Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 104 The Dilemma of the World
Throughout the entire year of the 34th year of the Tianli calendar, Wu Fei remained in a state of inactivity in the south; while in the north of Da Yao, after a round of "palace intrigue," Zhao Cheng regained control of the Hao Kingdom's military forces, and Pu E also cooperated with Zhao Cheng to remove the people that the young king had planted in the army, thwarting the young king's unrealistic ambitions.

Now, the ruler of Hao Kingdom can no longer be called a minor ruler. After these past few years, he has become a teenager and has tried to engage in some minor schemes. But unfortunately, whether it's Guotai or Dayao, his role as ruler is neither fish nor fowl.

According to Guotai tradition, the person with the strongest dragon bloodline becomes the head of the family. Pu'e can transform into a dragon, so although the dragon descendants feel that Pu'e is biased towards the locals, they still regard her as their aunt. After all, if they fail again, Pu'e can take them away. Furthermore, Pu'e possesses the magic of dragon blood initiation, and most of the dragon descendants have a slight desire to overcome the tribulations of thunder, fire, and wind to activate their bloodline and propel themselves to become dragons. As for the king? His dragon bloodline is even inferior to the children Yu Li bore for Wu Hengyu.

According to the traditions of the Great Yao, this ruler should indeed be established as the monarch, but he cannot offer any benefits to win over the Yao followers who have come to him. He disregards the Yao's etiquette and laws, and is only concerned with his own title as the monarch.

However, the understanding of "status" among the officials and subjects was that they desired status and position, which meant asking the monarch to grant them a salary and official position, not for the monarch to enslave them.

…both in the imperial court and on the front lines…

During the period 34 years after Wu Fei and his sons were born, Zhao Cheng was also idle. The three dragon-descendant generals who took over military power in Hao Kingdom did not have a smooth progress in the war. The northern border of Dayao rebuilt a defense system based on the four borders. After stabilizing the border and establishing their own garrison, the generals of the four borders fought back and forth with Guotai.

Three major battles took place in a year. The generals of the Hao Kingdom's dragon lineage said: "Originally, the Da Yao army, consisting of more than a dozen forces, was defeated. Now we are just taking over the 'wounds,' so we should be able to fight back, right?"

As a result, although the three attacks were victorious in battle each time, the three vassal states of Dayao along the Bohai border advanced and retreated together. If one side was attacked, the other side would come forward to support it, ensuring that the retreating Yao army could retreat.

The treacherous tactics of the local warlords and military governors along the Bohai front resulted in only a few skeletons and roadside stone remains of war beasts scattered among the various cities in the standoff.

In the era of cold weapons, an attack that ended in failure was very damaging to a nation's strength. This meant not only the consumption of large quantities of food for people and horses, but also the losses incurred by the bureaucracy in plundering farmers. This resulted in a loss of population.

If they fail to win the war and seize enough wealth, it will worsen the already strained domestic situation.

The above is under the condition of "retreating unscathed"; in fact, due to the tacit agreement among the border generals of Da Yao to send out scouts to pursue them, some of the Hao Kingdom's troops retreated in a panic, leaving behind a lot of supplies and killing a lot of horses.

The three dragon descendants in Hao Kingdom were so proud after obtaining military power, but after being humiliated, they have now all handed over their military power.

Inside the Shazhou camp, when Zhao Cheng took over the overall campaign again, he began to reduce the number of troops, sending a large number of soldiers back to cultivate the land, and retaining only a few elite core members.

Pu'e sensed that Zhao Cheng seemed pessimistic about the current situation, so she asked, "What should we do now?"

Zhao Cheng was drawing lines on the map when he heard the question. He replied, "Wait. Times have changed. We must hold on and wait for things to change before we have a chance."

Pu'e: "How long will you keep guarding?"

Zhao Cheng stopped using the rope and slowly said, "In the past, the one who commanded the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Great Yao was the Yao Lord, hundreds of miles away; and at that time, the Lord and the generals suspected each other. So now, we must wait until they make the first mistake."

…The perspective shifts to a place thousands of miles away…

Tianchi City, the family territory. It was drizzling outside. Wu Fei, who had returned home to visit his family, was now looking after his relatives—two of the Wu family members serving in the south had accidentally died.

Wu Fei returned to provide compensation, and a grand procession of musicians and musicians was arranged to escort the spirit tablets of the two Wu family members who died on the battlefield into the ancestral hall. Furthermore, in the ancestral hall, it was announced that their orphans would be brought into the clan, enrolled in the clan school, seated in the first three rows, and entitled to clan land allocation upon reaching adulthood.

After finishing these tasks, Wu Fei looked at the military report from the north and was replicating the military situation on the sand table in front of him.

After confirming that Da Yao's battles over the past year had been relatively even and hadn't changed much, Wu Fei felt somewhat relieved.

Wu Fei's "patriotism" stemmed purely from responding to the system's northern mission. If he could simply lie in the south, he could watch the Emperor suffer even more losses, munching on cucumbers as he watched.

Wu Fei could tell that Da Yao's command structure had changed, so he marked the four border territories in the north separately with the surnames of the generals who belonged to them. This was because they were now regional military governors.

There is a difference between the hundreds of thousands of troops under the command of the imperial court and those under the command of regional military governors, especially in territorial defense wars.

If the hundreds of thousands of troops of the imperial court were to defend instead of attacking, the decision-making system would be in the capital. The decision-making process would be delayed in transmitting the decision from the front line to the capital, and the defensive officials would shirk their responsibilities, resulting in loopholes in the defense at every turn.

Several years ago, General Zhao Cheng took advantage of such a "delay" to launch a feint attack, stimulating the court's nerves, mobilizing the court's army, and creating a victory favorable to himself.

However, the imperial court has now clearly lost control over the frontline generals, resulting in the formation of military regional commanderies. These regional commanders are themselves on the front lines, their decision-making chains have shortened, and they only care about their own core cities. They are no longer subject to additional interference. That is, when certain cities are besieged, they will not be severely reprimanded by the court as in the past for having to rescue a certain force. Instead, they will stabilize the situation by guarding their own defenses.

Wu Fei: Towns controlled by regional military governors are not easy to conquer. The garrison commanders can boldly utilize local people, no longer having to toil for the appointments of officials and scholars appointed by the court, and can truly unite with the people of the city.

When the command structure is comprised of responsible individuals, defensive resources can be prepared proactively and meticulously before battle, and able-bodied men can be mobilized to repair fortifications. At the very least, there won't be absurd situations like the deafening drumbeats and the prefect drinking and composing poetry to demonstrate his composure in the face of honor or disgrace.

However, maintaining the vassal states came at the cost of diverting tax revenue from many regions. Wu Fei's gaze repeatedly compared the frontier of Hao Kingdom, centered on Bo County, with the four northern garrisons. Based on tax data from various regions in the 20th year of the Tianli era, he conducted a simulation of national strength, concluding that Hao Kingdom was not more prosperous than the four border garrisons.

Given that the current regional military governors are making fewer mistakes, the resources that Hao Kingdom uses for an offensive are three times that used for a defensive one.

Wu Fei: The situation is unfavorable for the Hao Kingdom; continuing the fight to the death is a dead end. However, they can avoid resorting to offense as a form of defense because if the weaker party does not maintain an aggressive strategy, as time goes by, the internal factions will scatter like sand in their anxiety that "a small field cannot accumulate as much as a large field." This is the predicament of the Shu Han Kingdom in its later period.

Wu Fei stared at the north. Haotian seemed to be under control, and the next issue appeared to be the northern warlords.

However, Wu Fei had a nagging feeling that the "Haotian Dragon Clan" wouldn't give in so easily. This was because there was no news of personnel changes involving the Grand General or others from their power center, indicating that the opposing side was still controlling the war planning.

Wu Fei: If I were the person in the north (Zhao Cheng), what strategy would I take to break the deadlock?

The rain was drizzling outside the fortress, and some moss was quickly growing along the bricks.

…from winter to spring…

In a border military tent set up on the northern grasslands, Pu'e asked Zhao Cheng, "General, what good strategy do you intend to employ now?" Zhao Cheng drew a line to the north and said, "Change our route of advance and conquer the northern desert first."

Pu E: "The northern desert is a bitterly cold place, and wars there are very costly."

Zhao Cheng: "Only by pacifying the northern desert can we bypass the four borders and enter Da Yao. Indeed, the initial campaign was costly, but if we are trapped in Yan and Bo, within five years, the people and horses of Da Hao will be exhausted and unable to implement this strategy. (Therefore, Zhao Cheng must personally take charge of this strategy now.)"
Pu'e had great faith in Zhao Cheng's abilities, but out of concern she still asked, "If, when we are conquering the northern deserts, the Yao Kingdom sets up vassal states to prevent our army from entering the pass, just like the other four regions, what should the general do?"
Zhao Cheng calmly drew several circles in the western border and said, "If the Yao Kingdom also establishes the western region as a vassal state, we will not need to 'have to attack' as we are today. Instead, we can adopt a strategy of alliances and wait for the situation to change within the Yao Kingdom."

Pu'e was taken aback, and after a while, she realized what Zhao Cheng meant. She then said, "You mean that Da Yao's person is suspicious of the border general?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Cheng felt a sudden wave of dejection for no apparent reason, and sighed, "How many famous generals of the past died on the battlefield? Wu An's achievements will surely be a source of jealousy for the ruler." — Zhao Cheng glanced to the north. Hadn't he himself just emerged from the ruler's suspicion? If no one else had been able to resolve the current predicament, how could he have regained military power?

……

In the grand imperial court, Emperor Xu surveyed his assembled officials, already engaged in another round of calculations.

With three victories reported in a year, the court has returned to a state of "peace and quiet" where officials sit calmly, instead of the previous "anxiety" and "making a mountain out of a molehill".

The powerful families in the court were making a fuss: "The border troops can be rewarded for winning battles, but no titles or weapons will be given!" But these self-proclaimed clever fellows in the court did not realize how absurd it was to bestow wealth upon the border generals.
Previously, the fifteen armies had been like gold-devouring beasts, and the imperial court had defaulted on a lot of supplies and rewards, forcing the army to eat locally. The little wealth the court was now bestowing was simply a joke.

Theorem: Granting wealth to generals is only an incentive when the government fully guarantees the logistics of the army.

For example, imagine you, in 20xx, are an aircraft carrier commander. The entire logistics of your carrier fleet are supplied by the state, and you're given 100 million yuan. You'd be very happy. If an enemy invades, you'd feel obligated to fight to the death with your ships—that would be a waste of that 100 million yuan. But one day, the government stops funding the fleet, and you have to raise funds yourself. You're exceptionally capable and resourceful, and your subordinates are highly motivated. Your powerful network works tirelessly to secure funding from the wealthiest provinces in southern China, ensuring the fleet's supply is secured. Furthermore, for the sake of the nation and its people, you defeat the fleets of various nations in the Eastern Ocean. And to a certain extent, the officials throughout southern China have to respect your authority to even come to power.

Suddenly, an olive branch is extended from above, offering you a billion dollars. You are required to remain loyal. What would you choose to answer?

A: Get lost! Who are you? I don't know you!

b: Waaaaah! This is amazing! I've been waiting for this day, my hard work has finally been recognized!

c: Who do you think you are? I want to control the four sea fleets! Please grant me the title of Australian Sheriff and President of the Southeast Asian Colonial Area! Please grant Antarctica as my fief!

Xuan Chonghui (C): I just need a name. As long as my own people legitimize the territory I conquer, that's enough. As for the location itself, I'll clean it up and issue immigration green cards to my own people. Whether the barbarians outside recognize it or not is irrelevant. As the general who controls the four sea fleets, with sixth-generation fighters as the vanguard and combined arms brigades as the backing, it's perfectly reasonable for me to overthrow—no, to punish the disobedient.

…The above is purely a joke…

Currently, in the northern part of the Great Yao, officials and soldiers from various regions are seeking titles and weapons. However, the granting of titles and weapons signifies the rise of a new political force within the Great Yao.

While concerns about border troubles have lessened in the court, debates have begun regarding the rewards for soldiers stationed on the frontier.

Note: Not every general is as sensible as Wu Fei. Once the exchange value exceeds a certain threshold, the court will no longer need to be troubled.

In the imperial court, it was the forces in the central government who colluded with the western military garrisons who first launched the attack.

Your subject reports: According to the system of enfeoffment established by Emperor Taizu, Wang Zijing has rendered meritorious service in guarding Shazhou and should be promoted to the rank of Duke. This statement, made by a scholar, sparked a lively discussion in the court.

The title of Grand Marquis was scarce, and the higher the rank, the more likely it was to correspond to a fiefdom of a Marquis. Therefore, the number of these titles could only be less than the number stipulated by the rites, and could not exceed it. Emperor Xu and the previous emperor had been "streamlining officials" over the past few decades, and had already taken away about one-third of the previous Marquis titles.

Currently, the ancestors of the officials in the court were either renowned for their military exploits or for their achievements in governing the country. Now, they point fingers and criticize the "younger generation" who have just squeezed into the upper echelons.

Amidst the clamor and noise, the emperor looked at these famous ministers as if they were a pack of pigs and dogs.

These officials only saw the "ranking of noble titles" and failed to see that 30% of the troops in the north were no longer under the control of the state and were swallowing up the court's taxes, making the country's situation precarious.

……

After the court session ended, Emperor Xu set off for the Dui Palace.

At the palace gate, two white tiger guardian beasts were playfully fighting, the bells around their necks jingling. But when the emperor's carriage arrived, the two beasts realized what was happening and immediately ran to the stone platform at the palace gate and obediently squatted down.

Emperor Xu stepped forward, two white tigers facing each other. Before the palace gates, swords and blades sprang from the ground, feigning a barrier. Emperor Xu sneered, "I can see what they're like normally from the Empress's palace."

The two white tigers lowered their heads, and the swords and knives on the ground immediately retreated into the ground.

Then the gates of the Dui Palace opened. Dui belongs to metal, which is associated with killing and warfare, so it is also the location of the Divine Capital's armory. Emperor Xu entered the palace, where there was a landscape painting, but this landscape painting was filled with flashing swords and shadows.

For thousands of years, the sacred wood and jade mines offered from all directions have been used, besides repairing palaces, to make weapons. Ninety percent of the weapons made are sealed in armories in various mountains and rivers for suppression. For example, the golden bull on the hill outside Tianchi City is one such example.

The decree for lifting the ban is placed in the Dui Palace.

Emperor Xu looked at the wisps of weaponry appearing on the map of mountains and rivers within the Dui Palace. He held these wisps of weaponry, wanting to pull them out (to unlock more armories), but after thinking about it, he put them back.

While releasing the armory would allow the court to continue increasing its army, what it lacks now is not soldiers.

Emperor Xu squatted before the northern mountains and rivers, observing the situation. He picked up a piece of white jade and spun it around, performing some divination. Then, the white jade shattered.

He suddenly grabbed the scattered divination power in front of him, pulled on the lines of the landscape map, and gave it a slight tug. Then he turned his head to look south, and a streak of fiery red moved with his grab, and this streak of fiery red was coming from the north.

(End of this chapter)