Wuxia: The Super Slave Master

Page 378

"Yes, sir!" the messenger replied and took his leave.

Chapter 196 The Attacker

The next morning, as the soldiers were having breakfast, the battalion commander finally arrived, sporting dark circles under his eyes. Hundreds of soldiers had spent the night searching, finally capturing over twenty, with many more escaping. They made no secret of their identities as herders from a nearby village. However, if asked to name anyone else, they would inevitably be met with a torrent of curses from these prisoners.

The soldiers of the Third Battalion were clearly furious. A few herdsmen had made them look so disheveled, completely disgracing the entire battalion. The Third Battalion's emergency response and patrol teams, totaling several hundred men, rode swift horses to surround and pursue them. However, these herdsmen were as slippery as eels. They ran faster than rabbits and were extremely familiar with their surroundings, disappearing in a few circles. Fortunately, the soldiers' horses were fast, and they could quickly dart across any open space to capture them. After a whole night of searching, they had only captured about twenty people, much to the battalion commander's frustration. But dawn broke on the 10th, and Xiahou Yuan was undoubtedly eager to see him. So, the battalion commander reluctantly led the prisoners to the central command tent.

"From now on, these minor matters will be handled by your squad leaders!" This was Xiahou Yuan's first sentence. "You are the battalion commander; you must ensure you are always aware of the battalion's movements and can organize it for combat at any time. You cannot leave your command post!"

"Understood," the captain, sporting dark circles under his eyes, said in a low voice. However, Xiahou Yuan didn't seem to care much about the attack, which relieved the captain slightly, as their handling of the situation had been far from ideal.

“Well… last night, about fifty or sixty herders, armed with machetes and torches, attacked our camp. They burned several tents, and seven soldiers were killed and ten wounded. After we discovered the situation, we killed five attackers on the spot and later captured twenty-three. The others seem to have escaped. According to the prisoners, they were indeed from the surrounding villages, but the prisoners are unwilling to name the other attackers.”

Xiahou Yuan seemed uninterested in the first half of the report, but after it was finished, he looked up. "This isn't the first time our First Column has been attacked at night, is it?" Xiahou Yuan said lazily.

The battalion commander hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to say, "Yes... the Second Battalion was also attacked by stragglers earlier. Of the dozen or so stragglers, seven or eight were killed on the spot, and the rest were all captured. Our army suffered five wounded and one killed in action."

"In the first case, you're far inferior to the Second Battalion. In the second case, these herdsmen are simply too formidable," Xiahou Yuan summarized. Indeed, compared to the Second Battalion, the Third Battalion had truly embarrassed itself this time. The Second Battalion only lost one man, captured all the attackers, and even killed seven or eight on the spot. The Third Battalion, on the other hand, lost seven men, only managed to kill five, and let a bunch of them escape.

"I have failed in my duty... It's not that the Second Battalion is not strong enough! It's my fault!" the battalion commander said in a panic. "Please punish me, General!" He even tried to bring out his command sword.

In Xiahou Yuan's army, attributing defeat to the enemy's superior strength was absolutely unacceptable; Xiahou Yuan considered that a cowardly act. No matter how powerful the opponent, even a tiger, one should still try to take a bite out of it. However, this battalion commander certainly wouldn't want to admit his troops were weak, so he could only say he had failed in his duty.

"My soldiers are all strong!" Xiahou Yuan said sternly. Clearly, he wouldn't admit his soldiers were weak. "Has the vanguard detachment returned?" he asked, turning to the commander of the first column beside him. "Prepare yourselves, we're moving into the village." Then, his eyes wide, he said to the third-ranking officer, "Go back immediately and get your troops in order!"

This village was indeed large, larger than any they had ever seen. It must have several thousand inhabitants. The vanguard detachment had already mounted and set off to continue reconnaissance, verify the map, and even draw a rudimentary map in preparation for the next stop. Based on the reconnaissance, this was the only village within a radius of several hundred miles, so the troops didn't need to disperse. Xiahou Yuan directly ordered the first and fourth detachments to move out. This column had over 12,000 men. Excluding the logistics team and the vanguard detachment, it was divided into four teams, each with approximately 2,500 men. Now, this force of about 5,000 men surrounded the village from different directions, blocking all passages. Of course, there was also a special team: the artillery unit of over 200 men. Xiahou Yuan treasured them greatly; they were encamped near the central command and heavily guarded. Considering the artillery unit should be with him at all times, Xiahou Yuan didn't order them to move out.

Xiahou Yuan, as usual, didn't inquire about the specifics. He simply watched the column commander arrange for the soldiers to surround the village. The village had adopted a non-cooperative attitude towards Luo Chen's army, as evidenced by last night's attack; they would be severely punished.

A cavalry unit of over a hundred men swaggered into the village, weaving through the cramped tents. The soldiers shouted, "Hand over last night's attackers! Or we'll burn the entire village down!" But no one answered; the herders had all closed their doors. Xiahou Yuan had never seen such a blatant act of non-cooperation before. The elders didn't come over for a long time, and no one claimed to be an elder.

Xiahou Yuan had a hundred despicable ways to force the elders and yesterday's attackers out of hiding, but he was too lazy to do it, and too lazy to instruct them. This matter was giving him a real headache; he'd rather engage in brutal hand-to-hand combat with genuine enemies on the battlefield. That way, he wouldn't hesitate to kill them. But now, instead of facing a ferocious enemy, they were dealing with this group of hostile and uncooperative civilians.

In a sense, they were the invaders, and the herders were the victims. Of course, in a way, the herders were robbers, and they were an army protecting the victims from the Central Plains. Or rather… to Luo Chen, a modern man, he felt this place belonged to China and should be unified. Every herder who benefited from the plunder was another kind of villain; although they weren't directly involved, weren't they almost like robbers? Moreover, many of their husbands and sons participated in the looting and slaughter. Now everything was reversed; it wasn't the Xiongnu army entering the border towns of the Central Plains, but rather the Central Plains army entering the Xiongnu villages.

Chapter 197 Village

The commander of the third team was furious: "These herdsmen are incredibly arrogant! They will never obey Lord Luochen! Let's just bombard them!"

This idea is quite appealing. Let's use such high-tech and powerful technology to show them what's what. Although the Xiongnu soldiers felt nauseous and found the carnage and carnage during the artillery bombardment on the steppes horrific, looking back, the sight of the usually arrogant Xiongnu soldiers so panicked and fearful was quite satisfying.

Chang Yuchun didn't answer; he didn't know what to do either. Bombardment was clearly out of the question—too cruel, not in the style of the Luo Army. He passed the matter to the corps commander: "What do you think we should do?"

"Uh..." The corps commander was momentarily at a loss for words. "General, how about... you leave it entirely to me... I'll handle it..."

Xiahou Yuan thought for a moment, then remained silent for a long time. The corps commander, thinking Xiahou Yuan wouldn't agree, added, "I won't use artillery..." Only then did Xiahou Yuan slowly raise his head and say, "Don't massacre them, go and do it."

"Understood," the corps commander said as he left.

He mobilized over a thousand soldiers from the Third Battalion, who began knocking on doors house by house. After warnings, if the door remained unopened after three knocks, they were to be hacked open with sabers. If they still refused to cooperate, their yurts were to be burned. If the herders attacked the soldiers, the soldiers had the right to kill them. Sure enough, after several yurts were smoking and after a few bouts of bloodshed, all the herders were gathered in an open area of ​​the grassland. Thousands of soldiers surrounded the herders, their lives completely under their control.

For some reason, Xiahou Yuan suddenly sighed. He had followed Luo Chen and witnessed firsthand Luo Chen's strict orders against robbing the herders' property. They weren't even allowed to freely enter the yurts, and were to maintain isolation from the herders' villages. And faced with the herders' hostility, Luo Chen had shown remarkable restraint. "We only kill enemies carrying weapons. Except in very rare cases, do not kill prisoners, and certainly not indiscriminately kill innocent civilians," he clearly stated to the senior officers around him.

Of these thousands of people, there were few able-bodied men. The war had severely imbalanced the village's population. Xiahou Yuan couldn't contain himself and rode his horse to the side. The platoon commander was taken aback, thinking Xiahou Yuan was coming to give a personal address, and hurriedly said, "General... please give your instructions."

“Do as you please, I won’t interfere,” Xiahou Yuan said. “I told you you have full authority.” With that, he went to the side. A group of messengers quickly surrounded him.

These herdsmen clearly knew who the commander was. Even without obvious differences in clothing, Xiahou Yuan's demeanor and bearing revealed him to be a high-ranking officer. He felt some of the herdsmen's eyes fixed on him, but when he looked over, those eyes quickly looked away. One of them was an old herdsman with a wrinkled face, a dull expression, and a dark complexion; he was inconspicuous in the crowd.

Xiahou Yuan observed the expressions of these people with great interest. They were calm and expressionless, both men and women, though the women and children couldn't hide their panic. Even the men showed some tension. However, one or two herders were genuinely calm, without even the slightest expression. Xiahou Yuan realized that only true veterans, those who had brushed with death, could remain so calm when their lives hung by a thread. Of course, some herders wore expressions of resentment, which reassured Xiahou Yuan. They were indeed herders; otherwise, with so many veterans, this village would be incredibly powerful. Xiahou Yuan could even identify them on the spot; it was obvious these were the ones who had carried out the attack. But he didn't bother to say another word.

"Lord Luo Chen led his army to defeat Zhong Ping as punishment for your burning, killing, and looting of towns in the Central Plains. Now, the Luo army has occupied this place. Lord Luo Chen's orders will be carried out here from now on, and Lord Luo Chen will be your Xiongnu Chanyu... no, above Chanyu, the highest and most correct person!" the column commander announced sternly.

"You attacked our camp last night, causing casualties among the Luo Army soldiers. Is this how you treat the Luo Army? You will be severely punished!" The platoon commander waved his arms, looking indignant.

“However, Lord Luo Chen and General Xiahou Yuan are always benevolent people. They ordered me not to kill innocent people indiscriminately, and not to point my sword at unarmed civilians.” The column commander glanced at Xiahou Yuan as he spoke. “We won’t point our swords at civilians, but those who attacked us last night! You attacked us first! Don’t blame us for being impolite! Now, you must hand them over and accept punishment!”

No one spoke.

The corps commander was clearly tired of speaking himself; soldiers always spoke concisely and forcefully, and they would find it extremely tedious if they talked too much. The corps commander waved his hand lightly, and the prisoners were brought forward: "Your first chance has come. If any of the soldiers who escaped last night step forward, I guarantee the safety of all of you. I'll count to twenty." Twenty seconds, each second felt incredibly long. Even Xiahou Yuan felt a tightness in his chest and became restless, unable to resist lying down.

"It's your own fault for not seizing this opportunity," the corps commander said in a muffled tone, followed by the sounds of three heads falling to the ground one after another, screams of agony, shouts of alarm from the crowd, and angry roars.

Xiahou Yuan didn't want to see it, but he sat up anyway. Blood was everywhere; all the prisoners had been executed. Several men, wielding short knives, rushed forward angrily, ready to fight to the death. Some were immediately twisted to the ground, while others were killed on the spot (Nuode Zhao).

The corps commander kicked the herdsman, who was twisted to the ground, with his wooden boot. His face was full of resentment, but his left cheek was firmly pressed to the ground, so his expression was unreadable. The herdsman struggled furiously, and the soldiers struck him hard in the waist and chest, breaking his ribs. Blood flowed from the corner of the herdsman's mouth.

"This is your own choice..." the corps commander repeated coldly, "You will pay the price for your actions, understand!" He suddenly shouted, seemingly enraged. "When you do something, you must be able to pay the price! Also, nothing is earned through labor; things can be exchanged, but not stolen, understand!"

Thinking of these women, and their husbands and children, who had brutally slaughtered and plundered their own compatriots, the fallen soldiers, who had initially felt some remorse, immediately lost all remorse; their faces even bore the same anger.

Chapter 198 Captain

"I'm giving you a second chance. I mean what I say," the platoon commander said coldly. "Those who attacked the camp last night, come out now, and I guarantee the safety of every herdsman. Otherwise... I will kill every villager... Let's burn every yurt first." The platoon commander waved his hand, and a large group of soldiers, carrying torches, began preparations.

Logically speaking, Xiahou Yuan had given orders not to slaughter the villagers, but perhaps this was just a scare tactic.

“I mean what I say…” the column commander said coldly, emphasizing his words. “Drag him up and kill him!” he said to the soldiers, turning back to the herdsman who had been pinned to the ground, who was completely limp, the intense pain seemingly rendering him unconscious. He was dragged up without mercy and then hacked to death.

This time, everyone fell silent; no one dared to rush forward.

Xiahou Yuan had witnessed countless hand-to-hand combat scenes, a thousand times more brutal than this, yet somehow, he felt uneasy. On the battlefield, he had mercilessly killed countless soldiers on the verge of death, because on the battlefield, soldiers who hadn't laid down their weapons were incapacitated, and a dying man might plunge a knife into your heart. But this man was clearly incapacitated, and Xiahou Yuan felt slightly uneasy. Of course, the platoon leader hadn't broken his promise, because he hadn't slaughtered unarmed civilians; he had only killed the attacker, who was still holding a dagger.

"I'll count to twenty," the corps commander said coldly. "Don't miss this opportunity."

"One, two... sixteen, seventeen..." the corps commander coldly counted. Twenty had arrived. Xiahou Yuan could clearly see the tension and unease in these people, exactly as he had predicted. Judging from their expressions, he could immediately identify the attackers from last night. It was quite obvious. Most of these attackers had their heads down, seemingly expressionless, but in reality, they were extremely nervous, even involuntarily shifting their bodies, as if they wanted to run directly onto the stage.

"Burn." The corps commander lazily moved a finger.

A large number of torches were thrown into the yurt, and a fire broke out in no time. A group of soldiers, each without a torch, walked through the village from west to east. When they came out, their torches were gone, and the fire had spread behind them.

Xiahou Yuan regretted it a little; he should have said no to burning it.

As the fire engulfed their homes and meager food supplies, some of the herders wept in despair. Xiahou Yuan sighed. This was certainly not something Luo Chen would allow; after all, they weren't even allowed to take their belongings, let alone burn down their village.

"A third chance!" The corps commander's cold voice drowned out everyone else. "Step forward! Otherwise, we'll all kill you! I mean what I say..." He stared intently at everyone as he spoke.

"Swish, swish, swish," the sound of sabers being drawn simultaneously came from both sides. The woman and child had completely broken down, crying and huddling together in a ball.

“I’ll count to twenty. I mean what I say,” the corps commander said slowly and coldly.

"One, two..."

"Stop counting." came the voice of an old herdsman. Xiahou Yuan immediately stood up and looked; it was indeed the unusually calm old herdsman. He walked up slowly but firmly. "Elder Zha..." someone called out, trying to stop him. Many people looked at him anxiously.

More people stepped forward. Since the elder had come out, his subordinates would naturally follow. Xiahou Yuan watched as these people, whom he had anticipated, emerged from the crowd, and couldn't help but sigh. There were no young people, because there were no young people left in the village; they were all elderly herders in their fifties and sixties. These people had been determined to resist, but they hadn't expected it to bring such a great disaster to the village.

The platoon leader's gaze swept over the group; there were more than twenty, which matched the count. Looking further down, the number of men seemed even smaller.

"Go put out the fire!" he waved. The Luo Army cavalry cleared a path, and the herders stumbled and ran, shouting, to fetch water to fight the fire. However, a group of Luo Army soldiers had already prepared water, and the cavalrymen traversed the inferno, splashing water along the way. Fortunately, the fire hadn't been burning for long, and it wasn't impossible to extinguish.

The corps commander looked back at the dozens of taciturn old men, then at the commander of the Third Battalion. "You wouldn't believe it, would you? It was these very old men who caused your soldiers to suffer such a heavy loss. You wouldn't believe it, would you..." He gave a bitter smile, "Our most elite cavalrymen actually died at the hands of such old herdsmen."

"I've been a soldier for decades, how could I be inferior to you?" Elder Zha sneered when he heard him sigh.

"An old soldier?" The corps commander turned and looked at the old herdsman. "So it's an old soldier... Good old soldier... Good old soldier..." he said as he left, telling his adjutant as he went, "Execute them all."

He slowly walked up to Xiahou Yuan, his arrogant and cold demeanor immediately changing. He stood at attention and said, "It's all taken care of!" He completely ignored the sound of a head hitting the ground behind him.

Xiahou Yuan stared at the corps commander for a long time, speechless for a moment. "Alright," he said only two words before getting up and leaving.

“Go and get a signature. Go to the front-line combat troops,” Xiahou Yuan suddenly said, turning around. “I don’t want the soldiers in this column to be influenced and engage in burning and killing at will.”

In his report to Luo Chen, he wrote: "Lord Luo Chen, the Xiongnu's able-bodied labor force has been almost entirely wiped out, and the herders in their path are impoverished. Resistance is minimal, yet the Xiongnu herders generally harbor hostility, even hatred, towards our army. They frequently harass our garrison. After much thought, Xiahou Yuan increasingly realizes his inability to handle the pacification task. I can only guarantee the deployment of Luo Chen soldiers to control key locations, but I cannot truly subdue the Xiongnu. I am incompetent! I urge my lord to consider sending someone else!"

Regarding the prisoners, I suggest releasing them rather than exiling them, as this will only create more trouble. Do not massacre them, otherwise the grasslands will be without labor. I have only one reason: I see that the villages are already nearly devoid of manpower!

I suggest finding someone who can command respect. If my lord wishes to offer advice, I recommend considering Yesuo. I've found him to be highly trustworthy and well-regarded among the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu respect him even surpasses that for Zhongping, and they are generally resentful of Yesuo's dismissal.

The letter was delivered to Luo Chen by fast horse. Luo Chen had already traveled north to Xu Da's command post, where he buried his head in thought for a long time.

Chapter 199 Returning to Chang'an

Luo Chen showed Xu Da Xiahou Yuan's letter.

"Release them? Won't that cause a riot? What if these people run back to Zhongping and become soldiers again?" Xu Da always considered the consequences of each step clearly.

“The prisoners are a burden to us; so many mouths to feed,” Lü Bu complained.

Xu Da saw what happened next and then fell silent. Xu Da hadn't been involved in Yesuo's affair; he had only heard that Luo Chen had promised Yesuo that he would no longer participate in the war.

The senior generals circulated Xiahou Yuan's letter.

“This is a good idea. We could even make Yesuo the Great Chanyu, since he listens to our lord anyway,” Chang Yuchun said.

Luo Chen simply lowered his head in thought, not saying much. The other generals also remained silent.

"General Xu Da... have you located Zhong Ping's remaining forces? We just arrived, and you haven't given us any updates." Seeing that Teacher Luo Chen remained silent, Chang Yuchun couldn't contain himself and moved on to other topics with Xu Da. He was more interested in completely annihilating the remaining Xiongnu forces and capturing Zhong Ping alive.

“I plan to give you a special briefing on the battle situation this afternoon,” Xu Da said. “Currently, the patrols are advancing and have cleared many areas. We should be able to find out where Zhong Ping is in a few days.”

Everyone's attention was focused on the encirclement and annihilation of Zhong Ping's remaining forces. Luo Chen pondered for a moment, then stood up and announced, "Generals, the victory on the northern battlefield of the grasslands is now secured, and I must leave for a while. Xiahou Yuan is right; I should go and persuade Yesuo to come out of seclusion, reorganize the grasslands, and win back the hearts of the people. Otherwise, this war will never end. If we eliminate Zhong Ping today, another Zhong Buping will emerge tomorrow."

The group of generals were all stunned.

“But… if we let Yesso come out of seclusion, our lord can just send someone to inform him. Explain the emergency. Our lord has been kind to him, so he should agree…” Chang Yuchun immediately responded.

“If my lord is worried, I can go there myself,” Yan Qing volunteered. “I will explain the situation.”

Luo Chen shook his head: "A promise is a promise. If you want to change your promise, I have to explain it to you personally. Besides, I also need to see if you can give me some guidance on how to proceed next, teacher... The war on the grassland is over.

Since they were going to see Cai Yong, the generals had nothing to say.

“I’ll go with you,” Yan Qing said.

Luo Chen nodded in agreement: "Xu Da will be in full command of the battle. You must be meticulous. Although the Xiongnu army is reduced to remnants, we must still be cautious. That Shaha is experienced and resourceful; he is a veteran general, so you must all be careful. As for dealing with the Xiongnu tribes, you are not allowed to slaughter unarmed civilians, loot, or burn!"

"Understood!" the generals replied in unison.

Luo Chen arranged for a fast horse to go to Chang'an first. After arriving in Chang'an, he would head east out of Tongguan to find Cai Yong and Yesuo. Due to the urgency of the situation, Luo Chen only took Yan Qing and about twenty guards with him. They traveled day and night, and arrived in Chang'an several days later.

Messengers had already relayed the message. Zhuge Liang had just learned from the messenger that Luo Chen was coming and immediately planned to organize a welcome. Unexpectedly, a scout in Chang'an soon reported that Luo Chen was almost at the city walls. Because Luo Chen and his men had been traveling day and night, they were almost as fast as the messengers.

Zhuge Liang was greatly alarmed and immediately notified his ministers. He also went to the palace to inform Emperor Xian of Han. When Emperor Xian and his ministers arrived at the gates of Chang'an, disheveled and in disarray, they encountered Luo Chen riding towards them at full speed. Luo Chen was covered in dust, but his expression was calm and resolute, with a slight look of weariness.

"Prime Minister Luo Chen, you've worked hard! Prime Minister Luo, you've worked hard..." The ministers chattered excitedly, offering their greetings. Luo Chen dismounted and gave a slight bow. Seeing Emperor Xian of Han looking rather awkward, he quickly said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for coming to greet me." Emperor Xian hadn't seen Luo Chen for a long time. Since Luo Chen led his army into the desert, he hadn't returned to Chang'an. Moreover, even when Luo Chen was in Chang'an, he didn't attend court. All decisions made at court were relayed by Zhuge Liang, who was in charge of overseeing the state. He was elusive and rarely seen; the ministers could never see him, only his own generals and strategists could meet him.

The courtiers clearly saw that Luo Chen had only brought one general and a dozen guards. Luo Chen was elusive and the courtiers assumed he must be quite mysterious, surrounded by numerous bodyguards, but they never expected him to return to Chang'an from the desert with only a dozen men.

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"This is the Emperor's brother-in-law, Dong Cheng," Zhuge Liang introduced from the side, because he had keenly noticed that Luo Chen seemed to glance at Dong Cheng several times. This Dong Cheng stood next to Emperor Xian of Han, unlike the other ministers who were all talking to Luo Chen, only Dong Cheng was talking to Emperor Xian of Han.

Luo Chen glanced at him a few more times and saw that the man's face was quite displeased, even somewhat distorted.

Having read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Chen knew that Dong Cheng was a staunch supporter of Emperor Xian of Han's rule and a man who hated "Cao Cao the Traitor" the most. Luo Chen naturally knew that it wasn't Cao Cao who resembled that traitor, but rather himself.

Luo Chen bowed slightly and even smiled. Dong Cheng simply kept his head down humbly and didn't look up at all, so Luo Chen couldn't see his expression directly.

However, he couldn't be bothered with all that anymore; Luo Chen had many things to attend to. He needed to prepare and immediately set off for Tongguan and Longzhou. But since he had finally returned, he definitely wanted to meet with Zhuge Liang, Zhang Heng, Zhang Juzheng, Lin Chong, and others for a talk. He also needed to speak with Ma Dai at Tongguan.

"Let's go back to the manor..." Luo Chen said to Zhuge Liang. "You, Zhang Juzheng, Zhang Heng, and Lin Chong, come to my manor to see me." As he spoke, he turned back and loudly addressed the assembled officials, "Gentlemen, please return! Please return! Farewell, farewell!" With that, he mounted his horse and rode away swiftly, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.

Luo Chen took a bath at his residence, where several high-ranking officials were already waiting. Luo Chen didn't say anything specific, simply shaking hands with each of them: "Time is short, so it's just a quick meeting! Haha! It's been over half a year since we last met!" Luo Chen said with a laugh. The atmosphere relaxed considerably. Servants brought tea and fruit, which Luo Chen grabbed and ate. "Please, everyone, don't stand on ceremony!"

"You've all worked hard! You've all worked hard! I've been gone for over half a year without any trouble, that's not easy! You've worked hard!" Luo Chen repeatedly thanked the senior officials. "Zhang Juzheng's intelligence agency is doing a good job," Luo Chen praised. "We must expand it as soon as possible, infiltrating intelligence into Jiangdong and Cao Cao's territory, so that we can have ears and eyes that can see a thousand miles! Then our decisions will be more accurate!"

Chapter 200: Reactivating the System

Upon returning to Chang'an, Luo Chen's first act was to summon several key officials who had remained there. It was unusual for Chang'an to have three strategist-level officials gathered there: Zhuge Liang, Zhang Juzheng, and Zhang Heng. They were respectively responsible for overseeing the state, intelligence work, and technological affairs. However, the number of mid- to high-ranking generals around him was clearly insufficient; with war raging simultaneously in the north and south, all mid- to high-ranking generals and strategists had been dispatched to various regions.

"Are you having any difficulties? Please tell us," Luo Chen said.

"Guanzhong is the core region, and having only Generals Lin Chong and Ma Dai seems too few," Zhuge Liang said. Indeed, Guanzhong, as the core of Luo Chen's territory, only had two men assigned there. If Cao Cao's main force were to launch a fierce attack on Tongguan, it was questionable whether Ma Dai, as the defending general, could hold out. Similarly, Chang'an, the imperial capital, was in an extremely complex situation. The fatal flaw was that Chang'an lacked a general fully responsible for its defense. Lin Chong actually served in the National Science and Technology Bureau, representing the military in supporting its work. As for the defense of Chang'an, Zhuge Liang had full authority, but he had no capable generals at his disposal.

“The enemy situation is urgent, and there are battles everywhere. The country is short of generals,” Luo Chen sighed. “General Ma Teng told me before that the position of Governor of the Hexi Defense should be held by an officer of the rank of Lieutenant General, but unfortunately I simply don’t have any such high-ranking generals available.”

"Sigh..." Zhuge Liang frowned, unsure how to reply. "Xu Shu has sent word that he hopes to select some young generals; he's practically a figurehead commander." Because the main battlefield is in the north, most generals have been transferred north. Only Huang Zhong's troops remain in the south, forced to adopt a defensive posture, responsible for defending Yizhou. As for Xu Shu, he was parachuted into Yizhou, but he has no high-ranking generals under his command. Even worse, with Xiahou Yuan of Hanzhong heading north, Xu Shu has also assumed the highest military command of Hanzhong's defenses. He has full authority over all military and political affairs in the Shu Han region, practically overwhelmed with responsibilities...

"I'll consider it," Luo Chen said. "What about the others?"

"Xu Shu suggested preparing a navy," Zhuge Liang continued. "Our army has no navy, and with the ongoing campaigns in the south, it is imperative to prepare one."

“Xu Shu was very farsighted…” Luo Chen said thoughtfully.

Zhang Heng and Sun Yuanhua recently developed artillery, shocking both the Central Plains and the Xiongnu. After Sun Yuanhua was transferred to fight against the Xiongnu, the artillery underwent real combat testing, and mass production began as planned. It seems they absolutely need to develop one or two artillery columns. Zhang Heng and Lin Chong have been busy with this project recently. Zhang Heng also serves as the principal of Chang'an Academy, training batches of young officials who are then dispatched to various prefectures and counties within the controlled territory. "No problem," Zhang Heng said. Due to Luo Chen's intense focus, the Science and Technology Bureau has never lacked funding and manpower.

“I don’t have enough core personnel here,” Zhang Juzheng immediately said. “These young soldiers, although physically strong, lack intelligence work experience. I need to recruit some wandering knights and the like, but I’ve already killed most of them…” This Zhang Juzheng actually had the nerve to say that. After Zhang Juzheng took control of the equal-field system and the militia system, he forcefully pushed forward with reforms, naturally encountering opposition from powerful clans, which he brutally suppressed. As for the wandering knights and the like, they had intricate connections with powerful clans and often operated on the fringes of the law. Zhang Juzheng found them a hindrance and decisively purged them, killing many of them. But now that he was doing intelligence work, the local ruffians he had once deeply hated had all been recruited by him, and now, looking for knights and heroes, he found that he had already eliminated most of them.