle against their will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was pure inexperience that caused this; had he fought more battles before, he’d have spotted the enemy’s weaknesses at a glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, when we met the enemy yesterday, the entire army could have simply advanced and ended the fight outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The anger didn’t last long; soon a smile appeared on Li Mu’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the victor, minor flaws in the process are no big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caution in warfare is not a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issue orders: spare those who surrender!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his troops continuously cutting off heads, Li Mu immediately ordered them to stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These rebel soldiers were mostly pitiful souls dragged into this; there was no need for a massacre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the Yangzhou Defense, he hadn’t lacked for headcount achievements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though military merit accelerates promotion for officers, there are limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those overnight promotions only happened in the early days of founding a dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the system now refined, official promotions follow steady steps; extraordinary appointments are extremely rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there were no limits, every military post would be held by the Nine Border general clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Garrison troops on the frontier fight enemies regularly; even if each engagement yields small gains, over years the total becomes staggering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this is impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If merit alone guaranteed promotion, the system would soon collapse into a situation where no further promotions or titles remained to be granted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These battlefield achievements, for Li Mu personally, mainly serve to enrich his record.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When future vacancies arise and personnel appointments are discussed, recommenders can cite these records as justification.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Battalion Commander, these are surely the weakest troops among the rebels, aren’t they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wuyang’s question left Li Mu speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The topic of rebel combat effectiveness was simply too broad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Probably, yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu replied hesitantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reason told him there was no such thing as the worst—only worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same applied to imperial troops: the capable were truly capable, the useless were truly useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strength and weakness are relative, not absolute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to these enemy troops, his own soldiers were unquestionably elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if taken to the Liaodong front, they’d instantly blend into the crowd—and might even be on the weaker side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There remained a wide gap between his troops and true elite forces, yet Li Mu felt no panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elite soldiers are forged in battle; after a few more engagements with these rebels, they’d be nearly ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since the rebels have been defeated, we should proceed to retake Xinghua County.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our merits are sufficient; Gaoyou Prefecture must be left for the Capital Garrison to retake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For subsequent southern campaigns, we’ll just take Taizhou; the main theater must be left to the Capital Garrison.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor still broods over the great defeat in Liaodong; he will surely restart the Liaodong campaign.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I am old now, uninterested in fame or fortune; I have no wish to join that fray.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The future belongs to you young men—if you seek to honor your wives and protect your descendants, I can recommend you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at this Marquis of Wuyang, barely forty, Li Mu couldn’t fathom how he’d earned the label “old.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, concealing one’s abilities was wise; Liaodong was no easy place to reclaim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Marquis’s abilities, going to supervise Liaodong would be nothing but delivering his head to the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much authority he granted, the Liaodong general clans were a nest of scoundrels; anyone sent there would be ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The simplest way to reclaim Liaodong: throw money at it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Tianyuan had done well earlier—spending heavily to build elite troops and send them to Liaodong to fight the barbarians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it ended in failure, the barbarians suffered heavy losses too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy’s reaction after the battle proved it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically, after a decisive victory, one should press forward to maximize gains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the northern barbarians didn’t launch a full-scale war; instead, they turned to annexing steppe tribes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, their troop losses were severe and they urgently needed reinforcements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it works, keep doing it; as long as it inflicts heavy casualties, even failure holds strategic value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Winning early isn’t winning; the final victor is the true winner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Central Plains dynasties fighting steppe peoples, the best strategy is attrition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fight in spring, fight in summer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fight in autumn, fight in winter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep the entire year in a state of war; within a few years, you’ll wear the enemy down to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Historical texts are full of such theoretical cases, but few dynasties could sustain the constant spending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Marquis, for your guidance. I am young and have much to learn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Nine Border front needs seasoned veterans; I won’t go there to cause trouble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu declined firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a single man, with no wife or children—what talk of honoring his wife and protecting his descendants?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only did he not want to go to Liaodong—he had no interest in the entire Nine Border frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The border armies were dominated by entrenched military clans; he’d be an outsider there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he wasn’t driven out, he’d count himself lucky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Achieving merit? Pure fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just paying his soldiers’ wages would drive a man to despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to stay home and enjoy comfort than go there to eat dirt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court’s grand strategy? That’s for the Emperor and the senior ministers to worry about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For military officers, unless they reach the very top, they have no voice in strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Family Camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, urgent report from Xinghua!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yesterday, General Wu led troops into battle and suffered a crushing defeat; his fate is now unknown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The enemy’s advance now points straight at Xinghua County; the defenders are all old and weak—they cannot hold…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Crash!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the young officer finished reading the letter, Wen Feiyang slammed his palm onto the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who authorized that fool to march out and engage the enemy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve ordered him three times, five times: hold Xinghua County! Is this how you hold it?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing their furious commander, all officers lowered their heads, avoiding his murderous gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In all this time since the rebellion began, Wen Feiyang had never before felt murderous intent toward his own men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Militarily, Xinghua County was a bone with little meat—but losing it now was terribly timed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Xinghua fell prematurely, annihilating the Five City Garrison troops within its territory became a fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plan to strike south first, then north, to defeat the rebel forces piecemeal, had collapsed; the Wen army’s position suddenly grew perilous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, it’s done now; no amount of cursing will change it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wen Jianshao’s blunder can be discussed later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The urgent task is to adjust our strategy immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Xinghua rebels were defeated yesterday; by now, the enemy has likely seized Xinghua County.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if we rush there immediately, the enemy will hold the city; we won’t break through quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strategically, we are now encircled from north and south by imperial forces; we must prepare for the worst.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Feiyang spoke up beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He too was furious at Wen Jianshao’s foolishness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the man was now missing—dead or alive—he had no chance to punish him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issue orders: turn the army around and return to fight the Capital Garrison!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for the Five City Garrison troops, the chaos in Xinghua should hold them for two days—ignore them for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we move fast enough, defeat the Capital Garrison before they can disengage, and we still achieve our strategic goal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether others believed it or not, as commander, Wen Feiyang believed it first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Failure? The consequences were too terrifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t bear it. The Wen family couldn’t bear it. The entire rebel army couldn’t bear it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taizhou City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, stop drinking!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renliang frowned as he urged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the great defeat at Yangzhou, Huang Renlong, unable to bear the blow, had lost his former fighting spirit and spent his days drunk and numb in the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the commander fallen, the officers below followed suit, living for today’s wine and today’s joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little brother, come, have a drink with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only now, on this day, do I understand what life truly is!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, we scurried after the Zong family—what kind of hellish life was that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After raising troops, I did right by the Zong family—yet still got betrayed by that bastard Zong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These are Zong Guangtai’s wife and his concubines—look, aren’t they all beautiful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pick whichever one you like—she’s yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re all brothers; what’s mine is yours—don’t be formal with your big brother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renlong chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a salt smuggler, he was never short on cruelty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back in Taizhou, the first thing he did was exterminate the entire Zong family, keeping only their wives and daughters for his pleasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, the imperial troops are coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we keep sinking like this, our good days are over!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renliang said helplessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had always been a lustful man; naturally, he wouldn’t be polite with his big brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These women before him—he’d sampled them all, more than once, in secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After savoring the novelty, he grew even more attached to his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only by living could he ever hope to bed more beautiful women.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he lost his life now, this fine existence would belong to someone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense! How could the imperial troops arrive so fast?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taizhou’s walls are strong; the imperial garrison in Yangzhou alone is nowhere near enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capital troops are still stuck in Gaoyou, tangled with the Wen family—they won’t arrive anytime soon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The southern imperial forces reached Zhenjiang and then couldn’t move forward—they’re nothing but rabble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just relax and enjoy it. When the big battle starts, we’ll be back to a life of wandering and hardship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These good days are numbered—after this, you’ll never get to live like this again!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear Huang Renlong had already lost his will to fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had once been nothing but a salt smuggler, his only goal to earn more money and buy a few hundred acres back home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marry a wife, have children, send his son to study for the civil exams, and join the gentry class.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An unexpected twist had thrust him into the spotlight, making him an insurgent leader overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But ambition forced upon him was always fragile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After one defeat, his fledgling grand ambitions vanished entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not lying—the enemy is truly approaching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sent scouts to verify: Yangzhou’s garrison split in two.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One part chose to head north, seemingly aiming to retake Xinghua and attack the Wen family from two directions with the capital troops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other part is marching south—now less than twenty li from us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy will reach Taizhou’s gates by tonight at the latest, or tomorrow morning at the latest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we don’t prepare now, once they arrive, it’ll be too late.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past days, we’ve ravaged Taizhou badly—the people here are restless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether to stay or flee—you must decide quickly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renliang couldn’t help but urge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, even if the imperial troops didn’t come, they couldn’t stay in Taizhou much longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Living off stored supplies is unbearable; no matter how rich Taizhou was, it couldn’t sustain hundreds of thousands of mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burning villages and forcing people into the ranks boosted their numbers—but also increased consumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When we attacked Yangzhou, we relied entirely on the Zong family’s grain and funds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how great a fortune, it couldn’t withstand such heavy depletion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zong family’s extermination wasn’t just for revenge—it was also because they had no more grain left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their stores were exhausted; the court had tightened inspections, so they could only buy from merchants via sea routes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The price was exorbitant, and the quantity extremely limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To solve the food crisis, every gentry merchant in Taizhou was plundered without exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, the grain seized wouldn’t last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, when farming, people could survive on half rations; during lean seasons, they could still make do with wild greens and tree roots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that they’ve all rebelled, living without tomorrow, why not eat their fill? That would be a waste.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After one mutiny, the Huang brothers feared their soldiers rising up more than anything—they dared not cut rations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issue orders: prepare for battle. I’ll face the enemy myself!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renlong growled with murderous intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had lost too unfairly last time—he still resented it deep down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yangzhou’s walls were too strong, and his own forces had suffered heavy losses—he couldn’t retaliate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things are different now: the enemy is split, and we’re fighting on home ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if we must retreat, we’ll fight first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After rebelling once, if we have no notable victory to show,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>we won’t even dare introduce ourselves on the road ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the plain, among the chaotic imperial troops, a battle standard fluttered, embroidered with the character “Rong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For his first campaign, beyond initial nervousness and curiosity, all he felt was boredom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels fled at the sight of imperial troops; every village and market they passed was in ruins—no amusement to be found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commandant Rong, we’re nearly at Taizhou—shall we keep advancing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his companion’s reminder, Commandant Rong, who had been dozing in his carriage, snapped awake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d dawdled all along, yet here he was, already at the enemy’s stronghold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels’ retreat didn’t mean they’d abandon their base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to say no—but remembered the bluff he’d put on, and couldn’t bring himself to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew nothing of warfare, but he’d watched plenty of operas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the battlefield, orders were law; failing to carry them out meant losing your head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he had Imperial Consort Rong’s protection, Duke Wuyang was the Emperor’s own uncle—his status dwarfed his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Duke Wuyang chose to be ruthless and cut him down, even that might be excusable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course we advance! Duke Wuyang’s order was to retake three counties—do you intend to defy military command?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2343,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","0fc05fc245ee0ff4c2df5d1e8f32cd4d316af342a7358c8274a36f17437727fb","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-86","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-84",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]