Chapter 18: Leading The Troops
Wu Fei (Yuan Chang) met Wu Hengyu.
This was the first time Xuan Chong had met him since transmigrating. The “memories” of the original body’s soul transmigration before were not in his mind, only in the visual materials provided by the System. After searching, Xuan Chong confirmed that “himself” in childhood had a “birds of a feather” relationship with this cousin, robbing houses together, beating dogs together, setting off fireworks together, and playing with wooden swords together.
Now, seeing Wu Hengyu staring straight at him, Wu Fei couldn’t help but feel a bit panicked.
After staring at each other for a good while, Wu Hengyu walked over like a tiger descending the mountain, while Wu Fei prepared to defend himself in an antelope’s horn style.
Hmm, Wu Fei’s defense was completely useless and he was smacked down by the tiger with one slap.
Wu Hengyu seemed to be greeting him, smashing a straight punch “gently” toward Wu Fei’s shoulder, instantly penetrating Wu Fei’s block, and before completely crushing Wu Fei, the force softened and he withdrew his hand.
Wu Fei hurriedly retreated two steps, trying to dissipate this force. But it was useless; even though Wu Hengyu had withdrawn his fist, this force still lingered on Wu Fei’s shoulder for a good while.
……
Xuan Chong was extremely surprised at how this force could remain on his body—what physics law was this?
The System replied: “This System is a ‘History System’; please ask your ‘physics teacher’ these questions. My database only has history—don’t ask unrelated questions anymore.”
The System had now more than once mocked Xuan Chong’s curious baby-like questioning, with phrases like “your math was taught by the sports teacher” or “your physics was taught by the history teacher” always popping up in the System’s narration. It seemed that in the 40th century, these weren’t good things to say either.
Xuan Chong: Tch, fine, if you won’t teach, you won’t teach!
Xuan Chong didn’t fixate on it either. The reason he asked was to utilize this phenomenon and incorporate it into his own set of armor killing intent patterns. And according to the tadpole script recording system given by San Gu, there was this “force lingering” situation. If he could figure it out and use it, then, tsk tsk.
…For now, it’s useless…
Wu Hengyu said pickily: “Sparrow, you’ve already taken command of an army, but why is your vital energy still not as good as the cook’s.”
Wu Fei immediately retorted: “How could it compare to you, eating well and sleeping soundly up in the mountains! Tsk tsk, you came down the mountain alone—why didn’t you bring back a fairy sister-in-law.”
Wu Hengyu’s gaze had already turned unfriendly.
But Wu Fei, oh no, it was Xuan Chong, fully demonstrated “tough mouth.” With the corner of his eye watching the sandbag-sized fist, his feet stepping in front-back virtual-real steps, ready to turn and run the moment the fist fell again. But now! When the enemy retreats, I advance; when the enemy stations, I harass.
Wu Fei: At home, with elders watching, you oaf dare to hit someone?
Wu Hengyu suddenly lunged over, hooking shoulders and locking Wu Fei before he could react, while tightly pinching Wu Fei’s shoulder, grinning at the grimacing Wu Fei in pain, saying: “Let’s go, Father Commander is waiting for you—go inside to talk.”
Wu Hengyu felt this Wu Fei was really a bit “no tigers in the mountains, monkey claims to be king.” But this guy who used to trot behind him causing trouble in childhood would behave after a beating. Sure enough, as he made creaking sounds by clenching his fist, this cousin’s expression became sensible and very talented.
Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu didn’t have much enmity; it could even be said their relationship was pretty good.
Between blood-related men, quarreling and swinging fists at each other wasn’t a real contradiction. The real contradiction was smiling to faces but not in hearts, reporting behind backs, playing dirty.
As long as clan conflicts were settled face-to-face, both sides still ate under the same roof, exchanging barbs and mocking each other at home with no overnight grudges. That kind of you-live-I-die was often instigated from behind the scenes. And neither Wu Fei nor Wu Hengyu had women in the inner residence instigating fights yet.
In the Wu Family ancestral hall, Wu Hanluan wasn’t wearing armor this time, but cloth clothes.
Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu didn’t report to him one by one like soldiers in the army this time, but greeted him as family disciples to an elder.
Regarding the handover of Yongji Pass defenses, Wu Hanluan stated that he had received the checkpoint preparation work submitted by Wu Fei, and the people sent over would follow the same pattern. And the bills Wu Fei signed with the Wu Family and merchants would continue.
Wu Hanluan pointed to the family accountant’s office, indicating that the year-end accounts still needed Wu Fei to take charge. Wu Fei could only acknowledge it—after all, it was his own proposal to collect intelligence on local products and population through merchants to assist in calculating how to solve the army’s food supply during marches.
The customs that Wu Fei controlled was now the Wu Family’s money tree for raising soldiers.
…Confidential matters require secret discussion…
With the Wu Family’s two heirs returning at the same time, the family servants began to get busy. The back kitchen started fires, while the front hall was cleaned every three hours. Water from the three family wells was fetched back and forth in wooden barrels.
After the family banquet ended, Wu Hanluan took the two young men home to the library and spoke of the current situation facing the Wu Family. He took out the imperial court document requiring the Wu Family Army to relocate to the lower reaches of the Lei River.
“The Imperial Court is about to mobilize a large army?” Wu Fei flipped through a large pile of bamboo slips and said so. These bamboo slips were intelligence collected by Wu Hanluan’s scouts from various cities. Although prices of iron material and grain hadn’t shown signs yet, there was significant activity in horse administration everywhere.
Xuan Chong’s history textbook narrated it thus: Feudal dynasties had limited execution power in pre-war economic policy; controls on grain, iron, and salt were sluggish, but horse administration reacted the fastest. After all, the bureaucrats managing military taxes were “Sima.”
Wu Hanluan opened the silk book map, pointing to the Lei River five li east of Tianchi City, and this river’s downstream ran through the prefecture. This area had a rebellion during the previous emperor’s reign, when the Imperial Court sent a large army to suppress it. The Imperial Court’s “wind-hearing bureau” had now confirmed that the group from that rebellion was conspiring again. And now in neighboring Zhu Prefecture, activity from these people had also been discovered.
Wu Fei nodded at first upon hearing this, then was slightly stunned, because when retrieving “Wu Fei”‘s prior memories, he found this rebellion very shocking.
The rebellion in the lower reaches of the Lei River was the so-called “Common Union” that disobeyed the dynasty. At the time, the rebel army called themselves the “Common Union Army,” and when facing the Da Yao large army’s extermination, they politely sent envoys from the city, who very toughly claimed: “Use the title ‘Mister’ to address surrounding prefecture bureaucrats and the advancing suppression generals; abolish all kingly titles, lord titles, and other honorifics.” They argued convincingly for “everyone equal.”
Of course, this Common Union Army eventually defended the city until ammunition and grain were exhausted, and their so-called “equality” turned into cannibalism when food ran out.
Wu Fei: Good grief, in the cold weapons era—no, there were firearms, so it should be called the dynasty-stable era—directly jumping such a huge leap to play “Common Union,” and politely telling the dynasty’s marquises “Dear Mister, we want this and that.” Which idiot lost his mind and transmigrated here to play house? Hmm, if really wanting to step into modernity, the historical steps should be to learn from Huang Chao: I bloom a hundred flowers kill. After capturing cities, uproot noble families according to their genealogies.
…As a student encountering something unknown, it was time to raise his hand…
Xuan Chong: “System, System, check out what this thing is?”
Facing the student’s fussing, the System: “Erroneous input of roving system spacetime power into this spacetime—has been sanctioned!”
Xuan Chong: Hmm? —Different from before, Xuan Chong heard an unusually stern tone from the System, like a teacher describing catching a student in an internet cafe.
System: “I have nothing else to say. (Screen below with tiny print annotation: Question exceeds scope.)”
Xuan Chong was stunned for a few seconds, then shivered! He thought of a possibility: probably some transmigrator prepared to show off, then halfway had his golden finger deleted!
Thinking about it, a normal person wouldn’t put on such super-era airs in the cold weapons era. This transmigrator was likely as highly confident as Xuan Chong when he first arrived, um, even more confident, planning to handcraft a machine gun within a month and steamroll this world, so fearlessly showing off. In the end? Sanctioned.
The guy waving “civilization” and “Common Union” failed to seize the core demands of local forces to build bases, and also didn’t create military victories to shake the foundations of the old ruling system here, directly pulling out “ruling individual titles and system name changes” like “Yuan Datou proclaiming emperor” ahead of time to announce his victory.
Xuan Chong (shrugging): Extremely sympathetic and speechless: This was definitely going to backfire. The System can’t cover for you.
Spacetime golden fingers can be sanctioned, so?
Xuan Chong glanced at the System and began reflecting on his three years here, confirming he was “practical” and “studious” in this era, hadn’t developed the bad habit of relying on the System for everything, and his dependence on the golden finger wasn’t deep. Um! (self-affirmation)
…Just as Xuan Chong was self-reflecting, another wisp of blue was kicked out from his body…
Twenty zhang outside the study where Wu Fei and Wu Hengyu were, Xian Daoren, as Wu Hanluan’s advisor, should have been cultivating qi and magic in his own residence as an outsider.
But at this moment, he had unfolded a painting in the room, showing one old and two young ones discussing by a chessboard. In this picture, the old and young changed expressions every frame, and the chess pieces on the board before them also changed. At his junior sister’s invitation, he was persuading a certain stubborn and ignorant fellow.
Now, Xian Daoren held a brush full of blue, with the tip dotting the forehead of the smallest youth in the painting. Strangely, the originally thick blue disappeared immediately upon entering the painting.
Just as Xian Daoren was focused on applying the ink, suddenly the boy in the painting frowned, precisely clamping the brush tip. In that instant, a large amount of ink leaked out. The entire painting was ruined.
Xian Daoren stared at the painting leaking ink like bleeding, his face pale, then he suddenly spat a mouthful of blood onto the painting. He hurriedly threw the painting into a nearby copper basin, where all the pigments on the painting seeped into the basin, leaving the scroll wet and turned into a roll of white paper.
Xian Daoren then opened the eye on his forehead. This large eye looked around the room with an expression not belonging to Xian Daoren, then fixed its gaze on the pigments, which were then absorbed back by the large eye.
As for Xian Daoren, after the eye closed, he let out a long sigh of relief. He opened the compass, constantly turning it as if repeatedly fiddling after failing a phone number draw.
…The study was still confidential…
“Yuan Chang?” Wu Hanluan called Wu Fei back from his wandering thoughts.
“Ah, oh.” Wu Fei came back online.
Wu Hanluan didn’t pursue Wu Fei’s distraction and asked: “This time following the Imperial Court order to send troops to Zhu Prefecture and Water Region, you previously told me the difficulty of this battle lies in our army being away from home here.”
He then unfolded the silk book map and handed it to Wu Fei: “Yuan Chang, explain it to everyone here.”
Wu Fei: “As guest army, we need local guides. Additionally, all military supplies and expenses must be prepared by April. Because after entering May, Zhu Prefecture will usher in heavy rains, and some lake areas will expand. The bandits in the rebellion area will definitely use the reed marshes to harass our army’s food and grass transport; as for the Water side, though the river won’t flood, the currents will be rapid, causing trouble when the large army crosses the river by ships. And also…
After Wu Fei listed ten points, he was interrupted. Wu Hengyu: “How do you know so much?”
Wu Fei glanced at his older brother: “Merchants check the almanac every year when traveling with horses to deliver goods. As a leading general needing to quickly understand local customs, one must deal with these money-grubbing sorts.”
Wu Hengyu opened his mouth, wanting to mock “money-grubbing,” but after the words reached his throat, he found it pointless and swallowed them.
Wu Hanluan: “More calculation more victory, less calculation less victory, no calculation no victory. Yuan Chang, the pre-mobilization preparations are entrusted to you.”
Now it was Wu Fei’s turn to open his mouth wanting to say something, but facing his uncle’s unquestionable gaze, he held back, wailing inwardly: “How is the eating, drinking, shitting, and pre-battle team-building for three thousand people entrusted to me?”
At the end of the small meeting in the study.
Wu Hanluan: “Tomorrow in the main camp, I will select the three armies’ generals and advisors. What roles do you wish to take?”
“I wish to lead the vanguard!” Wu Hengyu spoke up.
“I wish to lead the rear guard.” Wu Fei spoke.
Both completed receiving orders simultaneously, glancing at each other when speaking in unison. Like in their youth, both reaching chopsticks for a plate of chicken at the same time, competing only to find each had taken the phoenix head and phoenix tail, not interfering.
For the main military tent, both defaulted to Wu Hanluan leading it.
Wu Hanluan looked at Wu Hengyu: “The vanguard needs to clear mountains and build roads, scout and fight. Can you take this role?”
Wu Hengyu guaranteed: “I am willing to stand with a military order document.”
Wu Hanluan nodded, then turned to Wu Fei with an unquestionable tone: “Yuan Chang, in this battle you lead the center army!”
In the study, there was a moment of silence as Wu Fei woodenly stared at the suddenly assigned heavy responsibility.
Moments later, Wu Hanluan added: “You command troops steadily; once the army vanguard is frustrated, support Hengyu well.”
After the two left Wu Hengyu’s study, Wu Hengyu punched Wu Fei again: “Don’t drag my legs.”
Wu Fei responded without good expression: “I will act according to military orders.”
Wu Hengyu paused, wanting to say more, but ultimately held back due to Wu Fei’s so-called military orders, arrogantly saying: “We’ll see what skills you have to inherit the ‘Military Master’ position.”
At this time, Wu Fei felt the sensation of Wu Hengyu’s fist hitting him—hmm, this time it was quite straightforward; after the impact on his shoulder, it ended without a trace of excess force lingering, no feeling of being weighed down by power.
Wu Fei shook his shoulders, feeling much lighter than before entering the study. If the original pressure felt like humid mugginess in summer, now it was very dry and refreshing. No dust or grime attached.
…After Wu Hanluan informed the family disciples, next was briefing the other advisors…
In the inner hall, Wu Hanluan looked at the pale-faced Xian Daoren: “Master? What’s this?”
Xian Daoren: “It’s nothing, just a small error during divination.”
Wu Hanluan nodded: “I have a batch of vital energy supplements in my treasury. If the Master doesn’t mind—”
Xian Daoren hurriedly said: “Thank you Military Lord for your favor; this is a minor injury, no issue.”
Wu Hanluan frowned: “But I have matters troubling the Master; how is your health?”
Xian Daoren hurriedly guaranteed: “Military Lord, just give your orders.” —As for Wu Hanluan’s supplements, Xian Daoren absolutely dared not eat them; he quickly changed the topic and directly accepted the order.
