After being granted a marquisate for a single battle, Wang Yan had little to do.
The Turkic Khaganate had been beaten into submission, and the border markets were thriving. The Turkic Khaganate obtained the goods it needed, while Great Sui made money as well—a win on many fronts.
Thus, Wang Yan, the newly appointed Cavalry General of Great Plains, found himself somewhat idle. However, because this was a frontier region, a considerable portion of the local militia soldiers were standing troops.
So, with nothing much else to do, Wang Yan led those militia soldiers in training. He promoted those he discovered to be capable and aggressively cultivated his own base within the army. Yang Guang had made himself so clear that Wang Yan had no reservations.
Using the veterans who had fought alongside him as the backbone and newly discovered capable men as the branches and leaves, he spread his influence through the Great Plains militia. In only a few months, he made frequent personnel adjustments. He could not be said to have completely controlled the Great Plains militia, but he at least maintained powerful influence over it.
Of course, he could not rely solely on the officer structure to lead them. The rank-and-file soldiers did not recognize commanders. A commander might control them for a time, but maintaining authority over them in the long term was impossible. They had to forge solid bonds of comradeship.
For that purpose, and because it was his duty to protect the borders and keep the people safe, Wang Yan led troops out on campaigns whenever training allowed. A small fight every three days, a major operation every five—over half a year, he moved from place to place and wiped out every mountain bandit in Bing Province.
Yang Jian had gained the realm almost