Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 217 What to Do?
He Shilie suddenly resolved the land redistribution issue in three counties at the fastest speed, which completely changed the attitude of the people who were originally very hostile to them.

Of course, this is also thanks to the fact that it was the Mighty Guard that was dispatched this time, rather than a local military camp.

As is well known, the Six Guards—Left and Right Imperial Guards, Imperial Forest Guards, and Divine Valiant Guards—were nominally the emperor's personal guards, but in modern terms, they also had another name: the ceremonial guard.

In other words, the soldiers in these six guards were almost all from good families, many of them from prestigious families. Apart from the requirements for appearance, height, and even martial arts skills, their family backgrounds were almost all good. Joining the six guards was a way to build up their resumes and enhance their prestige, so that they could be noticed by the emperor in the future and thus have the advantage of being close to him and getting promoted directly.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Ming Dynasty and the Imperial Guards of the Qing Dynasty were examples of this type. However, during that era, ceremonial guards and personal guards were used interchangeably without a clear distinction. It was only during the Ming and Qing dynasties that a clear distinction was established. The Qing Dynasty, in particular, formally designated the ceremonial guard as the Luanyiwei (銮仪卫), called the bodyguards who provided close protection the Imperial Guards, and referred to the army responsible for the emperor's overall safety as the Guard Battalion or the Vanguard Battalion.

This background means that the overall quality of these soldiers will be much higher. At least most of them are literate, because those who are illiterate will find it difficult to even do the most basic martial arts training. They cannot further cultivate by relying on oral instructions. Literacy has become a basic ability for these martial artists with the lowest level of nine cultivation.

More importantly, these brave and valiant soldiers from respectable families were all obedient to orders. As long as the commander could maintain control in time, there would be no situation where they would plunder the local area as soon as they entered the city—the poor soldiers from local camps and military households who couldn't even receive their full pay would not be able to maintain such "military discipline."

It's important to understand that the saying "bandits pass by like combs, soldiers pass by like fine brushes" is not just a joke.

Even in another time and space, throughout history, there have only been two armies that have been able to ensure that they do not harm the people. One is the Yue Family Army, which is known for its motto of "rather freeze to death than dismantle houses, rather starve to death than plunder," and the other is the most precious legacy of modern times that everyone knows.

As a result, these elite guards, whose rations were already much higher than those of ordinary military households, were suddenly and temporarily assigned by Heshilie to the task of dividing and distributing land because their literacy rate exceeded 80%. They quickly won the trust of the local people.

These soldiers, who came from respectable backgrounds, didn't care about the local powerful families or wealthy households. With several "immortals" like Murong Ruyan and Heshi Lietu leading the way, they dared not ask for bribes or favors. Therefore, the distribution was relatively fair, which made the "army," something that was usually feared, seem more approachable.

Naturally, the so-called "military discipline" was something Zhang Chengdao specifically instructed him about before Heshilie's sudden departure.

Zhang Chengdao even conveyed "true words" such as "helping people repair their houses" and "helping farmers cultivate their fields."

However, Zhang Chengdao knew that he was only talking theory, so he concluded that He Shilie should "act on his own initiative" in private.

However, He Shilie thought about it privately for a long time, but still didn't dare to adopt his sect leader's suggestions.

It wasn't that the suggestions were bad, but He Shilie suddenly thought that his sect leader had probably been in contact with "divine soldiers and generals" from the heavens, who were also "immortals" and were different from ordinary people in the mortal world, so they couldn't be compared.

Therefore, the fact that he was able to prevent the Mighty Guards from harassing the people was only achieved by using his family's title of "Immortal of the White Stone Immortal Sect" to suppress them, and even then, several heads were chopped off.

If these soldiers, who have not received prior ideological education, are forced to repair houses that do not belong to them and cultivate land that does not belong to them, it may very well get out of control and lead to some tragedies.

Even if the military law can restrain the Weiwu Guard in time, the trust between the military and the people will be greatly reduced, and it will be difficult to repair it. It is better to act more conservatively from the beginning.

Therefore, Heshilie suddenly chose a way to make the local people accept the Weiwu Guard quickly: he ordered the Weiwu Guard, whose literacy rate was not low, to help with land redistribution and, within the scope of his authority permitted by Zhang Chengdao, to divide it up as a similar "military achievement".

Murong Ruyan did all the work in conquering three cities in one day, while the soldiers of the Left and Right Mighty Guards didn't get a single kill. If they didn't share some of the benefits, how could they lead the army?

Whether it was the Great Zhou Dynasty in the past or the army under the White Stone Immortal Sect now, military merit is still based on the number of heads taken!

In short, using land distribution as a measure of "merit" was a brilliant move.

The soldiers of the Weiwu Guard received "military merits," and the people received land. Except for the local powerful families and wealthy households who were punished and had most of their property confiscated for hiding their land and households, everyone was very satisfied.

So, on a fine, sunny day, Heshilie suddenly led the Weiwu Guard westward and arrived outside Xiangwu County.

Xiangwu County was the first county that entered Longxi Prefecture from the Longzhong region, and it was also the seat of Longxi Prefecture. Not long ago, it was renamed Xiangwu City by Zhang Chengdao, but almost no one in the area knew about this. Obviously, the local people still obeyed the old customs, the old name, and the old master.

The city was defended by a Lu family retainer from the Li clan of Longxi, named Lu Chengyi.

In the county government office of Xiangwu County, Lu Chengyi, who had been sent to guard the city long ago, turned pale with fright when he heard that the Weiwu Army had set up camp a mile outside the county.

Generally speaking, the attacking army would set up camp at least two miles away, about three or four miles away, to avoid being ambushed by the defending army.

If an army sets up camp just one mile from the city, either the commander is a fool who doesn't even know how to talk about war on paper, or he is highly skilled and daring, deliberately mocking the enemy.

Heshilie certainly doesn't belong to the former, nor the latter, because he's not even human!
He's an immortal!
He is a deity from the White Stone Immortal Sect!

If the people of Longxi had no concept of anything bearing the "White Stone Immortal Sect" mark before, He Shilie's sudden and bloodless capture of three cities in a single day had made them realize the utterly hopeless gap between them and the enemy.

But what else could they do? Would they survive if they didn't rebel?

What difference is there between losing one's former status as a local tyrant and death?
If they don't rebel, those above will have to hand over their benefits, and those below will completely lose their livelihoods that depend on clan power. Not to mention that choosing to rebel from the very beginning was a terrible move, a helpless choice that gradually silenced the great ship of Longxi.

Therefore, the current situation is that everyone knows this ship is bound to sink, and everyone knows it is sinking, but most of the vested interests are unable to step out of this sinking ship.

Knowing full well that they might die, but still clinging to wishful thinking, is like a stock investor who knows the stock market is about to crash but grits their teeth and refuses to sell.

What if we can reach a peace agreement?

What if... there's a chance for things to turn around?
However, regardless of whether things will turn around, there won't be any for now.

Lu Chengyi had his trusted confidants check the adjacent city gates three times in a row, but he didn't even dare to leave the government office, fearing that Heshilie would suddenly strike him dead with a "Thunder God help me" spell.

"Has Heshilie come to summon the city yet?"

Lu Chengyi pressed his trusted confidants for the fourth time.

The men under him didn't look too good either. But judging from their experience in the previous three counties, compared to the general defending the city, they, as his men, didn't have any immediate danger of dying. Therefore, they weren't as panicked as Lu Chengyi.

The subordinate replied respectfully, "Reporting to the general, not yet!"

Lu Chengyi sighed and lamented for a long time.

Heshilie's sudden delay in attacking the city, like a boot that never touches the ground, terrified Lu Chengyi, who didn't know what to do.

The subordinate had already sensed Lu Chengyi's fear. Remembering how well Lu Chengyi had treated him in the past, he glanced around the room, which contained only himself and two of Lu Chengyi's trusted lieutenants, and then looked at the empty space outside. He lowered his voice and gritted his teeth, advising, "General, although the Li family has treated you well, they know that wherever Heshilie goes, the garrison commander there will die. Yet they still force you to come here to defend the city. This is truly inhumane. Why don't we... why don't we abandon the darkness and embrace the light, instead of following the Li family down this dark path!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chengyi immediately realized something: "No, no, no! The Li family head has shown me great favor; how can I easily abandon him? Besides, how can someone who betrays his master expect to have a good life?"

After saying this, he seemed to calm down and stared at the confidant who had given him this idea, his eyes filled with suspicion. He deliberately sighed and said, "I cannot forget the kindness you have shown me. Why don't I give up my life and you offer my head as a surrender gift? I suppose you will be willing to pay a high price for my head and I will give you a good place to go. Only in this way will your loyalty to me be worthwhile!"

"General, you mustn't!"

"No!"

"Absolutely not, General!"

The three trusted confidants inside the room were all shocked and almost simultaneously knelt down.

One of them was the first to plead, "The Li family has only shown the general a little favor by promoting him, but the general's kindness to us is immeasurable! The general must not have such thoughts! It would be a disgrace to us all!"

"Yes, General! To betray one's master for personal gain is not the act of a true man!"

Only the subordinate who had first offered the advice, though kneeling down, did not join the other two in pledging loyalty. Instead, he intensified his persuasion, saying, "General, you are overthinking things! Although Heshilie has suddenly set up camp outside and has not yet called for the city, isn't that precisely to deliberately entice you to abandon the darkness and embrace the light? Everyone in the world knows that Li Shi's rebellious intentions are driven by personal desires. How could a few small favors like promotions possibly force you to rebel against the court? Not to mention that you would be willing to pay with your life—it's simply not worth it! Li Shi is using your kindness to coerce you; such despicable thoughts are unworthy of being a ruler, much less a monarch! I urge you to reconsider!"

His subordinate's heartfelt words gave Lu Chengyi a way out, which moved Lu Chengyi deeply.

After all, no one wants to die for nothing, and Lu Chengyi was even less willing to do something for Li's benefit.

Moreover, he had only made a slight probe just now, and he had already discovered that even these three of his most trusted subordinates had no intention of defending the city, let alone the others...

This city was already destroyed long before it was even breached!

However, Lu Chengyi was, after all, a retainer of the Li family. In the imperial court, he would have no official title or rank. Only within the Li family could he be considered a city-defending general. Therefore, nominally speaking, he was really embarrassed to suddenly surrender to Heshilie...

I can't bring myself to do it!
Lu Chengyi, still looking fearful and helpless, tapped the armrests of the armchair and lamented, "The Li family has been kind to me, and I cannot betray them. You are my brothers and confidants, and I cannot bear to send you to your deaths... Alas! Alas! What can I do! What can I do!"

(End of this chapter)