Chapter 19: Commander, Are We Really Suppressing the Bandits or Just Pretending?

In a fit of rage, Jiang Bai threw aside the quotation sheet in his hand and coldly ordered Sato Ito: “Take your things and leave at once!”

Faced with such humiliation, Sato Ito, a high-ranking military officer of the Island Dynasty, was utterly incensed. “Commander Jiang, this is a serious provocation against the relations between our side and the Carriers.”

Before he could finish his words, Jiang Bai kicked him out with a single blow.

As Sato Ito fell to the ground, groaning in agony while coughing up blood, Wang Xiao was terrified. “Commander, treating Mr. Ito like this will surely spark a diplomatic incident!”

Jiang Bai, however, appeared utterly unconcerned. “Sato Ito was accidentally struck by a car outside the door. What does that have to do with our Seventh Division?”

Wang Xiao instantly understood, hastening to express his comprehension and praise Jiang Bai’s wisdom.

After dealing with the Sato Ito affair, Wang Lin sent the navy leader Deng Fei for a late-night meeting with Jiang Bai.

Three days later, the Carrier faction’s navy conducted large-scale maneuvers in the maritime area. Quite by chance, they “happened upon” a Liefield arms transport ship that had suffered a technical malfunction. By another “coincidence,” they discovered a liaison for the Shuifang warlords aboard.

Deng Fei promptly confiscated all the weapons on the ship.

Though the operation caused a brief stir, it soon subsided.

Given the complex historical backdrop, this was far from the first time the Carrier faction had intervened in arms smuggling.

The warlords of Shuifang had planned to use these weapons to bolster their power. But just as their anticipated gain was within reach, it vanished like smoke. Their anxiety was palpable.

They launched fierce protests, directing their ire at Wang Lin.

Yet in the face of these mild accusations, even threats of war, Wang Lin remained magnanimous, replying with perfect composure: “If you long for these weapons, come and take them yourselves!”

At a loss, the Shuifang warlords turned to Weldwire for help, hoping to pressure the Carrier faction.

At first, Weldwire issued stern criticisms against the Carriers, but soon took no further action—a grand show with little substance.

Meanwhile, various factions quarreled endlessly over these weapons.

Jiang Bai, for his part, began using the newly acquired arms to train his troops.

In just a few days, Wang Yijin and Chief of Staff Wang Xiao had recruited ample manpower for the Seventh Division.

What Jiang Bai found both amusing and exasperating was that the Seventh Division’s generous terms lured many soldiers from other units to join in secret. Despite Wang Lin’s strict prohibitions, large numbers of soldiers risked military punishment to enlist.

In less than a week, nearly forty thousand men had joined.

Jiang Bai welcomed them, and after dismissing those who were frail, ill, or unfit, formed a reinforced division of more than thirty-five thousand.

With the military advisory group dispatched by Feng En, formal training commenced at once.

The soldiers were full of praise for the bountiful provisions—pork stew with noodles every day, a luxury they had never dared dream of before.

Training was rigorous and intense: each day included a ten-kilometer march under arms, and every three days, emergency drills such as mountain training.

Jiang Bai’s demands stemmed in part from the soldiers’ long-standing malnutrition and frailty, and in part from a desire to build their endurance and explosive power, so they could move rapidly during attacks or retreats.

In this era, before mechanized warfare was mature, the soldiers’ foot strength was key to rapid marches. Jiang Bai considered such training absolutely necessary.

As a reward, soldiers enjoyed sumptuous meals: congee and white buns for breakfast, fish and meat for lunch, and rich meat broths for supper.

Jiang Bai frequently visited the troops personally, distributing advance pay, quickly earning the soldiers’ love and loyalty.

Under his subtle influence, in less than a month the majority of soldiers marched with powerful strides, their eyes keen and sharp. Where before they had looked gaunt, they now seemed to swell with strength, their frames filling out.

“Commander, this month’s regimen has greatly improved the fitness of our Seventh Division. I’m sure we’ll soon be able to forge an elite force!”

“Also, the defensive orders for the Carrier River have been successfully issued, and all the building materials you requested have been delivered in secret. We can begin construction at any time!”

To avoid enemy detection during the construction of these defenses, Jiang Bai had applied to Wang Lin for a special fund, which he personally oversaw. As for the actual design and construction, Weldwire provided clandestine support.

Even Erzi and Yang Ting only knew Jiang Bai was up to something at the Carrier River; the details remained a mystery to them.

“Yijin, this construction project is of the utmost importance. I’m entrusting it to you completely—you must not let me down!”

“Rest assured, Commander, I will see the task through!”

To be so trusted by Jiang Bai, Wang Yijin was naturally elated. As one of the few in the know, he understood exactly what purpose the defenses would serve.

From start to finish, their commander had always regarded the islanders as the imaginary enemy, ever ready for battle.

This fit Wang Yijin’s hopes perfectly. He could hardly wait for the day the fortifications were finished, when they could rain destruction on the foe.

By comparison, it was Jiang Bai’s next move, not Wang Yijin’s secret preparations, that drew the attention of so many factions.

After half a month of continuous infantry live-fire drills, forward artillery firing, and infantry-artillery coordination, the reinforced Seventh Division’s training was showing results.

Boom, boom, boom!

At the artillery range in the northern outskirts of the Carrier River—an area Jiang Bai had specially requested for his troops—the artillery regiment attached to the Seventh Division was conducting exercises.

The gunners were carrying out live-fire drills. All types of artillery were being tested, from 105mm howitzers to 77mm field guns, firing at designated hills.

With each flash of fire at the muzzle, the shells, driven by black powder, soared toward distant hills and exploded, thundering through the air.

“Commander Jiang, our artillery regiment is surely the finest in the Carrier Army. The men have endured tough training, and with the guidance of Weldwire’s officers, our gunnery skills have improved tremendously,” Wang Xiao said, pride in his voice.

Jiang Bai nodded in agreement. The Seventh Artillery Regiment, equipped with twenty-four 105mm light mortars and forty-eight 75mm field guns, was unmatched among the Carrier forces.

“The troops’ training is sufficient. I intend to find a real opponent for the reinforced Seventh Division to hone their skills.”

“Commander, that may be difficult.” Wang Xiao, just back from a sand-table exercise, looked concerned. “We’re at a disadvantage at the moment, all our units pulling back to the interior. Though fighting with the Shuifang warlords has temporarily ceased, it doesn’t mean they can’t cross Shanhaiguan. If we take the initiative, it might spark a chain reaction and reignite the war!”

“The Shuifang warlords are embroiled in their own battles; we need not join in,” Jiang Bai mused. Then he said, “I hear the banditry near the Carrier River has become very serious. This is the perfect opportunity to carry out the Marshal’s orders and suppress the bandits!”

“Commander, are we to really suppress the bandits, or only pretend to?”

“Hmm?” Jiang Bai looked surprised.

Fortunately, Wang Xiao explained promptly: “The distinction between real and feigned suppression is an old unwritten rule handed down from soldiers of the previous dynasty. True suppression means genuinely rooting out the bandits. The so-called feigned one is more about showing off military strength to the afflicted populace, conducting exercises, and thereby collecting rewards from the locals in their quest for peace. The commoners offer small tokens of thanks—chickens, ducks, some wine and meat—while the landlords and wealthy give larger sums as ‘fortune money.’ The troops need only fire a few shots or a cannon or two into the hills for show, and thus satisfy both their superiors and the local people.”