Chapter 101: The Glory of War [Please continue reading!]

The goal of advancing to Beijing was grandiose, yet in reality, it was merely a notice that garnered little enthusiasm.

“Unify thought”—these four words were easy to say, but knowing was not the same as doing; inevitably, people’s thoughts clashed.

No one would openly oppose Liu Chengzong, but to truly believe that anyone in this room thought they would reach Beijing? Even Liu Chengzong himself didn’t believe it.

That was precisely the effect he desired, and nothing more.

Except for Cao Yao, no one in the entire army possessed the subjective initiative to rebel.

Cao Yao’s situation was different; he was merely a bandit chief who wanted to carve out his own territory, unwilling to be constrained by existing village agreements, gentry, or the imperial court.

He lacked the awareness, courage, ability, or desire to change the dynasty.

If Liu Chengzong truly believed that words held limitless power, that with a few airy phrases overnight he could transform desperate couriers and soldiers who had taken to the hills merely for another bowl of rice into revolutionary warriors actively engaging in rebellion, then he would be a fool.

People need not agree with his ideas; they only need to know the direction he would take and not object—that was sufficient for now.

These men, many of whom couldn’t even write their own names, had already, under his leadership, witnessed the grave of Helian Bobo and the roaring Yellow River, measured the breadth of northern Shaanxi on foot, crossed countless sun-scorched, cracked fields, and slept in innumerable abandoned villages.

In the days to come, they would see more unheard-of sights, gain experiences beyond imagination, endure the bloodiest battles and the most frenzied acts of revenge, and witness the impoverished masses across the land awaiting upheaval.

By that time, they would believe—truly believe from their hearts—that the surging crowds from all corners would ultimately enter Beijing.

Perhaps by then, they would already be on the road to Beijing.

With a clear direction, the subsequent discussions became much simpler.

Liu Chengzong said, “So today’s meeting will cover three main points: first, establish military law; second, reorganize the soldiers; third, determine the distribution of spoils.”

The room immediately buzzed with discussion. Once the noise subsided somewhat, Gao Xian nodded and said, “Military law is certainly no problem. Our camp consists of soldiers and courier station troops; using official military law suffices. Prohibiting rape and looting is also fine—everyone wants to take Wangzhuang, but reorganizing the soldiers—is that really necessary?”

The Lion Battalion was a peculiar group. They had risen by seizing Wangzhuang, and although few admitted to participating in that raid, its legend still circulated among them.

The tale of a cellar filled to the brim with grain, and three leaders each dividing thousands of shi of rice, surpassed the imagination of rank-and-file soldiers.

Cao Yao shook his head. “Distribution of spoils is right, but why reorganize the soldiers? I’ve just gotten familiar with my men, and military law should be relaxed. Military law itself can’t even stop rape and looting. If it can’t restrain it in the army, how can it restrain it among thieves? Without soldiers, we are nothing.”

His words found agreement among many officers.

Wei Qian’er scoffed, “Ha! Scatter a sack of millet and a village of women will do as they please. They’ll be fed; who has time to worry about the villagers’ half a jar of millet?”

Cao Yao glared, and Wei Qian’er was about to curse.

Just as the two—the old rogue and the foul-mouthed one—were about to quarrel during the meeting, Liu Chengzong stepped in and raised his hand to stop them. “Let me say a few words.”

Curiously, at this moment, Liu Chengzong’s intervention wasn’t to placate by giving the leaders face, as if they were glaring at each other out of respect.

On the contrary, the two glanced at each other and then turned away, both looking quite pleased—as if both felt Liu Chengzong was defending them.

“Loose discipline is acceptable if soldiers like you but don’t respect you. Nowadays, recruiting is easy, and if the situation changes, it’s not impossible to take in tens of thousands of starving people.

By then, your soldiers will be squad leaders or even sergeants. When you become company commanders, what kind of companies do you want to command? Your soldiers will learn from you... As for rape and looting, you must weigh the pros and cons.”

“Do you really think the hearts of the people and the righteous army are just words?” Liu Chengzong stretched out his hands. “There is wealth and poverty in the world—many poor, few rich. For us to survive, there are only three paths.”

He cleared his throat. “Either rob the common people—they are many, enough for us to survive; or rob the wealthy and officials—they are rich, enough for us to live well; or rob both, offending both sides.”

Cao Yao shook his head, feeling Liu Chengzong was oversimplifying.

Everyone has their own moral compass, and he spread his hands. “There are only so many official granaries, rich families, and courier stations in each county—dozens at most. If we leave no way out for ourselves, what happens when they’re all plundered?”

Liu Chengzong sensed Cao Yao’s good intentions—he was worried that if his hard-earned prestige was damaged, the army’s morale would falter.

And indeed, Cao Yao’s point was valid—official granaries and rich families would eventually be emptied.

“I understand your point, Brother Cao, but I have decided to first establish military law. Others can change, but this cannot. This is not only a requirement for the soldiers but also for myself.”

Liu Chengzong smiled and looked around at everyone in the room. “I know that soldiers well-fed are happy, and those hungry will resort to plunder—that’s human nature... You also know me. I’m no expert at leading troops in battle, but when it comes to major matters, listen to me—I have never let the brothers suffer losses.”

Cao Yao yielded, seeing his persuasion failed, and nodded. “If you say so, then I have nothing more to say. I’ll follow your lead.”

“The Yue Family Army would rather freeze to death than destroy houses, starve than loot—but that’s not because of regulations; it’s because the general did everything possible to prevent his troops from freezing or starving. That is what I, as a company commander, must do... If the brothers are pushed to the brink—if they must plunder to survive today—don’t say Liu Chengzong or military law can stop them.”

He laughed. “Not even the Jade Emperor could stop it.”

The room erupted in laughter, but Wei Qian’er was particularly serious. “General, if you do your best, maybe we can starve for two days.”

“That’s useless talk—what’s starving for two days?”

Cao Yao nudged Liu Chengzong’s elbow. “The brothers are waiting—how will the spoils be divided?”

Once Cao Yao raised the topic, the officers all clamored, “Yes, General, how will we divide the spoils?”

“I knew you wanted to hear that. But I must first talk about reorganization. Now we all eat from the same pot. Let me be clear: the troops must be broken up.”

Liu Chengzong paused and gauged the expressions around him. Except for a few officers from border troops, most reactions were not negative, so he continued:

“Otherwise, the border troops won’t integrate well, which will affect combat effectiveness. Rest assured, captains and above will remain unchanged—you will still be officers.”

Gao Xian asked, “How will the soldiers be assigned?”

“Each according to their strengths. Including the wounded, those skilled in horseback archery and who have served in the pond cavalry will enter Captain Wei’s cavalry; artillerymen will join Sergeant Cao’s artillery squad; the remaining infantry will be mixed into the left and right patrols. When the wounded recover, the entire company will hold competitions by branch to distribute nine ranks of military merit.”

“Military merit, as in comparing martial skills and awarding or punishing accordingly? Does that work?”

Most in the room had served in the military. Although Liu Chengzong’s terms were a makeshift combination of “soldier” and “military merit,” they understood.

Nearly every unit’s commanders had tried to use Qi Jiguang’s military methods, published by the Ministry of War, to regulate soldiers—monthly skill competitions and grading into nine ranks for rewards and penalties.

But without exception, even with instructions made obvious, no one could make it work.

When you can’t even provide enough food, what rewards can you offer? And on what basis punish?

Thus, to this day, it was no longer considered an effective method of evaluating skills or disciplining soldiers.

“We’ll still use nine ranks, but not Qi Jiguang’s system. Instead, like officer merits, including the wounded—all will start at rank eight. We’ll establish appropriate standards and subjects for comparing infantry, cavalry, and artillery. Exceed standards to rise one rank; fail to meet standards and drop one. Earn a merit in battle to ascend one rank; receive punishment to drop one. This will serve as our reward and punishment system.”

Feng Rang asked, “But we have no military pay. How do we reward or punish?”

“That’s where the spoils come in,” Liu Chengzong explained. “We have a headquarters, officers, and soldiers. All spoils seized in battle must be turned in. Seventy percent of the money and grain stay with headquarters; the remaining thirty percent is distributed: ten percent to officers and twenty percent to soldiers.”

He raised his hand to clarify, “Once fully staffed, the headquarters funds will be managed jointly by the company commander and seven sergeants. At least half the votes must agree before funds are used. How does that sound?”

The captains were silent—they knew this was not their decision. It depended primarily on the three sergeants.

All three sergeants had decision-making power and generally agreed with this distribution. After some discussion, the company commander’s vote was changed to two, totaling nine votes, with five votes needed to access funds.

Liu Chengzong and others then repeatedly negotiated the detailed shares of spoils, establishing soldiers’ shares in accordance with military merit scores.

Rank nine counted as half a share; below that were auxiliary soldiers attached to battle troops, who had no right to spoils.

Rank eight was the standard share; promotion by one rank added one share. Those promoted to squad leader after rank three lost one rank upon participating in spoils distribution, down to rank eight.

Indivisible spoils would be converted to money or grain by headquarters and distributed accordingly. Soldiers in need could redeem supplies from headquarters.

This method would stimulate soldiers’ enthusiasm and maintain a competitive atmosphere of “more work, more gain” among units at the same level, since total spoils remained constant.

With this system, rewards and punishments would be based on it, and military law would truly have a deterrent effect.

Harsh penalties like beheading found in official military law were not suitable for the rebel army. For non-principled offenses, punishment could be demotion in military rank—even down to auxiliary soldier status.

Only then did Liu Chengzong reveal the true purpose of military merit in his mind:

“Do you all remember that day outside Yanshui Pass? I saw clearly from the fortress that we scattered, and the official army scattered too. But the official army could quickly regroup. Even soldiers not under the same command could find different captains and rejoin.”

Cao Yao recalled that day well and clicked his tongue. “No choice—they all know their captains. For us to recognize all four battle soldiers in a squad is already difficult.”

Mutual familiarity was a form of organization, though loose.

“That’s what I mean. Organization. Captains, when you return, you must make this clear to your soldiers: military merit can also be used in chaotic battles or when units break apart. Even if scattered, when two soldiers meet, the one with higher merit leads, gathers stragglers, unites them, breaks through, and seeks to rejoin the main force.”

The battle at Yanshui Pass had profoundly affected Liu Chengzong.

It drove him to try every possible way to strengthen the Mule Battalion’s organizational capacity.

Over ten captains accepted this order. With these three matters decided, the rest dispersed to relay the news.

Soon, only Cao Yao and two others remained.

At this point, Liu Chengzong sighed wearily and smiled at the three. “Well, now that it’s out in the open, what do you think of these changes to the troops?”

“Pretty good,” Cao Yao said insincerely. “Once we return to Yan’an, reorganizing two companies will be a hassle with you involved. Honestly, I think it wasn’t bad the way it was. This is too much trouble.”

“How so?”

“I’m not talking about your plan to march on Beijing—you should know in your heart that even returning to Yan’an city will cost us half the men.”

Cao Yao spoke brutally. Sitting cross-legged, he tapped the kang bed with his hand. “You won’t feel sorry when the men you painstakingly trained die, will you?”

“How could I not? If war comes, there’s no choice. These changes will definitely improve combat effectiveness,” Liu Chengzong said firmly. “If you don’t believe me, watch and see. Everything starts with rules. Though difficult, it’s easier than having no rules and then trying to establish habits.”

“But it comes at a cost. At least for the next ten days, we can’t think of anything else but reorganizing soldiers. The troops will be like wrecks.”

Cao Yao raised his thumb westward. “Shaanxi’s official troops can’t move in large groups. The court decrees no transfer of units over a hundred men. What if some fool brings ninety men to you? Besides, can’t three thousand households each lead a hundred men across the border?”

He leaned back and shook his head. “Not to mention, you’re openly rebelling. No question of crossing borders in that case. You’re just dreaming big—thinking too far ahead. I think you’re imagining things five years down the road already. But considering long-term plans, are we even capable?”

Liu Chengzong silently clasped his fists and patted his own head.

Cao Yao didn’t understand and turned to Gao Xian and Feng Rang. “Do you two get what that means?”

Both shook their heads confusedly, and Liu Chengzong grumbled, “Tsk, that’s me patting a learned but historically clueless head.”

They all smiled. Gao Xian laughed and said, “Let’s not talk about things so far ahead. Anyway, I think these rules aren’t bad. If the court sends troops to suppress us, we have nowhere to run. Without reorganization, we can’t win. Better to reorganize. As long as we survive, there’s hope.”

“Speaking of the immediate, what do we do now? Reorganize soldiers, nurse the wounded. What about the rest?”

Liu Chengzong spread his hands. “Let me tell you, I’m not fully satisfied with this reorganization and military merit system yet—I’m missing my eldest brother.”

He still remembered how his father treated the officers’ training unit as a teaching post to secure positions.

“When we reunite with my eldest brother, we’ll teach them to read every day. Once half can recognize a thousand characters, then this reorganization will truly be complete. Until then...”

Liu Chengzong said, “We must keep our heads down, avoid the official army as much as possible, tend to the wounded, have the pond cavalry monitor the great river, and send scouts near Xixian to find suitable wealthy households. Once the new units and captains are familiar, we’ll stage a raid as training, then return to Yan’an in triumph with money and grain.”