Chapter 410: Who Will Lead This Force?
Cheng Xu's words had barely faded when Gao Chuwu instantly shot up his hand: "I'll go!"
He and Xing Honglang were newlyweds; his wife was about to travel far to Shanxi, so it was only natural for a husband to want to be involved.
Cheng Xu nodded. "Go. Take another fifty grenadiers with you. I've also assigned one hundred and fifty arquebusiers and one hundred spearmen to join your ranks."
As soon as he finished outlining the deployment, a strange expression appeared on the faces of everyone present.
It was clear that everyone had realized the same thing: who exactly would command these three hundred infantrymen? Gao Chuwu was certainly out of the question; he was fine leading fifty grenadiers in mindlessly lobbing hand grenades, but putting him in charge of an infantry battalion would lead everyone straight into a ditch.
Cheng Xu, of course, couldn't go himself. He had to command the larger militia force and guard Gao Family Village, their main base. How could he simply run off to Shanxi and gallivant?
Bai Yuan certainly couldn't go either. He was a refined gentleman; acting like a rebel wouldn't suit his demeanor at all. What kind of rebel would wear flowing white robes all day and constantly speak of the Six Arts?
Then there was Wang Er, but he was currently undergoing intensive "ideological training." He and his hundred old villagers hadn't even finished learning the basic discipline and regulations. Sending them to Shanxi where their banditry might resurface simply wouldn't do.
Who else possessed the ability to command a force independently?
Everyone exchanged bewildered glances.
Cheng Xu turned and waved at Lao Nanfeng, who had been sitting quietly behind him, listening intently for a long time:
"Lao Nanfeng, perhaps you'd like to say a few words."
Called by name, Lao Nanfeng's spirits instantly lifted. He rose to his feet, cupped his fists, and declared, "This subordinate is willing to go!"
His oddly formal phrase, "This subordinate is willing to go," suddenly standing out amid the everyday language of Gao Family Village's ragtag group, seemed incredibly abrupt. Yet, it was precisely this abruptness that jolted everyone's minds: "Ah, right! This man was a legitimate imperial military officer! A fierce border army general, no less. Although we don't know his past identity, it's clear he was an officer only slightly below a thousand-household commander; his rank was considerable."
San Shier exclaimed, "Heh! This is what you call 'using resources to their utmost potential'!"
Cheng Xu smiled at Lao Nanfeng. "The Heavenly Lord's pardon and release from prison at this time was likely an estimation that this campaign would suit you best. However, don't imagine you'll be the head of the operation the moment you arrive. To be frank, I still don't fully trust you. Therefore, for this expedition to Shanxi, I'm appointing Gao Chuwu as captain, and you as vice-captain. Understood?"
As soon as this arrangement was made, everyone secretly marveled at its cleverness.
Even Li Daoxuan gave a nod of approval. It was evident that appointing Gao Chuwu as captain was largely symbolic. During the actual operation, that simpleton Gao Chuwu likely wouldn't know anything and would have to seek advice from Vice-Captain Lao Nanfeng for every move.
However, if Lao Nanfeng issued any depraved orders that didn't align with Gao Family Village's core values—including, but not limited to, burning, killing, and looting—Gao Chuwu could use his captain's authority to veto them with a single vote.
This arrangement was truly impeccable.
Lao Nanfeng, having operated within established systems, understood the arrangement immediately. He cupped his fists and replied, "This subordinate receives the order."
"Alright then, head over to the barracks," Cheng Xu said with a laugh. "Pick up a set of our Gao Family Village equipment, put it on, and show us the same spirit you had when you dealt with the Mongols in the border army back then. Let us see the might of Guyuan's border troops."
Lao Nanfeng chuckled twice. "Can I first go to the Gao Family Village commercial district and have two good meals? And I'd like to listen to the Northern Shaanxi Daoqing opera this evening, too."
Everyone paused in surprise again. Cheng Xu pulled out a few pieces of broken silver, placed them in Lao Nanfeng's hand, and chuckled. "Go on! The official departure is tomorrow, so today, you can enjoy yourself however you wish. No alcohol, but other than that, no limits."
Lao Nanfeng was overjoyed. "Hahahaha, I garrisoned the border in Guyuan for many years, then I came back only to be imprisoned for two years. Every day, I dreamt of the world's bright lights and merrymaking! Hahahaha, Gao Family Village commercial district, here I come!"
He immediately dashed out.
Initially, everyone found it amusing, but upon careful thought about his last sentence, they suddenly felt a pang of sadness, though they couldn't pinpoint why.
"That's right!"
The Guyuan rebels, before their rebellion, were in fact brave men who defended the nation's borders! If not for them, the Mongols could have freely invaded the Central Plains, turning everything upside down. The daily peace and stability enjoyed by the people of the Central Plains were all thanks to the border army.
On the frontier, they had no comforts, endured bitter cold daily, went hungry, wore threadbare clothes, and protected this realm—yet no one knew of their suffering.
Had they not been denied their military pay for three years, how could they have rebelled?
San Shier sighed deeply. "These border troops are actually quite pitiful. Why don't we just release all the other border army prisoners from the jail?"
"There you go again! Manager San, everything else about you is good, but you're far too soft-hearted!" Bai Yuan snapped open his fan, revealing the characters for "gentleman." "Though their frontier service was arduous, after their rebellion, they turned their blades on innocent civilians, plundering and slaughtering their way from north to south, causing countless families to be torn apart. Even if it was the rebel leader Bei Shui Lang who gave the orders, those who followed are still guilty and must atone through Labor Reform."
San Shier nodded. "Alas, you're right! This world..."
"This world always forces good people to become villains!"
"Fortunately, we have the Heavenly Lord, who is always finding ways to turn villains back into good people."
"Alright, everyone, return to your posts."
San Shier roused himself. "Let's all put forth our utmost effort. This is what you call 'correcting wrongs and restoring order' to this realm as soon as possible!"
After speaking, he waved his hand, giving orders: "Tan Liwen, arrange for the grain transport team to move provisions from our village treasury to Qichuan Ferry."
Li Daoxuan spoke up, "There's no need to use the village treasury this time."
San Shier, hearing Gao Yiye's relay, asked in surprise, "Not this time?"
Li Daoxuan replied, "Shanxi has millions of people. If we want to feed everyone there, the amount of grain required would be enormous. Constantly transporting it from the Gao Family Village treasury to Qichuan Ferry and then onward to Shanxi would be far too time-consuming and labor-intensive. Gao Family Village's manpower simply isn't enough. We'd be transporting grain all day long with no time for other tasks. This time, I will bestow the grain directly upon Qichuan Ferry."
San Shier declared, "The Heavenly Lord is benevolent."
Without the hassle of grain transport, things would be much simpler.
Li Daoxuan continued, "Furthermore, there's another matter. Our ships will likely grow in number in the future. Each time I bestow a new vessel, you will need to equip it with cannons. Transporting large cannons from Gao Family Village's Craftsman Well to Qichuan Ferry is also a difficult task. Therefore... it's time to build a cannon factory near Qichuan Ferry."
San Shier suddenly understood. "Indeed, that's true. I'll make the arrangements."
He then had a sudden, insightful thought: "If our territory continues to expand in the future, transporting everything out of Gao Family Village certainly won't be feasible; the distances will become too great. It seems we'll need to develop and manage various locations."
Li Daoxuan chuckled inwardly. *Precisely! The main base is stable now, so it's time to start expanding to secondary and tertiary resource points.*
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