Chapter 91

The arrival of the capital battalion's cavalry accelerated the war's progress.

Not only were the rebels eager to run away slaughtered,

but the rebel reinforcements coming to help were also crushed halfway.

The rhythm of the battlefield was firmly controlled by the cavalry, and the rebels, whose vitality had been severely damaged in the field battle, could only shrink into Taizhou City to linger on.

The teammates performed too well, leaving the various Wucheng Military Commission units to only follow behind and "soy sauce" (do nothing).

Occasionally killing a few fleeing stragglers was their only achievement.

Slaughtering in all directions was purely a beautiful dream.

When it came to grabbing heads, infantry couldn't compare to cavalry at all.

The work of cleaning house was snatched away by the capital battalion's cavalry, and Marquis Marquis Wuyang's face was very ugly.

Consequently, the generals in the camp had to deal with him carefully, fearing he would vent his anger on them.

Especially Battalion Commander Zhao, who led the main attack, doing the bitterest work and receiving the harshest scolding.

Yet this bitter task was one he had snatched himself, so he could only continue with tears in his eyes.

……

Cavalry camp.

"Nephew pays respects to Uncle!"

Seeing the Marquis of Zhenyuan, Li Mu hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.

On this Yangzhou trip, he had made a fortune, and he had used the Marquis's name to fool people quite a bit.

Compared to the capital, the name of the Marquis of Zhenyuan's mansion was clearly more useful in the provinces.

Limited by the transmission of information, local gentry only knew he was the nephew of the Marquis of Zhenyuan.

Exactly how many branches removed he was, they couldn't know.

Relying on bluffing, in the eyes of the Yangzhou gentry, he was the direct nephew of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, and a particularly favored one at that.

"No need for formalities in the army!"

"I've heard about your performance in the army; you've done very well.

Compared to your peers, you've already taken a step ahead.

Marquis Marquis Wuyang values you highly; in all the victory reports, he has listed you as the top merit."

Li Yuan said with a chuckle.

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

Li Mu standing out among the noble sons who marched south had earned him plenty of face in front of his colleagues.

"If not for Uncle's guidance, Marquis Marquis Wuyang wouldn't have given this nephew so many opportunities.

Compared to Uncle leading the army to victory on the battlefield, the achievements this nephew has made are truly not worth mentioning."

Li Mu responded with slight trepidation.

Having seen the power of the cavalry, he knew very well the weight of the rebels in the court.

Defeating a group of guys who couldn't be brought to the table—if one claimed there was much merit, probably no one would be convinced.

Since the merit wasn't great enough, it was better to keep a low profile.

"Hmph!

No need to gild my face.

Leading three thousand cavalry against a group of rebels is inherently an unequal battle.

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

I know my own level.

When my late father was alive, his evaluation of me was: lacking flexibility, only able to build strong camps and fight dull battles.

I deeply agree!

Since entering officialdom, every time I've gone on an expedition, it's been under conditions of absolute superiority that I've chosen to act.

If I ever encountered a strong enemy, I don't know how rotten my record would be.

Your situation is different.

With so many people guarding Yangzhou City, only you discovered the rebels' flaw and seized the opportunity in time.

Later, crushing the rebels in Xinghua was also choosing to act when the enemy was most exhausted.

Capturing an opportunity once might be a coincidence, but capturing opportunities continuously is ability.

For a general, timely capturing of opportunities is the key to winning a war.

Marquis Marquis Wuyang is willing to give you opportunities essentially because you are the most brilliant general in the Wucheng Military Commission.

With these military merits as a foundation, when this matter ends, you can at least land a position as a Mobile Corps Commander.

If you're lucky, you might even be able to serve as a Garrison Commander in one of those large prefectures.

If you go to a state prefecture with poorer conditions, you might even be able to go straight to the position of Assistant Regional Commander."

Li Yuan said with a complex expression.

As a military officer, he had also thought about proving himself, but eventually dismissed the idea.

As the heir to a founding marquis, one doesn't need brilliant military achievements; keeping the family business stable is enough.

From then on, he learned to hide his talents, and the image he showed to the outside world was always: insufficient in enterprise, but more than enough in guarding.

When he had the chance to lead an army on an expedition, he specifically picked on the weak.

His standard performance allowed him to rise through the ranks smoothly, becoming a core figure of the noble group.

Instead, those military stars who performed most brilliantly kept falling halfway.

Seeing Li Mu's excellent performance reminded him of his peers who fell halfway.

Knowing that being too sharp is full of risks, yet he couldn't ask Li Mu to hide his talents.

Their statuses were different; as one of the twelve founding marquises, one only needs to lie low and not make mistakes, and one can enter the power center just by waiting.

If Li Mu didn't fight, the Hanzhong Guard Commander position would be his end.

After fighting for it once, the situation changed.

Whether it was the actual appointment as a Mobile Corps Commander, a Garrison Commander of a large prefecture, or an Assistant Regional Commander of a remote state, the real power far exceeded that of a Guard Commander.

Gain and risk are directly proportional; once you've fought for your career, you can only keep going.

Having become a seed player pushed by the noble group, even if Li Mu wanted to retreat later, the noble group wouldn't agree.

"Uncle, the Mobile Corps Commander position includes Junior Rank Four, Senior Rank Four, and Garrison Commanders range from Junior Rank Five to Senior Rank Three, and the Assistant Regional Commander is Senior Rank Three.

The span of these positions is too wide.

With my meager merit, if I'm appointed to Senior Rank Three, wouldn't I be going to the Nine Borders front line?"

Li Mu asked weakly.

The official structure of the Great Great Dayu Dynasty is very complex.

For the same position, because the location of the appointment is different, the rank is also different.

If it were an ordinary general, they would just wait for the result.

As a person with connections, he didn't think his uncle had brought this up for no reason.

Listing these positions clearly implied that he could choose from them.

Otherwise, besides these positions, there were other posts like Assistant Regional Commander and Regional Commander, which also fit his next promotion.

"Look at how timid you are!

There's a group of generals in the Nine Borders waiting for promotion, and the real positions for middle and high-level generals are precious.

The major military families have long regarded them as their own; how could it be your turn, an outsider?

It's just that the local area is a bit barren, but a place where you can build a recruited army shouldn't be too bad."

Li Yuan said unhappily.

How could a potential seed he cultivated be sent to the Nine Borders to be cannon fodder without being tempered?

In fact, in recent years, due to the trend of military officers raising retainers, the trend of warlordism among the Nine Borders military families has become increasingly obvious.

Emperor Tianyuan was very dissatisfied with this situation.

The military reform pushed forward earlier was also to some extent to check and balance the Nine Borders military families.

The noble group, having been beaten, was also seeking ways to save themselves.

Changing the existing system—they didn't have the courage for that, but cultivating a few capable generals was possible.

"Many thanks for Uncle's guidance; this nephew feels he still needs tempering and is not suitable to be in a high position rashly!"

Li Mu resisted the temptation and replied.

Deep down, his heart was bleeding.

A Senior Rank Three Assistant Regional Commander—this is a position many military officers struggle for their whole lives and never touch.

In the Great Great Dayu Dynasty, Rank Three is a watershed; between Junior Rank Three and Senior Rank Three, it seems like only half a rank, but the status is two different worlds.

Crossing over means entering the high-level military sequence, having a certain degree of fame in the court, needing the Emperor to personally issue an edict for appointment and removal, and no longer being an insignificant person.

High position and power cannot compare to the power of the word "money."

Besides funding from the imperial court, recruiting an army also requires local yamen to coordinate pay.

If you go to a poor place to take office, the local yamen is poor itself, so the coordinated pay is a joke.

Theoretically, you can raise military funds yourself, but everyone can't solve it, and Li Mu didn't think he would be an exception.

For a military officer, having troops is the kingly way; if financial resources are insufficient, forced to eat empty pay, no matter how high the status, it's just a nominal position.

"Hmm!

Just keep it in mind, and remember not to be fooled by others.

For the next Taizhou defense battle, the capital battalion will not act; it will all be left to your Wucheng Military Commission to handle.

Your merit is enough for now; don't go grabbing it this time, leave the merit to your colleagues!"

Hearing his uncle's instructions, Li Mu was helpless.

It really wasn't that he was grabbing merit; standing out before was purely because his teammates were unlucky.

The Battle of Xinghua was entirely the rebels bumping into him; he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to.

The battle to clean house—he consciously gave up the main attack and followed Marquis Marquis Wuyang to eat melons.

It's just that his teammates weren't capable, and they could push away the military merit delivered to their door.

If they had been a little more cautious, sent people to watch the enemy camp in advance, and acted immediately after discovering something wrong, the rebels wouldn't have slipped away.

……

Taizhou City.

After the Marquis of Zhenyuan decided to sell a favor, he took the capital battalion's cavalry and headed straight for Nantongzhou, and the heavy responsibility of recovering Taizhou fell back into the hands of the Wucheng Military Commission.

"The rebels have lost their momentum; for the next siege battle, this Marquis does not wish for any more accidents.

You often complain that this Marquis doesn't give you opportunities, right?

Now the opportunity is here; the next step depends on your performance.

Don't say this Marquis is unfair; here are four bamboo slips, marked East, South, West, and North.

Except for Battalion Commander Li, you four come over and draw lots; whichever label you draw, you will launch an attack from that gate.

How to fight specifically, this Marquis still won't ask. Anyway, whoever breaks the city first will get the top merit for this siege!"

Marquis Marquis Wuyang said with a gloomy face.

(End of chapter)