Through countless dynasties, I can summon the heroes of Chinese history.

Even if some truly talented individuals are selected, they are mostly minor talents who can only govern a small county and are not capable of undertaking important responsibilities.

Of course, the talents of a county are indispensable to any power, after all, a tall building needs to be built from the ground up.

Without these grassroots talents to solidify the foundation of the enterprise, even the most outstanding talents would find it difficult to support the entire enterprise.

Today, Fan Li, whom Jiang Ce had been longing for, finally arrived in Laiyang County, bringing news of his mother, which made Jiang Ce overjoyed.

The only pity is that Jiang Song and his group have not yet arrived in Laiyang County, perhaps because of the long journey and the fact that they set off a little late.

After welcoming Fan Li into his residence, Jiang Ce's expression remained unchanged. He kept asking about Fan Li's well-being and took the opportunity to inquire about his mother.

Fan Li simply smiled and took the letter out of his pocket.

The letter was simple, expressing both her longing for Jiang Ce and indirectly indicating that her departure was truly unavoidable.

At the same time, he also told Jiang Ce that Fan Li, like Zhao Gao, was his sworn brother and was absolutely trustworthy.

The letter specifically mentioned Fan Li's talent, stating that he was absolutely capable of governing the country and bringing peace to the nation, commanding thousands of troops, and devising strategies—he was proficient in everything.

Especially in terms of strategizing, few could rival him at the time. In short, this person was highly capable and very trustworthy.

It can help you gain a foothold in the court and quickly expand your territory abroad.

After reading the contents of the letter, Jiang Ce continued his acting, and with the blessing of the Sage King's skill, his charm instantly exploded.

Furthermore, Fan Li had no intention of being wary, and Jiang Ce simply pretended not to know. Soon, the two gradually established a relationship through Xia Qingyuan's connections.

Fan Li took this opportunity to introduce Wen Zhong and others to Jiang Ce.

Without saying a word, Jiang Ce immediately arranged positions for these dozen or so people in the county. He also specially sent people on horseback to summon Wei Renpu, Chang Yuchun, Chen Yun, Mu Yu and other close confidants back to his residence, intending to introduce them to each other.

This way, Fan Li and others can quickly integrate into his core team.

Fan Li brought not only the talents he had brought with him, but also local figures that Jiang Ce's mother had prepared for him. Among them was a peak-level Heaven-rank military general and a high-ranking Heaven-rank political minister.

As for top-tier figures, there are also some.

[Ding dong, congratulations host, you have gained the loyalty of the local general Shi Kaien;]

Shi Kaien: Command 92, Strength 104, Intelligence 65, Politics 62, Charisma 85;

Shi Kai's peak combat strength reached 104, therefore, the host is rewarded with 30 summoning points;

[Ding dong, congratulations host, you have gained the loyalty of local figure Liu Chuanzhi;]

Liu Chuanzhi, Commander 72, Martial Prowess: Grandmaster (Beginner), Intelligence 90, Politics 96, Charisma 88;

Liu Chuanzhi's peak political skills reached the Heavenly level, therefore, the host is rewarded with one Silver Political Summoning Card;

[Ding dong, congratulations host, you have obtained...]

[Ding dong, congratulations host, you have obtained...]

[Ding dong, the host currently possesses the following: 6025 Summoning Points, four Random Summoning Cards, three Silver Martial Arts Summoning Cards, one Silver Intelligence Summoning Card, one Silver Political Summoning Card, one Silver Summoning Card, one Black Iron Random Summoning Card, one Purple Heart Breakthrough Pill, and one low-level Silver random attribute point;]

With the full assistance of Fan Li, Wei Renpu, and Chen Yun, Jiang Ce conducted an extremely rigorous selection process for these prisoners.

He not only set triple standards for height, strength, and endurance, but also arranged practical combat tests, determined to select all the strong and capable men among them.

He adopted this selection standard, which not only eliminated the old, weak, sick and disabled, but also those who were too thin, lacked strength, or hesitated in the combat test.

After several rounds of selection, a total of 40,000 able-bodied young prisoners were chosen.

In addition to the ordinary civilians recruited over the past month, the number of soldiers in the Laiyang Army has just reached 100,000.

As for the rest, they can only be considered cannon fodder.

After all, in military campaigns, especially in fierce sieges, those who charge to the front lines to tackle tough challenges and fill moats always need someone to fill the bloody gaps.

Although the imperial court only gave him a quota of 100,000 new troops to train, the extra 40,000 men could be used as farmers for land reclamation and as laborers in the army.

Although the widespread use of the railcar system has made transportation between different regions several times more convenient, even wartime food and fodder transport has saved a huge amount of manpower.

It is precisely for this reason that the old practice of "for every 10,000 soldiers going on an expedition, 30,000 to 40,000 farmers were conscripted to accompany them" has become a thing of the past hundreds of years ago.

However, the emergence of locomotives, even though it saved the biggest expense in labor service, still did not completely eliminate the need for manpower.

To be fair, at least 10,000 laborers should be assigned to the 50,000 soldiers to be responsible for cooking, setting up camp, and transporting the wounded.

If it were cavalry, the number of auxiliary personnel needed just to take care of the warhorses and prepare fodder would increase to more than 15,000.

Jiang Ce has simply prepared more manpower.

Moreover, the combat capabilities of this group of prisoners were uneven. Most of them were hastily conscripted laborers or mountain bandits who lacked formal training. If they were to be sent to the battlefield, the casualties would certainly be significant.

If we only recruit 40,000 troops according to the quota set by the imperial court, after a fierce battle, we will probably have to recruit new soldiers after the battle, which would be more troublesome.

.........

On this day, just as dawn was breaking, the drill ground outside Changyang City was already bustling with activity, and banners were fluttering in the wind.

The Laiyang King's army, composed of 40,000 able-bodied prisoners, was divided into ten battalions by Chen Yun. They were neatly arranged in square formations, and although their armor was uneven, it still exuded a sense of solemnity and killing intent.

At this moment, Chen Yun, holding a command flag, stood on the high platform, his voice booming like a bell: "From this day forward, you are the soldiers of the Prince of Laiyang. Military discipline is as firm as a mountain; those who disobey orders will be punished according to military law!"

Ning Bobiao personally led a squad of guards to patrol back and forth among the formations. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and he would sternly stop anyone who was whispering or standing crookedly.

Jiang Ce, dressed in military uniform, stood beside Chen Yun, looking at the sea of ​​heads below, and pondered to himself.

He specifically appointed Chen Yun to be in charge of the drills because he valued Chen Yun's strict discipline and skill in training troops.

After all, since the fall of Laizhou, Chen Yun had only managed to build an army of over 20,000 infantry and cavalry by relying on the remaining border troops and the chivalrous outlaws.

It can be said that Jiang Ce was able to recapture Laiyang in a short period of time thanks to the base of support brought by Chen Yun.

"First practice marching, then formations, and finally combat."

Jiang Ce said in a deep voice, "This group of people has a very weak foundation, so we must not be impatient for quick results, but we must also not let our guard down!"

Chen Yun nodded in agreement and waved the command flag in his hand.

In an instant, bugles sounded, and the instructors of each battalion gave orders in unison. The deafening shouts of battle broke through the morning mist and echoed across the open field for a long time.

Those former prisoners, now gripping their spears, still showed some fear on their faces, but also an unprecedented determination.

Because they knew that this might be their only chance to escape their fate as cannon fodder.