Chapter 119: The People's Hearts Are the Bulwark

Battle of Eagle Beak Cliff

The Pacification Army's feat of annihilating an elite Northern Han sabotage squad at minimal cost spread without legs.

At first, the people were merely half-believing, half-doubting.

After all, in troubled times, it was not uncommon for government troops to kill innocents, claim merit, and exaggerate their words.

But when someone personally saw the Pacification Army escorting captured Northern Han standard weapons and armor to Chan Prefecture,

When the black smoke from the burned bandit lairs, cleared in the suppression, rose day after day on different hilltops,

The voices of doubt were gradually replaced by a feeling mixed with anticipation and curiosity.

Chen Wen knew well that military suppression could only treat the symptoms.

To truly stabilize the rear and become an impregnable bulwark for the main army, one must win the hearts of the people living on this land.

Swords can temporarily repel bandits, but only order and hope can eradicate the soil that breeds banditry.

He divided his troops into several units, while continuing to carry out the mop‑up suppression and maintain military pressure.

He also assigned another important task.

——to pacify the locality and organize civil defense.

He himself personally led a unit of personal guards, patrolling the several heavily damaged villages in the northern part of Chan Prefecture.

The first place they reached was Li Family Hollow at the foot of Black Wind Ridge.

The village was small, originally with several dozen households.

Now it appeared rather dilapidated, with many houses bearing traces of having been burned and smashed.

The villagers' faces were pallid, their eyes full of fear and numbness.

The village chief was an old man with white hair.

Upon hearing that the government troops were coming, he tremblingly brought several elders out to meet them, his face full of anxiety.

Chen Wen did not put on the airs of a commissioner.

Instead, he dismounted and walked, speaking calmly:

"Elder, no need to panic; I am Chen Wen Zhong, commissioner of the Pacification Army, tasked with suppressing bandits in the realm and ensuring peace and safety for the people."

"Not long ago, did bandits harass your manor?"

Seeing the young commissioner's amiable demeanor, the village chief felt somewhat relieved.

He spoke with a trembling voice: "Rep... replying to the commissioner, a few days ago the bandits from the ridge came down and looted twice..."

"Grain and livestock were taken in large amounts, and... they also injured people."

Chen Wen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated houses and the villagers with hungry faces.

He said in a deep voice:

"The bandit nest at Black Wind Ridge was wiped out by our forces five days ago, and the bandit leader was executed."

"From now on, they will never come to harass you again."

Upon hearing this, the villagers immediately burst into an uproar.

They looked at Chen Wen and the soldiers behind him, who, though travel-worn, still bore neat military array, in disbelief.

"Real... really?"

A bold youngster couldn't help but ask:

"The heads and the seized equipment have been sent to the prefecture office; there's no falsifying them."

Chen Wen affirmed, then immediately changed the subject.

"However, although the main army has marched north and the interior is at peace, we must still guard against small bands of drifters."

"I intend to organize a civil defense force in your village, with able-bodied farmers training during their free time, issuing them simple weapons, to patrol and defend the village; would that be feasible?"

The village chief's face showed a troubled look:

"Sir Commissioner, it's not that this old man is unwilling; it's just that..."

"There are not many able-bodied men in the village to begin with, and with spring plowing imminent, if we delay the farming season, the latter half of the year..."

"Elder, rest assured."

Chen Wen cut him off, his face showing a hint of a reassuring smile.

"Civil defense drills will not take up much farming time; they will mainly be held at night or on rainy days."

"As for weapons, I will have some of the captured swords and sticks left behind. Furthermore..."

He paused, raised his voice to ensure the surrounding villagers could hear:

"I observe that the irrigation canals outside the village are often silted up; does this therefore affect irrigation?"

"Exactly, Commissioner!"

Upon mentioning this, the village chief and several old farmers became excited.

"Last year there was little rain, the canals were blocked, so many fields could not be irrigated, and the harvest greatly decreased..."

"Zhang Cheng."

Chen Wen turned and called out:

"Subordinate is here."

"Dispatch a unit of auxiliary troops, carrying tools, to assist the villagers of Li Family Hollow in clearing the main irrigation canals within three li outside the village."

"The required rations will be borne by our army."

"Yes!"

At the order, not only were the villagers stunned,

Even the personal guards behind Chen Wen were somewhat moved.

The government troops not only do not bother the people, but also help them repair the irrigation canals?

"This… how can this be…?"

The village elder's voice trembled, as if he were about to kneel.

Chen Wen reached out to steady him, speaking solemnly:

"Elder, the military and the people are originally one body."

"If you can live in peace and work happily, farm with peace of mind, and produce grain and supplies, that is the greatest support for my frontline troops."

"With the rear secure and supply lines open, our army can have no rear worries and strike fiercely at the barbarians!"

"This irrigation canal is not only your livelihood, but also a bulwark of the state!"

He did not speak any grand principles.

Instead, he directly linked people's livelihood with war, simple yet extremely persuasive.

"The Military Envoy's grace! The Military Envoy's grace!"

The village elder finally burst into tears, leading the villagers as they were about to bow down.

"Please rise quickly!" Chen Wen hurriedly stopped them.

"This is within my duty."

He said no more.

He left behind the soldiers responsible for digging the canal and a small squad tasked with guiding the militia's organization, then took the rest of the men and rushed to the next village.

Similar scenes occurred over the next few days.

They were repeated in several villages across North Chan.

The Peaceful Stability Army not only suppressed bandits, but also helped villagers rebuild homes and fences destroyed by bandits;

guided them on how to set up simple warning traps;

distributed part of the seized grain to those households truly unable to put food on the table;

even the army's medical officers would treat sick villagers.

Chen Wen furthermore applied the "Ability Granting" to these constructive works.

When the auxiliary soldiers and villagers worked together to dredge the canal and reinforce the embankments,

he would timely grant a broad double-efficiency boost.

Not to show off, but to let the project finish faster.

So the people could benefit sooner, and also so his own auxiliary soldiers could be deployed to the next task more quickly.

The effect was obvious.

What originally required ten days or so to complete—the dredging project—was declared finished in just three to five days.

Watching the clear river water rush gurgling into the dry fields.

The villagers' gazes toward the Peaceful Stability Army soldiers shifted completely from fear and suspicion to gratitude and trust.

"Brother Wang, you soldiers… are really different from what we saw before."

A young man helping with the canal couldn't help but say to the Peaceful Stability Army auxiliary soldier beside him,

The auxiliary soldier surnamed Wang wiped sweat with his sleeve and straightened his chest.

and said proudly:

"That's right! We are the Peaceful Stability Army, the troops led by Military Envoy Chen!"

"The Military Envoy said, to serve as a soldier and eat grain, to defend home and country is our heavenly duty!"

"Bullying the common folk—what kind of ability is that?"

The people's hearts quietly coalesced in these solid, down-to-earth actions.

More importantly, after gaining the people's trust, the Peaceful Stability Army's "eyes and ears" became extraordinarily keen.

Previously, Qian Gui's scouting team had to expend great effort to penetrate mountains, forests, and river valleys for reconnaissance.

Nowadays, often as soon as they arrived at a place, local elders or bold youths would proactively come to them.

"Military Lord, in the past couple of days a stranger has been loitering around West Mountain Gully, looking like no good person."

"Official Army Brother, there's a firelight over at Small River Village at night; I don't know if it's another bandit hideout."

"When I was herding cattle, I saw several people sneaking northward with loads on their horsebacks, covered with cloth…"

These seemingly fragmented pieces of information, after Qian Gui's sorting and analysis,

often could be pieced together into valuable intelligence, guiding the Peaceful Stability Army to strike precisely at those threats trying to stay hidden.

Several days later, Chen Wen led his forces back to the temporary main camp located at the transportation hub.

The camp's scale had expanded considerably since they left, appearing more orderly.

Zhang Cheng came forward to meet him, his face lit with joy:

"Military Envoy, you have returned."

"Local militias have been preliminarily set up; following your orders, we established outposts and communication procedures on a village and fort basis."

"These past days, relying on clues from the villagers, we have uprooted two more Northern Han hidden posts."

Chen Wen nodded, his gaze sweeping over the camp's perimeter.

He could see, on the distant field ridges,

there were farmers straightening their backs, gazing toward the main camp; their eyes no longer held fear, but rather a sense of ease.

Farther off, the newly repaired water canal shimmered with rippling light under the sun.

He closed his eyes, feeling the changes in his Sea of Consciousness.

That pale golden Fortune Momentum vortex, compared to when he left the camp,

had visibly grown a notch larger, and its rotation speed became more stable and powerful.

Within the vortex, it seemed no longer merely empty energy.

But it was subtly mixed with a thread of heavy trust and expectation coming from this land.

It was no longer just a cold indicator; it truly began to resonate with this land and with the people living on this land.

Personal Panel

Name: Chen Wen (Chen Wenzhong)

Identity: Jing'an Army Envoy, Zhongwu Colonel, Chan Prefecture Army Commander

Ability Multiplier: Lv. 4 (16x)

Growth Progress Bar: 95%

Fortune Momentum Vortex: Active, steadily growing (foundation solid, people's hearts initially attached)

The progress bar had increased, but Chen Wen felt little joy in his heart, instead feeling heavier.

The people's hearts are like water; they can carry a boat, yet they can also capsize it.

Today they regard themselves as a barrier; if one day I am unable to protect this peace, this gathered popular sentiment may perhaps instantly dissipate.

This weighty trust is both motivation and pressure.

He raised his head and gazed northward, his eyes seeming to pierce thousands of mountains and rivers, landing on the battlefield where an earth-shattering war is about to erupt.

The stronger the fortifications here, the more the lads on the front lines can fight bloodily without distraction.

And he knows that the true test may have only just begun.

Those hidden 'poison fangs' deeper down will certainly not stand by while he so easily builds this 'people's heart barrier'.