[{"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-95":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},2364364,4623,"Chapter 95: There Are No Eternal Enemies","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-95",95,"\u003Cp>“You’re all pretty impressive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A plague broke out in the camp—such a critical matter, and you didn’t report it immediately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think promotion is imminent, so your current position no longer matters, and you might as well shirk all responsibility?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems this Marquis of Wu is truly without weight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine, you’ve all grown wings—now I’ll grant your wish. If you don’t want to stay, get out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Five Cities Military Commission has plenty of people eager for office—it never lacks aspirants.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Five City Military Command might be short on everything, but never short on people eager to become officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the Marquis of Wu’s relentless tirade, everyone lowered their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having caused such a massive mess, a few scoldings were well-deserved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They couldn’t even find a decent excuse to defend themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, please calm down!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The disaster has already occurred—the priority now is organizing epidemic control and containing its spread beyond the camp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the desperate glances of his colleagues, Li Mu stepped forward, gritting his teeth to plead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt deeply frustrated—he bore no responsibility at all, yet got scolded along with them, and now had to help put out the fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the plague broke out, it would inevitably kill large numbers of prisoners of war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who understand the situation know that major wars bring major epidemics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fear is that some unscrupulous bastards will seize on this and heap false accusations upon you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Verbal slander won’t kill anyone, but it’s deeply irritating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Verbal slander cannot kill, but it is deeply irritating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a cold snarl, the Marquis of Wu snapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll give you one more chance to redeem yourselves. If you fail to contain the spread of the plague, you know the consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps I can’t decide where you’re promoted to, but I have the power to ensure you never rise at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liaodong front is short on men—the Emperor has long hoped court officials would recommend capable talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anyone fancies himself brilliant, I won’t mind helping him along!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear the Marquis of Wu was truly furious—he’d even voiced threats outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scene was awkward, but the effect was undeniable: it instantly crushed everyone’s passive attitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Being sent to the Liaodong front meant certain death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Li Mu, who had little to do with the matter, was startled by the Marquis’s overreaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially hearing the words “brilliant talent,” Li Mu felt they were aimed squarely at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know whether his colleagues had been scheming, but he himself had done nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet such gut feelings weren’t always accurate—he couldn’t just assume the accusation was meant for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Commander, rest assured—we will give it our all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officers chorused in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital, they dared ignore the Marquis of Wu because they had no vulnerabilities to be exploited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, their entire futures hung in the balance—no one dared defy him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since you have this resolve, get to work immediately!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wu waved them off irritably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Mu prepared to leave with the others, the Marquis’s gaze halted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis, why have you ordered me to stay behind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu asked nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His superior was in a foul mood, and being left behind without explanation left him utterly uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After you discovered the plague, your camp began relocating—why didn’t you report it immediately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing the Marquis’s question, Li Mu suddenly understood the issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the commander’s delegated authority, minor camp relocations weren’t a big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real mistake was that when he moved the camp, he hadn’t notified the commander to move with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plague shows no favoritism—it strikes rich and poor alike; anyone infected faces death’s door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Choosing to relocate was purely instinctive—to get as far from the plague as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never imagined such a small matter would draw his superior’s attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis, could it be that the official report I sent hasn’t reached you yet?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu lowered his voice in reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, he was naturally cautious—he’d dispatched a formal report when ordering the relocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, today’s situation would’ve been impossible to explain away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Foolish!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could you handle something this critical with a written report? Don’t you know that speed is paramount in warfare?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis of Wu scolded sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having confirmed he wasn’t betrayed by his subordinates, his anger had largely subsided.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was a world of difference between having notified him and not having notified him at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No commander could tolerate a subordinate who, faced with trouble, simply abandoned him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis, you’re right—I’ve learned my lesson!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu promptly chose to submit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Defying one’s superior was never the act of a wise man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. I’ll overlook this incident.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Draft a military memorial regarding Yangzhou Prefecture and a post-war resolution plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis’s words left Li Mu momentarily stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such high-level documents weren’t within the purview of a mere Battalion Commander like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since he was currently a guest force officer—Yangzhou’s post-war affairs had nothing to do with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either the Marquis had a sudden whim, or this was tied to his personnel assignment and meant as a test.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A whim was unlikely—it made no sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Marquis, might I have the chance to remain stationed in Yangzhou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu asked nervously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one of the empire’s ten great prefectures, even war-torn Yangzhou was a prized posting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At its peak, any county under Yangzhou Prefecture outshone many remote prefectures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Serving in such a highly developed region was far superior to postings in inland prefectures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if assigned to a lesser post, the economic prosperity made wealth accumulation easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the capital, Li Mu dared not act boldly—too many powerful nobles, and one misstep invited disaster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Yangzhou, however, he himself was part of the elite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seven great families of the Two Huai regions had been uprooted; countless local gentry had been massacred by rebels, leaving vast swathes of interests in vacuum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his connections to Yangzhou’s native gentry and his own background, if he could secure a posting here, he’d surely claim his share.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he met his uncle earlier, he’d already expressed his desire to stay in Yangzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His ideal position was Commander of the Yangzhou Garrison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though its upward potential was limited, the position was immensely profitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the war, all military lands previously seized had been returned, with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he assumed command, Li Mu wouldn’t hesitate to annex nearby unclaimed lands around the garrison farms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of thousands of acres of prime farmland could easily support a fully manned garrison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with its geographic advantages and some small-scale trade, life would be blissful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the odds of success were low—he wasn’t the only one eyeing this prize.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snatching it from among numerous noble heirs was no simple task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the Hou Family’s influence, it would demand a heavy price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A nephew simply wasn’t enough—only a son might suffice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d also tried courting this superior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, the Marquis of Wu was a seasoned bureaucrat—he’d only promised to recommend him to court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave no concrete assurances about the specific post, nor whether he’d remain in Yangzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why ask so much? Just write it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where you serve is decided by the court.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A general should…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu ignored the rest of the Marquis’s words—his mind was fixed on staying in Yangzhou Prefecture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Marquis, for your guidance!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should you ever need anything, I will give it my all!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu immediately pledged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu immediately assured him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to directly giving gifts, he felt it was more practical to promise his superior a pie in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His political instincts told him that, given the power of Marquis Wuyang, he would likely secure a share of the Two Huai salt trade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since there was profit involved, someone needed to watch over it, lest others try to steal it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maternal relatives of Emperor Tianyuan had shallow roots; Marquis Wuyang’s branch rose to prominence only after the emperor’s ascension and had few allies in court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Subordinates like Li Mu, who had followed him through southern campaigns and northern expeditions, were barely trustworthy—aside from having served him for too short a time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone needed to be assigned to oversee family assets, and Li Mu, with his adaptability, was an excellent choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Marquis Wuyang was willing to exert himself, securing the position of Garrison Commander of Yangzhou was almost certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Yangzhou was fiercely contested, Li Mu would accept a posting to Huai’an Prefecture as a fallback.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, a posting to a neighboring prefecture would be a decent option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of the prefectures in Jiangnan were poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, go prepare first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang waved his hand expressionlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he hadn’t been outright refused, Li Mu knew half the matter was settled—the other half depended on who his rivals were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the minor incident over, epidemic prevention instantly became the army’s primary mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Li Mu moved his camp, Marquis Wuyang also relocated his command post, distancing himself entirely from Taizhou City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other four battalions deeply afflicted by the plague suffered terribly—everywhere in their camps were sick soldiers, far too many to treat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Marquis Wuyang repeatedly sent official documents to Nanjing’s Six Ministries requesting physicians and medicine, he could not resolve the shortage of medical resources.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Treatment progressed slowly, but epidemic prevention was carried out well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing for Li Mu to do—what little he knew wasn’t a secret at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancestral experience in preventing epidemics stretched back a thousand years and had become relatively refined by the Great Ming era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After conversing with several renowned physicians, Li Mu was astonished to discover they understood plague far more deeply than he’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to them, plague was caused by “malevolent qi,” which arose from specific natural conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since plague often occurred after wars and major disasters, they believed “malevolent qi” was linked to decaying corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their proposed preventive measures included burning the bodies of patients and isolating the sick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only had they scattered quicklime throughout the camp, but after contact with patients, they disinfected with high-proof alcohol.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water for daily drinking and bathing, at the physicians’ strong insistence, was all boiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even clothing changed and washed was required to be boiled in hot water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all these procedures, Li Mu began to suspect he’d encountered a time-traveler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After interacting with multiple renowned physicians and realizing they treated these measures as routine, Li Mu confirmed this was the standard level of epidemic prevention in the Great Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether an epidemic could be contained never hinged on technique—it hinged on execution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a military camp, a powerful institution, few questioned why—regardless of whether they accepted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A single order from the commander was enough to make subordinates obey without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prisoners in the POW camp had no right to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other regions, this wouldn’t work—the local government’s enforcement capacity could never reach such heights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an era when imperial authority did not extend below the county level, if local clans refused to comply, the yamen was often powerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a month of effort, Taizhou—the first place to detect the plague—became the first to bring it under control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Yangzhou, Huai’an, and Nantongzhou, where the plague was discovered later, became the worst-hit areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, throughout the Two Huai region, mention of the plague sent everyone into panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the Five City Military Command was gradually restoring order, an official document shattered the calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Lord, why would Senior Minister Xu want to invite us into Yangzhou City?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the document in his hand, Li Mu’s first reaction was disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it’s said a chancellor’s belly can hold a boat, that’s just a story—applying it to officialdom would likely end in utter ruin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu had personally witnessed the conflict between Senior Minister Xu and Marquis Wuyang; the two would never reconcile easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s so strange? The situation in Yangzhou City right now isn’t good at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plague has spread throughout the Two Huai region, yet we soldiers have contained it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a current senior minister, how can he allow plague to rage unchecked in his jurisdiction? What will the empire think?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He can’t admit his ministerial competence is worse than ours—less capable than mere soldiers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang chuckled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, he was in high spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Getting a current senior minister to bow first was a matter of great prestige.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My Lord, should we send troops then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu asked, concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the hidden traps Marquis Wuyang had laid, Senior Minister Xu’s control over Yangzhou had remained purely superficial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was estranged from local gentry, and even the yamen soldiers largely paid lip service while disobeying in practice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To put it bluntly, even if the Five City Military Command was a hundred li away, Marquis Wuyang’s influence over Yangzhou surpassed Senior Minister Xu’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This influence was earned through bloodshed, unrelated to official rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in Yangzhou knew: offend Marquis Wuyang, and he could send troops to exterminate your entire family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Marquis Wuyang had never actually done such a thing, everyone believed he could—and that was as good as having done it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after the Ministry of Personnel appointed officials to fill vacant posts, this influence couldn’t be easily diminished in the short term.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A senior minister with weak control over his subordinates could never achieve high execution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To escape this predicament, the first step was to reconcile with Marquis Wuyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, as long as the two powerful men continued their struggle, no one beneath them would dare fully serve Senior Minister Xu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course we’re going!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are things you haven’t yet encountered. When you rise to high office in the future, you’ll understand there are no eternal enemies in officialdom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other battalion commanders have duties to attend to—this time, you’ll accompany me to Yangzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Wuyang’s reply left Li Mu speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nonsense about eternal enemies—it simply meant both sides had a shared interest and needed a temporary alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor wanted to see maternal relatives and the civil official bloc oppose each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A one-time collaboration was acceptable; if they truly became a political alliance, the emperor wouldn’t care whether he was an imperial uncle—he’d turn on him instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout history, countless maternal relatives fell because they misjudged their own position and triggered political disasters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many precedents, the clever ones afterward learned their lesson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They knew what they could do—and what they couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had Marquis Wuyang not understood all this, he wouldn’t have persisted in tormenting Senior Minister Xu over petty grievances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2424,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","06bd3c005c0336db0dc5c47b11ec90ba54291b82f0eb47e38b7c16cf979a42f3","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-96","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-94",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]