Chapter 101: Seizing the Army (Part II)

Deep in the night, the wind bit with a sharp chill. Gao Yunquan wrapped his heavy cloak tightly around himself as he ducked into the tent. He sat by the stove, picked up an iron kettle, and poured himself a bowl of hot water. As he sipped, he turned to Sima Lu Decao and said, "We need to prepare more winter clothing, especially boots. On a trek like this, it is perfectly normal for every man to wear through two pairs."

Lu Decao stretched his large hands over the stove, a look of helplessness on his face. "His Highness the Crown Prince is benevolent and has provided plenty of supplies. But if we follow General Chen's orders to the letter, I fear we shall all be working in vain."

He Yuejing, feeling a surge of resentment, grumbled, "Why? My four trusted lieutenants have all received a demerit without exception. What makes the Second Merit Battalion so much stronger than us that they can handle this march while we cannot?"

Gao Yunquan replied, "Old He, you may not believe it, but the Second Merit Battalion’s training methods are different from ours. Every morning and evening, they run ten miles, and normally, they run twenty miles in full gear every day. If they don't finish, they don't eat. They have long since forged iron feet."

For most, training once every three days is considered the mark of elite troops; to them, two training sessions a day sounded like a fantasy.

He Yuejing asked, "Did those troublemakers not rise up and rebel?"

Although the ancient military code strictly followed the Seventeen Prohibitions and Fifty-Four Capital Punishments, if they were truly executed to the letter, there would be no one left alive in the army. Therefore, the implementation was often highly subjective, depending on the commander's will.

"Not a single one dared to cause a scene!" Gao Yunquan sighed. "I had heard long ago that General Chen governs his army with extreme severity, but no one has ever dared to defy his orders."

"How is that possible?" Lu Decao asked, unable to believe it. "It must be a rumor!"

...

After Chen Ying pacified the rebellion in Pangqidi, he was promoted to a Count for his meritorious service, and others were rewarded as well.

Chen Ying was promoted to General of the Right Guard and General of Loyalty and Valor, a rank of the fourth grade. Others were also advanced. Wei Wenzhong replaced Chen Ying as the Commandant of the Second Merit Battalion, and the vacancy left by Wei Wenzhong was filled by Duan Zhigan, a lieutenant of the First Merit Regiment. However, there were not enough vacancies for everyone; Zhang Huaiwei, Zhang Shigui, Yin Yuan, and Liu Yue were promoted from sixth-grade lieutenants to the sixth-grade rank of General of Manifest Valor.

That he could not provide substantive posts for Zhang Huaiwei, Zhang Shigui, Yin Yuan, and Liu Yue was, in Chen Ying's view, a great pity. Being appointed as the Commander-in-Chief of the march, he could have used his authority to forcibly promote them to Deputy Commandants, but the commanders of the First Merit, First Auxiliary, and Second Auxiliary battalions would certainly not accept it.

Discord among officers is a military taboo. Chen Ying could not help but worry about the worst-case scenario, for if it occurred, he would have to bear the blame for oversight.

The next morning, the four battalions of the Right Guard, along with the Central Guard Regiment, broke camp and departed in sequence. Chen Ying led his personal guard unit at the very rear, acting as the rearguard, gathering stragglers, and deploying cavalry on the flanks to scout for any soldiers who could not endure the hardship and intentionally wandered off.

Some things cannot be compensated for by grit alone. The long-term training of the Second Merit Battalion had cultivated a military discipline that other battalions could not match, no matter how hard they tried.

By midday, the sky turned gloomy, and soon snow began to fall. Although the snow would not soak their clothes immediately, Chen Ying ordered the troops to press on. From the air, Chen Ying's force looked like a vast black tide, the column dragging out for over ten miles.

Gradually, the snow deepened. With over ten centimeters on the ground, the wagon wheels struggled significantly. Both the soldiers and the civilian laborers complained bitterly.

Duan Lun, the Chief Historian of the Right Guard and a驸马 (Imperial Son-in-law), said with ill intent, "General Chen, the wind is biting and the snow is heavy. To continue marching now is surely too heartless!"

Chen Ying replied nonchalantly, "Remove the wheels."

Hearing this, Duan Lun felt as if he had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. Yet, neither he nor those waiting to see Chen Ying fail were laughing for long.

The ordinary wagons, once their wheels were removed, did not become immobile as expected; instead, they glided swiftly. The load-bearing capacity of the sleds was far more efficient than the wagons, allowing not only the soldiers but even many of the laborers to ride.

Despite the cold, no one was willing to fall behind.

When they reached the campsite, the troops of the other battalions were in a wretched state, complaining incessantly. Unlike the common soldiers, the officers above the rank of lieutenant looked grim; with continuous demerits, they would have no way to make up for their failures.

Chen Ying held a meeting and proposed transferring Zhang Huaiwei, Zhang Shigui, and Yin Yuan to the First Merit, First Auxiliary, and Second Auxiliary battalions as Deputy Commandants, responsible for the overall training of the troops.

At this point, none of the commanders, including Duan Lun, offered any objections.

However, in the middle of the night, Chen Ying was awakened by the sound of rapid hoofbeats. After a while, he saw an unexpected figure—Luo Shixin.

The night wind cut like a blade. Luo Shixin's face was cracked from the cold, his beard and eyebrows white with frost, looking truly miserable.

"Hurry, come inside!"

Chen Ying had made a deal with Wei Zheng, secretly agreeing to use Luo Shixin as a bargaining chip. Although Wei Zheng had promised, Chen Ying had not seen him again since he supported Lingzhou, and he had assumed Wei Zheng had broken his word.

Though Chen Ying felt a twinge of regret, he did not dwell on it. After all, in history, Luo Shixin was a subordinate of the Prince of Qin, Li Shimin, and at the time, Luo Shixin's rank was higher than his own, so he clearly had no intention of defecting.

During the march, Chen Ying did not behave like those so-called famous generals who shared every hardship with their men; he had long since been lying in a command wagon. When they camped, four command wagons were assembled to form the central command tent.

Though the tent was spacious, it lacked furnishings, save for a dozen or so braziers that kept the cold at bay.

"How did things go with Mr. Wei?"

"Everything is acceptable."

Chen Ying asked, knowing the answer, "Why have you come?"

Luo Shixin replied solemnly, "The Master said that this journey of yours is fraught with danger, and he sent me to help you. As soon as I received word, I set out without delay, riding through the night."

"What?" Chen Ying felt as if he had been struck by a whip.

If one were to say Chen Ying hadn't used any schemes on Luo Shixin, treating him with total sincerity, perhaps even Chen Ying wouldn't believe it. Yet, Luo Shixin had trusted Wei Zheng's deception, rushing over a hundred miles to catch up with him.

Chen Ying's mood was incredibly complex. He hurriedly ordered, "Notify the kitchen wagons! Prepare some hearty dishes. Today, General Luo and I shall not stop until we are drunk."