Lord: Start with a book of Water Margin

Chapter 367 Adjustment
It was already ten days later when Zhao Zhen finished dealing with the harvest from the misty world of Uncle Thief. Zhao Zhen thought that Hua Rong and the other two who stayed in the main world could return after being conferred titles, so he sent someone to call Sun Xin and planned to return to the main world.

Before Sun Xin returned from Wanzi City, Zhao Zhen met Wu Yong who had returned from Qingzhou at Baishi Manor.

After greeting, Wu Yong asked, "Sir, how is the war going?"

"Everything went smoothly, and there were not many casualties. Scholar, what did you find out during your trip to Qingzhou?"

Wu Yong said: "I was just about to tell you, sir, that Song Gongming is gaining momentum."

"How to say?"

"Now Song Gongming has defeated three armies of Huang Xin, the [Three Mountain Guard], Qin Ming, the [Thunderbolt], and Yun Tianbiao, the governor of Maying Town. The government army lost three to five thousand soldiers, and another three to five thousand were captured and taken to the mountain. The morale of the people on the mountain is high now. They took advantage of the situation to attack Qingzhou Prefecture, but failed, so they returned to the mountain. I heard that Governor Murong has written to the Grand Tutor, asking him not to mobilize troops and to come again to encircle and suppress the enemy."

"After this battle, the Qingzhou city was in a state of panic, and the government troops were terrified. The Qingzhou government troops could only defend the city tightly and no longer dared to go up the mountain to encircle and suppress. The general manager of the command department, the military commander [Thunderbolt] Qin Ming, and the chief supervisor [Three Mountains Guard] Huang Xin were punished and temporarily took over their duties to atone for their crimes."

"Are Song Gongming's troops so powerful?" Zhao Zhen asked.

Wu Yong said, "Brother Yan Shude and I have inquired about this. The problem lies in Qingfeng Village. After Qingfeng Village was breached last time, Song Jiang secretly left a tunnel in the village. When the government troops were planning to encircle and suppress them, Song Jiang sent [Little Overlord] Zhou Tong and [Unique Fire Star] Kong Liang to sneak into Qingfeng Village. When Huang Xin sent out his troops, they attacked the village and set it on fire. When Huang Xin returned to rescue them, they attacked from both sides and broke Huang Xin's route first."

"Huang Xin fled to Qingzhou Prefecture alone. Governor Murong was furious and wanted to kill him to restore the prestige of the army. It was all thanks to the request of [Thunderbolt] Qin Ming that he signed a military order to ensure that Huang Xin would serve in the army. The two led the troops to attack Qingfeng Village. Qin Ming was an impatient person, and because his apprentice Huang Xin was punished, he was eager to fight. However, he fell into the trap of [Ghost Seer] Lai Yonger to lure the enemy. The troops ran around for days and were exhausted. They were surrounded by Qingfeng Mountain, Taohua Mountain, and Baihu Mountain and were defeated."

Zhao Zhen said: "I have heard that [Ghost Seer] is full of tricks, but I didn't expect that he could take advantage of Qin Ming's impatience to come up with a plan."

Yan Shude said: "I have been like this since I was a child. Now that I am a commander, I am even more impatient."

Wu Yong said, "I've been to Qingfeng Mountain before, and it's really dangerous. The mountain is well equipped with battering rams, cannonballs, ash bottles, and gold juice. The government troops can't resist when they attack from the steep place. Song Gongming took advantage of the terrain, and he beat gongs and drums in front of and behind the mountain, causing Qin Ming and his troops to run around and exhaust their strength. He took the opportunity to raid Qin Ming's camp at night and defeated him in one battle."

"After that, without waiting for Yun Tianbiao to react, the troops from the four mountains all moved out. Yun Tianbiao was unable to resist the enemy and fought desperately to break out, abandoning all his baggage and only leading half of his troops back to Maying Town."

"After this battle, I'm afraid the name of Song Gongming of Qingzhou will spread throughout Shandong. The government troops dare not look at him head-on."

Zhao Zhen said: "I am afraid that Master Cai will not give up, and there will definitely be another large army to attack. I just don't know which army to mobilize."

Wu Yong said, "It's just the troops from the east and west of Jingdong plus the troops from the prefectures in the east of Hebei. After all, whenever there is a rebellion, the locals always send troops, and when they fail to conquer the rebels, the imperial guards will be dispatched. My lord, I'm afraid I have to make preparations here as well."

Seeing Zhao Zhen's puzzled face, Wu Yong said, "I am from Jimi County, which has always been on the mind of some people in the court. Whether we win or lose, it is beneficial to the court. I am afraid that the imperial decree will be issued to send troops to conquer Qingzhou. Now, the famous people in the surrounding prefectures and cities include Dong Ping, the General of the Double Spears in Dongping Prefecture. Dongchang Prefecture has Zhang Qing, the General of the Featherless Arrow, and two deputy generals, Gong Wang, the Tiger with a Flower Neck, and Ding Desun, the Tiger Shot with an Arrow. Lingzhou has two militia commanders, Shan Tinggui, the General of the Holy Water, and Wei Dingguo, the General of the Divine Fire. In addition, there is Gao Feng, the prefect of Yishui, and Gao Lian, the prefect of Gaotang Prefecture. These two brothers are brothers of the Gao Taiwei clan, and they all know Taoism. They have trained a 300-person army each, known as the 'Flying Divine Soldiers'. In addition, Daming Prefecture has a large number of soldiers and horses, and I am afraid they will also send troops to help in the battle."

Wu Yong continued, "My brother Yan Shude and I went to Qingzhou to gather information and also made friends with Qin Ming and Huang Xin. Now they are both scapegoats. I told them that the great official is recruiting talented people. If they are not satisfied, they can come to Liangshan to join the great official."

Zhao Zhen said, "If we can get these two people to join us, the army will certainly gain more fighting power. Now there are many soldiers in the county, I suggest that each camp should promote one person to be the camp commander, in charge of the troops, so that they will have subordinates in the future. What do you think?"

Wu Yong said: "You are right, sir. Nowadays, all the soldiers are led by the captains and deputy captains, which is indeed inconvenient. I wonder who the commanders of the various camps have chosen?"

Zhao Zhen said, "I have thought about this for a long time, and the scholar also consulted with us. The 400 cavalrymen in Dulonggang are the Cavalry Battalion, with Luan Tingyu as the commander of the battalion, Shi Jin as his deputy, Yan Shun as the Du Yu Hou, and Wu Sanniang, Yang Chun, and Chen Da as military envoys. The three villages of Zhujiazhuang, Hujiazhuang, and Lijiazhuang have 2500 infantrymen, with Chao Gai as the military commander, Hu Cheng as the Du Yu Hou and the manager of the caravan, and Han Bolun, Yan Liu, and Shi Yong as the battalion commanders. Zhu Gui and Cao Tielin, the shopkeepers in front of the mountain, are patrol envoys, running the shop and gathering information. Zhu Gui is the Du Yu Hou of the battalion, and Cao Tielin is the Du Tou."

"Jingyang Town has 1200 cavalry and infantry soldiers, with Hua Rong as the commander, Li Ying as the military commander, the cavalry is the patrol cavalry camp, Sun An is the camp commander, Yang Lin is the military commander, Deng Fei and Fu Yu are military envoys. Le He is the patrol envoy, gathering information, training singing girls, and his position is the same as that of the captain."

"There are 500 people in the Black Tiger Temple. Yang Xiong is the commander of the camp, and Du Qian and Song Wan are the chief officers."

"Jingmen Town was newly established, and most of the heroes in the army are newcomers with few achievements. The infantry has 500 men, with Liu Guang as the temporary commander of the camp, Li San as the chief military officer, and Liu Qi as the chief commander. The cavalry has two commanders, with Yang Zhi and Sun Li as military commanders."

"The Southern Camp is divided into the Left and Right Guard Camps. The Left Guard Camp has 300 people, with Lin Chong as the camp commander, Wang Jin as the chief military officer, Luan Tingfang and Sun Xin as the cavalry military officers. The Right Guard Camp has 200 people, with Wang Tianba as the camp commander, Tang Bin as the chief military officer, Wen Zhongrong, Cui Ye, and Mie Gong as military officers." "The Baozhu Temple Infantry has 1000 people, with Lu Zhishen and Guang Hui as military commanders respectively. Ling Zhen is the commander of the Firearm Camp, and is in charge of the [Bird Gun Division], [Artillery Division], and [Flying God Thunder Division], totaling 800 people. [Artillery Division] is equipped with three Shenwei Wudi General Cannons, ten Portuguese cannons, thirty mountain-splitting cannons, ten Weiyuan General Cannons, and five mother-and-child cannons. [Flying God Thunder Division] is equipped with ten flying god thunders."

"Hao Shanfeng's left army camp has 1000 men, with Liu Tang as the army commander, Zou Run and Zou Yuan as the battalion commanders, 200 armor-piercing axe soldiers, and 800 sword and shield soldiers."

"The right army camp of Xueshan Peak has 1000 men, with Shi Xiu as the army commander, Xue Yong and Li Yun as the battalion commanders, 200 spearmen, and 800 shield-carrying swordmen."

"Xiaoping Mountain has 700 soldiers, with Duan Jingzhu as the camp commander, and Huangfu Duan concurrently serving as the chief military officer, commanding 100 light soldiers to guard the horse farm and scout the enemy, and 200 soldiers to raise horses. The two brothers Jie Zhen and Jie Bao are still stationed in Xiaoping Mountain, and the [Mountain Flying Army] has increased to 400 people."

"In addition to being a training ground for new recruits, Wanzi City will also have a permanent infantry battalion stationed there, with Pang Yi as the battalion commander, Zhang the deputy commander, and Qiao Bo and Qiao Yang as archery coaches."

"There are 500 soldiers stationed at the Baishi Manor training ground, with Jiao Ting as the battalion commander, Bao Xu as the deputy commander, and Yan Shude and his brother as the chief officers. They command 300 broadsword soldiers and 200 heavy front soldiers, with half of them using broadswords and half using heavy swords. Yu Baosi is the flag guard captain, and 50 strong men are selected from the army. There are also 50 male and female guards who practice sumo wrestling, with Hei Sijie as the captain, Zhang Qi and Yan Dong'er as team leaders. The female cavalry team has 100 people, with Hu Sanniang as the military commander, Hua Baoyan and Gu Dasao as deputy captains."

"The small military camp on the left side of Baishi Manor has Lü Fang and Guo Sheng as military envoys, stationed with 200 cavalrymen as the cavalry commanders. A new small military camp on the right side has Shi Qian and Bai Sheng as the commanders, stationed with 200 infantrymen, all of whom are light and agile soldiers. There are 200 archers, led by Liu Shi, Fan Ying, and Fan Shi. They guard the central army, transmit military orders, communicate, and scout the enemy situation."

"At the Baishi Valley North Gate Water Fort, Ruan Xiaoer was promoted to the commander of the Giant Boat Camp. He has one battleship and three three-masted ships under his command, and still has 500 boarding guards, crossbowmen, and sailors under his command. Li Xiaming and Wang Benxing are the captains."

"In Donglou Village, Qinglong Mountain, Ruan Xiaoqi is the commander of the [Erhu Camp], with two three-masted ships, four two-masted ships, thirty fast boats, and 500 people under his command. Jia Shan is the captain."

"At Shijie Lake, Ruan Xiaowu is the commander of the [Sea Loach Camp], with two three-masted ships, four two-masted ships, thirty fast boats, and 500 people. Gao Lun is the captain."

"Yuhuangding, with Liu Lin as the camp commander, has two three-masted ships, four brigs, thirty fast boats, and 500 men under his command."

"Golden Beach, Goutou Mountain. Ouyang Shoutong is the commander of the camp. He has ten brigs, thirty express boats, and 500 men. Cai Zhong is the captain."

"Establish five battalions of navy, and appoint Ruan Xiaoer as the commander of the navy. The five battalions of navy will patrol the water on a daily basis. The ships, sailors, etc. will be gradually replenished."

"The [Craftsmen's Camp] was changed to the [Repair and Construction Camp], with Tao Zongwang as the camp commander. They were responsible for digging harbors and branches, repairing waterways, opening rivers, building roads, adding houses, and tidying up city walls."

"During my expedition, I captured many craftsmen and established the Houyuan Workshop, with [White-Faced Young Master] Zheng Tianshou as the supervisor and [Gingerbill Ape] Hou Jian as the deputy supervisor. I gathered all the craftsmen from the tailor shops, jewelry shops, and bone carving workshops in one place, and imitated the Houyuan of Bianjing. There were 81 workshops, including the gold thread workshop, belt workshop, amber workshop, wood carving workshop, musical instrument workshop, and tailor workshop, to manufacture exquisite and high-ranking objects. For example, the tailor workshop, in addition to making clothes for the families of county officials, is mainly responsible for making clothes for high-ranking officials."

"The skinning station led by Cao Zheng, the boat workshop led by Meng Kang, the printing workshop led by Jin Dajian, and the wine and vinegar workshop led by Zhu Fu will remain unchanged and their positions will be the same as those of the capital guards. Another battalion of gate guards will be established, belonging to the wing army, with four people in charge, specializing in the gate control of each workshop."

"The armor workshop and the weapons shop were merged to form the Military Equipment Supervisory Office, which subdivided the workshops into leather armor, iron armor, horse armor, swords, bows and crossbows. Tang Long was appointed as the chief supervisor and Hou Jian as the deputy supervisor. Two military schools were also set up under the supervision of the two men."

"The county still has Xiao Rang as the county magistrate, Pei Xuan as the chief clerk, and Li Wang as the inspector. They are in charge of the three classes and six rooms, and the bailiffs, clerks, and township heads are transferred. The teaching officers, instructors, training subjects, training techniques, Buddhist associations, and Taoist associations remain unchanged. The deputy managers of the caravan, Wang Dingliu and Du Xing, assist the manager, Hu Cheng, in transportation."

"The army still has Xuejiu and Zhu Wu as military advisors, and Gongsun Sheng, Qiao Daoqing, and Liu Huiniang are also assisting in military affairs."

"What does the scholar think?"

Wu Yong said: "Your Excellency has thought things through thoroughly."

Zhao Zhen said: "I have thought about this for a long time. I will discuss it with the scholars today. If it is feasible, I will order it to be implemented. After the adjustment, some brothers will still have multiple positions. We will only make adjustments when someone comes to join us."

"While the court's attention is now on Song Gongming of Qingzhou, I should make some adjustments here early. Who knows, it may be used later. Don't worry about anything else. According to the established strategy, we should first occupy the villages around the water, expand the territory and increase the population." Zhao Zhen continued.

(End of this chapter)