The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 296 What's Most Important
June, early morning.

The weather is perfect, except it hasn't rained in a long time.

The wheat fields on both sides of the road have not yet turned yellow; they remain a dark green, stubbornly standing tall, as if silently waiting for a belated rain.

Wang Xin led twelve personal guards on their journey while the weather was cool in the morning.

The riverbed was exposed, with only a small amount of water remaining. Farmers, barefoot, carried loads on their shoulders, wading through the river, their feet sinking deep into the mud. In some places, the riverbed was cracked and dry, while in others it was still muddy.

After walking for one or two hours, there were a few trees along the riverbank that provided shade.

"Let's rest here for a while."

Wang Xin gave the instructions.

Everyone dismounted.

The group was not wearing armor, but rather military uniforms and caps, making them clearly elite soldiers, not ordinary militia. Combined with Wang Xin's military officer attire, they encountered no trouble along the way.

Stone and several companions led their horses to drink water.

They had their own water bags, which they would fill with boiled and cooled water each time they left the post station. The general did not allow them to drink raw water, and everyone was used to drinking cooled boiled water whenever possible.

However, while humans can drink cool boiled water, horses cannot.

We can't supply that much.

Because the riverbed was dry, the horses had difficulty drinking water. The dry parts of the riverbed were okay, but the closer to the water, the more muddy and deep it became.

Horse hooves can easily get stuck, and pulling them out is not easy.

So Stone and his companions led their horses along the river to see if they could find a place where they could drink water.

After Shi Tou left, one of the guards leaning against a big tree couldn't help but joke, "Shi Tou's head is really full of stones."

"What's the matter?"

The person next to him laughed.

Wang Xin didn't care. Many of his personal guards had followed him for a long time, and as long as they followed the rules, he didn't restrict them at other times.

The atmosphere among the guards was harmonious.

They often joked and teased each other, and Wang Xin had gotten used to it.

That's the right way.

They were all a bunch of energetic young men with nowhere to release their energy. They usually suppressed it, which must have been exhausting. Instead of suppressing it, they let it flow. Their laughter and banter not only enlivened the atmosphere but also strengthened their camaraderie.

The man laughed and said, "If I were a stone, I would go and borrow a bucket from that old man, fetch a bucket of water for the horse to drink, and then fetch another bucket of water to return to the old man after the horse has drunk its fill."

"That Stone just doesn't want to trouble the old man; he'd rather work harder himself. Do you think he's like you?"

Some people disagreed.

“Look at that old man. Ever since he spotted us, he’s been quietly hiding from us and walking away into the distance.”

Everyone said something to me.

Although there was nothing wrong with his words, they were full of arrogance and showed no sympathy for the old man.

Wang Xin glanced at it silently.

Along the way.

I still learned firsthand how powerful the Little Ice Age was.

It's not just northern Shaanxi that's suffering from drought; all areas are affected, though some are more severely affected while others have abundant water resources and reserves, so the damage is less severe.

Unlike later generations.

Later generations built countless reservoirs and artificial lakes, along with mechanized agricultural facilities such as water stations. Although labor still relied on manpower in the early days, a large amount of work such as irrigation was eliminated.

It's different now.

Due to insufficient water supply in various canals, many places require people to carry water bucket by bucket to irrigate their fields.

The hardships involved are beyond words.

No matter how hard it is, you have to endure it.

Because if you don't work, you'll starve.

The hardships of farming are indescribable.

The biggest dream of a farmer is to stop farming.

As long as there are people farming, there will be people suffering.

Unless it is mechanized.

This is something I could never accomplish even if I tried my hardest my whole life. Since I can't solve it myself, then no matter how much I reason with the people, it's useless to explain the suffering they have to endure.

Because reason cannot alleviate the suffering of farmers in farming, and all this hard work is just to have enough to eat.

"The people are suffering."

Wang Xin sighed.

Hearing the general's sigh, everyone fell silent.

They knew that the general cared most about the people. Although some people couldn't understand it, since the general's attitude was clear, no one dared to offend him.

The reason why Shi Tou was unwilling to borrow a water bucket from the common people was most likely because of the general.

The general was most unwilling to let them disturb the people at will.

Therefore, Stone would rather walk a few more steps than take a shortcut.

Wang Xin could probably guess it too.

It's not that I'm overcorrecting, but sometimes, minimizing contact with ordinary people when it's not necessary is the greatest help I can give them.

In the early days, I often looked down on the policies formulated by Zhu Yuanzhang.

After experiencing more, Wang Xin came to understand that the policies formulated by Zhu Yuanzhang were actually the most practical and what the common people needed most.

Not disturbing the people is what they need most.

A good soldier is one who understands and follows his own rules.

Those who cannot understand and cannot abide by their own rules are cowards.

A person who cannot understand and sympathize with the common people, whether he is an official or a soldier, will not be a good person.

in contrast.

A person who can understand and sympathize with the common people, whether he is an official or a soldier, must be a good person.

Using such standards to select people will generally result in a good choice.

As for how to judge it?
That's your advantage.

While it may not be possible to prepare for everyone, it might be sufficient for some key personnel.

Sudden.

A guard rode back on horseback, and everyone knew at a glance that something had happened.

"General, we've gotten into a conflict with some people."

"what happened?"

Wang Xin was not angry and patiently inquired.

The man quickly explained.

As luck would have it, there was another group of soldiers not far ahead. Those soldiers were bullying people, making the villagers who were fetching water from the river work for them, fetching water to feed their horses. When the villagers complained a little, they were beaten up.

Then Shi Tou encountered them hitting people, so he told them to stop, but the group wouldn't let it go, and that's when the conflict started.

The opposing group outnumbered them, and fearing they would be at a disadvantage, they dared not conceal the truth, so they rushed back to inform the general.

"Go and see."

Wang Xin no longer hesitated and led his men over.

soon.

We can already see fighting breaking out ahead.

There were only three of them, while there were nine on the other side, three times their number. Despite being outnumbered three to one, they did not lose ground.

They formed a three-person formation to guard against sneak attacks and to prevent themselves from falling.

If you fall down now, you won't be able to get up.

The three men fought and retreated, and the group of eight or nine on the other side could do nothing to them because none of them used weapons. On the contrary, the side with more people suffered a loss, which angered the leader, who then cursed loudly.

Soon someone noticed and started attacking the three men's horses.

Stone and the others started cursing too.

"stop!"

Wang Xin shouted loudly. Hearing the shout and with reinforcements arriving from the other side, the soldiers dared not continue their attack, and Shi Tou and the others also dared not act rashly, waiting for the general to speak. The scene immediately returned to silence.

Wang Xin glanced at everyone.

Many people were also secretly observing Wang Xin's identity.

"Who is your leader?"

A man quickly emerged from the opposite side. Upon seeing Wang Xin's third-rank military officer uniform, he swallowed hard and reluctantly stepped forward to pay his respects.

"Your humble servant is Chen Song, a guerrilla commander under the Yunnan military governor. May I ask who your superior is?"

Although the man bowed, his face showed no sign of submission.

Yunnan was far from the emperor's reach. During the Ming Dynasty, it belonged to the Mu family. During the Zhou Dynasty, it was under the jurisdiction of the Prince of Nan'an and the Yunnan military governor. The entire Yunnan army was at odds with the imperial court.

They've picked up quite a bit of the local tyrant's ways.

Wang Xin could understand this person's thoughts.

The Southeast Inland Army was mostly composed of militia, with officers of low rank and little real power, far inferior to the Yunnan military garrisons, so of course they looked down on them.

He only reluctantly bowed his head because of his status as a military officer.

"I am Wang Xin, a military officer in the Beijing Garrison."

Wang Xin remained calm, showing no regard for the person before him, and asked coldly, "I've heard you've been bullying the common people, is that true?"

The man was stunned.

The name sounds familiar, but I just can't quite place it.

Hearing the other party's questioning, he assumed it was an excuse to cause trouble, and disregarded the facts, denying it with a laugh: "That's not true, and there are no people here."

The bullied civilians, seeing the soldiers fighting amongst themselves, didn't dare to distinguish who was good and who was bad; they had already sneaked away.

The fact that this person denied it so easily shows that he's a tough nut to crack and not easy to deal with.

Wang Xin was not angry that the people had fled.

Who turned ordinary people into such petty, timid, and cowardly people?

Wang Xin stared at the man and said calmly, "Answer me properly. If you have some military discipline, I might let you off easily. But if you act like a rogue, you've messed with the wrong person."

Chen Song was stunned for a moment.

It's not a big deal.

They had already suffered a loss, so they just endured a few scoldings and let it go. But judging from this person's tone, did he intend to pursue the matter relentlessly?

Having been arrogant in Yunnan for so long, Chen Song also had his own temper and was not afraid of the unfamiliar military commander in front of him.

So what if he's a lieutenant general?

He was a man of the military governor and worked for the prince, so what was there to fear from a mere deputy general?
"If I made a mistake, I would be punished according to military regulations. If I did not make a mistake, would this general still slander me?" Chen Song said casually with a smile.

When Shi Tou and the others heard Chen Song mocking the general, they all looked furious.

The people behind Chen Song didn't take it seriously. Although they didn't laugh, their expressions clearly showed their disapproval.

Arrogant and fierce soldiers.

"Bring him here."

Wang Xin, mounted on his horse, waved his whip and pointed it at Chen Song.

"Here!"

Seeing that the general was serious, none of the guards around him dared to act recklessly anymore. They all looked at Chen Song with seriousness and ferocity.

Wang Xin not only had a large number of men, but they were all elites among elites.

If Shi Tou and his two companions could already defeat Chen Song and his group of nine, then what about now?

Seeing that the situation was not good, Chen Song realized that this person had a powerful background and was not an ordinary military officer, so he dared not act recklessly anymore.

“General, we are all warriors. Why should warriors make things difficult for each other? If I have offended you in any way, I apologize. Please forgive me for the sake of the Prince of Nan’an and the Governor of Yunnan.”

Chen Song brought out two big shots.

Usually, when things reach this point, they can turn hostility into friendship and eventually become friends.

Not to mention the military commander, even many nobles would give him face and even flatter him.

Wang Xin shook his head.

He certainly knew what this person was thinking.

It's not just in official circles where everyone flatters and elevates each other; the same applies to other circles. Who would offend someone for the sake of strangers?

Wang Zhong, the military governor of Yunnan, knew of this person even though he had never met him.

In the original text of Dream of the Red Chamber, this person later impeached the Jia family.

After the Prince of Nan'an was defeated, in order to ease the situation, the princess came to the Jia family. She valued Jia Tanchun and arranged for her to marry a foreign king. It is very likely that one of them played the good cop and the other the bad cop.

This is a common practice.

If Prince Yizhong sent someone to find fault with Jia Zheng, it was very likely to be a warning to Jia Zheng. Even though both of them belonged to the emperor, they still had conflicts and factions.

The fact that the Prince of Nan'an and the Military Governor of Yunnan cooperated so well shows that they had a good relationship and that the military garrisons in Yunnan were more united. Why would a prince and a military governor get along so well?
But what good is a good relationship if you can't win a battle?

In the end, I still had to come to the capital to find connections.

If you have the ability to weather the storm and ignore the capital, that's what real strength is.

Based on this person's words, he is likely a confidant of the two. If he dares to bully the people even in the capital region, how much more so in Yunnan? He is probably used to lording it over others and no longer finds interest in ordinary matters, but rather enjoys bullying people.

With such a general and such a prevailing atmosphere, what kind of army can he lead well?
Defeat was inevitable.

Wang Xin raised his head and then shook his head.

“If you offend me, I will not hold it against you. But if you bully the common people, according to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, officers who beat the common people are punished two degrees more severely. If the common people suffer minor injuries, ordinary fighting will result in thirty strokes of the cane, while officers will be punished with sixty strokes of the cane.”

The Great Zhou Dynasty inherited the mantle of the Great Ming Dynasty.

The Ming Dynasty's legal code was renowned, and according to its provisions, the punishments were even more severe, whereas the Zhou Dynasty's legal code had already reduced them by half.

However, the law is the law.

By the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, the Great Ming Code had become virtually ineffective. Although the Great Zhou Dynasty had only been established for a hundred years, it had many drawbacks, and the Great Zhou Code had also become virtually ineffective.

Chen Song was greatly surprised upon hearing this.

"General Wang, this isn't how you retaliate. I've already apologized to you."

He didn't believe this person was acting in the best interests of the people.

I haven't offended him, so this person must indeed have an extraordinary background. I just ran into him because I was unlucky and didn't know better. This person, relying on his extraordinary background, doesn't take me seriously.

To avoid suffering a loss, the man quickly begged for mercy.

Wang Xin shook his head.

There are many things I can't control, but since I've encountered them, and they involve the military, of course I have to take care of them.

Otherwise, if he had tolerated Zhang Jifu, Zhu Wei, and this and that, and had made countless contributions, and had become close to Jia Zheng and Lin Ruhai, wouldn't all of that have been for nothing?
Ultimately, you will only do what you truly want to do.

For example, the extermination of Japanese pirates.

In order to eliminate the Japanese pirates, I had to endure the slight dissatisfaction.

Another example is the extermination of the Hu people.

Faced with external enemies, as a soldier, Wang Xin would certainly go all out.

Since a mere guerrilla general dares to take pleasure in oppressing the people, and I happened to catch him in the act, I should certainly punish him properly so that he won't have the chance to do it again.

As for whether it will offend the Prince of Nan'an or the Military Governor of Yunnan.

I'm not afraid at all.

They can't do anything to them, and they can't do anything to them either.

I haven't wasted these past few years.

If we're talking about background, I have quite a bit to say.

He had connections in both the legitimate and criminal worlds, whether it was the retired emperor or the emperor himself.

If even Chen Song is not punished, then all the grand principles that I usually instill in my guards are just empty words.

If you let your guard down, how can you expect to win every battle?

Win the battle.

Invincible.

The gun is always the most important thing.

Wang Xin understood this point very well; he knew he had to distinguish between what was important and what was not.

(End of this chapter)