Chapter 91: Fairness

The arrival of the Beijing garrison cavalry accelerated the course of the war.

Not only were the rebel troops desperate to flee slaughtered mercilessly.

The rebel reinforcements arriving to aid them were also shattered en route.

The cavalry firmly controlled the battlefield’s rhythm; the rebel forces, already crippled in open combat, could only huddle inside Taizhou City, clinging to life.

The outstanding performance of their allies left the Five City Military Command units trailing behind, merely playing spectator.

Occasionally killing a few scattered stragglers was their only achievement.

Rampaging across the battlefield was pure fantasy.

When it came to collecting enemy heads, infantry simply couldn’t match the cavalry.

The task of cleaning house was snatched away by the Beijing garrison cavalry, leaving Marquis Wu’s face dark with fury.

Even the officers in the camp had to tread carefully, fearing they’d be blamed by association.

Especially Zhao, the Battalion Commander leading the main assault—he bore the hardest labor and the harshest scolding.

Yet this miserable task was one he himself had begged for; he could only grit his teeth and carry on.

…

Cavalry encampment.

“Nephew pays his respects to Uncle!”

Seeing Marquis Zhenyuan, Li Mu hurried forward to bow.

His success in Yangzhou, reaping immense profits, owed much to the Marquis House’s name being used to deceive others.

Compared to the capital, the Marquis Zhenyuan’s reputation carried far more weight in the provinces.

Due to slow information flow, local gentry only knew him as Marquis Zhenyuan’s nephew.

How distant the familial connection was, they had no way of knowing.

Through bluff and pretense, among the Yangzhou gentry, he was seen as Marquis Zhenyuan’s own blood nephew—the favored one.

“No need for formalities in camp!”

“I’ve heard of your conduct in the army—you’ve done exceptionally well.

Compared to your peers, you’ve already pulled ahead.

Marquis Wu holds you in high regard; in every victory report, he lists you as the primary contributor.”

Li Yuan said with a smile.

Compared to making money in Yangzhou, his focus clearly lay on military merit.

Li Mu’s emergence from the group of southern noble youths had earned him considerable face among his colleagues.

“Had it not been for Uncle’s patronage, Marquis Wu would never have given me so many opportunities.

Compared to the way Uncle leads the army to sweep all before it, my achievements are truly insignificant.”

Li Mu replied, slightly apprehensive.

Having witnessed the cavalry’s power, he understood clearly the rebels’ true weight in court.

Defeating a band of insignificant riffraff—no one would truly credit it as great merit.

Since the merit wasn’t great, better to stay low-key.

“Hmph!

Don’t flatter me.

Leading three thousand cavalry against a rabble of rebels is inherently an uneven fight.

If you couldn’t win, that would be the real problem.

I know my own capabilities.

When my father was alive, he judged me: rigid, incapable of adaptability, only fit to build solid fortresses and fight dull battles.

I fully agree.

Since entering service, every campaign I’ve joined was only launched when we held absolute superiority.

If I ever faced a true enemy, I’d likely end up with a disastrous record.

Your situation is different.

While countless others guarded Yangzhou City, you alone spotted the rebels’ weakness and seized the moment.

Later, when you shattered the Xinghua rebels, you struck precisely when they were most exhausted.

Catching one opportunity may be luck; catching them repeatedly is ability.

For a commander, timely recognition of battlefield opportunity is the key to victory.

Marquis Wu gave you opportunities because you’re the most outstanding officer in the Five City Military Command.

With these achievements as your foundation, once this matter concludes, you’ll at least secure the rank of Mobile Corps Commander.

If fortune favors you, you might even be appointed Garrison Commander in one of the major prefectures.

If assigned to a poorer prefecture, you might even leap straight to Assistant Regional Commander.”

Li Yuan spoke with complex expression.

As a military officer, he too once dreamed of proving himself—but ultimately abandoned the thought.

The heirs of founding marquises didn’t need glorious martial achievements; preserving the family estate only required steadiness.

From then on, he learned to conceal his talents, always presenting himself as: lacking ambition, but solid in defense.

When given the chance to lead troops, he deliberately picked weak opponents.

His mediocre performance carried him smoothly upward, making him a core figure in the noble faction.

Meanwhile, those once brightest stars among his peers kept falling along the way.

Seeing Li Mu’s excellence, he was instantly reminded of his own peers who had fallen mid-journey.

He knew full well that standing out carried great risk, yet he couldn’t ask Li Mu to hide his brilliance.

Their statuses differed: as one of the Twelve Founding Marquises, he only needed to avoid mistakes and wait out time to enter the power center.

If Li Mu didn’t fight, his career would end at Commander of Hanzhong Garrison.

After taking the risk, everything changed.

Whether as a substantive Mobile Corps Commander, Garrison Commander of a major prefecture, or Assistant Regional Commander of a remote prefecture, real authority far surpassed that of a Garrison Commander.

Reward and risk were proportional; having gambled once on his career, he could never retreat.

Now branded as the noble faction’s chosen prospect, even if Li Mu wished to withdraw, the faction would never allow it.

“Uncle, Mobile Corps Commander ranges from fourth-rank junior to fourth-rank senior; Garrison Commander spans fifth-rank junior to third-rank senior; Assistant Regional Commander is third-rank senior.

The gap between these positions is too vast.

With my modest merit, if I’m granted third-rank senior, won’t they send me to the Nine Frontiers?”

Li Mu asked timidly.

The Great Yu’s official structure was extremely complex.

The same post carried different ranks depending on location.

For ordinary officers, waiting for the result was enough.

As a connection, he didn’t believe his uncle had listed these posts randomly.

Listing them clearly implied he could choose from among them.

Otherwise, other suitable promotions existed for him—Deputy Commander, Commandant, and so on.

“Look at how timid you are!

The Nine Frontiers have a whole cadre of officers waiting for promotion; mid- and high-level vacancies are precious.

The great military clans have long claimed them as their own—how could they fall to an outsider like you?

They’re merely poorer regions, but any place capable of raising private troops can’t be that bad.”

Li Yuan replied irritably.

His own cultivated potential seed couldn’t be sent to the Nine Frontiers as cannon fodder without trial.

In recent years, the trend of military officers maintaining private retainers had grown rampant, accelerating the warlordization of the Nine Frontiers.

Emperor Tianyuan was deeply dissatisfied with this situation.

The earlier military reforms were partly intended to counterbalance the Nine Frontiers’ clans.

The noble faction, under pressure, sought self-preservation.

They lacked the courage to change the system, but cultivating a few capable officers was feasible.

“Thank you for your guidance, Uncle. I feel I still need more training—I’m not ready for such a high post!”

Li Mu answered, forcing back temptation.

Deep inside, his heart bled.

Third-rank senior Assistant Regional Commander—this was a position many officers spent their entire lives chasing without ever touching.

In Great Yu, third-rank was a watershed: though seemingly only half a rank apart, the difference between junior third-rank and senior third-rank was night and day.

Crossing that threshold placed one among the high-ranking generals, granting public recognition, requiring the Emperor’s direct appointment—no longer a negligible nobody.

Power and prestige meant nothing next to the power of money.

Private troops required not only imperial funding but also local government subsidies.

If posted to a remote, impoverished region, the local bureaucracy was barely able to feed itself—subsidies were a joke.

Theoretically, one could raise funds independently, but since no one else managed it, Li Mu didn’t believe he’d be an exception.

For a general, having troops was paramount; without financial strength, forced to accept ghost soldiers, even the highest rank was merely an empty title.

“Hmm!

Just know your own mind, and be sure not to be deceived by others.

For the upcoming defense of Taizhou, the Capital Troops will not intervene; the entire responsibility falls to your Five City Military Command.

Your merits are sufficient for now—don’t go grabbing more this time; leave the glory to your comrades!

Hearing his uncle’s advice, Li Mu felt utterly helpless.

It wasn’t that he was deliberately seizing credit; his earlier solo success was purely due to his teammates’ bad luck.

At the Battle of Xinghua, the rebels literally ran into his path—he couldn’t have refused even if he wanted to.

During the purge of traitors, he willingly gave up the main assault role and followed Lord Wuyang, watching from the sidelines.

Yet his teammates proved useless—even when battlefield merits were handed to them, they managed to push them away.

If they had been a bit more cautious, sent scouts ahead to monitor the enemy camp, and launched an immediate attack upon spotting trouble, the rebels would never have slipped away.

……

Taizhou City.

After Lord Zhenyuan decided to make a gesture of goodwill, he led the Capital Troops’ cavalry straight toward Nantongzhou, once again placing the burden of retaking Taizhou on the Five City Military Command.

“The rebels’ morale is broken; I do not wish for any further mishaps in the upcoming siege.”

“Aren’t you always complaining that I never give you opportunities?”

“Now the chance has come—let’s see how you four perform.”

“Don’t say I’m unfair—I have four bamboo tally sticks here, marked East, South, West, and North.”

“Besides Li Battalion Commander, all four of you come forward and draw a stick. Whichever direction your stick bears, that’s the gate you’ll attack from.”

“How you fight is still none of my concern. Whoever breaches the wall first gets the primary merit for this siege!”

Lord Wuyang spoke with a grim expression.

(End of Chapter)