Luan Basong had already expanded his army. Whether he was holding back to go after Wang Yan, increasing his bargaining chips with the federal government, or maintaining stability in his territory, he truly had reason to expand.
After all, his army was too pathetic. He wanted to put them through intensive training, but there was no way to raise their combat effectiveness in a short time. He could not even meet the most basic condition: improving the soldiers' benefits. Only with sufficient benefits could they train like their lives depended on it—and only then could they gain combat strength.
However, according to the intelligence Wang Yan had received, Luan Basong had also streamlined his guard unit and formed an elite regiment. Their benefits had been improved, and they trained desperately. They were Luan Basong's carefully forged trump-card troops.
In a place like Three Border Slope, building a sufficiently elite force cost several, more than ten, or even dozens of times as much. After all, the basic benefits for soldiers here were so poor that getting enough to eat was already considered good. For an elite unit, allowances, food, equipment, training expenses, treatment for wounded soldiers, and everything else all cost money.
That was also why Wang Yan's troop numbers had never been large. Maintaining an army of fewer than seven thousand men, all trained to domestic infantry standards, was an enormous expense...
In the command headquarters, Wang Yan listened to some of the collected military intelligence concerning Luan Basong. After thinking it over, he made his arrangements.
"Deploy the Eighth Battalion. Move by night and hide by day, infiltrate Luan Basong's territory, and engage in free operations. There is only one objective: make it harder for them to eliminate Luan Basong's remaining forces, inflict greater casualties, and strike at their