Sweep Yuan

Chapter 124 The Marshal's Tent Ceases Singing and Dancing

"The officials and people of Haozhou respectfully welcome the Marshal's triumphant return!"

Fang Zhongwen originally suggested performing a kowtow ceremony, but since the snow had melted today, the ground was covered with slush and mud from the trampling of people and horses. Chen Cheng was worried that this would displease the marshal, so he suggested performing a cupped-hand salute instead. Liu Xingge adopted Chen Cheng's suggestion, informed the people leaving the city in advance, and rehearsed the ceremony.

However, having just received the promise of a city-wide distribution of money and grain as a reward, some people, in their excitement, forgot Liu Changshi's previous instructions and continued to kneel and bow, prompting the people around them to follow suit. In no time, more and more people were kneeling and bowing.

Shi Shan frowned slightly, but did not send anyone to stop him. He was already kneeling, and stopping him now would only get his clothes wet.

Moreover, those who knelt down first were mostly poor people and vagrants in tattered clothes. They were the ones who truly received the life-saving grace of the Red Flag Battalion from the bottom of society, and their kneeling actions were particularly devout.

Furthermore, today's triumphant ceremony is merely a formality; the common people leaving the city are just "backdrops." The main event is the donation by the gentry and wealthy families later on. Only by completing this formality as quickly as possible can the people be spared from the suffering of cold and hunger.

After the ceremony, everyone stood up, and the Red Flag Battalion's banner continued to move slowly forward.

Feng Guosheng was tall and strong. Standing in the queue, he could see a dozen or so young women dressed in green silk and red gauze playing music and singing on the makeshift wooden platform by the roadside. They were dressed very thinly, showing off their graceful figures. He immediately nudged Zhu Chongba, who was watching the banner, with his elbow.

"Hey, these women are really beautiful. Brother Chongba, have you ever been with a woman before?"

After Feng Guosheng finished speaking, he looked down at Zhu Chongba's bald head wrapped in a red turban and said with some amusement:

"I forgot, you're a monk. Sorry—would you like your brother to teach you how to break your fast?"

Zhu Chongba had no interest in acknowledging the shameless Feng Guosheng, so he turned his head away, but his ears were filled with the little tunes hummed by the girls in colorful clothes:

Lu Qian's waves surged in the north wind.
Red flags flutter against the frosty peaks.

Dong Zhuo was beheaded, and a thousand camps collapsed.
Commander Shi's might was met with a barrage of arrows.

The iron cavalry charged into battle, chilling the enemy's courage.
The scholar took up his pen to praise the extraordinary feat.

Don't say that there are no brave warriors in Huaixi.
Let's see...

Originally a war song, it took on a unique flavor when sung by a woman's melodious voice.

Shi Shan had dismounted and was walking when a middle-aged scholar, led by Liu Xingge, presented his poem.

"The Marshal has decisively defeated the Tartars, sparing Haozhou from the ravages of war and rescuing the people from suffering. I, Guo Zongli, hereby present my humble work, 'Ode to the Victory over the Tartars: A Celebration of Marshal Shi's Great Victory at Luqian River,' to congratulate the Marshal and the people of Haozhou!"

Shi Shan took the book of poems presented by Liu Xingge. He saw that the writing was powerful yet elegant, but the poems were indeed "clumsy works".

However, literary talent is not important; at least the person's heart is fully expressed in the poem.

Guo Zongli presented a poem to express his aspirations, which was tantamount to voluntarily offering a "pledge of allegiance." He had already staked everything and was determined to join the Red Flag Battalion and follow Marshal Shi. Liu Xingge dared to recommend him as the first person to be introduced, so his abilities must not be too bad, and he was worth Shi Shan's attempt to win him over.

"What a beautiful poem, what beautiful calligraphy, what a magnificent spirit!"

Marshal Shi hadn't watched the music troupe that performed his poems, and only commented on his learning, not his talent, which disappointed Guo Zongli slightly. However, he still appreciated the three compliments. While he humbly said "I don't deserve it," his eyes were almost squinting into slits.

"Chief Secretary, are there any vacancies in the Marshal's Office?"

The current Haozhou Marshal's Office is just an empty shell, lacking full functionality. Of course, there are vacancies, but Liu Xingge had just been severely reprimanded by Shi Shan; how could he dare to act on his own again? He hesitated for a moment, then said:
"You can first enter the Bureau of Experience to familiarize yourself with the operation of the Marshal's Office, and then ask the Marshal to assess your abilities and suitability."

"Can!"

Guo Zongli was clearly disappointed that Liu Xingge did not recommend him as the new chief official as agreed yesterday.

However, he also realized that no matter how loudly Liu Xingge, Fang Zhongwen and others spoke in front of the bigwigs, the power of personnel appointment and dismissal in the Marshal's Mansion was still firmly in Marshal Shi's hands. He was no mediocre talent, and had at least entered the Marshal's field of vision. As long as he did his job well, he would be given important responsibilities sooner or later.

"Thank you for your appreciation, Marshal!"

Just as Guo Zongli stepped down, an elderly scholar with white hair, supported by a young girl, emerged carrying a box and said in a trembling voice:

"I am Huang Yanwen, and I possess a seven-volume 'Complete Essentials of Military Strategy' passed down from my ancestors. I now present it to the Marshal, hoping to assist him in training elite troops, driving out the Tartars, and pacifying the Central Plains as soon as possible!"

After the old man finished speaking, he made a gesture to kneel down, but Shi Shan quickly said:

"Master Huang, you may dispense with the formalities!"

This time, Liu Xingge did not deliver the congratulatory gift; instead, the girl in red who was helping Huang Yanwen presented it herself.

This woman was in the prime of her life, with beautiful eyebrows and fair skin. Her gait was graceful and elegant. How could Shi Shan not know what these people were up to?
He thought to himself, "Old Liu really knows how to play games. With a band singing poems and beautiful women presenting books, is this how you test me?"

"Marshal, please!"

The girl's voice was like a silver bell, and as she spoke, her cheeks were like almonds and peaches, her shyness tinged with a touch of gentle charm. Her slender hands had already opened the book box.

Shi Shan glanced at the girl and casually picked up a scroll. He saw that the military book was bound with Suzhou embroidery, with fine and delicate stitches. The handwriting on the title page was elegant, the ink looked very new, and there was a faint fragrance. It was clear that a lot of effort had been put into it.

Huang Yanwen knew that the marshal had seen through his little trick, and frankly admitted it:
"Due to improper storage, many of the covers are damaged, which may offend the Marshal's eyes. The covers of the new book were bound by my daughter overnight. I hope the Marshal will forgive me."

"Very good, Master Huang has put in a lot of effort."

Shi Shan put the military book back, and Tong Si'er quickly took the book box from the side.

The girl's hands were suddenly empty, and her face flushed even more. She quickly retreated to Huang Yanwen's side. "Our army is newly established, and we are short of both civil and military talents. Even if we have military books, it will take time to train elite troops. If there are any talented people in the Huang clan, please do not keep them to yourselves and recommend them to others."

The foundation of the Red Flag Camp has just been laid, and now is the best time to invest. However, we know our own situation. Although there are a few talented people in the younger generation of the Huang family, none of them are particularly outstanding and it is feared that they will have difficulty making a name for themselves.

For the Huang family, marriage alliances were the best option, while sending talented individuals into the army or the general's mansion was the least desirable.

Marshal Shi had clearly seen through his own feelings, yet his gaze only lingered briefly on the stunningly beautiful youngest daughter. Huang Yanwen didn't know what the problem was, but in public, he couldn't dwell on the matter further, so he quickly echoed Shi Shan's words, replying:
"How dare I? I will go back and screen my nephews and nieces, and ask the Marshal to make the final selection tomorrow."

"it is good!"

The woman surnamed Huang was exceptionally beautiful. Liu Xingge originally did not want to arrange for Huang Yanwen to write a letter, but the Huang family was a prominent clan in Haozhou with many businesses, so it was indeed unavoidable. Seeing that Shishan was not moved by her beauty, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly led Shishan to the next part of the process.

"This is Xicheng Fang..."

The process of receiving the wealthy and powerful families lasted for half an hour. They offered talents or supplies, which Shi Shan accepted with a smile and a few words of encouragement to show his respect. Even some of them had bad records and he had originally planned to find a pretext to deal with them, but he did not refuse their offerings on the spot.

It was originally a live performance of military and civilian cooperation, so Shishan naturally wouldn't make things too awkward for either side. After the ceremony, the army returned to the city amidst the welcoming crowds of officials and civilians in Haozhou. It was almost dusk, and Liu Xingge had already ordered people to prepare wine and meat, just waiting to reward the troops.

The soldiers had been fighting for a long time and were indeed exhausted. Shishan had planned to return to the city to reward the troops and had sent messengers in advance to make arrangements. However, even without the pressure of government troops attacking for the time being, they could not let their guard down.

Shi Shan first arranged for Battalion B1 (Commander Zeng Xing) to replace Battalion B2 (Commander Zhou Shier) in guarding the city. He also arranged for each rotating battalion and team, emphasized the precautions, and then let the soldiers return to their respective camps to enjoy a banquet to reward the troops.

"marshal!"

Shi Shan was about to return to the military camp when Liu Xingge stopped him.

"What happened today was truly due to my lack of consideration. I beg the Marshal for punishment."

"It doesn't matter."

These old bureaucrats have many bad habits and need to be disciplined. However, if we want them to work diligently, we cannot be too harsh on them. At least until we have enough talented people to replace them, we cannot go too far.

As for the taboo of mobilizing large amounts of civilian labor, the main reason is that there is not enough coordination between the two sides. This matter should not be brought up in the open. What Shishan should do is to prevent similar things from happening through institutional means, rather than focusing on a particular person.

"I will remember your hard work, Chief Secretary. The cause of rebellion is not easy, so please bear with me."

When Liu Xingge was captured by Shishan in Lingbi County, he knew he wouldn't die and could even gain fame from it, so he had no psychological burden when facing Shishan. But since he understood the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, he had more concerns when facing Marshal Shishan, and his words were no longer so straightforward.

"There is one more matter that I would like to ask the Marshal to clarify."

"Go ahead."

"The banquet was originally planned to be held at the Marshal's Mansion today."

For any grand banquet, the food and wine must be prepared in advance, and the guests usually arrive early. It's already this late, so the banquet should have been ready long ago. Liu Xingge still needs to consult Shishan again. It seems that the previous admonition had some effect, but only some.

"Oh, who is attending this banquet? And what is the purpose of it?"

Liu Xingge, oblivious to Shi Shan's emotional shift, didn't dare keep him in suspense and quickly blurted out:

"These are some of the gentry who are here today to welcome the Marshal's triumphant return. It is bitterly cold outside the city and the schedule is tight, so it is not convenient for all the scholars to fully display their talents. This is a good opportunity to offer suggestions over wine. Please give your detailed consideration, Marshal."

Shi Shan, with a strange expression, asked:

"Will there be singing and dancing performances?"

Liu Xingge sensed something was wrong, but he still dared not lie to Shishan, so he could only answer honestly:

"There are indeed arrangements."

Shishan waved his hand impatiently and said:

"Let's call it a day. Pack up the drinks and give them to the gentry to take back and share with their families. Consider it my way of thanking the people of Haozhou for their enthusiastic support of the Red Flag Battalion."

Liu Xingge hesitated for a moment, then decided that he should still fulfill his duties as Chief Clerk, and advised:

"Isn't this somewhat inappropriate?"

"Is it inappropriate for you? Or for me? Or for the gentry attending the banquet?"

Before Liu Xingge could answer, Shishan continued:
"I am just a country bumpkin with no knowledge, and I am not good at these elegant things like playing music and singing. If any gentry from Haozhou think that I can only conquer the world if I can listen to music and appreciate dance, then there is no need for them to condescend to serve under me."

These words were already quite harsh, so Liu Xingge dared not insist any further. He sighed inwardly and replied:
"This humble official will return and cancel the banquet immediately."

"Old Liu."

Liu Xingge was about to turn around when he heard this familiar yet unfamiliar address and suddenly froze. When was the last time the marshal called him "Old Liu"? It felt like only yesterday, yet it was as if he were in a dream.
"Our army's foothold in Haozhou certainly requires the support of local gentry and wealthy families, but they also need the strength of the Red Flag Battalion to protect their homes and prosper in this chaotic world. Our cooperation is based on our initiative, not the other way around. Do you understand?"

Liu Xingge was alarmed. The marshal's words were addressed not only to the gentry, but also to them, the old bureaucrats.
"I will remember this!"

(End of this chapter)