Sheng Tang: What is Liu Jianjun going to do today?

Chapter 219 Three Months After the War

Li Xian and Liu Jianjun stood awkwardly in front of Xue Ne.

When they returned to camp, they happened to encounter a patrol of scouts. If it weren't for their identification tags, they would have been arrested as deserters long ago.

Even so, when the two of them returned, they happened to run into a large group of people calling out names in the camp. All eyes were on the two of them, and Li Xian wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

The awkwardness remains.

Not only were Li Xian and Liu Jianjun summoned to Xue Ne's tent, but even Xue Qian, the assistant officer, was caught in the crossfire.

Li Xian glanced discreetly at Xue Ne, who sat upright in the main seat. Xue Ne was still wearing his armor, his face showing both fatigue and excitement, but his gaze toward Li Xian and Liu Jianjun remained sharp.

Li Xian immediately looked away, focusing his gaze on his nose and contemplating his inner thoughts.

Even if Li Xian knew nothing about military affairs, he had heard of phrases like "orders must be obeyed" and "military orders are as firm as mountains."

If it were an ordinary soldier, he and Liu Jianjun would probably have been beheaded long ago for sneaking out during the war.

Finally, Xue Ne suddenly spoke, his voice calm: "Xue Qian."

Xue Qian trembled, straightened up abruptly, clasped his hands in greeting, and replied, "Your subordinate is here!"

"I have ordered you to assist His Highness Prince Pei, oversee the transport of weapons, and ensure his safety. Today, His Highness Prince Pei and Military Advisor Liu left the camp without permission and approached the front lines. As his assistant, you failed in your duty of protection and were negligent in your oversight. Do you acknowledge this responsibility?"

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Xue Qian's forehead, but he still knelt down on one knee without hesitation and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate has failed in his duty! I am willing to accept military punishment! Please punish me, General!"

He offered no explanation and accepted the punishment without hesitation.

Xue Ne's gaze then slowly turned to Li Xian and Liu Jianjun.

“Your Highness,” Xue Ne’s tone remained unreadable, “Liu, you two, as the deputy supervisor of grain and weapons transport and the military advisor, were not in your posts during the great battle. You abandoned your duties and almost caused a misjudgment by the patrol, which undermined the morale of the army. What do you two have to say about this?”

Li Xian's cheeks burned. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "General Xue, this whole thing was caused by my own curiosity. I encouraged Military Advisor Liu to come along, which led to a grave mistake."

"Xian... knows his mistake and is willing to bear all the punishment. It has nothing to do with Lieutenant Xue and Military Advisor Liu."

Seeing that Li Xian was about to take all the blame, Liu Jianjun quickly stepped forward as well: "Hey, Old Xue... no, no, General Xue! This really isn't His Highness's fault, it's me! I'm the one who persuaded His Highness to go out, saying he wanted to see the might of the Thunderclap and witness the grandeur of the battlefield! His Highness was misled by me! If you want to punish someone, punish me, I'm thick-skinned and can take it!"

Xue Ne looked at the two people in front of him who were vying to take the blame, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly, whether from anger or something else, it was hard to tell.

"enough."

Two words silenced the two arguing people instantly.

"The army has its own rules and regulations; they are not child's play," Xue Ne said in a deep voice. "Xue Qian, for failing in your duty of guard duty, you shall be given twenty strokes of the cane as a warning to others. Execute immediately!"

"This subordinate accepts the punishment!" Xue Qian responded loudly, a hint of relief appearing on his face.

Immediately, Xue Ne's gaze fell on Li Xian and Liu Jianjun again: "Your Highness Prince Pei, Military Advisor Liu, you two have abandoned your posts and violated military regulations. However, considering this is your first offense, and considering that Hong Tianlei did indeed make outstanding contributions in this battle..."

Li Xian's heart jumped.

Xue Ne then said, "Effective immediately, three months' salary will be confiscated from you two to fund the military. In addition, you two are responsible for cleaning up the arrows and damaged weapons left on the battlefield outside Wugu City after this siege, and assisting the medical officers in treating the wounded until the cleanup is complete! You must not delegate this task to others!"

Hearing this, Li Xian breathed a sigh of relief and said solemnly, "Xian, accept the punishment!"

Liu Jianjun also hung his head and weakly cupped his hands, saying, "This humble official...accepts the punishment."

……

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Li Xian and Liu Jianjun changed into the coarse cloth clothes of ordinary soldiers and wore dust-proof straw hats, and appeared outside Wugu City in the area where the Tang army had launched its main attack the day before.

Even after so much time has passed, the area outside Wugu City is still shrouded in the smoke of war.

Li Xian and Liu Jianjun were responsible for cleaning an area near the gate of Wugu City. From this location, they could see the devastation on the city walls caused by the devastating bombardment.

The city wall was not too badly damaged. Although large pieces of bricks and stones were broken and collapsed, exposing the rammed yellow earth inside, at least the main structure was still intact. However, the smoke rising everywhere made it look rather pitiful.

What shocked Li Xian the most was the area near the city gate.

This is the focal point where the Goryeo garrison collapsed yesterday and the Tang army poured in. The ground is covered with messy footprints, the soil is trampled and mushy, mixed with dark red blood that has slightly congealed, forming patches of chilling filth. Broken shields, shattered spears, and scattered arrows are everywhere, and in some places you can even see discarded boots and torn pieces of armor.

"Are you two new here? Which battalion are you from?"

Some soldiers who were also responsible for cleaning up the battlefield came over, probably because they didn't recognize Li Xian and Liu Jianjun.

"He's under Captain Xue Qian's command," Liu Jianjun replied.

That's not exactly a lie.

The soldier said "Oh," and then realized, "He's one of Captain Xue's men! No wonder he looks unfamiliar. Yesterday, his team was responsible for transporting equipment and they were lucky not to be involved in the main battle. But cleaning up the battlefield today is no easy task."

Liu Jianjun seized the opportunity and leaned over to ask, "Oh? What's the story behind this?"

"The first wave is over, so we're much more relaxed now. Let me tell you, the first batch this morning was the real torture, clearing the ruins and collecting the enemy corpses, those guys..." He pointed towards the city and lowered his voice, "I heard that when our thunderclap went off yesterday, many Koreans were blown to pieces, their heads and bodies separated..."

"Many of the guys who went in early this morning came out vomiting, and they're still pale-faced!"

Liu Jianjun's lips twitched, his previous interest in casual conversation vanished instantly, and he chuckled dryly, "Heh...heh...that thunderbolt, it was pretty impressive, huh..."

The soldier, oblivious to their strange behavior, exclaimed, "Who says it isn't! It's like the Thunder God descending to earth! In the past, every siege was a bloodbath. This time, a few claps of thunder and the city gates opened! It's truly an eye-opener!"

His tone was filled with awe, but also a hint of relief.

After exchanging a few more words, the soldier went about his business.

Li Xian silently picked up a shovel and began clearing away the debris mixed with blood and mud from the ground.

He tried hard not to think about those images where "the head is the head and the body is the body," but the images of people being thrown up when the city wall exploded and the faint screams he heard kept appearing in his mind.

Liu Jianjun also put away all his joking expressions and focused on his work.

The atmosphere between the two became somewhat somber.

“My wise son…”

Li Xian suddenly heard Liu Jianjun call him in a strange tone.

"Ok?"

Li Xian turned his head and saw that Liu Jianjun's face was pale. Under the shovel he was waving, he had just dug up half a bloody and mangled hand. The blood and flesh were mixed with mud and even stretched into strands. Li Xian felt extremely uncomfortable just by looking at it.

"I...I feel a little nauseous..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Jianjun pressed a shovel to his chest, stretched his neck, and vomited out with a "whoosh".

He vomited violently, his shoulders heaving as if he were emptying his insides. Seeing his wretched and painful state, Li Xian felt his own stomach churning and his throat tighten. He forced himself not to look at the severed hand, walked over, and gently patted Liu Jianjun's back.

"If all else fails... I'll plead with General Xue on my behalf..."

"Don't."

Liu Jianjun raised one hand and shook it laboriously at him, then said, "Old Xue did it on purpose!"

"Huh?" Li Xian was a little confused.

"He just wanted us to know that the battlefield is brutal, not something we can just hide in the back and watch the show and listen to the noise on our own... Ugh..."

Liu Jianjun took a deep breath before continuing, "He's using the most direct method to teach these two ignorant 'nobles' a lesson... so we won't cause him any more trouble."

Li Xian understood this time.

Liu Jianjun let out a long sigh, straightened up, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and said with a wry smile, "That old guy... really ruthless, but... damn it, this trick really works. I'll never come to the front line again."

……

After enduring several waves of ridicule from the veterans, Li Xian and Liu Jianjun, after vomiting repeatedly, finally got used to it.

The cleanup of the battlefield had to be done quickly, as it was said that if it dragged on, a plague would spread. Therefore, the cleanup outside Wugu City was completed before sunset.

Li Xian and Liu Jianjun finally returned to Yingzhou City.

At that moment, Li Xian felt as if he had instantly entered another world.

Outside Wugu City, there was only deathly silence and the smoke of gunpowder, while inside Yingzhou City, there was peace and tranquility. The lives of ordinary people continued as usual, and even showed a touch of ease and vitality due to the great victory.

It was nearly dusk, the busiest time of day in the city.

Shop signs swayed gently in the evening breeze along the streets, while rough yet lively shouts of drinking games drifted from the taverns. Steaming pots of mutton soup simmered outside food stalls, their aroma mingling with the scents of scallions and ginger. Vendors selling flatbreads took golden-brown breads from their tandoor ovens...

Li Xian and Liu Jianjun walked through the streets.

"The freshly steamed millet cake is so sweet it'll make your teeth ache!"

"Come and see these top-quality hides, just arrived from the north!"

"Sharpening scissors—sharpening knives—!"

Watching the people come and go, Liu Jianjun suddenly exclaimed, "Peace is truly wonderful."

Li Xian was taken aback, then smiled and nodded: "Yes, that's great."

Unless absolutely necessary, Li Xian would rather never see those bloody and mangled scenes again in his life.

……

After capturing Wugu City, Yingzhou enjoyed a rare period of peace.

Xue Ne began to send troops to garrison Wugu City, but he was a seasoned military strategist and did not rush into any rash advance.

Although Wugu City has been captured, a large number of troops are still stationed in the domestic city to its southeast, watching with predatory eyes and ready to launch a counterattack at any time.

Xue Ne personally inspected Wugu City. Upon returning, he summoned his generals, including Li Xian and Liu Jianjun, and finally determined the plan for Wugu City: Wugu City had fallen, but its value lay not in its occupation, but in its defense.

He ordered that the damaged sections of the city wall be quickly repaired with bricks, stones and wood, and also ordered the eight hundred soldiers who had been responsible for attacking the city that day to garrison the city.

It was at this meeting that Li Xian learned from military reports that, despite the seemingly brutal siege that day, none of the eight hundred men had been killed, and only a few had sustained minor injuries.

Regarding the reason for the rapid change of ownership of Wugu City, Xue Ne gave a unified explanation to the outside world and even to most of the soldiers in the army, vaguely stating that it was due to "divine assistance".

Li Xian knew that this was to maintain the secrecy of gunpowder.

As for the Goryeo remnants within the city, Xue Ne adopted a strategy of both appeasement and control.

Those who wish to submit will be registered and given a chance to survive, and may even be given work relief in lieu of aid, so that they can participate in the cleanup of the city and be gradually absorbed into the community.

As for the stubborn prisoners, they were strictly guarded and forced into hard labor to restore local order and infrastructure. The victory was reported to the court, and the court was to decide on their next course of action.

At the meeting, Xue Ne also resolved a question that had been lingering in Li Xian's mind—the reason why he encountered the Goryeo cavalry during the day he was surveying the saltpeter mine.

According to Xue Ne, they captured a general from Wugu City and learned through interrogation that the cavalry unit was sent by Wugu City to scout the movement of troops in Yingzhou City, in order to coordinate with the Goryeo cavalry from the direction of the city to launch an attack on Yingzhou City.

Unfortunately, due to the presence of gunpowder, Yingzhou City was the first to breach Wugu City, causing Goryeo's siege plan to fail in the first place.

The initial victory with gunpowder demonstrated the terrifying power of this substance on the battlefield to Xue Ne. He ordered the sulfur and saltpeter mines to be expanded several times over, and the security measures were raised to the highest level. The craftsmen were all selected from loyal and reliable military households or Xue Ne's personal guards. The workshop area was designated as a military restricted area, and anyone who trespassed would be killed without exception.

The meeting then concluded.

……

Three months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The restoration and defense reinforcement of Wugu City continued. It was no longer an isolated border town, but had formed a close joint defense system with Yingzhou's main city and surrounding beacon towers.

Li Xian knew that behind those seemingly inconspicuous hills surrounding Wugu City, there were very likely catapults equipped with thunderbolts. This was because Liu Jianjun had proposed the plan, which would allow Wugu City to have regular troops for defense while keeping the black powder secret for use in Wugu City's military defense.

Three months have passed, and the "800 empty salary" quota that Liu Jianjun secured has been confirmed.

After Liu Jianjun sent Wang Bo to Chang'an to bring back the 800 people from the Chang'an Cotton Ecological Park, he plunged into the saltpeter mine.

Li Xian didn't inquire in detail about what Liu Jianjun was doing, but he heard that the saltpeter mine had purchased a large quantity of flint again, so he guessed that Liu Jianjun was up to something new again.

After three months, Li Xian finally understood why Xue Ne valued cotton and cotton cloth so much.

Even in early winter, the wind in northern Xinjiang was so cold that it made one's skin feel numb. Even in the cotton mill dormitory, Li Xian had to wrap himself in several layers of quilts to be able to sleep at night.

it's too cold.

One can only imagine the bitter cold that those soldiers guarding the border endured.

Conventional water storage methods are no longer effective. Water that cannot flow will freeze into ice almost overnight. According to Xue Ne, even the White Wolf Water will freeze in another ten days or half a month, at which point the cotton mill will have to shut down.

It was under these circumstances that the 800 people from the cotton ecological park that Liu Jianjun had transferred arrived.

When Li Xian and Liu Jianjun went to greet them, they saw a figure running towards them from afar.

The person looked somewhat familiar, about eleven or twelve years old, a little thin and dark-skinned.

The moment he saw Liu Jianjun, he excitedly waved and shouted, "Brother Gou'er! Liu Laosan told me to come and work for you!"

……

(End of this chapter)