“Exactly.” His eldest son’s words showed that he had formed a clear assessment of the situation within Yuan, of He Chunhua’s own predicament, and even of the rebels in Longchuan. He’s grown this much in a single year?

“If we can succeed in a single decisive strike and wipe out the main rebel force, whatever remnants remain in Longchuan won’t be worth worrying about. Father can station troops in the villages and stockades, then clear out the smaller enemy bands region by region. Afterward, you simply advance steadily like that until every last rebel either surrenders or is eliminated.” Inwardly, however, He Lingchuan thought that if the water bandits of more than a century ago had dared leave their lair and march north as today’s rebels had, Yuheng City would have wiped them out in one sweep. Why would they ever have needed to go to such trouble?

He Chunhua grunted in acknowledgment. “Your thinking is similar to Wu Shaoyi’s.”

Wu Shaoyi had once been...