Chapter 8
Lia nodded. In just two short days, the Common People had spontaneously organized themselves and dragged out the Aristocratic Families in Wuan Commandery for a mass denunciation rally.
Having reached this point, it could be said that Lia's objective had been achieved.
These commoners were now like grasshoppers tied to the same rope as her; if anything happened to her, they would surely face furious retaliation from the Aristocratic Families.
As soon as they thought of this, they absolutely could not allow anything to happen to Lia in Wuan Commandery. Only if Lia lived would they have a good future; if something happened to Lia, their fate would be even more miserable than before!
To prepare for what was to come, Lia gathered the entire city's population and, using her magic, explained the consequences of their actions to the Common People.
"Elders and fellow villagers, what we have done is no less than rebellion. It is too late to regret it now. The Imperial Army will likely arrive in Wuan Commandery within the next few days."
Hearing Lia say this, regret appeared on the faces of the Common People.
This was not their fault; after all, they were just commoners. It was natural for them to be afraid when facing matters like execution.
But they also had to admit that they had been handsomely rewarded with grain and money for the past two days; they had never been so affluent! Being in charge felt truly wonderful!
Their current mood was one of both pain and joy.
"However, everyone rest assured, I have already devised countermeasures for the approaching Imperial soldiers. So, you do not need to worry about those Imperial soldiers; I only need you to help me collect some things. You will not have to deal with the Imperial army," Lia told the Common People.
"Miss Long, what exactly do you need?" some people asked.
"niter, sulfur, and charcoal," Lia replied.
Hearing what Lia requested, the Common People were somewhat puzzled: "Miss Long, we know what charcoal is, but aren't niter and sulfur medicinal herbs? What are they used for?"
When the commoners heard this, charcoal and sulfur were relatively common items, but niter was a bit troublesome.
Chapter 17: Essential Books for Transmigrators
"Just collect these items for me. Rest assured, I will purchase them at market price," Lia said.
"Understood, we will immediately go and collect the items you mentioned, Miss Long." Seeing this, the Common People said no more.
After instructing the commoners to collect these things, Lia also paid some people to cut down various posts and trees. To deal with the impending army, she needed to complete her deployment as quickly as possible.
These preparations required a lot of her time. Based on the news received from Liang Province, it would take at most two days for a large army to reach Wuan Commandery, meaning her time was very tight.
"Merlin, I need your help." Realizing time might be insufficient, Lia immediately sought out Merlin.
"Lia, what do you need me to do?" Merlin asked curiously.
Watching Lia give out instructions in an orderly manner, Merlin felt he had nothing left to do.
"I need you to go to Liang Province and scout information for me—how many troops will be sent over and when they will arrive," Lia said.
Only by knowing the exact news from that side could Lia deploy her defenses accurately. If the army was too large, she would need Merlin to stall them.
She had to conquer Liang Province as quickly as possible so she could recruit troops to counter the Northern Wei's counterattack.
"Leave it to me."
Merlin nodded, stood up from the mat, and left the conference room. Although he didn't know where Liang Province was, taking one former member of the Black Tiger Gang along would suffice.
"Liu Ye, have the lands of those Aristocratic Families been tallied yet?" Lia looked at Liu Ye, who was formerly with the Black Tiger Gang but had now defected to her.
"My Liege, they have been tallied," Liu Ye placed a ledger in front of Lia.
Lia merely glanced through it and discovered some estates spanned thousands of acres, with the largest reaching tens of thousands—truly terrifying.
Lia only took a quick look and did not examine it closely; instead, she spoke to Liu Ye:
"Good. Now, take the members of the Black Tiger Gang and confirm the headcount for every household in Wuan Commandery, counting women as well. Compile a register for every household to facilitate our future land distribution to them."
"Women are included too?" Liu Ye was momentarily stunned by the request.
Lia smiled slightly: "Of course. Tell the Common People: under me, whether male or female, they are all subjects under my rule, with no distinction between them."
Wuan Commandery was currently completely under Lia's control; it was almost her sole voice.
Her objective in doing this was very clear: to gain their absolute loyalty from the Common People.
Of course, this land would not be given away for free. Lia still intended to collect one layer of tax from them, but this single layer of tax was far less than the seven layers collected by the landlords at least.
One should know that some ruthless landlords collected up to nine layers, leaving them with no way to live.
"I understand, My Liege." Although Liu Ye was surprised by Lia's methods, he did not object.
After Liu Ye left, Lia turned her gaze toward Ember.
Sensing Lia's gaze, Ember immediately knew his task was coming.
"Ember, I need you to recruit a few thousand more soldiers in Wuan Commandery, preferably reaching 4,000. However, mandatory conscription is forbidden; it must be based on the will of the Common People. Finally, inform the soldiers that starting this month, their military pay will be three taels per month. As for the other generals, their salaries should also be raised based on their original ranks."
correspondingly increased.
It must be said that the only good thing those corrupt officials did was embezzle the court's rations, resulting in the state being poor and the commanderies and counties being unable to recruit soldiers, let alone afford to pay them.
Otherwise, why would Wuan Commandery only have 1,000 soldiers? If there were more soldiers, reaching 5,000, Lia would not have dared to act so recklessly.
"Thank you, My Lord. The soldiers will surely pledge their lives to you when they hear this!" Hearing that Lia was raising the soldier's meager wage to three taels a month, Ember was immediately grateful.
One must know that ancient soldiers were generally subject to mandatory conscription, also known as the compulsory service system; the name itself indicates the compulsory nature of the levy.
These military men often had to farm during peacetime and join the army during wartime.
Especially in times of war, the court would forcibly conscript able-bodied young men. Such armies often received no military pay; the army only provided them with basic sustenance.
At least before the Tang Dynasty, soldiers were basically like this. It was only after the Tang Dynasty that this situation gradually improved.
"Mm, go handle it." Lia waved her hand; after all, she had confiscated so much from the Aristocratic Families that she was currently wealthy. Why not spend this money now?
Moreover, we must learn from historical lessons: you can delay anyone's funds, but you absolutely cannot delay the soldiers' rations. After all, these people won't discuss idealism with you; without money and food, everything is useless.
Furthermore, those 4,000 soldiers wouldn't be easy to recruit. One must remember that Wuan Commandery's total population is only around 30,000. If you want to recruit 4,000 people, without spending a fortune, who would enlist? Even if you could recruit some, they would only be beggars.
Of course, you might ask why a commandery only has so few people?
That is the reality. The area of Western Liang is characterized by vast land and sparse population, being the least populous region. The entire Liang Province combined only has a population of a few hundred thousand.
Although the population is small, Western Liang has one advantage: its soldiers are strong and its people are martial, with a strong martial spirit. Various jade articles and horses originate from this place.
Lia had done everything she could for now. Next, she had to wait for news from Merlin. Doesn't that mean she had nothing to do right now?
No!
Lia picked up four small booklets with no writing on them.
First, she wrote the title "Crude Method for Refining All Things" in the first book.
Then she picked up the second book and wrote "Barefoot Doctor's Handbook."
The third was the "Militia Military Training Manual."
Finally, the "Handbook for Dual-Use Military and Civilian Talents."
To be honest, Lia never expected to transmigrate. In her previous life, she only read these books occasionally out of boredom, just for novelty.
After all, in Jianghu (Jianghu) legends, if one obtained these books, they could ascend to the throne even after transmigrating to ancient times; if a nuclear war occurred in the future, one could also use these few books to rebuild human civilization.
Of course, that is an exaggeration. Many things would actually be useless after transmigrating to ancient times, but quite a few things could be utilized, and what Lia intended to do was write down those useful parts.
Chapter Eighteen: Cao Cao's Rice Bowl
Originally, in her past life, Lia only read these things casually and forgot them after glancing through. But after transmigrating here, these things gradually resurfaced in her memory.
Lia didn't know if she would forget these things, so she felt it was best to write them down first.
However, unfortunately, she only read parts of each book—only the parts she could understand. As for things like modern technology for building aircraft, she truly couldn't learn those.
Even so, what she understood should be more than enough for her to use.
Of course, major incidents in Wuan Commandery would, as Lia expected, be reported to the Liang Province government. However, the Liang Province government only received the news that someone in Wuan Commandery had rebelled on the third day.
At this moment, inside the Liang Province government office, Prince of Leping Tuoba Pi was still enjoying his lunch in his private residence. The table held three dishes, two meats, and one soup—which could be considered extremely luxurious even in ancient times.
After all, this was for him alone, not shared among several people.
Just then, a civil official hurried in, cupped his fist towards the Prince of Leping, and urgently reported, "Your Highness, this is bad! According to a report from the Prefect of Wuxing Commandery, someone has rebelled in Wuan Commandery!"
"Something happened in Wuan? Someone is actually rebelling under my jurisdiction?" The Prince of Leping frowned slightly upon hearing this.
"Precisely. Three days ago, a young girl single-handedly abducted the Prefect of Wuan Commandery, killed the Prefect, and then led the Common People of Wuan Commandery to loot the Aristocratic Families."
"Ah!!!" Hearing this, just like Cao Cao's Rice Bowl, the Prince of Leping couldn't quite believe the news, and a bowl of white rice in his hand directly covered the fine red-flowered wooden board.
The Prince of Leping was furious: "What was the Prefect of Wuan Commandery doing! And were the soldiers all eating dry rations? Did a single young girl manage to incite all the Common People in the city?"
"Your Highness, according to intelligence, that young woman might be involved with the martial world. She first held the Prefect of Wuan Commandery hostage, forcing him to open the granaries to distribute grain, and then used that to win over the Common People. As for the soldiers, because the Prefect of Wuan Commandery usually treated them harshly, they all chose to Stand by and watch." The civil official lowered his head.
"That's not surprising. I was wondering how a mere young woman could incite those commoners. So the Prefect of Wuan Commandery treated the soldiers poorly; no wonder they remained indifferent when they saw him killed." The Prince of Leping sneered.
"Your Highness, if the news of Wuan Commandery's rebellion spreads throughout Liang Province, it will bring nothing but harm to Your Highness's rule over Liang Province. Moreover, if this news reaches the Son of Heaven..."
Hearing this, the expression on the Prince of Leping's face immediately turned grim.
As everyone knows, our Great Wei State enjoys Peace and Prosperity, with music and dancing everywhere. Every Emperor is a sage ruler for eternity, and every official is loyal to the nation, loving the people as their own children, true paragons of virtue.
But now that Rebels have appeared under his jurisdiction, doesn't that imply he lacks ability? If the Emperor found out, it would certainly not be good news; he would believe his governance was ineffective.
It's just like when Gai Wu revolted in Yong Province two years ago; the imperial court spent almost a year suppressing the rebellion. Although Gai Wu was put down, the Provincial Governor of Yong Province had a very difficult time and was nearly executed by the Emperor.
Therefore, he must conceal this matter and not let those above know, otherwise those civil officials would certainly impeach him with dozens of Memorials.
"How strong is the momentum of those Rebels in Wuan Commandery right now?" the Prince of Leping asked.
"Reporting to Your Highness, according to reports from Informants there, the resisting force in Wuan Commandery is most likely the one thousand soldiers originally belonging to Wuan Commandery. Furthermore, three days have passed since the situation escalated in Wuan Commandery; even if those commoners have become Rebels, they are still just an Undisciplined Mob."
"You are correct. After all, they are just Untouchables; no matter how much they stir up trouble, it amounts to nothing. Immediately order Tuoba Xiu to mobilize 5,000 troops to Suppress the Rebellion in Wuan Commandery. If any commoners cause trouble, execute them on the spot without question!"
The Prince of Leping said coldly.
"Yes!" The civil official nodded and immediately withdrew.
Several hours later, in Liang Province, Yuan Xiu, who was ordered to Suppress the Rebellion in Wuan Commandery—that is, Tuoba Xiu—had also fully assembled his soldiers.
After traveling for half a day, these soldiers arrived at Wuxing Commandery by nightfall.
The Prefect of Wuxing Commandery stared blankly at the 5,000 strong army below the city, not quite understanding what this army was doing.
But soon, someone from the army came forward. After the two sides communicated, the Governor of Wuxing Commandery felt like cursing his mother.
Damn it, these people were supposed to go to Wuan Commandery to suppress a rebellion, yet they stopped in Wuxing Commandery to rest for the night and then started Shaking the bamboo pole [demanding tribute/extortion].
They claimed that it wasn't easy for them to travel so far to suppress a rebellion, and that their brothers were risking death, so they demanded that the Prefect send them some grain.
Isn't this clearly trying to extort benefits from them? This commanding general is truly despicable!
But the Prefect of Wuxing Commandery had no choice, as the man's surname was Tuoba, and he was related to the Prince of Leping. He could only grit his teeth and send out some gold and silver.
Meanwhile, Lia also received news relayed by Merlin: the 20,000 strong army from Liang Province had not come in full force; they had only dispatched 5,000 soldiers for the suppression, and they were all infantry!
"They didn't send everyone?" Lia was slightly surprised when she heard the news Merlin brought back. It seemed the opponent completely underestimated them.
Originally, she had planned for Merlin to use Illusions to delay them for a few days, which would give them more time to manufacture hand grenades, Explosivess, and other items.
It turned out all her preparations were in vain!
But 5,000 it is. Let these soldiers taste something sweet first!
Lia understood why they didn't bring archers. Wuan Commandery wasn't a major stronghold; even its city walls were only earthen walls six or seven meters high, not that difficult to capture. Under normal circumstances, 5,000 soldiers equipped with Scaling Ladders would suffice.
However, the opponent looking down on her so much was actually a good thing for Lia, as it meant her casualties would be smaller.
Perhaps they truly looked down on them. Seeing that it was already evening, these soldiers did not continue their forced march and stayed in Wuxing Commandery, giving Lia another day.
They resumed marching toward Wuan Commandery in the morning, and it wasn't until the afternoon that they almost reached the outskirts of Wuan Commandery.
They completely lacked the kind of operational speed where a hundred miles a day meant time was life.
"I am Tuoba Xiu, a Great General under the Prince of Leping! You Young Lady up on the wall, come and answer!" These soldiers didn't rest; Tuoba Xiu ran directly to the city gate and shouted loudly, channeling his Internal Energy through his throat.
Chapter Nineteen: Are They Here to Deliver Troops?
"What do you have to say?" Lia glanced at Tuoba Xiu below the city wall.
"Oh, the Young Lady is indeed very beautiful. But are you the one who started the rebellion in Wuan Commandery!" Tuoba Xiu shouted from below.
"So what if it was me?" Lia replied calmly.
"If you open the city gates now and surrender to my army, I can plead for leniency for you before the Prince of Leping. Who knows, if I'm in a good mood, you might even become one of my Concubines!" Tuoba Xiu laughed from below.