Chapter Thirty-Five: Training the New Army

Prompted by Qiuniang's reminder, Li Wenyuan suddenly recalled that he had been holding onto Yuantai Zuo's treasured daughter; with one event after another, he had utterly forgotten her. Hastily, he sought out Xue Ju to inquire about Yuangai Suzhen's whereabouts.

When Xue Ju took over the prisoners of war from Li Wenyuan, he immediately noticed that this woman was extraordinary. After asking around, he learned she was Yuantai Zuo's daughter and found a safe place near his own encampment to guard Yuangai Suzhen carefully.

Li Wenyuan arrived outside Yuangai Suzhen's tent, knocked, and called inside, "It's me, Li Wenyuan. Are you able to speak now?"

After he spoke, footsteps sounded from within, then the curtain was lifted and a voice replied, "Come in and speak."

Upon entering, Li Wenyuan finally saw Yuangai Suzhen clearly. She had grown noticeably thinner, her eyes swollen and red, as if she had just wept. Li Wenyuan sighed inwardly—how helpless the children of noble families were, forever at the mercy of others.

"Are you adjusting well here?" Li Wenyuan broke the silence.

"Thank you for your concern, General," Yuangai Suzhen replied. "General Xue has taken good care of me here; I am well accustomed to everything."

"I had to arrange the army's withdrawal from Liaodong, then was summoned to serve the king, and could not spare the time; that's why, regrettably, you have been detained until now." Li Wenyuan smiled awkwardly. "If you wish to return to Goguryeo, I will arrange for someone to escort you home."

At the mention of Goguryeo, Yuangai Suzhen's eyes reddened again and she turned away. Li Wenyuan sensed there was something more but could not quite grasp it, so he asked, "Or do you not wish to return to Goguryeo?"

Yuangai Suzhen answered, "My father has always wanted me to marry Gao Cheng, to strengthen the ties between our family and the royal house and rule Goguryeo together. But my elder brother wishes to kill Gao Cheng, make him a puppet, and seize power alone."

Li Wenyuan nodded, urging her to continue.

"My brother has never pledged allegiance to the Great Sui," Yuangai Suzhen went on. "If he takes control, I fear the wrath of Heaven will unsettle the land and plunge us into war. How many more lives will be lost on the battlefield for Goguryeo? I have tried to persuade him many times, but it was all in vain. Were it not for my reluctance to leave my father, I would have already left Goguryeo to live as a common woman in the Great Sui."

There was something Yuangai Suzhen left unsaid: at the banks of the Liao River, her brother's arrow was what finally resolved her to leave Goguryeo.

Li Wenyuan pondered, "Ordinary folk must toil all their lives merely to fill their bellies; that is not your path. Now, I offer you a clear road—would you be willing to go with me to the Western Regions and serve at my side?"

Yuangai Suzhen asked, "Would you dare to employ me, General? I am, after all, the daughter of an enemy commander."

Li Wenyuan smiled, "It makes no difference. The Great Sui and Goguryeo are at peace now, are they not?"

Touched by Li Wenyuan's trust, Yuangai Suzhen rose and performed the grand ritual of the Buyeo people, saying, "General has treated me with sincerity; I must return it in kind. Here and now, I swear before Heaven: from this day forth, I renounce the Yuan surname and follow you, General, until death, and I ask you to bestow a name upon me."

Li Wenyuan was taken aback, needing a moment to gather his thoughts. He took Yuangai Suzhen's hand and said, "A surname is granted by Heaven, a given name by one's parents. From today, you shall continue to be called Gai Suzhen."

Li Wenyuan then instructed Gai Suzhen to seek out Qiuniang, while he departed with Zhang Juntai, who had been waiting at the door, to the military camp.

On the way, Zhang Juntai said, "General, you kept me waiting for quite some time."

Li Wenyuan chuckled, "Juntai, we've discussed this before, but I'll ask you one last time: should Sui lose its domain, and I seek to claim the Central Plains, would you be willing to join me?"

Zhang Juntai laughed, "General, you've already uncovered my origins. As a criminal, I was captured on the road to the Turks, conscripted, and trained in the camp. Through some effort, I rose to the rank of captain. Later, I nearly lost my life in Liaodong, but you saved me, General, and erased my slave record, restoring my freedom. Anyone with a conscience would not repay virtue with resentment, and besides, the chance for dragon-worthy achievement lies before me!"

Li Wenyuan laughed heartily, "Dragon-worthy? Juntai, your ambitions are a little narrow. What I have prepared for you is far greater than you imagine."

The two conversed happily and soon arrived outside the camp, where three thousand soldiers stood in disciplined formation on the drill grounds.

Accompanied by Zhang Juntai, Li Wenyuan ascended the platform overlooking the training field, surveying the soldiers, and turned to Zhang Juntai, "Let us begin. Announce the new organization and have the soldiers form up accordingly."

Zhang Juntai accepted the order, dismounted, and rode along the ranks, calling, "Spread out, each unit ten paces apart."

The soldiers obeyed, scattering as directed, and Li Wenyuan marveled inwardly—Zhang Juntai truly had a talent for training troops. This journey to Liaodong had not been in vain; he had indeed found a treasure.

Zhang Juntai directed the soldiers to stand in squads, then rode to the front and explained to them the organizational structure he and Li Wenyuan had devised.

"All soldiers: ten men form a squad, ten squads a battalion, five battalions a regiment, two regiments a brigade, three brigades a division, each level led by its own commander."

This new organizational system was Zhang Juntai's idea. The frontier was not like the interior; the fubing system did not apply, and instead, the frontier commanders established their own ranks, though these posts were unpaid by the court.

Li Wenyuan had long envied the Western Regions, but was alone and lacked the time to train loyal troops. Fortunately, he had Zhang Juntai, who was worth thousands. After confiding his difficulties to Zhang Juntai, the latter smiled and advised, "Reorganize the army, pay on time, train strictly, but treat the soldiers with leniency."

Thus, Li Wenyuan drew upon the organizational structures of later dynasties, adapting them to current circumstances, and with Zhang Juntai devised this system—rapid promotion of officers, abolition of nepotism, rewards based solely on military merit to attract lower-level officers and stabilize the army quickly, giving the soldiers hope of advancement and wealth, gradually drawing them to his side.

Before leaving for Liaodong, Li Wenyuan had gathered a group of death warriors—all serious criminals exiled by the court, almost all Xianbei. This was Yang Guang's slower strategy for purging sinicized barbarians. Each year, as he passed through Jincheng, Li Wenyuan selected the most capable exiles according to Xianbei customs, adopting them as his own sons. Originally, he found the idea amusing, unsure how his death warriors would compare to the Yu Wen clan's retainers.

Years of accumulation had finally yielded over a hundred death warriors, now at last ready to be put to use.