Chapter 41: White Wolf Mountain Water Interval (8)

  Because everything went smoothly, the military meeting at White Wolf Mountain was brief and simple. The location of the meeting was also very humble, just a cave dug out of the mountain wall, which was originally used as a warehouse to store food in the military camp. However, this brief and simple military meeting marked an extremely important starting point for Li Chengzhong's life. After the meeting, Li Chengzhong not only unified his brothers' thoughts but also officially emerged as a small mountain head within the vast warlord system of Lulong Military. In other words, he finally became a de facto small warlord, or to put it bluntly, he also became one of the many military leaders, big and small, in Lulong Military.

  Although Li Chengzhong was a small military leader with only about 20 low-ranking officers who supported him, and fewer than 200 soldiers who had not yet formed a real combat force, he had become the de facto military leader. The feeling of being a military leader was really great, when Li Chengzhong finally realized the role he was playing, he felt very cool, really very cool.

  Feng Dao seemed to have anticipated this result, and soon after the military meeting ended, his two memoranda were already prepared. As usual, one memorandum was issued in Feng Dao's name to the governor's office, while the other was issued in Li Chengzhong's name to the garrison commander's office. In the memorandum sent to the governor's office, Feng Dao emphasized the hardships and difficulties of the people who had fled into the White Wolf Mountain, suggesting that Zhang Zaiji, the governor, should stay behind to govern the civil affairs in the White Wolf Mountain and help the people settle there. The other memorandum submitted to Garrison Commander Zhou Zhiyong described the treacherous terrain of the White Wolf Mountain and proposed a strategy of occupying the mountain to defend against the Khitan people with an active defense posture. Feng Dao liked this concept very much, which he had discussed with Li Chengzhong in his daily conversations, and wrote it down at this time.

  Translation:

  A letter to Zhang Zijie, Li Chengzhong did not intervene too much, but when it came to handing over the letter to Zhou Zhiyuan, he felt that it was not enough. In order to increase the chances of staying in the garrison, he gritted his teeth and proposed a five-year plan to recover Yingzhou. The target of this plan was the Khitan tribes that occupied Yingzhou, and the goal was to eventually retake the lost territory after many years. Occupying the White Wolf Mountain military camp was the first step in this plan.

  Li Chengzhong's battle plan shamelessly plagiarized the old man's "protracted war" strategic thinking, emphasizing a two-year defense, two-year stalemate, and one-year attack overall strategy. Because the time span of the battle plan was relatively large, and he had very little time to think and deliberate, this plan seemed somewhat rough. However, after Feng Dao polished it up, his eyes still showed a hint of surprise, and he sighed: "Li Chengzhong is a great talent!"

  Li Chengzhong couldn't explain his pirated behavior, he was somewhat proud but also a little ashamed as he signed the note and supported Feng Dao's decision to personally rush back to Pingzhou for a face-to-face report. Whether or not to get Zhou Zhiyuan's support was too important for Li Chengzhong, and he really didn't trust the people from the faction who went back.

  As for staying in the White Wolf Mountain military camp, Feng Dao showed great concern. This concern comes from his desire to show off his talents and make the most of his abilities, even if it means facing a dilapidated military camp, a group of refugees, and unknown dangers. Feng Dao yearned to calm down and thoroughly display what he had learned in his heart. This courageous attitude made Li Chengzhong admire him sincerely.

  This young Confucian scholar, who is less than twenty years old, is completely different from the bookworm that Li Chengzhong knows in the TV series. Feng Dao has a gentle attitude and is very good at dealing with people, giving others a feeling of being bathed in spring breeze. He is not stubborn or pedantic like the Confucian scholars that Li Chengzhong has met before. In addition to this, Feng Dao is very practical when doing things. During their time together, he did not engage in any empty talk, but instead focused on working hard and providing timely advice when Li Chengzhong encountered difficulties. Feng Dao can endure hardships and is willing to do physical labor. At Yu Guan and at Bai Lang Mountain, he personally took action, either moving or carrying things, leaving a very good impression on Li Chengzhong. What surprised Li Chengzhong the most was that Feng Dao could ride horses, shoot bows, and wield swords! Although his horse was not of high quality, his bow was less than one stone in strength, and his swordsmanship was flashy, it still left Li Chengzhong stunned. In response to Li Chengzhong's shock, Feng Dao did not understand why he was so surprised. He explained that he was not skilled in riding or archery, and that Zhang Shijun was much better than him in these areas.

  Through contact with this young Confucian scholar, Li Chengzhong finally understood that "a gentleman is proficient in the six arts" was not just a casual remark. In this era, it was the basic requirement for all Confucian scholars.

  Li Chengzhong brought only two inferior horses that pulled carts into the mountain, while the villagers who escaped into the mountain brought seven or eight horses. Li Chengzhong then requisitioned one of them and had Meng Xuxing and Jiao Chengqiao escort Feng Dao out of the White Wolf Mountain military camp just as the sky was lightening up.

  Now it's just waiting for the news brought back by Feng Dao, hoping everything can go as he wishes, Li Cheng silently prayed.

  With the horse's strength, even a poor horse can reach Yu Guan in half a day. Zhang Zaiji and Zhou Zhiyu didn't leave, so both letters were delivered to their hands at the first moment.

  After Feng Dao withdrew, Zhou Zhiyu had Zhao Zaili repeat the suggestions and proposals in the memorial one by one. He tapped his hand lightly on the table. Although he also tried hard to read books and practice calligraphy, after all, he was a monk who came out halfway, so most of the time was spent dealing with military affairs. Therefore, all the documents still had to be explained by Zhao Zaili, otherwise they would not be misunderstood.

  Zhao Zili was born into a military family, his father was also a prominent general in the Lu Long Army, but because he was born out of wedlock, he did not have the same noble status as his legitimate brothers. Instead, he joined Zhou Zhiyuan's camp and started from being a personal guard. Although he was born out of wedlock, he had worked hard since childhood and was well-read. At this moment, while explaining to Zhou Zhiyuan, he secretly admired Li Chengzhong who was far away in the White Wolf Mountain.

  Judging from Zhao's understanding of Li Chengzhong, this letter must not have been written by Li Chengzhong himself. It was probably written by Feng Dao, who accompanied Li Chengzhong out of the pass. However, the ideas expressed in the letter were absolutely Li Chengzhong's own thoughts. From their interactions over several months, that guy would occasionally come up with some strange but thought-provoking ideas, which were very similar to the tone of this letter.

  Zhou Zhiyu listened intently, his mouth gradually curling into a smile. The young man who had fought desperately in Beizhoucheng had grown to this extent in just half a year, leaving him both astonished and delighted. Although the plan sounded somewhat unrealistic and many details were rough, the grand vision and ideas it contained were truly admirable, revealing the young man's passion and lofty ambitions. Can he finally stand on his own? Zhou Zhiyu pondered, weighing his thoughts.

  Actually, Li Chengzhong himself did not expect that Zhou Zhiyu had already regarded him as a small force under his jurisdiction. Zhou Zhiyu understood that among the more than 80 former Jianzu camp brothers who followed him to Pingzhou, the more than ten people from the original Youdu were following Li Chengzhong rather than Zhou Zhiyu. Therefore, he entrusted the appointment of military officers under Li Chengzhong entirely according to Li Chengzhong's recommendation, especially for officers below the rank of partner, almost handing them over to Li Chengzhong.

  Another type of officer that forms a typical contrast with Li Chengzhong is completely different, such as Zhao Zaili. As the head of the capital, he cannot establish a "small mountain" like Li Chengzhong, because there are no soldiers under his command who have been imprinted with his mark. Therefore, in Zhao Zaili's army, even the appointment of squad leaders is completely controlled by Zhou Zhiyu.

  Unlike Li Chengzhong's concerns, Zhou Zhiyuan is actually pleased to see Li Chengzhong's growth. This is not only a common practice in the Lu Long army, but also because Zhou Zhiyuan has a kind of feeling that treats Li Chengzhong as his younger brother or nephew. This feeling comes from his admiration for Li Chengzhong's bravery on the city wall of Bei State, and also from Li Chengzhong's unwavering loyalty to him when he was in a low valley.

  Zhou Zhiyu is not afraid of Li Chengzhong's growth, because Li Chengzhong's body has been deeply imprinted with Zhou Zhiyu's mark. As long as Zhou Zhiyu treats Li Chengzhong well and helps him, Li Chengzhong will never be able to leave Zhou Zhiyu's system. On the contrary, with Li Chengzhong's growth, Zhou Zhiyu's system will become even more powerful. He is not worried about Li Chengzhong betraying himself, unless the problem lies on his own side. Otherwise, Li Chengzhong's betrayal can only make him forever unable to hold his head up in the entire Ludang Army, becoming a despicable person who is despised by everyone. This is the tradition and convention, as well as the rules that have been followed by the Ludang Army for hundreds of years.

  Now the young eagle has spread its wings and has initially shown that it can stand on its own, and is about to soar into the sky. Zhou Zhiyu decided to give it another push, gently pushing it up a bit. Moreover, this five-year plan to recover Youzhou may seem unrealistic, but it's indeed very tempting. If he can really do it, Zhou Zhiyu will not only gain a firm foothold in the Lu Long army, but also make a name for himself throughout the Tang Dynasty!

  "Gan Chen, issue the order, deploy the right camp's Jia Du, Yi Du and Bing Du to Yu Guan for deployment." Zhou Zhiyu instructed.

  "Yes." Zhao Li immediately picked up his pen and wrote quickly on the desk.

  "Order, let Quanhe speed up the recruitment progress, and recruit another thousand soldiers within a month!" Zhou Zhiyu continued.

  "Yes!" Zhao continued writing and then looked up to ask: "Who is in command of the three thousand soldiers stationed at Yuyuan Pass?"

  Due to the lack of officers, Zhou Zhiyu entrusted Zhang Long, his earliest and most trusted bodyguard, with the task of recruiting new soldiers in Pingzhou. Zhang Long, also known as Quanhe, was extremely loyal to Zhou Zhiyu. Although no specific official position had been assigned to him, judging from the responsibilities that Zhou Zhiyu had given him, he was likely to become the future commander of the Pingzhou army. As a result, the newly recruited Right Camp did not have any officers, not even a single squad leader.

  "The soldiers of the three battalions of the Right Camp must arrive at Yu Pass within three days. Once they arrive, Battalion A will immediately set out for Bailing Mountain to reinforce Li Chengzhong's troops. All officers and squad leaders will be reassigned by Li Chengzhong's command." Zhou Zhiyu hesitated for a moment before finally suppressing the idea of promoting Li Chengzhong to battalion commander, fearing that rapid promotion would not be beneficial to Li Chengzhong's future prospects.

  Zhao Zhi Li picked up his pen and began to record, a look of admiration involuntarily appearing on his face.

  Zhou Zhiyu continued: "The middle camp Jia is changed to the right camp Jia, Gan Chen, you will take over as the head of the right camp Jia, concurrently leading Yi and Bing camps. Within a month, I want the defense of Yu Pass to be as solid as gold soup. Can you do it?"

  Zhao's pen tip trembled, and he suppressed the excitement in his heart, saying loudly: "I can!"