CHAPTER 334: CHAPTER 20: LARGE AND SMALL PEARLS FALL ON THE JADE PLATE! _3

He continued, "You could say that I have so much on my hands, it’s almost overwhelming, but you see, there’s no way I can use any of it."

The Yan State was not originally wealthy, and its court and royal family were not wealthy either. This imposed restrictions on its ability to wage war. The cost to maintain an army was already substantial, but the cost of deploying it in battle was far greater. The expenses were astronomical: mobilization costs, rewards, consumption of food and fodder, replenishment of military equipment, and replacement of warhorses. Once a major war began, these figures became incomprehensible. Even the food soldiers ate during a war was significantly better than their usual fare.

But after the subjugation of the great clans, the Yan Emperor and the court were now very wealthy.

In later ages, even when ’harvesting leeks’—exploiting the common folk—one had to be subtle, like a gentle rain nourishing things silently. This generation’s Yan Emperor, however, simply grabbed a shovel and started digging.

However, everyone present understood that these stored supplies were preparations for the future deployment of the Southern Pacification Army and the southward advance of the Northern Defense Army.

"Lord Hui, we have no other demands. We all understand your difficulties. If someone else were in your position, they might not possess the ability to manage the current situation."

Of course, following the usual conversational pattern, a ’but’ was sure to follow. This preamble, however, was irrefutable.

Everyone present was a general. However, Hui Wenzu, as the general of Nanwang City and also holding the responsibilities of Nanwang City’s chief official, had, despite being of equal rank, informally surpassed everyone by half a step. Furthermore, Hui Wenzu had been handling all these headache-inducing matters in an orderly manner for several months, a skill all the generals present recognized.

However, the pain of sacrificing their own resources had been too intense recently. If they did not demand more for themselves, they risked being marginalized. An officer’s status in the Yan State military depended not just on his rank, but on the number and elite quality of the soldiers under his command.

"Lord Hui, all we seek is fairness. These days, we have repeatedly risked our lives battling the Qian State. Shouldn’t our brothers be compensated? The loss of warhorses, the depletion of military equipment, and the need to replenish new draftees—surely we deserve some leeway to catch our breath?"

Hui Wenzu, with his plump hands, toyed with the snuff bottle on the table. He knew exactly why these men had gathered today. Yes, he, Hui Wenzu, had indeed been a bit too obvious in taking his share. But this excess was, in a way, his prerogative, something everyone understood. Who could argue when he sat in the seat of honor and they sat below? Whoever held a higher office and greater authority got a larger share; this was an immutable truth since ancient times.

But this time, after a newly surrendered tribe moved inland, they contributed 1,500 of their clan’s able-bodied Barbarian warriors. The court had ordered these warriors to be dispatched south. Hui Wenzu, however, detained them directly, showing no intention of distributing them or adhering to the principle of ’take everything equally.’

These generals, naturally, could not just sit back and watch.

The Barbarian troops were skilled in horsemanship and archery. While not as elite as the Northern Defense Army, their quality as cavalry was, frankly, top-tier. They were definitely not inferior to the private household soldiers of the various generals. Moreover, Zheng Fan, the Commander of Green Willow Fortress, had previously traversed Qian State territory with only four hundred Barbarian soldiers. He had even broken into Mianzhou City, slain a host of civil officials, and returned. This feat made Barbarian cavalry even more attractive.

Warhorses, military equipment, and food supplies were all relatively easy to procure or arrange. If worst came to worst, one could beg and plead with superiors to obtain some. But when it came to excellent soldiers, one couldn’t very well beg one’s grandparents to birth them on demand, could they?

"Let’s get straight to the point," Hui Wenzu said, deciding not to beat around the bush any longer. "I, as an official, have many matters to attend to."

Yan’s war mobilization was unprecedented. In Beifeng Prefecture, they had even begun enticing Barbarian tribes to migrate south, offering them legal status upon entry. Of course, the higher-ups were naturally aware of the ’inviting wolves into the house’ nature of this approach. So, the condition was: if you want to enter, you may, but the able-bodied men of your tribe must serve in the Yan Army.

After so many years of fighting the Barbarians, their strength had been waning for nearly a century. Just as the Qian State had recently mobilized Wolf Land Soldiers to defend against enemies from the north, the Yan people naturally employed Barbarians to aid their southward campaigns. Yan military officers of Barbarian descent were not uncommon in Yan, nor were Barbarian mercenaries. When Zheng Fan had led five hundred Barbarian troops south to Green Willow Fortress, it had attracted attention at various checkpoints but hadn’t caused great shock. The only surprising element was perhaps that Zheng Fan’s unit consisted entirely of Barbarian troops. Other armies typically used Barbarian soldiers merely as scouts, in auxiliary and supplementary roles.

Hui Wenzu was determined to keep these 1,500 Barbarian soldiers for himself.

Then, he would give them to Little Zheng Fan.

I’ll be as greedy as I want! So what!

He was an official who had been parachuted into the south, into Yinlang County, with no established foundation there. His only ’comrade from the revolution’ was Zheng Fan. How could he not exert all his efforts to promote Zheng Fan? Besides, Zheng Fan himself was resourceful and maintained good relations with both Lords. Of course, most importantly, Zheng Fan knew how to fight!

A fellow townsman, a former direct subordinate, and a skilled warrior—of course, Hui Wenzu had to promote him!

Not every general needed to personally charge into battle. With Hui Wenzu’s physique, if it ever came to him leading a charge, Yan would probably be on the brink of collapse. He could oversee things from the rear, relying on his subordinates to fight and achieve merits. Even if he didn’t snatch the credit, he would certainly receive a share of the glory. Fatty Hui was quite philosophical about this.