Chapter 30: The Seventh Reinforced Division—Secret Expansion to Face the Coming Great War

At present, Wang Lin inquired almost daily about the movements of Jiang Bai’s command.

“Marshal, according to the latest telegrams, Commander Jiang’s campaign against the bandits in the Chengyun Mountain region is progressing very smoothly,” Yang Ting reported faithfully.

Wang Lin found this curious. He knew that for many years, the bandits of the Chengyun Mountains had been a scourge upon the northern districts of Chengyun. Across dynasties, they had never been fully eradicated.

The reason was simple: the harsh, desolate mountains left desperate men with nowhere to turn—joining the bandits became their only way out.

“Commander Jiang has dispatched elite troops to secure the key passes of the mountain region and has driven deep into the mountains to strike at the heart of the bandit forces. According to his latest report, the leaders such as the Mountain Vulture have been driven to the brink. They are now gathering their strength for a final assault on Chengyun County. Commander Jiang, determined to put an end to this once and for all, has even risked himself as bait,” Yang Ting continued.

Once and for all? Using himself as bait?

Upon hearing these two phrases, Wang Lin was greatly alarmed.

He could not fathom what kind of desperate situation could have forced Jiang Bai to put himself in danger.

After all, within the entire Chengyun clique, Wang Lin regarded Jiang Bai with the utmost importance.

If he had to choose between an elite division and Jiang Bai himself, Wang Lin would unhesitatingly choose the latter.

“Yang Ting, tell me quickly, what exactly is happening over there?”

Seeing Wang Lin’s grave expression, Yang Ting dared not delay and promptly recounted the events in detail, sparing nothing.

“Hmm, yes indeed, fine tea and fine soldiers,” Wang Lin said at last, his mind at ease as he lifted his cup, blowing gently on the tea before taking a sip.

“There’s one more thing, Marshal. On his return to Chengyun, Commander Jiang is bringing back twenty-five thousand captured bandits. What’s your view on this?” Yang Ting added.

Pfft!

“That rascal… he actually captured more than twenty-five thousand men?”

Wang Lin burst out laughing. “Ha!”

The battle for Chengyun County was splendidly handled by Jiang Bai.

With the bandits utterly wiped out, the persistent negative murmurs among the people of Chengyun Province were silenced.

Since being driven back to their homeland by the Northern Expedition Army, this was the first truly good news for the Chengyun Army in some time.

“Send orders to Jiang Bai! March those twenty-five thousand bandits through the streets in a public display—let’s see who dares to keep harping on the Chengyun Army’s retreat beyond the Pass!”

“Marshal, Jiang Bai’s ability to cleanse the Chengyun Mountains of bandits in one stroke was due in no small part to the strong support from the military governors Wu and Wang. That should be acknowledged as well,” Yang Ting interjected.

Bang!

Yang Ting’s reminder instantly soured the Marshal’s mood.

He slammed his teacup down so hard that tea splashed everywhere.

“Marshal, why… why are you so angry?” Yang Ting, aware of the deeper issues, felt uneasy but feigned ignorance as he righted the cup and wiped the table with a handkerchief from his pocket, looking as aggrieved as a daughter-in-law bullied by her mother-in-law.

“Hmph, if you hadn’t brought it up, I’d almost forgotten.”

“Just a few days ago, the commanders under Wu Sheng and Wang Zu actually filed a complaint with the Chengyun Army General Headquarters, claiming Jiang Bai lacked discipline, that the Seventh Division’s military police wantonly shot and killed people.”

“Damn those dogs! Wearing the uniform of the Chengyun Army, they disgraced themselves by violating women in front of their husbands! And they even let word of it get out!”

The more Wang Lin spoke, the angrier he became. He stood up and shouted, “Go! Write the order at once! It was their failure to control their men—demote those two division commanders to brigade commanders!”

“Yes, sir.” Yang Ting knew better than to argue while the Marshal was in a rage, and quickly left to carry out his orders.

Watching Yang Ting’s departing figure, Wang Lin’s fury seemed to dissolve at once. In good spirits, he poured another cup of tea for himself.

“Those little tricks of yours, you think I don’t see them? Just jealous of Jiang Bai’s success and trying to trip him up behind his back.”

“The Reformists and the Baoding clique can bicker in private, but with so many enemies outside Chengyun, to be stirring up factional strife now is sheer madness!”

“Orderly!”

Wang Lin raised his cup and took a sip—the temperature was perfect.

“Marshal, at your service!”

“Summon Military Governors Wu and Wang. Tell them we need to discuss the appointment of the director of the Chengyun Arsenal.”

“Yes, Marshal.”

September 25th. With the triumphant return of the Seventh Reinforced Division, its full strength was on display.

Throughout the entire operation, there were only minimal casualties, mostly during reconnaissance skirmishes with the bandits in the mountains.

In the face of the bandits’ assault on Chengyun County, the Seventh Reinforced Division, leveraging its overwhelming firepower, suffered almost no loss of combat strength.

Among the twenty-five thousand captured bandits, Jiang Bai ordered a selection process to weed out those with serious crimes or unclear backgrounds, reorganizing the remainder into supplementary regiments for the division.

After selection, three logistics regiments, totaling over ten thousand men, were formed. Though named as “supplementary,” these units were in all respects—equipment and training—identical to regular troops.

This move was intended to further expand Jiang Bai’s forces. With the addition of these regiments, the Seventh Reinforced Division now boasted over fifty thousand men.

Jiang Bai’s strategy, however, made Wang Xiao uneasy. Such unilateral expansion could easily arouse suspicion among the Chengyun clique's leadership—unauthorized recruitment was a grave offense in those times.

But Jiang Bai had his reasons. He had already reported to Wang Lin, and the lack of response he took as tacit approval.

He was so determined to expand because he sensed a pressing crisis. He felt that soon, the Seventh Reinforced Division would be plunged into even fiercer battles.

Therefore, he believed that strengthening his forces now was essential to avoid chaos in future conflicts.

“Commander Jiang, we’ve successfully recruited three logistics regiments. We can train them on the march back to Chengyun. But this means the division’s strength now approaches fifty thousand—more than all the other forces combined,” Wang Xiao said, a note of concern on his face.

The division’s rapid enlargement was certainly cause for celebration—greater strength meant greater fighting power.

But Wang Xiao couldn’t help but worry that such actions would provoke resentment and suspicion.

Already, there were voices expressing dissatisfaction at the Seventh Reinforced Division’s size, though Wang Lin had managed to silence them for now. The generals of the Chengyun Army were well aware of Wang Lin’s favoritism toward Jiang Bai, and since Jiang Bai had achieved real results, they could only endure it.

“I understand your concerns, but even so, the creation of these three logistics regiments is necessary. We must accelerate their training and ensure they reach basic combat readiness within two months,” Jiang Bai instructed firmly.

“Commander, from what you’re saying, it sounds like something major is about to happen.”

“You’re not wrong,” Jiang Bai nodded approvingly. “I have a feeling something is about to erupt on the Great Plains.”