Chapter 740: I Told You to Act Civilized

In the end, those fleeing south were only trying to scrape together a way to survive.

Wu Gongling welcomed everyone.

For a time, resources from all across Song poured toward the south.

Food became the most urgent problem of all.

Eating is always the final bottom line of survival.

Wu Gongling had seized a considerable amount of grain from Luo Zhao. Many of the people who came to submit also donated grain in order to preserve their families and lives. Those who donated money or grain were given official posts of varying rank according to the size of their contribution.

But no matter how much grain Wu Gongling possessed, it was still limited.

He could not feed this many people.

What to do?

For Wu Gongling, it was easy.

He had already tricked the people into coming.

As he put it:

I have already provided you with a safe environment. Now you can calmly think of your own ways to survive. Go hunt in the mountains, eat grass, strip bark from trees—figure it out yourselves.

Was there any other way to fill one's stomach?

Yes.

Anyone of suitable age could join the army.

Join, and there was food to eat.

Have a daughter at home?

Consider marrying her to one of my soldiers.

My soldiers receive grain allotments to support their households. Once she marries one of my men, naturally she will have food.

Rites, righteousness, integrity, and shame vanished before the question of survival.

The rebel troops who had risen in Cangzhou and fought all the way here suddenly became highly desirable marriage prospects.

No one knew how many households voluntarily brought their daughters to offer in marriage.

While great wars raged across the states, large-scale wife-taking broke out here instead.

The atmosphere could hardly have been more different from the state of the world beyond.

...

Inside a city, in a temporarily occupied military camp, the generals followed Wu Gongling out of a building and headed straight toward the drill ground.

On the way, they encountered a personal guard delivering a message.

After handing over the report, the guard was about to leave when Wu Gongling beckoned. "Skinny Monkey, don't run. Get over here."

The guard known as Skinny Monkey immediately ran back and awaited instructions.

Wu Gongling looked him up and down, then asked, "I hear you little bastard married two wives in one breath. True?"

Skinny Monkey immediately scratched his head with a grin. "I was only obeying the Great General's orders and rescuing refugees from fire and water. They came begging at my door. I didn't have the heart to refuse."

"You didn't have the heart my ass. You saw they were pretty!" Wu Gongling punched him in the chest. "With that scrawny frame of yours, you marry two wives at once. Can you handle it?"

Several Tiannü Sect disciples responsible for protection could not resist glancing over.

Nothing decent ever seemed to come out of this man's mouth.

Hui Qingping, walking nearby, felt the corner of her mouth twitch.

By now, she seemed to have grown almost accustomed to Wu Gongling's filth. If he suddenly accumulated virtue with his tongue and started speaking properly, that would probably seem stranger.

Skinny Monkey puffed out his chest. "No problem!"

Wu Gongling said, "Being stubborn with your mouth is useless. If your legs go soft and you can't handle your duties, I'll throw you straight out of the army. Then let's see what you use to support your family!"

"It absolutely won't happen!" Skinny Monkey promised loudly.

"Get lost!" Wu Gongling barked.

Skinny Monkey shrank his neck and immediately scurried away.

Deputy General Jin Xiang, walking beside them, could not help voicing concern. "Great General, with war still underway, is it really appropriate to let the brothers hold weddings without restraint?"

Wu Gongling glanced at him but did not answer.

He led the group onward to the drill ground.

A formation of troops stood neatly assembled.

Wu Gongling mounted the platform, paced back and forth twice, then called out loudly, "I gathered all of you today to talk about something serious. What serious matter? Your marriages."

"Heh heh..."

"Hehehe..."

Laughter rose from below.

Wu Gongling pointed at Jin Xiang. "He asked me just now: with war still underway, is it appropriate to let the brothers hold weddings? What do all of you think? Appropriate or not?"

The soldiers below looked at one another.

They did not know whether it was appropriate or not, and had no idea how they were supposed to answer.

Wu Gongling said, "Truthfully, I don't think it's appropriate either. The war comes first, right? Yet I still did it. Why?"

"When you brothers rose with me in Cangzhou, we wanted to seek a future together. But I, Wu Gongling, was useless. Not only did I fail to give you a future, I dragged your families down with me. I caused your homes to be destroyed. You don't even have homes anymore!"

His eyes reddened.

He hammered his chest again and again and shouted, "I, Wu Gongling, wronged you! I turned every last one of you into a lonely bachelor!"

The words probably stirred old wounds in many hearts.

Some soldiers' eyes reddened as well.

Others choked back sobs, remembering parents, wives, children, and relatives who had been swept away by the fires of war.

"So no matter what the circumstances are, no matter how hard things get, I, Wu Gongling, will grit my teeth and carry this burden. I owe you brothers an accounting. I have to let you build homes again, don't I?"

Hui Qingping turned and looked at him.

Surprise had entered her eyes.

"Having a home is a good thing. That's why everyone who married was given a subsidy of at least ten gold coins. But we cannot turn a good thing into a bad thing. We cannot become deaf and blind, shut ourselves indoors, and ignore everything outside."

"I hear some men married one wife. Some married two, three, even four or five. If you've got the ability to support that many, I won't stop you. I'll congratulate you. I'll be happy for my brothers."

"But you cannot run wild!"

"The war isn't over. If you hug women until you can't get out of bed, can't lift your saber, can't climb onto your horse, what kind of damned joke is that? Have you all grown tired of living?"

"If we lose the next battle, however many women you've married will all be a dream. They'll become someone else's!"

"Even an ugly runt like Skinny Monkey managed to marry two delicate beauties. Why? Because the blades and spears in our hands are sharp enough! Not because any of you are pretty boys talented enough to seduce women. Don't forget what we depend on!"

"We mean to establish ourselves on this land in the future. It wouldn't do to ruin and stink up the place ourselves. Do you want to be driven from place to place forever?"

"You brothers need to settle your hearts now. Don't take this too far!"

"I've said all this. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" the troops roared in unison.

"Good!" Wu Gongling nodded. "Understanding makes it a rule. We will formalize that rule afterward. If anyone breaks it, don't blame me when I deal with you!"

After leaving the drill ground, Wu Gongling summoned the generals again and formally set down the rules.

From that day onward, ordinary soldiers below a certain rank could marry only one wife.

Those who reached a certain level could marry no more than two.

That was the wartime rule.

Once the world was peaceful, anyone with the ability could marry however many he could manage by his own means.

After the generals accepted the order, Wu Gongling added another reminder. "Also, stop staring only at the pretty ones. Once we establish ourselves and all of you have power and status, are you afraid there won't be beautiful women?"

"Don't fight the brothers below over them right now. Under the present circumstances, pretty or ugly doesn't matter. What matters is stabilizing people's hearts."

"Those daughters from the prominent households fleeing south—you need to set your chopsticks there too!"

"Today I'm making another rule for you brothers who have reached rank. If you're going to marry, then marry women from prominent households. Did everyone hear me?"

The group immediately looked torn between laughter and tears.

One general complained, "Great General, everyone likes pretty women. Fine, what you're saying has reason behind it. But what does marrying an ugly woman have to do with stabilizing people's hearts?"

Wu Gongling immediately sprayed him with abuse. "Has your brain flooded until smoke is coming out your ears? Didn't I already say we're planning to establish ourselves here?"

"Our foundation is shallow. How do we put down roots as quickly as possible? The best method is marriage alliances!"

"To put it crudely, binding them to us."

"If you become in-laws with those prominent households, while the brothers below become in-laws with the majority of common people who have come to us, then once that happens, whether the southerners joined willingly or unwillingly, they won't be able to turn back. They can only stand on our side."

"Do you understand how much power that creates once everything is connected?"

Understanding dawned across everyone's faces.

Not only Jin Xiang, but even Hui Qingping fell into thought.

Only now did she finally understand why this bastard had encouraged the troops below him to marry on such a vast scale.

Standing to one side, Shan Dongxing, Acting Sect Leader of Tongxian Pavilion, could only shake his head as he listened.

He was genuinely impressed.

This man had done almost nothing good all the way here, yet somehow he had kept surviving and advancing.

Wu Gongling pointed around at the generals' noses and continued cursing them. "Do you really think you're something impressive? You're all rough military brutes. Under normal circumstances, what great household would ever look at any of you?"

"The more prominent the household, the broader its network of relationships and the more educated, capable people it has who understand how to handle affairs."

"We cannot govern this territory forever by fighting and killing. Later, we will need those people to help us. Do I really have to explain the principle of dragging every level into the same boat?"

"Can a beautiful woman fight battles? Can she govern territory? Can she be used as grain?"

"This is the one moment when such a bargain is sitting right in front of you. You marry one of their daughters, and they'll probably send two maidservants along as part of the dowry. What a damned good deal!"

"And you idiots are still picking and choosing. Have all of you eaten shit?"

One general said helplessly, "Great General, fine. You're right about everything. But prominent households have endless rules. You said it yourself—they look down on rough men like us. This won't be easy. It's troublesome."

Wu Gongling glared. "Did water flood your skull, or did someone pour shit and piss into it? What time do you think this is? It's wartime! They're fish on the chopping block!"

"I told you to act civilized. I told you to make the way you eat look a little better so you don't unsettle people's hearts. I did not tell you to become some truly refined, scholarly gentleman."

"If they're reasonable, then be polite."

"If they've got too many rotten airs, what are the sabers, spears, and troops in your hands for? Do I have to teach you how to scare people?"

"If you want to marry, who dares refuse?"

"I even sleep with an Elder of the Tiannü Sect whenever I please. You've followed me this long—how the hell can you still be this stupid?"

"Wu Gongling, shut your dog mouth!" Hui Qingping erupted in fury.

She was standing right there.

"Slip of the tongue! I misspoke!" Wu Gongling immediately turned and apologized with a grin. "Not sleep with. Marry. Marry. Madam, calm your anger."

The generals all fought to suppress their laughter.

The Tiannü Sect disciples responsible for protection wore strange expressions as well.

Brazen.

Shan Dongxing shook his head helplessly and gave the man that judgment inwardly.

He had discovered Wu Gongling really was remarkably "straightforward."

Whatever he wanted, he said it.

The point of that straightforwardness was always to achieve his objective as quickly as possible.

"What are you laughing at?" Wu Gongling turned and cursed the generals trying not to laugh. "A true man must know when to bend and when to stand tall. Me marrying Madam follows the same logic as you marrying women from prominent households. Understand?"

Then he slapped the table and asked, "How is recruitment going? How many men have we gathered?"

One general reported, "We've already gathered a million men."

Wu Gongling fell silent and considered that for a while.

Then he slowly said, "We already suffered this loss back when we raised troops in Cangzhou. We claimed to have a million men, but they were nothing but a rabble that couldn't withstand one blow. We cannot suffer the same loss again."

"We are standing in a rare strategic window. Everyone from top to bottom had better keep their spirits up. Drill every new recruit we get as hard and as quickly as possible."

"I do not want a rabble."

"I want troops we can take into battle and actually fight with."

"That is the capital we will rely on to establish ourselves in the future!"

"Right now, the opportunity is good. Whenever there's nothing else to do, pull them out and have them clash with small Song detachments. Train through real fighting!"

"I'll make the ugly words clear in advance. As our troop numbers rise, your official ranks will inevitably rise too."

"Anyone with ability had better show it."

"When the time comes, whoever trains troops that can fight will be promoted."

"If you don't have the ability, then when you watch other men rise, don't turn red-eyed and complain that I'm playing favorites!"

Han's army was fighting Song with tremendous force in the north.

Wu Gongling, however, neglected the "proper" business and busied himself with other things instead, infuriating Han.

But his attempt to sow division among Han's three major sects succeeded.

He successfully won the support of the Tiannü Sect.

The cultivators guarding Wu Gongling had now all been replaced by Tiannü Sect people, and the Tiannü Sect had begun bargaining over how the future benefits would be divided.

It was wartime.

Baichuan Valley and Wushang Palace found themselves checked by the Tiannü Sect.

Wu Gongling seized the opportunity to expand his own strength.

His grand explanation to the Tiannü Sect was that if the others refused to agree to their conditions, then they should first create facts on the ground. That way, at least they would not suffer a loss.

Wu Gongling was already doing exactly that.

He had never been a man for refined courtesies.

When opportunity appeared, he seized it and got the matter done first.

Everything else could be discussed afterward.

[End of Chapter 740]