Chapter 791: Preparing to Make a Move on the Wushen Tribe
Shi Jian was startled by the Heavenly Lord's sudden voice. "Goodness, Heavenly Lord, when did you arrive?"
The Cotton Thread Heavenly Lord chuckled, "Been here a while."
Shi Jian mused to himself: *The Heavenly Lord is truly unpredictable and elusive! No one ever knows if the Heavenly Lord is watching from above. Good thing I haven't done anything wrong.*
He respectfully asked, "Heavenly Lord, are you saying Chen Qiyu will lose his post this time?"
"Indeed!" the Cotton Thread Heavenly Lord declared. "This man lacks true capability. He only achieved merit with the assistance of our Gao Family Village militia. Now, he's been promoted to Governor of Five Provinces and sent to the front lines of bandit suppression. His rank far exceeds his talent, and without our militia's support, what rebels can he possibly suppress? He is bound to be outmaneuvered and exploited by the rebels, make a grave mistake, and be dismissed by Zhu Youjian."
Shi Jian uttered, "Uh! So, should we help him?"
The Cotton Thread Heavenly Lord shook his head. "His fate is his own. Your current mission is to make good use of the writ he gave you and develop Northern Shaanxi."
Shi Jian's spirits lifted. "Understood!"
In Northern Shaanxi, the Yulin region was currently the most chaotic. After some rebels returned from Shanxi to Shaanxi, they relentlessly caused trouble in Yulin. Moreover, the Mongolian Wushen Tribe, being extremely close to Yulin, frequently rode in to stir up mischief.
Of course, the Wushen Tribe had suffered a partial collapse after enduring four rounds of fire from the Gao Family Village firearm soldiers in ten breaths during their last encounter. The heavy casualties among their able-bodied young men had left the entire tribe completely demoralized and weakened, and for a short period, they hadn't ventured back to the Yulin region to cause trouble.
The Cotton Thread Heavenly Lord announced, "I've transferred Zao Ying here. We're preparing to make a move on the Wushen Tribe."
Shi Jian let out a small gasp, his expression serious. "Heavenly Lord, do you mean... we're going to eliminate the Wushen Tribe?"
"No!" The Cotton Thread Heavenly Lord's thread-like mouth curved into a diagonal grin. "Simply eliminating them is meaningless. The excellent Mongolian cavalry should be utilized by us."
Shi Jian blinked. "Huh?"
The Cotton Thread Heavenly Lord continued, "The Mongolians have consistently allied with the Manchus, serving as their vanguard. Rather than letting the Manchus use them against us, we should use them against the Manchus."
At that moment, Shi Jian dimly grasped the implication.
The Cotton Thread Heavenly Lord said, "I've told you many times, don't just resort to endless killing. This world is vast, and it requires many people to assist us if we are to govern it well. The immense grasslands cannot be properly governed by us Central Plains people; we don't have the population for it. We need to enlist the help of Mongolians who *can* manage them effectively."
Shi Jian affirmed, "Understood!"
With the Heavenly Lord's supreme guiding philosophy, Shi Jian no longer harbored any doubts about his actions.
After replenishing their supplies, it wasn't long before Zao Ying's Cavalry Battalion also arrived.
Over the years, Gao Family Village had been procuring warhorses through various channels, and the Cavalry Battalion's strength had long since expanded to a thousand men. For the past few years, they had been traveling with Tie Niaofei on trade routes, delivering supplies to border garrisons. During this process, they frequently moved through Xuanfu and Datong Prefecture, and the Cavalry Battalion gained considerable training and experience.
Shi Jian rarely interacted with the Cavalry Battalion and had little contact, so he genuinely hadn't realized that their numbers had grown to a thousand.
Upon seeing Zao Ying, he quickly clasped his hands in greeting. "Instructor Zao, it's truly been a long time!"
Zao Ying smiled. "Shi Jian, you're doing quite well these days, even a Brigadier General now."
Shi Jian chuckled. "My official title in the imperial court is just for show, everyone knows that, right? Here in Gao Family Village, I'm a nobody."
As he spoke, Shi Jian pointed to Zheng Daniu, who was on another horse beside Zao Ying. "He's the *real* big shot of Gao Family Village, your man."
Zao Ying beamed with delight. "Those three words—'your man'—you used them perfectly."
Zheng Daniu, who was gnawing on a roasted lamb leg, turned his head at their words. "Huh? Zao Ying has a man? Who? Where is he? Why haven't you introduced him to your brothers? You're being too distant!"
Shi Jian cast a sidelong glance. "You!"
Zheng Daniu pointed at his own nose. "Huh? Me?"
Shi Jian retorted, "If not you, then who?"
Zheng Daniu grinned. "What nonsense! We aren't married. How can I be called her man?"
Shi Jian pressed, "But you've slept together, haven't you?"
Zheng Daniu replied, "Sure, we have! On the border of Xuanfu and Datong, it was freezing cold, and us two buddies huddled together to sleep many times."
Zao Ying was overjoyed, yet also a little abashed. Though she was a tough woman, having the word "slept" used in that context still made her blush.
Shi Jian spread his hands. "There you have it then! If you've slept with her, you're responsible for her. Marry her, or you're irresponsible—a scumbag."
Zheng Daniu gasped in astonishment. "There's such a rule? Well... then I'd have a lot of people to marry! Gao Chuwu, Padi Tu, and so many other brothers—I'd have to marry them all!"
"Thud!" Zao Ying fell from her horse.
It was quite a hard fall; her gear flew off upon impact. A small firearm she carried on her back tumbled and landed at Shi Jian's feet.
Shi Jian exclaimed, "Oh?" He reached down and picked up Zao Ying's firearm. "Huh, huh, huh? Your firearm is much shorter than the ones we use."
Zao Ying scrambled to her feet. "Yes, this is a cavalry carbine, designed from blueprints provided by the Heavenly Lord and developed collaboratively by Song Yingxing, Li Da, Gao Yiyi, Xu Dafu, and others."
Shi Jian's eyes widened. "A cavalry carbine?"
Zao Ying explained, "The firearms used by infantry are too long and unsuitable for cavalry. So, the Heavenly Lord produced these short firearms. Their barrels are short, which won't hinder the cavalry's movements. Of course, because of the shorter barrel, their range is closer and accuracy is worse."
Shi Jian instantly understood: Cavalry using firearms from horseback didn't really need long range. For a unit that charges directly at the enemy, prioritizing convenience over range was the correct approach.
Zheng Daniu grinned, "The brothers in the Cavalry Battalion trained incredibly hard to become proficient with these while on horseback."
Shi Jian mused, "With this excellent weapon, it looks like the Cavalry Battalion will be able to dominate the vast grasslands from now on."
As he spoke, something suddenly occurred to him. "Huh? Daniu, weren't you part of the Armored Grenadier Battalion? Why are you assigned to the Cavalry Battalion now?"
Zheng Daniu explained, "The Armored Grenadier Battalion was disbanded ages ago. Oh, man! Firearms are getting longer and longer range, so our grenadiers' throwing range for hand grenades became completely pointless. All the brothers have now been reassigned to various units."
He sighed with a touch of melancholy. "Haven't seen Chuwu in ages, either. Wonder what he's up to now."
"Wah!"
The cry of a baby rang out. A midwife emerged from the room, carrying a newborn, and shouted to Gao Chuwu, "Master, congratulations, congratulations! Your wife has given birth to a son, a big, healthy boy!"
Gao Chuwu beamed with joy, darted forward, took the child, and awkwardly cradled him. "Hahahahaha! I'm a father! I'm going to name him Gao Chu Liu!"
"Stop!" Xing Honglang's furious roar echoed from the birthing room. "Give the child a proper, respectable name!"
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