Disciplining Emperor Gaozu of Han

Xingyang.

The vehicles lined up one after another, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a long dragon, and sped into the city.

These were all grains, dried meat, fine wine, and weapons transported from Aocang.

The retreat from Xiayi involved gathering defeated soldiers along the way, along with the accompanying civilians, totaling no less than 200,000 people. With so many people to feed, the army needed to be rearmed, and naturally, there were many vehicles transporting supplies from Aocang.

"The King of Han is mighty!"

Whether they were soldiers or ordinary people, they were all overjoyed to see the long convoy of vehicles, raising their arms and shouting to express their happiness.

With so many people arriving, they were worried about whether there would be enough food for them. Now, all their worries vanished, and how could they not be overjoyed?

Riding a tall, magnificent warhorse, Liu Bang walked in the middle of the procession. Hearing the earth-shattering cheers, a smug smile spread across his face. He puffed out his chest and waved his right hand repeatedly: "Warriors of the Han Dynasty, elders: do not worry, I will ensure you have a full stomach!"

"The King of Han is mighty!"

"The King of Han is mighty!"

These words struck a chord with the Han army and the common people, making them even happier. They all roared with all their might, their voices shaking the sky.

Liu Ying rode alongside Liu Bang, watching as Liu Bang ostensibly gave a speech but in reality tried to win people's hearts. He rolled his eyes, thinking that Liu Bang was indeed a cunning old fox who never missed an opportunity to win people's hearts.

The arrival of the convoy immediately stabilized the morale of the troops and put the people at ease.

Liu Bang then pressed his advantage, ordering: "Re-equip the army! Use Qin weapons and equipment exclusively!"

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Liang, Chen Ping, Cao Can, Xiahou Ying, Fan Kuai, Zhou Bo, Lu Wan, Liu Jiao, Liu Jia, and Guan Ying all answered in unison.

The army in Xingyang was mainly composed of defeated soldiers who had fled from Pengcheng. It was a miracle they even made it back. The vast majority of them had long since lost all their weapons and equipment. Even though Liu Ying managed to acquire a batch of weapons and equipment from Peng Yue, their quality was far inferior to that of the Qin army.

The Qin army's weapons and equipment were not only of excellent quality, but also proven in actual combat. No one objected to using Qin equipment.

"Brothers, please make sure the people are settled." Liu Bang then looked at the brothers Lü Ze and Lü Shizhi: "Don't worry about the food; let the people eat as much as they want."

"Yes, sir." The brothers Lü Ze and Lü Shizhi were worried about the food shortage, so they gladly accepted the order with so much food.

Once everything is arranged, the troops are assembled and begin changing uniforms.

Boxes of Qin army equipment were brought to the drill ground, pried open, and the Han soldiers lined up to receive their weapons and equipment. After receiving them, they put them on.

The change of clothes took about an afternoon to complete.

The Qin Dynasty revered black, so all armor was black. When the Han army was dressed in black, they appeared as a vast, black wave. If one didn't know the reason, one might really think they were the Qin army.

Liu Ying's assessment of the Qin army's resurgence was indeed accurate.

Liu Bang ordered the Han army to raise the red banner of the Han army, and the change of uniforms for the army was considered complete.

The red military flag fluttered amidst the black waves, looking particularly conspicuous.

Liu Ying opened his eyes wide and looked closely. He saw that most of the Han soldiers wore armor and carried bronze swords, but there were not many who wore iron armor and carried iron swords. Only military officers were qualified to wear them.

"Excellent! Excellent!" Liu Bang rode his warhorse through the army, looking at the Han army after their uniform change. Their military appearance was much more impressive, and their morale was high. He was very pleased.

After inspecting the area for a while, Liu Bang ordered, "That's settled. All units, intensify your training and prepare for battle."

"Yes, sir!" The generals accepted the order.

"With just a little training, they can regain their fighting strength. Then, even if Xiang Yu attacks, they will not be afraid." Zhang Liang saw this and praised them highly.

"Good!" Chen Ping echoed.

"Is that all?" Liu Ying asked Liu Bang, clearly dissatisfied.

"What else can we do?" Liu Bang, bewildered, glared at Liu Ying and rebuked him, "How dare a mere child presume to discuss military affairs?"

Zhang Liang and Chen Ping looked at Liu Ying and nodded slightly.

Liu Bang took all the credit for Liu Ying's achievements, so they were unaware of Liu Ying's extraordinary abilities. Lü Ze and Xiahou Ying, however, were aware of them but did not publicize them.

"We still have so much cavalry equipment; we should make use of it," Liu Ying reminded him.

"Ying'er, stop thinking nonsense. Those are for cavalrymen; we lack horses, so we don't need them," Liu Bang scolded.

"Excellent!" Zhang Liang agreed.

"Good!" Chen Ping agreed.

"With few horses and no cavalry, can't we make use of them?" Liu Ying's gaze swept over Liu Bang, Zhang Liang, and Chen Ping, a sneer playing on his lips. "They're all iron soldiers and armored warriors. Iron swords are sharper than bronze swords, and iron armor offers better protection than regular armor. Wouldn't it be a waste to leave them idle?"

"Hmm." Zhang Liang raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Good," Chen Ping agreed.

"How do you plan to use this?" Liu Bang's eyes lit up.

"Select a group of tall and strong elite soldiers from the army and equip them with iron weapons and armor." Liu Ying said about his plan: "Such elites will serve as the spearhead, and when we encounter tough challenges, we will deploy them."

"Excellent!" Liu Bang nodded emphatically.

"Excellent!" Zhang Liang wholeheartedly agreed.

"Excellent!" Chen Ping readily agreed.

Liu Ying glanced at Zhang Liang and Chen Ping, feeling a great sense of accomplishment that her ideas surpassed theirs.

"Thanks to the prince's reminder, I hadn't even thought of that," Zhang Liang said, feeling somewhat guilty.

"The prince's insight is truly remarkable," Chen Ping added, offering a compliment.

Liu Ying was quite proud to receive praise from two such accomplished individuals, and unconsciously puffed out her chest.

Liu Bang issued an order to select 20,000 men from the army to equip them with iron soldiers and armor.

Upon receiving the news, the Han army was overjoyed and responded enthusiastically.

There's no other reason than that iron soldiers and armor are rare treasures in this era, and being able to use them would be an immense blessing.

"How should we choose?" Lu Wan asked Liu Bang.

"Let's use long-range catapults," Liu Bang said after a moment's thought. "Wang Jian destroyed Chu by using long-range catapults. He selected 30,000 elite troops, personally led them, and caught Xiang Yan off guard, ultimately destroying the Chu state."

"Good!" Everyone agreed with this approach.

The throwing of stones over long distances was a very famous event at the time.

Wang Jian led an army of 600,000 to conquer Chu, but did not fight Xiang Yan, instead indulging his soldiers in lavish feasts every day. Bored, the Qin army entertained themselves by throwing stones at each other, passing the time as a form of amusement.

Wang Jian ordered his men to secretly write down who could throw how far.

A year later, Wang Jian selected 30,000 men from these brave warriors who could throw stones very far as a strike force, which he personally led.

For more than a year, Qin and Chu had been locked in a stalemate without a single battle. Xiang Yan lowered his guard, and Wang Jian seized the opportunity, personally leading his 30,000 elite troops to attack and break through the Chu camp in one fell swoop, inflicting a great defeat on the Chu army.

They eventually destroyed the State of Chu.

Once the military order was given, the Han army began to throw stones at a distance.

In order to use iron soldiers and armor, they all exerted all their strength to throw stones. Liu Bang ordered people to record this, and then spent half a day selecting 20,000 qualified Han soldiers.

Once the iron armor and weapons were distributed, the 20,000 Han soldiers, clad in their armor and armed with iron weapons, were all in high spirits.

It would take another hundred years for China to fully enter the Iron Age. The true Iron Age began during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, when bronze weapons completely disappeared from the historical stage.

Wearing iron armor and using iron soldiers is akin to a dimensional reduction attack, which the Han army could not help but rejoice over.

"Your salaries will be doubled," Liu Bang announced another piece of good news.

"The King of Han is mighty!" The elite Han army erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Lu Wan, Fan Kuai, Liu Jia, and Liu Jiao, each of you will lead five thousand men." Liu Bang appointed his generals.

"Yes, sir." Lu Wan, Fan Kuai, Liu Jia, and Liu Jiao all answered in unison.

These 20,000 men were the most elite force, and naturally, they needed to be under his control. Of all these generals, Liu Bang trusted these four the most.

Lu Wan was Liu Bang's childhood friend and follower, and was Liu Bang's most trusted man. Letting him lead five thousand men was naturally not a problem.

Fan Kuai and Liu Bang were a bridge between them, so of course they trusted each other.

Liu Jia was his cousin, and Liu Jiao was his younger brother. They were blood relatives and trusted each other implicitly.

These 20,000 elite troops received the best treatment and equipment, and of course, the most rigorous training. Their food was also the best; they ate meat until they were sick of it, unlike the other Han soldiers.

Liu Ying's cavalry also donned iron armor, but unfortunately, the number of horses did not increase, so Liu Ying could still only lead seven hundred cavalry. Liu Ying began to teach them riding and archery, aiming to train them into an elite force.