Shuyang Prefecture
"What is the situation now?" On the city wall, Prefect Han Xiangliang waved his feather fan and glanced into the distance.
"My lord, the main rebel force seems to have deviated slightly from its route," Commanding Officer Ren Qi said with a frown. "It is drawing rather close to our prefecture."
"Should we go on alert immediately, fully arm the civilian militia, and call them into service?"
"Oh?" Han Xiangliang seemed somewhat surprised. He said mildly, "We should certainly go on alert, but fully arming and mobilizing the civilian militia seems a little hasty, does it not?"
Han Xiangliang rose and paced. "You must understand that the silver in the prefectural treasury is subject to fixed allocations and remittance quotas. With tens of thousands of militiamen, we could just about plug the hole if we only used them for labor. But arming and mobilizing them would mean not only opening the arsenal, but also supplying provisions and pay. This prefecture truly cannot bear the expense."
That was indeed a problem. Ren Qi considered for a moment, then said, "Surely the court will allocate special funds to deal with this, rather than making the prefecture bear the cost."
"Hmm... if the rebels attack the city, naturally the prefecture will not be made to pay." Han Xiangliang looked at Ren Qi and sighed inwardly, but said, "If the rebels never come, however, the expense will certainly fall on us."
"Still, since the rebels have already deviated from their route..." Han Xiangliang nodded. "Gather the civilian militia and have them prepare!"
"The prefecture can still afford a few days of provisions and pay."
"Understood!" Ren Qi answered immediately. As a military man, he naturally focused on military matters, and promptly issued his orders.
A dozen or so men acknowledged them and