Chapter 782: Standing Still

Lady Ying shook her head. "Send it to the eldest young master's courtyard. Make sure it's a complete set, or the master will be displeased again."

Her eldest son had disappeared last summer in Hanhe. When she and He Yue received the devastating news, they felt struck by lightning and found it hard to accept.

Seven or eight months had passed in the blink of an eye.

The dead were gone, but the living had to carry on. Lady Ying had already moved forward, yet He Chunhua still insisted that their new residence in Shihuan must have proper living quarters reserved for their eldest son.

"Chuan'er isn't dead."

He was very firm, and Lady Ying didn't know where his confidence came from.

But she didn't object.

It was good to keep a remembrance.

Lady Ying sighed, shaking off that trace of emotion. No matter what, her husband's promotion was a tremendous blessing.

Soon after they arrived in Shihuan City, their new residence was already bustling with visitors. All the dignitaries from the capital came to offer their congratulations.

Everyone knew the Emperor Yuan's purpose in recalling He Chunhua.

At such a tumultuous time, if Marquis Wu'an could win a few more battles or reclaim some lost territory, he would become a rising military star in Great Yuan, attracting widespread attention!

Two rapid promotions within two years, each time leaping so high—who wouldn't want to get acquainted with such a rising figure?

If you ignored him now, tomorrow he might be beyond your reach.

However, He Chunhua was busy with crucial military and political affairs, so the social calls fell to his capable wife. Though Lady Ying complained, "I'm exhausted," she was secretly quite pleased.

She had transformed from the impoverished wife of a frontier county governor into the mistress of the Marquis Wu'an's Residence!

Steward Wu added, "Oh, by the way, Ding Zuodong just arrived in Shihuan City and will bring the account books tomorrow morning."

Lady Ying asked curiously, "Did he finish settling the properties in Dunyu so quickly?"

Ding Zuodong was originally a steward under her eldest son, managing his finances. After He Lingchuan's disappearance in the water, He Chunhua, recognizing Ding Zuodong's talent, brought him into his household.

Of course, Ding was not the only steward in the He family. Before the He family moved from Dunyu, they specifically left Ding Zuodong behind to sell off their properties. He himself was from Dunyu and was very familiar with such matters.

Lady Ying hadn't expected Ding Zuodong to work so quickly.

"He didn't sell the house for a pittance, did he?" She had meticulously decorated that house, only for the He family to move south again less than three months after it was finished.

All that effort and time had gone to waste. Lady Ying sincerely hoped they could settle permanently in Shihuan City this time and not have to move again anytime soon.

Steward Wu offered a fair assessment: "He handles matters quite reliably."

There was still a lingering chill in early May; days were warm, but nights turned cool. A maid came to bring a hand warmer. Lady Ying gazed at the icy silk cracks on the "Spring Glimpse" hand warmer and sighed again.

The hand warmer was still beautiful, but the person who gave it was gone.

Dinner time was Lady Ying's most anticipated moment of reunion. He Chunhua and He Yue finally rushed back.

Lady Ying quickly helped them remove their outer garments and called for someone to serve dinner. "Why are you so late?"

"Something came up," He Chunhua said, covering his face with a hot towel and exhaling slowly.

Lady Ying noticed her husband's fatigue. "Is the Emperor still urging you to deploy troops?"

"Do you need to ask?" He Chunhua said, sitting down at the table. "Today, Imperial Grand Tutor Yan invited me for tea, but it was actually to convey the Emperor's will, saying that the armies from the Hebei and Yian Regional Commands are ready and are also to be placed under my command."

He Yue, having washed his hands, also came over. "Father, have you still decided not to move the troops?"

"We can't," He Chunhua replied, picking up some food. "There aren't enough provisions or horses."

"But Imperial Grand Tutor Yan..."

"The Imperial Grand Tutor helped us a lot in returning to the capital, so I should show him respect," He Chunhua said calmly. "But the situation is bad. You've seen Wu Di's fate, and how humiliated Zhao Pan was when he was transferred from the eastern front to plug holes in the northwest. I cannot follow in their footsteps."

No attendants were kept in the dining hall, as the He family father and son often discussed state affairs at the dinner table.

He Yue also remembered clearly: "When General Zhao was fighting Nian Zanli on the northern front, his army often ran out of food, and logistics were stretched thin. I recall General Zhao had to retreat to the banks of the Han River then, holding a strategic natural stronghold to defend himself."

"Provisions must precede the army's movement," He Chunhua shook his head. "Now they want me to deploy troops even though provisions cannot be gathered. Ha, if 1,500 cavalrymen have only 700 horses, are two men supposed to charge on one?"

He Yue said in a low voice, "Last autumn, the south had a good harvest, but the taxes were too heavy. Farmers were allowed to keep only two out of every ten catties of grain harvested; the rest had to be turned over."

"During wartime, money and provisions must be supplied to the northwest front. Even so, the northwest still lacks clothing and food. I heard that dozens of Ke Jihai's soldiers froze to death last month."

Lady Ying listened with a heavy heart. "When will this war ever end?"

"It won't end," He Yue explained to his mother, lowering his voice for the latter part. "Grand Marshal Dong Haoming is rebelling, his ambition set on the throne. He will not cease his attacks until he takes control of Yuan Capital."

Lady Ying murmured, "If he really breaks in, what will we do?"

"It's not that easy for Dong Haoming to break in here. Don't say disheartening things, my dear," He Chunhua shook his head. "I will have to go south eventually, but not now. I need to pick the right moment."

Two years ago, he killed Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu; last year, he intercepted Nian Zanli's southward advance and then reclaimed Haozhou. With numerous victories, his career was currently smooth sailing.

At this point, he needed to cherish his reputation and avoid fighting battles he wasn't confident he could win.

He Chunhua knew very well that his victories in those battles last year were mainly due to his advantageous position, having both geographical and human support. Xia Prefecture was his territory; he had manpower, and provisions were supplied by the four major clans.

With soldiers, money, and provisions, he had confidence in battle and a higher margin for error.

But if he were to lead troops to fight in the south, that wasn't his territory, and provision supplies would depend entirely on royal court allocations.

He Chunhua had deeply experienced how unreliable the Yuan Imperial Court's logistics were.

When he was the Governor of Xia Prefecture, the Yuan Imperial Court had assigned him the task of supplying provisions to General Zhao Pan's army on the front lines.

When Ke Jihai was fighting fiercely on the northwest front, he specifically rushed back to Yuan Capital just to demand provisions.

Zhao Pan led troops to support the northwest front, ran out of food on the way, and his army mutinied...

He Chunhua certainly didn't believe he would receive much support from the rear when leading troops south. If he sent someone back to Yuan Capital to urge for provisions, the Emperor would only send continuous messages:

"Hold on... hold on... persevere... persevere..."

As for how to hold on and how to persevere, that would depend on He Chunhua's own capabilities.

He wasn't a local strongman there; what capabilities would he possess? Would he also allow his army to loot the common people, like Zhao Pan did?

Warfare was about logistics. Without food, medicine, or morale, how could he suppress the rebellion?

Moreover, compared to the southern rebellion, the Emperor of Great Yuan was more wary of the Grand Marshal in the northwest, and would therefore prioritize logistics resources for Ke Jihai's and Zhao Pan's armies.

There was only so much porridge; if others took more, He Chunhua would get even less.