Franklin Reed sent people over in order to sow discord among the Red Turbans of Haozhou, undermine morale, and seize the initiative. Even if James Harris and the others wouldn’t surrender, if they were forced to deal with attacks from all sides, they would lose face, and rumors would spread throughout the city, shaking the army’s resolve.

Who says war must always be fought with weapons? Envoys going back and forth, verbal sparring—these are also forms of battle.

John Washington won a great opening victory for Haozhou.

Not only was James Harris pleased with his son-in-law, but even the others looked at him with admiration, especially George Perry, who was both surprised and appreciative.

Good lad, you’ve got guts!

Don’t mind that we lost in Xuzhou—this time in Haozhou, we’ll fight with everything we’ve got to win!

Even James Harris began to see his godson-in-law in a new light, and specially allowed John Washington to participate in council meetings. In other words, a mere squad leader could now voice his opinions before the great commanders—something even James Harris’s own son, Michael Harris, had never been granted.

At last, Young Master Washington was making a name for himself in the army and becoming a figure of note!

……

“Teacher, it’s all thanks to your guidance. I really owe you.” That night, John Washington returned, bringing two bolts of silk and a small pouch of gold beans.

Although the Yuan dynasty mainly used paper currency, wealthy families still had plenty of gold and silver jewelry. Besides, George Perry was a major Red Turban commander, so it was only natural for him to have some gold and silver. If he’d given John Washington a sack of paper money, now that would have been a joke!

John Washington placed everything in front of William Bolton, and said earnestly, “These are from George Perry. Consider it a token—please accept them, teacher!”

William Bolton looked at the gifts, feeling tempted. After all, who could stay calm at the sight of a bag full of gleaming gold? But William Bolton had lofty ambitions; as a future confidant of the emperor, how could he let a little gold cloud his judgment?

“A benefactor’s reward is, of course, a joy to receive. But to accomplish great things, rewards and punishments must be clear. Stinginess with money is bad, but so is giving out rewards too freely. This time, you’ve given too much, which could make people arrogant and overestimate their own importance—thinking that nothing can be done without them. If this continues, they’ll lose all sense of proportion and act recklessly, which is a sure path to ruin.”

John Washington listened in silence, seeming moved, but in the end he just shook his head and laughed.

“Teacher, are you teaching me how to be a great commander?”

William Bolton rolled his eyes—your vision is too small!

I’m teaching you how to be an emperor!

John Washington sighed, grabbed a dozen heavy gold beans, stuffed them directly into William Bolton’s hand, and before he could protest, asked, “Teacher, how do you think we should defend Haozhou next?”

William Bolton was momentarily taken aback, pondering as he slipped the gold beans into his sleeve.

“Benefactor, the Art of War says: ‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.’ What do you think of this Franklin Reed?”

John Washington paused, then said, “I can’t quite figure it out. By rights, the people hate river works and currency exchanges, and Franklin Reed is the one in charge of the river works—we ought to hate him, want to eat his flesh. But then I think, if the Yellow River bursts its banks and no one repairs it, isn’t that an even greater crime? I’ve heard people say Franklin Reed actually understands river engineering, and is an honest official. There are many things that aren’t up to him alone.”

William Bolton nodded repeatedly. “Benefactor, the Yuan court is rotten from top to bottom. At times like this, right or wrong doesn’t matter—whatever is done, good turns to bad, and bad becomes worse! That’s how dynasties end.”

John Washington frowned deeply, and after a while said slowly, “So, teacher, you’re saying Franklin Reed is a good official?”

“But he works for the Yuan court, serving as their lackey. The more capable he is, the more dangerous he becomes!” William Bolton said gravely. “I’ve heard that for the river works, tens of thousands of laborers were conscripted from over a dozen prefectures along the Yellow River… Franklin Reed may not be a great general, but when it comes to mobilizing troops, organizing logistics, and besieging cities, he’s absolutely skilled—very skilled!”

John Washington thought carefully, then nodded at once. “Exactly, teacher, you’re right—this Franklin Reed is a formidable enemy. Teacher, the commander has allowed me to attend the council. What do you think I should do?”

William Bolton said, “Benefactor, now that we’ve discussed the enemy, let’s talk about ourselves. I’ve thought about some historical battles, and actually, the defenders have the advantage.”

“Tell me more.” John Washington leaned forward, drawing closer to William Bolton, eager for advice.

“Let’s not go too far back. During the Three Kingdoms, Sun Quan of Eastern Wu besieged Hefei several times with a hundred thousand troops, but couldn’t take a city defended by just a few thousand. Then there’s Zhang Xun during the An Lushan Rebellion, who held Suiyang for ten months, prolonging the Tang dynasty by 150 years. Even in the Jingkang era, Wang Bing of Taiyuan held off the Jin army’s western forces for over 250 days. In all these cases, a few thousand held out against tens of thousands, even over a hundred thousand. As long as you deploy your forces wisely and use the right people, defending a city isn’t hard!”

John Washington immediately pressed, “How should I deploy them? And how should I use my people?”