Chapter Forty-Four: Chess Pieces

  Kuo Yao-shih, a native of Tieh-chou in Hopei province, was recruited by the Khitan to lead troops from Liao-tung and was known as the "Yuan-chun" army. After the fall of the Liao dynasty, Kuo Yao-shih led his troops to surrender to the Sung with the two prefectures of Cho and I. The Sung court appointed him as a deputy under Wang An-chung to guard Yen-shan mountain. Therefore when Tsai Yu mentioned the name of "tiger-wolf" generals, Chao Hsiao thought of him first.

  The officials all said so, Cai You naturally did not dare to refute, and repeatedly agreed. Emperor Taizong was angry at the defeat of the Song army, but thinking that the hundred-year-old enemy Khitan had perished, the Jin state had continuously sent envoys to show goodwill to the Song, and the Yan-Yun region had a tiger-like general Guo Yao-shi guarding it, the world was peaceful, what else could be worried about? It's just that the bandits in Hebei and Shandong rose together, really hateful, so he said to Cai You: "Pass on my edict, order Zhang Shu-ye, the governor of Jinan, to wipe out the bandits within a limited time, while urging the Anfu envoy of Daming to let the militia camp march quickly."

  Cai You thought to himself, although Xu Wei had won a battle earlier, in reality he had only annihilated and captured several hundred people. That Wang Shan of Shandong, with his tens of thousands of followers, was someone that even Zhang Shu Ye couldn't suppress, so sending Xu Wei's few hundred men would be of what use? It's likely not enough to even fill the gap between their teeth, but since you've spoken, there's no going back. Xu Wei this time... forget it, the die has been cast, can't do anything about it now. As a small pawn on either side, losing him would just be losing him, and one could only blame that little brat for being unlucky. However, if Xu Wei were to lose, not only would it give Cai Ze and others an excuse to attack himself, but how could the strategy of recruiting local braves to suppress bandits continue?

  "What's wrong? Another problem?" Zhao Ji asked, seeing that he had been silent for a long time. A talented scholar is truly one of a kind, but unfortunately, his fate was to be an emperor. The later generations' poem wasn't written in vain: "With a white face and eyes looking up at the blue sky, as bright as jade trees swaying in the wind." This indeed described this kind of person.

  Cai Yi saw the official's face with an unhappy expression, and he trembled with fear, hastily saying: "I obey your orders! However... those famous local braves, although they are good at fighting, this time leaving their hometown, as guest soldiers in a foreign land, it must be difficult for them. The treatment is extremely poor, the equipment is also bad, isn't it..."

  Next to him, Cai Gu heard this and was about to interject when the official asked: "What kind of treatment is the militia receiving at present?"

  "Your Majesty, according to the treatment of the imperial guard, their pay will be reduced by half, they will have to provide their own weapons and equipment, and there will be no compensation for casualties..."

  Cai Yi had not finished speaking when Cai Zhong suddenly interjected, "Since they are local militiamen, their treatment naturally cannot be compared to that of the regular army. Otherwise, what would be the point of the imperial court using them?"

  "Although that's the case, the village militia is currently helping the government troops. Even if they can't be on an equal footing with the government troops, at least they should provide support in terms of weapons and equipment." Cai You stared at his younger brother, emphasizing his words.

  Cai Que still wanted to muddy the waters, but Zhao Ji was already impatient. At first, Cai You had agreed to allow local recruitment of militia to defend against bandits, and there was one thing that moved him the most - it could save money. Because the official army's expedition was extremely costly, the militia camp had two advantages: firstly, their military pay was low, and secondly, they didn't need to provide compensation for casualties. The court almost only had to worry about feeding them. Thinking of this, he said: "What Yue said is indeed true, if we treat the militia the same as the official army, then what's the point of using the militia?"

  Cai You wanted to say something else, but seeing that the official was already impatient, he could only sigh silently. This bitter situation, Xu Wei's trip this time, the outcome is obvious, the strategy of recruiting local militia to suppress bandits will likely be ruined by his father and brother. What can be done about it?

  The military order from the Grand Pacification Commissioner's office arrived in Xiajin a few days later, urging Xu Wei to set out immediately and assist in the war effort in Shandong. Along with the military order came a personal letter from Xu Sheng. When he learned of the imperial court's dispatch of the Jingwei militia camp to assist in the war effort in Shandong while at the Grand Pacification Commissioner's office, he was shocked. How could Xu Wei's militia camp, which had less than 1,000 soldiers, possibly withstand the tens of thousands of bandits? Even if they were only assisting Governor Zhang in battle, from the Grand Pacification Commissioner's office to Zhaqing Prefecture, they would have to pass through Qi and Yun prefectures. These two places were precisely where the bandit problem was most severe. The militia camp could not possibly pass through safely and rendezvous with Governor Zhang.

  Considering this, he found Zheng Jianya, thinking that even if he couldn't help his ninth brother in terms of military strength, at least he could get some equipment and armor. Who would have thought that Zheng Jianya actually closed the door and refused to see him? Xu Sheng was anxious and had someone convey a message saying that this time no one could help Xu Wei because there were people above who wanted Xu Wei's militia camp to be destroyed. Xu Sheng was both shocked and angry, and in his letter he repeatedly urged Xu Wei to drag things out if possible, and if not, it would be better to lose his official position than to die in vain.

  The Jingwei camp, the sky has darkened, and the soldiers who have undergone a day of rigorous training are gathered in their tents, reciting military rules. A team of patrolling soldiers holding long guns occasionally passes through the camp area, everything looks neat and orderly. With the addition of Western army deserters, the Jingwei camp is like a tiger with wings added, and the training has seen significant improvement. But who would have thought that so soon, another combat mission has come down, and...

  Xu Wei stood on the wooden bridge beside the wheat field, staring at the small river that flowed slowly, but his heart couldn't calm down. Although he didn't know what had happened in Tokyo, he vaguely felt that this time's order wasn't Cai You's intention. Zheng Jian said to Fourth Brother, someone wants to make Jingwei Camp go bankrupt.

  This team is just a local militia organization, compared to the imperial army of one million, it's just a drop in the ocean. Someone actually dared to take action against the Jingwei Camp, which is worth thinking about. First, who benefited from the Jingwei Camp? Undoubtedly, whoever proposed the strategy of recruiting local braves to suppress bandits was the biggest beneficiary, and those who took action against the Jingwei Camp must be people with conflicting interests. The answer is obvious, either it's Tong Guan or Cai Jing, but Tong Guan is currently far away in Taiyuan...

  So, since it was Cai Jing's doing, his purpose must be to make Cai You's strategy fail, lose his voice in the court, and bring him down. The military order has been issued, which means that at this time Cai You is at a disadvantage in the court, and these two father and son will both end up next year. This battle must go, not only to go but also to win, otherwise, once next year Cai's father and son are finished, the Imperial Secretariat changes hands, everything he has done will be in vain.

  Shandong Wang Shan has over 10,000 troops, if he can smoothly meet up with Zhang Shuye tonight, that's fine. But if they encounter each other midway, relying on these 700 men and horses to defeat the enemy of over 10,000 is not something the Jingwei camp is capable of, at least for now.

  Thinking about it makes me feel a bit helpless. The huge waves stirred up by the court's party struggles, how can I resist them now?

  Xu Wei is very clear about his current position, but he is just a pawn in someone else's hands, and it's not a heavy piece. To become important, to become indispensable, or even to play chess himself one day, that depends on his abilities.

  "Old Nine." A voice called out from behind, Xu Wei knew who it was without looking.

  Yang Yanli stood behind Xu Wei and handed him a jar of wine. Xu Wei took it, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. This was so similar to when he had comforted Ma Er that day.