[{"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-89":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},2364358,4623,"Chapter 89","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-89",89,"\u003Cp>Night fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Five Cities Military Command camp, lanterns blazed brightly; though only seven thousand men were present, they had erected a fortress large enough to house ten thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From afar, the formation looked terrifyingly imposing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The enemy has halted outside Yangzhou City—clearly, our Grand Secretary Xu still has some ability.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He wasn’t fooled by the rebels, and it’s no wonder we marched here at breakneck speed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang said with a chuckle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They hadn’t marched at breakneck speed just to rescue Grand Secretary Xu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given their relationship, not stabbing him in the back was already considered upholding the greater good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the perspective of the Five Cities Military Command, Yangzhou City could fall to the rebels—but it absolutely could not fall because of Commander Rong and his party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They rushed here precisely to clean house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that they learned the rebels’ ruse had failed, everyone’s spirits were high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had they not marched at breakneck speed, the soldiers would have been exhausted, their combat effectiveness crippled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those few thousand rebels outside the city? They probably wouldn’t even need this meeting—they’d just charge straight in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing how incompetent the rebels were, he no longer feared enemies of equal strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, Grand Secretary Xu got lucky by accident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels’ disguise was so obvious, yet he didn’t notice a thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we told him the truth, I wonder if he’d even sleep soundly tonight!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhao Yawei spoke, the room erupted in laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mocking a Grand Secretary was no small matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If word reached Grand Secretary Xu, even though civil and military paths diverged, he could still easily punish a mere Battalion Commander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But everyone here was one of us—Zhao’s words were clearly meant to flatter Marquis Wuyang, so the news wouldn’t leak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhao, your idea’s good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yangzhou’s safety is of utmost importance. To ensure absolute security, we must inform Grand Secretary Xu of the truth immediately so he can reinforce the city defenses!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tang Battalion Commander chimed in beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What had been a joke instantly became a mandatory mission after his embellishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the bad precedent was set, the officers present scrambled to find reasons, leaving Li Mu dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From their eyes, it was clear everyone craved military merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To seize the main assault role, they were willing to abandon all dignity and lavish praise on Marquis Wuyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu didn’t join in—he’d already claimed the top merit several times; taking it again would draw resentment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels’ main force was still on the march; even if those few thousand outside the city were all slaughtered, the merit would be negligible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, since everyone agrees, send word to Grand Secretary Xu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But for secrecy’s sake, don’t tell him anything about our presence nearby!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, Marquis Wuyang was overjoyed, yet his face remained composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Yangzhou hadn’t fallen now, it wouldn’t fall later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the rebel main force with our own troops might still carry some uncertainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the situation is different now—the capital garrison’s cavalry has marched south and will arrive tomorrow, by our calculations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With cavalry support, our army’s ten points of combat power can be amplified to twelve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the cavalry unit’s support, the army’s combat effectiveness could be multiplied to twelvefold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rebel camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing the terrible news, Huang Renliang immediately wanted to flee with his troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After verifying the information, his desire to flee grew even stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had it not been dark, and had his rebels lacked night-marching capability, he would have ordered an immediate retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much he scorned the imperial troops in speech, he had to admit: in equal numbers, rebel elites couldn’t defeat imperial elites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morale and training weren’t the biggest issues—the real disparity lay in equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One side wore full armor; the other wore only hemp robes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In direct combat, they’d suffer catastrophic losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rebels’ most effective way to win was sheer numbers: overwhelm the enemy with manpower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you certain the enemy has over ten thousand men?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renliang asked, unwilling to give up hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with equal numbers, he wanted to run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If outnumbered absolutely, fighting would be impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“General, we’ve observed the enemy camp—it can easily hold over ten thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Squeeze them in, and it might fit twenty thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The enemy’s guard is extremely tight; our scouts couldn’t get close enough to verify their true strength.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young officer’s words shattered Huang Renliang’s last hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own small force wasn’t worth the enemy’s bluff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial troops built such a large camp either because they truly had that many soldiers—or because reinforcements were coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either way, the coming military pressure would be immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Order the entire army to prepare for departure—we retreat at first light tomorrow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Renliang issued the command decisively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years as a smuggler had taught him one truth: if you can’t win, run fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as you live, there’s still hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years of smuggling salt had taught him one lesson: if you can’t win, run fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prefectural Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? The imperial troops outside the city are rebels in disguise?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wenyue asked in horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yangzhou City had no troops now—only temporary yamen runners, barely enough to maintain order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the rebels launched an assault, the city’s weakness would be exposed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Grand Secretary!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The city guards noticed several wanted fugitives among the enemy soldiers. Even if Commander Rong were utterly reckless, he’d never recruit such men.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To verify the truth, I sent men to riskily approach the enemy camp—and we found inconsistencies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commander Rong, the army’s Regional Commander, has become a prisoner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several other high-ranking officials are imprisoned with him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Huaichang replied firmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matters of life and death were no time for carelessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the rebels breached Yangzhou, his tenure as Grand Secretary’s private secretary would be over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you waiting for? Summon the local gentry immediately—we must plan the city’s defense!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wenyue frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he known Yangzhou would be this troublesome, he wouldn’t have rushed here so urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since seizing power, he’d seen none of the expected benefits—only endless troubles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Secretary, absolutely not!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yangzhou has always been a hub for salt merchants. This rebellion in the Two Huai regions was led by the Seven Great Families—there are surely countless their agents inside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Things go smoothly until battle turns dire—then these gentry become utterly unreliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, we must seal off the news and strengthen defenses, doing everything possible to prevent the enemy from coordinating from within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, request aid from the Five Cities Military Command, the Capital Garrison, and the Nanjing Ministry of War.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If all else fails and Yangzhou cannot be held, Grand Secretary, retreat to Zhenjiang to avoid the rebels' sharp edge!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hou Huaichang urged urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know how to wage war, but he knew how to learn from experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the last Yangzhou defense, the Five Cities Military Command had operated entirely alone, excluding all local officials and gentry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They refused help because they knew these people couldn’t be trusted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there was risk, it must be avoided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, betrayal from within would leave no chance to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No talk of retreating to Zhenjiang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am not one of those imperial in-laws who have no shame whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court has supported them for years—yet they show no gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even collaborating with rebels, a disgrace to their ancestors, they dare to do—how utterly shameless!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Issue orders: seal every city gate. I will perish with Yangzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In my name as Imperial Envoy, issue a public proclamation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Issue orders to seal all city gates; I will perish with Yangzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Issue a public proclamation in my name as Imperial Commissioner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All scholars, students, merchants, and officials who fled from Yangzhou shall be treated as traitors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who dares to plead their case or seek to overturn their verdict shall be deemed remnants of rebels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Send this official document together with the request for aid—old man intends to tell the whole world that those who side with the rebels will meet no good end!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Wenyue’s order chilled the hearts of all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their senior minister was simply too ruthless—he not only vowed to perish with the city but also cut off any chance for others to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he truly died defending Yangzhou, this minister who perished for his country would surely be honored by the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His final memorial would become a legendary final cry, revered by court and populace alike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the unfortunate souls bound by this document, anyone who dared flee Yangzhou would become the infamous counterexample to that legendary last cry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if not executed along with nine clans, at minimum their entire family would be beheaded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief moment of stunned silence, everyone instantly understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cutting off retreat seemed dangerously reckless, yet it was in fact the best way to find life amid certain death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prestigious status brought not only high rank and power, but also the corresponding responsibilities one must bear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Yangzhou fell, others could flee—but Xu Wenyue could not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Retreating to Zhenjiang meant the end of his political life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The good reputation he had built over half a lifetime would be destroyed in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rather than wait passively for death, he would forcibly drag others into the fray and make one final desperate gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he succeeded, his reputation as leader of the pure stream would grow even louder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he perished defending the country, he would take many with him—and still earn a posthumous name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ones most harmed were the Yangzhou gentry, forcibly strapped to the war chariot, forced to stake their entire families’ lives on this gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day, dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first light of day broke, the drumbeats rang out from the Five Cities Military Command’s encampment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soldiers, fully armed and ready, marched steadily forward, pressing toward the enemy camp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At nearly the same moment, the rebel camp also sounded its horns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But these were not horns of attack—they were horns of retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two armies had deployed one after the other, their distance less than ten li apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet precisely those ten li became the final barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Disband the formation! Chase them down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Yawei barked the order in fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Military merit had nearly been within reach—how could they still slip away? It was maddening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1714,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","f6df20978b4ac20090cf15af05136cfdd7521250628170193d27060827fa564a","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-90","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-88",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]