It is clear that Chen Xi's troop distribution left most of the generals dissatisfied. Except for Yu Jin, who was quite pleased with being appointed as the vanguard, the others were not so content, but they still obeyed Chen Xi's commands.
After the eting adjourned, Chen Xi kept Liu Ye and Fa Zheng back. "It seems that no one is very happy with my allocations?"
"Of course they're not happy. Give a set of troops and let attack Jizhou," Fa Zheng scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"No way," Chen Xi said irritably. "Our target is ultimately Ye City. Don't forget the first step. And as you yourself said, since I've already made the arrangents, I won't bother concealing my intentions anymore."
"Xuangao is stationed in Qingzhou, Wen Chang is in Qinghe, our lord is in Linyi, and we are in Jiyin. Striking Yuan Shao on multiple fronts to stretch him thin won't be easy," Liu Ye said calmly.
Chen Xi's layout was sothing Liu Ye could still understand. By deploying both civil officials and military generals across the field, even Yuan Shao's massive army wouldn't be able to fully utilize its strength. As a result, Yuan Shao would be forced to contract his defenses and revert to defensive counterattacks.
If it ca to that stage, it would also pose a difficulty for Liu Bei. Siege battles would easily sap the attackers' morale, and wasting manpower on aningless siege warfare was not in Chen Xi's character.
"Are you suggesting pushing Yuan Shao back to Ye City, then flanking him on both sides?" Fa Zheng frowned. "That's unlikely. Yuan Shao is an arrogant man; he wouldn't be so easily lured and constrained by your moves."
"Though that's true, Yuan Shao will also be wary of my presence. The most prudent decision for him is to dispatch reinforcents to Ye City," Chen Xi shook his head and said. Fear always depends on perspective, and there are many in the world who fear as well.
"Are you planning to break the vanguard first?" Liu Ye asked with furrowed brows. "When he retreats, he'll definitely not send just one army."
"Naturally, it won't be a single force, and I can guarantee people like Tian Feng and Ju Shou will be with the troops. But taking the opportunity to crush them would constitute the kind of severe blow we need," Chen Xi nodded. Whatever Liu Ye brought up, Chen Xi had his own considerations.
"True. If we can defeat the strongest troops they have, it will deal a critical blow to their morale. In the next battle, they might even collapse at the first encounter," Fa Zheng nodded. The destruction of iconic figures and key battalions represents an unbearable disaster for a power.
"So to that end, Zijian will guard the flanks, connecting the main army while Wen Ze serves as the vanguard. Xiaoo Zhi and Yide will not show themselves. Are you saying you want to act as the apparent mastermind of the Western Route Army?" Liu Ye tilted his head and asked. His mind was agile, his thoughts expansive, and his ability to quickly grasp the broader picture was unmatched.
In that instant, Fa Zheng also understood Chen Xi's intent. "Feign strength where there is weakness, feign weakness where there is strength. Did you already release word that I'm recovering from injuries on Mount Tai?"
"What do you think?" Chen Xi smirked and said. "It wouldn't be difficult for them to make that deduction, and you, along with General Zhang, are my trump cards. Of course, just because Zijian is placed on the surface doesn't an he isn't important."
After their new equipnt upgrade, the entire Xiliang Iron Cavalry exuded a renewed spirit. Although Mount Tai couldn't fully equip ordinary soldiers with iron armor, a set of leather armor plus a heart-guarding mirror was sufficient. Furthermore, the heart-guarding mirror was nothing less than a half-inch-thick black iron plate.
While its reflective properties were negligible, its safety was utterly reliable. For a regular archer to pierce it from within fifty paces would be no small feat.
In any case, donning the body armor and wielding their not-too-long long spears completely transford the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. They transitioned from resembling a refugee camp to looking like a regular army unit, with morale among those who had pledged allegiance to Liu Bei rising sharply.
But wherever people gather, discord tends to follow. The Xiliang Iron Cavalry soldiers, notorious for their explosive tempers, adhered to lackluster discipline when off the battlefield. Privately, they'd treat auxiliary soldiers disdainfully and lash out at them. However, since the auxiliary forces had mostly been composed of the Qiang People before, they were accustod to the Xiliang cavalry's ways, so no major trouble had erged.
However, upon arriving in Yanzhou, they suddenly found themselves becoming objects of ridicule.
The Qingzhou Soldiers had heard tales of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry's reputation and had seen Hua Xiong's division's well-armored troops firsthand, witnessing their astonishing combat prowess, earning their admiration.
Yet upon encountering these freshly-arrived Xiliang Iron Cavalry troops from Guanzi, their impression shifted drastically. Their first reaction was disbelief—these poorly armored and inadequately equipped people, looking more like refugees than soldiers, were supposedly the renowned Xiliang Iron Cavalry! It felt to them like their idol had been humiliated.
This misconception could've been avoided if the Qingzhou Soldiers had gone to greet Hua Xiong's arrival. There, the overwhelming presence and earth-shattering aura of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry—unequipped as they were—would silence any doubts. Whether poorly ard or not, even stripped bare, no one would dare look down on them.
While weapons and armor can be acquired with money, that kind of commanding aura—an unyielding spirit to fight despite facing desperate odds—is sothing money can't buy. It's the hallmark of veterans hardened through countless battles.
In short, the issue began because the Xiliang Soldiers, after receiving their armor, appeared overly enthusiastic; this led to them getting a few mocking remarks from the now-wealthier Qingzhou Soldiers. With the Xiliang Soldiers' tendency to treat every moving creature in the barracks as lesser beings unless they're fellow comrades or commanders, they imdiately started fighting back.
Of course, people from Qingzhou are known for their fierce temperant. In a province ho to over two million, more than half have direct ties to the Yellow Turbans, and of the remainder, tens of thousands have connections to bandits or water pirates. Even tracing history backward, despite various reasons, one can't deny this group's combat capabilities.
As a result, the two sides ended up brawling right in the rear camp where the equipnt was distributed. Ultimately, the Xiliang Soldiers proved one thing: even without horses, they're still fearso warriors. They overwheld an entire unit of Qingzhou Soldiers in the rear camp and seized all the armor stored there—though, fortunately, they stopped short of stripping the Qingzhou Soldiers of their gear.
"Tsk, those guys are remarkable," Wang Fang said, rubbing his ribs. Back in Yongliang, their subordinates—whether Qiang and Hu—never dared fight back, and as a result, Wang Fang grew accustod to casually asserting dominance. This ti, he nearly failed to recover after a Qingzhou Soldier landed a solid blow under his ribs.
"Who cares how remarkable they are? Grab the armor and get moving. It's the first ti in years I've seen such fine gear," Hu Feng said, leading his Xiliang troop in hauling away the cache of armor from the rear camp. Poverty had made them greedy, and they couldn't resist hoarding anything that seed decent.
Chen Xi only learned of the incident when the dical personnel reported it to him. He had to admit—when it ca to fighting, the Xiliang Soldiers were indeed formidable. Despite beating up an entire unit of Qingzhou Soldiers in the rear camp, they frad the episode as a matter of "friendly sparring and mutual exchange among soldiers." Their basic stance essentially boiled down to: if you can't beat us, don't embarrass yourself by complaining to your superiors.
Because of this, none of the beaten Qingzhou Soldiers lodged complaints. Instead, they were now training furiously in the rear camp, determined to reclaim their pride. In hindsight, it made sense: provoking trouble, getting beaten, and running to tattle would be utterly disgraceful.
"Bring the leaders of this ss, and summon General Hua as well," Chen Xi instructed the dical personnel. With the construction of pontoon bridges and treating injured soldiers already keeping him preoccupied, there was now this additional nonsense to deal with. As for the Xiliang troop's military discipline—! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, visit Qidian [qidian] to cast your recomndation votes or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile readers, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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