Sweep Yuan

Chapter 119 People's Hearts Are Settled, and Benevolent People Come to Join Us

When Shi Shan questioned him, Feng Guoyong became even more energized—Marshal Shi not only understood his strategy but also considered operational issues such as acquisition, defense, and governance. Compared to the hapless local tyrant who only thought of things when attacking, Feng Guoyong was far more astute and immediately shared his own strategy.

"The key to capturing Jiqing lies not in a swift victory, but in 'leveraging existing strength.' To solidify the foundation of Haozhou, the key lies not in expanding the army, but in land reclamation..."

Shishan had few scholars, each with their own strengths. Liu Xingge was good at governing the people but not good at planning; Fang Zhongwen was skilled in construction but lacked long-term strategy; Xia Mao was good at general affairs; Chen Cheng was good at execution; and Pu Daoren was more focused on tactics.

Whenever a major event occurred, his civil and military officials could not come up with any decent strategic plans, and the direction and control relied entirely on Shishan alone.

However, as the team gradually grew and its territory expanded, this situation became increasingly unsuitable for the needs of the evolving circumstances.

As soon as Feng Guoyong uttered his theories of "leveraging external forces" and "land reclamation," Shi Shan's eyes lit up. He knew he had struck gold—this man was exactly the strategic planning talent he desperately needed.

Fu Youde, Hu Dahai, and others had important matters to attend to and could not stay long. Furthermore, the strategic plan, which was not yet fully formed, should not be publicized. Shi Shan immediately dismissed Fu Youde and the others, leaving Feng Guoyong alone for a private talk.

Defeating Dong Tuanxiao in a direct confrontation was merely a "military battle" victory; however, to truly gain control of Dingyuan, a "political battle" still needed to be won. Transferring Sun Deyan and others to support Shao Rong's rise to power was only the first step; the real test lay in how to win over the hearts of the people and stabilize the situation.

Shishan had a complete plan to solve the problems after the Battle of Dingyuan, but his civil and military officials could not fully grasp its essence. They could identify the omissions, but could not fill the gaps.

Feng Guoyong possessed great strategic acumen, yet due to a lack of recognition, he remained impoverished in the countryside even as he approached thirty. Today, after a long conversation with Shishan, I finally understood what a "wise ruler" truly is.

Marshal Shi not only understood Feng Guoyong's strategy, but he was also able to draw inferences from it and offer deeper insights.

The two chatted amiably, and before they knew it, dusk was falling outside the window. Tong Si'er quietly went inside to light a lamp, but Shi Shan remained oblivious, continuing to discuss current affairs with Feng Guoyong until late into the night, still seemingly uninterested in finishing their conversation. Shi Shan then ordered Tong Si'er to warm some wine and add some dishes, and he and Feng Guoyong drank and talked.

The next morning at dawn, Hu Deji got up early to practice his shooting. Seeing that the lights were still on at the Marshal's headquarters, he couldn't help but exclaim, "This Mr. Feng is extraordinary!"

Shishan finally noticed that it was already dawn, and since there were still many things to take care of today, it was not convenient to continue the conversation. He laughed heartily and said:

"Haha, your talent is no less than that of the strategist Zhang Liang!"

If I am a strategist, then the marshal is Emperor Gaozu of Han. Even if Zhang Liang had a wealth of strategic ideas, he would have accomplished nothing without meeting a wise ruler.

Although Feng Guoyong was pleased, he dared not accept such praise. He bowed respectfully and said humbly:
"Marshal, you flatter me. I am but a humble scholar from the countryside; how dare I compare myself to Marquis Liu? I only wish to emulate Zhuge Liang and dedicate myself wholeheartedly to my wise ruler!"

Shishan personally took the wine pot, filled it with warm wine for Feng Guoyong, and said:
"Hahaha! The Red Flag Battalion has no shortage of brave and fierce men, but it lacks strategic talents like you, sir. The Marshal's Office is newly established and its duties are incomplete. Would you be willing to join my ranks and serve as a junior officer?"

Feng Guoyong was well-versed in history, especially military affairs. He knew that the position of Zhonglang (a military officer) originated in the Warring States period and was continued in the Han Dynasty. Originally, it was an attendant of the emperor, but later it was changed to a staff officer of generals, in charge of "advising and deliberating," and responsible for analyzing military situation and planning strategies.

He was a talented individual who joined the Red Flag Battalion without achieving any merit, yet he was given this important responsibility, which shows how much Marshal Shi valued him.

Feng Guoyong immediately held the cup with both hands and drank it all in one gulp.

"I am willing to die for the Marshal!"

With Feng Guoyong's suggestions and additions, Shishan quickly improved its strategy for stabilizing and securing the distant future, and promulgated and implemented it one by one.

First, the prisoners of war should be dealt with properly.

Because of the rapid collapse of the central army of the Miao Daheng and the escape of Dong Tuanxiao, the battle ended quickly. In addition to capturing a large amount of grain and supplies, the Red Flag Battalion also captured nearly 9,000 prisoners. Among them, only a very small number were soldiers from other places brought by Dong Tuanxiao, and the rest were basically farmers from Dingyuan.

The people of Huaixi were known for their fierce and warlike nature. After participating in the great battle and shedding blood, it was difficult for them to return to their peaceful lives.

If they were simply dismissed, some would inevitably become outlaws and harass the local area, further exacerbating the already dire situation of the Huaihe River basin people suffering from famine; if they were all reassigned to the Red Flag Battalion, they would not only lack combat effectiveness but also waste food supplies.

Shishan's method was to carefully select young and strong men and then process them separately.

Not counting the 600 men from Miao Daheng's troops who were handed over to Shao Rong, he selected another 1,200 young men as supplementary soldiers. The remaining prisoners were all converted into military settlements, forming a total of seven military settlement camps. They were moved to the Moye Mountain area for training, farming in peacetime and serving as an outer defense for Haozhou in wartime.

Most of these prisoners were still digging for grain in the fields just half a month ago. After being incorporated into the local militia, most of the tools they carried were their own farm implements. As garrison soldiers, they adapted quickly to their old ways.

Miao Daheng, the Feng brothers, Guo Zixing and others were the largest landlords in Dingyuan County. As a result of their successive uprisings, a large amount of land was abandoned. In order to protect themselves, each village formed fortified villages, which were already de facto civilian settlements, clearing the way for the relocation of civilians and military settlements.

Whether it was military settlement or civilian settlement, the exploitation of the soldiers and civilians was severe. It was only a temporary measure, and Shishan never thought that a policy would be used for decades.

The original social order in Dingyuan has collapsed, and the biggest contradiction facing the people now is their survival and safety.

Whether it was the government troops that could invade at any time or the bandits hiding in the deep mountains, they were all demanding grain from the government. The manpower of ordinary small villages was simply not enough to resist them. Only by banding together and establishing strongholds could they have any hope of surviving in the chaotic world.

Secondly, the Dingyuan rebels were reorganized. After Guo Zixing, Sun Deyan and others launched their uprising, they were busy with internal strife and were frantically recruiting soldiers to fight against the Red Flag Battalion and the government troops. Anyone who could recruit troops was given a position as a leader, centurion, or chiliarch.

In less than half a month, the five people rapidly expanded the team to nearly five thousand people.

As a result, the rebel army grew in size, but it had almost no military discipline, was chaotic in management, and had virtually no combat effectiveness.

Guo Zixing had previously received support from Shishan and managed to suppress Sun Deyan. He had also tried to reorganize the troops, but he only sent his confidants to take over the military power of non-direct subordinates. This move not only failed to improve the fighting power of the rebel army, but also made the army more chaotic.

He dared not lead his troops out of the city to assist the Red Flag Battalion, partly due to his own selfish motives, but also because he was aware of the true fighting strength of the rebel army and dared not lead such a rabble to fight against the government troops.

In fact, the Dingyuan militia and the local militia led by Miao Daheng were not much different in terms of organizational structure or personnel composition, and Shishan treated them in a similar way.

Sun Deyan and Lao Pan were transferred to the Red Flag Battalion and reorganized into a Class B battalion.

The remaining Dingyuan rebels were drastically reduced, with only 1,400 men remaining. Guo Zixing, Yu Er, and Lu Da led a total of 600 men, Shao Rong led 600 men alone, and the remaining 200 men were cavalrymen, under the command of Guo Xing.

Including the 600 soldiers under Miao Daheng, the forces of Qinshishan accounted for a full 70% of the forces in Dingyuan City. They also controlled the key cavalry. Guo Zixing was also restrained by Yu Er and Lu Da. As long as he didn't lose his mind, he wouldn't have any more inappropriate ideas.

The laid-off personnel were organized into three military garrison camps. The garrison area was the irrigated fields in the northern suburbs of Dingyuan, all of which were excellent cultivated land. Some of the land had already been planted with crops such as wheat and rapeseed. The original landowners had either joined the militia or the local militia, or had fled, so there was no need to consider the issue of land requisition.

It was the dead of winter, and there was little work to be done in the fields. Shishan wouldn't let the garrison troops sit idle either; their main task at the moment was to build city defenses.

These people initially joined the rebel army hoping to live a life of luxury and "become masters," but their good days didn't last long before their weapons were confiscated and they were forced to work as laborers building the city walls, naturally causing them considerable resentment.

On the day of the reorganization, some of those who were laid off started a disturbance.

After Guo Zixing, Sun Deyan and others launched their uprising, they were only concerned with vying for power and profit, and did not pay much attention to maintaining military discipline. As the army expanded rapidly, many rapists and plunderers also infiltrated the ranks, further corrupting military discipline.

In terms of military discipline alone, the Dingyuan rebels were not as disciplined as the local militia led by Miao Daheng; at least the latter still wanted to live a normal life, while the former only wanted to cause destruction.

To ensure the stability of the troops during the reorganization, Shi Shan promised to "forgive past mistakes," but that did not mean he could tolerate the Dingyuan rebels continuing to rot. These people were short-sighted and insisted on walking into the line of fire, so they shouldn't blame Marshal Shi for his strict military discipline.

The troublemakers had their weapons confiscated and initially did not dare to cause too much trouble. They simply complained that building the city was too hard, or were unwilling to leave the team, or "requested" to return home. Their intention was to bargain and take things one step at a time.

If it were Shao Rong, who had just taken command of Dingyuan, it would be really difficult to handle the situation.

Unfortunately, the one currently in charge of Dingyuan is Marshal Shi, who only wants to use an iron fist to reform Dingyuan.

All four Class B battalions of the Red Flag Battalion were mobilized. Anyone who dared to resist was executed on the spot, and the rest were all punished by being sent to the "hard labor camp." They had to do hard labor every day, and they would also have to serve as a suicide squad during the next siege. Only those who were lucky enough to survive could regain their "innocence."

During Dong Tuanxiao's siege of Dingyuan, only a few people were injured in the probing attacks by government troops.

However, in this crackdown on the riots and the elimination of militia by the Red Flag Battalion, 65 people were beheaded on the spot. Later, six key members of the riots were identified and publicly executed, and another 379 people were punished by being sent to "hard labor camps".

In times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary because people's hearts are already in disarray, leaving only the cruel law of the jungle. To quickly reshape social order, it is necessary to demonstrate violence far exceeding that of others. Only by killing countless people can these thugs and ruffians who only recognize fists and knives quickly come to their senses.

After all this commotion, the Dingyuan rebels finally saw Marshal Shi's determination to rectify military discipline, and no one dared to make false accusations anymore.

The third thing was to re-divide the military and civilians.

The separation of military and civilian administration was a matter of course, but Guo Zixing and others had no concept of governing local areas at all.

After capturing Dingyuan, they not only killed all the officials to vent their anger, but also allowed their soldiers to massacre wealthy households, rob shops, and bully ordinary people, completely destroying the original social order in order to coerce more young men into joining them.

After so many days of turmoil, only six out of ten people in the city remain.

Not all of those who were eliminated died; most of them joined the army to protect themselves. The remaining civilians were also extremely wary of the "righteous army government," and it was unlikely that normal social order would be restored in the short term.

The mutiny of the disbanded rebel soldiers actually accelerated the process slightly. The seventy-one bloody heads displayed together not only effectively deterred the unruly rebels but also gave the people of Dingyuan City a glimmer of hope for restraining the unrest.

The remaining task was to gradually restore public morale through work-for-relief programs such as building city defenses and sewing military uniforms.

This is destined to be a long process. Shishan cannot stay in Dingyuan forever. At most, he can lay a foundation. A lot of work still needs to be taken over by Shao Rong.

Fortunately, Shao Rong was not fighting alone; Marshal Shi also assigned him a civil official, Li Shanchang, to handle government affairs.

(End of this chapter)