Chapter 31 Inquiry into the Ma Family
After being promoted to the rank of brigade commander, Lin Changning was granted ten more mu of land. Only she and Shilang remained at home. Shilang was a doctor and could do farm work, but with more land and only the two of them at home, they inevitably worked very hard during the busy farming season.
This is why Lin Changning was promoted to a minor official position, becoming a captain. He received a monthly salary of two shi of rice, which was more than enough for the two of them. Occasionally, Lin Changning could bring back some wild animals and furs to exchange for money, so the family lived a relatively comfortable life.
As for the money saved, Lin Changning has already used the escort agency and caravans to send it back to his mother and widowed sister-in-law over the past two months.
Juro also sent back the consultation fees he received from treating patients, and he was living a pretty good life.
In less than three months, they were eating well, dressing warmly, and had money left over. Both of them had grown a lot taller.
After the recent large-scale drills, Lin Changning had some free time, so he planned to lead his soldiers to do some farm work, which of course wouldn't be for nothing.
Every time these people came to help the two of them, they not only provided them with plenty of food, but also always brought them some pickled eggs, meat and vegetables that they had traded for, and they also gave them money.
However, this group of people lived a much better life than the soldiers at other watchtowers under Lin Changning's command. After each busy period, they would only accept some eggs, meat and vegetables, but would not take a single penny of silver.
These men, working under their leader, were well-fed, warmly dressed, and even the watchtowers they guarded were much safer than other places.
They were just helping their superiors with farm work for a couple of days during the busy farming season. If they were to accept money from them, it would be considered that these people were ungrateful.
Not to mention the other men who would gossip about them behind their backs, their wives at home would never forgive them either.
The men on the frontier are simple-minded and mostly honest and straightforward, though they are also rough men who say what they mean.
But they also know who is doing it for their own good. They may not say anything nice, but they do a lot of work.
Aside from the busy farming season, whenever these soldiers had wives and children around, they would always take advantage of their free time to come to Lin Changning's house to help with small tasks such as sweeping and fetching water.
Lin Changning was a very approachable person, addressing everyone she met as "sister-in-law" or "aunt," which made her quite popular with the women of the border region.
After only three or four months in the area, many people came to their door wanting to arrange marriages for the two of them, but Lin Changning refused because his mother had already arranged a marriage for him.
As the weather grew warmer and there was little entertainment, the house was so hot in the evening that it felt stuffy. After dinner, Lin Changning and Shilang sat in the courtyard to cool off.
As the weather gets warmer, the Tartars don't come as often. Although they still drill every three to five days, it's much more leisurely than in the spring. There's not much farm work to do these days, so Lin Changning takes advantage of his free time to teach some of the neighborhood children to read.
She was sweet-talking and knew how to get things done. Whenever Shilang in the neighborhood had a headache or fever, she would often prescribe medicine for him and take his pulse. She rarely charged for her services, so the two of them gained a lot of goodwill.
"Changping? Are you home? Your aunt brought you some of the newly planted melons."
Upon hearing Liu's shout, Shilang raised an eyebrow and looked at Lin Changning:
"Here comes Aunt Liu."
The person who delivered the melon was none other than Ma Liushi, the mother of the girl who had fallen into the water that day. Ever since Ma's eldest son came that day, his family had been sending things over every few days.
During the busy farming season, the two young men would often come to help. After helping with the harvest, they would return something in return. Over time, the two families became acquainted.
At first, the Ma family kept asking about her marriage. After figuring out what they meant, Lin Changning told her that her mother had already arranged a marriage for her, and she wanted to put an end to the Ma family's idea.
The Ma family didn't say anything, and the two families continued to maintain contact, so it seems they had given up on the idea.
Shilang pushed open the door and welcomed them in. It was Madam Ma and Ma's Third Sister. Compared to a few months ago, the melancholy between Ma's Third Sister's brows had lessened considerably, but there was still a faint trace of sorrow on her face.
"Aunt Liu, Third Sister, the well has some sour plum juice, it's the best for quenching thirst, please try it."
As he spoke, Lin Changning took out two rough porcelain bowls and poured the plum juice that Shilang had cooked into them for the two of them.
Aunt Liu sat down with her daughter. After putting down the fruits, Cong Lin Changning, smiling, took the bowl from her and handed one to her daughter. She then tasted a couple of bites herself before putting the bowl down.
"Oh my, it's sweet and sour, you must have added a lot of maltose."
Lin Changning sat on the stone bench, his posture upright, his eyebrows and eyes gentle. Although he still had some childishness, his outstanding appearance was already beginning to show.
"That's right. Shiro doesn't like sour or astringent tastes, so he added half a bag of maltose, and it tastes very good."
Shiro rolled his eyes: "It's obvious that Sixth Brother doesn't like the taste of licorice, so he made me remove the licorice and turn it into maltose..."
Lin Changning glanced at Shiro with slight embarrassment.
Mrs. Liu laughed and scolded, "You silly child."
Ma Yanyan also covered her mouth and secretly looked at Lin Changning with a smile.
Seeing the atmosphere gradually warming up, Liu began to speak: "It's like this, Changping. Erlang loves military books. His superior recently gave him a question, and none of us—his father, his elder brother, or I—are literate."
The child recently received a book, but he didn't understand a few sentences, so he asked me to find someone to help him understand them.
I was thinking, since you were a scholar before, instead of going to those bookish pedants, why don't I bring Yan Yan here and ask you?
I have a bad memory, but Yan Yan has a good one, so I figured he'd remember what you said. That's why I came here without warning. Please don't be angry, Changping.
Lin Changning nodded: "Of course not, it's just that my studies aren't very good, otherwise I wouldn't have joined the army. I'm grateful for your kind words, Auntie. If you understand her intentions, I will definitely tell you everything."
Ma Yanyan, head bowed, discreetly stepped forward and handed over a piece of paper. On the slightly rough paper, delicate handwriting stood out:
“Those who first occupy the battlefield and await the enemy are at ease, while those who arrive later and rush into battle are weary. Therefore, the skillful strategist brings the enemy to his own ends rather than being brought to his own ends.”
Lin Changning glanced at it, pondered for a moment, and then slowly began to speak:
The literal meaning of this statement is that the side that arrives at the battlefield first and waits for the enemy is at ease and comfortable.
The side that arrives at the battlefield later and rushes into battle is exhausted and weary.
Therefore, those who are good at commanding battles can always maneuver the enemy without being maneuvered by the enemy.
At a deeper level, the question of who has the initiative in war.
Occupying advantageous terrain first means that we can conduct reconnaissance and make arrangements in advance, so that we can wait for the enemy to come after a long journey and we can deal with them easily.
"To control others without being controlled by them" emphasizes taking the initiative in war, not being led by the enemy's actions, but using strategy and planning to make the enemy act according to our expectations.
Let me give you an example. For instance, during the Warring States period, Sun Bin used the strategy of "reducing the number of cooking stoves to lure the enemy." Pang Juan saw that the number of cooking stoves in the Qi army had decreased, and assumed that a large number of Qi soldiers were fleeing, so he rashly pursued them.
As a result, they fell into Sun Bin's ambush. This is a classic example of how Sun Bin manipulated Pang Juan and seized the initiative. That's roughly it. Do you remember it?
The girl lowered her head, her hair fluttering against her cheeks in the breeze. After a moment's thought, she gathered her stray hairs and nodded: "Thank you, Brother Lin. I've remembered it. I will tell my second brother the truth when I get back."
Lin Changning nodded, then casually picked up a bunch of grapes and handed them to Ma Yanyan: "These are grapes I exchanged with the merchant Hu recently. Try them."
As she spoke, she pushed the half-plate of grapes on the table toward Liu: "Auntie, have a taste, they're quite refreshing."
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