Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 87 Joining forces
While Huang Chao moved out of the Luoyang Basin and back to the Henan Plain to the southeast, he efficiently reorganized the two armies that had joined forces.

Not surprisingly, Shang Rang was elected as the leader by the remaining generals of Wang Xianzhi's army and was regarded as the new generation leader of the Zhenyi Alliance.

Even if Shang Rang's strategy was inferior to that of General Yan, leading to the disastrous defeat in Qizhou, that was ultimately due to his inferior skills. Shang Rang's astonishing intelligence and outstanding tactics were well-recognized by the generals of the Cao army.

What's more, Shang Rang is also the most prestigious among Wang Xianzhi's surviving disciples.

Of course, Huang Chao would not seize Shang Rang's army. Instead, he appointed Shang Rang and Chai Cun as commanders, each with 5,000 men under their command, to divide the remaining 10,000 troops of Wang Xianzhi into two.

Chai Cun was the uncle of Chai Najun, who died in the Battle of Songzhou within the Song Wei Five-square Formation. Nearly sixty years old, he held a high esteem and was still able to afford ten kilograms of rice a day. Before joining the Cao Army, he was a renowned martial artist known for his boldness, valor, and approachability.

Since Chai Cunlai, who was older than Huang Chao, was ranked alongside Shang Rang, no one could say anything to object.

Huang Chao then took advantage of the sacrifice to Wang Xianzhi to establish his authority and expanded his own army from 3,000 to 5,000. Since Zhu Wen's battalion had recently undergone rigorous training and its combat effectiveness had increased significantly, it was also promoted to the rank of commander.

Zhu Wen, Meng Kai and Duan Hongyan were all promoted to generals, and the number of soldiers under his command increased from 500 to 1,000. Of course, he had to absorb elite soldiers from other organizations of Huang Chao's army. This was also Huang Chao's centralization policy.

Because Wang Xianzhi's remaining troops were not directly appropriated and annexed, Shang Rang, Chai Cun, and others were very grateful and praised the Salt Commander for his righteousness. Some powerful people who had originally defected to Huang Chao were naturally dissatisfied with the seizure of their elite private troops, but this was quickly overwhelmed by the praise of Wang Xianzhi's generals.

"Master, I have received intel that although Wang Jian is still a captain, commanding only 150 soldiers in the rear tower, Marshal Yan has assigned him a special unit to command all the troops. Wang Jian's forces now total 1,150." Huang Chao's expression was stern. "That Ms. Chen Liqing, as the commander of one of the two battalions in the capital, has also become Wang Jian's subordinate."

The Book of Songs mentions the term "Ms. Li'er," referring to a woman with the bearing of a scholar. Chen Liqing came from the Yingchuan Chen family, a long-established aristocratic family. While at first glance she might qualify as a lady, whether she possessed the bearing of a scholar is difficult to judge.

"And you don't even have a full complement of troops. If you run into Wang Jian again on the battlefield, it will be difficult for you to gain an advantage."

Zhu Wen knew that his teacher meant to recruit some reliable soldiers into the camp as soon as possible to expand his own military strength.

The death of Alliance Leader Wang had indeed brought immense fear to the jianghu. However, after Huang Chao's grand sacrifice to Wang Xianzhi, outrage would spread like a whirlwind. If Huang Chao hadn't immediately engaged Flame Commander in decisive battle, but had delayed briefly, allowing the jianghu's fury to simmer to its full potential, the Grass Army could have capitalized on the raging fury of the wild dragons and snakes and seized the opportunity to engage Zhen Ranyu, the "Huaying Flame Dancer," in a decisive duel.

This situation where many heroes in the martial arts world are rising up is indeed an excellent opportunity for Zhu Wen to absorb new blood and add more heroes to the team.

After receiving the order and retreating, Zhu Wen returned to his own tent.

Chao Ying had bid farewell to the Cao army and returned to Mount Tai. Since she had been masked throughout the battle with Shang Rang, calling herself Lady Liu, the court's current narrative was that Zhu Wen and his men had attacked the Taishan sect, murdered its leader, Cao Zixiu, and fled. The new Taishan sect leader, Chao Ying, aspiring to avenge her master, would donate funds to help the court completely eliminate the Cao bandits.

"Madam Chuoying is truly a shrewd person," Zhu Wen said to Lan Suting. "With Alliance Leader Wang's death, the biggest beneficiary isn't even Master, but Shang Rang."

After the defeat at Qizhou, Shang Rang was dejected and almost wanted to die. However, Chao Ying decided not to break off the engagement and encouraged Shang Rang with words, obviously realizing this.

Shang Rang has become the true leader of Wang Xianzhi's remnants, and as Wang Xianzhi's true disciple, he has gained all the influence that Wang Xianzhi had during his lifetime.

"Chao Ying will definitely wait for us to fight a life-and-death battle with Marshal Yan before deciding whether to truly join the Grass Army. If we lose this battle, there will be no Grass Army, and even less of a Zhenyi Alliance. The Taishan Sect will then be completely free from the Zhenyi Alliance's control, and will be nothing more than a prestigious family that pays homage to the imperial court."

Lan Suting sighed softly and said, "With her experience, it's inevitable that she's good at making a living."

"Little rabbit, are you really attracted to me?" Zhu Wen said with a smile, "Do you still want me to help you polish your mirror? Didn't Madam Chaoying say she didn't intend to have sex with Shang Rang? Her icy skin is something no proper husband could ever taste."

Lan Suting's pretty face flushed red as blood, and she lowered her head: "General, what strange things are you saying? Zhizhen doesn't understand."

It was true that she didn't understand, but after Chaoying had coiled around her like a snake and blew air into her ear before, and had forcefully kissed her in public, Lan Suting should have been able to guess what was going on. "Okay, I won't tease you anymore."

Zhu Wen took out a toy from his bag and asked, "How do you like this thing I brought you this time?"

Lan Suting took a closer look and discovered it was a fine gray pottery inkstone. Its surface was shaped like a dustpan, higher in front and lower in the back. Twelve mountain peaks were carved on three sides. Beneath the central peak stood what looked like a dragon's head, capable of collecting water that dripped into the inkstone. Beneath the peaks on either side were figures of people, each one bearing a mountain and supporting a heavy object. The inner and outer peaks, staggered and connected to the edge of the inkstone, naturally formed a semicircular chamber. The three legs at the bottom were also carved to resemble layers of rock.

Although this inkstone is not a common stone inkstone, it is a fine one among Bingzhou chengni inkstones and is more precious than many famous stone inkstones.

This Twelve Peaks ceramic inkstone stood majestically, full of imposing presence, evoking the allure of a landscape painting. Lan Suting, a woman of simple and austere temperament, disdained extravagance and elaborate craftsmanship, so this inkstone naturally delighted her.

"This... is very expensive, right?" Lan Suting asked.

"A little," Zhu Wen nodded. "I'm too poor now to pay you. This inkstone will offset your salary for the next three months."

Lan Suting often said that Zhu Wen's monthly salary of ten strings of cash was already high enough. Being a stickler for details, she would never accept a gift from Zhu Wen lightly. Zhu Wen had obtained this inkstone while torturing the nobles, and he gave it to her under this pretext.

Zhu Wen showed special mercy to the nobleman who had revealed the location of the inkstone, along with his wife and children, because he did not want his gift to Lan Suting to involve any human life. However, the owner also felt that the inkstone could be exchanged for the lives of his entire family, which shows its true value.

Lan Suting was a scholar, so this practice must have been what was known in official circles as "elegant bribery." However, it was always subordinates who gave elegant bribes to their superiors, and he was probably the only one in the world who gave elegant bribes to his subordinates as a superior.

Seeing Lan Suting hesitate and not dare to accept it, Zhu Wen said: "I heard from my junior sister that a good inkstone is to a scholar what a precious mirror is to a beauty. Compared to a mirror, I think you, Zhizhen, prefer the inkstone."

This meant that Lan Suting was both a scholar and a beauty. Lan Suting blushed slightly. Zhu Wen had already forced the pottery inkstone into her hand and said, "This is your salary for the next three months. Hold on tight. This thing is made of pottery. If you drop it, it will be gone."

Lan Suting, of course, treasured this kind of exquisite item very much. She immediately grasped it tightly, wiped it with a silk handkerchief, and placed it on her desk. She still looked a little embarrassed and said, "Then Zhizhen thanks the camp commander for his kindness."

Zhu Wen had been promoted from battalion commander to captain. Lan Suting should have been called captain, but she was used to it and couldn't change it for a while, so Zhu Wen didn't care much.

"The food you cooked tonight was so delicious, it deserves better." Zhu Wen praised.

The main dish for dinner tonight is stir-fried deer and chicken, a somewhat luxurious Tang Dynasty specialty, cooked with white sesame oil.

Deer meat is stir-fried with chicken, and seasoned with scallion whites, fermented black beans, and cooking wine. The perfect cooking technique and heat allow the tenderness and deliciousness of the meat to be fully absorbed by the flavor of the seasoning, making it smooth and tasty when eaten.

Zhu Wen felt that although Lan Suting was a scholar, her cooking skills might be better than the imperial chefs. After all, the chef at Madam Aqing's residence was not as good as hers.

Now the soldiers could no longer bear to let Lan Suting stay up late to take care of the wounded and suck the poisonous sores for the soldiers, so they hired a few more maids to do this job.

After Lan Suting was discovered to be a skilled cook, preparing meals became her primary job. Of course, she couldn't cook for 500 people by herself, nor could she feed all 500 people every meal. The cooking oil alone was quite expensive.

At Zhu Cun's suggestion, Lan Suting prepared meals for more than ten people each time, selecting outstanding soldiers to dine with the Zhu brothers. However, after each round, she ensured that every soldier attended at least once.

Zhu Wen had previously eaten the same coarse rations as ordinary soldiers to demonstrate his solidarity with them. Zhu Cun's advice, however, only served to strengthen the army's morale. The soldiers, now sharing the meal, were content with a slightly better meal. To be able to enjoy the food prepared by their goddess, Lan, was a profound honor.

At present, Zhu Cun is still much more experienced than Zhu Wen in managing soldiers.

(End of this chapter)