Sweep Yuan

Chapter 47 What Need is There for Trust and Integrity?

"Secondly, Liang Zhongyi has been stationed in Suzhou for many years and knows some of the specifics of Lingbi County. I would like to take him with me. He might be useful when we attack the city. If we can take Lingbi easily, we can also take Hong County with less trouble."

Rebellion and killing officials is a matter of course, especially since Liang Zhongyi's stubborn resistance caused so many casualties to the Red Turban Army. Peng and Zhao's original plan was to capture him and execute him publicly to deter any Tartars who dared to oppose the Red Turban Army.

However, Shishan's proposal was also very tempting. The purpose of the flanking expedition to the east was to attract the attention of the government troops in order to relieve the pressure on the main force. Naturally, the faster the city was captured and the more fortified villages were seized, the better.

Peng Erlang didn't exchange any more words with Zhao Junyong, and directly made the decision:

“Liang Zhongyi can give it to you, but this fellow has been guarding Suzhou for so many days and knows a lot about the city’s affairs. We have to hand it over to him first, and you can only get it after we’ve finished the investigation.”

This is the obvious part of the question, and Shishan would not insist on it.

"It's all up to General Peng to decide."

"Okay. So what's the third thing?"

"I have a lot of soldiers under my command. I promised to protect their families. This battle is deep in Huai'an Road, and the outcome is uncertain. I humbly request that the two generals allow Chulan to go to Hong County with the soldiers who are willing to accompany the army."

Peng Erlang and Zhao Jun exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of disdain in each other's eyes.

Rebellion is a risky business, risking your life. Apart from a few trusted confidants, the soldiers you coerce are cannon fodder that can be used at any time. You're afraid of hurting the soldiers and you also have to take care of their families. Why don't you open a charity?
If you're unwilling to let go of anything and want to protect everything, what kind of rebellion can you possibly have!
But then again, having a weakness is better than having no bottom line. Having more leverage to manipulate the little fox is wonderful, isn't it?
"Okay, we promise you."

Peng Erlang readily agreed, but Shishan had his doubts.

In times of chaos, human resources are both a heavy burden of supplies and a valuable war potential.

Xuzhou's population density is far greater than that of Jiangnan. Whether the Red Turban Army continues its expansion or prepares for the impending counterattack of the Yuan Dynasty's government forces, it needs a large population and may not be willing to let these people go.

In fact, Shishan's real target was not the families of the soldiers, but a cavalry unit and a supply battalion that could move quickly. The importance of Tian Changcai's understaffed infantry battalion was secondary.

As for the large number of women, children, and the elderly who were slowing down the march, Shi Shan was not so heartless as to abandon them, but he never thought he could bring all of them safely to Huai'an Road.

After all, he was still just a pawn to be manipulated, and rebellion was a risky business that could cost him his life. He might die in a battle or accident at any time, so how could he be qualified to guarantee the safety of so many women, children and the elderly?
But whether you can do it or not is one thing, and whether you do it or not is another. If you can do it but don't, it will definitely discourage your subordinates.

You must understand that in chaotic times, loyalty, trustworthiness, benevolence and righteousness are the rarest yet cheapest qualities. Shishan can't even trust his own bottom line, so how can he trust Peng Erlang's empty promises?

"The relocation of more than a thousand people across hundreds of miles through various prefectures and counties is no small matter. In the face of war and chaos, to prevent any accidents from happening along the way, I request that the general issue a dispatch order to me."

"Ah—hahaha, Commander Shi, Brother Shi, you—hahaha—"

Shi Shan was an outsider with no real connections in Xuzhou Road. If he were to bring his station guards, who had no worries about their safety, deep into Huai'an Road, he might actually lead his troops to surrender to the government army.

Therefore, although Peng Erlang spoke readily, he actually had some ulterior motives. He hadn't expected Shi Shan to ask for military orders so directly, and he was immediately embarrassed, managing only a few laughs before failing to follow up. Zhao Jun, who had initially been cold-faced, seeing Peng Erlang's hesitation and fearing Shi Shan might change his mind, quickly interjected:
"Brother Shi has kept his promise and lived up to the expectations of his soldiers. This battle will surely be a success! I will now issue the official document and seal your order."

Now that the mission to attack Huai'an Road had been decided, Peng and Zhao were busy with important matters of reorganizing the army and pacifying the people, as well as interrogating Liang Zhongyi. Every moment was precious, so Xue Xian and Shi Shan wisely took their leave.

Shi Shan, who was closer to the gate, consciously lagged behind by half a step, letting Xue Xian go first. This gesture immediately increased the goodwill of the burly man from Xiao County with his full beard. After leaving the government office, Xue Xian turned around, grabbed Shi Shan's arm, and said:
"Brother Shi, I'm a straightforward person, so I won't stand on ceremony with you. I don't know how easy it will be to fight in Lingbi and Hongxian. We only have a few soldiers, so you'll have to help me out a lot."

Shi Shan couldn't believe that someone who could gain Zhao Junyong's trust would be as rude as he appeared, but since Chief Steward Xue had lowered his stance to win him over, he was naturally happy to establish a good relationship with him.

"Why say such things, General? I have just gathered some information about Lingbi these past few days and would like to share it with you. How about this: I will settle my men first, and then go to your camp to ask for your instructions on the strategy for this expedition?"

Xue Xian noticed the considerable amount of wealth on the horse led by Shi Shan's personal guards in the distance, knowing that he must have other important business in the city, and waved his hand, saying:

"Brother Shi, hurry back! I'll go back to camp right away and prepare food and drink for you!"

After parting ways with Xue Xian, Shi Shan, along with Chen Daye and Gong Wu, went directly to Li Xixi's camp to find him to deal with the mess left by Fu Youde's actions.

Although Li Xixi was a humble person, he could not tolerate Shi Shan's blatant detention of his subordinates. However, since General Peng had already agreed to the matter, he could only accept the reality helplessly.

Moreover, Commander Shi personally visited to explain the reason and even presented a fine horse and valuables, showing him great respect.

Li Baihu was very tactful and didn't mention Fu Youde's matter at all. Instead, he picked up where Shishan left off and exchanged experiences on training troops and fighting battles.

Unexpectedly, the two found they had much in common and chatted happily for a while. They both appreciated each other's unique insights, only regretting that time was limited and they could not discuss it in depth. Before leaving, they agreed to meet again with warm wine when they had more free time.

……

Note: During the process of unifying the country, Kublai Khan redefined the 2,038 administrative divisions of the country, including circuits, prefectures, counties, and districts. He used two sets of standards for the most basic county-level administrative divisions:

In the third year of the Zhiyuan era (1266), the administrative regions of the former Mongol Kingdom north of the Yangtze River were redefined: counties with more than 6,000 households were classified as upper counties, those with more than 2,000 households as middle counties, and those with fewer than 2,000 households as lower counties.

In the 20th year of the Zhiyuan era (1283), the administrative divisions of the former Southern Song Dynasty south of the Yangtze River were redefined: counties with more than 30,000 households were classified as superior counties, those with more than 10,000 households as medium counties, and those with fewer than 10,000 households as inferior counties.

The vast differences in administrative structures between the North and South were not only due to the fact that the Central Plains had suffered a sharp decline in population after more than a century of war, making it far less stable and prosperous than the relatively prosperous Jiangnan region, but also largely due to the large number of unregistered households under the simple and crude administrative systems of the Jin and Mongol dynasties.

In addition, the station households, artisan households, and military households, which were practically government slaves throughout the Yuan Dynasty, were not included in the local tax registers.

After more than eighty years of growth and development, although Lingbi County is still classified as a lower-level county, its actual population has long exceeded ten thousand.

(End of this chapter)