Chapter 25: Civil Officials and Military Generals Are All Cut from the Same Cloth

Had this visit from Liang Wanshen occurred two days earlier, Magistrate Ding would have been overjoyed. However, now that he had a better option, he found a mere military officer somewhat beneath his notice.

"Very well, show him in."

Magistrate Ding ordered the feast cleared away. He sat in his chair, assuming the full gravity of his office, and waited for Inspector Liang to enter and pay his respects. Liang Wanshen was not at all offended by this attitude; he was long accustomed to it. After all, what military man could expect to be treated as an equal by a civil official?

Liang Wanshen was not wearing armor; he was dressed in a tight-fitting martial outfit, his head wrapped in a blue cloth turban. A sword hung at his waist, and he wore high boots. Upon entering, he bowed respectfully with his hands cupped.

"Subordinate officer Liang Wanshen, under orders from Prefect Han, has brought two battalions of the regional army to provide reinforcements. I pay my respects to you, Magistrate."

Magistrate Ding waved a hand dismissively and said lightly, "You have had a tiring journey, Inspector Liang."

"It is my duty; I dare not call it tiring."

Liang Wanshen bowed slightly and lowered his voice to relay the message: "Furthermore, it is Prefect Han’s intention that, if they can be pacified, we should avoid resorting to force if possible. We could send someone to tell the mountain stronghold that as long as they hand over Li Gui, the man who killed the official, their crimes can be pardoned. We could even offer their leaders some incentives."

"My command happens to have several vacancies. Whether they are platoon leaders or squad commanders, you may assign them as you see fit, Magistrate. If the bandits are greedy, even the position of a subordinate officer could be arranged."

Magistrate Ding and Secretary Song looked at each other in dismay, speechless. It was true that a single lie required ten more to cover it up.

After a long silence, Magistrate Ding sighed. "If this were earlier, perhaps that method would work. But I have recently received news that the rogue Li Gui is arrogant and domineering. After exploiting the Yushan bandits, he murdered their chief, seized the base, and now intends to resist the imperial troops."

Liang Wanshen’s teeth ached at this news. Some generals of the Great Song were capable and constantly sought military merit, but most were just coasting through their careers. With a clear ceiling on their advancement, there was no reason to risk their lives for a pittance. Liang Wanshen was one of those who coasted.

Magistrate Ding’s report had merely requested troops to assist in capturing Li Gui. How dangerous could a lone outlaw be? If they set up checkpoints on the main roads and swarmed him once his location was known, he would be dead regardless. But now that Li Gui was the master of Yushan stronghold, they could not capture him without launching a full-scale suppression.

Under normal circumstances, even for a regional army, two battalions should easily suppress a small mountain stronghold, given their superior equipment. The problem was that Liang Wanshen knew his own men well; they had not trained for a long time. It didn’t matter much if the soldiers ate poorly on ordinary days, but training required high physical exertion and a meat-rich diet; otherwise, they would not only fail to improve but would physically break down. Meat was expensive! Liang himself rarely ate meat at every meal, so he certainly wouldn’t provide it for his soldiers. He had simply given up on training. Furthermore, many of the soldiers in these two battalions existed only on the ledgers and were utterly unfit for the battlefield.

Liang Wanshen was deeply reluctant, but he had to accept this bitter task. If the pompous official above him decided to make things difficult for him, he could easily lose his rank and position.

"I understand. Tomorrow, I will gather my men and head up the mountain to suppress the bandits." If they were to die, let it be the soldiers rather than himself.

With his agreement secured, Magistrate Ding no longer dared to withhold the truth. If Liang were to suffer a crushing defeat due to overconfidence and then discover that the Yushan stronghold was well-armed and armored, the situation would be impossible to contain. Unable to shed his civil official’s vanity, he coughed and signaled to Secretary Song, who was standing respectfully to the side.

Secretary Song understood and interjected, "Inspector Liang may not be aware, but this Yushan stronghold has recently wiped out all the other mountain strongholds in Yishui County, gathering quite a collection of weapons and... over a dozen sets of armor."

"What?" Liang Wanshen’s eyes widened immediately. Are you joking? Even if you wiped out every stronghold in the entire Yizhou Prefecture, you wouldn't be able to piece together a dozen sets of armor! In his own army, only he and his deputy commanders had armor; the rank-and-file soldiers were dressed only in cloth.

Liang Wanshen looked at Secretary Song, then shifted his gaze to Magistrate Ding, who was pretending to sip tea with his head bowed. He roughly understood the situation now. A dozen sets of armor was a crime punishable by total extermination of one's family—it was clear evidence of preparations for rebellion! Magistrate Ding had been hiding unfavorable information, and only now, when he could no longer conceal it, was he revealing it.

Since that was the case...

"Ahem!" Liang Wanshen cleared his throat and said hesitantly, "If that is the case, my suppression of the bandits will require careful deliberation to avoid excessive losses among my men."

What?

Magistrate Ding and Secretary Song were both stunned. This man’s attitude was all wrong! Two battalions of the regional army amounted to a thousand soldiers. As long as they weren't reckless, they should be able to flatten that mountain stronghold with a direct assault. Seeing his fat, bloated appearance, one could tell he was not the type of general to cherish his men. There was definitely something wrong with those two battalions!

The three men in the room were cut from the same cloth. Nothing was said, yet they understood each other perfectly. One of the four great bonds of life was having committed a corrupt act together. While they had no such history, realizing that the others were not paragons of virtue made them feel an instant, twisted sense of kinship. They were birds of a feather!

Once they realized they were all the type to deceive their superiors and conceal the truth, the stiff, formal atmosphere in the room softened.

"Haha..." Secretary Song immediately extended an olive branch. "We are all acting for the public good, seeking to return peace to Yishui County. As long as the goal is achieved, the process is secondary. Even if there are minor flaws, we shall all be accommodating."

Liang Wanshen understood and nodded hurriedly in agreement. "Secretary Song is absolutely right. Those who do more, err more; those who do little, err little; those who do nothing, err not at all. How can anyone working hard avoid mistakes? As long as the result is good, the details are insignificant."

Magistrate Ding nodded in satisfaction. With Liang Wanshen’s help in covering things up, he would surely pass this hurdle smoothly.

"Since you are suppressing bandits for the sake of the people, this office will certainly support you. If you have any needs, Inspector Liang, feel free to speak."

"There are many old and weak men in the two battalions. I need to recruit some strong men from the county to replace the weak with the strong, so that we may ensure success. Furthermore, the weapons and armor have largely rotted and need appropriate replenishment. Also, the soldiers have not fought in years and are rusty; they will need some time to drill."

After he finished speaking, the faces of Magistrate Ding and the Secretary turned grim. Good heavens! Not enough soldiers, not enough weapons and armor, and they hadn't trained! It was fortunate they hadn't sent him to fight immediately, or it would have been a suicide mission! However, it was also fortunate that he was like this; it made him useful for concealing the truth from their superiors. One could only say that every gain came with a loss.

"Set your mind at ease, Inspector Liang. Regarding weapons and armor, the treasury still has some in reserve; feel free to take them. As for recruiting and training, handle it as you see fit. There is no rush to suppress the bandits."

Magistrate Ding was only interested in self-preservation; whether the bandits were suppressed or not was irrelevant.

An agreement was reached. Magistrate Ding ordered a new banquet to be prepared to welcome Liang Wanshen. The host and guest enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and Liang departed only after he had his fill.