Chapter 172: Piling Rice to Make Mountains

Although Geng Yan's own halo of youthful brilliance shone so brightly that many under Diwu Lun's command envied him and secretly called him "the little brat,"

no one dared say it to his face — after all, Geng Yan's personal martial skill was outstanding; aside from Ma Yuan, he could knock down everyone else.

So when they heard Geng Yan ask Diwu Lun to conscript troops, Robbery Section Chief Zhao Pang couldn't help but retort: "Adjutant Geng, if conscription were that easy, why would we need to recruit?"

The Qin and Han dynasties brimmed with martial vigor, and one of the secrets was the conscription system.

If you asked Diwu Lun whether conscription was appealing, of course it was — but it placed enormous demands on the government: conscription had to be tied to a strict household registration system, and then combined with the military merit ranks and the granting of fields and residences, in order to give the obligated conscripts, who served the court unconditionally, the motivation to fight.

Once a dynasty's zenith passed and the supporting institutions slackened, the conscription system would develop many problems. For example, over the Han's two hundred years, the military merit ranks and the granting of fields and residences had long been abolished, and the household registration system, amid the annexations of powerful families and the constant flow of refugees, had become increasingly a mere formality.

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So by the time of Emperor Wu of Han, they had already begun large-scale recruitment, even enlisting Qiang and Hu cavalry auxiliaries and using large numbers of convicts and delinquent youths to campaign deep into Xiongnu territory and the Western Regions — but the battle record was mixed at best, just as Geng Yan said: "They are not as useful as men of good families."

After all, those recruited were mostly rootless drifters; they looked physically strong and nimble, but they couldn't endure hardship and were far harder to train than honest, stolid farmers. Don't be fooled by their all-day strutting in fine clothes on spirited horses, short swords at their waists, ferocious in street brawls — but the moment they take the field, they scatter at the first sign of trouble.

By the Xin Dynasty, the conscription system was riddled with deep-rooted abuses; the registered commoners couldn't even finish their crushing corvée labor, let alone find time for training. Due to financial difficulties, the commandery and kingdom troops' periodic reviews were often suspended, and in practice they had already become recruited mercenaries, men serving in others' stead.

When war came, they had to forcibly round up able-bodied men on the spot, but those foreign campaigns were already deeply unpopular, and with no reward mechanism to go with them — what were they fighting for? The conscripts were homesick and deserted constantly; they could only be transported under guard like prisoners. This was the main imperial force of the General of Renewal and the Grand Preceptor's eastern campaign — the "heavenly troops" that Feng Yan said had only a twenty percent chance of victory.

Rebuilding a decayed system was too difficult; in the face of this new situation, stubbornly insisting on conscription was no longer timely. After Diwu Lun took charge of Weicheng Commandery, he halted the press-ganging and turned instead to recruiting from among the refugees — unlike the urban recruitment of Emperor Wu's time, the refugees' origins were also farmers, forced to wander and beg for survival after losing their land to disaster. Their demand was very simple: to stay alive.

Zhao Pang said: "No need for high enlistment pay — a single full meal can draw several hundred men. This is a good thing that only comes in chaotic times."

So Diwu Lun immediately abandoned the old soldiers' tricks of the commandery troops and began building a new army based on the refugees. First, it was a stopgap measure — a man can't let himself be stifled to death. Second, he and his old core followers were more accustomed to dealing with the bottom rungs of society.

Third, able-bodied young refugees treated soldiering as a job, which also kept them from drifting into banditry and causing trouble; later, when taken to fight elsewhere, they wouldn't be overly attached to their native soil.

Lastly, once these refugees entered Diwu Lun's pot, they could forget about running away; for the rest of their lives, they would basically be soldiers. After a decade of fighting, even the greenest recruit would become a battle-hardened veteran.

But Geng Yan was not used to it. In Shuodiao (Shanggu), because of repeated Hu incursions, although the civilian population was small, the degree of militarization was very high; the periodic reviews had not been abolished, every able-bodied youth knew some blade-work, and many could even ride and shoot — much like Longxi and the other six commanderies. Their motivation to defend their homeland was also high. That was why they could maintain the conscription system and field two thousand shock cavalry.

Although applying Shuodiao's commandery conditions to Weicheng made the young man seem indeed a bit green, relying on a single source of troops truly wouldn't work.

To forge a destitute refugee army into a battle-hardened division would take many years of effort; in the meantime, if a large-scale war broke out and recruitment fell short, conscription would be the only option.

So Diwu Lun, without showing anger, actually granted Geng Yan's request, merely ordering that in the five counties under his control, each should conscript one hundred able-bodied young men from the registered households.

It was the farming off-season, and Grand Governor Diwu had endured for over half a year without reckless meddling, imposing no extra taxes, giving the people a chance to rest and recover — he had basically earned their initial trust, and it was time to start getting things done.

"Don't be so quick to dismiss it. Let's first see what kind of troops he can train."

Diwu Lun had heard Geng Chun recount Geng Yan's exploits: "Bozhao is not only fierce in martial skill, he has also studied military strategy. When he was sixteen, he traveled to the most remote county and happened to meet a Xiongnu Left Division border raid. He and a group of people were trapped in Guangning County; even the County Magistrate died in battle."

"Bozhao then appointed himself acting magistrate, led over a hundred horsemen out at night to strike the Xiongnu, burned their felt tents, and forced several hundred riders to retreat. Through a night of bitter fighting, he slew over a dozen men without a single wound on himself — with that one feat, his name spread and the commandery marveled."

This made Diwu Lun quite expectant; the white-horsed youth truly had the air of a "military aristocrat." A talent like that — even if he was just here to play around in Wei Commandery, let him play. Even if he really trained up five hundred men, after the fighting he couldn't take them with him; wouldn't he just be working for Diwu Lun?

The weather grew ever hotter. By early sixth month, Feng Yan returned to Yecheng from Shangdang, his clothes soaked with sweat. The moment they met, he hemmed and hawed, telling Diwu Lun that things had not gone entirely smoothly.

Diwu Lun frowned: "Did Bao Yong refuse to acknowledge Jingtong as a friend?"

"Or is the Grand Governor of Shangdang unwilling to ally with me? Won't let my old subordinates pass through?"

"No."

Feng Yan was fondest of the "first suppress, then uplift" routine. He kept the matter of Bao Yong's single-minded desire to restore the Han hidden for now, because he still needed to probe Diwu Lun's leanings. He merely sighed: "After my earnest persuasion, everything in Shangdang went smoothly. The Grand Governor and Officer of Merit Bao both admire Lord Diwu and are willing to grant passage — only, the grain they supply will have to be counted as a loan to Weicheng Commandery."

That was no problem; after all, one or two thousand dan was no small sum, and he would certainly repay it — this time without the chaff and grass mixed in.

Feng Yan said cautiously: "It's the Boar-Rush Braves' marching route — that's where the snag occurred."

First uplift, then suppress again — would this ever end? That route was one you helped map out; isn't that your problem? Could it be that the General of Renewal thought Feng Yan was "dead," and once a man dies, his tea goes cold?

But after Feng Yan explained in detail, it truly had nothing to do with him.

Feng Yan said: "It was the newly appointed Grand Governor of Shiwei Commandery, Tian Kuang — he simply ignored the General of Renewal's dispatch, refused to let the Boar-Rush Braves cross his territory, and blocked them right at the commandery border!"

Diwu Lun was stunned: "Tian Kuang? The same Tian Kuang who was originally Regional Chief in Yiping (Beihai), but because he was too zealous in resisting the Red Eyebrows and even reached out to the Emperor demanding military authority over Qing and Yan provinces, was transferred back to Guanzhong?" The Shiwei Commandery where Tian Kuang now was happened to be the former Left Pingyi of the Former Han — the unavoidable route for the Boar-Rush Braves to leave Shang Commandery and cross the river into Hedong. "I have no grudge against Tian Kuang; why would he obstruct us for no reason?"

Feng Yan replied: "Shangdang sent someone to inquire. It seems Tian Kuang believes the eastern expedition army should march through Guanzhong and Hangu Pass, not deviate from the route, and he has even submitted a formal censure to the court over this!"

This was a bit troublesome. Fortunately, Diwu Lun had already sent a memorial ahead to give notice, using the pretext that the bandits at Qin Pass Mountain had to be dealt with, that Weicheng's troops were insufficient, and that he hoped the imperial army could pass by and lend a hand. The Emperor was still counting on him to protect the ancestral tombs at Yuancheng and stabilize Hebei, so he would probably turn a blind eye.

But with Tian Kuang bringing this matter up, stirring up unexpected trouble, the Master of Fates of the Five Majesties might seize the chance to slander Diwu Lun. Even more critically, if the thousand-plus Boar-Rush Braves couldn't come and a two-pronged pincer attack became impossible, he would likely have to fight the Li clan of Wu'an head-on along the narrow paths.

Whether Tian Kuang feared the Boar-Rush Braves would run wild as they passed and damage his jurisdiction, or was wholeheartedly loyal to the Xin — either way, this Tian Kuang had now earned a place in Diwu Lun's little black book.

"What time is this, and you still want to pledge loyalty to the Great Xin? Sick!"

Diwu Lun cursed inwardly. Fortunately, that fellow Feng Yan, after suppressing, uplifted again, telling Diwu Lun that although this matter had this little interlude, it had already been smoothly resolved!

wωw✿ tt kán✿ ￠〇

"Thanks to the help of Regional Chief Ma Yuan of Zengshan, the Boar-Rush Braves crossed the river directly from a small ford in Shang Commandery. Although it took an extra half month, they have successfully reached Shangdang!"

…

"Marrying into the Ma family was truly the most correct choice I ever made."

Diwu Lun breathed a sigh of relief inwardly, once again tasting the sweetness of this marriage alliance.

His third uncle, Ma Yuan, was stationed in Shang Commandery, located north of Guanzhong, in the region that would later be northern Shaanxi. This time, at the critical moment, he had thrown the door wide open, keeping Diwu Lun's plan from falling through.

"From this perspective, Shang Commandery can also serve as a fallback route for the Changling clansmen. It seems I must strengthen ties with that side and have Di Si'xian travel north more often to visit relatives."

Although it was a scare without danger, the Boar-Rush Braves' detour had delayed them slightly. They had already been trudging along for three months, and conditions upon reaching Shangdang would not be good; they would need to rest and recover until at least the seventh month before they could be thrown into battle.

This mission's successful completion made Diwu Lun inwardly raise his trust in Feng Yan by a tiny notch, so he entrusted him to continue to Shangdang to coordinate with Wan Xiu and set a date for the troops to move.

Now that the conditions were in place, the Yecheng headquarters' operational plan against the Li clan of Wu'an also had to be produced as quickly as possible.

Discussing operations was inseparable from maps, and there happened to be a father-in-law and son-in-law pair, each convinced of his own mastery of the art.

These past two days, Ma Yuan's appetite seemed to have greatly increased. He had the grain officer send extra rice to his camp — raw, no need to cook it — and also asked for many chicken eggs, discarding the yolks and beating only the whites, which were brought into his tent in small basins.

The day before, Ma Yuan had been studying the maps of the three northwestern counties — She, Wu'an, and Wushi — which bordered the Taihang Mountains, with narrow, extremely strategic roads, entirely different from fighting on flat, open ground.

As he pondered, inspiration suddenly struck. He piled rice into mountains inside a wooden frame, using egg white to stick it together, to represent the high ridges and layered peaks of Qin Pass Mountain and Ta Mountain. Below the mountains were the gorge paths; this way, the terrain could be grasped at a glance, and they wouldn't reach the place only to stare dumbfounded at the high mountains and perilous passes.

"Boyu will certainly be greatly surprised."

Having completed this masterpiece, Ma Yuan felt a strong sense of accomplishment. He personally carried the rice-mountain map toward the main headquarters tent, where Diwu Lun had summoned the key military officers for a council today.

As soon as he entered, he found that Geng Chun, Zhao Pang, and the others, who had arrived early, were all gathered around Diwu Lun, clicking their tongues in wonder. Even the normally proud Geng Yan was staring curiously, his gaze fixed and unblinking.

When Ma Yuan walked over and looked, he was instantly stunned. It was a three-dimensional map, made of clay, that not only depicted the contours of mountains and rivers but also had roads marked as clear, distinct ink lines, and even bits of vegetation glued on to indicate forests. And based on the intelligence gathered so far, the walled towns and rural settlements of the three counties were all laid out plainly, with even a few pieces of scrap iron placed to mark the Wu'an iron mine workshops.

Diwu Lun was placing small flags representing his own and the enemy's forces on it, pointing out the situation and analyzing the terrain and roads, until all the officers cried out: "What a fine thing — the bandits are now before our very eyes!"

The son-in-law looked up, saw that Ma Yuan had arrived, and said with a smile: "This is the new map I made. Colonel Ma, come take a look."

In front of others the two still addressed each other by official rank; only when no one was around did he call him father-in-law, and only when Ma Yuan was dead drunk did he get the chance to call him by his courtesy name.

Ma Yuan glanced at Diwu Lun's masterpiece, then at his own rice mountain — it was far too crude, an utter disgrace.

And so everyone heard Ma Yuan excuse himself for the breach of manners, hide something behind his back, and slowly withdraw from the barracks. Immediately afterward came the crack and clatter of things being smashed outside.

A moment later, Ma Yuan re-entered, a few grains of rice still clinging to his hand, but his expression was as composed as ever. He smiled cheerfully and said: "Grand Governor Diwu, let us continue the council of war."

He kneaded his fist, discreetly covering those grains of rice as he did so: "I have held back for far too long and can wait no longer — I am eager to march into the mountains at once and exterminate those 'bandits'!"

……

(Silver Alliance bonus chapter 7/11)