In this world, whether it was the common people or the nobles, they only cared about their own benefits. The common people cared about the benefits of food and land, while the nobles cared about the benefits of status and power. Instead of forcing the common people to join the army, it was better to use benefits to entice the common people! The common people were not saints. They only cared about their own interests. They came to this place, to this desolate Yangzhou, not because they coveted Liu Mang's few mu of farmland and the 30% tax. They refused to join the army because of their own interests. Why should they pay with their lives for something that they can obtain? That is a conflict of interest.
There were only two ways to make a person loyal to the country. The first was to teach and use various songs or books to establish a value system in their hearts. The country or Yangzhou would become a sacred place in their hearts. However, the common people were ordinary poor people. How could they afford to go to school? Even if they started studying now, it would be too late.
Therefore, there was only Jia Xu's second method, which was to entice the common people with benefits. As long as there were enough benefits, there would naturally be people willing to serve.
"Benefits?" Liu Mang looked at Jia Xu. Jia Xu, this old fox, had a good idea. However, what benefits could Liu Mang give to the common people? Money? There was a lot of money in Shouchun. However, Liu Mang did not believe in relying on money alone. Such a troop was no different from a motley crew. Moreover, the common people would be more afraid of death if they had more money. Why would they train soldiers?
Forage? Liu Mang's Shouchun had a shortage of food. How could he reward the common people with extra food? Then, what other benefits could Liu Mang give to the common people? Land? Although Liu Mang had a lot of land in his hands, he could not spread it out. He still needed the land for his own use! Moreover, giving the common people too much land would only be a disaster and not a blessing for them.
"Milord, benefits do not necessarily have to be money or food. Milord can give a lot! For example, officials! "Jia Xu's words reminded Liu Mang.
Liu Mang's eyes lit up. That's right, there was still something called the Shaman Ape! Under Liu Mang's rule, Yangzhou has more than a million commoners. This is equivalent to a county in Liu Mang's previous life. Liu Mang has already arranged a lot of officials but among them, there are not many petty officials. According to the establishment, it would require at least ten thousand people. If one person managed a hundred people, it would be equivalent to a small village chief.
In Yangzhou, there were high level officials like the Prefect, but there were very few low level officials. Whether it was criminal or judicial, the public security was not on the right track. Once there was a murder case or a fight, it would be done in the Prefect's office. These Prefects were already very busy, but they still had to deal with these things.
"So Mr. Wen He already had a card up his sleeve. No wonder he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep!" Liu Mang got Jia Xu's suggestion and did not forget to trick him. Sure enough, when Liu Mang said this, the other scholars and generals looked at Jia Xu with a strange expression. This was because they had thought for a long time but could not think of anything. Could it be that Jia Xu was smarter than them? The most important thing was that even though Jia Xu had thought of it, he still pretended to be an expert to trick them. Did he think that they were all fools?
"I am only relying on Milord's good fortune to think of it!" Jia Xu could only accept this result with a bitter smile. He originally wanted to keep a low profile because he did not want to offend his colleagues. However, now that Liu Mang said this, it was difficult for him to keep a low profile, let alone keep a low profile. Moreover, he had really offended a lot of people. Except for Ge Jun and Zhang Hu, the two veterans of the Xiliang Army, the others looked at Jia Xu with unkind eyes.
"Huang Zhong, listen to my order!" Liu Mang looked at the generals below and suddenly ordered.
"Huh?" Huang Zhong was stunned. He had been protecting Liu Mang and considered himself as Liu Mang's personal guard. Therefore, he stood beside Liu Mang and did not say a word. Who knew that Liu Mang would shout for him this time, which made him stunned. However, he immediately knelt down in front of Liu Mang. "This general is here!"
"Huang Zhong, I appoint you as the General of the Garrison Army. This time, the task of selecting 300,000 strong soldiers will be handed over to you!" Liu Mang said to Huang Zhong who was kneeling on the ground.
"Milord, I, I …" Huang Zhong wanted to tell Liu Mang that he wanted to stay by Liu Mang's side as a personal guard.
However, he was stopped by Liu Mang. Huang Zhong being a personal guard was too unworthy of his talent. Liu Mang thought for a long time before he decided to make this decision. Huang Zhong's martial arts was only comparable to Lü Bu in the entire Lvbu's Army. In terms of talent, he could be considered as a commander and was not inferior to Zhang Liao.
If Liu Mang kept Huang Zhong by his side as a personal guard because of Huang Zhong's gratitude, it would be a huge waste.
"Huang Zhong, Huang Zhong, don't think that I have deliberately left this position for you. It's just that they are too busy!" Liu Mang pointed at the generals below and said. Zhao Yun needed to rebuild the White Horse Army. Zhang Liao needed to reorganize the Xiliang Cavalry. Chengyu and Huang Xu's City Guard also had a tacit understanding. Huang Xu and Liu Mang could not let him lead the army alone. There was also Wang Wei. Liu Mang also knew that Wang Wei was talented. However, he could not find anyone who could replace Wang Wei as the Deputy General of the Black Flag Army. So after thinking about it, he needed Huang Zhong to come out.
These were 300,000 strong soldiers. Even if they were just a motley crew, even if they were just reserve soldiers, it was still 300,000. It was not 3,000, nor was it 30,000. If things went wrong, it would be a big problem. Among the people present, there was no one who had really organized a large army! And the only ones who had this ability were Huang Zhong and Zhang Liao. So Liu Mang naturally had to give this position to Huang Zhong.
"Yes, sir!" Huang Zhong saw that Liu Mang could not refuse, so he could only cup his fist and say. He also knew that this was an opportunity given by Liu Mang. It was good to follow Liu Mang. After all, he could get close to Liu Mang! However, don't forget how old Huang Zhong was and how old Liu Mang was. Once Huang Zhong was old and could not pick up a sword, then this favor would be lesser.
Liu Mang's territory would get bigger and bigger, and there would be more and more things to do. How could he always remember Huang Zhong's Huang Family? Even if he had a son in the City Guard, Huang Zhong was still in his prime. Although he was not at his peak, he still wanted to go to the battlefield and make a name for himself. This was the dream of these generals. Who didn't want to be Huo Qubing or Wei Qing? The Huang Family had two generals, and even two marquises in the future. Then, the Huang Family would truly go from an ordinary martial family to a noble family.
"Old General, don't be in a hurry to thank me. Your mission is very important, and you can only succeed. If you fail, then I will hold you, Huang Zhong, accountable!" Liu Mang said bluntly. The reserve force was related to the development of Yangzhou. Liu Mang had little land and sparse people. In order to have a greater war potential, other than conquering land, he also prepared for the whole population to be soldiers. Just like Korea in his previous life, all the healthy people of the right age had to obey the military. If there was a war, they would be the frontline troops. If there was no war, they would be the reserve force and ordinary people. There were also some important projects in Shouchun, such as the dams. Liu Mang was also preparing to build them. With him, Shouchun would be able to expand by several times. Liu Mang had to build these projects. Previously, he was afraid that Liu Bei would break the dams and flood Shouchun. Now that Liu Bei had been chased away, Liu Mang would not let Liu Bei have another opportunity to invade Yangzhou. It should be said that Liu Mang did not allow any war to happen in Yangzhou. Therefore, the reserve force of 300,000 soldiers was very important.
"Huang Zhong is willing to make a military pledge! If it is not successful, I am willing to take my head! " Huang Zhong was full of confidence.
"Old General, it is good that you are confident, but there is no need for a military pledge. I believe in you!" Huang Zhong was confident, but Liu Mang was not. At least, he did not have full confidence. He could only hope that the reserve force could be trained a little. The main thing was to use them as relief.
"Milord, if Zhong is gone, who will be responsible for your safety?" Huang Zhong was still worried. Although he was going to be the general of 300,000 soldiers, he was thinking about who would protect Liu Mang if he was gone.
"Old General, you don't have to worry about this!" Liu Mang smiled. "Come, let Hero Zhou and Hero Guan come up!"
"Huh?!" Huang Zhong frowned. He didn't know who this Warrior Zhou or Warrior Guan was! While Huang Zhong was frowning, two strong men came in from outside the hall. Both of them used sabers. The one on the left was slightly bigger and looked like he was in his prime. He was very burly and had a scar that almost covered his entire face. Half of his nose and mouth were gone. He looked very scary. The one on the right was slightly younger and was about 30 years old. He did not look as scary as the previous one, but he looked silly. They cupped their fists at Liu Mang and said, "Your Highness, King Of Shu!"
"Come, come, come. Old General, let me introduce you. The warrior standing on the left is Guan Hai, Warrior Guan! Liu Mang pointed at the strong man whose face was almost disfigured and said to Huang Zhong.
"Guan Hai?" The generals in Liu Mang's Army were all very tall. Few people knew who they were. However, one person shouted out Guan Hai's name in surprise. This time, it was Zhao Yun, who was known for his calmness.
How could Zhao Yun not be surprised? It was not that he had not met Guan Hai before. A few years ago, when Kong Rong and Kong Wenju were still in charge of Qing Province, Guan Hai had appeared. At that time, Guan Hai was the head of the Yellow Turban Army, the head of the Yellow Turban Army. That's right, the Qing Province soldiers who were the main force of Cao Cao's army and the Qing Province Army under Guan Yu's command were once Guan Hai's troops.
"Guan Hai of Qingzhou?" Zhao Yun was a little uncertain. However, as soon as Zhao Yun said this, Guan Hai's killing intent froze. Zhao Yun was stunned for a moment. Guan Hai's martial arts were also very strong. When Kong Rong was stationed in Changdou, Guan Hai led the army to besiege Kong Rong. He had once killed Kong Rong's general Zong Bao. It could be seen that Guan Hai's martial arts were not bad. However, Zhao Yun still did not think highly of him. Zong Bao was just a second-rate general. What made Zhao Yun stunned was that Guan Hai should be a dead man.
When Kong Rong and Kong Wenju were besieged in the North Sea, they sent Taishi Ci to look for reinforcements. Who did Taishi Ci look for? It was Liu Bei, the Minister of Plains. At that time, Zhao Yun was assigned by his old lord, Gongsun Zan, to be by Liu Bei's side. Although Zhao Yun did not directly participate in the battle, he knew the outcome of the battle.
Guan Hai was directly killed by Liu Bei's second brother, Guan Yu, in the North Sea. Because of Guan Hai's death, the entire Qingzhou Army was in chaos. In the end, the siege of the North Sea was lifted. But Guan Hai was dead! How could he appear again?
"That's me!" Guan Hai's tone was very low, as if he did not want to recall that time. There was a painful expression on his face, but he immediately recovered. Especially when Zhao Yun mentioned Guan Yu's name, Guan Hai's killing intent was awe-inspiring.
"I didn't die in Guan Yu's hands, but Guan Yu will die soon!" Guan Hai said as he licked his lips. His hand involuntarily touched the war blade at his waist.
That's right, this person was the former commander of the Qingzhou Army, Guan Hai. When Guan Hai attacked the North Sea, he had millions of Yellow Turban soldiers. Even if they were a disorderly mob, there were still tens of thousands of elite soldiers. Liu Bei only had 3,000 elite soldiers. No matter how strong Liu Bei was, he would not be able to break through the siege of the North Sea. He might even lose his life. However, Guan Hai made a very serious mistake. He was provoked by Guan Yu. Guan Yu was naturally very arrogant. He came to the front of the Qingzhou Army's formation alone and said that he would kill Guan Hai in three rounds.
When Guan Hai heard Guan Hai's words, Guan Hai immediately jumped out. Guan Hai's martial arts were not weak. It could even be said that he was very strong in the Yellow Turban Army. Otherwise, he would not have been eliminated by the imperial court. After four rounds and five rounds, Guan Yu was still unable to defeat Guan Hai. Even if he could defeat Guan Hai, he would have to be stronger than Bai He. It was just like how Lü Bu defeated Zhang Fei. If Guan Hai was killed outside of Bai He, then Guan Yu would have failed. At the very least, he would be too ashamed to face others.
Therefore, Guan Yu revealed a flaw and was caught by Guan Hai. Guan Hai ignored everything and chased after him. In the end, there was only one outcome. He was chopped off his warhorse by Guan Yu. Even Huang Zhong could not handle Guan Hai's dragging technique, let alone Guan Hai. Guan Hai fell to the ground and blood splattered everywhere. Once Guan Hai fell, the Yellow Turban Army was leaderless. Liu Bei led the army to disperse and the siege of the North Sea was broken. No one cared about Guan Hai who was chopped off the ground. Guan Yu was busy fighting with his elder brother.
Guan Hai was chopped to the ground but he did not die. Moreover, the pile of corpses allowed him to escape death. When Guan Hai woke up, the Qingzhou Army had already been defeated. Guan Hai could only kill the soldiers who cleaned up the area and leave the North Sea with wounds all over his body.
Guan Hai had been hiding for many years. He practiced martial arts deep in the mountains and in the dense forest. He did not gather his troops and it was impossible to do so. Guan Hai's old brothers were either dead or injured. All of this was caused by Guan Yu's saber. Therefore, Guan Hai's goal was to find Guan Yu and take revenge.
The time for Guan Hai to finally break through was now. This was the time when Liu Bei and Liu Mang were fighting. Guan Hai did not make it to the battle, but he came to the recruitment hall in Shouchun. After all, he was a commander and naturally knew that he could not take revenge alone. Only by joining a big force could he have a chance to take revenge on Liu Bei's Army. Only the Lvbu's Army and Cao Cao's Army had a grudge against Cao Cao's Army. Cao Cao's attention was now all on Hebei. He did not have the time to care about Liu Bei. Even if he did, how could he, a remnant of the Yellow Turban, be placed in an important position by Cao Cao?
However, Liu Mang's Army was different. Although Liu Mang's Army and Liu Bei's Army had just fought, sooner or later, they would fight again for the Central Plains. Now, both sides were just licking their wounds. Moreover, Liu Mang's recruitment hall was really selective. He did not care about your origin. So what if you were a remnant of the Yellow Turban? Liu Mang was not from this world.
Fortunately, Guan Hai said his real name when he joined the recruitment hall. Liu Mang also happened to know Guan Hai. After seeing Guan Hai's martial arts, Liu Mang did not need to think anymore. Naturally, he accepted Guan Hai as his subordinate.
"As for the one on the right, he is Zhou Cang!" Liu Mang pointed to another strong man on the side and shouted.
As for Zhou Cang on the side, not many people knew him. However, Liu Mang knew him. Zhou Cang, courtesy name Yuanfu, was a character in the historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Liu Mang originally thought that there was no such person in this world. However, when such a living person appeared in front of him, Liu Mang could not help but believe it. Fortunately, Liu Mang also encountered some things that were not recorded in history.
The reason why Zhou Cang came to Shouchun was because of Guan Yu. Zhou Cang was originally a general under the Yellow Turban Thief General Zhang Bao. After Zhang Bao died, Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao, who were also part of the Yellow Turban Army, led their troops to the forest. Zhou Cang was different from others in that he worshipped Guan Yu. It was reasonable to say that Guan Yu, the executioner of the Yellow Turban Army, should be someone that Zhou Cang hated. However, Zhou Cang did the opposite and instead worshipped Guan Yu more and more. During the meeting of the Eighteen Warlords at Hulao, Guan Yu killed Hua Xiong with warm wine, Guan Yu and his two brothers ganged up on Lü Bu, Zhou Cang worshipped Guan Yu to a certain extent.
However, Liu Mang's actions in Yingshui caused Guan Yu's image to change in Zhou Cang's heart. Liu Mang's words of thanks to General Guan for gifting him the arrows made Guan Yu's scandal become famous all over the world. Also, Jingzhou's famous braised turkey also had Guan Yu as its idol.
Zhou Cang saw that his idol was disgraced by another person and was almost sent back to his hometown. After that, Liu Mang invaded Yuzhou and made his idol, Guan Yu, guard Ruyin, not daring to go out and let Liu Mang attack him. This destroyed Zhou Cang's image of his idol. Zhou Cang couldn't help but feel sad. In his sadness, he wanted to see who made his idol so embarrassed. Therefore, he came to Shouchun and entered the recruitment hall. Originally, he just wanted to see Liu Mang and then find his idol, Guan Yu. However, once Liu Mang knew that he was Zhou Cang, he wouldn't let him go.
Liu Mang wasn't good at other things, but he was good at deceiving people. After a few words of coaxing, Zhou Cang stayed.
Guan Hai and Zhou Cang's martial arts couldn't be ranked as peerless generals, but they were definitely not bad. Guan Hai was able to fight with Guan Yu for ten rounds without being at a disadvantage. However, he was defeated by Guan Yu's swordsmanship, which was enough to show his ability. Guan Hai was now much stronger than before, but what about Zhou Cang? Liu Mang had also seen Zhou Cang use a sword. Even if he wasn't first-class, he was at the peak of second-class. With the protection of these two people, Liu Mang's safety wouldn't be a problem.
The surrounding generals couldn't help but nod their heads. They were all comparing themselves to the two strong men in the field.
Only one person showed disdain. Not only did he not hide it, but he also directly said, "Great Han bandits, remnants of the Yellow Turban, our Lord is merciful and favored you. It's fine if you don't want to repay the kindness, but you still dare to bring a sword to the main hall. Do you really think that Shouchun is yours?"
"Old General?" Liu Mang was stunned for a moment. The one who spoke was Huang Zhong, who was standing beside Liu Mang. One must know that Huang Zhong could be considered the oldest among the generals here. His son, Huang Xu, was already a general. Therefore, Huang Zhong treated Zhao Yun, Xu Sheng and the others like an elder and was very kind to them. He had never spoken to them like this before.
Although the two people in the hall were not bad and were remnants of the Yellow Turban, one must not forget that Liu Mang was a person who valued talent. He didn't care about one's birth. If he cared about birth, how could people like Xu Sheng and Gan Ning be in Liu Mang's army?
Liu Mang wanted to stop them, but when he saw Xu Shu, Jia Xu, Liu Ye and Liu Mang standing there calmly, he immediately calmed down. These three extremely intelligent old and young foxes hadn't made a move yet. If he, as the Lord, made a move first, wouldn't that be a joke?
"Take the sword and kneel on the ground. Then, I will spare your lives. Otherwise, I will send you to see your Heavenly Duke!" Huang Zhong sneered at the two people.
"You!" Huang Zhong's words immediately caused the entire hall to turn cold. Originally, Liu Mang wanted to introduce two new comrades to everyone. Now, Huang Zhong wanted to turn it into an all-out brawl.
Guan Hai and Zhou Cang stared at Huang Zhong. Zhou Cang was the first to speak. He was a blockhead and had a stubborn temper. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a Yellow Turban. "Why should we throw away our weapons? It was Brother Liu who asked us to bring them to the hall! Who are you?! "Brother Liu? Everyone present was stunned for a moment and then shook their heads and smiled bitterly. Liu Mang was indeed worthy of being called Blockhead. As long as one had a heart, they would call him Milord. Even if they were not part of Liu Mang's army, they would still call him His Highness Prince of Shu and not Brother Liu. To call a warlord brother, other than a warlord, no one would dare to do so. Moreover, Liu Mang was a noble.
Guan Hai also opened his mouth and stared at Huang Zhong. Zhou Cang couldn't sense it because he was a thick-skinned person. He subconsciously thought that Huang Zhong was an old man because Huang Zhong's hair and beard had turned white due to Huang Xu's problems. He didn't treat Huang Zhong as a general. However, Zhou Cang could feel the terror of this old general. It felt like he was being stared at by a tiger in the forest. Once he moved, he would suffer the fiercest attack of the tiger. If possible, Guan Hai wouldn't want to face this person even if he met ten tigers. But now, he didn't have a choice. He stared at Huang Zhong coldly and replied word by word, "You can die, but you can't give up your sword!"
"You are courting death! In that case, I, Huang Zhong, Huang Hansheng, will fulfill your wish! "Huang Zhong's golden-backed machete suddenly unsheathed. A murderous aura surged! It rushed towards the two of them!
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