Chapter 23: War is Imminent
“Why has the war suddenly broken out this year after twenty years of peace on the northeastern border?” Luo Jin asked solemnly.
Duan Changhe thought for a moment before responding, “I’ve received some information that there hasn’t been any rain for eight consecutive months outside the Heavy Mountain Pass, and only a month ago, a heavy snowfall occurred.”
The Heavy Mountain Pass was the most important border fortress in the northeastern region of the Da Rong Imperial Dynasty. Beyond the pass lay the territory of the Hu Tribe.
The Hu Tribe in the east relied on nomadic herding and hunting for their livelihood, and natural disasters such as droughts and snowstorms were their greatest fears.
Last year, they had experienced a severe drought, followed by a devastating snowstorm, which had catastrophic consequences.
Luo Jin was not familiar with the situation of the Hu Tribe in the east, and as the magistrate of Anning County, he was not responsible for monitoring the Hu Tribe’s activities.
“is this war unavoidable?”
“The imperial court should have foreseen this!” Duan Changhe said.
Luo Jin was somewhat reassured upon hearing this. If the imperial court had anticipated this, the Hu Tribe shouldn’t be a significant threat, but this didn’t mean Anning County was entirely safe. War was full of unpredictability, and no one could guarantee complete success.
Even if the imperial court was prepared, it was uncertain whether they could completely block the Hu Tribe outside the Heavy Mountain Pass.
“Let’s get ready, then!”
“Order the patrol officers to keep a close eye on travelers, prevent spies from entering the county, and assemble the guards and civilian militiamen for night duty. This task will be handled by Lord Li. Can you?” Luo Jin looked at Li Qing.
Li Qing stood up, bowed, and responded, “I accept the order!”
Luo Jin slightly nodded and turned to Duan Changhe, saying, “The county’s granary is crucial; I need you to guard it, and there can be no mistakes.”
The county didn’t have many soldiers, only a few hundred, and if a large number of Hu Tribe soldiers entered Anning County, the city would have only one option: to defend it to the death.
To defend the city, grain supplies were essential. Luo Jin had already made the worst-case scenario preparations, prioritizing the county’s granary.
“I accept the order!” Duan Changhe stood up and responded, but then asked, “Should we recruit civilian martial artists, sir?”
Civilian martial artists were a force not to be underestimated, and the imperial court wouldn’t ignore their power. Therefore, the imperial court and county governments had the authority to issue a temporary recruitment order for martial artists, known as the summoning order.
However, the summoning order wasn’t something to be issued lightly and could only be announced in times of extreme crisis.
Luo Jin shook his head, saying, “Not yet, the Hu Tribe has not yet entered our territory, and we have no authority to issue the summoning order.”
“But we can prepare ahead of time, arranging the guards to bring the martial artists’ register and station them outside the city. If we receive an order or discover a large Hu Tribe army surrounding the city, we can immediately issue the summoning order.”
“You’re indeed thorough, sir!” Duan Changhe swiftly flattered.
Li Qing glared at Duan Changhe, disapproving of his excessive flattery.
This guy always liked to curry favor, which was truly despicable.
However, Duan Changhe didn’t care about Li Qing’s disdainful gaze, maintaining a calm expression.
…
The news of the war spreading from the northeastern border quickly reached the county, and Yang Zhengshan received the message from Lu Zhaoqi through Lu Wenchun.
“Uncle, my father asked me to bring a message,” Lu Wenchun said in a low voice inside Yang’s house.
“What message?” Yang Zhengshan’s brow furrowed into a knot.
The Hu Tribe’s invasion wasn’t a good thing.
If things went awry, it could bring disaster to the Yang family.
The Hu Tribe was not a group of mountain bandits; they had thousands of horsemen and many powerful martial artists.
With Yang Zhengshan’s current abilities, he was no match for the Hu Tribe’s thousands of horsemen. Even if it were a small unit, Yang Zhengshan wouldn’t have the confidence to defeat them.
“This might be an opportunity!” Lu Wenchun said.
Yang Zhengshan’s eyes sparkled as he understood Lu Zhaoqi’s intention.
Earlier, he had sought an official position, but unfortunately, there were no suitable vacancies in the county government. He had to temporarily give up.
Now, with the war breaking out on the northeastern border, it was indeed a rare opportunity.
This was a perfect illustration of the coexistence of danger and opportunity.
“I understand. You can go now.”
Yang Zhengshan nodded, and after sending Lu Wenchun off, he sat in the hall, deep in thought. Eventually, he went to Yang Zhengxiang’s house.
“Is this true?”
Yang Zhengxiang was shocked upon hearing the news of the war on the northeastern border.
“It’s almost certain. The county government is already making preparations,” Yang Zhengshan said.
Yang Zhengxiang’s aged face was filled with anxiety as he paced back and forth in the house.
He had lived for sixty years and knew the horrors of war. In the past twenty years, the northeastern border had been relatively peaceful due to the Black Cloud Mountain War, which had resulted in a great victory for the Da Rong Imperial Dynasty, wiping out a significant portion of the Hu Tribe’s main force. As a result, the Hu Tribe had yet to recover.
Before the Black Cloud Mountain War, the northeastern border was constantly plagued by wars, with small skirmishes every two years and major conflicts every three years. The Hu Tribe cavalry would frequently cross the border, killing and plundering everywhere.
The Yang Family Village had also suffered at the hands of the Hu Tribe’s plundering, with the most devastating incident resulting in nearly half of the villagers being killed or injured, forcing them to flee into the wilderness of Longqing Mountain.
Yang Zhengshan’s mother had also met her demise due to the Hu Tribe’s plundering.
Recalling those hardships, Yang Zhengxiang’s heart ached as if it were being tightly gripped.
Now that the war on the northeastern border was breaking out again, he truly feared a recurrence of the past.
“Do you have any ideas?” Yang Zhengxiang suddenly asked Yang Zhengshan.
Yang Zhengshan habitually rubbed the calluses on his tiger-shaped fists, calmly saying, “It’s too early to say anything. The war hasn’t started yet, and everything is uncertain.”
“We can only prepare ahead of time. If the border military can block the Hu Tribe’s invasion, then it has nothing to do with us. If they can’t, we’ll at least have some strength to resist and a path to retreat.”
With the Yang family’s current power, they couldn’t influence the outcome of the war. They could only focus on preserving themselves and protecting their home in Yang Family Village.
Yang Zhengxiang looked thoughtful, “Resist! That means we need to train our troops. Retreat! Longqing Mountain!”
“Exactly!” Yang Zhengshan nodded. “If it’s just a small unit of Hu Tribe cavalry, we can seek opportunities to fight. If it’s thousands of horsemen, then we can only flee into Longqing Mountain.”
Opportunities and dangers coexisted, and the Yang family wanted to achieve merits. They could only do so by fighting on the battlefield. The war on the northeastern border was indeed an opportunity for the Yang family, but if things went awry, Yang Zhengshan didn’t want to sacrifice the entire Yang family and himself for the sake of merit. Therefore, he needed to prepare for both scenarios.
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