My lord, I want to join the army

Wen Qin was a rough fellow who could never hide what he was thinking. He immediately slapped the low table and shouted, "Excellent! Spending every day cooped up in Shouchun, I was about to grow mold!"

"Oh?" Xiahou Xian asked casually. "You seem full of fighting spirit, Zhongruo."

"Of course!" Wen Qin said. "What general wouldn't want to fight on the battlefield and win merit? If I can earn military honors, sooner or later, I'll..."

Halfway through, Wen Qin realized something was amiss and swallowed the rest of his words.

Xiahou Xian did not press him. He merely said, "General Man is marching on Lujiang, with Dongguan as his objective. The deployment orders should arrive soon. You should start putting the troops in order over the next few days, Zhongruo."

Wen Qin's eyes shone. Thumping his chest, he said, "Leave it to me!"

"Good! With you here, Zhongruo, I can rest easy."

After returning from the military camp outside the city, Xiahou Xian intended to summon some people to discuss the advance. To be safe, he had the residence gates shut tight and dismissed the inspectors, clerks, and other junior officials, summoning only a few trusted men.

Xiahou Xian waited in the main hall, and before long, several men arrived one after another.

Among those present were Chief Clerk Ji Shao and Recorder Chen Yuan.

Though Ji Shao usually acted like a slacker, he truly was not someone to be dismissed.

According to Wen Qin, a considerable portion of the money and grain used by the governor's office to recruit troops this time had been "squeezed" out of the Ji family.

Ji Shao enjoyed considerable prestige locally. Not only had he poured his family wealth into the effort, but he had also taken the initiative to organize his fellow townsmen and actively answered the recruitment call.

This had changed Xiahou Xian's impression of him considerably.

As for Chen Yuan, there was no need to elaborate. He handled matters competently and was modest in his dealings. Xiahou Xian intended to focus on cultivating him.

Jia Chong, however, had not come today, because Xiahou Xian had remembered that he was still observing mourning and thought it inappropriate to disturb him.

He had also heard that Jia Chong had wept bitterly before his father's grave today. Xiahou Xian thought that, after all, he was still only a boy in his teens; such natural feelings were understandable. Seeing Jia Chong observe his filial duties so faithfully had also quietly improved his opinion of the young man's character.

If Jia Chong remained under his command, perhaps one day he could become a worthy minister of his generation, without having to bear an infamous name.

At that thought, Xiahou Xian set his musings aside, adjusted his headdress, and prepared to begin today's meeting.

But before he could utter a single word, a voice came from outside the residence gates. "My lord, why was I not informed of a matter of such importance?"

Xiahou Xian looked up.

Jia Chong!?

He immediately asked, "Aren't you observing mourning, Master Jia?"

Jia Chong uttered an "Oh," seemingly wanting to speak but not daring to. In the end, he merely said that he had made all the necessary arrangements.

Ji Shao spared him no dignity and sneered, "I suppose someone else is weeping before your honored father's tomb."

Exposed, Jia Chong offered no answer. He glanced at Ji Shao, then went to his place and knelt down to sit.

Xiahou Xian finally understood. This was nothing more than a common trick among the scholars of Great Wei.

They found a stand-in to handle matters for them and gain a reputation, while they themselves did whatever they pleased.

Both fame and profit!

Presumably, Jia Chong's reputation for loyalty and filial piety had already spread throughout Shouchun by now.

Xiahou Xian sneered inwardly. How utterly filial. It's killing me.

After this little interlude, Xiahou Xian asked no further questions. He sat upright, and only when everyone's eyes were on him did he formally begin the day's meeting.

More precisely, it was a military council. He asked everyone present to offer their views, while also taking the opportunity to see whether any of them had military talent.

Upon hearing that Man Chong intended to attack Dongguan, Ji Shao became highly agitated.

He suddenly slapped the low table before him and declared loudly, "General Man is being foolish! I see no benefit in advancing like this beyond squandering our military strength."

Ji Shao's uncharacteristic behavior surprised Xiahou Xian. He studied him for a good while, making certain he had not been drinking today, before saying, "Zhaochu, what are your thoughts?"

Ji Shao said, "I have no particular insight. It's just that, in all my years in Huainan, I've never seen our army take the initiative to attack Dongguan. At most, we hold Hefei to keep Eastern Wu from invading."

"Though I know nothing of warfare, even I know Dongguan is somewhere Wu State absolutely cannot abandon."

"Unless..." Ji Shao stopped there. Xiahou Xian picked up where he had left off. "Unless our army intends to fight a decisive battle against Eastern Wu. Is that what you mean?"

Ji Shao nodded.

Just then, Jia Chong also offered his opinion.

"Wu State relies on the natural barrier of the Yangtze River. Even if our army truly takes Dongguan, Eastern Wu's navy will harass us constantly. Wu State can draw an endless stream of reinforcements along the great river from Wu Commandery and even Jing Province. In my humble opinion..."

"The only purpose in taking Dongguan would be to cross the river and strike deep into Wu State's heartland. Otherwise, it would be meaningless."

"Forgive my bluntness, but I am not optimistic about this campaign."

Xiahou Xian rubbed his chin.

The discussion had wandered off course. I wanted you to offer suggestions about strategic deployments and such, but instead you're all rejecting Man Chong's plan.

Naturally, Xiahou Xian had also seen the problem with this strategy, but once Man Chong had made his decision, what could a mere governor like him say?

Utterly bewildered, Xiahou Xian turned his gaze to Chen Yuan. He was the only one who had yet to express an opinion, though he was probably pessimistic as well.

Meeting Xiahou Xian's gaze, Chen Yuan considered for a moment before speaking. "Does General Man truly intend to attack Dongguan?"

Hm?

At these words, everyone froze for several seconds.

Could Man Chong be laying a smokescreen?

But no one dared openly speculate about the intentions of the commander of Yang Province.

"Rather than question General Man's plan, we should consider what we need to do next." Chen Yuan held a booklet in his hand and waved it before the others. "How much grain and fodder must we requisition? How many carts, horses, weapons, suits of armor, and other supplies will we need? Those are the questions we should be considering now."

"If General Man's orders arrive tomorrow, are we supposed to cling to the Buddha's feet at the last moment?"

"Zhongbo is right." Xiahou Xian looked at Chen Yuan approvingly. Once he had finished, Xiahou Xian asked, "Are you versed in warfare, Zhongbo?"

Chen Yuan cupped his hands. "I know a little."

"Good." Xiahou Xian immediately decided to take an adviser with him on this campaign. He did not expect any earth-shaking strategies, only someone who could offer a few pointers when he hesitated over a decision.

Xiahou Xian said, "Very well, then. Zhongbo, you will accompany me on this campaign."

"I accept your order." Chen Yuan readily agreed.

"What about me?" Jia Chong suddenly asked.

Xiahou Xian looked at him. "You have more important duties, Master Jia. As Zhongbo mentioned earlier, you will be responsible for supplying grain and fodder from the rear and allocating the baggage train."

Jia Chong cupped his hands in assent.

With the appointments settled, Xiahou Xian let out a long breath. All that remained was to await Man Chong's orders.

Just then, Ji Shao suddenly rose. He stepped into the aisle in the hall, cupped his hands, and was about to speak.

Xiahou Xian asked in puzzlement, "Do you have a plan too?"

Ji Shao shook his head. "My lord, I want to join the army."

Hm?