After the family banquet, the guests dispersed.
Pei Fei escorted her cousin Pei Xia out and took the opportunity to exchange a few words.
"Since Uncle Dao is serving as an advisor to Fourth Brother, perhaps you could relay a few words for me," Pei Fei said, her face tinged with worry under the dim moonlight.
Pei Xia, not daring to be careless, immediately responded, "Please speak, sister."
"Our royal forces have repeatedly defeated the Ji troops, and their might is indeed awe-inspiring. However, I fear that the people of Ye hold a deep grudge. If we suffer a defeat in the future, they may seek revenge," Pei Fei said with a frown.
"But aren't we doing well in the battles? Why would you think of defeat?" Pei Xia asked.
"Those who do not plan for the future will find trouble at their doorstep," Pei Fei sighed.
"The grain reserves in the capital are no longer a secret. I heard from the king that they will only last until February. If we don't win in the next few months, our royal forces may struggle to sustain themselves."
Pei Xia fell silent.
This was indeed a thorny issue.
To besiege a city, you don't need to press your weapons right up against the city walls, leaving no gaps.
In fact, controlling the key transportation routes is sufficient.
Grain transport requires carts, and carts must travel on post roads.
So, cutting off the post roads would suffice.
If it's water transport, it's even simpler—just block the waterways.
Moreover, winter is approaching, and the rivers will freeze, making water transport impossible.
As for carrying grain on one's back or using horses and donkeys, the efficiency is too low to be considered—and it's also easy to defend against.
Currently, the Ji troops are to the east of the city, while the Guanzhong troops are to the west.
Despite repeated defeats, both sides are holding their ground and refusing to retreat.
To the north, near Mount Mang (Mount Mang), there are still encampments of the Ye troops' auxiliary forces.
To the south, beyond the Luo River, the Xianbei cavalry is raiding.
In reality, Luoyang is still under siege, and external supplies cannot enter the capital.
To be honest, if the enemy hadn't arrived after the autumn harvest, the situation would be even more dire.
"Sister, if you have something to say, please speak plainly," Pei Xia said after some thought.
"Although you are a woman, you have always been wise and capable. We all admire you, so please speak freely."
"If Prince Changsha ultimately fails and external troops enter the city, many unspeakable things may happen," Pei Fei said.
"Not to mention the common people, but even the nobles and officials inside and outside the city may face harassment, looting, or even—"
At this point, Pei Fei's expression turned sorrowful.
She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing, "The best course of action now is to unite. Otherwise, we will be at the mercy of others. I observe that Sima Ying is not a man of great wisdom and does not heed loyal advice. If we all stand together, he may be satisfied with just the title of Crown Prince's younger brother."
"Luoyang must not fall into the hands of others, at least not entirely into the hands of external troops," Pei Fei concluded.
That makes sense! This was Pei Xia's first thought.
Others aside, what kind of beasts are under Zhang Fang's command?
Once they enter the bustling world of Luoyang, who knows what chaos they might cause in their indulgence?
Therefore, even if we can't protect the entire city, we must protect certain areas.
This requires us to band together.
"What do you think we should do, sister?" Pei Xia asked sincerely.
"Wang Hu has killed sixteen generals from Hebei and enjoys a high reputation. Gou Xi has also performed well in battles, and even Mi Huang has achieved some minor victories," Pei Fei said.
"We should strengthen our connections with them. By uniting, we may be able to protect our respective families."
Pei Xia nodded, glancing at his cousin.
Her efforts were likely aimed at winning over the imperial guards for Sima Yue.
If they ultimately fail, the generals rallying around the Prince of Donghai would give him leverage to negotiate with Sima Ying.
Sima Ying would probably not want to leave his stronghold in Ye.
He may not be particularly intelligent, but he's not foolish.
Once he leaves Ye and comes to Luoyang, his fate would no longer be in his own hands, much like Sima Yi in the past—who initially came with 200,000 troops to kill Sima Lun.
However, most of those 200,000 were conscripts or temporarily recruited men, not professional soldiers.
You can't keep them by your side forever; they must eventually be disbanded.
Since Sima Ying is unwilling to come to Luoyang, it's destined that he won't be able to control the court for long.
Establishing a regency is difficult at this point, as the conditions are not yet ripe.
As time goes on, the court will likely fall into the hands of the Prince of Donghai, especially if he gains the support of the imperial guards or the powerful families.
What a brilliant strategy!
Hua Nu is truly a wise and capable wife.
Sima Yue is fortunate to have her.
After conversing for a while longer, Pei Xia bid farewell and left.
Pei Fei wiped the sorrow from her face and stood quietly for a long time.
Her actions were indeed worthy of the Pei family and her husband, bringing great benefits to both.
As for the side effects, they were minor and not worth mentioning...
The early morning of late autumn was crisp and cold.
A thin mist drifted through the air like a veil, shrouding the battlefield's aftermath.
Deep within the fog, a fiery red figure shouted loudly, wielding a heavy sword with immense force, each strike landing almost in the same spot.
Shao Xun had risen before dawn to practice his martial skills.
Listening to the commands of the guards on duty and the footsteps of the patrols, he felt a deep sense of security.
Those who spend long periods in military camps often develop this habit.
If the world becomes even more chaotic, the military camp becomes the last refuge, offering unparalleled safety.
After finishing his practice with the heavy sword, Shao Xun handed the weapon to Wang Que'er and began to ponder.
In the battle against Meng Chao's forces, their small unit had suffered nearly three hundred casualties.
By the end of the battle, the number of able-bodied soldiers left was roughly the same, not counting the young boys and children.
Among the wounded, perhaps a few dozen could return to duty, but that was about it.
Shao Xun sighed.
Many familiar faces were gone, such as Liu Tong, the squad leader under Yang Bao, and Zhong Huan'er, whom Shao Xun himself had appointed—both had succumbed to their injuries.
Many promising young soldiers he had high hopes for were either dead or crippled, their potential and efforts wasted.
Many officers and soldiers who had earned his initial trust had withdrawn, and he would have to start the process of training new people all over again.
In short, the unit he had painstakingly built had lost half its strength in a single battle—not just in numbers, but also in the energy he had invested.
After defeating Meng Chao, many scattered soldiers had come to join them, arriving in small groups.
Their numbers had grown significantly, and their unit now exceeded eight hundred men.
However, these new soldiers came from diverse backgrounds, even speaking different dialects, and were in low spirits, which dragged down the overall morale of the unit.
Without a doubt, he would need to invest a great deal of effort to reorganize them.
Of course, the more important task was to cultivate more loyal followers.
Shao Xun was certain that Wu Qian, Chen Yougen, Huang Biao, and others were trustworthy.
There were about a few dozen such individuals.
Some of them might even follow him if he had to flee—meaning they wouldn't side with the court if it came after him.
Beyond these few dozen, the others might follow military orders, but they weren't yet his personal followers.
His future efforts would focus on cultivating more loyal followers and placing them in suitable positions.
Outside the military, his network of connections was also slowly expanding.
Mi Huang was already an ally, and people from the Yingchuan Yu family, the Donghai Xu family, and even the Runan Zhou family were beginning to recognize his value.
They no longer looked down on him or treated him with indifference.
This was a good start.
Due to his background, Shao Xun had little fondness for these powerful families.
However, he was also a pragmatic man.
Knowing that it was impossible to eliminate the powerful families entirely, he had only one option: to divide and conquer, to win over those willing to cooperate, and to exclude or even suppress those who refused.
In short, it was a matter of united front tactics.
Upon careful consideration, the road ahead was long and arduous.
The most important tasks were to continue accumulating resources, building connections with influential figures, achieving military successes, and gaining a reputation.
Otherwise, given his humble origins, to put it bluntly, he wouldn't even be able to eat shit while it was still warm.
After reflecting on this, he noticed Mi Huang, who had changed into a black official robe, preparing to go out.
"I'm heading back to Luoyang," Mi Huang said with a smile.
"Judging by your cheerful expression, something good must have happened," Shao Xun joked.
"Indeed, something good has happened," Mi Huang replied after some thought, deciding to share the news.
"I've received word that the Grand Minister over the Masses plans to reorganize the Kingdom's army."
"Why?"
"Wang Bing suffered a major defeat, didn't he? Out of fifteen hundred men, only a handful survived," Mi Huang said, his smile widening.
"He Lun's forces are also down to less than a thousand. The Grand Minister has decided to recruit new soldiers and rebuild the Kingdom's army in Luoyang."
"How many are they planning to recruit?"
"Two thousand for the upper army and one thousand for the lower army."
"That's the size of a secondary state's army."
"Exactly, the size of a secondary state."
"What kind of soldiers are they planning to recruit?"
"City dwellers from Luoyang."
"City dwellers from Luoyang?!" Shao Xun exclaimed in shock.
"Can they even fight?"
Mi Huang sighed.
"With trade at a standstill, there are many city dwellers without food or clothing. If we don't recruit them, who else can we recruit? Besides, I've seen them before—they're not weak. They should be able to fight."
"Sir, you may not know this, but city dwellers are fickle and cunning. If they join the army, they'll only corrupt the morale. To be blunt, they're worse than the servants of wealthy families," Shao Xun warned.
"Are they really that bad?" Mi Huang asked, seeming to recall something.
Back in his hometown in Donghai, he had often visited the markets and seen the city dwellers.
They were indeed not the best, often described as opportunistic and cunning.
The city dwellers of Luoyang, the capital, were likely even worse.
"If they really recruit city dwellers into the army, I could lead my unit and defeat them in a direct confrontation, forcing them to kneel and beg for mercy, even handing over their parents' savings—they really would do that," Shao Xun said seriously.
Mi Huang chuckled and shook his head.
"What's done is done. There's no point in saying more. In fact, everyone does this. Whether it's city dwellers, farmers, servants, or even barbarians, anyone over thirteen can be conscripted. Give them a wooden spear, and they're soldiers. Isn't that how it's always been?"
"If you want to win battles, you can't be so careless," Shao Xun said.
"In the past, we didn't fight much, so we didn't know better. But since the princes rose in rebellion, battles have been fought everywhere, and people have started to learn how to fight. Over time, they'll figure out which sources of soldiers are good, how to train them, and how to improve their combat effectiveness.
To put it bluntly, the way we fight now is almost like a game. But in five or ten years, the level of warfare will undoubtedly improve. While everyone else is progressing, we're regressing by using city dwellers as soldiers.
That's a sure path to defeat."
Mi Huang hadn't considered the issue to be so complex and began to hesitate.
"Never mind, I'll go and see for myself," Mi Huang said with a sigh.
"Perhaps things aren't as simple as we think. I suspect He Lun and Wang Bing have their eyes on our troops. I'll go and investigate."
Shao Xun's expression turned serious at this.
"It might not be a bad thing," Mi Huang said reassuringly.
"I'll be on my way now."
(End of Chapter)