Finest Servant

Chapter 236 Organizing the Troops?

The two left Jinling city, setting their course and racing their horses towards the northwest. After less than four hours of travel, they left Jiangsu and entered Anhui territory.

Lin Wanrong, unfamiliar with the landscape, saw that Gao Qiu was silent as they pressed on, so he urged his horse to ride alongside him and asked loudly, “Brother Gao, where are we going?”

Gao Qiu slowed his horse’s pace, chuckling as he responded, “We’ve been rushing so much that I forgot to tell you, brother Lin. We’re heading towards Chuzhou, where several units of men and horses are waiting for us.”

“Chuzhou?” Lin Wanrong was familiar with this place. It was several hundred miles from Jinling city, connected to areas such as Fengyang and Tianchang, and served as the eastern gateway of Anhui. It faced Jiangsu across the river, and its strategic geographical location was of utmost importance.

“What are we going to Chuzhou for? Is Mr. Xu there too?” Lin Wanrong questioned, furrowing his brows.

Gao Qiu answered, “Master Xu is not in Chuzhou. He has already hurried off to Pei County in Xuzhou due to urgent military matters. He only instructed me to bring you, brother Lin, to Chuzhou to meet up with the troops there. From there, we are to head towards Xuzhou via Suzhou.”

As Xu Wei’s military strategist, Lin Wanrong was supposed to stay by Xu Wei’s side. Little did he know that the old man had run off alone. It seemed that the frontline indeed had an emergency. However, given Lin Wanrong’s current mental and physical state, he wasn’t prepared to head directly to the frontline. It would be better to first get to Chuzhou and familiarize himself with the atmosphere after meeting the army.

Lin Wanrong nodded and said, “That sounds reasonable. Brother Gao, how many troops are stationed in Chuzhou? How did Mr. Xu arrange it?”

Gao Qiu shook his head, “I’m not entirely sure. I heard there are troops from Zhejiang and Shandong, as well as soldiers from the divine machine unit. I’m only in charge of ensuring your safety, brother Lin. Master Xu is the one to consider troop deployment, and I have no say in it.”

Lin Wanrong knew that to avoid drawing attention, Zhejiang’s infantry and cavalry had passed through Anhui to reach Shandong. Hearing that there were troops from these three locations, it seemed like the place should be well-defended and relatively safe.

“In that case, let’s hurry to meet the troops,” Lin Wanrong said impatiently. He had never seen tens of thousands of soldiers training together. It should be quite a lively scene.

Gao Qiu laughed, “There’s no rush. It will be enough if we arrive today. Master Xu also left a message for you, brother Lin.”

“Old Xu, oh, what did Mr. Xu say?” Lin Wanrong asked curiously.

Gao Qiu relayed, “Master Xu asks that you familiarize yourself with military matters as soon as possible and fulfill your duties as the military strategist.”

Of course, he needed to hurry. he was even more anxious than old Xu. He had several wives at home waiting for comfort.

“Master Xu also said,” Gao Qiu continued leisurely, “that the soldiers in Chuzhou are specifically left for you, brother Lin. He asks that you get them into shape and bring them to the frontline.”

“Organize the troops?” Lin Wanrong was puzzled. He was just a little military strategist with no real power or position. The title ‘military strategist’ was a mere flattery. At most, he could give Xu Wei, some bad ideas. How could he be able to organize troops?

He gave Gao Qiu a puzzled look, “Brother Gao, you must have heard wrong. I have neither an official position nor any military experience. How could Mr. Xu ask me to organize the troops?”

Gao Qiu shook his head, laughing, “I heard clearly, I couldn’t possibly be mistaken. Master Xu did instruct you to go to Chuzhou and organize the troops.”

Tens of thousands of troops were stationed in Chuzhou, yet Mr. Xu wanted him, a mere servant, to prepare them for war. Was Xu Wei intentionally trying to make things difficult for him? Xu Wei trusted him, but he didn’t trust himself. Seeing his hesitation, Gao Qiu chuckled, “Brother Lin, don’t worry. I believe in Master Xu’s judgment. He wouldn’t have picked the wrong person. You surely have the ability.”

‘Even Gao Qiu is saying this. Damn, don’t I trust myself? It’s just a few tens of thousands of people. Even if I haven’t tasted pork knuckles, haven’t I seen pigs run before? I’ll just give it a try and have a taste of directing people. That being said, Xu Wei trusted me enough to leave the organization of such a large force in my hands.’

He laughed, “Fine, I’ll give it a try. Actually, in my humble opinion, though the task of organizing the troops is difficult, it’s not insurmountable. Brother Gao, do you know what the most difficult thing in the world is?”

Gao Qiu shook his head curiously, “What is it?”

Lin Wanrong responded with a mysterious smile, “If you, brother Gao, marry more than a dozen wives, then you will understand what the most difficult thing is.”

Gao Qiu was stunned for a moment, then understanding dawned, he gave a thumbs up, “Profound wisdom, brother Lin, that is indeed profound wisdom.” The two men exchanged glances and shared a burst of salacious laughter only men could understand.

The journey to Chuzhou was neither long nor short. With Gao Qiu by his side, Lin Wanrong had nothing to worry about. All the way, he was planning about his arrival in Chuzhou, what kind of authoritative demeanor he should put on, and what impressive tactics he should use to impress the unruly soldiers. The thought of wielding authority in front of tens of thousands of people excited him. It would surely feel satisfying.

By the time they reached Chuzhou, the sun was already setting. Bathed in the slanting rays, the ancient city of Chuzhou was peaceful and calm, hardly looking like a place where a large army was stationed.

In Lin Wanrong’s imagination, a place where tens of thousands of troops were stationed should at least have brightly shining weapons, a bustling camp, neighing warhorses, and constant shouts of battle. But looking at the bustling crowd that resembled a dispersed marketplace, Lin Wanrong couldn’t associate the scene before him with a large army.

“Brother Gao, are we sure we haven’t taken a wrong turn?” Lin Wanrong asked, perplexed.

“There’s no chance of that. I’ve traveled this route at least four or five times.” Gao Qiu pointed at the two characters on the city gate and laughed, “Look, isn’t that Chuzhou?”

Lin Wanrong looked up and saw the two bright red characters – Chuzhou, under which was a small inscription: Commemoration by Ouyang Yongshu.

“Who is this Ouyang Yongshu?” Lin Wanrong asked, puzzled.

“I heard Master Xu mention him once,” Gao Qiu explained, his head bobbing with the rhythm of his words. “It seems he was a man of the previous dynasty, named Ouyang Xiu. He was the governor of Chuzhou. I heard that the fellow liked to drink, and a monk from Langya Mountain, to please him, built a pavilion named the ‘Drunken Old Man Pavilion.’ There’s also a Fengle Pavilion at the foot of Feng Mountain west of Chuzhou city, also built by him.” Gao Qiu’s words carried an air of pride as he rarely had the chance to display his knowledge before Lin Wanrong.

[TL: Ouyang Xiu, courtesy name Yongshu, was a Chinese historian, calligrapher, epigrapher, essayist, poet, and politician of the Song dynasty.]

Lin Wanrong nodded, recognizing the name Ouyang Xiu. He thought these literate people enjoyed creating confusing aliases to bewilder others.

“Brother Gao,” he said as they led their horses into the city, glancing around. “You said a large army is stationed in this city, but it doesn’t look like it.” Despite its age, Chuzhou City held a strategic geographical position. Although it couldn’t compare to the prosperity of Jinling, its stores, restaurants, brothels, and clubhouses stood tall, depicting a picture of bustling activity.

“There should be troops stationed here,” Gao Qiu said, his confidence wavering as he noticed the lack of armored soldiers on the streets. “Master Xu specifically asked you to come to Chuzhou to organize the troops, but why can’t we see any trace of them?”

They stopped several passers-by to ask about the large army, but none had heard of it. Damnit, tens of thousands of soldiers, enough to rain down saliva or thunder with their farts. Had they evaporated? Or was Xu Wei playing tricks on him?

“Brother Gao, didn’t Mr. Xu tell you who to find when we get here? We can’t just blindly crash around,” Lin Wanrong said.

“Master Xu said that once in Chuzhou, observing carefully would lead us to them,” Gao Qiu replied, wiping away sweat. He held blind faith in Xu Wei, following his instructions to the letter.

Observe? Observe what? This was a busy part of Chuzhou City. No soldiers were to be seen anywhere. Could they all be hiding in brothels? What riddle was this old man Xu playing?

“Move, move—” Their ponderings were interrupted by rough shouts. Two war horses galloped toward them like arrows, causing pedestrians to scatter like ghosts.

Gao Qiu brightened, pulling on Lin Wanrong’s sleeve, “Brother Lin, look, aren’t they soldiers?”

Lin Wanrong looked and saw that the riders on the galloping horses indeed wore grand military uniforms. Their reckless demeanor suggested they were Xu Wei’s soldiers, but from which province, he had no idea.

“They’re in such a hurry, could there be some urgent military matter?” Gao Qiu wondered aloud.

“Is that so?” Lin Wanrong laughed, “I think they’re headed to that Lixiang Pavilion. Could they be delivering messages to the girls there?”

As they spoke, the horses indeed stopped in front of Lixiang Pavilion. A madam with a heavily powdered face came out to greet them, her mouth wide in a smile. “General Zhao, General Fu, ah, why have you only just arrived? Little Yu and the others have been waiting for you for a long time.”

The officer leading the way, his face dark as obsidian, let out a laugh as he casually placed a hand on the madam’s shoulder. “Oh, really? Has Little Yu not had enough of my prowess from last night? Seems she’s eager quite early today. How about this, Madam, why don’t you join us tonight as well? I assure you, it will be a night of intense pleasure, as intoxicating as the elixir of the immortals.”

The soldiers trailing behind the leading officer broke into raucous laughter at this. The madam flirted coquettishly for a moment before leading the group inside.

‘Damn it,’ Lin Wanrong thought to himself with a bitter smile, ‘they really did come to report to the girls. The audacity of these men to visit a brothel in their military uniforms!’ He turned to Gao Qiu and said, “Brother Gao, could this be a part of the massive army we’ve been searching for?”

Gao Qiu responded with an embarrassed expression, “It seems likely. Brother Lin, what do you suggest we do?”

Lin Wanrong laughed, “Visiting a brothel, well, that’s quite an enjoyable affair, all men fancy it! How about this, Brother Gao, let me host, and we’ll have a visit as well.”