Chapter 159: Nip in the Bud

Following Liuxia Tuo, Meng Di arrived at the military camp, where several thousand robust soldiers stood quietly waiting for inspection. The entire formation was impeccably neat and completely silent, exuding a stern and formidable aura.

At Liuxia Tuo’s command, the three thousand men moved out in a continuous stream, immediately commencing a long-distance rapid maneuver drill. Meng Di and Liuxia Tuo rode their horses leisurely behind them. The advancing speed of the three thousand men was by no means slow, and the formation remained largely intact.

By the time they completed a wide circle and returned to the barracks, they had covered a distance of nearly a hundred miles. The soldiers then immediately drew their bows and nocked their arrows, firing three shots each. Although their accuracy varied, virtually all of them hit the targets.

Even if an occasional arrow missed, the second arrow unfailingly struck home. Meng Di was thoroughly pleased with this performance, and feeling a surge of interest, he dismounted, walked closer, and took a bow and arrow from the hands of a soldier.

Liuxia Tuo hurriedly stepped forward with a quiver of arrows. Meng Di shot several arrows in succession, every single one piercing the bullseye, which drew wave after wave of cheers from the assembled soldiers. That night, Meng Di stayed overnight in the camp and met with the military commanders.

He inquired whether they had any issues that needed resolution, and whenever someone offered a suggestion, Meng Di listened carefully and noted it down in his heart.

When the meeting concluded, he spoke to Liuxia Tuo.

"Governing troops with strict discipline is the right path, but one must also pay attention to what lies in their hearts. Only thus can superiors and subordinates achieve a single-minded unity. You heard the problems they raised just now; although they are all minor matters, one must nip trouble in the bud. Doing so will further enhance your prestige."

Deeply impressed, Liuxia Tuo nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"What my lord says is true. Occupied with training the troops lately, I almost forgot your admonition. I shall definitely be mindful of this in the future."

This was only natural. Serving previously under Meng Di's direct supervision, Liuxia Tuo had never committed such oversights, primarily because the mere presence of his lord exerted an invisible pressure.

Now that Liuxia Tuo was commanding troops independently away from the main force, a certain degree of laxity was bound to creep in over time. This was a fatal flaw; if he failed to reflect upon it in time, trouble would surely arise down the road. Therefore, Meng Di warned him further.

"You must realize that you are now their superior. Only when your conduct inspires genuine conviction will your soldiers be influenced by you. When the time comes for battle, they will risk their lives all the more. Otherwise, if arrogance and overbearing attitudes take root within the army,"

"Such habits will inevitably breed disaster in the long run. The saying 'It takes more than one cold day for the river to freeze three feet deep' precisely illustrates this truth. I hope you will exercise greater caution from now on, guard against arrogance and impatience, so that you may campaign across battlefields in the future and make your name known throughout the world."

When he finished speaking, Liuxia Tuo bowed solemnly and declared on the spot,

"Lacking my lord's personal guidance and instruction of late, your subordinate inevitably grew somewhat arrogant and complacent. From this day forward, I shall take this as a profound warning."

After spending a few days in the military camp, Meng Di returned to Huaicheng and summoned Bai Gui to brief him on his arrangements. Bai Gui, however, remained completely unconcerned.

"My lord need not worry about the safety of Huaicheng. We have already leased many shops within the city to those tribes, and quite a few of their youths have been selected into the army. The reason I advised expanding the military"

"is precisely to bind these tribal peoples closely to us. When the time comes, whether they wish it or not, the vast majority of them will stand by our side. At the very least, we will be assured of obtaining sufficient intelligence."

"Under these circumstances, although the forces under Liuxia Tuo's command are not large, they are exceptionally elite. While our chances of winning a head-on engagement may not be great, a nighttime surprise attack is something the enemy will certainly be unable to withstand, and they are bound to be utterly defeated and driven back in rout."

This elevated Meng Di's estimation of Bai Gui to an even higher level. It was evident that Bai Gui had also thoroughly pondered the matter over this period. His mind thus set at ease, Meng Di asked,

"If things truly turn out as you predict and we defeat the forces of Ran Yi, what will you do next?"

Hearing this question, a confident smile appeared on Bai Gui's face.

"Naturally, we must press our advantage and pursue them, while simultaneously subjugating those tribes that refuse submission, thereby establishing Huaicheng's local dominance in a single stroke. Only then can we reduce future troubles. At the same time, we shall dispatch envoys to Ran Yi, expressing our desire to coexist peacefully with him."

"Our strength is not yet formidable enough, and we lack the capacity to completely swallow Ran Yi whole at present. Naturally, we cannot intensify the conflict between both sides at this juncture; we can only buy as much time as possible for Huaicheng to develop and grow strong."

Since Bai Gui already possessed a comprehensive strategy, Meng Di had nothing left to worry about.

Once Gongshu Ban arrived in Huaicheng with his disciples, Meng Di outlined his vision to him. Gongshu Ban listened, pondered with a furrowed brow for a while, and then set out with his disciples to survey the surrounding area.

Meng Di then proceeded to the winery. Heavily guarded, the facility was situated at the northernmost edge of Huaicheng, occupying a corner of the city while undergoing further expansion all around. Upon stepping inside, he was greeted by the rich, pungent fragrance of brewing liquor.

The master artisan in charge of the winery hurried forward, holding a small earthen jar of wine with a somewhat excited expression on his face.

Observing his demeanor, Meng Di looked him over with curiosity and asked,

"What is that you are holding in your hands? Could it be newly brewed wine?"

The artisan promptly knelt, raised the wine jar high above his head, and spoke with a trembling voice,

"Reporting to my lord, this is a fine liquor we recently discovered by chance. Its flavor is far richer and exceptionally fiery, though the yield is very small. We wished to offer it as a tribute to my lord."

Hearing this, Meng Di's interest was piqued. He took the jar directly, broke the mud seal, and was immediately struck by an intense aroma that made his head spin slightly. He lifted the jar and took a tentative sip.

The taste was indeed fiery and robust. The moment it touched his lips, it felt like a trail of fire flowing down his throat straight into his stomach, instantly making his whole body glow with warmth. Meng Di's eyes lit up with delight as he praised,

"This is truly exceptional wine! How did you manage to brew it?"

Hearing this, the artisan visibly breathed a sigh of relief. After a moment of hesitation, he explained,

"Some of the men were careless while working and spilled liquor onto the ground, leaving only half a jar behind. Because it was not sealed in time, the remaining wine sat out for quite long, and when tasted, it tasted remarkably flat and watery."

"Someone remarked that the vital essence of the wine must have evaporated, and wondered if it might be possible to extract and concentrate that essence. Thus, using lower-quality wine, they experimented with various methods until they finally managed to produce this single jar."

Perhaps fearing Meng Di's reprimand, he hurriedly added,

"We subordinates were merely following Lord Yi's instructions to brew better wine, which is why we acted thus."