Emperor Zhaolie of the late Han Dynasty: Rising to power in Liaoxi

The whole process went more smoothly than I had imagined.

Liu Bei led the charge and fought for a while, but seeing that the situation had stabilized, he did not make any further moves.

In just a short while, the entire camp was taken over by the Han army.

Before long, Gongsun Zan arrived before Liu Bei carrying the head of the Marquis of Gudu.

He dismounted, beaming with pride, and boasted, "The bandit general's head is here!"

Han Dang was naturally unconvinced, but could only stare helplessly. Gongsun Zan's archery skills were indeed superior to his.

Immediately afterwards, Xu Rong and Yan Gang also stepped forward and reported the list of spoils. With each sentence they reported, the generals in the tent gasped in shock.

"In this battle, our army suffered only seven dead and fifteen wounded."

"Two hundred and twelve armed Xianbei warriors who resisted were killed, and more than four thousand seven hundred Xianbei people were captured, with none escaping!"

More than 3,200 grassland warhorses were captured, of which nearly 2,000 were capable of fighting, and the rest were mares and foals.

A total of over 97,000 head of cattle and sheep were captured, and the grain and dried meat were enough for the army to use for three months.

More than 1,000 sets of leather armor, more than 1,500 pieces of military equipment such as ox horn bows, scimitars, and spears were seized, along with countless gold, silver, and furs.

The hall erupted in uproar, followed by thunderous cheers.

In one battle, they pacified a large town of a thousand Xianbei people, while suffering fewer than a hundred casualties themselves.

The amount of supplies, warhorses, and people captured was countless.

Such a victory, placed on the border of Youzhou, is a great triumph that has not been seen for decades!

Even the usually composed Cheng Pu and Tian Yu couldn't hide their joy.

Tadun looked at the list of spoils, and an undisguised look of joy flashed in his dark eyes.

Looking at his generals on either side and at the mountains of spoils, Liu Bei was not blinded by victory.

Liu Bei convened a meeting in the central command tent.

"Tell us all!"

"What should be done with the prisoners, cattle, and sheep next?"

"Bringing it along will definitely slow down our march!"

Gongsun Zan's eyes widened, and he spoke first: "Why not kill them all? Dead barbarians are good barbarians!"

"snort!"

Upon hearing this, even Tadun, who always appeared very composed, couldn't help but change color.

"Foolish! Do you want the next Xianbei to fight to the death?"

Gongsun Zan already disliked Tadun, and upon hearing his insolent words, he flew into a rage: "You barbarian, how dare you instruct us to do things!"

"You say my sword is not sharp!"

"Although I am a Wuhuan, I know that the Records of the Grand Historian states: Xiang Yu then went north to Chengyang, burned and razed the city walls and houses of Qi, and buried all the surrendered soldiers of Tian Rong alive. He then marched on Qi to the North Sea, causing much destruction. The people of Qi gathered together and rebelled. Thereupon, Tian Rong's younger brother, Tian Heng, gathered tens of thousands of Qi's deserters and returned to Chengyang. King Xiang then stayed there, and fought several battles but was unable to take it."

Gongsun Zan was stunned, puzzled. What was this barbarian bird muttering about?

Tadun was filled with righteous indignation. He was still somewhat pleased to have told Gongsun Zan that he had been captured, and he wanted to say another word.

Liu Bei quickly interrupted, saying, "Alright, this northern expedition against the Xianbei was largely thanks to the assistance of our Wuhuan brothers; this principle must not be changed!"

"From now on, any general who speaks of barbarity or undermines morale will be punished according to military law!"

"Here you go!"

The generals responded, and Gongsun Zan had no choice but to turn his head away and no longer look at Tadun.

Just as everyone was pondering, Yan Gang stepped forward, bowed deeply to Liu Bei, and said in a deep voice.

"My lord, this battle has been a great victory, with countless spoils and the capture of several thousand Xianbei tribesmen. I have a plan that can further enhance our army's strength."

"Oh? Commandant Yan, please speak." Liu Bei gestured with his hand.

"Does Your Excellency know that the Xiliang border army has been fighting against the Qiang people for many years? The reason why it is so powerful is not only because the Xiliang cavalry is fierce and brave, but also because it makes good use of the Qiang and Hu volunteers as auxiliary troops."

Everyone's hearts stirred, and they already knew what Yan Gang was about to say.

When Duan Jiong pacified the Qiang, he led "12,000 cavalrymen from the Huangzhong Righteous Qiang" and only had 12 military commanders under his command.

On average, each Sima commanded a thousand cavalry, of which fewer than a hundred were Han Chinese officers, forming a typical pattern of "Han officials commanding Hu cavalry".

All command and reward/punishment authority belonged to Han Chinese military officers, while Qiang and Hu leaders were merely "tribal chiefs" and had no independent authority to deploy troops.

The Hu people brought their own horses, bows and arrows, and basic weapons, but did not receive armor issued by the imperial court.

They were civilians in peacetime and soldiers in wartime, with no fixed military pay and instead receiving a share of spoils of war.

Auxiliary soldiers are responsible for: flanking cover, pursuing fleeing enemies, firing stray arrows, and cleaning up the battlefield.

Logistical support: herding horses, transporting grain, setting up camp, scouting, and relaying messages.

Replacement of regular soldiers: When a regular soldier is killed or wounded, an auxiliary soldier can be directly added to the regular soldier's ranks.

The standard was one Han Chinese officer commanding 5-10 Qiang and Hu cavalrymen, with the ratio of regular soldiers to auxiliary soldiers being approximately 1:1.

When Dong Zhuo served as the governor of Bingzhou, he had about 3000 cavalry under his command, using the "one Han general commanding eight cavalrymen" system. The proportion of auxiliary soldiers was even higher, and his troop strength increased several times in an instant.

Yan Gang paused, pointed to the captured Xianbei tribesmen outside the tent, and continued, "This humble general proposes that the elderly, weak, women and children be escorted back to Yangle City in Liaoxi by special personnel."

"They can serve as hostages for these able-bodied young men, and also increase the population of western Liaoning."

"Leave these thousand or so able-bodied men and organize them into three units of volunteer auxiliary troops, under the direct command of the elite of our Han army."

"Firstly, it can solve the problem of prisoners; secondly, it can enhance the strength of our army; and thirdly, it can completely eliminate the hidden danger of surrendering and then rebelling again."

Upon hearing this, the tent fell silent instantly, and the generals all wore thoughtful expressions.

Even Gongsun Zan began to take an interest.

Cheng Pu was the first to react, clapping his hands in agreement: "Commander Yan's plan is excellent!"

"In border warfare, the principle should be to use barbarians to control barbarians. The methods of the Xiliang army can be completely copied."

Tian Yu added, "My lord, in addition to this, it can also be stipulated that those who make meritorious contributions in battle can be registered as Han citizens and be allocated land."

"In this way, these young Xianbei men will truly serve our army, rather than surrendering temporarily under the pressure of military might."

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Bei had already made up his mind.

Yan Gang's suggestion hit his biggest weakness right now—insufficient troops.

Three thousand soldiers, no matter how elite, would be insufficient against tens of thousands of Xianbei cavalry.

These young Xianbei men were born cavalrymen, and with a little training, they could become a fighting force.

The configuration of one Han general and three auxiliary generals indeed enabled his core Han army to exert several times the combat power.

"Alright! We'll follow Commandant Yan's plan!" Liu Bei immediately agreed.

"However, we currently have less than a thousand strong Xianbei soldiers. Let's start with the eight hundred cavalry under Commandant Yan, with one Han and one assistant, and immediately reorganize them into the surrendered forces!"

"Here you go!"

Yan Gang bowed and accepted the order, much to the envy of the other generals!

Liu Bei had considered this carefully. At present, the most elite and well-organized force in the army was Yan Gang's eight hundred cavalry.

Prioritizing the replenishment of this unit will yield the most immediate and significant improvement in combat effectiveness.

More importantly, these eight hundred men were all seasoned regular border troops with strict discipline, capable of keeping the unruly Xianbei surrendered soldiers in check.

Someone else might not be able to handle the situation.

However, some people clearly don't think so!

Gongsun Zan, who had been standing to the side with a somber expression for a long time, suddenly stepped forward.

He protested, "My lord! My men fought bravely and risked their lives in this battle, capturing enemy generals and flags. Why are you showing such favoritism?"

Liu Bei raised an eyebrow slightly, but his face remained expressionless. He merely glanced up and asked knowingly, "Oh? What do you mean by that, Bo Gui?"

Gongsun Zan's gaze swept over Yan Gang, who was bowing beside him, before returning to Liu Bei.

His chest heaved violently, and his words were resounding, filled with irrepressible passion and stubbornness.

"My men will also be assigned auxiliary troops, and my volunteer retinue will be expanded!"

"The White Horse Cavalry!"