Chapter 807: Out to Battle

"Indeed." The eldest son's words indicated his clear assessment of the domestic situation, He Chunhua's predicament, and even the rebels in Longchuan.

Such growth within a year?

"If we succeed in one strike and wipe out the main rebel force, the remaining scattered groups in Longchuan will be nothing to worry about. Father can send troops to occupy the villages and systematically clear out small pockets of enemies, advancing steadily until all remaining enemies surrender or are eliminated."

He thought to himself, if the river bandits from over a hundred years ago had dared to venture north like today's rebels, Yuheng City would have crushed them completely, without needing to go to such lengths.

He Chunhua grunted in acknowledgment: "Your idea is similar to Wu Shaoyi's."

Wu Shaoyi was originally a general under Hong Xiangqian. He was subdued by He Chunhua and his son on their way north to Xiazhou and had served He Chunhua ever since.

He was unable to fight on horseback due to illness, but his insight remained.

Did Father want him to come up with something new? He Lingchuan smiled, "This kind of mopping-up operation can be fast or slow. If it's slow, we proceed as Wu Shaoyi and I just discussed."

"And fast?"

"To be fast, we need to combine it with Father's governance strategy." He Lingchuan pointed to the location of Yazhou on the sandbox map. "You are already the Prefect of Yazhou; you have authority here. Quickly enacting benevolent policies like tax reductions and relief for the people will reduce the hostility of the villagers and rebels towards the officials and soldiers, thus accelerating our progress in reclaiming Longchuan."

Tax reductions and relief then—where would the treasury's income come from? Don't worry about it; there would be plenty of ways later.

The common people at the bottom had long been suffocated by burdens. If their load wasn't lightened now, and if they weren't truly benefited, the people and the officials would remain in opposition.

"Good, good!" He Chunhua clapped his hands. "Well said. Other strategists only talk about how to fight, without ever considering winning the people's hearts."

He sighed, "It would be wonderful if you could join me on this expedition."

"I wish I could go too, but I'm the Rongshan envoy and must remain in Yandu to oversee the allocation of the loans." He Lingchuan spread his hands helplessly. "Good steel must be used on the blade. With such limited funds, we can't let anyone misuse them, or you won't even be able to fight on the front lines."

"You're right." If the eldest son wasn't stationed in Yandu to audit the use of funds, wouldn't these millions of taels just vanish? He Chunhua was well aware of this. "We must prioritize supplying military provisions to the front lines. Generals Ke and Zhao are also facing great difficulties; we cannot let them be short of supplies."

Wu Di had even died on the northwestern front. Now, Zhao Pan had taken his place, partnering with Ke Jihai.

He Chunhua greatly admired these individuals who had dedicated themselves to the country.

"It's a pity, though, that there's a slight rift between General Zhao and General Ke; their cooperation isn't as seamless as Wu and Ke's used to be."

He Lingchuan looked at the sandbox map again.

The river bandits of that era were strong, well-equipped, and sought wealth, backed by Beijia and Jin Tao, with intertwined interests.

Today's rebels were ragged, fighting for survival, and their composition was very pure: poor peasants. If they could eat their fill, they might not rebel anymore.

Their combat strength, scale, and even their ability to prolong conflict were incomparable.

He sighed inwardly.

Time had flown by. Yuheng City and the Longchuan river bandits, those two mortal enemies from 170 years ago, had long been buried by history.

All that was past was gone; only war would begin the next cycle.

Only Beijia remained in this world, as strong as ever.

The next day, He Chunhua invited the Rongshan envoy, his eldest son, to review the troops with him.

The army's main components were the core Xiazhou army that had followed the He family south, soldiers from four nearby Zhechong Garrisons, and a portion of the Imperial Guards stationed near the capital, totaling over 45,000 men.

With too little time, He Chunhua could only organize multiple combat drills, hoping to quickly integrate this mixed army.

In He Lingchuan's view, as expected, the Xiazhou army was the strongest among them.

He still remembered He Chunhua's predicament when forming this army last year: lacking clothes, food, and clear command, and having to rack his brains for a first victory against the guerrilla cavalry from Xunzhou.

Now, however, the troops were well-disciplined and equipped, and their charges were impressive.

He Lingchuan, himself a veteran of many battles, could tell at a glance that this force had already seen combat and bloodshed, showing no panic in difficult situations.

They must have engaged in several skirmishes with the Xunzhou army.

He felt a surge of emotion. In the past year, he had grown rapidly, and He Chunhua, too, had been diligently managing things, without any slack.

Heaven helps those who help themselves. He Chunhua had gritted his teeth and waited, only lacking an opportunity.

Now, the opportunity had finally arrived, and it remained to be seen if he could seize it.

The Yan Emperor had also done his best, allocating the elites of the Imperial Guards and Zhechong Garrisons to He Chunhua. The eagerness to achieve success in a single campaign was evident from this.

With the expedition imminent, He Chunhua was as busy as a spinning top. He simply ate and slept in the military camp, not returning home.

He Lingchuan, seizing the opportunity, invited Wu Shaoyi to dinner and made a request during their meal:

"Master Wu, when you go to Yazhou, please help me find the county gazettes of Tu County from the past two hundred years. It would be best if they contain information related to Longchuan."

He couldn't go himself, so he had to find a reliable person for the task.

"Longchuan?"

"Yes, I want any clue related to Longchuan! The more detailed, the better."

Wu Shaoyi did not hesitate: "That's a small matter. Leave it to me."

He Lingchuan had saved his life, so doing this small favor in return was easy for him.

Two days later, the military supplies aided by Rongshan arrived, causing a sensation in the Royal Court.

This was life-saving money, a timely aid.

The threshold of the Yan Emperor's study was almost worn out from visitors, but under the close supervision of the Rongshan envoy and Assistant Hu, the Royal Court withstood the pressure, prioritizing provisions and funds for the two major battlefronts.

That evening, He Chunhua rushed back to the He manor to reunite with his family. Early the next morning, he led his troops south to suppress the rebellion.

The Yan Emperor personally ascended the city gate to see him off, causing quite a stir along the way.

He Lingchuan stood on the city gate with Madam Ying, watching his father turn back, wave, and smile at him.

Father and son exchanged glances across the distance, yet amidst the vast crowd, each felt a sense of distance from the other.

Despite both smiling brightly.

After that, the army marched into the distance.

The hustle and bustle of Yandu also temporarily subsided, and the crowd slowly dispersed.

Madam Ying's heart swelled with emotion, and for a while, she didn't want to return home, dragging He Lingchuan to stroll through the streets for half the day. While he could practice martial arts for half a day without issue, his legs began to ache after less than half an hour of shopping. He had to feign being busy with official duties to make his escape.

Just as he exited the street, Qiu Hu appeared out of nowhere. "Mission accomplished," he said.

He Lingchuan understood, found a restaurant, requested a private room, and poured Qiu Hu a cup of wine.

Qiu Hu kept both hands on his knees, not touching the wine cup. "Reporting, Young Master, I've been following General He for the past five days."

Although He Lingchuan was easygoing, there was still a clear hierarchy between them. Qiu Hu knew he couldn't eat and drink freely in front of his master before finishing his report.

He Lingchuan saw this and smiled faintly.

The task he had assigned Qiu Hu was to keep an eye on He Chunhua.

"What did you find?"