The Three Kingdoms: The Oath of the Peach Garden, the Rise of the Han Dynasty

After one round of assessment.

At the governor's residence, Liu Bei and Li Chang personally received them.

Just then, Guan Yu arrived to report on the army's progress.

The young man first bowed, then introduced himself: "My name is Zhang Ji of Fengyi, courtesy name Derong. I have heard of the great victory the General and the Prefect achieved against the Xianbei! I admire them greatly!"

Liu Bei personally rose to greet him.

After a second round of face-to-face assessments by the governors and prefects, Liu Bei discovered that Zhang Ji, though young, had great potential.

He was immediately appointed as Li Chang's county clerk, responsible for assisting Li Chang.

My fourth brother can't be too tired!

the second.

The middle-aged man, who looked about the same age as Jia Xu, cupped his hands and said:

"My name is Cheng Li from Dong'e, courtesy name Zhongde. I have heard of General Liu's benevolence and Prefect Li's righteousness, so I have come to serve you. I am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty."

Cheng Linian is over forty years old, his beard and hair are all white, but his eyes are sharp.

He was originally a county magistrate in Dongjun, Yanzhou, always ready to find an opportunity to advance. He was already over forty years old, and if he didn't advance soon, he would be too old!

I heard that after Liu Bei decisively defeated the Xianbei, he only allowed the prisoners to clear land and mine, etc.! And he even tried to civilize the Hu people?

He's so incredibly kind! Only a lord as kind as him is suitable to serve!

Liu Bei personally greeted Cheng Li, grasped his hand, and said excitedly, "With Mr. Zhongde's arrival, I feel like a fish in water!"

After the assessment, Liu Bei appointed him as the Chief Clerk of Yanmen Commandery and concurrently as the Military Officer.

The last one, he had already exchanged a few glances with Guan Yu!

It seems like they were destined to be together in a past life; they hit it off!

A young soldier, about seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in plain clothes, shouted loudly:

"Zhang Liao, courtesy name Wenyuan, from Mayi, Yanmen! Having heard that General Liu is recruiting talented individuals, I have come to offer my services! I am willing to die for the General!"

Before Liu Bei and Li Chang could speak, Guan Yu blurted out, "Why don't we let him come with me?"

Zhang Liao was overjoyed! His eyes were glued to Guan Yu!

"You know how to use a knife?" Guan Yu asked.

"Yes!" Zhang Liao straightened his back and said loudly, "This humble general has practiced martial arts since childhood and is most skilled in swordsmanship and cavalry combat! I wish to spar with General Guan!"

"Good!" A hint of appreciation flashed in Guan Yu's eyes. "Guards, bring me my sword!"

The guards quickly brought over the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. Guan Yu took the blade, casually swung it, and a gust of wind was created.

See you at the training ground.

The group then arrived at the martial arts training ground outside the governor's mansion.

Zhang Liao mounted his horse, twirling his broadsword in a beautiful flourish. He spurred the horse on, and it charged forward with a neigh.

He roamed freely on the training ground, wielding his broadsword with incredible speed, hacking, slashing, thrusting, and parrying with ruthless precision.

In particular, there was a charge move where he leaned forward, pressed himself against the horse's back, and swept his broadsword across the ground, instantly severing three wooden stakes in half. The movement was fluid and seamless.

"Good!" Zhang Fei, who had just finished whipping the prisoners, couldn't help but cheer.

Guan Yu stroked his long beard and nodded slightly. He could see that although Zhang Liao's martial arts were still somewhat immature, his foundation was extremely solid, especially his horsemanship and his ability to control the rhythm of the battlefield—he was simply a born cavalry general!

It's a good time to take down the enemy!

"I've come to meet you."

Guan Yu mounted his horse, wielding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and slowly spurred his horse forward.

"General Guan, please!"

Zhang Liao roared and launched the first attack, his broadsword aimed straight at Guan Yu's face.

Guan Yu remained calm and easily blocked the attack with his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

clang!

The sound of metal clashing was so harsh that it was unpleasant to the ears.

Zhang Liao felt a tremendous force coming from the sword, his arm went numb, and he almost dropped the sword.

Startled, he quickly changed his move, sweeping his broadsword across Guan Yu's lower body.

Guan Yu dodged to the side and swung his sword back, but Zhang Liao dodged again!

After several dozen moves, Guan Yu's sword struck Zhang Liao's shoulder with the back of his blade.

"Thank you for your concession."

Zhang Liao reined in his horse, his face showing no sign of frustration, but rather his eyes filled with excitement:

"General Guan's martial arts are unparalleled! This humble general is completely convinced and willing to follow General Guan!"

"Good!" Guan Yu was overjoyed. "From today onwards, you will follow me. I will personally teach you swordsmanship and cavalry tactics!"

"Thank you, General!" Zhang Liao dismounted and bowed again.

Liu Bei and Li Chang exchanged a smile.

Another formidable general has been added to our arsenal!

Subsequently, Li Chang arranged for Xun Chen to take Cheng Li and Zhang Ji to familiarize themselves with the administrative procedures of the prefecture; and also had Xiahou Lan lead Zhang Liao to learn about the military affairs of each camp.

All three were pragmatists; upon receiving the documents, they immediately went to follow.

After everyone had left, Guan Yu sat down and began to report on the reorganization of the army.

"Eldest brother, fourth brother, after a month of reorganization, we have discharged several hundred wounded and disabled soldiers and recruited two thousand new soldiers. The total strength of the army is now twelve thousand."

Guan Yu picked up several lists:

"The eldest brother's personal guard is mostly composed of our original two thousand old brothers from Taoyuan."

These men followed us from Zhuojun to Liangzhou, and from Liangzhou to Yanmen. They were all battle-hardened elites, each capable of taking on ten ordinary soldiers.

Their equipment is also the best in the entire army, and they are ready to be deployed into battle at any time.

Liu Bei nodded. These two thousand men were his foundation, and the very soul of the Yanmen Army!

"I have four thousand men under my command, mostly infantrymen skilled in swordsmanship. Among them are two hundred cavalrymen, all elites selected from the previous Youzhou cavalry;

Five hundred archers, mainly trained by Brother Hansheng himself; eight hundred shieldmen, responsible for forming defensive formations.

The remaining 2,500 men were all elite swordsmen, the main force of our infantry.

"My third brother has two thousand men under his command, all of them heavy infantry, and one hundred heavy cavalry."

These men were mostly brave and fierce warriors selected from the previous vanguard and Xianbei prisoners, each one fearless of death. They wore heavy armor and wielded long-handled spears, making them a formidable weapon for our army's assaults.

"Zilong has two thousand cavalrymen under his command, all of them light cavalry. Their warhorses are all fine horses captured from the Xianbei, and their soldiers are all veterans with superb horsemanship. They excel at raids, reconnaissance, attrition warfare, and pursuit."

"Xu Rong has a thousand county soldiers under his command, responsible for guarding the city defenses of Pingcheng and the counties north of Yanmen; there are also two thousand garrison soldiers who farm in peacetime and can take up arms to fight in wartime."

"Qian Zhao had four thousand soldiers stationed at various agricultural settlements, cultivating the land while guarding against small groups of Xianbei harassment."

"In addition, Huang Zhong, Xu Huang, and Pang De each lead a separate force and are currently serving as deputy generals in their respective battalions, assisting in troop training. General Huang mainly trains archers and crossbowmen, Xu Huang trains shield bearers and formations, and Pang De trains cavalry and melee combat."

Guan Yu finished speaking in one breath and handed the roster to Liu Bei.

The entire army was clearly organized, with each unit having its own division of labor, and its combat effectiveness was extremely high.

Li Chang took the roster, looked at it carefully, and frowned slightly.

"What's wrong, Fourth Brother?" Liu Bei asked.

"It's nothing," Li Chang shook his head. "I just did some calculations. Currently, the actual population of Yanmen, plus the 23,000 refugees who just arrived, totals about 200,000. Supporting 12,000 soldiers is already the limit."

"A soldier needs to eat about 20 shi of grain a year, and also needs to be equipped with armor, weapons and even warhorses. For 12,000 people, the amount of grain alone would be more than 200,000 to nearly 300,000 shi a year."

This doesn't even include the fodder for the warhorses, the wear and tear on the weapons, the treatment of the wounded, and so on.

Yue Yin arrived at this time as well; he was currently the one who knew the most about this year's harvest.

"Our tax revenue from Yanmen this year is only 40 shi (a unit of dry measure). After deducting military rations, there's practically no surplus left for developing Yanmen!"

He then looked at Li Chang with a somber expression, "They are ambitious governors! They want to undertake so many major projects; anyone else would criticize them for wasting resources and manpower!"

Li Chang nodded:

"Fortunately, the grain we brought back from Liangzhou, plus the horse trade we've done with the Xianbei and Xiongnu over the past few months, can hold out for now. But if we expand our army again, or if we encounter a year of famine, our food supplies will run out."

"Next year, almost half of these soldiers will be agricultural settlers, who will have to farm regularly, so things should be much better for them."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei nodded.

He also knew that raising an army was not easy.

If we raise too few, we won't be able to defend against the Xianbei! If we raise too many, the people won't be able to support us!

"It's alright," Liu Bei said with a smile. "Our primary task now is to defend Yanmen Pass and develop production. We can gradually expand our army after next year's harvest and population increase."

"Brother is right," Li Changdao said.

"Moreover, our current 12,000 men are all elite troops. They are more than capable of dealing with small groups of 20,000 to 30,000 Xianbei harassers."

"By the way, elder brother." Li Chang pointed to the south of the map, to Taiyuan and Shangdang counties, which were the last remaining treasures of Bingzhou!

"We've worked so hard to defend Bingzhou, we can't let Yanmen become our burden!"

Why don't you and Xianhe go and discuss things amicably with them, perhaps asking for or borrowing some provisions? Or, we could consolidate our troops and personally help them defend Taiyuan and Shangdang?

Liu Bei asked doubtfully, "Is this a good idea?"

"Of course!"

"But under what pretext should this be done? Without war, I, as the General Who Crosses the Liao River, cannot command them." Liu Bei was still unsure.

Li Chang shook his head:

"How could there be no fighting! Our army has been having small-scale conflicts with the Xianbei all along, otherwise why would some civilians and soldiers die from time to time, and why would we capture some Xianbei prisoners from time to time?"

Our war with the Xianbei has never stopped!

Moreover, I've heard that the Black Mountain Army in the Taihang Mountains to the east frequently plunders Shangdang and Taiyuan!

"Brother, as the General Who Crosses the Liao River, you have a responsibility to defend our territory!"