The Great Zhou Dynasty: From Imperial Guards to Founding Dukes and Marquises

Chapter 33 The sails yearn to break through the azure clouds, but who can foresee the storms that li

After staying at his parents-in-law's house for two days, Li Xuan informed all his old customers in the inner city of the devastating news that the supply of salt had been lost and that they would no longer be able to supply salt. Fortunately, although the salt was gone, there was still fine salt (he taught Li Yuantu the refining process of coarse salt). He hoped that everyone would be understanding and continue to support his business.

After settling their business dealings in Guangling, Li Xuan and his wife bid farewell to his parents-in-law and sailed to Lijia Town to meet the clan chief and the master.

Neither the clan chief nor the tutor harbored any loyalty to Jinling. In chaotic times, it was common for large families to hedge their bets in various directions.

The Li family of Guangling has almost fallen out of the ranks of the gentry. Since the opportunities offered by Jinling are limited, what's wrong with some of their members going to the State of Zhou?

Not to mention Li Xuan introduced Li Fang's status in the Zhou state. The clan chief and the teacher's eyes lit up. Upon careful consideration, it seemed that the high-level connections that the Guangling Li clan could rely on in the Zhou state were even more reliable than those in Jinling?

It's a pity that the best young members of the clan followed Li Jue and went out to make a living, so Li Xuan couldn't take many of them with him.

Li Xuan was quite open-minded about it. Because Li Jue pursued a civil service career, there weren't many martial arts-skilled members of the clan who followed him. However, a characteristic of the Guangling Li clan was that while their members might not be skilled in martial arts, they would certainly have some knowledge of writing and basic arithmetic.

Li Xuan had managed to secure a position in the Zhou Kingdom's Imperial Guard, which needed a military officer with some education to fill junior officer positions. In terms of personnel needs, Li Jue and Li Xuan complemented each other.

The clan chief and the teacher were overjoyed. In just a few days, they gathered all the best martial artists in the clan, selecting thirty outstanding individuals to join Li Xuan's team. Together with the clan members that Li Ji and the others had recruited, the Guangling Li clan provided Li Xuan and Li Ji with over forty able-bodied men.

Several days later, people from all directions began to arrive at Li Xuan's estate. Given that a gathering of over a thousand people was too conspicuous and exceeded the village's capacity, Li Xuan ordered Li Ji to lead the Li family members and the more than six hundred brave soldiers who had arrived earlier to travel by boat first. They were to disembark at Hailing and take a side road to the salt merchants' private port to board ships heading north.

Several days later, Li Yuantu, Li Chang, and the last batch of retainers returned with even more people. Li Xuan counted them and found there were as many as six hundred. To prevent any unforeseen complications, after two days of rest and tallying, the six hundred-plus people disguised themselves as a merchant caravan and boarded more than twenty riverboats of various sizes, leaving Guangling and embarking on their long journey north.

Along the long river, Feng Niaoniao looked at Li Xuan, whose emotions were somewhat unstable, and the children, who were dejected at having moved away from their hometown. She said to Li Xuan, "A true man should make decisive decisions, even unto death. Today we leave Guangling, but one day we will surely return home in glory. My lord, why don't you write a poem today to express your feelings of parting? Then, when you return in triumph, you can write another poem, and the two will be more interesting to discuss. How about your father writes a poem?"

Li Xuan and his wife had always had a habit of reading, which greatly influenced their children. However, the couple didn't write many poems, and the two children had never seen Li Xuan's literary talent before, so they immediately praised it.

Li Xuan smiled and agreed, "Yes, yes, Father will think about it right away."

Closing her eyes, Li Xuan began to recall her childhood memories: the disagreements with Li Jue in school, the anxiety and hardship of leaving her hometown, and the new atmosphere in Bianjing. Slowly, a text began to form in her mind:

"I depart from my hometown at dawn, singing as I set off; the mulberry and mulberry trees stand desolate, shrouded in twilight mist. My sails yearn to break through the azure clouds; but who can foresee the storms that await me?"

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In early June of the first year of Xiande, more than 1,200 elite soldiers from Huaidong appeared in the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry camp of the Imperial Guards Infantry Division in Bianjing. The Black Spear Dragon Cavalry was a newly established camp by Guo Rong, and its affairs were now under the command of Commander Han Kun.

Some of the officers below Han Kun were transferred from the Palace Guard, while others were recruited from local heroes from all directions.

Han Kun's biggest headache right now is not logistics, nor manpower, nor the fact that his subordinates are forming cliques due to regional or other reasons.

The real problem is that they can't understand the dialects spoken by people from other regions. They can't even understand what they're arguing about, and to make matters worse, most of these people are illiterate, making written communication impossible.

Guo Rong's choice of Han Kun as the commander of the capital was well-considered. Han Kun was a steady and magnanimous man who was strict in governing the army and placed great importance on military discipline. At the same time, he was also a man of simple living and fair in rewarding and punishing.

The Imperial Guard was mixed with many soldiers from other regions, and everyone feared being targeted by the veteran soldiers of the Palace Guard in Bianjing. Han Kun's personality was the best suited to quickly train the army. He was a breath of fresh air in the Palace Guard, and was even somewhat ostracized. If he hadn't been from a long-established military family in Bianjing with deep family roots, he probably wouldn't have lasted until Guo Rong ascended the throne.

Guo Rong considered personality and style, but unfortunately forgot about dialect. After finally getting rid of the few officers who were causing trouble, Han Kun sighed, lay back in his chair, and rubbed his temples.

A personal guard rushed in to report: "Commander-in-Chief, Li Xuan, the first commander of the second army of the left wing, and Li Ji, the first commander of the first army of the right wing, have returned from recruiting soldiers in Jianghuai. Their troops have entered the training ground. Since the army commanders have not yet taken office, the two have come to the command tent to hand over their orders."

Han Kun stood up painfully and said with a bitter smile, "It seems no one wants to suffer in the Imperial Guard. Those who went back to their hometowns to recruit soldiers have all returned, but our military commanders are still not all in place. Fine, come with me to see the so-called elite troops of Jianghuai."

Han Kun stepped out of the main tent and saw Li Xuan and Li Ji waiting for him outside. The quick-witted Han Kun smiled first: "Oh dear, did your recruitment of soldiers back home go smoothly? Bringing people out of Nan Yu Kingdom was no easy feat. You've worked hard."

Li Xuan clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for your concern, Commander. I am willing to serve the country and dare not complain about the hardships."

Li Ji followed up, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Commander. It is my duty, and I fear I may not do well enough and fail the court and the Commander's reputation."

Han Kun laughed heartily: "Oh dear, I only have some empty titles, what kind of reputation do I have? Let's go, there's no talk of empty words in the army, take me to see what those soldiers are really like."

"Commander, please!" Li Xuan and Li Ji stepped aside to lead the way, and Han Kun led a group of personal guards to the training ground.

After entering Zhou territory by sea, Li Xuan and Li Ji divided the troops among themselves, establishing different command structures and ordering the soldiers to compete to select their squad leaders and platoon leaders. As for the captains, they only had the idea in mind and did not yet know whether the Zhou court would allow them to employ their own people.

Nevertheless, thanks to the fact that these men were all children of veterans, having received military discipline education from a young age, and relying on newly selected junior officers, Li Xuan and Li Ji directly began land march training, reorganizing their troops as they marched. By the time they arrived at the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry Training Ground, the more than 1,200 men were already well-organized and looked quite professional.

Han Kun, a veteran with over twenty years of military experience, had never seen such a disciplined group of new recruits before. Under the scorching June sun, these recruits remained almost silent and still, gripping their weapons tightly, their eyes fixed ahead under the cover of their straw hats. Han Kun exclaimed, "Good soldiers!"

Without hesitation, Han Kun strode forward to observe the unfamiliar soldiers. The more he looked, the more interested he became. He randomly pointed to one of them and said, "Soldier, step forward."

The soldier looked at him blankly, and Han Kun realized awkwardly that it was another dialect problem. Then it suddenly dawned on him: Li Xuan and Li Ji didn't seem to have any difficulty communicating due to their dialects?

Han Kun turned to look at Li Xuan and Li Ji. Li Xuan stepped forward and explained, "Commander, please calm down. The soldiers are from Huaidong and don't understand much of the official language of Bianjing. I'll take the liberty of explaining to you."

Han Kun asked curiously, "It's not a big deal that I woke up. It's just that my Bianjing Mandarin isn't very accurate, but the two of you speak Bianjing Mandarin quite well. Apart from the group transferred from the Palace Guard, I have difficulty understanding the other officers in the Longxiang Army. Alright, you can explain it to me. I see that most of these soldiers have longbows on them. Take off your bows and let me see them. I want to test your archery skills."

Li Xuan immediately ordered the soldier to step forward and let Han Kun inspect the bow. Han Kun tested the draw weight, confirming it was strong enough for a war bow, and then ordered the soldier to shoot at the target on the spot. The soldier didn't hesitate, drawing the bow repeatedly, and the arrow from sixty paces away struck the target like a meteor. He smiled confidently, thinking, "How could I dare to come to Bianliang to eat the emperor's salary if I didn't have some skill?"

Han Kun was delighted and immediately ordered a bowl of wine to be served. The soldier was even happier, and after untying his bowstring and putting it into his bow bag, he generously accepted the bowl of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Han Kun saw that the soldier had carefully preserved his bow before receiving his reward, and nodded with delight. What general doesn't like good soldiers? He turned to his personal guards and ordered, "Go and fetch ten cartloads of wine. Each of you lead a team to inspect them. Anyone who can shoot arrows twelve times consecutively with the war bow, and hit the target five times, will be rewarded with a bowl of wine."

The guards obeyed and left. Han Kun then summoned Li Xuan and Li Ji to issue orders, instructing them to cooperate with his guards in conducting a check and testing of archery skills. Those who passed the archery test would be rewarded with wine, while those who failed would be dismissed.

With the division of labor among Han Kun's one hundred personal guards, the Huai Army's roll call was completed quickly and the results were excellent. Everyone passed the archery test, demonstrating very good martial arts skills.

Han Kun was overjoyed and ordered each of them to be rewarded with a bolt of silk to welcome them to the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry Army. With this group of promising young soldiers, Han Kun was full of confidence in the future growth of the Dragon Cavalry Army. Even the strong troops of the Palace Guard only had the advantage of seniority. In terms of hard skills, after I, Han Kun, have properly trained the Dragon Cavalry Army, I don't know who will be tougher.

Li Xuan and Li Ji took the opportunity to apologize, saying, "Lord Commander, please forgive us. We have heard that the imperial court does not restrict soldiers by place of origin, and many good young men from our hometowns have come to enlist. We have screened them many times, but there are still more than two hundred people over the quota. After the soldiers are settled, we will take the extra people back to Bianjing and incorporate them into our household guards."

Han Kun was shocked. How could he let such promising soldiers get away? These two subordinates were far too honest.

He summoned two men and gave them instructions in person:

"You two, each of you should submit a list of fifty personal guards for approval. The court will provide their pay. In addition, each of you should organize a supply corps of two hundred men, with each supply corps being equipped with one hundred and fifty horses and mules according to regulations."

The supply corps' pay is only 30% of that of the Imperial Guards. With the salaries of 200 supply corps soldiers, supporting 50 men is more than enough. And with a little training, what difficulty could 50 men have in managing 150 horses and mules?

Li Xuan and Li Ji understood each other perfectly: the organization was rigid, but people were flexible. The 150 horses and mules were undoubtedly responsible for logistical transportation. There were over a thousand men in the army, many of whom had experience driving carts, delivering goods, and tending to horses and mules. When manpower was needed, they could simply send people to help the supply train. Once the gates were closed in the camp, who cared whether you were a regular soldier or a supply soldier?

After undergoing Han Kun's examination, Li Xuan and Li Ji each led their teams to the warehouse to collect weapons and armor and register their ranks. It's worth noting that the Zhou Kingdom's Imperial Guards had been completely transformed after the reorganization; their treatment had improved dramatically, and the soldiers no longer needed to have their faces tattooed.

Armored arsenal

After reviewing the newly printed registration documents, the armory manager was quite surprised and said, "You're from the South? Southerners are weak, can you really wear heavy armor? Military campaigns are no joke, don't collapse before you even see the enemy on the battlefield."

Li Xuan suppressed his anger and said to the warehouse manager, "If you cannot bear the heavy armor, you are willing to accept military law. Please do not worry, warehouse manager."

The warehouse manager glanced at the documents, thought about the heads Guo Rong had chopped off recently, and slowly said, "Very well, I only meant well. Considering you've come from afar, serving your country is no easy feat, so I'm offering you Southerners a favor by exchanging some light armor. Since you're not willing, then follow the rules and receive the standard armor and three types of weapons." — The three types of weapons refer to long weapons, short weapons, and ranged weapons.

After Li Xuan and Li Ji's troops had received their weapons and armor, the warehouse manager said disdainfully to his attendants, "His Majesty has always been wise, but he has made a mistake in recruiting soldiers. It is common knowledge that the southerners are weak and have always been suppressed and beaten by us northerners."

Our Longxiang Army is newly established and needs strong soldiers. Instead of recruiting in Hebei and Hedong, we've brought over a thousand men from the south. Besides these Huai-Dong people, we've also received troops from other parts of the south, Shaanxi, and even Han (Central) armies. I think our commander has had the worst luck imaginable; the Longxiang Army is doomed sooner or later.”

The men around him said, "It's all thanks to the granary manager's wisdom. The armor he just gave them was old and tattered from the previous dynasty. The new, sturdy armor made by this dynasty is only for us Hebei people. Even the soldiers from Hedong have to show some respect to them."

The warehouse manager waved his hand: "Oh, don't say that. The imperial court has a limited supply of armor, and new armor is scarce. I'm only thinking of the court. We should prioritize issuing the old armor first. It's only reasonable to reserve the new armor for the elite troops in Hebei and Hedong. If we don't distinguish right from wrong and don't use our brains, wouldn't even a dog be qualified to be a warehouse manager? Everything I've done is for the Longxiang Army."

Li Xuan and Li Ji did not notice anything wrong with the armor at first, after all, it was of good quality and was genuine iron armor, arming them from head to toe.

The military logistics system, which had just suffered a wave of beheadings, dared not slack off on this point. However, because the armor was quite old, with many pieces made during the Great Yu Dynasty, the armor plates needed to be polished and rusted, and the ropes used for weaving were mostly rotten and needed to be repaired and replaced.

Regardless, Li Xuan's army was established. He wasted no time and led his newly formed personal guards into troop training. To achieve great things, he first had to forge an elite force in the shortest possible time.

The retainers have all been reassigned; some have become captains, some have become squad leaders, and some have become scout leaders. Li Chang has been given the position of commander of the central army, specifically to lead his personal guards to protect Li Xuan.