weaving

The concerns raised in Chapter 1507 concern someone else entirely.
"If I don't go to hell, who will?"

“My lord, the Earl of Yongning has Xuanfu as his base, so no matter the outcome, he will always have a way out.” Chen Jitai stamped his foot and said, “But where is your base, my lord?”

"If we push things too far today, there will be endless criticism in the court. If the governor is transferred away from Shaanxi, where will he go? How can he possibly have peace?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Chuanting's eyes widened, and he roared in a deep voice, "So what? I am a dignified man, having studied the classics diligently. How can I avoid danger because of fortune or misfortune!"

“Your Excellency, I have heard that the Earl of Yongning has established a school in Xuanzhen. Perhaps we could send our young master here…” Chen Jitai stopped there.

Sun Chuanting immediately understood his meaning, but he couldn't bear it and muttered, "Shining is only seven years old."

Chen Jitai hesitated for a moment before gently reminding, "The child is young and the mother is with him, so that she can take care of him."

Sun Chuanting hesitated again: "Wouldn't this... give the impression of being afraid of battle?"

“The youngest son is not accustomed to the climate and water of Shaanxi. It is not unreasonable for him to return to his hometown and be properly cared for.”

Chen Jitai continued, "The Earl of Yongning has a reason for his ruthless campaign against Fang Qiong and his massacres. Sending the young master there now will allow us to explore the mystery behind it."

"good."

Sun Chuanting immediately expressed his approval: "Jitai, you really understand me!"

At this moment, a soft knock came at the door, and Ma Weizhong, a servant and bodyguard, reported from outside: "Master, Deputy General Liu has sent someone to invite you to take your seat."

…………

Liu Shizun has now been promoted to the rank of deputy general, and the independent battalion he commands has grown stronger, expanding to seven thousand men, with another five thousand new soldiers currently training.

However, according to Sun Chuanting's plan, after these 5,000 new soldiers completed their training, he would transfer 3,000 men to strengthen his own standard battalion, and the Earl of Yongning did not express any explicit objection to this.

The additional four thousand men in the Independent Battalion were originally government troops under He Renlong, and they were transferred to Liu Shizun's command along with He Yong.

Liu Shizun treated He Yong with great courtesy, neither dispersing and reorganizing his troops nor ostracizing him. Instead, he allocated ten cannons to He Yong from the infantry and chariot battalions.

He Yong was originally a cousin of the fierce general He Renlong. Although they were not from the same branch of the family, the kinship was genuine.

However, after He Renlong was executed for "causing trouble in Kai County and implicating two governors," He Yong was also terrified, fearing that he would be implicated. It can be said that his rebellious intentions were at their strongest at that time.

But as soon as Liu Shizun's independent battalion made its move, they suffered a crushing defeat. Zhou Guoqing, who had led the charge, was also killed on the battlefield. This frightened them so much that they dared not fight any longer. Moreover, Governor Sun Chuanting sent a message that "only the dragon will be punished, and no one else will be punished." Furthermore, everyone's family members had all fallen into Sun Chuanting's hands. Only then did they reluctantly agree to give up the resistance.

To avoid further provoking resistance from He's former generals, Sun Chuanting allowed them to continue leading their old troops to appease them. He then settled them in Fengxiang Prefecture and Hanzhong Prefecture respectively, with Gao Jie, Gao Ruli, Gao Jinku, Dong Xueli, and others deployed in the Shangzhou area.

He Yong was then transferred to the command of Liu Shizun. Sun Chuanting intended to use the Independent Battalion to intimidate He Yong and prevent him from acting rashly.

As Sun Chuanting had predicted, He Yong had 4,000 troops under his command, but he was very wary of the Independent Battalion, which was weaker than his own, and he greatly admired the new commander, Liu Shizun.

In addition to He Yong's newly added troops, Chang Zhengbiao, the centurion of the Independent Battalion's cavalry division, has now been promoted to commander. He leads one hundred elite cavalrymen and one thousand new soldiers to assist in guarding the Tongguan Pass and oversee the border defense affairs.

Meanwhile, Deputy General Huang Baozhong is now a commander of a unit, with a thousand new soldiers under his command.

The fully-equipped independent battalion now has more than 10,000 men, making it a formidable military force in Shaanxi. Moreover, its equipment, training, military regulations, and discipline are all top-notch, and its combat effectiveness was demonstrated in the suppression of He's rebellion, which is enough to deter government troops and local bullies in Shaanxi.

…………

Zhang Cheng had two purposes in secretly meeting Sun Chuanting in Tongguan...

One approach is to put some pressure on him so that he can act more freely in Shaanxi, further investigate the land and collect overdue taxes. This would not only recruit more new soldiers but also help to quickly train a new army.

Secondly, it was an opportunity to warn Sun Chuanting, letting him know that although the money he owed was not in a hurry to be repaid, it should not be forgotten and would have to be repaid sooner or later. Moreover, he should not mistreat Liu Shizun's Independent Battalion soldiers.

Now that I have achieved my goal, there is no need to linger here any longer.

“Chuan Ting and the Earl of Yongning feel like we’ve known each other for ages, we have so much to talk about, it’s just a pity that it’s so hard to meet and even harder to spend time together!” Looking at Sun Chuan Ting’s sincere face, Zhang Cheng smiled slightly and said, “Bo Ya, since you and I get along so well, why are you being so formal?”

Sun Chuanting smiled slightly awkwardly and said heartily, "As the Earl of Yongning is, how dare I overstep the bounds?"

“You, Sun Baigu, are not one to be bound by conventional etiquette!”

"Hahaha... Since the Earl of Yongning has said so, then I shall address you by your courtesy name from now on."

“That’s exactly right,” Zhang Cheng said with a smile. “We should have done this a long time ago.”

"However, in public settings, I should still address you by the title of Earl of Yongning."

"This... is up to you."

Zhang Cheng and Sun Chuanting walked side by side as they left Tongguan City.

“Zhongchen, if you return to Xuanfu now, aren’t you afraid that Li will take advantage of the Xuanfu army’s retreat and reorganization to cause trouble again?”

"Boya, rest assured, although I led my troops back to Xuanfu to rest and reorganize, the Central Plains are not unprepared. With Guo Dong's Qinglong Camp and Chen Zheng's Baihu Camp in charge, plus Luo Rucai's Cao Camp, as well as local strongmen such as Liu Hongqi and Shen Wandeng who have submitted, there are 40,000 soldiers who can fight."

And that's not even counting the troops under Chen Yongfu, the General of Henan. Even with these moves, the rebel leader Li Zicheng hasn't fared well. Besides, there are still 100,000 troops under Zuo Ping in Xiangyang, eyeing Nanyang Prefecture with predatory intent. How could Li Zicheng dare to easily send troops to Kaifeng?

Zhang Cheng had already walked quite a distance while speaking. He grabbed Sun Chuanting's hand and said, "Boya, even after a thousand miles of seeing you off, we must eventually part ways. Please stay a while."

"Good. Zhongchen, when you lead your troops back to the Central Plains, Chuanting will surely lead troops out of the pass, and together we will wipe out the rebel Li Zicheng."

Zhang Cheng looked at him with a worried expression and said, "I have cut off his path to success, and I doubt he will ever regain his former glory. The one I am worried about is someone else!"

Sun Chuanting was taken aback, but when he saw Zhang Cheng's gaze directed towards the capital, he suddenly realized: "You mean the Jurchens?"

"Bo Ya will never forget how, at every crucial moment in suppressing the rebels, the Jurchens would interfere, causing me to lose all my previous efforts. In eleven years, I killed so many rebels that only eighteen riders remained, and they had to hide in the Shangluo Mountains to eke out a living."

"This matter is truly the greatest regret of Chuan Ting's life; how could he forget it?"

"Back then, if the Jurchens hadn't invaded the capital region and the court hadn't mobilized a large army to defend the emperor, how could the Central Plains be in such turmoil today?"

"So... Zhongchen is worried that the Jurchens will invade again?" Sun Chuanting looked puzzled. "Didn't we win a great victory at Jinzhou last year?"

"That's why I'm even more worried that the Jurchens will invade the capital region again."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Boya, please think about it. Last year in Jinzhou, the Jurchens were defeated and retreated without gaining any advantage. They wasted money and grain and suffered heavy losses. How should we explain this to the people inside?"
Now, our army is concentrated in the Central Plains to suppress the bandits, leaving the capital region vulnerable. It's hard to guarantee they won't repeat their old tricks, breaching the passes and invading the capital region again, plundering Shandong as a way to replenish their forces.

“That makes sense.” Sun Chuanting suddenly realized: “Zhongchen’s return to Xuanfu to rest and recuperate is to prepare for this.”

Zhang Cheng nodded heavily and said, "Boya, there's one more thing I'd like to ask for your help with."

"What are you saying? If you have any orders, just say them."

"I dare not give such an order." Zhang Cheng said politely for a moment, and continued, "Please ask Boya to send Gao Jie's troops to Shangnan; and send another army to garrison Guolue Patrol Office, which can advance to the line of Lushi, Gaomenguan and Yongning, to restrain the rebels and prevent them from making any rash moves."

"Okay. I'll arrange it right away!"

"In that case, let's part ways here."

"When we meet again in the Central Plains, we will surely drink together and be drunk with loyalty!"

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it too."