ChangNing’s Imperial Army

Chapter 48 – Good Omen
Amongst the hundred soldiers, some had collapsed to the ground, and some were frightened.

Shen Leng casually knocked down at least a dozen soldiers all by himself. Their haughtiness had beaten out of them and dissipated. What was even left?

“You people truly have nothing to be proud of.”

Shen Leng looked at the people who were laying on the ground. “People who want to leave, I will not make you stay. The ones who are willing to stay, you will have to follow my rules. When you were combat soldiers in your respective camps, you were considered to be eliminated. If you get eliminated here too, isn’t it more humiliating?

After he finished saying that, Shen Leng turned around and walked off. “For those who are willing to stay, wake up an hour earlier than usual tomorrow and attend additional training with me.”

Those soldiers stood there, without budging, for a long, long time.

When Zhuang Yong got wind of it, he smiled happily. He thought to himself about how this method could only be taught by none other than Shen Xiaosong. It was indeed commendable that Shen Leng was able to execute something like that at such a young age.

On the second day, before the sun had risen, Shen Leng had already ran around the drill ground. The first person to appear behind Shen Leng was Chen Ran. In truth, last night when he returned to the barracks, Chen Ran had pondered for a long time. If one of them selected him, would he have the confidence of winning?

Perhaps Shen Leng believed in him, but he himself had no confidence. He did not want to remain this way.

The second to appear was Wang Kuohai, and the third was Du Weiming. The fourth was Li Tuming. Not before long, Shen Leng’s original ten-man squad had arrived. Thereafter, at a distance, there were some soldiers who started streaming in hesitantly. Slowly, more and more people arrived.

They ran around the drill ground before washing up and taking their breakfast. After that, they took part in the combined training session. Nobody mentioned a single thing about what happened the day before. They acted as if nothing had happened.

What took people by surprise was that Gao Chengyue, the person who was beaten up by Shen Leng, appeared for the morning run. His nose was all bruised and swollen, but he had a different air of arrogance to him.

He was a man after all.

Ten days later, Shen Leng knew that he was able to control his troops for the most part. Even though they were not loyal to him, as long as they had their fighting spirit, things would slowly improve in the future.

About thirty miles away from the Navy camp was Huaiyuan city. It was where Jiangnan’s division headquarters was located at. The night before, Mu Xiaofeng had rushed over to Huaiyuan city and headed straight for Jiangnan’s Garrison B camp.

Garrison B’s general Bai Shangnian had a long conversation the night before with him. When the sky was bright, both of them strolled side by side by the lake.

“I will not transfer anyone from Garrison B over.”

Bai Shangnian walked as he spoke, “Even though I am on good terms with your father, and that I watched you grow up, making you like a son to me, I will not send my elite troops to you for revenge. If your father knew about this, he would not agree to it either.”

Mu Xiaofeng looked displeased. “Before I came here, I had spoken with my father before. He said that if there is anything I need help with, I can come to you, Uncle Bai.”

“Anything that does not break the military rules, I can definitely help you with. But for this matter, I can’t. Even though I am Garrison B’s general, do you really think that I can engage in a cover-up here? If you feel that the general of every garrison in each respective division has complete control over their troops, it would mean that you are too immature in your thinking.”

He walked very slowly, such that Mu Xiaofeng had overtaken him a couple of times. However, he had no choice but to take a few steps back to walk next to him in irritation.

“You still do not have enough understanding with regards to how His Majesty handles matters… Before His Majesty ascended the throne, there was a high official who controlled the six ministries. Do you know who he is?”

Mu Xiaofeng nodded. “My father.”

Bai Shangnian grunted. “Your father alone had the authority over all six ministries. That was the trust that the previous emperor had in your father. It was a great honor and glory…However, His Majesty had issued a decree to have that position removed. The six ministries are to report directly to His Majesty. This was the first line of attack. Thereafter, his second line of attack was to greatly diminish the power of the most influential ministry of all – the Ministry of War.”

“Originally, the power of allocating combat soldiers was in the hands of the Ministry of War. But as of now, what did His Majesty leave behind for the Ministry of War? Only the negligible authority to handle logistics and the crafting of weapons and equipment, to the extent that the Ministry of War, which used to be the most powerful ministry, became one of the least influential out of the six ministries. It merely has more weight than the Ministry of Works.”

“The reason why I’m telling you all these, is because I want you to know that I am the general of Garrison B. However, my every move is scrutinized by His Majesty. If I transfer my troops to you, it would not take long before we – me, you and your father, get into trouble. The Great Scholar has a clean and reputable image. How can I bear to let him get dishonored?”

Mu Xiaofeng gritted his teeth and did not say anything. He clenched his fist tighter and tigher.

“As for Zhuang Yong’s side, I will personally write a letter to him, telling him to look after you.”

“There’s no need for that.”

Mu Xiaofeng stopped in his tracks. At long last, he no longer had the patience to continue walking with Bai Shangnian.

He did not know how foolish he made himself look, to the extent that the favorable impression Bai Shangnian had of him had vanished completely. Bai Shangnian was a Class A Third pin Garrison General. Even if the Great Scholar were to use his authority to overturn the imperial court, he could not do anything to him directly. Besides, the authority that the Great Scholar had was about to be taken away by His Majesty.

Furthermore, all these years, the Bai family of Xiangning had been gradually emerging. There were a significant number of the Bai family members in the imperial court, as well as in the military. It was impossible for the Great Scholar to ruin his rapport with the Bai family over his son’s childish feud and immaturity.

Nonetheless, Mu Xiaofeng knew that he still had to be respectful. He cupped his fist and said his farewell. “Even though I’m only a second-in-commander of the Navy in name, I cannot leave for too long. I won’t impose on you any further. I will take my leave.”

Bai Shangnian nodded. “Alright, head back first.”

Mu Xiaofeng gritted his teeth before turning around and leaving.

“Sometimes, you have to be more flexible. Don’t be so stubborn…A while ago, the water bandits on the Grand Canal in the southern coastal border region became more rampant. Nanping River’s Navy forces are too far away, hence the water bandits were absolutely unrestrained. My troops fought against them multiple times, but we were unable to eliminate them completely. These bastards commit any crime imaginable. As long as they are able to get money, they will do anything and everything.”

Bai Shangnian sighed. “I hope that the Navy becomes stronger as soon as possible, and that there will be no more calamity on all waterways.”

Even if Mu XIaofeng was any dumber, he would still understand what Bai Shangnian meant. He laughed. “I will now take my leave.”

Bai Shangnian waved. He did not look at him.

Naturally, Mu Xiaofeng knew that the Navy would be sending some troops down to the southern coastal border region. It was estimated that they would set out in the next couple of days. The leader of the troops was the Fifth pin Yongyi General Cen Zheng and his subordinate, a Fifth pin General Bai Xiu. In total, there were two regiments and about 700 to 800 soldiers who would be heading down to the south. There would be at least ten ships in total; all the necessary goods and supplied had already been prepared beforehand and loaded onto the ships. The people working on the ships did not dare to idle around.

Shen Leng was part of the troops that were heading down to the south. Not long ago, Shen Leng was promoted to become a battalion commander, and Wang Gendong was promoted to become a military officer. Shen Leng was still under Wang Gendong. There were at least a third of people in that regiment who used to work for Mu Xiaofeng.

When he thought about this, Mu Xiaofeng could not help but be overjoyed. Indeed, he was rather inflexible and stubborn…but it was inevitable for the Navy troops to travel along the Grand Canal if they were to head down south. From Nanping River to the Grand Canal, they had to travel about 620 miles to Kuocang River before entering the southern territorial waters. There would be plenty of opportunities for him to attack them. Besides, he had plenty of money. It was easy for him to bribe people.

He was put in a rather difficult position because of Mu Jiu’s death. There was not a single person around him who was capable enough to work for him.

Mu Xiaofeng thought about this as he walked out of Garrison B. When he mounted his horse, he saw a 30 year old strong and muscular man walking over. When he saw Mu Xiaofeng, he saluted him. “General Bai said that you are short of a person to wait on you, and told me to go with you. My name is Nie Yuan.

Mu Xiaofeng smiled even more happily. He had seen Nie Yuan once before. When Bai Shangnian entered the capital and went to the Great Scholar’s residence, the trusted aide that went with him was Nie Yuan. It was said that he was someone who was good in literary as well as martial arts, and that he was very ruthless when it came to killing people.

“Alright, follow me then.”

Mu Xiaofeng continued on his journey on his horse, and Nie Yuan followed behind him. Very soon, they disappeared.

At the lakeside within Garrison B, Bai Shangnian gestured to his men to carry a stool over. His soldier brought his most favorite fishing gear over and prepared them one by one, placing the fishing line properly, and hanging the fish bait on it. Thereafter, he passed the rod to Bai Shangnian.

Bai Shangnian tossed the fish bait out. He gestured to his men to leave, leaving behind his most trusted advisor, Han Houchu. He was a scholar in his fifties. He spent more than half his life studying but did not attain any scholarly honor. Even though he was not good in academics, he was extremely scheming and cunning.

“General, do you think it’s a bit much?”

Han Houchu crouched there and helped Bai Shangnian with the fish bait. “Over the past five years, the Bai family gradually gained some power within the imperial court. Everything did not come easy. The head of the Bai family had very carefully calculated what could go wrong, and general, as for you, you are the most important member of the Bai family in the imperial court. If you were to offend Zhuang Yong because of Mu Xiaofeng, aren’t you being too negligent?”

“Of course, I know that everything that the Bai family presently has did not come easy. In order to come from nothing to where we are right now, we have paid a high price. I also know that Zhuang Yong is His Majesty’s counselor. There are not many people who carry more weight than him…But Houchu, what can I do? Mu Xiaofeng is nothing but a dumbass. He’s not even one percent of his father. But his father only has him as a precious son. For his son, Mu Zhaotong is willing to do even the stupidest thing.”

“The Bai family cannot be compared to the other influential families with hundreds of years of foundation. If we really want to rise to power, we need Mu Zhaotong’s support. Even though he is no longer the high official, he is still in charge of the officials! Within ten years from now, nobody in the imperial court will be more powerful than him. Even if His Majesty does not trust him, he will have no choice but to use him.”

Bai Shangnian sighed. At a distance away, there fishing float was moving. He did not lift his rod.

“None of the members of the Bai family within the six ministries carry any weight. By helping Mu Zhaotong, at the very least, I can get an assistant minister.”

After hearing what he said, Han Houchu shook his head slightly. He felt that what the general did was not enough. If this were to get out, based on His Majesty’s temperament, who knew how many people would get beheaded as a result.

Bai Shangnian pointed to the fishing float that was bobbing. “They’re just small fishes playing with the bait. Even the assistant minister of one of the six ministries cannot be counted as a big fish. Presently, all His Majesty cares about is the Navy…If we can get rid of Zhuang Yong, and get that idiot Mu Xiaofeng to become the commander, it would be very beneficial to the Bai family.”

Han Houchu grunted. “Let me make some arrangements then. Even though Nie Yuan has never had any problems completing his tasks, he might be rash because of his strong desire to kill.”

Bai Shangnian nodded. “Run along. Over the past several years, as long as you are serious and earnest, there’s nothing you can’t do well. The Bai family wants to compete against the other influential families. We have to do better than them, and expend more effort too. We have to do the things that they find disdainful to do, including engaging in despicable methods.”

He lifted his fishing rod, and caught a big fish. He could not help but smile slightly. “It’s a good omen.”