Taiheiki

Chapter 240 Choice
This wasn't due to the generals' blind confidence. Everyone present knew that in naval warfare, the most powerful tactic was fire attack, and the most crucial element in fire attack was wind direction. Setting fire with the wind would burn the enemy, while setting fire against the wind would only burn oneself. Therefore, the first priority in naval warfare was to seize the windward side; whoever gained the windward side had at least a six- or seven-tenths advantage. Wei Cong's naval fleet not only had high speed but could also sail against the wind. No matter how capable the Moth pirates' navy was, they couldn't win against Wei Cong's navy in this matter of gaining the windward side.

So despite the larger fleet of the Moth Rebels, the Wei army has a much greater chance of victory in a direct confrontation. As for Wei Cong's concern about time, there's even less to worry about. The main force of the Moth Rebels' navy is currently along the Han and Dan Rivers, and their only route back is along the Han River. With so many ships of varying sizes and weights, even at the slowest speed, the Moth Rebels would be lucky to return to Xiakou (roughly present-day Wuhan) in twenty days. And since their mission is merely harassment, not attacking or conquering, twenty days would be enough for a round trip to Guangling.

"Excellent!" Wei Cong nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, let's set off early tomorrow morning. Drinking is forbidden in the army, so let's use water instead of wine tonight. After we defeat the enemy, we'll reward you all with fine wine!"

"Thank you, Lord Wei!" The firelight illuminated everyone's faces, revealing a deep red hue.

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Juchao County.

The morning sunlight streamed through the broken window. Zhou Yi got up from the straw mat and stretched. His son, noticing the noise, instinctively sat up like a startled animal. Zhou Yi gently patted his son's shoulder: "It's alright, it's safe here!"

The son regained his senses after a moment and realized that he was no longer in danger. His face flushed, and he tried to get up, but Zhou Yi held him down: "It's okay, you can sleep a little longer. I'll go out and get some firewood!"

"Hmm!" Seemingly not quite asleep yet, the son yawned, lay down, and soon his breathing became even; he had fallen asleep. This poor little fellow, so young yet already experiencing the hardships of life, Zhou Yi tenderly stroked his son's hair on his forehead, then his face turned filled with hatred—if not for the Moth Thieves, how could this child have suffered so much at such a young age?
"Shichiro, Shichiro!"

A sound came from outside the window. In the city, only Zhou Jin knew how to address someone by their clan's order of precedence. Zhou Yi quickly got up, first covering his son tightly with his outer garment, and then tiptoed out the door.

"Brother, is there something you need?"

"There's something I need to discuss with you!" Zhou Jin looked around and pointed to the locust tree in the yard: "Come on, let's go talk over there!"

"Hmm!" Zhou Yi nodded, tightened his belt, and followed Zhou Jin to the locust tree. Zhou Jin picked a clean stone to sit on and pointed to the tree roots opposite him: "Seventh Brother, I have something to tell you. The young general won't be staying here for long."

"What do you mean?" Zhou Yi frowned. "They want to leave? But the bandits around here are no match for us! Not to mention anything else, we don't even need to send troops. As long as we have this army as a backing and use the reputation of our Lujiang Zhou family to persuade them, not to mention Juchao County, even the surrounding counties will be within our grasp!"

“That’s right!” Zhou Jin slapped his thigh. “That’s why I came to find you. I wanted to ask you to come with me to see the young general and see if we can borrow troops from him.”

"Borrowing troops?" Zhou Yi frowned. "Isn't Marquis Wei a subject of the Han Dynasty? Isn't Lujiang part of the Han Dynasty's territory? This is his duty, so why should he borrow troops?"

"Sigh, why can't I get through to you?" Zhou Jin scratched the back of his head in frustration. "Let me put it this way! It's true that Marquis Wei is a subject of the Han Dynasty, but he's a bit different from other subjects. Most of the time, he thinks more about himself. Do you understand what I mean?"

"You often think only of yourself? What do you mean by that?"

"Let me put it this way!" Zhou Jin thought for a moment and then said, "Other generals and prefects do whatever the court tells them to do. But Marquis Wei is different. Even with imperial edicts, he doesn't always follow them. Take this incident for example. I heard that the young general didn't bring his troops here to recapture Lujiang, but to lure the Emei pirates' navy back to reinforce, and then intercept them en route. So the young general won't stay here for long; he'll board the ship and meet up with Marquis Wei when it's almost time!"

"So that's how it is!" Zhou Yi gradually understood: "Then let's leave with him."

“Don’t you understand?” Zhou Jin sighed. “If we leave here, we’ll be nothing. But if we stay, even if we only occupy Juchao County, after the Moth Rebels are quelled, we’ll be meritorious officials who restore the Zhou family of Lujiang. Our uncles and elders in Luoyang, the capital, will naturally speak up for us!”

“Wulang!” Zhou Yi shook his head and stood up: “I don’t have your ambition. This experience has changed me a lot. So many people have been torn apart, their bodies mutilated. I’m already very satisfied to be able to protect my family.”

"Seventh Brother, don't rush—" Zhou Jin reached out and grabbed Zhou Yi, wanting to say more, but heard Zhou Yi say, "I remember when the Moth Bandits swept through Jing and Yang, you were in Jiaozhou, right? Really, you wouldn't understand how we survivors feel! Ancestral tombs, estates, land, property, reputation—these are certainly important, but compared to our own lives and the lives of our families, they mean nothing. We're already very lucky to be alive, and we don't want to gamble with our lives and the lives of our families again!" With that, he flicked his sleeves and walked towards his son's room.

"Don't go! Let's talk about it some more!" Zhou Jin stretched out her arm, trying to stop Zhou Yi, but Zhou Yi seemed to be deaf. He went straight back into the house, closed the door, sat on the bed, and looked at his son who was sleeping soundly with concern.

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"Fifteen days left!" Nie Sheng said in a deep voice, "According to my godfather's military orders, we must return to Sangluozhou and rejoin the army within fifteen days! So, deducting the time for the return journey, we have twelve days left! In these twelve days, we must create as much of an impact as possible to force the Moth Bandits to turn back!" He paused slightly at this point, "Anyone with a good idea is welcome to speak up; no one is guilty of speaking out!"

"We can send the ship far away at night and then sail back during the day, pretending to be bringing reinforcements. That way, the thieves will think we are a large army!"

"Hmm, that's a good idea. It will also allow the soldiers to light more campfires, which will have an even better effect!"

"Or we could divide the soldiers into small squads, and have each squad carry a flag, so they could go out and make a great show of force!"

The officers offered their suggestions all at once, while Zhou Jin, at the very back, carefully observed Nie Sheng's expression. Although the young man had become much more shrewd, judging from his constantly clenching and unclenching left hand, none of these suggestions seemed to satisfy him.

"General!" Zhou Jin mustered his courage and said, "I have an idea!"

Nie Sheng glanced at Zhou Jin, and the words Wei Cong had said to him before they set off flashed through his mind: "If you want to pacify Lujiang, you can't do without Zhou Jin!" "What idea do you have? Tell me!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhou Jin replied, "General, I believe that if we only want to increase our influence, the best way is to raise the banner of the Zhou family of Lujiang! As long as we raise this banner, heroes from all around will surely flock to us!"

Nie Sheng stood up, walked to Zhou Jin, and stared intently into her eyes. Although Zhou Jin's heart was pounding, she still tried her best to raise her head and meet his gaze.

"You'd better think this through! Anything can happen on the battlefield. First of all, my godfather might not be able to defeat the Moth Pirates' navy. Even if he does win, who knows when he'll be able to send troops back here! If there's the slightest mistake, hundreds or thousands of people will lose their lives because of you!"

"I've thought it through!" Zhou Jin gritted his teeth. "Please make the decision, General!"

Nie Sheng returned to his seat, rubbing his beard-covered chin with his palm. After a moment, he said, "Alright, as you said, you can now raise the banner of the Zhou family of Lujiang. But remember, you only have twelve days, only twelve days!"

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"Are you crazy?!" Zhou Yi angrily slammed the pottery jar to the ground, shards flying everywhere. "If you're so eager to die, you can go die alone. Why drag us, who barely escaped, down with you?"

"Seventh Brother, don't be anxious!" Zhou Jinqiang laughed. "The general has already promised me that as long as the Zhou family's banner is raised, I will be the Captain of the Bandit Suppression, and you will be my deputy. The people we gather will be under our command, and armor and weapons will be allocated as appropriate. In addition, the two hundred men led by Gu Gu will also stay and be at our disposal! If this succeeds, you and I will rise to great heights!"

"Can't you understand what I'm saying?!" Zhou Yi roared. "I don't want to be some damn captain or lieutenant. I just want to take my people and children to a safe place to hide until all of this is over! It's your business if you're blinded by greed, but why are you dragging me down with you?"

"Because you also have the surname Zhou!" Zhou Jin said coldly, "You're part of this, so why shouldn't you contribute? Everyone wants to go to a safe place, to hide away. But are there so many safe places to accommodate them? Marquis Wei came here for his own reasons, not to save your family from this predicament! You should think this through!"

Zhou Yi understood the implication in Zhou Jin's words, and he immediately calmed down: "What did you mean by what you just said?"

“It’s very simple. If you listen to me, all the women and children of your people can board the ship, and I will find a way to send them to Jiangling. It’s still safe there now. If there’s a war there, we can send them to Jiaozhou. There are people there to take care of them!”

"Are there people looking after them in Jiaozhou too? Who?" Zhou Yi asked hurriedly.

"When Miss married Nie Zheng, a powerful figure in Chaisang, she had two children with him, making them half-brothers of the young general. She owns some land in Jiaozhou, and since your clansmen's women and children have gone there, she will naturally take care of them out of consideration for our clan!"

"I see!" Zhou Yi's expression softened. "I have to stay?"

"It's not just you, but also those young men who escaped with you!" Zhou Jin said coldly. "Let me be frank, why should my young lady take care of your families? We all share the same surname, Zhou. If you don't even acknowledge that, why should she take care of your families?"

"Alright!" After thinking for a long time, Zhou Yi finally lowered his head: "I promise you, but I must see our family board the ship with my own eyes!"

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As it turned out, Zhou Jin was not lying. The "Lujiang Zhou Clan" brand was quite effective, at least within the Lujiang Prefecture. Within five or six days of them raising this banner, many refugees and powerful families from neighboring counties came to seek refuge. Some brought food, while others brought lists of hostages. In the blink of an eye, more than two thousand people gathered in and around Juchao City, most of whom were young and strong men. More than twenty powerful families brought lists of hostages to show their submission, and they reported four or five thousand households.

"Compared to the gentry of Jiaozhou, the gentry of Yangzhou are much more powerful!" Nie Sheng exclaimed from the city wall, looking down at the strong men training below.

“Of course!” an officer laughed. “I’ve heard that the gentry in Yuzhou and Yanzhou are much more powerful, so the Moth Bandits can only cause trouble in the south. They can’t do anything in the north. If it were the prefectures and counties like Runan and Yingchuan, you would see gentry strongholds everywhere, and they could easily pull out tens of thousands of troops. The Moth Bandits would be no match for them!”

“No wonder my adoptive father disliked the imperial court so much, but he still didn’t side with the Moth Bandits!” Nie Sheng said. “I originally thought that after we took Jiaozhou, we wouldn’t have to pay attention to the imperial court anymore. Now it seems that I was too arrogant!”

"General, you're still too young!" the officer laughed. "Unlike Marquis Wei, he's the shrewd and calculating one, looking dozens of steps ahead with every move he makes!"

"Is a mere title that useful?" Nie Sheng sneered. "Then why didn't you quell the Moth Bandits back then?"

"General, reputation alone is useless without military strength. Now that you have your elite troops under your command, combined with your reputation, you will naturally be of use!"

"But I can only stay here for twelve days, and then I have to leave! Wouldn't that harm all those people who gathered here because of the reputation of the Zhou family of Lujiang?"

"General, you left to strike a decisive blow against the Moth Pirates' navy. You will return after your victory, and there shouldn't be a long gap between then and now." Zhou Jin mustered his courage and said loudly, "With the prestige of our Lujiang Zhou clan, as long as we raise our banners, it shouldn't be a problem to gather three to five thousand men within ten days. As long as you leave us some soldiers and armor, and with fortified cities to defend, we can definitely hold out until we hear the news of Lord Wei's victory!"

(End of this chapter)