Jinting Han people

Chapter 141: Visiting Longmen Mountain (4k)

After the notice of recruiting soldiers to suppress bandits was posted, there was a lot of discussion throughout the county.

After all, what Liu Xian had taken out was the county government's 500 mu of land granted to him, which was also the best 500 mu of paddy fields along the Yellow River. Even the three major families in the county only owned around 1,000 mu of land, and most of it was second-rate dry land, which could not be compared with the land granted to him.

But while they were impressed by the generosity of the new county lord, the county residents were skeptical about Liu Xian's plan to suppress the bandits.

"Could it be that Xinxianjun is the son of a prominent family in the capital? How dare he be so bold?"

"Is this bold? I think this is arrogance! The county government hasn't been able to accomplish something in over a decade, and he says he can solve it in three months. How is that possible?"

"But this new county lord is indeed different. For decades, the county government has always taken things from the common people. This is the first time the county government has distributed land to the common people."

"But this is recruiting people to fight horse thieves! Even if we divide the paddy fields, will people be able to plant them?"

"What you said, does it mean that human life is valuable now? If I sell you my life, can you give me two acres of paddy fields?"

People were arguing like this, and none of them actually believed that Liu Xian's plan could succeed. But without exception, they all believed that the new county lord's idea was sincere and not just a polite gesture.

After all, on the first day of Liu Xian's arrival, he did not just speak empty words, but took concrete actions. First, he reorganized the personnel in the county, and at the same time took out salary fields as rewards. These were visible and could not be deceived.

So within ten days, although the county residents still had doubts about Liu Xian, they finally recruited a hundred people.

Because Xiayang County had a small population, the hundred recruits were a mixed bunch, with about ten of them recruited from other counties. The oldest were around fifty years old, their hair prematurely gray, while the youngest were not even fourteen, having not even had time to wear their coming-of-age robes.

When Liu Xian brought out the recruited county soldiers for training for the first time, the other county residents were discouraged and privately said that the county lord's paddy fields would probably be divided up for nothing.

When the three big families in the county saw this scene, their original surprise and vigilance disappeared. They just treated it as a joke and were happy to wait for the situation to develop and see how Liu Xian planned to end it.

But honestly, Liu Xian was quite satisfied with this progress. As he had previously envisioned, he had no intention of sending these people to fight the bandits; they were simply there to protect them and ensure their safety, which was enough.

Now, not only did he recruit a lot of people, but he was also pleasantly surprised to find that although these people had not received much military training, they all had pretty good archery skills, probably because they had to be on guard against horse thieves and occasionally went into the mountains to hunt.

Regardless of whether they were old or young, they could basically hit any target within twenty feet, as long as it wasn't the size of a fist. This was even better than many of the Imperial Guards.

On the fifteenth day after Liu Xian arrived in Xiayang, on the 25th day of the ninth lunar month, the prefecture sent people from Longmenjin to deliver 500 dan of millet to Liu Xian. This was Liu Xian's first year's salary. Since he had assumed the post in the autumn, he would not have been able to harvest his salary from his salary fields in his first year. Therefore, according to custom, he was given a year's salary upon taking office.

Liu Xian was waiting for these grain stipends. On the first day after receiving them, he took out 100 dan of them as rations for training the county soldiers. He then led his men directly to Gaomenyuan, north of Xiayang City, for training. He announced to the public that once the training was complete, they would go and suppress the bandits.

Liu Xian put on a show of his own, not only following the county soldiers to Gaomenyuan himself but also bringing along some idle county officials. He explained that this was a matter of concern to the entire county, and that everyone was responsible, so they should all participate in the drills. He then lived in the barracks the entire time, not even returning to the county government office for work.

On this day, Liu Xian stood on the stage, watching Zhang Gu leading the county soldiers in formation. He said to the accompanying county officials, "Gentlemen, what do you think is the key to military training?"

The accompanying county officials looked at each other in bewilderment. After all, everyone had their specialties, and this wasn't their forte. Previously, military affairs in the county had been largely handled by the former county lieutenant, Dong Chong. And now that Hu Wan, the military official, remained in the city, everyone could only smile awkwardly.

Liu Xian didn't expect them to be able to answer. He said this just to summarize himself. After all, this was his first time leading troops in the true sense, although the number of people was very small.

He said, "In fact, the training of soldiers is nothing more than the pursuit of four words: obey orders and enforce discipline."

"Knowing what military orders are, how to execute them, and being able to execute them is what makes a good army."

"In his Art of War, Sun Tzu likes to talk about strategy, emphasizing the art of conquering the enemy without fighting, and discussing the art of command, but all of this has prerequisites."

“Without an army capable of carrying out the general’s orders, even if the general is invincible in debate, he will be defeated at the first blow on the battlefield.”

"Thus, Wu Qi discussed less about strategy and more about training troops in his Art of War, which can be said to be the same as Sun Tzu's."

At this point, Liu Xian looked at the troops not far away, still staggering and unable to form a line, and said with emotion: "But military training is boring, and the results are so slow. No wonder people don't like to talk about it."

After saying this, he began to ponder his future strategy. Unexpectedly, at this moment, someone came out and said, "County Master, if you want to train the troops quickly, I have an idea."

Liu Xian looked up upon hearing this and saw that it was Xue Xing, the prison warden, who was speaking. He was somewhat surprised and asked, "Oh? What does Xue Xing think?"

Xue Xing said, "Since ancient times, it has always been difficult to ensure that the entire army is proficient in the art of war. After all, there are good and bad horses, and there are always good and bad soldiers. Some learn faster, and some learn slower. It's human nature to have different progress."

"But those who learn slowly are always the majority. If you are not focused on making these slow learners faster, you might as well teach those soldiers who learn quickly."

"First, gather together those soldiers who learn quickly and teach them the tactics and formations. Once they have mastered them, promote them to captains and have them teach those who learn slowly."

"Those who learn slowly may not remember, but even the dumbest people know how to imitate. As long as the leader knows what to do, the others who react more slowly can follow suit and build something that looks good."

"If you imitate them often, over time, the entire army will learn how to fight."

Liu Xian suddenly understood what was going on. He couldn't help but chant, "Thus, the art of warfare begins with training. If one person learns warfare, ten can be trained. If ten people learn warfare, a hundred can be trained. If a hundred people learn warfare, a thousand can be trained. If a thousand people learn warfare, ten thousand can be trained. If ten thousand people learn warfare, three armies can be trained."

This was exactly what was said in Wu Qi's Art of War. Liu Xian sighed, "Well said! I never thought that Minister Xue, besides criminal law, also understood military tactics!"

Xue Xing clasped his fists and said, "My father likes to talk about these things, so I know a little about them."

"So it's a family tradition." Upon hearing this, Liu Xian immediately looked Xue Xing up and down, which made him feel quite uncomfortable all over.

These days, Xue Xing had been observing the man who had murdered his brother and had discovered that the Prince of Anle was indeed a good man. Not only was he decisive and efficient in his actions, but he was also kind and affable, and, rare for him, he shared the joys and sorrows. During the recent training at Gaomenyuan, Liu Xian not only used his salary as military rations but also ate and lived with the others. He possessed none of the aristocratic airs of a Luoyang nobleman. If it weren't for his distinctly different accent, no one would have guessed that this young man was the magistrate of Xiayang.

Such a person should be upright and honest, and would not plot to harm others. Unconsciously, Xue Xing wanted to learn more about this new county lord. He seemed to understand his brother's life in Luoyang and the various changes that occurred there. At the same time, he had a hunch, but he couldn't quite articulate it. He also wanted to learn from this person about the indescribable things his ancestors had followed, the things that had made people risk their lives.

After the training that day, during the meal, Liu Xian suddenly called Xue Xing over and asked, "Since you know military tactics and have a good figure, do you also know some martial arts?"

Xue Xing certainly knew some things, but because of Xue Yong's existence, he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he could not catch up with his brother, so he turned to studying literature, so he could not be considered proficient.

So he nodded and said, "I know a thing or two, but I can barely protect myself, I can't do anything else."

Liu Xian smiled and said, "That's enough. I just need a few people to help me hold the scene. I can't do this without practice."

"To keep up appearances?" Xue Xing was somewhat puzzled. He asked, "Does the county lord have any plans tonight?"

"Yes! Tonight I'm going to a place, meeting someone, and discussing something that concerns the long-term stability of Xiayang. What do you think? Are you willing to go?"

"Since the county lord has said this, how dare I not go?"

"Okay, then after you finish your meal, stay here. When the time comes, I'll call you and you can come with me."

After saying that, Liu Xian left on his own.

What was he planning to do? Xue Xing watched him from behind, wondering if the county lord had used his connections in Luoyang to summon some kind of outside help. But no matter what kind of outside help it was, it wouldn't solve Xia Yang's problems. As the saying goes, a strong guest can't overpower the host. If outsiders could be used to solve the problem, Xia Yang wouldn't be in the state it is now.

But Xue Xing also sensed something was amiss. If the county lord had gone to seek external aid, why did he have to come and support the situation himself? This didn't make sense. Could it be that he knew I was from the Xue family of Hedong and wanted to use this opportunity to criticize me?
Xue Xing thought about it for a while, but he couldn't come up with an answer. In the end, he simply gave up. After all, it was just tonight, and he had nothing to prepare. If something went wrong, he wouldn't lose anything.

After finishing his meal, Xue Xing simply lay down in his tent, fully clothed. This was their makeshift camp, and the bed was a simple straw mattress. But Xue Xing had trained extensively during the day and was feeling tired. The autumn dusk fell unusually early, and soon, sleepiness overtook him.

It seemed like a moment, but also like a long time. Xue Xing heard something calling him, like a broken jar.

He opened his eyes and found Liu Xian standing at the entrance of the tent, holding a torch in his hand. He chuckled softly and said, "You're in such a good mood that you can actually sleep."

"It's time, we should go."

Xue Xing said "Oh" and sat up directly from the straw mat. After slapping his face twice, he drank some cold water and immediately became sober.

Liu Xian glanced at the canteen and instructed, "Bring some water and some dry food. We'll be walking for a while, and we'll probably have to walk back in the morning."

Where were they going? Xue Xing became increasingly curious, but he didn't ask. Instead, he stuffed two pancakes into his arms, picked up a water gourd, and left the tent.

Outside the tent, the moon hung high in the sky. Judging from the position, it must be around midnight. The newly recruited county soldiers were exhausted and most were fast asleep. Their snoring echoed across Gaomenyuan. On the empty plateau, only two or three men were keeping watch.

Xue Xing followed Liu Xian down Gaomenyuan and onto the official road below. They saw five donkey carts laden with something, with four tall young men standing before them. Liu Xian approached them to greet them, and Xue Xing looked over and saw they were all from the county government. Lü Quyang, who had come with Liu Xian, was leading the group, while the remaining three, like Xue Xing, were all from other places seeking official positions in Xiayang.

Xue Xing then looked at the contents of the carts again. He touched the sacks and immediately realized they were filled with grain. The five carts combined held about thirty dan of grain.

Was this to deliver food? Wasn't it to ask for help? Xue Xing was even more confused.

But Liu Xian didn't explain too much. He said to his companions, "Everyone, get ready! When you get there, don't be afraid. Be alert! Don't lose face!"

After saying this, he immediately led the way with a torch.

In this way, a group of six people and five cars set off silently under the moonlight.

They started from the official road, but after only three miles to the north, they left the road and took a small path. After walking another ten miles, they left the path again and set foot on a road that was covered with weeds and could not be called a road.

Xue Xing followed Liu Xian, watching the moon rise overhead only to be obscured by the dense forest, leaving the surroundings shrouded in darkness. He felt lost and lost in the direction of his destination. The late autumn night was silent, devoid of cicada chirping or frog croaking. The occasional flapping of a crow, startled by the group, added to the eerie and gloomy atmosphere of the night. It was as if some ghost or spirit, from the depths of the darkness, silently gazed at him.

This made Xue Xing feel a little uneasy. Then, looking at the surroundings, he saw that it was undoubtedly a desolate wilderness perfect for murder and robbery. This made Xue Xing start to wonder: Was he really following the county lady? Was he having a nightmare, following a ghost into the underworld?

Just when the days seemed to be dragging on like years, Liu Xian stopped. He waved his hand, signaling the five people behind him to stop as well. Then, narrowing his eyes, he pointed to a hillside not far away and asked, "Look over there, is there a fire?"

There was indeed a faint glow of fire on the mountainside, flickering. Although it was not very obvious, several people saw it.

Liu Xian said, "Then we've arrived."

He ordered everyone to gather the grain carts together, then shouted toward the mountain, "I have long heard of Chief Sun's renown, and today I have come to pay my respects to him!"

Liu Xian's loud shout instantly shattered the tranquility of Longmen Mountain. The crows and sparrows woke up, flapping their wings and taking flight, shaking down a rain of leaves. And then, the faint glow of fire on the mountainside suddenly flickered to life.

After Liu Xian said a few more words, a fire snake shuttled down from the top of the mountain and merged with the fire on the mountainside. After a brief pause, it flew down the mountain.

Soon, dozens of torches emerged from the forest and surrounded Liu Xian and his group.

The leader rode out on his horse and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you come to Longmen Mountain?"

When Xue Xing heard the words "Longmen Mountain", he suddenly realized: it turned out that he had arrived at Sun Xi's lair!
　Please vote! Please subscribe! Please support me! Your support is my motivation to update!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)