With wives as numerous as clouds and soldiers as numerous as a million, you say he's a useless

For three whole days, Shen Jingchuan, the prefect of Yong'an City who was in charge of several cities, personally led a thousand militiamen from Yong'an City in archery practice.

He truly embodied the spirit of doing everything personally.

This also greatly improved his relationship with these militia members.

During their casual conversation, he told these militia members many stories about Ye Cheng'an.

For example, why would this noble young master from the North choose to leave the perfectly good Beian City and come to Liuzhou, a desolate place bordering the Northern Barbarians?

For example, when the eldest son first arrived in Liuzhou, he was plotted against by some people who deliberately spread locust eggs to Yong'an City, which was under his jurisdiction; and how the eldest son was brave and unparalleled, came up with a plan to exterminate the locusts, went to Panlong City to take revenge, and saved the entire Liuzhou.

In an instant, Ye Cheng'an's image was elevated significantly in the minds of these militiamen.

"The eldest son is truly a man of great stature, a true hero! He has done so much for the Northern Frontier, made so many contributions, yet he receives such unfair treatment... If it were me, I would have already given up and died of grief!"

"If it weren't for the eldest young master, with the locust plague raging in Liuzhou, we wouldn't be where we are today. We would all have starved to death long ago."

"But, someone as powerful as the eldest young master wouldn't just give us such divine weapons for no reason, making us practice archery... Could it be that the Northern Barbarian army is coming?"

These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the local militia.

Shen Jingchuan hadn't expected these militiamen to be so clever, and for a moment he was conflicted about whether to tell them the truth.

If we tell them that the grand flower festival tomorrow will coincide with the arrival of the Northern Barbarian army in Liuzhou, will they all be scared away?

Just as he was struggling with his decision, a figure suddenly walked towards the thousand militiamen. Tall and elegant, with a resolute aura, who else could it be but Ye Cheng'an?

Behind Ye Cheng'an followed Zhang, Zhao, and Li.

"Young Master..." Shen Jingchuan immediately stepped forward, intending to bow.

However, Ye Cheng'an was one step ahead of him and raised his hand to stop him, saying, "We're all on the same side, no need for formalities. Let these people not have to bow to us either."

Those militia members who saw Ye Cheng'an intending to kneel and pay their respects all looked at Shen Jingchuan with concern. Although the eldest young master was indeed a good person, he was also of royal lineage.

Would it be inappropriate for them not to bow?

But then they saw Shen Jingchuan nod at them.

So they gradually became bolder.

Ye Cheng'an gestured for the thousand militiamen to sit down and said, "Gentlemen, you just asked Lord Shen a question, which he did not answer. Now I will answer it for you."

"That's right, the Northern Barbarian army is coming to kill us."

"Some people in my Yong'an City are colluding with the Northern Barbarian army from the inside out, planning to let the Northern Barbarian army take advantage of the situation and swallow up the northern border when I hold the Hundred Flowers Blooming Festival tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, all the militia members showed expressions of surprise.

"What? The Northern Barbarian cavalry are really coming?"

"It is said that the Northern Barbarians have 100,000 iron cavalry, while the eldest son only has 24,000 soldiers under his command..."

"Furthermore, with the relationship between the eldest son and the royal court so strained, the royal court will certainly not come to our aid... What should we do?"

Seeing that morale was beginning to waver, Shen Jingchuan tried to stop him, but Ye Cheng'an shook his head at him and continued to address the militiamen, "Gentlemen, you are all right. No one will come to Yong'an City's aid. Everyone is only concerned with whether they win the factional struggle and whether their side can profit. No one truly cares about our lives!"

"Therefore, if we want to survive, we can only rely on ourselves!"

"That's why I forged the divine crossbow and gave it to you so you could practice your archery skills diligently. I heard from Lord Shen that you've been practicing very hard these past three days, and I've heard that your archery skills have improved day by day. You've already shot and killed quite a few prey, and you've almost reached the point where you hit the bullseye every time."

"You've killed so many prey, surely you can't even kill a mere northern barbarian?"

"You must understand, while the Northern Barbarians may have a fearsome reputation, they are, after all, merely mortal beings. Like us, they experience pain, cold, hunger, thirst, and death. It is my fear that has bestowed upon them their invincible reputation. But if we truly muster our strength and engage them in a real battle, they may not be our match!"

As Ye Cheng'an's voice faded, the panic among the militia subsided slightly. "What the eldest young master said makes sense. I also shot and killed a deer today; the arrow went right through its skull!"

"And with a scope, we can completely bypass the northern barbarians' armor and shoot through their heads and necks!"

"But I'm still a little scared..."

"What good will fear do? Do you think that if you're afraid of the Northern Barbarians and grovel before them, they'll spare your families after they invade?" Ye Cheng'an continued, "They'll spare you?"

These words silenced everyone.

Because the answer is, of course, no.

"The northern barbarians eat raw meat and drink blood, committing all sorts of atrocities such as burning, killing, looting, and pillaging!" Ye Cheng'an said, word by word, "Wherever they go, it's like a living hell."

"Gentlemen, being in Yong'an, you should know better than I do about the ferocity of these northern barbarians, and you should also know more about the evil deeds they have committed. Let me tell you about their wickedness."

After Ye Cheng'an finished speaking, Shen Jingchuan immediately chimed in, "When two countries are at war, innocent civilians are not to be killed. But the Northern Barbarians never abide by this rule. They don't care about morality. They only know the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest. I served as the prefect of Yong'an City for decades and have witnessed countless battles, large and small, between Yong'an City and the Northern Barbarians. I have seen countless civilians kneeling at the feet of the Northern Barbarian cavalry, begging for their forgiveness..."

"But they killed able-bodied men, killed children, and raped women; they did everything imaginable..."

"They would also skin people to make war drums..."

As he spoke, Shen Jingchuan's voice choked with emotion, his eyes bloodshot, "Three years ago, the Northern Barbarians, in order to force me to surrender the city, captured my father alive and skinned him..."

Shen Jingchuan didn't continue speaking, but his extremely suppressed sobs made everyone guess what would happen next.

This intensely suppressed grief and indignation instantly ignited the anger and sorrow of everyone present.

At that moment, a militiaman stood up, gritting his teeth, and said, "Lord Shen is right! The Northern Barbarians are a bunch of beasts. They kill for fun, skin people to make drums, and commit all sorts of atrocities such as rape and plunder..."

"My sister was only ten years old when they dragged her into the army and took turns..."

"That night, my sister's heart-wrenching screams echoed through the night sky, but with a knife to my throat, they wanted me to listen..."

"If I had this crossbow in my hand that night, I would have fought them to the death!"

"Killing one is no loss, killing two is a bonus! In short, I will never be a coward again, watching my little sister be humiliated to death..."

"Me too!" he exclaimed. "My mother is already sixty. She should be enjoying her retirement, but instead..."

"..."

A thousand militiamen recounted the atrocities committed against them and their families by the northern barbarians.

This grievance session lasted until dusk.

Ye Cheng'an had a campfire lit, roasted the game the men had hunted, and shared it among them. He also gave each of them a cup of his own brewed wine.

It wasn't that he was stingy, but rather that the alcohol he purified had an extremely high alcohol content, making it easy to get drunk.

As the aroma of roasted meat filled the air, Ye Cheng'an stood up, raised his glass, and said, "Gentlemen, I know your past. The past cannot be changed, but the future can still be chosen. The Northern Barbarian cavalry will invade Yong'an City tomorrow. You already have divine weapons in your hands. Are you still going to cower and live in fear, letting the previous tragedy repeat itself?"

"Don't you want to avenge your families? Don't you want to protect the homes you've worked so hard to build? And your surviving relatives?"

"think!"

"think!"

"think!"

After Ye Chengan finished speaking, a thousand militiamen shouted in a thunderous roar.

At this moment, a chilling killing intent and cold glint flashed in the eyes of these militiamen. Their aura was no longer that of ordinary civilians, but rather that of battle-hardened veterans.

His eyes were filled with nothing but the desire to kill the enemy!

Seeing that his mobilization had worked, Ye Cheng'an said, "You are all heroes, not cowards. I toast you with this cup of wine. I have already made some arrangements for tomorrow's Hundred Flowers Blooming Ceremony. You are also the key to my victory in defending Yong'an City. As long as you do as I say, I guarantee that the Northern Barbarians will be utterly defeated and have no chance to fight back!"

"This wine is quite strong. Let's have a small cup tonight to boost morale. After we defeat the Northern Barbarians and secure Yong'an City, I, the young master, will personally host a banquet at the eldest young master's residence, with plenty of fine wine and food, to celebrate your victory!"

"May we, all of you, join me in achieving a resounding victory tomorrow and decisively defeat the Northern Barbarians!"

"A resounding victory! We have driven back the northern barbarians!"

"A resounding victory! We have driven back the northern barbarians!"

A thousand militiamen shouted in unison.

In the distance, Zhao Xuefu watched this scene with astonishment in her eyes. She had never seen such a way of inspiring morale. Ye Chengan's few words had actually made these rabble burst out with murderous intent.

The problem is, if the Northern Barbarian cavalry really comes tomorrow, they will number at least 100,000. Ye Cheng'an's forces, including the troops from the Nine Cities, number only 24,000, less than a third of the Northern Barbarians' strength, not to mention these rabble...

Can they really stop the Northern Barbarian cavalry?