Chapter 94: Do Not Maintain Useless Officials

Night was the best cover; the limited imperial troops could never kill all the rebels pouring out endlessly.

Especially the elderly, weak, women, and children fleeing—they knelt immediately, begging for mercy, severely slowing the imperial troops’ advance.

They all knew these people were masking the escape of the able-bodied.

Yet the younger officers, still clinging to moral boundaries, ordered their men to accept their surrender.

Time slipped away second by second; dawn’s light appeared on the horizon, and the great battle gradually drew to a close.

“Commander, last night the Eastern City Battalion killed over three thousand rebels and captured more than twenty thousand.”

“Commander, last night the Western City Battalion killed over two thousand eight hundred rebels and captured more than twenty thousand.”

“Commander, last night the Central City Battalion killed over two thousand rebels and captured over sixteen thousand.”

…

Hearing all four battalions had scored heavy victories, Marquis WuYang’s face never stopped smiling—he’d turned the tide.

Though the rebel leader hadn’t been caught, Taizhou City was taken.

The Five City Garrison’s face was preserved; his own as commander was preserved; the rest were mere side issues.

Huang Renlong was the de facto rebel leader, but for political reasons, the official wanted fugitives were the Zong family.

The Zong family died in rebel infighting; with a little artistic embellishment, it became a victory of the Five City Garrison.

“You fought well. Send word to Grand Secretary Xu and the Nanjing Six Ministries—they must send men immediately to take over Taizhou City.”

Marquis WuYang ordered with a smile.

Taizhou was now an empty city, nothing worth taking—but the captives were a massive problem.

The four battalions had captured nearly seventy thousand enemy troops; over ninety percent were elderly, weak, women, and children—mostly rebel family members.

Not dealing with them was impossible; executing them all, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Finding no perfect solution, the best choice was to dump the burden.

Governing the region was the civil officials’ responsibility—they had to take this blame.

“Commander, while clearing out rebel remnants, we found captured… ”

Before Zhao Battalion Commander could finish, Marquis WuYang’s face turned black.

“Your men must have mistaken them!

Our Great Yu’s noble families are men of iron will—how could they become rebel captives?

Someone must be impersonating them, trying to sully the reputations of our fallen comrades!

When you encounter such despicable scoundrels, deal with them immediately—don’t let them foul your eyes!”

One or two soldiers captured after defeat was one thing; a whole group of noble and imperial in-law youths captured? That would be a colossal joke.

For their families, having such a disgraceful descendant alive was worse than death.

At least dying in battle for the state could earn them imperial commendation.

From the moment they were handed over, these discarded ones were already dead in the eyes of those in power.

To be blunt, killing them all would greatly improve Beijing’s order—crime rates would drop by at least thirty percent.

“Commander is right—these are rebel tricks.

Unable to defeat us on the battlefield, they resort to such vile schemes to slander our fallen comrades!”

Zhao Yawei hurriedly made amends.

This brief exchange sealed the fate of a group of aristocratic youths.

No one present voiced sympathy for these unlucky ones.

From the Empire’s standpoint, this purge was far from enough.

If all the aristocratic wastrels across the land could be purged, Great Yu’s dynasty might last thirty more years.

Most wrongful cases in the countryside were caused by these bastards.

Without these parasites, the ruling elite’s quality would rise at least one tier.

With the meeting over, the Five City Garrison’s southern campaign reached its end.

Local governance was a taboo for military officers—they must not interfere.

Even Marquis WuYang had no right to directly meddle in salt reform; Li Mu, an obscure battalion commander, had even less voice.

Just getting a share of the loot was enough.

The salt industry’s big cake was for the big players—he had no interest whatsoever.

With free time now, Li Mu began considering his next steps—this was also the shared worry of all the Five City Garrison officers.

For war needs, they had secretly expanded their forces.

Now the fighting was over, the excess troops were a serious problem.

Disbanding them outright was hard—they couldn’t bear to let go.

As military officers, they might face battle again at any moment; holding a battle-ready force was invaluable.

Keeping them all as retainers, however, was a heavy financial burden.

If their next posting was a lucrative post, fine; if sent to a poor office, maintaining troops became a nightmare.

Aside from a few so terrified by war they wanted to return to Beijing, most were now busy.

All kinds of connections were activated; letters flew everywhere, all to secure a good posting.

As the most accessible big shot, Marquis WuYang’s tent became a crowded hub.

Li Mu keenly noticed the camp’s atmosphere had changed.

The Five City Garrison’s southern campaign had become a war merit factory.

Every officer had dozens, even hundreds of enemy heads to his name.

Under Great Yu law, all of them clearly met the basic requirements for military promotion.

With so many officers suddenly eligible for promotion, the court’s limited high-quality posts couldn’t possibly cover them all.

Besides the Five City Garrison, the Capital Garrison was also a stronghold of noble scions.

One side scored heavily; the other side scored even more.

Everyone was connected by family ties—competition would only grow fiercer.

Families with fewer sons were better off; showing even modest potential earned strong clan support.

The worst off were those with many brothers—brothers, cousins, uncles, nephews—all serving in the military, all needing promotion at once.

Limited resources couldn’t cover everyone; the court wouldn’t allow one family to dominate—someone had to sacrifice their career.

Even blood brothers would strain private relations over personal advancement.

Former comrades suddenly became rivals on the career ladder—the impact was far greater.

Compared to most colleagues, Li Mu’s situation was relatively good.

Though not of the Hou family’s direct line, his demonstrated potential had earned him the attention of Zhenyuan Marquis.

Clan political resource allocation looked at bloodline, but also at a youth’s potential.

Who got what, the head of the family had great say.

Prioritizing the most talented clan members aligned with the family’s overall interest—no one could object.

As the top contributor of the Five City Garrison, he represented, to some extent, the bureau’s face—and Marquis WuYang’s personal preference.

The Ministry of War and the Command Headquarters would consider these factors when appointing officers.

The exact posting would require behind-the-scenes maneuvering, but at least it wouldn’t be terrible.

While others scrambled for advantage, Li Mu found himself idle.

Even the operation to capture Huang Renlong had been indefinitely shelved.

It wasn’t negligence—there were simply military customs.

Without the commander’s authorization, subordinate officers had no right to mobilize troops.

Besides, the limited intelligence couldn’t guarantee catching the rebel leader.

Volunteering for a mission and failing was a major taboo in officialdom.

Especially near a critical promotion, fewer troubles meant more safety—no mistakes was achievement.

…

Yangzhou City.

Grand Secretary Xu felt his head ache upon receiving the victory report.

After so long a southern campaign, not a single good thing had fallen to him—only trouble piled up.

The imperial army’s recapture of Taizhou City was a great joy; the seventy thousand captives left behind were a burning hot potato.

The military hadn’t slaughtered the surrendered; as leader of the clean-stream faction, he certainly couldn’t.

Pardoning them was impossible; no matter how conciliatory, you couldn’t pardon rebels.

By past precedent, the court usually exiled or conscripted coerced rebels.

After all, only the able-bodied could rebel—the elderly, weak, women, and children had already perished in the chaos.

Killing them outright was too wasteful; better to put them to use, showing the court’s benevolence.

But the captives seized by the Five City Garrison were unusual: few able-bodied men, mostly elderly, weak, women, and children.

Exiling them would likely see them all collapse before reaching their destination.

Even those who survived wouldn’t be wanted by the frontier garrisons.

“Huaichang, how should we handle these people?”

Xu Wenyue set down his documents and asked.

“Grand Secretary, our dynasty has no precedent for this.”

After all, they’re rebels; treating them lightly won’t satisfy public expectations.

The people of the realm sympathize with the weak; if we treat them harshly, it will damage your reputation.

Better to lock them up first and submit a memorial to the court, letting His Majesty decide.」

Hou Huaichang said, hesitating slightly.

The Pure Stream faction’s lack of imperial favor largely stems from their habit of dumping thorny problems onto the Emperor.

Natural disasters and human misfortunes are the Emperor’s moral failings; the treasury’s deficit is due to his extravagance; defeats on the frontier are because he failed to appoint virtuous ministers…

Yet this group of virtuous ministers only identifies problems—they never solve them.

“Unacceptable!”

Xu Wenyue shook his head in disappointment.

As a cabinet minister from the Pure Stream faction, Xu Wenyue was certainly no ordinary member of that group.

Compared to his colleagues, he had political ambitions.

He couldn’t achieve the ideal of exhausting himself until death, but within his capacity, he still wished to act.

Dumping problems onto the Emperor was easiest, but it would cost him the Emperor’s trust.

Emperor Tianyuan was no fool; the previous Pure Stream elders who did this all ended up back home farming.

“Senior Minister, if we don’t report this to the court, perhaps we should wait and observe for now.

We aren’t the only ones with prisoners of war—Huai’an Prefecture has plenty too.

Let’s see how the eunuch faction handles it; if their approach suits us, we can follow suit.

Even if it causes negative repercussions, we can at least arrange for the eunuchs to take the blame when necessary!”

Hearing Hou Huaichang’s new suggestion, Xu Wenyue nodded in satisfaction.

Dumping blame onto colleagues is far safer than dumping it onto the Emperor.

Even if the truth leaks out, the Pure Stream faction will firmly insist it was the eunuchs’ doing.

“Send word to the Marquis of Wuyang: let him temporarily oversee the prisoners of war; I’ll send personnel to deliver the grain and fodder as soon as possible.

Send messengers to urge the Nanjing Ministry of Revenue to hurry and secure grain—I’ll give them no more than seven days.

If they haven’t gathered three hundred thousand shi of grain by then, they can go home.

The court doesn’t support useless officials!

Tell the Minister of Personnel: if he still can’t find a suitable candidate, I’ll submit a memorial to the court recommending him for the post of Prefect of Yangzhou.”

Xu Wenyue said coldly.

The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel were the most powerful departments in Great Yu—but that referred to the capital’s ministries, not Nanjing’s retirement posts.

As a cabinet minister, dealing with marginal, retired officials wasn’t difficult.

Having climbed the ranks himself, Xu Wenyue understood these officials’ thinking better than anyone.

Their prolonged inaction simply meant none of them wanted to take responsibility.

If subordinates shirk responsibility, the burden falls on me, the Imperial Commissioner.

The current trouble stems fundamentally from these two departments’ inaction—hence the trouble has come to me.

If the Nanjing Ministry of Personnel had appointed officials the moment vacancies appeared in the prefectures and counties, these problems could have been handed down.

As Imperial Commissioner, I need only oversee the subordinates’ work.

If they fail, it’s their fault; I bear only supervisory responsibility.

Why must I now handle every detail myself, burdened with so much responsibility?

…

Taizhou City.

After ten days of cleanup, the city’s corpses were finally cleared away.

Stepping into this ancient city, Li Mu’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of wounds and devastation everywhere.

The destructive power of war was simply too great.

A single rebellion had utterly destroyed an entire prefecture.

Restoring its former prosperity would take decades of peace and recovery.

“Battalion Commander, the number of sick prisoners in the neighboring camps is rising sharply.

Many are vomiting—the military physician says it may be an outbreak of plague!”

Hearing Lan Linjie’s report, Li Mu’s face darkened.

The Battle of Taizhou was fought by the other four Battalion Commands; they also held custody of the prisoners.

Deep inside, Li Mu cursed their entire families.

In an era with backward medical conditions, plague was no less deadly than war.

Knowing full well how dangerous plague was, they still failed to take timely preventive measures.

Even he had received word—the plague had clearly been spreading in the camps for days, not just one or two.

Whether it was lack of experience in handling plague, or preoccupation with promotion that led them to neglect camp management, Li Mu didn’t know.

Either way, he knew the Five City Military Command was in deep trouble.

The prisoner camps held mostly the elderly, weak, women, and children—plague struck them hardest.

If large numbers of prisoners died, the censors, always eager to find fault with officials, would seize this chance to attack.

“Issue orders: from now on, no one may drink raw water; all food must be thoroughly cooked.

Anyone showing symptoms must be immediately isolated and treated.

Tell the soldiers: don’t wander around unnecessarily, especially not to camps where plague has broken out.”

Li Mu immediately ordered.

(End of Chapter)