The 'Involution King' Second Female Lead Quits [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Only Now Do You Know Fear?

How do you deal with an army that has to supply its own rations? It’s simple—you stall.

The city of Taiyuan, which was taken at the cost of a thousand lives, now played a huge role. In a situation with non-elite soldiers and a numerical disadvantage, it could still be defended, let alone now with the elite fifty thousand Northern Frontier army.

The general sent by the court was He Yue, the Assistant Minister of War. Last year, he led three thousand men to quell a rebellion of nearly ten thousand commoners, so he was promoted from a local commander to a high-ranking official in the Ministry of War, and now he was the Great General for Quelling the Rebellion. He Yue knew some military tactics, and he was also aware that the suggestion for his soldiers to bring their own rations was absurd. But he dared not oppose the Emperor. He just announced the attack on the city after the army was assembled, hoping to quell Taiyuan with a sufficient numerical advantage.

Li Jianwei’s countermeasure was also simple: defend Taiyuan to the death. After the first three-day skirmish, the Northern Frontier army only had a few minor sprains from moving too fast, and there were no deaths.

Didn’t the enemy have trebuchets?

Of course, they did, but they had been set on fire by Li Jianwei and her personal guards the day before their attack.

After the frontal assault was fruitless, He Yue tried to trap Li Jianwei in the city of Taiyuan by besieging it. As long as the rebel general was dead, the remaining scattered soldiers would be of no concern. It was a good idea, but He Yue overestimated his abilities. He couldn’t cut off the supply lines to Taiyuan.

The Northern Frontier army stationed in Pingyang Prefecture was not idle. As soon as they spotted the enemy, they would dispatch cavalry to charge. It only took a few rounds to scatter the infantry formations.

“Our General said that she will not kill surrendered soldiers. As long as you’re willing to work in the city, you will be given food!”

“The General couldn’t bear to see treacherous officials oppressing the people! Therefore, she raised an army to purify the court!”

Miao Yun, the cavalry general in charge of the charge, shouted. She was originally the commander of the logistics army. After defeating the Xiongnu, she used the captured warhorses to form three thousand cavalrymen in the logistics army and officially became a great general under Li Jianwei. The logistics army, just like the original border army, was uniformly reorganized into the Northern Frontier army. Of the original fifty thousand sisters, thirty thousand remained in the Northern Frontier, and the most elite twenty thousand followed their general to start the rebellion.

Miao Yun’s loud voice was no less than General Han’s. After completing three rounds of charges with the surrender slogan, the morale of the ten-thousand-man team that had to bring their own rations collapsed. Many of them immediately threw down their weapons and surrendered, stating that they were willing to follow Miao Yun back to Pingyang Prefecture as long as they could have a hot meal.

…

“Miao Yun reports that the court’s army is even worse than we expected. The court didn’t give the soldiers much time to prepare. It said they had to bring a month’s worth of rations, but more than half of the soldiers don’t have enough food.”

“The court also doesn’t care about their rations when the soldiers are on a forced march. After only ten days of fighting, some people already have no food and have to borrow from their comrades or go to the surrounding villages to steal food.”

Li Jianwei said, folding the memorial in her hand and handing it to Shu Heng.

Shu Heng took it naturally and read it carefully, word for word. “In that case, it will be easy to persuade the soldiers to surrender. The only thing we need to worry about is the issue of provisions.”

“Indeed, but I will not accept those who have stolen the people’s food,” Li Jianwei said. “If they can plunder the people’s food to fill their stomachs today, they can backstab their comrades to survive tomorrow.”

Shu Heng opened her mouth. She really wanted to say that those people were just trying to survive and that stealing food was forced by the situation. But then she thought about it again. Provisions were already scarce, and in some serious places, people were even exchanging children for food. If the grain in a family’s home was stolen by soldiers, then it wouldn’t be one person who would starve to death, but a whole family.

“The people’s lives will be much better if they don’t have to pay the autumn grain tax,” Shu Heng could only say. “After the people learn about the General’s actions, they will surely look forward to the General’s arrival.”

“Just exempting them from half a year’s tax is enough to make the people grateful. It just goes to show how foolish the current Emperor is,” Li Jianwei couldn’t help but sigh.

You really don’t know until you fight. Only after fighting did she realize that the Emperor and his army were made of paper.

“Every time I think about how my father and brother were forced to their deaths by such a foolish ruler, I can’t let it go,” Li Jianwei slowly exhaled. “Little Minister Shu, do you think I can just kill my way into the imperial city?”

Shu Heng’s eyelids twitched. “Is the General thinking of having the Emperor abdicate?”

“No, I want to cut off the Emperor’s head and leave no member of the former imperial family alive,” Li Jianwei’s expression was calm, but her words were chillingly cold. “Regardless of age, all will be executed.”

Shu Heng took a deep breath. “Are even the married princesses within the scope of the General’s purging?”

“We can consider sparing the lives of the princesses, but if they are disobedient, I will execute them as well,” Li Jianwei said. “If they have given birth to male children, the male children will all be executed.”

Shu Heng: “Is the General worried that someone will support them and try to restore the dynasty?”

Li Jianwei nodded sharply. “Yes, wasn’t there a war during the founding of the Great Jin because of the restoration of the former dynasty? The lessons are there for all to see. I will not pretend not to see them.”

Shu Heng thought for a moment. “But if the General succeeds, the princesses can also become a target for support.”

“Indeed, but those ministers who try to restore the dynasty can’t support a woman. If they really can, then it’s fine. I will consider giving them a whole body,” Li Jianwei was not afraid of any restoration of the former dynasty. If they really succeeded, it would only mean that she was not worthy of becoming an empress.

Shu Heng vaguely felt that she had guessed something very important. She asked, “Does the General care about how future generations will judge her?”

Li Jianwei answered with confidence, “Of course I won’t. I will not be troubled by a false reputation.”

“Then the General can just act according to her heart’s desire. Whether it’s establishing yourself first and then attacking the capital, or first becoming a regent and then deposing the Emperor, you can achieve a great cause,” Shu Heng closed the memorial in her hand. “A great person is not bound by trivial details.”

“That’s right, a great person is not bound by trivial details.” Li Jianwei smiled. She had gotten a satisfying answer from Shu Heng.

“Find some time to hold an exam in Taiyuan. Anyone, with or without a scholarly title, can participate. Those who pass the exam can temporarily fill the empty official positions in Taiyuan Prefecture. If they don’t make any major mistakes after a year, the word ‘temporary’ will be removed.”

Li Jianwei said, “Anyone, regardless of age, status, or gender, can sign up to participate. I only have one requirement: they must not have committed any crimes.”

“Oh, and the position of the Prefect of Taiyuan is all yours, Little Minister Shu,” Li Jianwei said with a smile. “Little Minister Shu, please find some time to go to the yamen and have the tailors take your measurements for a suitable set of clothes. You can wear the new official robe when you select people to join the civil service.”

Shu Heng was a beat late in responding. Her mind was filled with the words “regardless of age, status, or gender, anyone can sign up.”

Is the General trying to let women stand openly in the court? Compared to her, I, who is still wearing men’s clothes, seem too timid.

Shu Heng had not thought about taking off her men’s clothes. Most of the people she had to deal with were men, and she was always subconsciously worried that she would be looked down upon if she resumed her female identity. Shu Heng’s mind was a mess. She was even distracted when the tailors were taking her measurements, not paying attention to what they were asking and just giving answers truthfully.

It wasn’t until the official robe was delivered to Shu Heng’s hands that she realized the style of the robe was different. When she put it on, it perfectly outlined her female curves.

What’s going on? Did I tell the tailors my real gender?

Shu Heng looked at herself in the mirror and did not speak for a long time. She just quietly wiped off the deliberately darkened eyebrows, making her already handsome features even more delicate.

“Little Minister Shu, why are you wearing women’s clothes?” General Han, who was in charge of guarding the examination hall, looked puzzled. “To be honest, Little Minister Shu, you look prettier than many young ladies.”

“I am a woman,” Shu Heng said. She no longer deliberately controlled her voice. Her original neutral voice now had a unique, clear, and melodious quality belonging to a woman. “General Han, are all the examinees here?” Shu Heng asked.

General Han’s mouth was wide open. It took him a while to react. “A total of one thousand three hundred people signed up, and over one thousand two hundred showed up. There is still a quarter of an hour before the exam questions are handed out.”

“For the next three days, I’ll have to trouble General Han to guard the examination hall and not let any unrelated people get close,” Shu Heng said, leading the six personal guards Li Jianwei had assigned to her and striding towards the examination hall.

So what if I’m a woman? The General has already set a good example for me. Why should I be timid and afraid to reveal my identity? My talent will not disappear because of a change in gender!

General Han stroked his beard. “So the top scholar of the court is a woman. No wonder our General values her so much and often talks to her until late at night.”

“What a pity. If she wasn’t a woman, Little Minister Shu and our General would be quite a match,” General Han muttered softly, quickly accepting the fact that Shu Heng was a woman. It wasn’t that hard to accept. Their lord was a woman, and there were also female colleagues by her side. Now, there was just one more female colleague in the civil service. There was no need to make a big fuss.

…

When the official exam began in Taiyuan Prefecture, He Yue, who was besieging Taiyuan, had his head cut off by his own vice-general. He then led the remaining fifty thousand men to surrender to Li Jianwei. Most of these people were regular soldiers from Henan Prefecture, Huaiqing Prefecture, and Daming Prefecture. As for the soldiers recruited from other places, they had long since fled due to lack of food.

The surrender of fifty thousand men meant that the three prefectures of Henan, Huaiqing, and Daming had lost their ability to defend and counterattack. Li Jianwei immediately had her subordinates split into three groups and easily took them in less than half a month. Upon learning that they no longer had to pay the autumn grain tax, the people of the three prefectures began to cheer “Long live the General,” and they wished they could personally go to the city gates to welcome the Northern Frontier army.

The people’s demands were that simple. As long as they had food to eat and could survive, they wouldn’t ask for anything else. After taking these territories, Li Jianwei was only three hundred miles away from the capital. At a speed of fifty miles a day, she would be able to point her sword at the capital in just six days.

At this point, there were two paths before Li Jianwei. One was to strike while the iron was hot and take the capital directly, fighting a life-or-death battle with the two hundred thousand soldiers guarding the capital. The second path was to rest and recuperate, reorganize the territories she had taken after the autumn harvest, optimize the army’s composition, and then make a move in the spring of the following year.

A winter’s time was enough to change many things. The number of soldiers under Li Jianwei would increase, and the surrendered soldiers could also complete their training and be sent back to the battlefield. If the soldiers stationed in the Northern Frontier were also counted, Li Jianwei could be said to have half a million troops in her hands. It would not be difficult to push into the capital. Of course, five months could also allow the Emperor to recall the one hundred thousand soldiers who were quelling the rebellion in the south, forming an army of three hundred thousand, increasing the difficulty of taking the capital.

“General, this humble general believes that we should first deal with the one hundred thousand troops who are quelling the rebellion in the south,” General Zhang said. “We can bypass the capital and march towards the Jiangnan area, taking Nanyang, Xiangyang, and Jingzhou directly. This will also intimidate them.”

“If the Emperor later recalls these one hundred thousand men to the capital, we can intercept them on the way.”

Shu Heng: “General, you can appropriately advance to the southeast. The people of Jiangnan have long suffered from the court’s heavy taxes. If the General’s arrival can restore the one-tenth tax, the people of Jiangnan will surely welcome you. This is what the people want.”

The frank General Han said, “This humble general also believes that we should take Jiangnan first. I have heard that the foolish ruler is still collecting taxes from Jiangnan. Only the aristocratic families are living well now.”

“General, your ancestral home is in Jiujiang. If you can take Jingzhou and occupy Huguang, the gentry of Jiangxi will surely pledge allegiance to the General,” Miao Yun said. Her point of view was a bit different from the others. “With the cooperation of the gentry of Jiangxi, it will not be difficult to control Jiangnan. Even if we have to besiege the capital, we don’t have to worry about running out of provisions.”

The generals and officials under Li Jianwei were all very smart. Everyone’s suggestions sounded very reasonable. After stating their thoughts, they waited for Li Jianwei, their lord, to make the final decision.

“Are most of the officials in the court from Jiangnan?” Li Jianwei asked.

Shu Heng immediately gave the answer. “Half of them are from the gentry of Jiangnan, but to avoid the rebel armies, many have moved north with their families to Xuzhou and Runing Prefecture, which are closer to the capital.”

“Then we will first take Nanyang, Xiangyang, and Jingzhou. Generals Miao, Zhang, and Han, each of you will lead thirty thousand soldiers,” Li Jianwei’s gaze fell on the hung map. “If the surrounding prefectures are willing to surrender, take them as well. Just like the other places, the people will be exempted from half a year’s land tax.”

“Also, send people to the south to spread the news. If the rebel armies are willing to surrender, they can go to Jiujiang, Jiangxi. I will send people to welcome them. All previous crimes will be forgiven.”

Li Jianwei was not worried that the Li family in Jiujiang would not cooperate with her. A quick look at the family tree showed that they were all from the same clan. If she succeeded, they would also benefit. If she failed, most of them would also have their heads chopped off. It had been several months since she started the rebellion, and the Li family in Jiujiang had not yet announced that they had severed ties with her. This alone was enough to show their attitude. Who would willingly give up the chance to be a relative of the new Emperor and instead be part of a family that was to be exterminated?

After the battle plan was decided, everyone immediately began to act, and they were all extremely busy. The generals who only had to lead troops were fine. They had long been used to such a life. After counting the number of people and provisions, they could set off. However, Shu Heng, who had to manage the entire Taiyuan Prefecture, had to work overtime every day, reviewing official documents by candlelight and oil lamp.

There was nothing she could do. Not many of the former officials in Taiyuan Prefecture were clean. More than twenty were executed, and over thirty were imprisoned to do hard labor. Although they had recruited many people through the exam, it still took time for them to get the hang of their respective duties. Even with ten people transferred from Pingyang Prefecture, Shu Heng was not able to be idle.

Li Jianwei originally wanted to lend a hand, but she hated the verbose speeches of those gentry. Especially when she found out that they were subtly expressing their dissatisfaction, she had only one thought in her mind.

“Don’t they know who’s in charge of Taiyuan? Do they not want their heads anymore?” Li Jianwei said angrily, pounding the table.

Shu Heng quietly put her brush away. “General, these people have access to medicinal channels. If we chop them down, we won’t be able to get a continuous supply of cheap medicinal herbs.”

“Is there no one who can replace him?” Li Jianwei asked back.

Shu Heng: “Yes, but it will take time. The people I sent have not yet figured out their channels for purchasing medicinal herbs. By next spring, the General can deal with them.”

Li Jianwei was not very satisfied with this result, but she also knew that this was the best way to handle it.

“Little Minister Shu, you must be working hard, dealing with these people every day,” Li Jianwei couldn’t help but sigh. “Later, I’ll have the kitchen make some of your favorite dishes to replenish your energy.”

The curve of Shu Heng’s lips became more and more obvious. “The General went against all advice to hand Taiyuan to this subordinate. How can I let the General’s trust down?”

“It’s not going against all advice. I have many people who can fight, but not many who can be a good local official. Taiyuan is such an important place. I’m not willing to give it to those who only followed me after I started the rebellion, so you are the only person in my mind.”

Li Jianwei’s words were very frank. She did not lack followers, especially after taking Taiyuan. Many local aristocratic families had their young ones come and recommend themselves. Li Jianwei did not deny that some of them were indeed very outstanding, but most of them were here for the continuation of their families. They could not be as truly dedicated to the people as Shu Heng.

“This subordinate will not fail the General’s trust,” Shu Heng promised seriously.

Shu Heng had lost count of how many times she had made this promise. Sometimes, she even felt that words could not express her feelings. A scholar dies for her confidant. Shu Heng was truly willing to risk everything, including her life, for Li Jianwei.

“Mmm, I know.” Li Jianwei patted Shu Heng’s shoulder and said with a smile, “But you must also take care of your health. Li Wan said she still wants you to be her teacher. I’ve already agreed for you. After everything is settled, you can continue to teach her.”

“Okay,” Shu Heng agreed willingly.

…

The south had long suffered from war and chaos. Compared to worrying about being attacked by rebel armies from time to time, it was better to surrender to Li Jianwei early. At least they could have stability and not be frightened at night.

Because most of the rebel armies were common people who had no way out because of the court, their leaders sometimes didn’t have much education. Some were even local thugs. These people usually didn’t have a big picture. After breaking a small county, the first thing they would do was rush to the homes of rich merchants to rob them, calling it “robbing the rich to help the poor.”

The people could take a breather for a short time and not have to worry about taxes. But over time, the rebel armies, which had no long-term plans, would replace the court and become the oppressors of the common people. The rebel armies would not consider the local economy. They only cared about how much they could profit from it. When they met the court’s army for quelling the rebellion, they would fight if they could, and run if they couldn’t. At most, they would just go somewhere else to wreak havoc.

There were many such rebel armies. Most of their strength could only take one or two counties or prefectures. They were easy to be scattered, but also easy to regroup. This was the fundamental reason why the court had used two years and a hundred thousand troops but still couldn’t completely quell the rebellion. Where there was oppression, there was resistance. Unless the court completely started over and gave the people a way out, one wave of rebel armies would fall, and a new one would emerge elsewhere.

After successfully taking Jingzhou and other places, it was already late autumn, and the Northern Frontier army entered a period of rest and recuperation. After the news that Li Jianwei was willing to accept rebel armies spread, many rebel armies who were being chased by the court’s army chose to go to Jiujiang to surrender. However, the relatively large rebel armies that thought they could also succeed maintained their old habits, occupying a prefecture or a county and acting as a local emperor.

And after the small rebel armies disappeared, these people were targeted by the court’s army for quelling the rebellion. Even as winter began, the two sides did not stop fighting. There would be a battle from time to time, and each time, hundreds or even thousands of people would die.

Why did the court’s army for quelling the rebellion bite these people and not let go?

It was naturally because they knew they couldn’t beat the well-equipped and well-trained Northern Frontier army. They could only deal with these rebel armies that didn’t even have complete armor, so they wouldn’t lose their positions for failing to quell the rebellion.

…

When the imperial city was covered with a thick white blanket of snow, the Emperor finally realized that he might become a ruler of a fallen dynasty. Two hundred thousand against five hundred thousand. Even if the Emperor knew nothing about military matters, he knew that the capital could be breached at any time.

Not to mention that the quelling of the rebellion in the Jiangnan area was also going very badly. The entire province of Jiangxi had sided with Li Jianwei, indirectly blocking the return path of the one hundred thousand soldiers to the capital.

“Men, take down the heretic Song Kuai and lock him in the prison!” The Emperor thought it over and decided to abandon the Senior Grand Academician, hoping to appease Li Jianwei’s anger with this.

“Your Majesty, your subject…” Song Kuai’s words were not finished before he was quickly gagged by the imperial guards and dragged away.

The hundred officials in the court looked at each other, constantly exchanging glances, but not a single one of them stood up to speak for Song Kuai.

“Father, at this point, one Song Kuai might not be able to calm Li Jianwei’s anger,” the King of Zhou did not forget to add fuel to the fire. “Why not let the King of Wei go to her with a plea of guilt?”

The Emperor did not speak, but just looked silently at the officials who dared not look up and meet his gaze.

“Father, your son is willing to be an envoy and send the mastermind who harmed the Duke of the Loyal Nation to Li Jianwei,” the King of Zhou knelt down and pleaded.

The King of Wei wanted to curse, but he did not dare to speak now, for fear that he would say something wrong and really be used as a sacrificial lamb.

“What do you all think, my dear subjects?” the Emperor asked, the expression in his eyes was unclear.

“Your Majesty, why not issue an edict to enfeoff Li Jianwei as a King with a Different Surname and grant her the Northern Frontier as her fief?” a Ministry of Rites official said.

“Your Majesty can also issue a decree to exempt the entire country from land tax for one year, giving the people a chance to rest and recuperate,” a Ministry of Revenue official also said.

It was obvious that these ministers, upon realizing that danger was approaching, had put down their party struggles and were trying to make up for their past mistakes.

But was it too late to remedy the situation now?