Volume One: The Southern River Command Chapter Fifteen: Commanding the Army

Wei Fufeng’s perspective was different. First of all, he was merely relying on the prestige of the Wei clan to deceive others and did not truly represent the Wei family of Chang’an.

In other words, he lacked a genuine backing to support him; there was no room for delay in his actions.

Moreover, forming an alliance with the aristocratic families of Luzhou might grant him the power to carve out his own territory, but such ownership would always be subject to the control of those aristocrats. Even if the partition succeeded, they could easily sideline Wei Fufeng and reduce him to a puppet, or even strip him of his authority as military governor.

Previously, to avoid being controlled by others, Wei Fufeng had decisively executed Wang Meng.

Li Song’s initiative allowed him to go along with the situation and turn it to his advantage. He would only pursue his own interests, never allowing himself to be led by others.

In truth, Wei Fufeng had no confidence in securing his position for the long term. His actions were mainly aimed at gaining immediate benefits, that is, lifting himself out of poverty and obscurity.

Wei Fufeng reasoned that Gu Yanlang, the military governor of Eastern Sichuan, would never tolerate the partition of Luzhou. Even with Yang Shouliang feigning an attack elsewhere to distract him, Gu Yanlang could still mobilize an army of over ten thousand to storm Luzhou.

Ten thousand well-trained regular troops could easily defeat tens of thousands of ragtag militia. Even if they could hold out for a while, Luzhou could not sustain a prolonged conflict.

...

Wei Fufeng settled in the city of Lu County. An Ran arranged a residence for him, a mansion with three courtyards, and proactively assigned two hundred militia to serve under Wei Fufeng.

Wei Fufeng was satisfied with An Ran’s ‘cooperation,’ but many worries lingered, mostly the looming threat from the military governor of Eastern Sichuan and the fear that An Ran might send someone to Zizhou to verify his credentials.

He was also concerned whether the Luzhou aristocrats would respond to Li Song’s overtures, that is, whether they would secretly support him during the recruitment period.

This was crucial. If the aristocrats supported him, the recruitment would naturally yield more men.

Wei Fufeng set himself a five-day limit. He would stay in Luzhou for only five days; if things did not go well, he would decisively abandon the venture and leave.

However, he believed the chances of gaining aristocratic support were high. As the prefect of a neighboring province, Li Song would surely have connections with Luzhou’s former prefects.

Since he was here, he might as well settle in. Wei Fufeng first familiarized himself with the two hundred militia.

The two hundred stood in neat formation before the main hall; in fact, there were two hundred and thirteen altogether.

Twenty squads of soldiers, eight squad leaders and vice-leaders, four guards, and a company commander.

Of the two hundred, only the company commander wore full armor, while the guards and squad leaders wore chain mail.

Most soldiers were dressed in simple linen tunics and trousers, a few in rattan armor. Their weapons were mostly spears, though one squad of archers caught Wei Fufeng’s attention.

Wei Fufeng warmly asked for the names of all the leaders. Apart from the company commander, who was calm, the rest were respectful yet somewhat timid.

Wei Fufeng understood why: these militiamen came from humble backgrounds and instinctively feared officials, while he was clearly a high-ranking noble.

Having reviewed the militia, Wei Fufeng returned to the rear quarters.

The rear quarters were divided into east and west, with a corridor leading straight to the ancestral hall at the back. From the corridor, one could access the east and west courtyards. Clearly, this mansion was built for a high official and could house hundreds.

Upon entering the rear quarters, the attendant maid respectfully greeted him and led him to see Lin Qingxue.

As he walked, Wei Fufeng inquired about Luzhou and learned about the Gao family, an official clan with sixty years of history in Luzhou.

The Luo family had a legacy of over two hundred years, their ancestors being of the Liao tribe.

The Zhao family of Naxi County were newcomers, arriving just over a decade ago.

The Zhao family belonged to Han officials appointed as prefects from outside, who used their positions to settle in Luzhou and eventually became one of its prominent families.

This meant the Zhao family had lived under several military governors of Eastern Sichuan. Perhaps Wang Meng had acquaintance with the Luzhou Zhao family?

Wei Fufeng speculated based on what he learned. Wang Meng had urgently proposed a surprise attack on Luzhou; without a strong inside ally to pull into an alliance, such an attack would surely lead to disaster.

...

Entering the east courtyard, he found lush flowerbeds, a small pavilion, a well, all surrounded by two-story buildings with sweeping eaves—a truly pleasant place.

Lin Qingxue stood in the pavilion, accompanied by a maid in fine clothes.

Outside the pavilion, four servants stood attentively. As Wei Fufeng entered, Lin Qingxue’s delicate face remained calm.

“Do you find this place agreeable, sister?” Wei Fufeng asked with a smile as he approached.

“It’s very good, fitting for your status,” Lin Qingxue replied softly.

Wei Fufeng’s lips curled in a wry smile. Fitting for his status? He was merely a transient guest here; if he could take this mansion with him, he would have fled already. In short, he was here to seek fortune.

The atmosphere fell silent. After a while, Lin Qingxue spoke quietly: “This is the concubine sent to you by the prefect of Luzhou.”

Wei Fufeng was taken aback and turned to look at the finely dressed maid beside Lin Qingxue.

The maid was thirteen or fourteen, her face white as jade, features delicate—undoubtedly a rare beauty.

“I, Ning’er, greet you, sir. May you be blessed,” the maid said respectfully, her voice gentle and smooth.

“Master An truly is thoughtful,” Wei Fufeng murmured, somewhat wistfully. Though he was a descendant of the Wei clan, he could not even have a servant maid, while the legitimate sons were attended by seven or eight beauties and a dozen servants.

After a pause, Wei Fufeng added, “From now on, your name shall be Xiaoxue. Lin Qingxue is your mistress.”

The maid hesitated, then replied respectfully, “Thank you, sir, for naming me Xiaoxue.”

She then turned to Lin Qingxue and bowed: “I, Xiaoxue, greet you, mistress. I wish to be your confidante.”

Lin Qingxue was silent. Wei Fufeng said, “Sister, I am tired. I’ll go rest.”

Lin Qingxue nodded quietly. Wei Fufeng left the pavilion, instructing a subordinate to summon Old Feng to Luzhou.

He retired to another courtyard to rest, considering possible future events and taking precautions.

...

The next morning, Wei Fufeng was invited to take charge of the militia. Under their escort, he arrived at the military camp outside the east city gate. The prefect, An Ran, had not yet arrived.

Even so, the militia’s commanders, company commander, quartermaster, and registrar all gathered to greet Wei Fufeng.

Wei Fufeng asked for their names in a friendly manner.

By the time An Ran arrived, Wei Fufeng had already acquainted himself with the officers.

An Ran, as the highest-ranking official of the militia, exchanged a few polite words, then, with drums beating, formally transferred command in front of the officers.

After the handover, Wei Fufeng saw An Ran off. As they walked outside, Wei Fufeng said softly, “The beautiful maid is wonderful. Thank you, sir.”

An Ran smiled, replying, “Ning’er comes from an official family; she is well suited to serve you.”

Wei Fufeng nodded with a smile. An Ran then spoke earnestly: “Sir Wei, the conscription order has been issued. I will do my utmost to support you.”

“Master An, your support is deeply appreciated,” Wei Fufeng responded politely.

“But once the troops are gathered, there will inevitably be the risk of rebellion. Sir Wei, you must act prudently and not tolerate any disturbances among your men,” An Ran admonished.

“Rest assured, sir. I will keep a close watch and never overlook any misconduct,” Wei Fufeng replied solemnly.

...

An Ran nodded with satisfaction and returned to Lu County. Wei Fufeng watched until he was out of sight, then returned to the camp, exchanged pleasantries with the officers, and dismissed them.

The following day, large numbers of able-bodied men were brought to the camp by the yamen runners. Wei Fufeng personally organized their reception, registering those who could read, had artisan skills, or martial prowess. By the end of the day, five thousand had reported, most of them refugees.

On the third day, Wei Fufeng suddenly announced a new military system, establishing the Eight Prefectures Army of Zhuge.

All soldiers were divided into eight prefectures, named Qian, Kun, Li, and so forth.

Each prefecture had an Agricultural Commissioner in charge. Prefecture leaders managed soldiers at the squad level, but the Agricultural Commissioner had no authority to deploy troops.

Besides the Eight Prefectures, there were the White Tiger Hall, the Governor’s Office, and the Transport Bureau.

The White Tiger Hall oversaw officers; all squad leaders and above lost direct subordinates, retaining only personal guards according to their rank.

Military posts included Commanders, Marshals, and Tooth Generals, with separate ranks.

The Governor’s Office handled supervision and the assessment and recording of military achievements.

The Transport Bureau managed logistics, pay, and the distribution of rewards.

Upon the announcement of the new system, the militia officers’ expressions changed; the reform stripped them of their military authority and most of their benefits.

They had relied on skimming and exploiting their subordinates to satisfy their official prestige and gain profit.

After his announcement, Wei Fufeng ignored their disgruntled faces and immediately appointed the Agricultural Commissioners and other officials for the prefectures.

Prefecture officials were all new recruits, mostly from Huainan and Jingnan.

Once appointed, Wei Fufeng personally assigned soldiers to their respective prefectures.

It was simple: he called out squad leaders to their designated prefectures, then had prefecture leaders inform their soldiers according to the orders he drafted.

After this, Wei Fufeng, exhausted by a day’s work, returned home to rest, anxious until late at night, fearing the officers might revolt. But nothing happened.

The next morning, the camp continued receiving new recruits and began holding martial contests to select officers.

Those skilled in combat could become squad leaders or be promoted to Tooth Generals.

As for the original officers, Wei Fufeng’s conciliatory approach was to raise their rank and salary, then test the new system.

The White Tiger Hall issued orders to the officers, who took them to the Governor’s Office for registration, then to the eight prefectures to lead their assigned troops, and finally executed the White Tiger Hall’s orders.

After carrying out the orders, squad leaders and their soldiers returned to their prefectures, and officers reported back to the White Tiger Hall. Wei Fufeng’s trial run of the new system was simply a patrol.

The system was not complicated: it separated the soldiers from their officers, so the rank-and-file were no longer permanently attached to a superior.

Wei Fufeng was very concerned about the possibility of mutiny, but although the officers showed dissatisfaction, they obeyed orders.

After a day of implementing the new system, everyone understood it well.

Following the reform, the number of recruits surged.

Upon investigation, Wei Fufeng learned they came from the three major aristocratic families’ tenant farmers.

He realized that Li Song’s connections had borne fruit and also understood why the militia officers behaved—they dared not stir trouble without the aristocrats’ backing.