Sweep Yuan

Chapter 125 The Great Battle Ends, Marriage is Discussed

After seeing Liu Xingge off, Shishan led Pu Daoren, Feng Guoyong, and others to the military camp. In chaotic times, the gentry and wealthy families who controlled a lot of social resources were secondary; what mattered was the soldiers and their families who firmly supported him.

"Marshal, marshal!"

Not far away, Fang Zhongwen's voice came from behind. Shi Shan stopped and looked at Fang Zhongwen, who was jogging over, with some confusion.

"Prefect Fang, what's the matter that's so urgent?"

"It's not an urgent matter, it's a wonderful thing, a truly wonderful thing."

Fang Zhongwen was covered in sweat, but his face was beaming. He took a short breath and smiled:

"The Chief Secretary must avoid suspicion. There are some things that cannot be said directly to the Marshal. I am an outsider, but today I will shamelessly play matchmaker."

As soon as Fang Zhongwen opened his mouth, Shishan knew what he wanted to do. He thought to himself that this guy was a real old fox who would avoid hard and tiring work whenever possible, but would never miss any good opportunity to build up his reputation.

But it was only he who could point this out, so he immediately feigned ignorance and said:

"Is there anything you can't say, Chief Secretary?"

Fang Zhongwen straightened his somewhat disheveled clothes and said:
"Now that the Marshal has achieved some success, shouldn't he consider starting a family?"

A ruler has no private affairs. Shi Shan had long understood that his marriage was also a political transaction, and he would inevitably consolidate his base through marriage. However, he had just reprimanded the gentry of Haozhou and his old bureaucrats, and now he was bringing up the matter of marriage. He didn't have that much shamelessness.

"The great battle has just ended, and the soldiers need to be comforted. There's no need for me to rush into marriage, is there?"

"marshal!"

Seeing that Shi Shan didn't take it seriously, Fang Zhongwen said seriously:

"It was one thing for the Marshal to not have a stable territory before, but now he controls four cities and can decide the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians with a single word. War is dangerous and fierce, and the Marshal has no relatives by his side. If something were to happen to him, where would we civil and military officials, who depend on the Marshal for our survival, go?"

Fang Zhongwen was right. Swords and spears have no eyes, and no one can guarantee that they will not have an accident in every battle. Even if they don't go into battle, in this era, there is a lack of various antibiotics and special medicines, and a trivial illness can still take a person's life.

If a leader of a power does not have a successor that most of his subordinates can accept, it is indeed difficult to reassure his subordinates in the face of these unpredictable risks.

“I still have relatives on Yidu Road. Once I find a reliable channel, I will send someone to fetch them.”

Shishan certainly knew the importance of family in chaotic times, but the road from Haozhou to Yidu was long and arduous, and it was not safe along the way. It would be meaningless to pick up only one or two people, but if he brought the whole family, the risks along the way would be too great.

The Yuan court's control over local areas was terribly inefficient. Many rebel leaders died without the Yuan court knowing their real names, only their nicknames. Shi Shan and Li Wu changed their names after their rebellion, not worrying that the Yuan court would find out their background in a short time and bring disaster to their families.

"Relatives can provide assistance and prevent unscrupulous people from harboring malicious intentions."

Fang Zhongwen wasn't sure if Shi Shan was feigning ignorance or simply not sensitive enough to the matter, so he decided to be direct:
"But if something happens to the Marshal, only his son can inherit the position. The Marshal is delaying his marriage, which makes it difficult to pacify the army and win the hearts of the people."

Shi Shan had to admire Fang Zhongwen's silver tongue. Anyone who didn't know better would think that this guy was the one who had stabilized the morale of the army and the people under his rule!

"Does Magistrate Fang mean that I should propose marriage to Chief Clerk Liu?"

Arranged marriage is indeed a solution, but choosing whom to marry is a major issue, and the selection of the matriarch must be carefully considered.

"Marshal, you've misunderstood."

Fang Zhongwen knew that a powerful lord like Shishan was most afraid of his subordinates prescribing the answer and leaving him to choose, so he quickly explained:

"As the marshal's empire expands, he will naturally want to have multiple wives and concubines to expand his family. Why limit himself to one family?"

The marshal returned with a great victory, and many kind families in the city wanted to send their daughters to serve him. However, because the chief clerk had a beloved daughter of marriageable age, the families were afraid of overshadowing him and thus refrained from offering their services.

You old fox, you've only been in Haozhou for a short time, yet you already know things that are best left unsaid. That's impressive!
The topic seemed to have returned to proposing marriage to Liu Xingge, but there was actually a difference. Shi Shan quickly understood the implied meaning in Fang Zhongwen's words and shook his head inwardly. This guy had really been steeped in the old officialdom and was full of bad habits!
However, some tasks really do require this kind of talent to do well—we'll have to keep a close eye on things in the future!

"Alright. Then I'll trouble you to sound out the Chief Secretary for me."

"I will take care of it immediately."

Fang Zhongwen acted swiftly and decisively, turning to leave immediately after speaking, when he heard Shi Shan say, seemingly casually:
"Since it's a marriage alliance, we should ask the soldiers to see which family has a suitable sister?"

Such a matter naturally couldn't be asked of his own subordinate by Shi Shan himself. Feng Guoyong, who was beside him, had only recently joined the group and wasn't yet familiar with the factions within the military or the backgrounds of mid- to high-ranking officers, so it was inappropriate for him to speak. Pu Daoren immediately understood and said:

"Although I am a person outside the secular world, I am fond of worldly affairs. May I do this for the Marshal?"

Pu Daoren did not abide by the rules and regulations, and he was not averse to wine, meat and women. Shishan once advised him to return to secular life and start a family, but he refused on the grounds that "I am a carefree person in the mortal world. I will return to the mountain when my affairs here are over. Why should I stay and be bound?" He was truly an extraordinary person.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master."

Northwest Camp.

"Twelve, what are you up to!" Shi Shan was still outside the military camp when he saw Zhou Twelve kneeling at the gate, his shirt off, with two spikes tied to his back, his whole body already blue from the cold. There were still many soldiers in the camp peeking and looking in this direction.

"I was foolish and failed the Marshal's trust. I did not guard the city gate properly. Please punish me, Marshal!"

Shi Shan took the opportunity to reprimand Liu Xingge in order to clarify the boundaries between civil and military affairs. Zhou Shier was only implicated by Liu Xingge and should not be investigated further. He quickly stepped forward, cut the ropes binding him, and threw away the spikes.

"Nonsense! Tell me, which military rule did you break? Why should I punish you!"

"I——"

Zhou Shiersheng had been in command of several hundred men for several months and was no longer the clueless leader of the Rui Battalion he once was.

Apart from Zhou Shier, who came from the legitimate Xuzhou Red Turban Army, the other commanders of the Red Flag Battalion were all former marshals. They had followed Wen Sijiu out of the city with the mission of monitoring Marshal Shi. In the subsequent independence of the Red Flag Battalion and the persuasion to take over, he was not very proactive.

Zhou Shier had not realized this problem before. When the army marched to Dingyuan, the marshal put him in charge of the defense of Haozhou and he was somewhat complacent.

The hard work of staying behind for more than half a month was not in vain. Looking at the problem from a higher perspective, Zhou Shier realized how awkward his situation was and how slow his reaction was in the previous key decisions. He had originally planned to make a good impression after the marshal returned.

Unexpectedly, Shishan was still outside the city when he lost his temper because Liu Changshi had misused the people's labor.

Zhou Twelve didn't know whether Liu Changshi was frightened by the Marshal's thunderous rage, but he was truly terrified, especially by the look in Zeng Xing's eyes when he brought the First Battalion to relieve the troops, as if he were looking at a prisoner about to be executed.

Remembering that Chang Tietou had once used the tactic of "bearing thorns to apologize" to ask the marshal to forgive Jiao Hu for his mistake, Zhou Shier didn't know if it would work, so he followed suit.

However, he was too honest.

Although the weather was cool when Jiao Hu committed the crime, it was not yet snowing. Moreover, Chang Tietou tied Jiao Hu up and immediately took him to the county government office to search for Shishan. The time between these events was extremely short.

Zhou Shier didn't even ask when the marshal would return. After settling his subordinates back at the camp, he took off his robes and knelt in the cold wind. If Shishan hadn't canceled the banquet for the gentry and rushed back to the camp in time, Zhou Shier probably would have frozen to death outside and never returned to Shishan.

Zhou Shier wanted to explain that he had no ulterior motives, but he was speechless when faced with Shi Shan's question.

Shi Shan had already taken off his cloak and wrapped it around Zhou Shier, helping him up and comforting him:
"Twelve, I've seen how hard you work. Shishan is where it is today because of the strong support of you and all the brothers. Even if the brothers have made mistakes, they will be dealt with according to military discipline. How can I judge the brothers based on my own personal feelings?"

The marshal reassured him, and Zhou Shier quickly expressed his opinion.

"Marshal, I will follow you for life. If you tell me to live, I will live; if you tell me to die, I will never flinch."

Shi Shan patted Zhou Shier on the back, feigning displeasure, and said:
"What nonsense are you spouting! Brothers of Shishan should live a glorious life. As long as they don't violate military discipline or our national laws, and don't die in battle, they can enjoy wealth and honor. How can they die in a muddle because of my words?"
Enough of that. Come, let me introduce you. This is the newly appointed Attendant-in-Ordinary of the Marshal's Office, Mr. Feng Guoyong. If you encounter any difficulties with military strategy in the future, you should consult with Military Advisor Pu and Attendant-in-Ordinary Feng. Don't do anything foolish again!

Pu Daoren and Feng Guoyong were not military staff officers, but they often accompanied Shishan to analyze military situations and plan important matters. Shishan asked Zhou Shier to consult with the two more often. What they consulted was not important; what was important was the political signal this sent.

Zhou Shier wasn't stupid; he knew that with this connection, he would never have to worry about his background again.

"Strategist, Attendant Gentleman, I am dull-witted, please give me your guidance!"

Feng Guoyong stroked his beard and nodded, and Pu Daoren smiled and said:
"All the soldiers say that Commander Zhou is eager to learn. We are all under the Marshal's command, so we should discuss things more in the future."

After the three finished exchanging greetings, Shishan asked:

"You wait for me here, but what about the soldiers in the camp?"

"The Second Battalion didn't go out to fight, and the boys didn't dare to ask for wine; they all stayed in the camp."

Shishan nodded and said:

"Go back and put on your armor. Select two teams of soldiers to assist the Sixth Battalion in patrolling the camp. Do not let the soldiers cause any serious trouble while drunk."

"The last general takes command!"

The military is a place where men of fierce spirit and bloodlust gather. Even with strict military discipline, quarrels and fights are not uncommon. Alcohol emboldens cowards, and it is even more common for men to cause trouble after getting drunk.

But whenever there is a great victory, the appropriate drinks and wine should still be given as a reward.

The monotonous collective life, the oppressive military discipline, and the high frequency of marches and battles can easily accumulate emotions and stress. If superiors cannot provide soldiers with a channel for collective venting, it can trigger uncontrollable events such as riots.

Every time Shishan generously distributed alcohol to the entire army, he not only emphasized the precautions but also arranged for battalions and teams to take turns on duty to ensure that even if someone got drunk and acted out, it wouldn't get out of control.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they returned to the central command, they heard a commotion in the training camp.

……

P.S.: I was typing until almost 3 AM and still haven't finished. The next chapter will be posted a little later. Please forgive me!

(End of this chapter)