The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 458 Taihu Lake is truly a wonderful place

"This time, I found the connections in my own name, without asking the eldest son's family for help. I used the connections of Shi Miyuan's faction from back then."

After Shi Miyuan's death, some people joined Zheng Daren's cause, while others became increasingly corrupt. As long as there was enough money, they were willing to sell even nominal positions like militia commanders.

To the outside world, I'll just say I'm doing a favor for the son of an old friend, making an introduction. They'll think our relationship isn't deep, or that I've received a benefit from you. If anything happens later, at most it'll involve me, and has nothing to do with the Wu family.

Wu Chengyu nodded and asked Wu Zhengliang to intervene. It would be impossible to say that there was no connection at all in the future, but without Wu Zhengliang, there would be no way to buy an official position.

If a person suddenly appears and offers money to buy an official position, even the most greedy officials will not easily accept it. Therefore, it is unavoidable that someone with a certain status and position must come forward as a guarantor.

This time, Wu Zhengliang's involvement was not simply about helping someone buy an official position; he had also dragged himself into it. If anything were to happen in the future, Wu Zhengliang would not be able to escape blame.

Wu Zhengliang's goal was simply to avoid implicating the Wu family, but he ended up putting himself at risk. As far as his uncle was concerned, Wu Zhengliang had done everything he could for Wu Chengyu.

Wu Chengyu knew what Wu Zhengliang had sacrificed, and he vowed never to implicate his fourth uncle again. Nevertheless, Wu Chengyu filled his glass with wine, raised it, and bowed deeply to Wu Zhengliang to express his gratitude.

Since his transmigration, the person who has helped him the most without ever asking for anything in return is Wu Zhengliang. In any case, this elder is the one he should respect the most.

After offering a toast, Wu Chengyu drank it all in one gulp before sitting down and asking, "I am not familiar with the official system of the Song Dynasty, and I only want this pretext to train troops."

I just don't know how many soldiers I'll be able to command with the position of Military Commissioner of Suzhou.

Wu Zhengliang gave a wry smile: "I'm not familiar with it either. I only know that it's a nominal position, but it still allows you to lead troops. It wasn't until I helped you buy this official position that I realized a militia commander can't lead more than five hundred troops."

"I'd like to help you get a higher official position later, but without going through the main branch of the Wu family, even with my connections and spending a lot of money, this fifth-rank is the limit."

Wu Chengyu was dumbfounded. He had suffered from a lack of education. In his previous life, he had received nine years of compulsory education and was good at history, but the history books had never told him that a militia commander could only lead such a small number of soldiers.

In fact, due to the Song Dynasty's policy of strengthening the central government and weakening local officials, the so-called militia commander was actually similar to the military officer Yang Zhi served in the Water Margin, and he really did have 500 men.

Wu Chengyu was actually confusing the so-called militia commanders with the local security forces during the Republic of China era. The Southern Song Dynasty had not yet reached the point where the Mongol army invaded and the court was in turmoil and unable to govern the local areas, which was different from the chaotic situation during the Republic of China era.

During the Republic of China era, local security forces could form an army as long as they had men and guns, without so many restrictions.

For the Southern Song court, local militia commanders were also something that needed to be suppressed. A local militia commander could only have a maximum of 500 soldiers; any more than that would be considered taboo.

After explaining the requirements of the militia commander, Wu Zhengliang asked, "How many soldiers do you plan to train?"

Now it was Wu Chengyu's turn to smile bitterly: "The initial target is five thousand soldiers, but at least tens of thousands are needed to meet my needs."

Wu Zhengliang gasped: "You really have grand ambitions. An army of tens of thousands of men—even if the entire Wu family fortune were poured in, it wouldn't be enough."

Moreover, a large number of people would be too conspicuous. For one thing, officials in Suzhou would definitely report it, and the imperial court would order your disbandment, and from then on, they would be wary of you, possibly even imprisoning you on suspicion of treason.

The Southern Song Dynasty's suppression of the military was a long-term national policy. It did not allow the sudden emergence of a local army of more than a thousand people, let alone tens of thousands, as that would be tantamount to plotting a rebellion.

After a moment of contemplation, Wu Chengyu asked, "In this Suzhou area, which officials have the authority to take notice of local troops and report to higher authorities?"

"Suzhou belongs to Pingjiang Prefecture. The prefecture has a prefect who is in charge of all affairs of the prefecture. He has the authority to govern all military and civilian affairs. In addition, there are supervisors who are appointed by the government and have the power to inspect the territory, check the records, and impeach officials.

The military side has generals, supervisors, and commanders, who also have the power to protect the territory and people and supervise the army.

As the military commander of Gusu, you are under the jurisdiction of both sides, who have the authority to monitor you. If they discover that your soldiers are behaving abnormally, they will immediately dismiss you and investigate you.

"Is there a way to get them to turn a blind eye?"

"Then we must feed them with silver, but with so many officials, it would cost an unknown amount of silver to feed them all."

Moreover, once they're fed, you'll have two or three thousand soldiers under your command, and they can turn a blind eye. If there are any more, no amount of silver could possibly make them all take the risks for you. Little Twenty-One, this path of yours is probably going to be very difficult.”

Wu Chengyu also knew that what Wu Zhengliang was talking about was the first major problem he had encountered. He had to train troops quietly in the Southern Song Dynasty and temporarily rely on the Southern Song system. He could only start his uprising when he was fully prepared. He was only just beginning and it was far from time to launch an attack.

Moreover, Wu Zhengliang is absolutely right. With so many officials and overlapping powers, they can all control him. It would cost a fortune to feed them all, but even after they've been fed, they'll still try to get rid of him. This method is absolutely unacceptable.

"What about these officials? Are there any fair, honest, and good officials who care about the people?" Wu Zhengliang shook his head with a disdainful look: "Back then, Shi Miyuan was about to take power and regarded Suzhou as his own money bag. At that time, he placed all the officials in Suzhou into his own people."

Shi Miyuan was assassinated by you after all, not because he lost in the power struggle at court. These officials' positions have not changed; at most, it will be more difficult for them to get promoted.

In recent years, they have caused considerable harm to Suzhou. If it weren't for Lord Zheng Qingzhi above our Wu family, they would probably have set their sights on Wujiapo.

In short, I can't think of a single fair and honest official; if punished according to the law, no one can escape punishment.

Wu Chengyu nodded. That made things easier. If he encountered a good official, like Wen Tianxiang, he really wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it. Once his troops grew in size, loyal ministers like Wen Tianxiang would surely report it, which would be a big problem.

However, if they are all corrupt officials, then the methods can be much more flexible. Wu Chengyu never thought of feeding them with silver. Every penny of his money must be used where necessary. These corrupt officials are blinded by greed and will inevitably be afraid of death. There are better ways to deal with them.

To be honest, the Life and Death Talisman is truly the best way to control others, and nowadays, apart from Wu Chengyu, there should be no one in the world who can break it.

This thing has a stable onset, occurring once a year. As long as the antidote is prepared in advance, and once these people have suffered the torment of the Life and Death Talisman, they will certainly not dare to resist again.

These corrupt officials, who had never practiced martial arts, could not possibly withstand the torture of the Death Talisman, whether in terms of will or body.

The same thing, in the hands of Tianshan Tonglao, could only be used to suppress demons and monsters, but in the hands of Wu Chengyu, it could maximize its benefits.

"Fourth Uncle, could you please give me a list of all the officials in Pingjiang Prefecture, especially those who have the power to govern me as the militia commander and who can reach the emperor? I have a way to make them submit to me from now on."

"Are you really sure? This is no small matter, don't force it."

"Don't worry, Fourth Uncle. You should be. Sometimes using some underworld methods is more reliable."

"Alright, since you're confident, let's put this matter aside for now. You summoned me here today not only because you're the militia commander, but also because you have something to ask me. What is it?"

The following matter was something that even Wu Chengyu, with his superior martial arts skills, could not resolve. He explained his requirements for the training base to Wu Zhengliang, hoping that his good fourth uncle, who was extremely knowledgeable about the Suzhou area, could offer some guidance.

Wu Zhengliang also had a headache after hearing this. Where in Suzhou could one hide troops? Some places in Jiangnan are called mountains, but in the north they are at most called mounds of earth. In this respect, Suzhou is not even as good as Hangzhou.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Wu Zhengliang's mind: "Little Twenty-One, why are you so fixated on mountains? Suzhou doesn't have mountains, but it does have water, the vast Taihu Lake, which has many islands that face Suzhou across the water."

After listening, Wu Chengyu suddenly realized that he had been fixated on the image of the rebel base. He had been narrowing down his thoughts, and he realized that the water area of ​​Taihu Lake was more than 2,000 square kilometers, with more than 50 islands of various sizes.

Wu Chengyu also recalled his trip to Suzhou in his previous life, where he learned that the largest island in Taihu Lake was called Xishan Island, also known as Xidongting Mountain Island, covering an area of ​​more than 70 square kilometers. In his later life, it was a town in Suzhou, with a population of more than 400,000.

Wu Chengyu also went to the island at that time. Back then, there was a 4308-meter-long Taihu Bridge connecting it to the shore. In this era, there is naturally no such long bridge. To get to Xishan Island, you have to take a boat, and this distance would take quite a while with modern boats.

Xishan Island alone is more than enough for him to train 50,000 soldiers at the same time.

Moreover, just as there is West Dongting Mountain Island, there is East Dongting Mountain Island. Although it is not as large as West Dongting Mountain Island, it still covers more than 60 square kilometers and is also a natural base.

Such a place, large enough and relatively secluded, a base that allows for easy movement in and out of Taihu Lake, is simply a gift from God to Wu Chengyu.

Moreover, according to Wu Chengyu's memory, the two islands had a pleasant climate, suitable for planting, and were later known for their abundant agricultural products. If he could develop a farmland, he could at least solve part of the military food problem.

In addition, there are many mineral resources, with a considerable coal output and iron ore. If some skilled craftsmen could be obtained from Lady Wen in Tongguan County, then the weapons and armor used by the army in the later stages could also be made by ourselves.

Wu Chengyu became more and more excited as he thought about it, his eyes shining brighter and brighter, wishing he could go to the island right now to check out the terrain.

At this point, Wu Zhengliang continued, "However, there are also some problems with the islands in Taihu Lake. Currently, water pirates are rampant in Taihu Lake, and the imperial army is helpless against them. Moreover, I have vaguely discovered that these water pirates are actually colluding with the government, so they are not so easy to deal with."

Wu Chengyu was even happier. It was better if they were all pirates. If the islands he had his eye on, Dongshan and Xishan, were inhabited by ordinary people, he would have to find a way to relocate them. But if they were all pirates, they would be nothing to the Beiwei Army.

Moreover, these two islands have not yet been developed in the way they will be in later generations. To build them up properly, a large amount of labor is needed. It would be too much of a waste of energy to have your own subordinates do it, and hiring craftsmen from outside would reveal the situation on the islands. These water pirates are just the right choice.

Taihu Lake is truly a wonderful place.

(End of this chapter)