Things were fine now. After all that fuss, it turned out those handcuffs had been issued to the Auxiliary Soldiers, so Qu Bing no longer had anything weighing on him.
After making the necessary arrangements, Luo Chong stayed at the Shence Guard's military camp for another two days. He watched Qu Bing and the others complete their second reorganization, saw the appointments and dismissals of officers at every level, and waited until the second phase of training officially began before hurrying home from the camp.
The Shence Guard still had another two or three months of training ahead of them. Then, in early autumn, they would set out on campaign, assemble at Weishan Commandery, board ships there, and travel by water to the Remnant Tribe's camp in the north, where they would rendezvous with You Ye.
Luo Chong's task was just as urgent. Within those two or three months, he had to prepare ships for the Shence Guard, as well as winter equipment for the soldiers: military overcoats, sweaters, wool trousers, padded trousers, fleece-lined leather boots, gloves, hats, and, most importantly, cotton quilts. All of these were necessities for winter warfare. It was much colder there than in the Eight Commanderies of Hanyang, and they could not afford to be unprepared—especially since many of the soldiers were from the south.
Besides that, Luo Chong had to prepare a Factory Ship for them: a ship converted into a simple arsenal. He did not expect it to manufacture firearms; its main purpose was to reload bullets.
An army equipped entirely with firearms lived or died by its logistics. Bullets, unlike arrows, could not be reused, and the battlefield was far from the Han Tribe. Therefore, the front line could only be supplied with ammunition by repeatedly reloading spent cartridge cases.
Fortunately, the