Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 19: One side fights fiercely, the other side plans.

The area where Zhuzhou and Zhouzhou meet is unique. It has a dense network of waterways and numerous commercial ports, so the merchants and landlords here communicate and interact with each other a hundred times more frequently than in other places.

Other counties and prefectures do not have such conveniences, resulting in a lack of shared interests between villages and towns. Apart from the need for interaction when competing for water, most ethnic groups in different places can live and die without ever interacting. But here, where waterways converge, opera troupes, boatmen, and men who do odd jobs shuttle back and forth.

This is the foundation upon which the concept of republicanism emerged in this place forty years ago. Because once everyone gathered together and confirmed they possessed a power that even the governor of Da Yao County dared not underestimate, these short-sighted merchants, lacking any long-term vision, became increasingly greedy. When the imperial court requisitioned grain, they no longer sought to avoid being oppressed by the government, but instead attempted to sell old rice at exorbitant prices. After the republican militia successfully quelled other banditry on the roads, they relied on this as leverage to become even more lawless, until they were labeled as rebels, attracting the final suppression by the imperial army. The republicanism ultimately became a distorted doctrine rigorously investigated by the anti-banditry department.

Xiandaoren stood at the riverbank, observing everything with a look of reflection on the past. That year, his eyes were clear and full of passion. He had tried to guide the world's development and change, but ultimately, change was beyond his control. As the Communist army was trapped in the city, running out of food, they were forced to resort to cannibalism. At that time, after abandoning his old self, he gained a third eye between his eyebrows.

Oh, now he's back. The renewed desire for cooperation between the gentry of the two places has gradually developed into an underground organization of secret societies and private bandits. This is the change he has guided step by step over the past three years.

Meanwhile, the heroes and outlaws from both regions, caught in the turmoil, remained as short-sighted and selfish as before. Only this time, they were united solely by self-interest, devoid of foolish passion or base ideals, and were no longer struggling within the chaos.

In a certain gang, some people were haggling over a price when suddenly their pupils turned blue, and their previously greedy eyes revealed a fear of certain knowledge.

Xian Daoren, who was in a remote control position: Now Wu Hanluan has sent me here to inspect this place, haha.

After letting out a cunning and morbid laugh, Xian Daoren said, "Even without orders, I will report this information to the general."

…a message carried by a blue-feathered wild goose…

In March of the 25th year of the Tianli era, the Wu family army arrived at Zhuzhou by waterway. After Wu Hanluan led the rear guard to set up camp at the fortress on the border between Zhuzhou and the prefecture, they remained stationary. Ostensibly, this was to protect the Wu family army's weapons and supplies and stabilize the army's rear, but in reality, it was to prevent the Wu family army from being bogged down by the complex situation in the area. At the same time, they also needed to understand the local situation.

Wu Hanluan set out a golden goblet, poured fine wine, and expressed his willingness to discuss important matters with the local elders.

Whether a military commander reaches an agreement with the local strongmen is the difference between "pacifying the region with a proclamation" and "surrendering only to rebel again."

However, as a veteran general who had commanded troops on the frontier for decades, Wu Hanluan would easily arouse suspicion from the imperial court if he directly dealt with local powerful families.

Therefore, the authority to "act expediently" during the army's march should be entrusted to trustworthy young men within the military. —As young military men whose names the court has never heard of, the court's suspicion should be lowered. After all, these inexperienced young warriors, once deployed to their regions, would likely cause less concern from Confucian and Legalist factions.

After the Wu family army arrived in Zhuzhou, the process of suppressing the rebellion went very smoothly.

Wu Hengyu led five hundred elite cavalrymen straight in, reaching the most chaotic area within the rebellious region. The bandits there were divided into several groups, the largest of which occupied Qixiang County. These bandits, operating under the banner of the republic, were robbing government tax ships and selling the loot there.

Upon arrival, Wu Hengyu contacted the informant his father had planted there before the army marched (arranged by Wu Fei, who carried the commander's seal). With the help of this informant, the city gates were opened by two men that night, and five hundred elite cavalrymen rushed in. They then stormed into the county town and began to slaughter the rebels. The rebels were caught off guard and tried to resist, but they were trampled on each other in the crowded roads. When the iron hooves came crashing down, they lost their courage in an instant and ran back. Wu Hengyu's iron army trampled them on the backs, and the small streets and alleys were filled with screams and the cracking of bones.

Wu Hengyu employed some military tactics in this siege.

He conducted the raids using a city map supplied by an inside source, meticulously planning which areas were passable by ten cavalrymen and which were only passable by foot. It's as if even robbers and kidnappers in the 21st century plan their escape routes.

After all, he was a scion of a military family. Even if his family's scholarship wasn't particularly refined, he was still better than some meticulous test-taker. Compared to those bandits, Wu Hengyu had been exposed to military strategy from a young age, while these self-proclaimed heroes, who flew the banner of the old republic, had no knowledge of military affairs.

After their uprising and capture of the city, although their numbers swelled to over a thousand, the sudden attack revealed their true nature as a rabble. Moreover, most of these bandits were local thugs and ruffians, who, while arrogant in brawls, had only grown more conceited after joining the so-called republic, lacking any real awareness of the need for bloodshed. When they discovered that the invading forces were not petty thieves and weaklings, but rather well-armored government troops on horseback, their initial bloodlust vanished, and they scattered in disarray.

In fact, among the bandits were many elite soldiers who had once been soldiers in the city but had now become outlaws. These men, who had tasted blood on the battlefield, hastily donned their armor, but were already scattered by the vanguard and unable to form a battle formation. They lost their footing in the trampling and were subsequently stabbed to death in the street by the elite troops brought by Wu Hengyu.

If it were a scion of a well-established military family like Wu Fei who were in charge of the arrangements: besides arranging necessary patrols and night watch troops, he would also deploy checkpoints to prevent the chaos from spreading, which would simply involve blocking roads with wooden stakes. This would be very effective in preventing the defeated soldiers from mixing together. Each small, scattered group of soldiers could stabilize at the checkpoint and then regroup.

On the narrow streets, wherever Wu Hengyu's troops rushed, blood and flesh flew everywhere. From the air, the alleys looked like a mosquito coil, and Wu Hengyu's troops were like the lit mosquito coil, leaving behind "ashes"—corpses after they burned.

This battle to wipe out the rebels was a brutal beating of a large group of illiterate mountain bandits by Wu Hengyu, a high school student specializing in military strategy.

An hour later, the slaughter ended, and Wu Hengyu rested briefly in Qixiang County. The blood-soaked county town was deathly silent; the chilling aura was so thick that even the sparrows that foraged for food at dawn avoided it. At daybreak, the support troops dispatched by Wu Fei cautiously approached the town. After confirming that Wu Hengyu's forces had captured it, they entered the town and were horrified to see piles of corpses and blood flowing along the streets.

After Wu Hengyu and his troops finished eating the salted vegetable rations brought by the reinforcements and replaced some of their horses, they continued fighting, heading for the next rebellious county town.

Wu Fei, who had to hastily provide support from behind, cursed: "That brute."

Wu Fei didn't write a letter to advise him. First, he couldn't persuade his own elder brother, especially since he wasn't on the front lines and didn't understand the situation. Second, this war truly required speed. The faster the fighting, the fewer variables there would be.

…A blood-red whirlwind surged forward through the rebellion's location…

For the next three days, they won a series of victories, and all three counties in the rebel area were liberated. Except for the first county, which was captured, the bandits in the other two counties fled back to the mountains overnight with their valuables and women after hearing about the bravery of the government troops.

Six days later, Wu Hengyu's other battles involved finding the wealthy households who were cooperating with the bandits and directly capturing these fortified villages.

After discovering evidence of collusion between the fortified village and the bandits, Wu Hengyu was horrified. The rebellion in the entire state and Zhuzhou was actually a conspiracy between powerful families in the region.

However, just as he was preparing to escalate the situation, the rear command camp recalled him.

…The precious sword was used to slit the throat, not to chop; the blood, not yet congealed, flowed down the blade without sticking. …

In the cavalry, seeing the first imperial edict delivered, Wu Hengyu subconsciously assumed it was issued by Wu Fei using the central army seal. —It was understandable, he thought. During pre-battle preparations, all the collection of military supplies and the infiltration of spies into bandit-infested areas were handled by Wu Fei, who then stamped the edict. Now, he even controlled the central army.

Wu Hengyu naturally made the connection: his vanguard had been making meritorious contributions, while the central army had been lukewarm, only managing to achieve minor merits. Therefore, Wu Fei had the motivation to transfer him back.

Wu Hengyu was furious: "I treated you like a brother, but you're holding me back!" He admired Wu Fei's coordination during this battle; much of the success was due to Wu Fei's strategic planning. After each battle, supplies, horses, and medicine were always delivered promptly. But now, at this crucial moment, Wu Fei was hindering him, which made him extremely unhappy. Just as Wu Hengyu was preparing to disobey orders from the field, the messenger, clearly expecting this, produced a letter in Wu Hanluan's handwriting. This made Wu Hengyu realize that the recall order came from his father. Seeing the stern wording, Wu Hengyu recalled the strict discipline his father had instilled in him since childhood, using the phrase "military orders are like mountains," and his heart trembled. His mount, the dragon horse, pawed the ground restlessly as Wu Hengyu squeezed his legs together.

No matter how big or fierce this tiger is, it can't forget the helplessness of being grabbed by the back of the neck when it was a child.

Wu Hengyu suppressed his emotions and could only say to the messenger, "Wait here for now. I will reorganize the troops and then go back with you immediately."

The messenger, with a smile on his face, took out another letter, this time from Wu Fei.

Wu Hengyu was slightly taken aback, then snorted coldly, snatched the letter, tore it open, and glanced at it. At first, he was disdainful, but then his gaze became somewhat thoughtful. Finally, he chuckled to mask the change in his emotions before and after reading the letter.

The letter contained only three points. First: "Congratulations, elder brother, on quelling the rebellion in two provinces with five hundred elite cavalry."

Wu Fei first affirmed the primary merit of this battle, attributing the victory to the five hundred elite cavalry, rather than the five thousand troops who came. He placed Wu Hengyu at the forefront, using words that proclaimed the formidable strength of the Wu family army.

Second: The rebellions in the two prefectures were connected with local powerful clans. My family's elite troops cut through the chaos like a swift knife, but they were not the hoe in the hands of the imperial court to dig out the roots of the trouble in this place.

That is, after learning that Wu Hengyu had discovered the connections with the local powerful clans, he shared the same view as Wu Hengyu.

Third: Elder brother, your martial arts are unparalleled, the best in the world. All the heroes of the two states bow down to you. I wish to borrow your power, so please help me out.

It means that you've already spread your influence, and now I'll help you create an even more effective way to show off.

When Wu Fei first led troops, he learned to observe the expressions and moods of the soldiers below him. Now, he naturally knows how to appease Wu Hengyu's stubborn and self-willed personality.

Wu Hengyu glanced at Wu Fei's excessively flattering letter and scoffed at its overly theatrical language. However, he still kept the letter, because he found it quite useful—it was a pretext provided by his cousin.

…In contrast to Wu Hengyu's relentless charge and courageous advance, Wu Fei was meticulous and calculating, devising the best possible outcome…

In the central army camp, an army of 1,800 men was stationed. They were well-organized, and the central army, compared to the vanguard, had only fought one battle. This battle took place after Wu Hengyu's attack on the county town.

Wu Fei invited the local elders, but only a third of them showed up. The remaining two-thirds were led by prominent local families, headed by the Wang, Li, Sun, and Su clans, who watched from the sidelines. Clearly, they didn't want to give Wu Fei any face.

So Wu Fei didn't give them any face! Wu Fei: Those who don't come to the meeting are all nobodies.

Because Wu Fei had good relations with the merchants, he knew the area where these four large families stockpiled grain. —When war breaks out, the local areas always suffer. Wu Fei: I don't rip off poor people.

Therefore, Wu Fei selected two of the more prosperous fortified villages and launched a campaign to suppress the bandits!
A thousand regular troops directly besieged these local fortified villages, which was like throwing eggs at rocks. The walls, which were less than two feet thick, cracked rapidly when hit by the counterweight catapults. Wu Fei did not completely break through the walls with cannons, but instead, when they were just about to collapse, he chose to send Jinniu to charge.

The two-zhang-tall golden bull, a truly enormous creature, charged straight at the mercenaries of the families inside the fortress, amidst their despair. With a crash, the entire wall collapsed. Meanwhile, the crossbowmen and shield bearers following on either side of the bull advanced through the breach using a combined infantry and tank tactic.

After the fortress walls were breached, some martial artists hiding in the secret passages attempted to launch a sneak attack. These passages were then filled with scalding hot molten gold, resulting in screams and wails of agony.

…While both were forms of suppression, Xuanchong was subjected to heavy blows, with others invited to watch the process…

The army breached the city walls with overwhelming force, yet not a single soldier was lost. The surrendered people were quickly organized by the military law team, divided into different groups, and sealed off in various warehouses. The women, in particular, were placed under strict guard.

After capturing the fortified village, most of the prisoners were sold into slavery. The spoils were then distributed among the soldiers fighting in the vanguard and sold to merchants to be transported to Lingnan. However, the women were left to be redeemed by these wealthy families.

The nature of the attack on the fortified village will not change. If the wealthy families are willing to ransom the people, they will be the ones rescued by the imperial army from the bandits. If they are not willing to ransom the people, then they will have joined the bandits.

The fortress that Wu Fei had targeted was renowned for its wealth in the area, but after it was robbed, few people in the area sympathized with it.

Wu Fei put himself in the shoes of these wealthy families he had conquered: to rally the people in this way, he needed to spend even more grain as a blood reward for their rebellion. Otherwise, what would they use to resist the violent suppression?

By the way, the "community" here refers to the local gentry who address each other as "Sir," and they might even address some prostitutes as "Sir," but they would never address peasants as "Sir."

Wu Fei looked at the books he had found and thought: "What's the point of all this fancy stuff? Ha, they're not willing to give up any benefits."

Yes, blood money. Before organizing any bloody conflict, one must consider offering sufficient compensation.

Taking the breaching of a fortress as an example, Wu Fei's army, using siege equipment and massive soldiers, overwhelmed the city with overwhelming force, suffering few casualties. Therefore, he was able to control his soldiers and prevent them from causing harm. However, if he chose the wrong point of attack, resulting in the loss of a hundred or so of his own troops, then Wu Fei could no longer control his men and would only allow them to vent their anger on the defeated after the victory. This is the meaning of "War is a weapon of destruction; a gentleman should not wield it, yet he does it."

Throughout history, whenever any power has created an effective and controllable system of violence, no amount of moral embellishment can erase the "blood price" theorem.

Confucianism, with its overused rhetoric of benevolence, despised barbarians for conquering cities and enslaving people, and morally restricted the imperial army to be a righteous force that could not plunder civilians. However, Confucian scholars were all talk and no action; as defenders of morality, they could not solve the problem of bloodshed, to the point that Xuan Chong's previous incarnation, Emperor Gaozu of Han, contemptuously said, "I will take off your Confucian hats and use them as chamber pots."

Therefore, "the sword will not be sheathed for x days after the city falls" was the only promise most feudal generals could make to their soldiers when faced with the consequences of a fierce attack on a city and heavy losses on their own. Meanwhile, the slick moralists who sided with the victors would grudgingly gloss over this with their biased writings.

After breaching the fortified village.

In the main camp, Wu Fei began to compile evidence of the people in the fortified village's collusion with bandits! The procedure of framing and falsely accusing others still had to be followed. The old method of "like combing a comb" was too primitive and too easy to put oneself on the opposite side of all parties. He had to learn from the corrupt county magistrate.

Next, he would invoke his uncle's title of Marquis of Qiansu Pavilion and have a proper talk with the local powerful families' representatives. After all, the Wu family army had now turned everything in its path into dust, and Wu Fei could persuade these local bullies: "Discretion is the better part of valor."

(End of this chapter)