Chapter 476: Keep This Force Here
Shi Jian and Wang Er, leading two hundred flintlock rifle soldiers, entered Pingyang Prefecture.
The Puppet Heavenly Lord also followed Wang Er, entering Pingyang with him.
In later generations, this place would be known as Linfen, one of the cradles of Chinese civilization with a long and rich history. As soon as Li Daoxuan entered the city, he grew excited. "A tourist destination!" he mused. "This time, it must be a genuine historical city, not another fake attraction, right?"
Pffft!
Luckily, he was merely an embroidery figure, with no actual blood to spill, otherwise he would surely have spat a mouthful this time.
Pingyang Prefecture had no attractions to speak of. All traces of its long history were invisible; only rows of crumbling houses could be seen. Hordes of refugees jostled through the city, and almost all the shops lining the streets were shuttered.
The Prefect of Pingyang, accompanied by a large group of local constables, hangers-on, and militia, guarded the city, his face etched with fright and worry. The moment he saw Li Huai and his men return, he scurried over, anxiously asking, "General Li, what's the situation of the bat—"
The words barely left his lips when he saw Li Huai, disheveled, his helmet nowhere to be seen. Most of the soldiers behind him had also abandoned their armor and weapons, looking utterly stripped and undignified.
The Prefect of Pingyang's face fell. He thought to himself, "It's over, completely over. Pingyang Prefecture is doomed. It seems this official will perish with the city."
The Prefect of Pingyang exclaimed, "What? A Centurion?"
To a prefect, a centurion was a military officer smaller than a sesame seed. He secretly thought, "A single centurion defeated ten thousand bandits? How is that even possible? Is Li Huai trying to fool me?"
No, that's not right!
The Prefect of Pingyang immediately realized, "He couldn't be fooling me. Knowing the usual habits of these military ruffians, any achievements made by a junior officer would always be claimed by a senior one. Li Huai *should* be bragging about himself. But now, he isn't; instead, he's crediting this centurion with defeating the bandit army. That means this centurion must be truly formidable, and Li Huai was so awed by his methods that he dared not steal his glory."
Dou Wenda, the Prefect of Pingyang, couldn't help but look at Shi Jian with new respect. He clasped his hands in greeting. "This official, Dou Wenda, thanks General Shi for your urgent assistance. Although the bandits have temporarily retreated, they will soon return. Pingyang Prefecture will have to rely on General Shi once more."
Shi Jian replied, "I am merely an insignificant little centurion, simply transporting troops for a colleague and passing through..."
Li Huai leaned close to Dou Wenda's ear and whispered, "Centurion Shi has two hundred flintlock rifle soldiers, but they aren't his own. They belong to a certain battalion commander's private guard. He's just helping to transport them and happened to be passing through. From what he says, he's about to leave."
Dou Wenda was startled. "Two hundred flintlock rifle soldiers? This military officer's private guards are so well-funded? This is a powerful backer! Leave? How can that be allowed? Pingyang Prefecture currently has no troops to defend it, just a useless brigade general like Li Huai who can't win against anyone. How could we possibly hold out? Now that a powerful backer has finally arrived, how can I let them leave?"
However, the troops he led were not official imperial soldiers, but rather a battalion commander's private guards. This made things difficult; there was no valid reason to keep someone else's private guards.
Dou Wenda's mind raced. Keeping the private guards was definitely not feasible, but luring over the military officer who owned these private guards? That was entirely workable.
He quickly whispered, "What is this battalion commander's name, and where does he serve?"
Li Huai replied, "He serves under Regional Commander Wang Cheng'en of Shaanxi. His name is Wang Xiaohua, Battalion Commander Wang."
Dou Wenda said, "Knowing who it is makes things simple."
He immediately instructed a nearby confidant, "Quickly, bring paper and a brush!"
Soon, paper and brush were brought. Dou Wenda picked up his brush and began to write a tearful plea, detailing how Pingyang Prefecture was besieged by bandits and in grave danger, with the city's soldiers facing certain death at any moment. He recounted how, thanks to the assistance of Centurion Shi and Battalion Commander Wang, they had barely managed to hold on. The bandits had not yet withdrawn and could return at any time. Pingyang Prefecture understood the imperial court's troop shortage and dared not request a large army, asking only that Supreme Commander Yang dispatch a single, small battalion commander to assist in its defense. That wish alone, he wrote, would be enough.
He handed the letter to his confidant. "Deliver this to Supreme Commander Yang with the utmost urgency!"
The messenger departed, but Dou Wenda didn't remain idle. Smiling, he said to Shi Jian, "General Shi, your journey transporting troops must have been arduous. Since you've arrived at Pingyang Prefecture, there's no need to rush off. Rest here for two or three days; it won't be too late to continue your journey then."
Shi Jian replied, "The military situation is urgent. I must transport these troops to Battalion Commander Wang as quickly as possible."
Dou Wenda countered, "Battalion Commander Wang is safely within the main army; these two hundred soldiers are expendable to him. Rushing now would be pointless."
As the two men went back and forth, the Puppet Heavenly Lord, nestled in Wang Er's chest, watched with amusement. His mind whirred. "Keeping these two hundred soldiers here wouldn't be a bad idea," he mused. "Pingyang Prefecture connects north and south, an important strategic location. Leaving some people here might prove useful in the future. Anyway, historically, the imperial army's encirclement and suppression campaign against Wang Jiayin is about to end, and Bai Mao won't achieve any significant military feats by staying with Wang Cheng'en."
He whispered a couple of instructions. Wang Er heard them, then leaned close to Shi Jian and whispered conspiratorially, "The Heavenly Lord has commanded..."
Upon hearing this, Shi Jian's attitude immediately shifted. Smiling, he said to Dou Wenda, "In that case, I shall indeed impose upon you here."
The two hundred soldiers then temporarily stationed themselves within Pingyang Prefecture. Dou Wenda arranged a banquet to coax them into staying, terrified that these capable fighters would depart.
Meanwhile, the messenger galloped at top speed, eventually finding Supreme Commander Yang He.
Yang He saw the crisis in Pingyang Prefecture, which gave him a fright. Then he saw that the Prefect of Pingyang was only requesting a battalion commander to bring four hundred men to garrison it. This was not an excessive request at all. He quickly issued an order, notifying the main army to dispatch Battalion Commander Wang Xiaohua to Pingyang Prefecture.
A few days later, Bai Mao, leading his two hundred and forty guards, arrived at Pingyang Prefecture and rendezvoused with Shi Jian. Shi Jian handed over the two hundred flintlock rifle soldiers to Bai Mao. Of course, the reality was that this force was effectively transferred to Wang Er's command; Bai Mao was the battalion commander in name, but Wang Er held the true authority.
They stationed themselves in Pingyang Prefecture.
Dou Wenda soon discovered something remarkable: while other government soldiers often engaged in oppressive behavior towards innocent commoners, Battalion Commander Wang's men were remarkably self-disciplined. The two hundred private guards, especially, were exceptionally well-behaved, never oppressing the populace and even frequently helping the common folk with various tasks.
The two hundred and forty garrison soldiers, on the other hand, were a bit worse. Occasionally, they'd try to buy things without paying, but Battalion Commander Wang would swiftly deal with them, giving them a severe beating and making them humbly apologize to the common folk, complete with compensation.
Seeing their impressive military discipline, Dou Wenda couldn't help but think, "Who knows how long this Shanxi bandit rebellion will last? If I could keep this disciplined force permanently stationed in Pingyang, wouldn't that be absolutely wonderful?"
"This official will slowly come up with a plan!"
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