After His Excellency Pilo gave the order, he looked at his confidant Duan Jianming and said softly: "The Cuandi people are strong. If we don't teach them a lesson, they won't be obedient. How are our preparations?"
"My Lord, twenty thousand elite soldiers have been gathered at the eastern border. The following ten thousand soldiers can be reinforced at any time. It's more than enough to deal with the motley crowd in Cuandi."
Duan Jianming said confidently.
"Good. Order the elite soldiers in the eastern border. There's no need to hide. Immediately march to Cuandi. Deter the Cuandi people and cheer for your brother, Duan Jianwei."
Pilo Ge gave the order.
"Yes, my Lord. I'll make the arrangements."
Duan Jianming accepted the order and immediately went to prepare.
Pilo Ge looked at the map in front of him. He placed his big hands in the direction of Cuandi. There was a greedy look in his eyes. It was as if he could already see Cuandi in his hands.
###
In the direction of Luzhou City. After more than two months of difficult trekking, Ang Lee and the others finally arrived at their destination. When they saw the city gate, everyone was very excited.
"Big Brother, we've finally arrived at Luzhou City. We've finally made it."
"That's right, Big Brother. The sick soldiers can finally have a good rest."
"I heard that the wine in Luzhou is good. We must drink a few mouthfuls. This trip can't be in vain."
All the brothers were excited.
Ang Lee looked at the surrounding environment. He discovered that there were mountains all around. The entire Luzhou was a mountainous area. If it wasn't close to the river, the transportation in Luzhou would have been a problem.
"Pass down the order. The main force is to camp outside the city. The heavy military is to cook immediately. Follow my orders. "
Ang Lee gave the order. He took a small number of soldiers and horses and rushed to Luzhou City.
Luzhou City was not particularly large. It was only about five kilometers in radius. Knowing that Ang Lee was coming, the provincial governor personally led a group of officials to the city gate to welcome him. The ceremony was quite grand.
However, Ang Lee did not have much interest in these ceremonies. After exchanging some pleasantries with the provincial governor and the others, he went to the posthouse to stay. Of course, since the provincial governor was so enthusiastic, Ang Lee could not be too aloof. He still had to attend the welcome banquet. After all, recruiting and training soldiers could not be done without the help of these local officials. If he offended these local bullies, it would be difficult for him to do anything in Luzhou.
"Big Brother, since we have arrived at Luzhou, the commoners can go back now. When will you let them leave?"
Ang Lee nodded and said, "It's been a long journey and they're really tired. Let them rest for a day. Tomorrow morning, let them have breakfast first, then pay them their wages and let them go."
"Yes, Big Brother."
"Big Brother, the open space outside Luzhou City is big enough for us to train our soldiers. It's also convenient to eat and drink near Luzhou City."
"It's not good to train soldiers outside Luzhou City, is it?"
"It's fine. If we want to recruit soldiers, we have to choose a good training ground first. This is the most important thing."
Ang Lee nodded and took out the topographic map of Luzhou City that he had just obtained. He frowned and pondered.
Luzhou was mainly mountainous. In the entire Luzhou, other than the provincial capital and a few other places that were flat, the rest of the land was mountainous. The continuous mountain range became the unique symbol of Luzhou. This was obviously not conducive to economic development and was not conducive to the imperial court's jurisdiction. Of course, this was all caused by nature. The cost of man-made changes was too great.
"There is a large valley fifteen kilometers southwest of the provincial capital. There are two smaller valleys next to it. As long as we make some preparations, it can be used as a training ground for our army."
Ang Lee locked his gaze on the location fifteen kilometers southwest of Luzhou City and asked for his confidant's opinion. < >
"These three valleys together can accommodate three thousand soldiers and horses. However, this place is in the middle of nowhere. The soldiers have to rely on the provincial capital to transport their food and drink. The conditions are more difficult."
"Big Brother, the conditions in the valleys are simple and crude. Why did you choose to train soldiers in the wilderness?"
Ang Lee smiled and said seriously, "Good soldiers can only be trained in difficult conditions. Also, these valleys are almost isolated from the outside world. If we train here, it won't affect the people of Luzhou City. As for the soldiers' food and drink, it's not very far to transport it from the provincial capital. It's only fifteen kilometers. We can reach it in a day."
"If that's the case, I agree."
"I agree too. Let's train here."
Ang Lee nodded in satisfaction and said seriously, "Training soldiers is secondary. Before that, we have to choose soldiers. Choosing soldiers is a great science. Only by choosing good soldiers can the training be smoother and the war be easier."
"Choosing soldiers, Big Brother means to choose those who are physically strong and eliminate those who are physically weak."
"Choosing the strong and eliminating the weak is a must. However, the quality of the soldiers is more important. The army I want to train is one that can fight. I don't want any city slickers. I want to focus on hardworking and honest farmers and hunters."
Ang Lee gave the basic guidelines for recruiting soldiers.
"Big Brother is right. We can't accept slickers. The existence of a slicker will harm the entire army."
"Okay, when do you plan to start recruiting soldiers? Where do you plan to recruit soldiers?"
Ang Lee pondered for a moment and pointed at all the villages in Luzhou on the map. He said softly, "This time, we are only recruiting three thousand soldiers. However, for the quality of the soldiers, we have to expand the scope as much as possible. We will recruit soldiers from the entire Luzhou City. Tomorrow, we will rest for a day. The morning of the day after tomorrow, our six hundred soldiers will spread out and recruit soldiers according to my requirements strictly. I will write down the specific requirements tomorrow. This time, even if we can't recruit three thousand soldiers, we have to ensure the quality of the soldiers. "Understood."
"Understood."
Everyone accepted the order in unison.
In the evening, Ang Lee led a group of generals to the Provincial Governor's mansion to attend the welcoming banquet.
In order to express their respect for Ang Lee, the Provincial Governor and important officials under his command were all present. The banquet was also very sumptuous, making Ang Lee and the others feel at home.
During the banquet, Ang Lee inquired about the situation in Luzhou City from time to time. He also told the Provincial Governor of Luzhou that he wanted to recruit outstanding soldiers from all over Luzhou City. He also mentioned that he wanted to train soldiers in a valley thirty miles southwest of Luzhou City. He asked the Provincial Governor of Luzhou City to help him.
As Ang Lee had recruited outstanding soldiers and trained soldiers in a desolate valley, it did not infringe on the interests of the Provincial Governor and other officials. Moreover, recruiting soldiers in the valley could reduce the disturbance to the provincial capital and prevent soldiers from disturbing the people. For this reason, the Provincial Governor and other local officials were all very happy. They were willing to serve Ang Lee and help Ang Lee recruit enough outstanding soldiers as soon as possible.
Ang Lee ate this meal very happily. The problems that needed to be solved were all solved, and the local officials were also very happy. At the beginning, they were worried that Ang Lee's arrival would destroy their interests. They did not expect that the recruitment and training conditions that Ang Lee proposed did not infringe on their interests at all.
Recruiting hardworking and simple farmers and hunters did not have much to do with them. Training soldiers in a desolate valley southwest of the provincial capital would not destroy the farms they owned, and the sudden appearance of a large number of soldiers would not threaten the security of the provincial capital.
The most reassuring thing for these local officials was that Ang Lee was very easy-going. He did not have an arrogant attitude just because he was a general sent by the Emperor.
Early the next morning, the soldiers and workers in charge of escorting the supplies left Luzhou City after breakfast and set foot on the road back to the capital. The people of Central Sichuan who were recruited along the way also set foot on the road back home after receiving their wages.
In order to recruit the best soldiers, Ang Lee was busy flipping through various ancient books early in the morning. He recalled the various experiences of the later generations and wrote down the various requirements for recruiting new soldiers.
First of all, those with fair skin and thin bodies could not be recruited. These were the most basic requirements. Training soldiers was for war. Without strong soldiers, they would drag down the entire army.
Secondly, slippery people in the city were absolutely not to be recruited. These people hid at the back when fighting a war, but rushed to the front when fighting for merit. If they made a mistake and were caught by their superiors, they would have enough eloquence to shift the blame to others. It could be said that a rat's droppings would spoil the whole pot of soup. Once these tempters entered the army, not only would they not be able to fight, but they would also have the effect of destroying the army's morale.
Also, vicious villains who did not empathize with the people were not to be recruited. These people were good at fighting, but they were too bandit-like. Once they were in a difficult situation, it was very likely that they would do things that harmed the people. In this way, the reputation of the entire army would be completely ruined. Freezing to death and not tearing down houses, starving to death and not looting, were the most basic qualities of an excellent army.
Of course, in addition to these major aspects, there were also some other trivial details. For example, some people who became familiar with officials could not be recruited because these people did not even have the most basic respect for their superiors. There was no guarantee that they would be able to properly obey their superiors' orders.
In fact, to put it simply, the new soldiers Ang Lee wanted to recruit were those with strong arms, firm muscles, and looked more honest. They were simple people who respected their superiors. Only these kinds of people could satisfy Ang Lee's requirements and complete the task of pacifying Cuandi in the future.
In the evening, Ang Lee gave his conditions to his trusted subordinates and had them make a hundred copies. Half of the copies were given to the soldiers in charge of recruiting, and the other half were given to the local officials in Luzhou City. With these conditions, they could start recruiting as soon as possible.
"Big Brother, aren't your conditions a bit too strict? With this kind of recruitment, can you really recruit three thousand people in the entire Luzhou City?"
Li Kunxiong looked at the recruitment conditions written by Ang Lee and had a trace of doubt in his heart.
"Yes, Big Brother, these conditions are too harsh. I've never seen recruitment with so many conditions. We are selecting soldiers, not generals. There doesn't seem to be a need to be so strict."
Ang Lee smiled gently. "Do you think that there are less than three thousand people in the entire Luzhou City that meet Big Brother's conditions?"
"Big Brother, even if there are so many people, not all of them will be willing to join the army. We still have to exclude those who are not willing to join the army."
"Those who are not willing to join the army?"
Ang Lee grinned. "The salary we offer is much higher than the average army. Moreover, the reward and punishment system is very clear. As long as you perform a meritorious service, you will be rewarded handsomely. Most of the people in Luzhou City are poor farmers. How can they not be tempted? Have you forgotten that a few days ago, we paid the people along the way to help us transport supplies? The price we offered was not high, but the people along the way all signed up to join our team in order to get the money. It's the same for this recruitment."
"Generous rewards will attract brave men. Wu Yang is right. As long as there are enough conditions and hope, the people will still be willing to join the army."
Li Feishouyu felt that Ang Lee's words were reasonable. As long as there were enough benefits, the poor people in Luzhou City would be willing to join the army.
Ang Lee smiled and nodded. He looked at his trusted subordinates and ordered, "Tomorrow morning, leave behind one hundred soldiers and four hundred soldiers to guard the supplies. The remaining five hundred soldiers will be divided into fifty groups. With the help of the local officials in Luzhou City, go to various places to recruit soldiers. Within ten days, bring all the soldiers you have recruited and gather in Luzhou City."
"Yes, we understand."
The trusted subordinates accepted the order together.
Li An looked at Kun Xiong and Fei Yu, and said with a serious face, "Kun Xiong, Fei Yu, tomorrow morning, you two will accompany me to the valley thirty miles to the southwest. As for what the terrain there is like, we can only be sure after seeing it once."
"Yes, Big Brother."
Li Kun Xiong and Li Feiyu said in unison.
After dinner, Ang Lee ordered his trusted subordinates to prepare separately. He also ordered the officials in charge of recruiting soldiers in the city to get ready as soon as possible. After all, they would go to various places to recruit soldiers the next morning. It was necessary to make the necessary preparations in advance.
Before going to bed, Ang Lee was still thinking about the confirmed recruitment conditions in his mind. He was constantly predicting the number of soldiers he could recruit and the unexpected situations they would encounter.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Ang Lee led Kun Xiong, Fei Yu, the local guide, and more than ten guards to the southwest. After the five hundred Dragon Warriors met up with the local officials, they were divided into fifty groups and scattered to various places in Luzhou City to carry out the intense recruitment work.
"General Li, the entrance to Gourd Cave is after going around the mountain in front."
The guide pointed at the mountain in front of them and reported seriously.
"Gourd Cave, a very nice name. It must be because the valley here is shaped like a gourd."
Ang Lee confidently guessed.
"General is wise. That is indeed the case. The valley here is a straight line that stretches for more than ten miles. However, on this straight line, there are three places that are relatively wide. Among them, the area in the middle is the largest. The areas on the sides are slightly smaller. In this way, it looks like two gourds nailed together. The locals call it Gourd Cave."
The guide quickly agreed.
"The valley in the middle of Gourd Cave is not small. Why are there no civilians living here?"
Ang Lee knew that this was an uninhabited area, but he did not have the time to ask for the specific reason. Now that he had arrived at Gourd Cave, he naturally had to ask.
The guide sighed and looked at Ang Lee, "General, you might not know, but there is a group of bandits near Gourd Cave."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
