A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 260 Planning

The Emperor of Heaven recalled the border troops and divided the army into four routes, each with more than 40,000 elite demonic soldiers, who were either cavalry or naval forces, moving swiftly and rapidly.

They avoided the Jingdong East Road, which was now almost entirely occupied by the rebel army, and also avoided Bianliang City in Kaifeng Prefecture. They headed south, from Hedong Road to Yongxing Road, Jingxi Road, Jinghu Road, and all the way to Jiangnan and Guangnan.

The four armies echoed each other, all displaying the banner of the emperor's personal expedition. However, the emperor concealed his presence, and no five-colored clouds could be seen rolling around. No one knew which army he was in.

When these large armies joined forces with the troops of the regional military governors who were suppressing the rebellion in various places, the scattered rebel forces immediately felt the pressure of the surge.

At the same time, the emperor ordered a large-scale mobilization of troops from various regions, including Hedong Road, Jingxi Road, Huainan Road, and Jinghu Road.

These places were controlled by Tong Guan, Gao Qiu, Zhu Mian and others whom he had specially released back then. They were allowed to govern the people's livelihood, but they only knew how to act perversely and extort money from the land. However, colluding with local powerful families was their specialty. After the Heavenly Mandate Emperor allowed the local areas to raise private armies, these people became even more arrogant.

As uprisings broke out across the land, reports of battles came frequently from various places. On the contrary, the people under the rule of these greedy and treacherous villains were exploited too much and were powerless to resist. The private soldiers they raised and the local troops were mixed together, and their numbers were far greater than those in other places.

The emperor sent several generals with a fierce and murderous aura to personally deliver the imperial edict, ordering Zhu Mian and others to distribute their family wealth to reward the soldiers and boost morale. When these mixed troops were overjoyed, their morale was high, and the people's hearts were at ease, they should be mobilized to encircle Bianliang and the eastern route of Jingdong.

Li Ying and others received this news in Bianliang.

"Ha, Zhu Mian and his men have a combined force of over 200,000, but they are all just a rabble."

Li Kaixian said, "Even if they form an encirclement and stretch their battle lines, making it more troublesome to deal with them, with the current strength of Liangshan, it will only take two months to defeat them one by one and drive them into a complete rout."

As he spoke, he slammed his hand on the table in the council hall. His hair was disheveled, his breathing was rapid, and his temper appeared more irritable than usual.

During this period, the Liangshan army captured Bianliang and killed too many people. Li Kaixian led a group of men and killed people and ransacked homes every day. The execution grounds used to execute criminals were filled with the smell of blood every day, and the ground had been soaked with dark red.

Even the most nosy enthusiasts in Bianliang City who loved watching beheadings no longer had any interest in going near these places.

Li Kaixian worked tirelessly, confiscating the property of various families. He also gathered a group of civil officials whom Liangshan had recently recruited and trained to check which officials and members of the court, from among the thousands of prominent families, should be sent to hard labor first and which should be executed directly. He was always with his pen in hand and his eyes glued to his books.

Even if Guan Luoyang personally intervened to cleanse their bodies, calm their minds, and prevent them from dying suddenly, it wouldn't be able to completely soothe their emotions.

Li Jun and the others, each possessing cultivation, remained composed and said, "However, the elite troops of the border army have already joined forces with the troops of the regional military governors. If we truly focus all our efforts on dealing with these rabble, I'm afraid the local rebel armies will not be able to hold out."

Li Kaixian frowned and said, "So you mean we should also deploy four routes of troops to break through the encirclement of this mixed force and provide support to the various rebel armies?"

Lu Da shook his head again: "That won't work either. The combined forces of Fang La and us, which can be considered elite troops, only have less than 150,000 regular soldiers. We also have to divide our troops to garrison various places, so we can only send out less than 100,000 men."

"Dividing 100,000 men into four groups, sending them to fight in various places, is not a good strategy. Even if it can't be called sending sheep to the tiger's den, there is a high chance of losing the battle. It is really not a good strategy."

Li Kaixian asked in confusion, "Why are there only these people? After we captured Bianliang, didn't we already begin to persuade the 100,000 Imperial Guards to surrender?"

"Those 100,000 Imperial Guards are a real problem. The reason I said we should leave people to guard them was mainly to keep an eye on those guys."

Lu Da was very displeased. "My brothers Wu Song and I, along with a few capable men under Fang La, and with the strong support of Taoist Zhang Wanxian, have hastily vetted the Imperial Guards over the past few days and found that at least 70% of them are unusable."

After the local troops were defeated by Liangshan, the process of incorporating them into the army was barely smooth. Of the ten men, at most ten were considered as potential threats and had to be absolutely guarded against. Their cultivation was stripped, and they were conscripted as laborers, etc. The others were still barely usable. Anyway, they were dragged into a few battles to solidify their status as rebels, and those who were wavering had no choice but to behave themselves.

But the Imperial Guards were not an option.

The Imperial Guards lived a much more comfortable life than local troops. Their daily supplies of minerals, grains, meat, silk, and military pay were rarely cut corners or delayed.

When the emperor was in Bianliang, he left most other matters to Chen Xizhen, Yun Tianbiao and others to contend for and manage. However, the imperial guards were always kept in the emperor's own hands, and he often used them to bestow favors.

The emperor, the Son of Heaven, the supreme ruler—this identity has been imbued with too much mystery. Just by walking around the Imperial Guard and casually talking to people, one can understand this.

Even a vague glance or a few words exchanged in a slightly intimate manner could make these well-fed imperial guards feel grateful and proud of their family's honor, thus cultivating blind loyalty. It was simply a matter of course and a natural outcome.

"In the past, after Yan Shude and even some of Chen Xizhen's troops surrendered, they were able to blend in with the people of Liangshan within half a month and no one could tell who was who. But these bastards from the Imperial Guards are completely incompatible with Liangshan. Even if you give them half a year, they might not be able to change."

Lu Zhishen was exasperated and said, "I wish I could beat these guys who can't understand human language to a pulp and send them to see what the people under the rule of their wise and enlightened emperor are really like."

Li Kaixian said, "Then let's use the divine Gu to devour their cultivation, turning them into red robes and red armor, and distribute them to the others!"

Before he could finish speaking, he slapped his forehead, scratched his hair, and said, "I really made a stupid mistake."

The devouring, splitting, and multiplying of the divine garment also takes time. After the battle with Chen Xizhen, the prisoners we took in had not yet been fully processed using the divine garment's sub-body, so there was no extra to distribute to the Imperial Guard prisoners.

Another issue is that there are requirements for the wearer of the divine garment. At the very least, they must be able-bodied young men and women who have been able to eat their fill for a few days, and they must also have some faith and courage to achieve this.

Currently, almost all people like this have been gathered under the control of the Liangshan army. Even if there are more divine bodies, it may not be possible to find enough people to wear them in a short time.

Li Jun smiled wryly and said, "At this moment, I am reminded of the war to destroy the Western Xia. After the Western Xia was destroyed, there were similar problems. Many surrendered soldiers and prisoners of war would become hidden dangers. The emperor issued an edict, and ninety percent of the ministers in the court did not object."

Wu Song asked, "Are you referring to the time when we massacred most of the surrendered Western Xia soldiers, striking fear into the hearts of the Xia people and nearly causing a food shortage?"

Li Jun said, "This time, righteous armies are rising up all over the world, but the Xia people are completely silent. I heard that after they killed so many people back then, they turned around and supported many noble families in the local area. They are clearly Xia nobles, but they are all extremely loyal to the Emperor of Heaven."

Lu Da raised his thick eyebrows high and shouted, "What do you mean by this? Are you advising the chieftain to do the same things as that dog emperor?"

That's not what I meant.

Li Jun said, "There's no need to make things so bloody with the Imperial Guards. Just pick out a small group of the most loyal ones and kill them. Maybe the others will change their minds. About a thousand people is enough. If killing one batch isn't enough, kill another batch. Five or six thousand people at most should be enough."

"Anyway, the Imperial Guards' wealth comes from the blood and sweat of the people. Even if they aren't the ringleaders or heinous criminals, and their crimes don't warrant death, killing them if necessary is acceptable. We can't let these scoundrels delay our important business, can we?"

Li Kaixian interrupted him: "Don't say anymore, the chief will not agree. Besides, you're making an example of them, but then you want them to go to war again soon. What if they mutini on the battlefield..."

"No," Li Jun said. "Once they learn to respect us, don't give them good weapons and armor. Instead, send them as the vanguard to break through Zhu Mian's miscellaneous troops. They will charge out of fear, and once they break through, they will fight to survive. This is also a precedent set by the Western Xia."

Lu Zhishen's face was already quite impatient, and he looked like he was about to explode again.

At this moment, Li Ying spoke up, saying, "Brother, back in Western Xia you saw the court use such methods and seemed quite comfortable with them, even rising to the rank of naval commander. If you hadn't been seriously injured, and if you hadn't witnessed the dire straits of your hometown, would you have thought the court was bad?"

Li Jun was puzzled. After thinking for a moment, his expression changed slightly, and he hesitated without speaking.

Li Ying then asked, "If it were you now, even if you weren't seriously injured, and the suffering you witnessed wasn't from your own hometown, would you draw your sword for them?"

Li Jun replied decisively, "Of course."

"Fine!" Li Ying laughed. "If you casually kill five or six thousand people who don't deserve to die today, how long will it take for you to return to your former self, and how long will it take for you to become like Chen Xizhen and Yun Tianbiao?"

Li Jun angrily retorted, "How could I be like them...they...he..."

He lowered his voice involuntarily halfway through his sentence, his mouth grew drier and drier, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back.

Seeing the shame on his face, Li Ying knew he had repented. Without waiting for him to say it, he turned to the others and slowly said, "Gentlemen, there's no need for us to be in such a hurry. How can a righteous army seize the world within a year?"

"The emperor's major moves are coming one after another, and our affairs are becoming increasingly busy. It seems that we are also being driven to haste by him. But in fact, while he is in a hurry, we can slow down. While he is using overwhelming force to pressure us, we can still move around lightly, right?"

"The various rebel armies, in general, are not as strong as the imperial court. We can ask them to roam freely without attacking, gradually shrink their territory, and secure a portion of their land."

The crowd nodded slightly in agreement. Li Ying continued, "Judging from their actions and our policies, it's easy to see that our people will recover first. Once we have sufficient manpower and ample supplies, it will be our turn to overwhelm them with overwhelming force in five years at most."

Li Ying was in charge of logistics and provisions. Guan Luoyang often talked to him about this. Although some of his words seemed like conjecture and nonsense, Li Ying would just laugh them off. However, some of his words were surprisingly insightful and gave Li Ying a lot of inspiration.

The vitality of the people depends fundamentally on overall logistics.

Li Kaixian calmed down and regained the composure expected of a strategist. After a moment's thought, he said, "Brother Li Ying, what you've described is a benevolent approach, but there's a major problem with it."

Li Ying: "Oh?"

Li Kaixian said, "The military regulations set by the chieftain prohibit looting the people, so our food mainly comes from the reserves of local gentry. However, we also have to help those poor people who can't survive, so the food we keep for ourselves is just enough for our daily needs."

Daily necessities are different from wartime necessities.

The simplest example is that a person who stays at home all day and does nothing can probably survive on just a bowl of rice and a bowl of water.

But if you're doing hard labor, three bowls of rice and six bowls of water might not be enough.

If the imperial army attacks, the local rebels can retreat, but if they eventually force their way to Liangshan's territory, Liangshan will have to fight back, and at that time, they may not have enough food.

Therefore, Guan Luoyang had been commanding his troops to launch continuous attacks in order to seize more grain and alleviate this problem.

This is precisely the biggest flaw of the righteous armies that have established military rules and discipline in the world today.

Li Ying laughed and said, "Strategist, there's no need to worry too much. I think the chieftain has already been considering this issue. The benefits of our relief efforts for the people are precisely what we need to show in this regard. Those people who can't survive can go back to cultivate fertile land and practice slash-and-burn agriculture with our help."

"The first batch of grain near Liangshan has already been harvested, but the area was not large at the time, so the amount of grain harvested was not much. But if we wait another two months, the second batch of grain this year will be ripe throughout the entire Jingdong East Road area. There will be less exploitation between the people and us, they can have enough to eat and wear, and we can also have sufficient food for our soldiers."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Kaixian finally smiled and said, "Based on the previous battles, if we immediately notify the local rebel armies to change their strategy from attacking major cities to moving around and avoiding them, and find some small and medium-sized noble families to use as granaries, it should be enough to last for two months."

A cold, hoarse voice came from outside the council hall.

"I'm afraid you shouldn't be so optimistic."

Everyone turned to look and saw Dai Zong leading Han Shizhong and others towards them.

Lu Da and the others already knew that Han Shizhong had been rescued after being seriously injured. They heard that Guan Luoyang had been treating his injuries recently, and then it seemed that he had sent the couple to Liangshan.

Sure enough, Guan Sheng and the others, who had been sitting idly in the Liangshan dungeon, were now all following behind Han Shizhong, their faces extremely gloomy.

Dai Zong said, "The chief has invited General Han to participate in the meeting to discuss military strategy."

Lu Da and Li Kaixian had always admired this border army commander. After learning about his plight, they felt even more deeply for him and were so angry that they stood up and bowed to greet him.

Li Kaixian asked, "What did the general mean just now? Is there something we haven't considered?"

The one who had just spoken out against everyone was Han Shizhong. He returned the bow and said, "Based on the past situation, you cannot make that judgment."

"In the past, the generals who commanded the troops were still from the Song Dynasty. Even if they deceived themselves and acted as accomplices to evil, they were still far inferior to the person who is now commanding the army in terms of their despicable and absurd behavior."

Han Shizhong revealed a mocking sneer.

It's both satirical and self-deprecating.

He had initially thought that he could deal with the emperor later, during the retreat or even when he was secretly communicating with Liangshan, and then slowly devise a solution.

After all, no matter how absurd the emperor was, he was still someone who wanted to pacify the Western Xia. He couldn't possibly do something as ridiculous as fighting among himself on the battlefield and cutting off his own arm.

But as it turns out, Han Shizhong was too optimistic; he shouldn't have treated the other party like a human being.

"Based on my understanding of that man, his first step will be to force the various local rebel armies to abandon their own discipline. If he succeeds, and some rebel armies survive, how will Liangshan and the rebel armies coexist?"

………………

In Jiangnan, Gao Tuoshan looked at the small town streets before him, ravaged by horses' hooves, his face grim.

A soldier reported: "All the powerful families in the city have been looted. It is said that a troop of government troops came to do this. Even the slightly wealthier families had all their food stolen and are now crying out in despair."

The rebel army had just fought several battles with the elite demonic forces that came to their aid, and they were exhausted and their food supplies were running low when someone suddenly shouted.

"General, those few rogue old men and women had grain at home. They said that when the soldiers left, they didn't have time to carry some small bags of grain, so they just left them in the city, and they picked them up."

(End of this chapter)