Chapter 43: The Army Sets Camp
The scene shifts to the side of those who left their hometowns.
In the beginning of the 28th year of the Shu Tian Calendar, beside a lake with shimmering waves, the fifteen hundred elite soldiers of the Wu Family Northern Army led by Wu Hanluan set out from the northern shore camp and began their official duties on the flat ground on the east side of Sha Lake Village: intercepting the water thugs from developing northward.
The rebellious Water Tribe was originally active in the southern part of Donghua Commandery south of the Donghua River. When the Wu Family Northern Army had just set up camp, they had also made contact with them once.
The water thugs wore raincoats and reed hats, paddling small boats back and forth along the shore for a while. After confirming that the garrison army on the shore had no flaws, they picked up a few fish, as if telling the alert soldiers on the shore “we are just fishermen,” and then left. At least this time, they were unwilling to clash with the Wu Family Army.
On the Wu Family Army side, the elite soldiers were withdrawn into the military tents. The civilian laborers and strong youths in the camp chopped firewood and lit fires, or drove donkey carts to trade with local forces at the temporary marketplace.
This time, after the Wu Family Army marched north through a series of sub-camps, the total personnel arriving in Donghua Commandery numbered more than six thousand. Within months of arrival, they also gathered various strong youths coming to eat, totaling more than twenty thousand.
Wu Hanluan built a large camp across the river from Changcheng with its high walls of green bricks, bustling with people as if it were another city.
One is a city of bright lights and flowing wine, the other a city struggling for survival in hardship. Just like in Earth’s information age, wealthy districts and slums facing each other across the street.
…Military camp economy of the feudal era…
One cannot view the feudal era through the lens of modernization. In the near-modernization period, the army was a chip in the hands of a few in the entire political system. Of course, in some failed countries, the civilian official system could not control the chips in their hands, turning them into chess pieces for external forces.
But even if civilian control of the military fails, the army’s attribute as a “chip” is nationwide.
Because of advances in transportation technology, vehicles can carry soldiers to freeload in major cities across the country, but the feudal era had no such mobility and could only live off the land.
The armies of the feudal era were sticky to the land. Wherever feudal army corps went, they would form corresponding “temporary local strongman” groups locally.
Previously in Zhu and two prefectures, it was pacified too quickly. Hundreds of elite cavalry charged straight to the center and resolved it, without needing to set up a large camp or fight a protracted war.
But now Donghua Commandery is different. The bandits are too large in scale. The Imperial Court has been locked in prolonged stalemate here, and the bandit leaders have gained momentum. After the Wu Family Army arrived locally, it was impossible to directly throw their own precious disciple soldiers into the fray. They must gather considerable local manpower (cannon fodder) to confront the bandits.
Wu Hanluan’s army now has only about a thousand main battle soldiers. As for what the twenty thousand around the large camp are doing? Of course, begging for a living. They rely on the mountains for mountain resources and the water for water resources around the large camp. Even local strong youths have begun to tidy up the fields around the large camp.
People on the mountains have also built shacks to chop firewood and hunt, supplying this energy source of firewood to the large army.
This is not entirely intentional by the Wu Family Army. Even if the officers inside the Wu Family Army do not coordinate, locals will spontaneously form scattered organizations, forming supplies around the large camp.
Because in the feudal era, the already developed mountains and rivers, lakes and marshes are also resources.
Hunters and fishermen, these residents do not pay taxes, but the natural resources they rely on have been claimed by local powerful clans as ownership of the mountains and marshes. After the Wu Family Army swept monsters in the mountains and opened up roads, many local households shrewdly came to attach themselves.
It is worth mentioning that once such a large camp economy forms, even if the Eastern monarch wants to disband it, it must be done gradually. And when the beacon fires are raging, moving such a large camp is quite difficult.
Tens of thousands of people cannot leave with the Wu Family Army; the military supplies cost of pulling up camp would be enormous. Dismissing them on the spot is also impossible; that would not be civilian unrest, but a military coup.
This is precisely why at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Chongzhen Emperor could not withdraw the army corps back inside the pass; they had already formed a military force locally. — As for cutting off one’s own arm? That would be forcing the elite field army, nurtured at great expense, to rebel.
Strictly speaking, the current Changcheng is also the remnant of a previous large camp.
About two thousand years ago during the prosperous era of Da Yao, the Yao Dynasty army held a great hunt in Yunmeng Marsh, slaying a hundred remnant demon beasts, including several Guiche, once keeping this demon beast away from the human world. Subsequently, a city was built on the east side of Yunmeng Marsh, and many kings and nobles were enfeoffed. Many of these kings and nobles have lineages surviving to this day, their disciples traversing the prosperity of Changcheng.
But these noble descendants have forgotten what their ancestors relied on to be enfeoffed here.
Today they mistakenly believe it was favor from the Imperial Family, so they could take root here. And now they also consider themselves more favored by the Imperial Family than the outsiders from outside the city, so they can continue to comfortably act as nobles in the city.
In fact, there is no such thing as unconditional love; it was simply that the Son of Heaven at the time could not handle the forces their ancestors had formed locally, so it was dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
And today, these unworthy descendants are incompetent, disrupting the local mountains and rivers and human affairs, creating problems they cannot solve themselves, and can only invite external armies to suppress.
…A new round of replacement has begun…
Now in the Wu Family Army large camp, the element still subject to local coercion is food and grass.
Previously, food and grass were mainly supplemented by grain ships dispatched from Changcheng. But by the 28th year of the Shu Tian Calendar, the Wu Family Army internally had begun to gradually address the related issues. Southern Merchants had also followed over.
On the Donghua River bank, the soldiers in the large camp began clearing a road, allowing the victorious battle soldiers to return to camp. These officers and soldiers dragged spoils of war, some of which were large fish carried on spears by two men, or large pearls hidden in their bosoms. These were not bright pearls, but fish eyes similar to pearls. Southern scammer merchants would petrify them with alkaline water, then oil and polish them, passing them off as Eastern Sea pearls, and continue smuggling them north. Many high officials and nobles received such generous gifts, and with many deceived, northerners call them fool’s pearls.
These merchants, in the Donghua River area, relying on the army, performed “no dishonest merchant” to the extreme. Relying on the army’s strength, they set checkpoints on key roads, acting more and more brazenly.
These merchants all hold the business scripture issued by Wu Yuanchang: “So what if the reputation is bad? As long as you hold the monopoly, buy it or not!”
Of course, “dishonest” is only regarding the local powerful clans. These Southern Merchants licensed by Wu Fei are quite diligent in supplying food and grass to the army.
The merchants know where their “special license” comes from and all very much hope their competitors’ special licenses are canceled due to stupid mistakes.
Thus, the Southern Merchants who are extremely ugly in the eyes of local powerful clans and commoners appear very honest and sincere in the eyes of the camp soldiers! The rice and flour delivered are not moldy, and the meat is all live livestock. Three hundred jin of earth pigs are counted as two hundred jin.
……
After the great war, Wu Hengyu entered the camp, arranged the diet and expenses for his mount, then began to remove his armor, change clothes, and enter the tent.
Inside the military tent, Wu Hanluan was flipping through an account book. Seeing Wu Hengyu enter, he slightly raised his head, nodded, then continued looking at the accounts.
This left Wu Hengyu, who was prepared to receive praise, with a breath stuck in his throat, then he sullenly sat down at the desk on the right seat.
Wu Hengyu opened the gourd beside him and gulped down a mouthful of brain-clearing soup.
This brain-clearing soup is a beverage made by grinding brown beans into powder, adding syrup, and pressing in soluble gas, served iced.
This was researched by Wu Fei after two years of studying things. He obtained some strange fruits from Southern Border, crushed them, and added acidic gas as the base.
It must be said that this thing tastes excellent. After Wu Hengyu tried it, he had Wu Fei brew several large gourds before summer and send them over. Subsequently, when these gourds were put into the well to ice, they were fished out by Wu Hanluan. He claimed: no alcohol in the military camp, he needed to test this thing.
Wu Hanluan, who also gulped a mouthful of brain-clearing soup, let out a burp and said to Wu Hengyu: “A letter came from home. Yuan Chang has held the checkpoint, reported to the Imperial Court, five hundred levels beheaded.”
Hearing it was about his cousin again, Wu Hengyu snorted through his nose.
Wu Hanluan looked at the latest court gazette thrown over by his son and instructed: “This is the Imperial Court’s final verdict on the Yongji Pass incident. Read it carefully!” While Wu Hengyu was searching haphazardly, Wu Hanluan tapped: “Here, this one!”
Wu Hengyu squinted and found the relevant content. After carefully reading, he discovered the issue his old father wanted him to notice, and asked: “Five hundred levels beheaded? Heh, he is really cautious.”
After the Wu Family Army officers and soldiers received letters from home, they learned that this barbarian tribe rebellion gathered tens of thousands. Simply killing five hundred could not make this barbarian tide retreat.
Wu Hengyu learned from discussions among merchants from home that just the slaves sold in the slave marketplace numbered over two thousand!
Seeing his father’s expression off, Wu Hengyu tentatively asked: “Little Sparrow underreported the battle results. Is there something wrong?”
Wu Hanluan nodded: “Yes, but the Imperial Court is deliberately pretending not to know!”
Wu Hanluan inwardly sighed. Although Wu Fei was adept at handling local affairs, he was a bit too clever with the Imperial Court.
Wu Hanluan: “Southern Border is in such a state, how could the Imperial Court not know. The Nine Palaces in Divine Capital perform Yao Calculation on Under Heaven. When the rebellion in Southern Border surges, anomalies will appear swirling on the mountains and rivers feng shui map of the Nine Palaces grid. Lingnan subordinate officials underreport to share worries, but him joining in the underreporting has already caught the attention of the Imperial Court’s censorate.
Wu Hengyu paused without speaking. At this moment he wanted to persuade, but didn’t know what words to use, merely asking: “Why did Little Sparrow do this?”
Wu Hanluan then stated the cause and effect: “Nothing else. This kid does not want the Imperial Court to conscript from Lingnan.”
Wu Hengyu realized: If the Imperial Court knows Lingnan still has strength for great war, it might draw more troops. And urge the Wu Family Army to decisive battle the evil dragon in Yunmeng Marsh.
After Wu Hengyu finished stating his view.
Wu Hanluan smiled noncommittally: “Your view is correct, but it doesn’t hit the nail on the head. What Yuan Chang is considering is not this. He treats our army’s local provisioning issue here as the entire Lingnan’s problem.”
Then slowly said: “He fears we will go hungry.”
Wu Hengyu indifferently said: “We are not hungry.”
Wu Hanluan: “Oh, what if there were no Southern Merchants?”
When Wu Hanluan said “Southern Merchants,” he emphasized it heavily. Wu Hengyu realized. The Southern Merchants are so worldly-wise, urgent about others’ urgencies, providing what is needed—could it be because of his cousin?
Now already thirty percent of food and grass is procured by Southern Merchants. What “righteous merchants aiding suppression”? It’s family helping family with calculations.
Wu Hanluan slowly said: “His heart is too kind. I once told him he has the talent of a prime minister, but he did not understand my meaning.”
Wu Hengyu fell silent, because he did not understand either.
Wu Hanluan, in an elder’s tone, commented: “This Under Heaven is not yet his to worry about! (Supply too good, no excuse for plunder)”
Other families’ military generals, if food and grass runs short, still have ways: live off the land, plunder from local commoners!
But Wu Fei is too merciful in this regard, strictly restraining the army from harming local commoners, and striving to ensure military grain supply. Unfortunately, such kindness will not be praised in this world.
Wu Hengyu nodded to this, but he did not notice that Wu Hanluan, gazing across the river at distant Changcheng, revealed a ruthless smile at the corner of his mouth.
…Wu Hanluan: Wu Yuanchang seems fierce, but it’s mere woman’s benevolence…
Army provisioning, if not plundering from commoners, then take from local powerful clans! But taking from noble families carries heavier infamy than from commoners!
The Southern Merchants’ actions now in Donghua Commandery appear utterly rotten to the noble families.
After blocking local transportation, they buy low and sell high. Even if great clans monopolize land and production materials, they still need external exchange of goods.
See! Previously when major powerful clans needed manpower to harvest grain on their one mu three fen fields, in the past, Yunmeng Marsh had plenty of idle labor. Villages would send officials to “help” strong youths work for powerful clans to make a living.
But now, the checkpoint-setting Southern Merchants block these laborers, then the army’s conscription overseers arrive. Soldiers beat the village officials and directly conscript the laborers, all resettled beside the large camp to open fields for a living.
As for the grain needed for opening fields, it is all borrowed from local powerful clans.
Because some powerful clans rely on deep local roots, Southern Merchants hired heroes and knights-errant to emerge and gather for justice, robbing the rich to help the poor.
Southern Merchants figured out the relationship between mountain bandits and powerful clans through local peddlers. (In Water Margin, Shi Xiu infiltrated the Zhu Family Village disguised as a peddler.) The Southern Merchants then played the role of bandits, charging into these fortified manors in reverse to plunder. (Just like Liangshan borrowing grain from Zhu Family Village.)
The heroes gathered by Southern Merchants not only took away the mountain bandits, but directly impersonated mountain bandits to besiege the fortified manors, dispatching large labor forces to harvest wheat everywhere!
Nowadays the court gazettes say banditry is rampant in Donghua Commandery. Wu Hengyu leading battle soldiers to properly exterminate local water thugs is unclear, but does Wu Hanluan not know? Among the heroes invited by this wave of northward Southern Merchants, how many of our own disciples are mixed in!
After meeting Wu Hanluan, they lead some soldiers and ballistae from the large camp, go out every day to freeload with river pirates. Break into local manors, split spoils fifty-fifty. If trouble arises, hide in the military camp for protection.
…In another narrative system…
On the vermilion towers in Changcheng, high-door noble families and the local Prefect held a banquet at the Xiahe Tower, with lingering zithers and crisp chime bells.
Of course, at this banquet, everyone’s real intention was not the wine. Soon someone at the banquet showed “no appetite,” not touching the table full of jade delicacies.
The participants were so-called Donghua famous scholars. Seeing this, they quickly inquired with concern. The man bitterly replied: “In Donghua territory, there are three scourges. The commoners suffer, the people are in distress. I cannot eat, cannot sleep at night.”
The crowd asked: “What are the three scourges?”
“The first scourge is the Water Tribe rebel army in Yunmeng Marsh! The second is the thugs blocking trade routes in the mountain passes! As for the third scourge?”
This speaker, like a mad scholar, pointed at the large camp across the Great River, speaking earth-shatteringly: “Stationed in the northern ridge, is it not a scourge to the people?”
The many famous scholars at the banquet immediately showed shock, saying “speak cautiously.” Then someone claimed to be drunk. Subsequently, beautiful maidservants helped this person down.
Translated into modern language, it’s netizens gloating on one hand while hurriedly saying on the other: “Is this a topic that can be discussed?”
Although this is a “forbidden” topic, the concept of these “three scourges” still spread in Changcheng after the banquet ended. — Because it received widespread recognition from the local scholarly community.
……
After the banquet, the Prefect went to a secret chamber and contacted a person, who was none other than Xian Daoren.
The Prefect looked at Xian Daoren and said somewhat helplessly: “Daoist Priest, what news have you brought this time?”
Xian Daoren: “Our General says, please trouble the Prefect with these.” With that, he opened a box containing a pair of rhinoceros horn cups shipped from Lingnan.
The Prefect snorted coldly: “I hope the General can restrain his subordinates more. We will do our best with the food and grass matter.”
The Wu Family Army’s food and grass was originally supplied by Changcheng, sourced partly from official granaries and partly from the current support of powerful clans. Originally, this was a card in the hands of the Prefect and noble families to pressure the Wu Family Army, so every time Wu Hanluan came to visit, they treated him like a beggar.
Now, with Southern Merchants supporting the Wu Family Army, it has become even more stable. If Changcheng does not allocate food and grass, well-equipped river pirates will emerge to take grain from the manors outside Changcheng belonging to various families! As for these great households reporting that their manors were breached by military equipment only the army could hold, there is no evidence linking it to the Wu Family Army, because the ballistae smuggled by Southern Merchants and the ox cart cannons in the Wu Family Army large camp are two different systems.
But Xian Daoren’s visit this time is not just to deliver rhinoceros horn cups, but to propose a new demand.
Prefect: “What, you still want to transport goods to Ji Prefecture? Impossible. You can’t get a route permit from me.”
Xian Daoren: “Won’t the lord ask the price?”
Prefect: “Before I call someone, you’d better roll out yourself.”
Xian Daoren stared fixedly at the Prefect.
The Prefect’s pupils were dyed blue, and he asked: “How much are you willing to pay.”
Xian Daoren smiled: “No rush. First, why is the matter difficult? Perhaps I can solve it.”
Blue flames rose in the Prefect’s eyes, and the flames entered Xian Daoren’s mouth.
In a moment, Xian Daoren pinched his fingers, calculating, and replied to the Prefect: “The matter in Ji Prefecture is indeed a bit tricky.”
After speaking, with a flick of his finger, blue light entered the Prefect’s brow. The Prefect moved like a marionette and asked: “Master, you surely have a clever plan?”
Xian Daoren nodded, his blue gaze meeting the Prefect’s.
