The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 181 Winning Hearts and Minds
Upon returning to Yanmen Pass, wealthy families from Daizhou came to offer their support to the troops, and Wang Xin was busy receiving them every day.

These powerful families may seem insignificant and powerless, but they are actually much more difficult to deal with. The enemies on the surface are easy to deal with, but the enemies in the shadows are completely unpredictable.

“The wealthy are not good people.” Shi Ping muttered as he watched the general being surrounded by wealthy people all day long.

When Wang Xin heard Shi Ping's childish words, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. It's good to be young.

Hearing the general's laughter, Shi Ping was displeased, "The general is mocking me."

"I was wrong." Wang Xin patted Shi Ping's head and quickly apologized. Although he apologized, there was no remorse on his face. He looked at Shi Ping as if he were looking at his own junior. Shi Ping was speechless and had no way to deal with the general.

Now he has more and more bodyguards, because there are so many boys.

Why are there more and more teenagers falling into our hands? Because we have faith in nature, even though nature is cruel. When soldiers fight, they naturally consume the able-bodied first, and the teenagers last. So in the last two years, more and more teenagers have ended up in our hands.

Since they've taken military rations, they're soldiers. Soldiers have responsibilities, and naivety is not an option.

Therefore, the young people must endure hardship. The army provides them with a home, supports them, and trains them. In return, the young people must study hard and keep up with the army's requirements. No one is allowed to be mediocre.

Even if it means crying, you have to finish your studies and training while crying; there is no option to give up.

There were no conditions to discuss. Wang Xin felt ashamed towards these young guards. Although he had set these rules himself and did not intend to loosen them, it did not diminish his feelings of shame and pity.

Wang Xin sighed. He had a clear understanding of how to deal with wealthy families and said, "You must understand that, in many cases, wealthy families and ordinary people are together, not separate."

Shi Ping was not satisfied with the general's explanation.

This is the influence of the environment. In the semi-closed environment of Hexi Camp, Shi Ping and his group gradually developed their own understanding.

Wang Xin was not displeased by Shi Ping's disbelief and laughed, "The common people surrender their land to wealthy households to avoid taxes and corvée labor, and the wealthy households profit from it. Since most people do this, the government can't do anything about it even if it wants to. So the government doesn't pay taxes, and the power of the wealthy households grows stronger. To solve this problem, we have to take drastic measures, but in the end, it will anger the people and cause great trouble."

Shi Ping was an orphan who grew up in the Beijing garrison. He didn't really understand what people were doing. When he heard the general's words, he found it unbelievable. How could this be?

"Don't overthink things. Overthinking can lead to getting stuck in a rut. Young people should just focus on doing their own thing," Wang Xin advised.

Upon hearing the general's instructions, Shi Ping nodded in agreement, without doubting the general's words.

With everything settled and supplies replenished at Yanmen Pass, Wang Xin took stock of the army and prepared to depart for Datong.

This time, many people came to persuade him.

Gu Shi, whose brother was an official in Taiyuan, advised him, "General, why bother? Just wait for the imperial decree. If you lead your troops to Datong, wouldn't that be giving Governor Feng a reason to act?"

Compared to Gu Shi's concern for Datong's stability, Zheng Yonglian was more worried about Wang Xin, and chimed in, "Yes, Datong has a large army; what if..."

“I dare to go, I’m not afraid of him doing anything reckless,” Wang Xin said with a smile.

He knew what everyone was worried about, and he certainly wouldn't gamble on Feng Yong adhering to the rules.

However, it's important to understand the court's purpose in sending him to Yanmen Pass. While there is indeed an intention to deal with Feng Yong, the key to dealing with Feng Yong isn't Feng Yong himself, but rather the Yehu tribe. Having ventured out of the pass this time, he has a good understanding of the fighting capabilities of the Hu people, and the Yehu tribe is also Hu, so Wang Xin is confident.

However, with the addition of Feng Yong to the Yehu tribe, Wang Xin had to be worried.

Feng Yong can disregard the Yehu tribe because the balance has been broken. Now he must hope that the Yehu tribe will cause more trouble, so that the court will be more wary of him and it would be best to return to the previous situation.

But he himself couldn't do it. If the Yehu tribe caused a big commotion, it would mean that he hadn't handled things well. Besides, he wouldn't sit idly by and watch the Hu people harass the people.

If the common people are sacrificed in the struggle for power and profit, how are they any different from the people they used to hate the most?
Since that's the case, the sooner we deal with Feng Yong, the better. Only after dealing with Feng Yong can we focus all our efforts on defending against the Yehu tribe. However, our forces are limited, and even if we run ourselves ragged, we can't take care of the entire Datong.

Therefore, while dealing with Feng Yong, we must also minimize the damage to Datong's military system.

Just like the garrison at Yanmen Pass back then, they certainly didn't have much combat power, but the Hu people didn't have much ability to attack cities. Their role in holding the passes instead of running away at the sight of the Hu people was already quite significant.

Besides, Datong still has quite a few elite troops; we can't just stand by and watch these elite troops be sacrificed for Feng Yong's personal desires.

So even though he knew that going to Datonghui would put him in a passive position, he still went, openly and honestly, to shut up Feng Yong's fallacies.

Suddenly, Wang Xin understood why the great man had risked his life to go to the meeting, knowing it was a conspiracy.

Of course, I'm not that great; I only dared to go because I had something to rely on.

Despite the objections of the crowd and the doubts of the local gentry, Wang Xin set off with more than two thousand fully armed men. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought he was going to war.

The prefectures and counties along the way naturally did not supply provisions. They had not received any notification, nor were they unaware of the news. On the contrary, they were extremely cautious, fearing that this army would rush into the city, and tightly closed the city gates.

The Hexi Camp marched as usual without stopping. This time, they carried ample provisions and, as the general had said, they would not take a single grain of rice along the way.

Watching the army quietly depart, the officials on the city wall had complex expressions, and the generals were unsure what to do. "Should we launch a surprise attack?"

A garrison commander in Shanyin City asked, knowing that the adjutant was a confidant of Feng Jiedu, and that he had always wanted to join Feng Jiedu but had never had the opportunity.

There are too many people who want to join Feng Jiedu's forces, so it's not up to a mere garrison commander like him. If he can follow the adjutant general in raiding that army and make a great contribution, Feng Jiedu will definitely give him an important position.

Moreover, as the adjutant general said, Wang Xin killed innocent people and claimed credit for them, incited the Hu tribe to rebel, and attacked friendly forces without authorization, which was in fact a rebellion.

A few years ago, a military officer was also charged with this crime.

Hearing his subordinate's words, the adjutant's eyes were complicated. What a load of crap! Others might not know, but he knew perfectly well enough. Why should he go and fight him? He should be grateful if the enemy didn't attack him.

But he couldn't say these things himself, and he was also worried that the governor had encountered a tough opponent this time. Would he be able to get through it?
The adjutant hesitated, unsure of what to do.

The journey was smooth, but an unexpected incident occurred when they arrived in Yingzhou. The prefect of Yingzhou took the initiative to leave the city and block the army's path.

"Where is your general? Send him to see me."

The prefect shouted, and the faces of the officials around him turned pale with fright. If they hadn't had no other choice, they wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess with the prefect, fearing that the soldiers on the other side would be barbaric.

Unexpectedly, a colonel came out and, upon learning their identities, was very polite: "Please wait a moment, we will go and fetch the general."

The officer's attitude reassured everyone somewhat, and the prefect's attitude also seemed to improve.

Staring at this army, the prefect felt somewhat unfamiliar with it; this army was completely different from any he had ever seen before.

Soon, Wang Xin arrived on horseback. He dismounted at a distance, walked up to the front, cupped his hands, and said, "I am Wang Xin, the guerrilla general of Yanmen Pass. May I ask if you are the prefect of Yingzhou?"

One doesn't hit a smiling face, so the prefect returned the greeting, introduced himself, and then got down to business, saying angrily, "With June approaching, the Yehu tribe could enter the pass at any time. What is the general trying to do?"

"Prefect Li is unaware?"

"what do you know?"

“Feng Jiedu ordered me to go to Datong, and I obeyed the order.”

"If that's the case, why are you leading such a large army?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xin stared intently at Li Jian and asked, "Why is Prefect Li asking a question he already knows the answer to?"

Originally, Li Jian thought that this young guerrilla general would be arrogant and domineering, and he was prepared for it. However, he was not as good as he imagined. Li Jian sighed.

Li Jian then lamented, “In recent years, the court has been fighting amongst itself, and the local governments have also been fighting amongst themselves, to the point that you bunch of military men have lost all sense of the law. Do you really want to repeat the events of the old Tang Dynasty?”

Wang Xin was not angry and patiently said, "I was ordered by the court to guard Yanmen Pass and protect the peace of this area. Previously, I was ordered by Governor Feng to go out of the pass to patrol the border. I was attacked by the Hu people, and our cavalry were mixed in with them. After we defeated them, we learned from the prisoners that they were sent by Governor Feng."

Li Jian pricked up his ears. This matter was shrouded in mystery, and he didn't know the specifics. He had only heard others discuss it. Now that he had met the person involved, whether he believed it or not, listening to what others said would give him some insight.

"Upon learning of this, I did not act recklessly. I have already submitted a memorial to the court and am awaiting the court's decision. Now I have received an order from Governor Feng to go to Datong to see him. Considering this man's intentions, I have brought a large army to protect myself."

"Then you don't have to go. Why go through all this trouble?" Firstly, the man's attitude was polite; secondly, he knew a bit about Feng Yong's ways; and thirdly, the man's words sounded very convincing, so Li believed him to be about 60-70% certain. Thus, he gave Li his suggestion.

Wang Xin shook his head.

Li Jian felt regretful when he saw that the man refused.

Wang Xin laughed and said, "If I don't go, Governor Feng will have a reason to deceive his subordinates, and more people like Prefect Li who don't know the reason will be fooled by him, which will bring greater losses. If I go and face him directly, I can deal with whatever comes my way and minimize the losses."

Li Jian suddenly realized, and his belief grew stronger. He even began to worry: "But what if the general fails? Wouldn't the court lose a good general? I'm afraid no one will dare to fight for the general's reputation."

The change in the prefect's attitude was exactly what he wanted.

To keep more people neutral or to maintain a stable Datong, instead of letting Feng Yong use Datong to deal with him, what he wants is not a broken Datong.

Datong itself is not self-sufficient and needs food support from other places. If it were to suffer from internal strife and chaos, Wang Xin would do his best to quell such infighting, which would also be for his own good.

He was still staying in Datong. The more stable Datong was, the more food there would be, and the easier his logistics would be. Logistics was the key. Wang Xin smiled politely and said, "Since I dared to come, of course I will not fail."

Li Jian had nothing to say, so he could only cup his hands in greeting and then silently make way for Li Jian.

Watching the army march quietly without anyone stepping into the farmland on either side, a glimmer of hope arose in his heart. He didn't want this person to fail, which puzzled him greatly. After returning to the city, he couldn't forget it.

(End of this chapter)