Chapter 102: The Design

Clifftop Mountain.

A broad sun-drying ground was circled by soldiers.

In the center stood Liu Chengzong, clad in full armor, holding a nine-foot spear. He raised his hand to the brim of his helmet, shading his eyes as he frowned toward the blazing sun.

Though it was clearly autumn, the midday sun blazed fiercely and harshly, distorting the distant mountain terrain with mirages, the heat suffocating.

He twisted his wrist, lowering the more-than-five-meter-long spear. With his front hand gripping the shaft and his back hand clutching the thick butt near his waist, he stomped on the hard ground, the sound echoing sharply. “Again!”

Opposite him stood an infantryman from the right watch, formerly a supply depot soldier, unfamiliar with the long spear but holding a seven-foot tasselled spear. He nodded respectfully, “General, excuse me!”

Clang!

On the sidelines, sitting on the ground, Cao Yao leaned against a matchlock musket, tapping lightly on a clay jar with an iron spoon.

The two men advanced slowly, their spears clashed.

The supply soldier suddenly swung his spear to parry Liu’s long spear and attempted to rush forward, but his strength was insufficient, failing to break the spear.

Liu Chengzong stepped back half a pace, pushing the rear hand forward while stepping up, lightly pressing the spear tip against the soldier’s chest armor, then withdrew and rested the spear beside him.

Cao Yao declared, “Left watch infantry Du Liangcai, merits rank eight!”

The Mule Battalion’s first awarding of military merits was informal.

For infantry, as long as one could skillfully wield common weapons such as spears, halberds, hooked spears, or waist sabers, engage Liu Chengzong in a five-round attack and defense exchange for two matches, that earned a merits rank five.

The chance of neither side gaining advantage after five rounds was slim; a winner was usually clear.

Victory granted rank four, defeat rank six.

Right now, two soldiers behind him held merits rank four.

After the match, Liu Chengzong removed his helmet and handed it to one of them, unbuckling his armor as he said, “It’s too hot. You brothers fight ten rounds each for me, after that we rest.”

Elsewhere, in such heat, wearing full heavy armor for two rounds per match, ten matches would exhaust anyone.

But here on Clifftop Mountain today, this was commonplace.

The soldiers’ weapon skills varied, but since they had only recently begun to eat well, their bodies had not fully recovered to normal. Most battles were very basic.

Liu Chengzong took off his armor and sat with Cao Yao. “Bring some water?”

Cao Yao laughed, “There’s water, but it’s unclean and prone to cause disease. Our water is dirty; General, your health is precious—you can’t drink it.”

This old rogue never spoke straightforwardly.

Liu frowned, “What do you mean?”

“Nothing much. There’s military law. At the foot of the mountain, there are seven wells, only two are deep enough to draw water, but the village is empty. I asked Old Qian—no one dug wells this spring.”

Cao Yao winked, “The water drawn is dirty and needs boiling. We’ve run out of coal brought from Yanshui Pass. I’ve already sent men to gather firewood. Probably no water to drink until evening.”

Liu Chengzong understood—Cao Yao was teasing him.

Sure enough, shaking his head with a ‘tsk tsk’ sound, Cao Yao said, “The military law has been communicated; the men obey well. We can’t bully the civilians, so naturally we can’t tear down their houses. No firewood? Then go collect it.”

Cao Yao’s face was all mischief as he chuckled, “But Wei Qian’er didn’t think much of it—he’s never led troops. I told him to lead men to gather firewood. General, watch closely—there’s plenty of wood if you just tear down two yards, but he insists on picking firewood under the blazing sun. Let’s see if his cavalry resents it.”

“Officer Cao, that’s not good,” said Gao Xian, sitting nearby. “If the cavalry is resentful, that won’t help us.”

“What’s not good about it? Gao, do you have a better idea? Someone has to do it. If you won’t let him go, then your right watch should pick firewood, or persuade the scout to go. I won’t send my artillery watch.”

Gao Xian raised a hand, “You…”

Cao Yao stood, tossing the spoon at Gao Xian with a sneer. “Pfft, you just stand there and talk without any pain in your waist. If you had to go, you wouldn’t. I’m giving advice to the battalion commander; none of your business, so rest and keep quiet.”

He motioned Liu Chengzong aside. The two entered an empty yard and sat against the wall. Cao Yao said quietly, “I’m not showing off my seniority. On big matters, I listen to you. I’ve never let the men suffer losses. I know my limits—I’m fit to be a local strongman, but not for big things. I think you can handle big things. You point where to strike, and I follow. But take this advice.”

Cao Yao lowered his voice, “In the 47th year of the Wanli era, I was already a squad leader. Leading troops isn’t just about fighting; military law restrains soldiers for our use, not rigidly sticking to rules. Put yourself in their shoes—if burning down a house could supply firewood, but you make them pick wood under the sun, would the soldiers accept that?”

Very reasonable.

Liu Chengzong nodded slowly. If it were him, he’d feel uneasy too.

Seeing his nod, Cao Yao brightened. “Your family is truly interesting. You’re straightforward and upright; your brother is resolute and brave but too rigid to accept advice. It’s great you listen. Your brother is good in many ways but lacks flexibility—he believes the military books more than the general. If he taught you to make these decisions, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“I’m different from your brother. Leading troops means being their caretaker. If you keep the soldiers comfortable in peace, they’ll look after you in war. Even if defeated, they’ll remember to protect me when retreating, because no one treats them like I do.”

For a moment, Liu Chengzong felt conflicted.

Being told one’s faults face to face, even privately, and not reacting with defiance, is a rare human virtue.

To accept it gladly—that’s even rarer.

Compared to ministers and officials who dare to criticize the monarch and suffer punishment, it’s far easier to feel comfortable.

Still, Liu Chengzong was mostly glad.

He seemed to see a shining new door slowly opening before him.

The last time he had such a feeling was when the strictly disciplined Liu Chengzu taught him marching camp techniques.

“So, using border military law, I was indeed impatient. I just didn’t want soldiers to develop looting habits, invading everywhere, but I didn’t fully consider such matters.”

He admitted his mistake, then said, “But I cannot admit it fully, nor change it now.”

Cao Yao nodded, pointing to his temple. “You can’t admit it. I don’t mean anything else, just telling you to think twice in the future... but if not changing now, what will you do?”

Liu Chengzong leaned against the earthen wall, pondering carefully.

After a moment, he turned to Cao Yao with conviction: “Brother Cao, you set a trap for me.”

They would encounter such problems, but assigning Wei Qian’er’s cavalry to gather firewood was Cao Yao’s decision, made without consulting Liu Chengzong.

He guessed that before Wei Qian’er led the cavalry to watch the riverbank, Cao Yao mentioned the firewood shortage and somehow goaded Wei Qian’er into doing it.

The effect probably wasn’t too bad, and the soldiers’ resentment likely wouldn’t reach Liu Chengzong himself.

Most likely, it would end with their displeasure toward Squad Leader Wei Qian’er.

“Exactly.”

Cao Yao admitted freely, waving a hand. “But don’t blame me—I care about the troops! Seeing our general as a bookish scholar with only theory, how could I not advise him?”

The old rogue shook his head, singing the last phrase in a theatrical tone: “No matter how many words, your Liu family won’t listen until they see the coffin and cry.”

“Don’t expect me to clean up the mess you make.”

Liu Chengzong felt relieved at his admission. Smiling, he said, “Tell me, you must have a way to fix this. Otherwise, even if I solve it, I’d blame you. If your solution is foolish, I’d blame you too. If you hid the firewood, that’d be really stupid.”

“Pfft, what are you making me out to be?”

Cao Yao relaxed too. “Yes, we really have no firewood left, just enough for two meals. The water problem is easy to fix, but I want to hear the general’s plan first.”

Cao Yao spoke of thinking carefully before acting.

Liu Chengzong truly began to think deeply.

Though a small matter, his choice of solution could profoundly affect the troops.

Between them, Liu Chengzong could admit his fault and correct it.

This was a matter between individuals; Cao Yao was a good elder brother, and when he spoke rightly, it should be heeded.

But the fault admitted was his own inexperience—never having encountered this before and insufficient consideration before transmitting military law to the entire battalion.

Not that enforcing strict military law itself was wrong.

If he sent men to tear down houses for firewood or change orders, soldiers wouldn’t appreciate it; instead, soldiers from other watches would think the general’s resolve for military discipline was weak.

That would complicate a simple matter.

Liu Chengzong shrugged. “I’ll use my brother’s old method—lead by example. I’ll go with them to gather firewood on horseback. Once everyone is familiar with yesterday’s military law, next time we camp, we’ll find an abandoned village and tear down a house in an organized way.”

Cao Yao laughed at his solution. “Turning bad into good. I’m not trying to cause trouble. I can handle the water issue. You know, your sister-in-law’s family is a prominent household from North Zhili. When they built wells, they lined the bottom with tiles and charcoal, and the water drawn was clean.”

“When I was a bandit in the north, she made me a kind of filter barrel—a wooden bucket with holes at the bottom, layered with dry grass, bamboo charcoal, stones, and a coin. Raw water filtered through it was safe to drink. I think when the men get tired from gathering firewood, bringing out the filter barrel might help ease the spirits of the new border troops.”

Liu Chengzong found this familiar—it resembled his own knowledge of purifying water in the field.

Basically the same, meaning reliable.

But he suspected Cao Yao didn’t mean it sincerely; using that item wouldn’t greatly boost the new troops’ morale. More likely, Cao Yao didn’t want to steal his thunder.

He didn’t expose this, smiling: “So you were waiting here for me. Very good. Let’s go with my plan first. Bring out the filter barrel before boiling water. We still have to boil it. The firewood shortage is a reminder to raid a wealthy household.”

“Let’s wait for the scout to return with news. But have you noticed...” Cao Yao said seriously, “Our battalion has a problem.”

“What problem?”

Cao Yao looked puzzled. “Such a large battalion of over five hundred, yet on the battlefield, only leaders are expected to charge forward. Out of five hundred, only I can give you advice. We lack talented men.”

“There’s no solution for that. The capable ones are fine—didn’t the competition today select the brothers Zhong Hu and Zhong Bao? Their skills are no worse than mine.”

Zhong Hu and Zhong Bao, the two merit rank four soldiers from today’s competition, were now on the sun-drying ground, helping Liu Chengzong drill the troops.

They were brothers, descendants of a hereditary garrison family, formerly soldiers of the Jingbian Battalion, skilled in mounted spear, halberd, and waist saber techniques—excellent fighters.

Liu Chengzong said, “Those we recruit can’t have high birth. Anyone with a way out wouldn’t want to be a bandit. If they weren’t bandits, we could trust them even if tied up. Except for someone like Lu Youji, whom we wanted close, I wouldn’t force anyone into banditry.”

For other issues, Liu Chengzong had solutions, but for talent, he had none.

Earlier, he wanted to capture Lu Youji, but whether he was a bandit or not was uncertain. Who knew? Lu Youji dodged dozens of cannonballs only to be killed by a small wooden splinter.

As for others, all the border troops surrendered at Yanshui Pass, willing to follow them, but all were soldiers without official rank.

Such origins meant only some martial skills could be recruited; few could read or write.

Those promoted to squad leaders among the new border troops had no other advantage except literacy—they could write down others’ names and thus became leaders.

There were few literate men, even fewer educated ones. Many people were forced into rebellion by harsh times, but compared to ordinary peasants, such educated rebels were rare.

This issue could only be resolved once they returned to Yan’an Prefecture to reunite with family, and together with Yang Dingrui and Song Shouzhen, form an advisory council.

Cao Yao spoke casually, self-mocking, “I’ll just barely serve as your ‘dog-headed strategist’ for now... Do you think it’s suitable for us to make a big move in Shanxi?”

“A big move? What do you mean?”

Cao Yao drew circles on the ground, rubbing his hands. “I asked Old Qian about the local geography—not in detail, but this belongs to Xizhou, Pingyang Prefecture. North of Xizhou is Xiaoyi County, Fen Prefecture, and further north is Fen County, the seat of Fen Prefecture.”

Liu Chengzong shook his head. “Another prefectural city. They have garrison troops. Making a big move in Shanxi would easily unite two provinces against us. We’d never rest, always on the run.”

“I just mentioned that and you think it’s big? That’s not like your courage. There’s something even bigger.”

Cao Yao pointed to the route he’d drawn on the ground, his face lit with excitement. “Fen City is the seat of the Prince of Qingcheng of the Jin domain. When I was a soldier in Xuanfu, I heard of the Prince of Qingcheng. The first prince had a hundred children, all grown. Their manor is built like an imperial city. Don’t you want it? I’ve wanted to seize it for seven or eight years.”

“Can’t seize it…”

Liu Chengzong shook his head. Just as Cao Yao’s excitement waned, he said, “But since we’re here, we have to scout the route to the Prince of Qingcheng’s manor and his estates. Though we can’t seize the manor now, maybe we can in the future, and then take the prince’s estates.”

He patted his chest with confidence. “Aren’t we brothers more than capable?”

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End.