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“Can strategists really not ascend the throne?”
Chapter 81: Riding the Wave
Six hundred stones, twenty heads of merit.
By the numbers, that’s absolutely correct.
But for an average official, the benefits enjoyed by a six hundred stone official could easily double their annual salary, and if it’s a prominent position…wow, amazing!
Right now, Xi Zhicai in Leping is enjoying extra perks too, like his spending on drinks and supply of stationery—it’s not much less than a true six hundred stone official.
On the flip side, while it seems impressive that the first achievement in combat is worth thirty stones, in reality…?
The reward for a sole division is split among the backline soldiers—no more than one-tenth! Unless you’re willing to risk death in the frontlines armed with a spear, you’d need to kill or capture around two hundred enemies just to earn that twenty heads of merit.
This is not something you can achieve easily over a few battles.
However, that doesn’t stop Xi Zhicai from utilizing this comparison to boost his motivation for a raise, especially because—
It’s not just for himself!
He definitely needs to give Qiao Yan a nudge upwards!
Otherwise, not only will the high-ranking scholars and generals not see a salary increase, but recruiting more talent will be tough as they won’t have solid bargaining chips.
Guo Jia couldn’t help but roll his eyes at Xi Zhicai’s remark.
“If you really envy the fixed reward of twenty heads, why not join the battle yourself? I saw you bragging two years ago about climbing mountains and hills, now it should be easy for you in armor, leading the procession, marching a thousand miles!”
Xi Zhicai: “…”
Let’s not go there.
The flag weighs over one hundred sixty Han jins, which is like forty kilograms! It’s a major symbol of the central army.
That’s the kind of job better suited for Dian Wei.
As for him…he might as well go chat with Mi Zhu from the Donghai Mi Clan.
To think Qiao Yan could propose a reform version of the merit reward system at such a time—it’s something Xi Zhicai hadn’t anticipated.
Given her current reputation and the advantageous conditions in Leping compared to Bingzhou, she could very well motivate the people just by pledging to safeguard Leping and stabilize Bingzhou.
After all, none of the soldiers from Leping, the displaced, or the Black Mountain Bandits wanted to revert to life three years prior.
Still, the fact that she dared to suggest even a rudimentary framework for a merit reward system showed her decisiveness—a clear sign of someone who ought to be in a high position like a provincial governor.
Now, the question arises: the prerequisite for this reward system is sufficient grain.
Yam planting may have accumulated rice for the past three years at the expense of soil fertility, but that doesn’t mean they can keep using that method with an expanding force and more frequent battles.
Bingzhou’s agricultural land has strong geographical limitations, and the north breeds livestock while the south focuses on agriculture—hard to change.
This effectively halves the farmland.
Unfortunately, the Xiongnu and Xianbei tribes outside Bingzhou aren’t easily tamed, which means long-term expenses at the border.
For the past two years, Leping’s government storehouse could manage the consumption, but that may not hold up for long.
Better to bring in some outside support.
And while at it, why not consider the self-sacrificing lads from the Donghai Mi Clan?
Don’t think Xi Zhicai can’t see through it; he might have initially been after his fishing rod, but now he’s more curious about toothpaste and soap, having keenly noticed their hidden market potential.
Unfortunately, these items can’t be picked up just by looking at their shape like the plows currently being debated in the academy.
If he wants to delve into this business, he’ll have to talk money with Leping.
Thanks to the letter from Qiao Yan, Cheng Li will be fretting over granary allocations, so he, the idler, might as well look to hook Mi Zhu up.
He casually bantered a few words with Guo Jia and planned to head out to find someone.
But then he heard Guo Jia say, “On this clear autumn day, I suppose I’ll go out for a stroll.”
He shot a puzzled look at Guo Jia. That didn’t sound simple at all. “Where are you heading for a stroll?”
Guo Jia yawned, grabbed a wine jug, and slowly got up. “To Pingzhou, I’ll walk far enough to sober up.”
In the main tent of the Pingzhou military camp, Qiao Yan was deep in thought.
Her mulberry bark paper was filled with her definitions for performance and merit during battles, but the floor was also littered with crumpled paper.
Dian Wei, noticing her troubled expression, casually said, “If you want to know the rewards for defeating generals and seizing flags, why not let me try it all next time we fight? After all, I don’t lie.”
Qiao Yan paused her pen and smudged ink on the paper, “…You can say that here, but don’t go blabbing outside.”
Dian Wei’s comment was indeed a bit antagonistic.
Qiao Yan felt conflicted; if she lets him into battle, for others it’s tough to take a head—but for him and Zhao Yun, it might be as easy as pie.
Zhao Yun is reasonable, he’s someone who would prioritize commanding the army, but Dian Wei is more suited to lead the guards—well, it’s a bit evident…
Wouldn’t he end up racking in two thousand stones from one battle?
Qiao Yan felt the situation was questionable.
Given this, shouldn’t she set a price for annual battle participation?
Qiao Yan realized she needed to add a restriction, scribbling another line on the paper to prevent serious revenue imbalance between civilians and military officials.
Dian Wei scratched his head, not grasping why Qiao Yan didn’t want him saying that outside, nor why she seemed to look at him with gratitude.
But he sensed that gratitude wasn’t a good sign.
However, this restriction—or limiting rewards for military officers—was undoubtedly necessary.
The lethality of top generals against regular soldiers magnifies significantly, especially when cavalry charges against infantry.
For example, out by the Weishi Fortress right now.
Li Le had just heard a commotion coming from behind and turned fast enough to see the fierce cavalry smashing into their ranks, tearing through the formation like a ship splitting waves.
He gasped, and quickly noticed behind that spear-wielding young general were hundreds of infantry, rapidly sandwiching them between the advancing enemies and the Weishi Fortress!
But amidst this predicament, his gaze was entirely glued to Zhao Yun.
This was truly an impressive commander.
So impressive that as the young rider charged in, no one could match the brilliance of his spear skills, nor withstand the sweeping assault!
In what felt like the blink of an eye, he saw Zhao Yun dart toward the nearest leader and impale him with one thrust.
With the freshly brightening sky, a splash of warm blood was suddenly cast.
Faced with such an overwhelming cavalry charge, a leader being struck head-on stood no chance of survival.
Li Le clenched his teeth, feeling as if the one being struck wasn’t the poor soul but himself.
Who knew that the leader Zhao Yun broke through to kill was none other than Yang Da, sent by Yang Feng to work alongside them!
What terrible luck…
He couldn’t help but grumble within.
Before he’d lines up his troops after Hu Cai’s death, then flipped the script with Yang Feng, Yang Da dying here would bring him nothing but harm, escalating the tensions further.
But the fact is, Zhao Yun wasn’t just randomly picking his target.
During the previous battle in the mountains, he had a moment of connection with Han Xian, and in the early dawn’s light and from his viewpoint atop a horse, it was enough for him to recognize the man.
Recognizing Han Xian was one thing; Zhao Yun also spotted Li Le not too far behind him.
These two were too clearly bonded, making the one in another direction stand out facing the same protective tendency.
With Hu Cai already dead, the odds of this person being part of Yang Feng’s camp skyrocketed.
Upon realizing this, Zhao Yun made the brushstroke decision to kill him first!
In the heat of battle, a commander must have their own judgment; there was hardly time to ask Qiao Yan for guidance and wait for feedback.
So, engage!
As he aimed his spear, upon hearing the soldiers call out “Little General Yang,” Zhao Yun was confirmed that this quick, almost assassination-like act was the right move.
He followed up with a fierce thrust, deflecting the weapons coming at him from Yang Da’s subordinates, maintaining his dominance without slowing.
Along with the advancing cavalry behind him, they ensured none of Yang Da’s men could retaliate.
“`
“So fierce it’s downright shocking!”
But really, it’s not hard to understand. After all, the folks from Leping just got wind that this whole beheading-for-credits scheme was in action, and right before they set off with Zhao Yun and Zhang Yang for battle, they had been neatly arranged into teams of five.
Now was their golden opportunity to rake in some loot!
Qiao Yan had made it clear before they left: this fight was all about intimidation and killing! No need to fret over the rules on taking prisoners; just kill and push them back first. That really freed them up.
“Move! Why are you just standing there? Hurry up!”
Han Xian yanked the dazed Li Le, who was practically stunned into silence by Yang Da’s death, and dragged him away.
If Zhao Yun recognized him, he sure as heck would recognize Zhao Yun!
Seeing the guy again, the one who had nearly wiped him out last time, Han Xian was just about to buckle at the knees right there.
Last time, the terrain had slowed them down from charging in full throttle, but now they could go all out.
Based on Zhao Yun’s fatal charge, it was clear he was much better suited to fighting from horseback.
There was no time to wonder how Zhao Yun seemed to have read their moves and showed up here; all that mattered was escaping!
Han Xian was especially glad that he was still a bit far from Zhao Yun, giving him a chance to flee.
Li Le, who got pulled along, quickly realized this was no time to worry about Yang Da’s demise; staying alive was the top priority.
If they were only facing infantry, he might have thought about gathering the troops for a stand, but now they had cavalry!
The casualties from a cavalry charge would send his men scattering in no time! If he didn’t run now, he might not get another chance!
Both commanders agreed on the wise choice of retreat, which left their soldiers in a tough spot.
In the chaos of battle, one side running for their lives while the other pursues only served to intensify the power struggle, not to mention Zhao Yun and Zhang Yang had the mission to definitely take these White Wave bandits down a notch.
Once the thunderous hoofbeats that sounded like death itself faded behind Han Xian and Li Le, they finally confirmed they had escaped and looked back to see how many had followed them; it was just a handful, like a few mewing kittens.
Fortunately for them, unbeknownst to their plight, Zhao Yun had taken pity and held back a bit, which allowed them to regroup some of their crew.
In this disheveled situation, Li Le whispered, “What should we do now?”
What should they do?
Han Xian glanced at the few straggling subordinates and understood why Li Le was asking such a question.
For any commander, losing once is terrifying enough; losing repeatedly is the stuff of nightmares, especially since defeat could mean a death sentence. For the bandits who chose this life, it would be a massive blow to morale.
The ones who trailed behind weren’t so much loyal to them as they were still stuck with no better options than being bandits.
But if they couldn’t explain why this raid had failed with such heavy losses, they’d likely end up as corpses on someone’s sword—a nice gift for Yang Feng!
Han Xian kept his face straight and said quietly, “We need to find a scapegoat.”
Right, they had to identify a fitting scapegoat.
People like them never wanted to own up to their failures, especially not to acknowledge that there was such a massive gap in strength compared to the troops under the Marquis of Leping.
So, someone else had to take the fall for this defeat.
Considering they couldn’t afford to completely offend Yang Feng—otherwise they might not see the rest of their men still up in the mountains—they exchanged a knowing glance, understanding each other’s thoughts perfectly.
Who would be their target for blame?
Only Xu Huang!
Han Xian immediately headed over to the troops that came with Yang Da, ignoring the angry glares aimed his way, he said, “Just hear me out for a moment.”
Seeing the hesitance to stop from the other side, Han Xian seized the moment: “The Marquis of Leping isn’t some sort of omnipotent being. It’s clear we shouldn’t have let our actions be so transparent! We just arrived at the Wei clan’s fortress, and they followed right after us. What does that mean?”
Wei Ji had instinctively perceived the crisis implied in his name; he wasn’t one of those who thought the Wei clan was a pushover.
So when Han Xian put it this way, the men under Yang Feng actually started to think there might be something fishy going on.
“So what do you mean, Han Commander?”
“Our movements must have been reported to the Marquis of Leping, which led to our current disaster.” The more Han Xian tossed around the blame, the more he convinced even himself it had to be true.
He seamlessly continued, “General Yang’s concern for Young General Yang is paramount, and he wouldn’t risk both of us to take out Young General. He’s generous, and having accepted both me and Li Le here, he wouldn’t deceive us. Only by working together can we stand against the Marquis of Leping!”
“Who could possibly do such a thing?”
“Guo Jia could, or… Xu Huang?” The White Wave bandit, led on by Han Xian, blurted out.
“I fear Xu Huang is the more likely culprit!” Li Le jumped in.
“He thought our attack on the Wei clan fortress was unfeasible and wouldn’t let us succeed! By leaking our movements, he used others to thwart us, proving his prior words while arousing zero suspicion—what a perfect situation for him!”
“But… Young General Yang and he are both Yang Feng’s right-hand men?” one of Yang Feng’s men asked, puzzled.
“Those right-hand men don’t hold a candle to someone who is a sole dependent,” Han Xian said heavily, “Not to mention, how do you know Xu Huang doesn’t harbor ambitions of replacing Yang Feng?”
“Of course, this is all just speculation. We’ll simply tell Yang Feng that we fell to others’ ambush.”
After saying that, Han Xian sighed, putting on an act of “I’m just here to help” that made the bandit he’d led into this become even more confused about the situation.
All he could think was that once he laid eyes on Yang Feng, he’d tell him exactly what went down. How to judge would surely be clearer for Yang Feng than him.
Unfortunately, they were in such a rush to escape that nobody even bothered to haul away Yang Da’s body, leaving them with no clue how to explain things to Yang Feng.
The subordinate soldiers mulled over these matters, while Han Xian and Li Le evaluated their expressions, fearful that their excuse hadn’t successfully duped everyone, creating an unusually silent troop.
But heaven must have been on their side, as just before they made it back to the mountains, they bumped into Xu Huang’s troops again.
Only this time, the differences in numbers were minimal compared to when they went down.
Moreover—
XU Huang’s side was definitely having a triumphant return.
The guys pushing the food carts were positively glowing, whispering to one another about how the Zhao clan from Jixian was more show than substance, creating a striking contrast in morale between the two parties.
As the two sides met, it was a clear divide—day and night.
Han Xian and Li Le felt an indescribable discomfort.
They even thought Xu Huang’s glance towards them was mocking.
But that was terribly unjust to Xu Huang.
He was known for his generosity and integrity; he’d never even entertain the thought of kicking someone when they were down. Instead, now that he saw them, he furrowed his brow and asked, “Where’s Yang Da?”
Just when he could have stayed quiet, that question came out, and all the men around him shot him looks of utter resentment.
Xu Huang would never mistake such looks.
Their undisguised expressions of blame were unmistakable when they melded together.
His gut told him Yang Da had likely bitten the dust, but it felt worse than that; facing their demeanor, he sensed something ominous.
While these White Wave bandits were scurrying back and forth, Qiao Yan was sitting pretty.
She may not know that when these bandits were finally guided together, they faced the combined might of Zhao Yun and Zhang Yang, and how Qing Zhicai would interpret this “nearby allure” or “distant stench.”
But ultimately, the difference was only whether she could successfully recruit Xu Huang or capture a few prisoners.
This little nuance didn’t change one fact.
Since she stepped out of Leping after two years, she was aiming for a decisive victory that would change everything.
The unfolding developments were just steering her toward that goal.
With this calm demeanor, even as she camped at Pingzhou, she hadn’t abandoned her training routine from her Leping days.
Starting at dawn, she practiced her spear technique, archery, and horsemanship, finishing up just as the sun rose completely.
When Guo Jia arrived at Pingzhou, it was right around this time.
He was led in front of Qiao Yan, who hadn’t let being in the field ease her focus. At that moment, she accepted a silk handkerchief from a servant and wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck.
Having just set her spear down, the sweatband around her wrist was still on, and when she turned to look at Guo Jia, she gave off an aura that could probably knock him out with a single punch.
“What brings you here?” Qiao Yan was a little surprised to see him arriving solo.
Of course, what he said next was pretty unexpected, too.
Guo Jia tried hard to shift his gaze from her wrist to meet her eyes, replying, “I believed the credit-for-heads system proposed by Marquis Qiao had some uncertainties, which is why I came to see you.”
