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Chapter 307 Father-in-law is also a father

The study in the rear office of the military command.

Huang Ke sat in the main seat, looking expressionlessly at Su Lu who came in from outside.

The lingering unease in my heart hadn't dissipated, but the eyes didn't lie... This kid was really growing more and more outstanding. Compared to last year, he had visibly grown taller, his shoulders were wider, and even his back was straighter. He looked quite dashing in his traditional Chinese robe; he was no longer the naive boy he once was, but clearly a capable young man.

Su Lu entered the study, bowed deeply, and said respectfully, "This humble son-in-law greets Father-in-law. I hope I haven't disturbed your rest?"

"Hmph." Huang Bingxian's displeasure subsided somewhat, but he still kept a straight face and said, "Do you think I would complain that you're late?"

"Yes, I should have come to pay my respects to my father-in-law immediately." Su Lu hurriedly said with trepidation, "But I have never had the courage to face Mount Tai, which is why I have delayed until now. I am truly a disobedient son-in-law and am willing to accept my father-in-law's punishment!"

"Come on, on the day of the marriage proposal, wave after wave of matchmakers almost drowned me!" Huang Ke snorted. "And last year on the Dragon Boat Festival, you openly wore a sachet made by my daughter in front of me, and I didn't see what you were afraid of!"

"It's true that I'm afraid of Mount Tai, but my true feelings for Xiumei can help me overcome all fears!" Su Lu never hesitated to humble himself when things were trivial. Now that he had won over the old man's daughter, it was only right to appease him and calm him down.

"But now that my father-in-law has already agreed to the marriage, my courage has been exhausted, and all that's left is my deepest awe of Mount Tai."

"Hmph..." Huang Ke snorted again, but this time he clearly couldn't hold back his laughter. "You're treating this old man like a child, aren't you? Sit down."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare," Su Lu hurriedly said with a smile. "How could I, a son-in-law, be worthy to sit before my father-in-law?"

"Don't give me that. Just sit down." Huang Ke said irritably, "Speak, what do you need my help with?"

"Nothing can be hidden from Mount Tai." Su Lu then loosened his buttocks slightly in the chair. Actually, he really wanted to stand; his butt hurt...

Seeing his cautiousness, Huang Ke's resentment subsided considerably, and she said calmly:

"If you were simply paying a visit, would you have chosen to do it at night for your first visit?"

"Yes, yes. I do have a family matter to attend to and ask for your help, Father-in-law." Su Lu then told Huang Ke about his uncle being unjustly detained by the Yongning Pacification Commissioner.

Upon hearing this, Huang Bingxian frowned and asked, "Isn't this not without reason?"

"Yes." Su Lu had no choice but to tell his father-in-law the melodramatic love story between his second brother and She Yunluo.

"Do all the men in your Su family like to seek thrills?" Huang Bingxian was speechless after hearing this. "You just like to do high-difficulty things, right?"

"No, no, it really was just fate's arrangement." Su Lu hurriedly cried out, "Back then, when we unintentionally saved Miss She, we didn't even dare to leave our names, for fear of getting involved in these troubles."

He spread his hands helplessly and said, "But God is the greatest. He just happened to arrange for my brother to reunite with Miss She in my father-in-law's yamen on his very first day in Luzhou. Later, when my father found out, he tried everything he could to separate them, but the two of them couldn't be separated. What could he do?"

"It seems that I'm not the only bad guy." Huang Ke finally laughed heartily upon hearing this. "So don't blame me. You'll understand me completely when you have a daughter in the future."

"Yes, that's why I've never blamed my father-in-law," Su Lu said frankly. "As the saying goes, parents' hearts are always full of love and concern. I can't only be considerate of my own father and not my father-in-law!"

"Hmm, that's more like it." Huang Ke nodded in satisfaction, his displeasure completely dissipating. "I'll write a letter for you to take to She Xuanfu. She'll release them once she sees it."

"Thank you so much, Father-in-law!" Su Lu stood up happily and bowed deeply, saying, "Father-in-law, you are truly awe-inspiring!"

"Alright, stop being so mushy!" Huang Ke raised his hand and said seriously, "But I've already said beforehand that getting people out of trouble is no problem, but I can't interfere too much in their family's marriage, and you shouldn't meddle in other people's business either."

"Yes," Su Lu replied. The father-in-law and son-in-law weren't that familiar yet, so he naturally couldn't push his luck.

"Sit down, I'll explain it to you slowly," Huang Ke said patiently to Su Lu, not wanting him to harbor any resentment.
"You were the one who first proposed dredging the Chishui River. Do you still remember why we wanted to build this river?"

"The main objective is to keep the waterways open so that the army can reach the heart of Bozhou at any time, thus deterring the restless Yang family!" Su Lu nodded and quickly said seriously, "Otherwise, relying on the natural defenses, they will become fearless and sooner or later harbor thoughts of rebellion!"

“Yes. Bozhou is right under Chongqing’s nose, its mountains and ridges like an impregnable fortress. It has never been breached since the late Tang Dynasty and has now been passed down for over thirty generations, practically an independent kingdom! One can imagine how loyal it is to the court; it is truly a thorn in the side of the Ming Dynasty!” Huang Ke sighed worriedly. “Father-in-law, your insight is profound. Bozhou will surely rebel one day!” Su Lu nodded emphatically.

"Oh, are you so sure?" Huang Ke looked at Su Lu, not without a hint of testing.

"I wouldn't dare speak presumptuously about other places, but Bozhou is right on my doorstep, separated only by the Chishui River. I know them all too well!" Su Lu then spoke eloquently:
"The Yang family originated from Shanxi. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, the entire clan migrated south to avoid the chaos. Through marriage with local powerful families, they gradually gained control of the military and political power in Bozhou and established a vast independent kingdom. Their ability to dominate the southwestern warlords for six hundred years and survive several dynasties is inseparable from their powerful military system."

"Hmm." Huang Ke nodded. "Explain in detail where their strengths lie?"

"First, they utilized the terrain to construct thirty-six passes and hundreds of easily defensible mountain fortresses. These passes and fortresses formed a complete three-dimensional defense system—the core of which, Hailongtun, was a mountaintop castle built atop a thousand-foot-high mountain, surrounded by triple walls, with a ladder leading directly to Feilong Pass, and granaries storing enough grain to feed the army and civilians for ten years!" Su Lu said solemnly.

"The Yang family boasted that unless Emperor Taizu were to be reborn and launch a full-scale attack, they would be unable to shake the nation in the slightest!"

“The foundation they’ve built up little by little over six hundred years may seem extravagant, but fortresses are only for defense. You can’t judge them by that alone that they will definitely rebel,” Huang Bingxian said, shaking his head.

“Father-in-law, take another look at their military system—the core armed force of the Yang family is the 5,000 ‘Tiger Warriors’, composed of members of the Yang clan. They are well-equipped, fearless in battle, and their combat strength is second to none in the southwest. They also have ‘Rattan Armor Mountain Climbing Soldiers’ who can maneuver and traverse between cliffs, making the local chieftains tremble with fear.”

"Yes. I've heard of both of these armies. In the fourteenth year of the Hongzhi reign, the Panshan troops from Bozhou participated in suppressing the Puan rebellion and were commended by the imperial court at the time."

"Moreover, they also adopted a system of rotating garrison troops, with one out of every three men from each household within their jurisdiction being conscripted. In peacetime, they would take turns serving, and in wartime, they could mobilize tens of thousands of soldiers at once!" Su Lu said in a deep voice, "The Ming Dynasty has enjoyed peace for a long time, and the friction between the chieftains has been limited. If it's just for self-defense, is it necessary to mobilize the entire population like this?"

"In addition, the Yang family also set up 'flying cavalry sentries' to transmit military intelligence, with sentry posts densely distributed throughout the territory. They also had spies in the surrounding chieftains and even in Luzhou and Chongqing Prefecture, which far exceeded the limits of self-defense."

He concluded, "I've heard that those who possess powerful weapons naturally harbor murderous intent. With such formidable military strength, it's hard for the Yang family not to covet the lands of the surrounding chieftains and even the imperial court. Once the Ming Dynasty declines, they are highly likely to seize the opportunity to create chaos and cause the collapse of the southwest!"

“Hmm, what you said makes sense, but the Yang family has not shown any signs of rebellion yet, so how can the court take the initiative to provoke them?” Huang Ke said slowly.

“I have heard that the best warriors do not achieve great feats, because they prepare for crises before they arise and nip dangers in the bud.” Su Lu then said solemnly, “Just like my father-in-law’s advocacy for dredging the Chishui River, it was a case of planning ahead to prevent any rebellion from arising.”

He paused for a moment, then continued, "The same principle applies to preventing the Yang family from marrying into the She family."

"Hahaha, after all that talk, so this is what you were waiting for!" Huang Ke burst into laughter. "So you still want me to interfere in the marriage of the two chieftains?"

“Father-in-law, you are wise enough to know that I have absolutely no selfish motives in this matter!” Su Lu said frankly. “I am not very capable, but I know that public and private matters must be kept separate. I will never put public interests aside for the sake of my second brother’s affairs. I will not disregard the safety of hundreds of thousands of people for the sake of my second brother’s affairs.”

"Yes, you need to keep this in mind, otherwise being an official will only bring disaster to the country and the people." Huang Ke nodded approvingly and said, "Actually, I don't want them to marry. I stopped Yang Bin from marrying his daughter to She Yunming before. This time he's settling for second best and wants his son to marry into the family, so I can't stop him anymore."

"In my humble opinion, it makes no difference to Yang Bin whether he marries off his daughter or his son! As long as he gets involved in Yongning and joins forces with She Yunming, he can definitely sideline She Saihua and turn the Yongning Pacification Commission into a vassal state!" Su Lu asserted.

“Yes, I share that concern, but we can’t afford to embarrass him any further,” Huang Ke said. “That would only give Yang Bin an excuse to cause trouble.”

“Therefore, it would be best for Father-in-law to stay out of this matter. Let the two chieftains resolve their own issues, and Father-in-law can act as the arbitrator.” Su Lu said proudly, “As long as we repair the Chishui River this winter, even if we give the Yang family the guts, they won’t dare to cross the river to attack Lincheng. Otherwise, the government troops will come down the river and encircle them!”

“Similarly, as long as she has the Chishui River waterway to embolden her, She Saihua will dare to say no to the Yang family!” Su Lu said decisively at the end.

“That makes sense, but you don’t know this: the She family is against the river repair project.” Huang Ke said with a wry smile, “Hongzhi, how about you go to Lincheng this time and act as my advocate?”

"If my father-in-law commands me, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!" Su Lu accepted the order without hesitation.

"Good!" What Huang Ke admired most about Su Lu was this: no matter how great the difficulties were, he was never afraid.

"Then I appoint you as my plenipotentiary representative to discuss the river works with She Saihua." Huang Ke then unceremoniously conscripted men.

"Yes, sir!" Su Lu replied in a deep voice.

P.S. There are still 1000 words left in the next chapter...

(End of this chapter)