PCA Chapter 232

Su Cen instantly understood Li Shi’s meaning.

 

He wanted to borrow the forces of those Zhichong Prefectures surrounding Chang’an.

 

And the soldiers from these Zhichong Prefectures were nominally soldiers, but to a large extent were still civilians.

 

When Emperor Taizu pacified the realm, he first needed troops, but all the soldiers were in the hands of former dynasty nobles—where could he get troops? With no choice, he could only recruit from the civilian population, turning farmers into soldiers. When military sources were tight, there was even the “Emperor Wu’s Suppression of Buddhism,” where monks and temple lands were all appropriated for military and financial expansion.

 

After the realm was pacified, Emperor Taizu, thinking of danger in times of peace, didn’t abolish this policy. He continued to conscript civilian forces from various regions for military service to prepare for wartime needs, establishing cavalry prefectures for control—the prototype of the Zhichong Prefectures. During Emperor Taizong’s reign, he reformed the cavalry prefectures on the existing foundation, concentrating main military forces in Guannei Circuit, gradually forming the current military situation of “governing the periphery from the center.”

 

During the peak period of Zhichong Prefectures, over six hundred prefecture arsenals were established nationwide, with Guannei Circuit alone accounting for more than half. Ostensibly it was “using the masses of Guanzhong to face the four directions,” but frankly, it was still worry that if those barbarians from outside the passes invaded one day, they could defend their home base.

 

In earlier years, Zhichong Prefectures from various regions would take turns coming to the capital to serve in the capital’s defense. Later, probably still not trusting outsiders as much as their own people, this duty was replaced by the capital’s imperial guards.

 

Ever since Li Shi’s great defeat of the Turkic Ashina tribe, the borders had been stable for nearly ten years. The current Zhichong Prefectures, combined with the equal-field system, fought in wartime and farmed in peacetime. After holding hoes for so long, naturally they couldn’t pick up swords anymore.

 

Li Sheng had summoned this group of people but didn’t open the city gates to let them enter, because he also knew these Zhichong Prefecture soldiers were used to being lazy and couldn’t amount to much. He hadn’t really planned to rely on them for forcing the palace—his purpose was nothing more than making a show of force to intimidate those inexperienced ministers in the city.

 

But Li Shi saw it differently.

 

According to the different regulations of Zhichong Prefectures, they were also divided into upper, middle, and lower grades: upper prefectures had 1,200 men, middle prefectures had 1,000 men, and even lower prefectures had 800 men. According to what Qi Lin had said earlier, at least a dozen or so military forces had come, totaling over ten thousand men. The imperial guards in Chang’an totaled only thirty thousand, and these people might not all obey Li Sheng’s orders. Plus he had to divide some forces to surround Daming Palace, leaving the remaining twelve gates of Chang’an with only about eight hundred to a thousand men each. Tens of thousands against hundreds—even if each person just kicked the gate once, it would have to fall.

 

Moreover, they had a trump card on their side.

 

The reason Li Shi was so renowned on the battlefield and achieved victory each time naturally wasn’t entirely due to numerical superiority, but because Li Shi was skilled at commanding troops and used them like a god. A single Three Guards of Tuduo made the Turks flee at the mere mention, and when Li Shi was present, not a single Turkic shadow could be seen within thirty li beyond the border.

 

Thinking carefully, Li Sheng’s fear of him was justified, because Li Shi was a ready-made military tally—wherever he was, all troops under heaven came under his command. He was also a philosopher’s stone—any wounded or defeated soldiers could be forged into elite forces in his hands.

 

Li Shi asked: “Who are the people who came?”

 

After thinking for a while, Qi Lin gradually understood the key points and replied: “These forces were all temporarily conscripted from Zhichong Prefectures near the capital. They’re numerous and conspicuous, hard to hide, so I investigated them all before.”

 

There was a stone table in the courtyard. As soon as Qi Lin sat down, Qu Ling’er brought paper and brush. Qi Lin wrote down everything he had investigated that day—where they came from, how many troops they brought, who was leading them—writing while saying: “These people are now blocked outside the city gates like us, but they don’t seem anxious. They drink and eat meat every day, living quite comfortably.”

 

Li Shi sneered: “Of course they’re not anxious. They have food and drink without having to risk their lives. They’re just waiting for the people in the city to fight to the death first, then they’ll call whoever’s left their master.”

 

Qi Lin nodded, but felt even more disdainful in his heart. Back then, they had shed blood and sacrificed their lives on the battlefield to ensure the people behind them could eat a peaceful meal and sleep peacefully. Just a few years had passed, and it had devolved to soldiers standing by outside, watching the people in the city suffer through a mere city gate without lifting a finger.

 

After writing down the details of each Zhichong Prefecture, Qi Lin stood up and handed it to Li Shi.

 

Li Shi glanced roughly at the list, then handed it back. Su Cen, following behind, smoothly took it.

 

Li Shi said: “There are acquaintances.”

 

Qi Lin nodded: “Master is referring to Kang Zengshou?”

 

Qu Ling’er was curious and leaned forward to ask: “What about this person?”

 

Qi Lin said: “Back in Suzhou, this person served as deputy general under Master.”

 

Qu Ling’er’s eyes lit up: “That’s great! He might remember his old loyalty and turn to help us.”

 

Qi Lin: “Back then he violated military orders by abandoning his post to drink, so Master had him beaten with fifty military rods and sent him back from Suzhou.”

 

Qu Ling’er: “…”

 

“Speaking of which, I also have an acquaintance here.” Su Cen smiled and put down the list.

 

“Who?” Qu Ling’er leaned over again.

 

Su Cen tapped his knuckle on the black characters on white paper. Seeing those three characters, Qu Ling’er’s face instantly darkened.

 

Su Cen smiled helplessly: “Song Jiancheng, my former superior. I later squeezed him out.”

 

Qu Ling’er: “…” Don’t you have any acquaintances who aren’t bitter enemies?

 

After a brief rest, early the next morning, having confirmed that Chen Ling was temporarily out of mortal danger, Li Shi and Su Cen each took their own people and split into two groups to meet their respective “acquaintances.”

 

Qu Ling’er went with Su Cen, feeling uneasy along the way: “That Song fellow who was your superior—I remember he wasn’t easy to deal with. Back then, to solve a case quickly, he almost used an innocent fat man as a scapegoat. How is he here?”

 

Su Cen shook his head: “After that incident, I remember he was transferred to Kuizhou. After all these years of management, it’s not strange for him to have worked his way up to prefect.”

 

Qu Ling’er worried: “You two have such deep grievances—will he help you?”

 

Su Cen pondered for a moment, finally saying softly: “Between national righteousness and personal grudges, I hope after all these years, he’s made some progress.”

 

Qu Ling’er pouted: “I’m afraid he hasn’t progressed, just developed a memory, remembering how you drove him out of Chang’an.”

 

“Actually, I was also at fault back then,” Su Cen sighed. “My aspirations were too high, my temper too hasty. There were more tactful methods available—it didn’t need to escalate like that.”

 

“Brother Su, you weren’t wrong,” Qu Ling’er said decisively. “Guilty is guilty, innocent is innocent. That Song fellow wanting to use an innocent person as a scapegoat was wrong. What’s wrong with you stopping him?”

 

In Qu Ling’er’s understanding, right and wrong were clearly distinct, much like Su Cen when he first entered officialdom. Though sometimes inevitably getting stuck in dead ends and earning a reputation for not understanding worldly affairs, those days of single-minded pursuit of justice were truly satisfying from body to heart to bone.

 

Thinking again, if he hadn’t taken such a resolute stance in pleading with Li Shi back then, perhaps none of the subsequent events would have happened.

 

Su Cen smiled gently: “Alright, I wasn’t wrong.”

 

Soon they reached the military camp. Su Cen first surveyed the area. Song Jiancheng’s Zhichong Prefecture force had about a thousand men, camped outside Yanxing Gate. They seemed to have just finished breakfast, with groups of three to five still gathered around smoldering campfires, showing a mix of bewilderment and confusion. Many probably didn’t understand what they were here for.

 

Su Cen led Qu Ling’er through the crowd. Some among them looked up at them, but no one stepped forward to stop them. Only when Su Cen and his companion reached the central command did someone who seemed to be in charge step out and ask “What do you want?”

 

Su Cen stopped, and it would be false to say he wasn’t disappointed. If he were an assassin or spy sent by enemy forces, he could probably have reached the main tent and taken their commander’s head before these people noticed anything amiss.

 

Su Cen said to the approaching person: “I’ve come to see your prefect, Song Jiancheng.”

 

The man looked Su Cen up and down suspiciously: “Who are you?”

 

“An old friend,” Su Cen deliberately kept it mysterious. “Just say Lord Zhang Jun sent me.”

 

Zhang Jun was Song Jiancheng’s teacher, and Song Jiancheng wouldn’t refuse Zhang Jun’s request. Soon enough, the messenger returned with someone following behind. Upon approaching, it was indeed Song Jiancheng.

 

Song Jiancheng was also stunned to see Su Cen: “How is it you?”

 

Su Cen cupped his hands toward him: “Lord Song, it’s been a long time.”

 

Song Jiancheng snorted coldly: “Such grand courtesy from Lord Su—I can’t accept it.”

 

Song Jiancheng was indeed still one to hold grudges. Su Cen smiled helplessly: “This courtesy is what I owe Lord Song, and should be made up.”

 

When Song Jiancheng was demoted and left the capital, Su Cen had been confined in Xingqing Palace by Li Shi. By the time he emerged, the man had already left. Although Song Jiancheng’s downfall was largely his own doing, the trouble had started because of Su Cen, and afterward Su Cen had benefited by taking Song Jiancheng’s position. He felt somewhat guilty about it.

 

Song Jiancheng’s expression remained unfriendly as he coldly looked at Su Cen, waiting for him to state his purpose.

 

Su Cen roughly explained the current situation, then said directly: “I’ve come this time hoping to borrow your military forces.”

 

Song Jiancheng looked at Su Cen in silence for several moments, then suddenly smiled: “Fine. You kneel down and kowtow to me three times, and I’ll consider it.”

 

Meanwhile, at Kang Zengshou’s camp.

 

The person before him fell to his knees with a thud. The broad-shouldered, thick-waisted middle-aged man knelt on the ground, choking up: “Your Highness… Your Highness, you’re still alive! I knew it, I knew you were blessed by heaven and would be fine.”

 

Li Shi walked past Kang Zengshou, who was prostrating on the ground, and sat directly in the main seat. His fingertips casually tapped on the desk before him: “Old Kang, we haven’t seen each other for years, and your courage has grown. You’ve even learned to rebel.”

 

Kang Zengshou’s eyes were still wet with tears as he looked up in shock: “Your Highness, why do you say this?”

 

“According to our Great Zhou military system, troop movements require both the general’s tally and the royal tally to be combined before troops can be deployed. You appeared here without imperial summons—if this isn’t rebellion, what is?”

 

“Your, Your, Your Highness…” Kang Zengshou’s eyes widened as he nearly stood up to rush to Li Shi, but under Qi Lin’s cold gaze, he knelt properly and crawled forward on his knees a few steps, pulling out two bronze plaques from his chest and presenting them: “I came under imperial edict!”

 

Qi Lin was responsible for presenting what Kang Zengshou held to Li Shi. Li Shi looked at the two fish-shaped tokens before him, one left and one right, and fell into contemplation. Genuine general’s tally and royal tally—he had personally handed them to Wen Xiu, never expecting they would appear in Kang Zengshou’s hands.

 

After a long while, Li Shi inexplicably smiled and cursed: “Little rascal.”

 

This curse was somewhat abrupt. Qi Lin didn’t understand but remained expressionless, while only Kang Zengshou knelt anxiously, craning his neck and asking carefully: “Your Highness, these tallies aren’t fake, are they?”

 

After a moment, Li Shi raised his hand: “Get up.”

 

Kang Zengshou breathed a sigh of relief without understanding why, stood up and joined Qi Lin to the side, not daring to speak for the moment.

 

Li Shi leaned against the sitting couch, holding the royal tally and gently tracing its mottled patterns. He had originally thought all the Zhichong Prefecture forces outside the city were borrowed by Li Sheng for forcing the palace and creating momentum. Now it seemed this wasn’t entirely the case.

 

Some of these people had been summoned by the young emperor.

 

On the surface, it appeared to be a desperate attempt to counter Li Sheng by hastily conscripting forces from various regions. Even the royal tally symbolizing unified imperial power hadn’t been collected before Li Sheng surrounded Daming Palace first. The forces that arrived all appeared weak and ineffective, making Li Sheng too lazy to expend energy dealing with them, simply leaving both sides’ troops outside the city to check and balance each other.

 

When Li Shi saw this royal tally, he suddenly understood—these people were left for him by the young emperor.

 

The selection of these people was also interesting. Take Kang Zengshou—on the surface he had some grievances with Li Shi, but secretly he remembered Li Shi’s kindness.

 

This little fellow had actually outmaneuvered Li Sheng right under his nose.

 

“Your Highness…” After waiting a long time without movement, Kang Zengshou tentatively asked: “What exactly did the young emperor summon us here to do? Should we attack this city or not?”

 

Li Shi raised his eyes and said to Kang Zengshou: “After living peacefully for so long, do you still remember how to wield a spear?”

 

With one sentence, Kang Zengshou’s eyes immediately reddened: “To fight another battle following Your Highness would be worth dying for!”

 

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