Chapter Ninety-One: The World Has Fallen into Chaos!

Though Shan County was not far from Qingyang, the rebellion there failed to stir much commotion in Qingyang. In these times, uprisings were hardly unusual; not long ago, rebels had appeared in Hexi Village, Shidai, the neighboring county. Even Li Yun did not pay it much mind at first.

He continued to shuttle between two places: on one hand, presiding over the campaign against bandits in Qingyang, and on the other, rapidly expanding his own bandit forces. Not long after the Lantern Festival, Li Yun found an excuse to leave Qingyang County and, accompanied by several brothers, made his way to Ten Kings Fortress.

Ten Kings Fortress had changed remarkably since it was first seized. The rules at Cangshan Stronghold were generous towards bandit members—compared to Ten Kings Fortress, it was indeed a "benevolent rule." After Li Yun, the chief, made his rounds, he found Zhou Liang, who was instructing young men in martial arts.

Li Yun watched them train for a while, then pulled Zhou Liang aside and smiled, "Third Uncle, how is training going here?"

"Not bad," Zhou Liang replied, untying a wine gourd from his waist and taking a swig. He exhaled, "Most of these children were born in the mountains, they're quite nimble. They were all skin and bones from hunger before, but now that they're eating well, they're recovering quickly."

Li Yun nodded and smiled, "Then let the Hexi youths from Cangshan Stronghold come here to Ten Kings Fortress, and have them train together."

This proposal was straightforward—Zhou Liang had been instructing at Cangshan Stronghold anyway. He nodded, "Alright, in a few days I'll bring those kids over."

Li Yun stroked his chin and asked, "Third Uncle, are you versed in military formations?"

Zhou Liang was taken aback, his expression changed slightly, and he shook his head, "No."

Li Yun was somewhat disappointed, but such was to be expected. Those skilled in military formations were rare; not even the soldiers of Xuanzhou fought with any discipline, charging headlong without order—their trainers clearly knew little of proper drills. Zhou Liang, a man of the martial world, naturally had no such experience.

"Then let's do this, Third Uncle," Li Yun said slowly. "From now on, group these youths into squads of five, and battalions of twenty-five. Train them in units."

"For now, nothing fancy. Third Uncle, lead them to run from the foot to the summit of Ten Kings Peak every day."

"When they're used to it, have them carry some weights as they run."

As he spoke, Li Yun finalized the regimen, his tone solemn, "We'll start with this. If anyone complains or refuses, hand them over to Liu Bo—they can do chores in the fortress instead."

"From now on," Li Yun sipped his tea, "we'll reform the fortress. Everyone here will receive monthly pay! Those who endure the training will become our warriors."

"Their wages will be double what others receive."

"As for the exact amount, I'll discuss it with Old Ninth and the others. But that's the general idea."

He looked to Zhou Liang and smiled, "Third Uncle, what do you think?"

Zhou Liang was lost in thought. Hearing Li Yun's question, he exhaled deeply, looked up at Li Yun, and murmured, "Chief, you..."

---

"You’re training soldiers!"

"Not training them yet—just aspiring to," Li Yun replied. "Our fortress lacks capable officers, so for now, we must muddle through. Third Uncle, you'll have to bear this for me. While you lead them in running, the key is not only to build their stamina, but also to instill obedience."

"There must be strict discipline!"

Li Yun took a deep breath. "Whether they become elite troops or mere rabble depends entirely on whether they follow orders."

"For the next half month, I'll stay here and train with them."

The bandits of the fortress, in terms of individual fighting prowess, might not be inferior to proper soldiers, but if a hundred bandits met a hundred regulars in open combat, the regulars could win without a scratch.

Not to mention formation tactics.

Organization and discipline are the true foundation of a fighting force!

Of course, in these times, most discipline in the army came from overseers on the battlefield.

But Li Yun thought relying on overseers alone was insufficient; it was best to instill organization and discipline during training.

After listening, Zhou Liang drank his tea, then looked up at Li Yun and spoke slowly, "I see, Chief, you plan to..."

He gazed at Li Yun and exhaled heavily.

"What is it?"

"I don't want anything."

Li Yun shook his head. "Third Uncle, you've been in the mountains too long, you don't know what's happening outside."

He tapped the table and said, "Last year, Hexi Village in Shidai rebelled. At year’s end, the southeast saw large-scale uprisings."

"Recently, Shan County in Yuezhou rose up, and I hear their numbers are substantial—they’ve taken several counties, repeatedly routed local troops, and even the Inspector of Jiangnan East Circuit has gone to suppress them."

"Third Uncle, these rebellions are no accident."

Li Yun spoke softly, "We must prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Zhou Liang’s expression was odd. "Prepare to contend for the empire?"

"Chief, we're just a band of mountain brigands..."

Li Yun frowned, then said, "Contending for the empire is far off; I’ve never thought about it. But since chaos is near, we ought to have some means of self-preservation."

"At the very least, in troubled times, we need our own strength. Even if we never vie for the empire, we’ll have some leverage."

"Third Uncle, the young men of Cangshan Stronghold are all bachelors, myself included," Li Yun smiled. "If we don’t secure a future, we’ll be forced to raid villages for brides—never able to marry properly."

"And your son is no exception."

---

Zhou Liang sighed and said, "You’re the chief, so what you say goes. I’ll do my best, but I’ve never trained troops—I don’t know if I’ll manage well."

"I said, I’ll stay on the mountain for half a month and train with you," Li Yun smiled. "We’ll start tomorrow."

Zhou Liang nodded slowly, stood up, and left the assembly hall.

After he departed, Li Zheng and Liu Bo entered. Liu Bo sat beside Li Yun, winked, and asked with a smile, "Second Brother, what did Third Uncle say?"

"He agreed," Li Yun replied, sipping his tea. "But Third Uncle has never led troops. When I next go down the mountain, I’ll see if I can find someone with military experience and bring him up."

"Let him train the youngsters alongside Third Uncle."

Li Zheng thought for a moment. "Second Brother, since you want to train soldiers, it’s not urgent to find a military man. More important is recruiting more hands."

"Counting the Hexi youths, Third Uncle leads fewer than forty."

"That’s too few."

"Thirty or forty is enough; it’s not as if they’re fighting others right away," Li Yun laughed. "If we recruit more now, it’ll attract too much attention. And since I plan to reform the fortress and pay everyone, we can’t have too many people."

"Otherwise, our resources won’t last."

Liu Bo nodded, "Second Brother, shall we pay those who surrendered from Ten Kings Fortress?"

"Everyone gets paid," Li Yun said firmly. "Treat them as our own, and they’ll become our own."

Li Zheng poured himself a cup of water and smiled, "Second Brother, why this sudden urge to reform the fortress?"

"Because I saw the rebellion proclamation of Qiu Dian from Shan County at the county office," Li Yun tapped the table. "I loathe the inequality of wealth, and now... I shall balance it for you."

"Such words are too stirring."

Li Yun said quietly, "I’m convinced that Qiu Dian will grow powerful, perhaps even affecting Qingyang."

"Even if not Qingyang, he’ll shake the surrounding prefectures."

"My brothers," Li Yun looked at Liu Bo and Li Zheng, his voice deep.

"The world may soon descend into chaos!"

(End of chapter)