Chapter 235: Sun Hongye's Counsel

He Chunhua was the local head of government, while the Li Family was a civilian family. A few of the members of their family might have held office in the capital, but Li Rong himself had no rank or title. On the surface, how could he possibly overrule the authorities?

Governor-General He was killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. Gentry large and small across Dunyu—and even all of Xia Province—were watching with wide eyes.

“Before Li Rong went in, several of his sons came to make arrangements. They donated a hundred and twenty thousand kilograms of cornmeal and over sixty thousand kilograms of sorghum flour to the provincial treasury,” Sun Hongye said with a smile. “A man like Li Rong can’t stomach jail. Rather than bribing the jailers, they believed it was smarter to deal with Lord He directly.”

“Li Shuang’s not a fool.”

“Sure enough, before Li Rong checked in, the jailers gave the holding cells a full scrub and sprayed pesticides. I hear they killed more than thirty rats, as well as cockroaches and bedbugs that were too many to count. Li Rong’s spot is the largest, right by the door, well lit and well ventilated, with brand-new bedding.”

“Then, when Li Shuang added five hundred padded coats, three hundred pairs of wool socks, and six hundred pairs of army boots, his father’s meals jumped from two to three a day, with wine on the side, and the Li Family was allowed to send in food.”

He Lingchuan laughed. With Li Rong in hand, He Chunhua had a firm grip on that branch of the family.

“The second big thing is that now that Lord He’s taken office, sixty-six noble, gentry, and merchant households in Dunyu rushed over with gifts.” Sun Hongye held up a second finger. “Each gift list was long. The lists alone could fill a wagon.”

His father had pummeled the Li Family so hard that the watching gentry were well and truly spooked, hence the generous gifts. He Lingchuan perked up. “How much did he accept?”

“Lord He sent every last thing back. Not a single item was kept.”

His face fell. “Not even one?”

“Not even one.”

He Lingchuan’s face remained expressionless, but he just saw his hopes of a higher allowance go up in smoke. “They weren’t stupid enough to send nothing at all, were they?”

“They weren’t.” Sun Hongye grinned. “Just as word spread that Li Rong’s sons had their gifts refused and were told to donate supplies instead, the rest had an epiphany. They converted their presents into military goods for the granaries, then submitted revised gift lists to your residence. I worked several years in the Imperial Censorate’s household before, yet it’s the first time I’ve seen cured pork and vermicelli written in gold on a gift list. I hear the gentry have been sweeping grain from Dunyu and nearby farms, and prices jumped five percent in just two days.”

In the end, grain was still the cheapest way to show face. You could send it by the tens of thousands of kilograms and make a statement.

“Was it sent to the front lines?”

“Inventory finished only yesterday, and Lord He already dispatched escorts to deliver it.” Donations of this sort were all miscellaneous supplies, so even counting and verifying them took effort. But they were exactly what the front lines needed right now.

He Lingchuan murmured, “These gentry really do have everything on hand.”

“The third big thing follows from that. The provincial office’s tallying over the past few days was sluggish, and the accounts were wrong twice. Lord He flew into a rage. For dereliction, laxity, and incompetence, he demoted thirty percent of the old staff across the board and reassigned them elsewhere. Dunyu hasn’t seen a shake-up like that in fifteen years. The whole city’s in an uproar.”

“The sky of Xia Province has changed. It’s best they get used to it,” said He Lingchuan, nodding. “Break before you build. Did we put in our own people?”

“Mozhe Jingxuan, Zhao Qinghe, and the nineteen men Lord He recruited from Shihuan City were all placed into posts.” This would be He Chunhua’s core team for the short term. “By the way, Lord He also wanted to appoint me as a registrar in the provincial office to oversee documents.”

“Oh? That’s not a small post.”

Father’s poaching my men now?

Sun Hongye shook his head. “I declined.”

“Why?” He Lingchuan’s eyebrows rose. “You’ve been idle under me for a while without a proper assignment.”

“You were the one with the discerning eye back in Shihuan,” Sun Hongye said solemnly. “I follow Master, not Lord He.”

He Lingchuan clapped, laughing. “Good. Very good.”

Who doesn’t like a loyal subordinate?

“Besides, I like building from nothing, not clocking in at the provincial office.”

So this kid has ambitions. He’s no nine-to-five bureaucrat.

Sun Hongye added, “Master, your timing for seclusion was unfortunate. You missed a prime opportunity.”

“What do you mean?”

“Two days ago, enemy scouts were spotted near Wutu Town in the north. As soon as the report arrived, Governor He sent Zhao Qinghe and Wu Shaoyi to lead troops and strike.”

That outstrips the first three pieces of news by far.

He Lingchuan’s heart sank. “So it’s begun? How many are we talking?”

“Word is that it was a guerrilla unit. As for numbers, Lord He didn’t publish them. Zhao and Wu’s armies marched out this morning.” Sun Hongye sighed. “If you’d come out even half a day earlier, this plum assignment might’ve had your name on it, or at least a share.”

“What’s missed is missed. There’ll be more opportunities to come,” said He Lingchuan, unbothered. “It sounds like Father’s already mapped out this first fight.”

He Chunhua’s inaugural battle as governor-general could not be lost.

“The advantage is ours,” Sun Hongye analyzed. “Xun Province’s troops punched through at Baiche Ridge, tearing a gap in General Zhao Pan’s line. They’ll want to take a town or two nearby to consolidate before expanding. Wutu Town lies over seventy-five kilometers inside Xia Province’s interior. That raiding party can’t be large. It’s likely a small, harassing force, with intelligence gathering as its main task. If Zhao and Wu get a grip on their tail, the win shouldn’t be hard.”

No wonder he called it a plum assignment.

He Lingchuan smiled and said, “I see. And when the victory report comes back, we’ll make sure to trumpet it.”

The main thing here was that news of Xun Province forces having reached Wutu Town would terrify a lot of people. In such a scenario, should He Chunhua beat them back, the people’s morale and his prestige would soar.

Sun Hongye said, “Lord He has only just taken office. The news probably hasn’t reached Xun Province yet. They probably still think that Xia Province is the same hollow shell, so they sent in a probe. While that window’s open, we can move, too. If I’m not mistaken, Lord He has bigger moves in mind.”

As he spoke to this point, he suddenly pivoted, “Which brings me to a suggestion. Master, you cannot go without men of your own.”

He Lingchuan’s gaze sharpened.

So he’s just going straight to the point, eh?

“Go on.”

“I’ve watched for a while. You have wealth on the surface, but no one you can command freely.” Sun Hongye’s voice dropped a notch. “I’ve met plenty of grandees and scions. Even a pampered heir keeps a personal team. You’re destined for great things. If there’s no one at your side when you need them, doesn’t that make things a bit awkward?”

He Lingchuan’s eyes flickered. He did not know why the original He Lingchuan had never cultivated confidants and only ever got himself a pack of unreliable hangers-on. Ever since he had taken over this body, the He Family had been in constant upheaval, facing crises, going on rebel hunts, or long treks. Because of everything that had gone on, he had no time to recruit anyone.

Still, he was always willing to learn. “What’s your plan?”

“At the start, you should prioritize quality over quantity. Take your time picking them.”

He nodded repeatedly. He could not afford many anyway. He made only a hundred and fifty taels a month as it was; a single monkey and a rock wolf could eat him poor, let alone a hundred big-bellied men.

And confidants would need pay from him, not from his father, if he wanted their loyalty.

“I think Mao Tao, the sand bandit you brought from Heishui City, is solid. He’s got quick hands and feet, and no ties to anyone else. He can be one.” Sun Hongye considered. “There are good hands in the Coordinating Army, but they’re your father’s men. It’s best not to pull them into your personal guard.”

“Do you mean that I should pick from the locals of Dunyu then?”

“Master is perceptive and intelligent, indeed.” Once again, Sun Hongye found that the eldest son of the He Family understood his meaning in a single hint, much unlike the capabilities of the brash image he projected. “In the brawl between the Li and Zhan families the other day, I noticed two men in the Li Family’s private troops worth a look.”

“Oh?” He Lingchuan laughed. “That’s where your attention was?” While others watched the fight, Sun Hongye had been watching the fighters.

“Their names are Jiao Tai and Shan Youjun. One’s agile, one’s strong. Each handled six or seven Zhan Family guards on their own, and what impressed me most was that they blocked a few blades for their comrades. In other words, they’re unafraid to take a hit.”

At that, He Lingchuan let out a long, “Ohhh. Those two! I remember them.”

He had been there and had indeed seen the pair treat the brawl like child’s play. Their movements were precise and measured, unlike the other Li Family hirelings, who were barely any different from street thugs.

“I’ve inquired quietly. They once served as light cavalry on the border. Among the Li Family’s private troops, they’re hard to beat, and others avoid provoking them. However, they don’t get along with their leader. In the tragedy where Fourth Lord Zhan’s wife and child died, the blame was shoved onto poor Jiao Tai. They claimed that he pushed the pregnant woman into the rockery.”

A scapegoat?

Now this piqued He Lingchuan’s interest. “They’ve been flogged already, haven’t they?”

“They have. On the very day Lord He arrived, they were both laid out in the yamen and flogged ten times each in public.” Sun Hongye had done his homework. “After Fourth Lord Zhan lodged his complaint, the Li Estate handed Jiao Tai over. He’s in jail awaiting trial now. Li Zhi and Li Rong will likely be spared the whip, but Jiao Tai is headed for a dead end. He can shout himself hoarse in the jail, and no one will hear him.”

He Lingchuan rubbed his hands. “Excellent. Then I’ll leave it to you. Get him justice, and me two good men.”

“Yes.”

Smiling, Sun Hongye took his leave. He Lingchuan had accepted his advice. Now, he finally had room to show his mettle.

He Lingchuan was in fine spirits as well. If Hongye had brought up the names, he clearly had confidence in recruiting them.

The kid’s right. It’s time I had wings of my own.

He had just seen Sun Hongye out at the gate and was turning back when two figures rounded the corner, strolling and chatting.

Isn’t that Father and Brother?