Chapter 00191: Official Recruitment
# Official Recruitment
Chapter 191
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 191: Official Recruitment
The Tian Pit where the Asking Immortals Hall is located is shaped like a pig's waist, with lush green trees surrounding the pit's mouth and tranquil blue water flowing at the bottom.
A beam of heavenly light shines down from above, illuminating the round stone in the center of the water.
This is the lecture hall, and the unique terrain allows the speaker to activate an amplification surround mode.
The rock walls of the Tian Pit have been artificially carved into layers of stone paths, serving both as seating for the audience and as passageways for entry and exit.
Simple, yet rich in interest.
He Lingchuan and his companion arrived late, and the audience seats were mostly filled.
From their perspective, the circular mountain walls were bustling with people on more than ten layers of pathways, creating a spectacular sight.
From boys around eleven or twelve years old to men in their fifties and sixties, all wore expressions of eager thirst for knowledge.
“So many people!” He Lingchuan thought that if one were not careful or if there was a crowd, they could fall into the deep pool at the bottom of the pit.
Hu Min whispered to He Lingchuan, “What’s this? You haven’t seen General Hong hold a lecture; that’s what you call a full house. Each seat on the mountain wall has to squeeze in two people, and some would rather hang in mid-air to listen, with boats filling the pool below!”
He Lingchuan's eyes lit up: “General Hong also gives lectures?”
“Unpredictably, it depends on luck,” Hu Min lamented. “The last time General Hong held a lecture, I happened to be out on duty and missed it.”
He Lingchuan suddenly remembered something: “By the way, has any famous master ever lectured on the principles of hexagram divination?” If so, he could privately seek out a master for advice.
It would surely be better than consulting the unreliable old turtle demon, right?
Hu Min looked puzzled: “I don’t think so?”
“Are you sure?”
“The topics of each lecture are announced ten days in advance at the government office and outside the military camp,” Hu Min informed him. “I’ve been looking at the announcements for so long, and it seems I haven’t seen anyone come to lecture on hexagram calculations.”
“Forget it.” This was indeed strange.
As the crowd conversed, Captain Xiao Maoliang also appeared.
He stood on the large round stone, clasped his hands behind his back, and said, “Good afternoon to all my colleagues present, both now and in the future. I have been entrusted by Commander Zhong to explain the dynamics of the Panlong Wilderness and the ongoing battles our army is engaged in…”
Unexpectedly, the usually decisive Xiao Maoliang, who disregarded life and death on the battlefield, was so nervous that he stuttered while giving a lecture at the Asking Immortals Hall.
Could it be that this was his first time?
He Lingchuan couldn’t help but laugh.
However, the content of Xiao Maoliang’s lecture was too important; even though his storytelling skills were not up to par, He Lingchuan still listened intently.
“Everyone knows that Wei City fell several months ago, and some of you here are brothers from Wei City. Now, the Bailin Kingdom's front line continues to advance eastward, having started to harass Puxi Gorge a month ago…”
…
Two days later, He Lingchuan went to visit Sun Hongye.
The boy’s complexion had already turned rosy.
After the poison was removed, he was left with only the flesh wound on his shoulder.
The doctor from Jinghe Hall prescribed him five days' worth of medicine for him to take home and brew.
Upon seeing He Lingchuan, his attitude was much warmer than the day before, bowing deeply: “I am deeply grateful for Young Master He’s concern during my illness!”
He Lingchuan waved his hand: “It’s nothing; you saved the lives of my family.”
Sun Hongye smiled.
Since he was injured in the Deer Ming Garden, He Lingchuan was the only one who had come to visit him.
He poured a cup of water for He Lingchuan.
He Lingchuan noticed that Sun Hongye’s home was also a simple flat, with old furniture, small windows, and only half a yard, which was piled high with snow due to lack of cleaning.
“Do you live alone?”
Sun Hongye nodded: “I moved here from the Northern Border three years ago, and my cousin, whom I relied on, has also passed away.”
“What are your plans for the future?” He Lingchuan asked him. “Someone from the He family was also in Deer Ming Garden the day before yesterday and already knows you sought out General Ke for a recommendation.”
Sun Hongye smiled self-deprecatingly: “Yes, my cart broke down on the way down the mountain.”
These two matters seemed unrelated, but he was clever-minded and had been lying in bed for the past few days, easily deducing that He Su had sent someone to tamper with his cart that day, intending to embarrass him on a snowy night.
He Lingchuan walked to the only square table in the room: “I have a question to ask Brother Sun.”
“Please, go ahead.”
He Lingchuan dipped his cup in water and began to draw a terrain map on the table.
“Puxi Gorge is located a hundred miles west of Long City, with a population of fifty thousand and an army of over two thousand. Strong enemies frequently attack Puxi Gorge. Each time they launch a large-scale assault, Puxi Gorge must send someone to Long City for help,” He Lingchuan briefly explained. “Over time, the enemy has also changed their tactics, only sending a few teams to harass the surroundings. Once the reinforcements from Long City arrive, they quickly retreat. However, their harassment frequency is quite high, coming six or seven times in about ten days. If the Long City reinforcements do not arrive, they will merge their teams and attack Puxi Gorge.”
“This way, the residents of Puxi Gorge cannot carry out their fishing, hunting, farming, and commerce normally, resulting in huge losses, while Long City is also exhausted from responding, as it takes over two hundred miles for a round trip.” He Lingchuan asked Sun Hongye, “Please come up with a strategy for Long City.”
“The enemy employs low-intensity, high-frequency attacks,” Sun Hongye pointed at the blank area on the table. “Shouldn’t Long City establish outposts or auxiliary cities near Puxi Gorge and divide the troops to guard?”
He Lingchuan shook his head, “Aside from the location of Puxi Gorge, this hundred-mile stretch of wilderness is flat and lacks defensible terrain. The worst part is that there is no water source.”
Without a water source, one cannot establish outposts or station troops.
Sun Hongye then became interested: “Then, what if Long City directly stationed troops at Puxi Gorge?”
The name Puxi Gorge sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t recall it for a moment.
“They have already dispatched an additional thousand men and sent a considerable amount of grain there. That area is barren, and water sources are precious; even more troops cannot be sustained.”
Sun Hongye pondered for a longer time and then asked, “How far is the enemy's stronghold from Puxi Gorge?”
“Just thirty miles west of Puxi Gorge, much closer than Long City.” Fortunately, He Lingchuan had listened attentively during the lecture last night, allowing him to respond fluently, “A few months ago, Wei City was captured by the enemy and became a bridgehead for their eastward advance, which is why Puxi Gorge has turned into the front line.”
The distance from Wei City to the battlefield is only sixty miles, taking less than an hour for a horse to travel, certainly more convenient than Panlong City.
“How many people live in Wei City, and how many troops are stationed there?”
This kid asked very detailed questions. “When Wei City fell, the common people fled to Long City with their families. Therefore, there are very few civilians left in Wei City; it has become a military town, and the number of stationed troops cannot be precisely determined, but it should be between one thousand five hundred and three thousand.”
“Is there any possibility for Puxi Gorge and Long City to negotiate with the enemy?”
“Not at the moment.” At least not in this segment of his dream.
“So, the enemy will not let go of Puxi Gorge?” Sun Hongye raised a finger, “I have one last question: does Puxi Gorge have any special products that are sought after in other places?”
“Yes, there are several precious medicinal materials that are unique to the wilderness, which can be refined into powerful tonics; additionally, Puxi Gorge also produces high-purity saltpeter, which the state uses to make cannons, and private wealthy individuals and merchants rely on it for ice-making, so caravans are still willing to risk traversing the wilderness.”
Having asked all the necessary questions, Sun Hongye said, “Alright, then I have two strategies.”
“The lower strategy can resolve the immediate crisis; succeeding once can make the enemy quiet for a while.”
“Please elaborate.”
“Use the army to disguise as a merchant convoy, or set up an ambush, using the merchant convoy as bait to lure the enemy to come and plunder, then strike hard.” Sun Hongye said, “You mentioned that the Wei City army has less than three thousand men; if they are ambushed once, they will suffer greatly and need to rest for a long time. This would buy Puxi Gorge some time to recuperate.”
“Hmm, a conventional tactic.” He Lingchuan had heard many audience members suggest this strategy at the Asking Immortals Hall and found it rather ordinary, “What about the upper strategy?”
“There’s a saying: there are no thieves for a thousand days, but there are no defenses against thieves for a thousand days. Passive defense is ultimately inferior; it’s best to strike decisively to reclaim Wei City and remove this thorn in the eye to eliminate future troubles.”
“How to achieve that?”
“Then we should offer the enemy several tributes, allowing them to return home with their pockets full after plundering a few times to lower their guard. To mislead the enemy, it wouldn’t hurt to have a few more skirmishes, making them intense, and then spread the word that Puxi Gorge is organizing a large-scale merchant convoy for transport, asking the Long City army to provide special protection.” Sun Hongye shrugged, “The opponent must have planted spies in Puxi Gorge, right?”
“This time, the goods are valuable, and the escorting army must have at least over a thousand men; the more grand the display, the better.”
He Lingchuan understood: “Luring the snake out of its hole?”
“Exactly. To seize this batch of goods, the enemy must at least send out over two thousand elite soldiers to have any chance of success. At this time, the stationed troops in Wei City are only a few hundred, leaving the city defenses weak. As long as Long City sends a surprise attack, there is a high chance of capturing it!”
“It doesn’t sound difficult.” He Lingchuan smiled, “But what if the surprise attack fails? Not only would we fail to capture Wei City, but the entire merchant convoy used as bait would likely be swallowed by the enemy, which would truly be a case of losing the chicken and not getting the rice.”
“Victory and defeat are often a matter of a fine line; whether it’s a brilliant strategy or a foolish move depends solely on the outcome.” Sun Hongye also smiled, “In leading troops into battle, who dares to say they will win without fail?”
He added, “I only outline the strategy; the various details of deceiving, confusing, and defeating the enemy must be pondered by the main commander. The situation in battle is interconnected, and unexpected events are beyond my knowledge.”
He Lingchuan nodded: “Regardless of success or failure, the team used as bait will have a tough battle to fight.”
Sun Hongye’s expression was calm: “Of course. How could there be a war without a price?”
He Lingchuan looked at him and recalled how this kid had suggested to General Ke to take Bao Pass and blow up the Qing Dike, which also involved a strategy that would cost many fields and lives.
In other words, it would harm the heavens and the earth.
Sun Hongye continued, “I am only responsible for providing the strategy; as for weighing the pros and cons and whether to act or not, that is the duty of the commander.”
He Lingchuan replied, “Well said.”
He then looked at Sun Hongye’s bare home and finally spoke up with an invitation: “We will set out for Xiazhou in two hours. Brother Sun, come with me; I will treat you as my aide.”
Sun Hongye was not surprised: “Is my strategy so agreeable to Young Master He?”
He had been recuperating for two days and had also heard rumors in the market that the newly appointed governor of Xiazhou was posting recruitment orders everywhere, seeking capable individuals to go to Xiazhou.
“It’s not about having it all; taking risks in military actions is quite good.” He Lingchuan smiled slightly, “Staying in Shihuan will either lead to being marginalized by petty people or gradually wasting away the years. You will have a place to make use of your talents in Xiazhou.”
Thank you to Qian Dai Qi Xiu for your generous support~
(End of Chapter)