Liang An nodded, "As for his background, what Mist Hidden Temple found out is that this person was previously just an ordinary constable in Bo County, but within a year he had established himself as the head of the Bo County Militia, with nearly three thousand militiamen under his command. He also has a mother named Xu Nanzhi, who is said to be First Rank expert!"
Song Hai frowned slightly and looked at Lin Qian: "Instructor Lin, are you really no match for this man?"
Lin Qian was silent for a moment, then said, "I exchanged a hundred blows with him and was already at a disadvantage. Even if I hadn't retreated then, and had exchanged another hundred blows, I might have lost..."
At this point, he glanced at Lu Yulin sitting beside him. "I'm afraid only Marshal Lu himself can be confident of capturing this man."
Seeing that the usually arrogant Lin Qian had personally admitted to this, no one doubted Wu Shuangren's strength anymore.
Lu Yulin, who had been singled out by Lin Qian, sat expressionlessly in his seat.
He failed to breach Tiger Soul Pass in time, allowing the Shannan Army to break through. Afterwards, he voluntarily apologized to Song Hai and offered to resign from his position as Grand Marshal.
However, Song Hai did not agree and allowed him to temporarily assume the position of Grand Marshal of Mount Liang, hoping he could make amends for his past mistakes.
Song Hai picked up the bowl of cold tea on the table, took a sip, put the bowl down, and didn't ask any further questions.
Seeing that he was no longer pressing the matter, Lin Qian stepped forward, bowed slightly, and said, "Commander, I Lin Qian ordered to attack Yi Province, but not only did I fail to capture the Yi Prefecture City, I also suffered heavy losses. I apologize to you!"
Liang An also stepped forward, bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting.
Zhigang stepped past the two men, his voice booming like thunder. "Commander-in-Chief, the defeat in Yi Province is entirely my fault! It was my impulsiveness and recklessness in insisting on fighting Wu Shuangren that led to Brother Lin having to come out of the city to rescue me, which caused all these subsequent events. If I had simply defended the city and not come out, that brat wouldn't have been able to break in. If the Commander-in-Chief wants to punish someone, punish me alone!"
Song Hai got up from his seat, went down to the hall, and helped the three people up one by one.
"You brought back a large amount of money and food for the Mist Hidden Temple, as well as a group of elite soldiers. Even if you haven't achieved great merit, you have certainly worked hard."
Song Hai addressed the three of them.
That night, Wu Shuangren killed Ciwen in front of everyone and left with Xu Jing and the others.
Of the more than two thousand monks and soldiers from Mist Hidden Temple, half fled one after another, while the remaining half were formally recruited into Mount Liang by Lin Qian and others, who took them back to Rong Province with a large amount of grain and money.
Therefore, this battle was not entirely fruitless.
"You are all innocent; it is my fault!"
Song Hai suddenly said in a deep voice, "I was wrong to trust Ciwen, thinking that Yi Province could be taken in one fell swoop, which is why I only sent six thousand detachments. If you hadn't gone to Yi Province, but stayed at Tiger Soul Pass, perhaps Tiger Soul Pass would have already fallen, and the Shannan Army wouldn't have been able to get in!"
As he said this, he suddenly took two steps back and bowed deeply to all the hall masters and deputy hall masters present.
"In these battles, many brothers have died as a result, and I, Song Hai, am ashamed! You all recognize me as your commander-in-chief, yet I have failed to lead you to victory. I have let you all down!"
He looked guilty, his eyes reddening.
An uproar immediately erupted in the hall.
Several hall masters who were nearby immediately jumped up and reached out to help.
Someone shouted, "President, how can this be allowed?"
Some shouted, "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. Our commander-in-chief's behavior is utterly disrespectful!"
In an instant, everyone gathered around and hurriedly helped Song Hai up.
Li Lin, the Whirlwind Hall, shouted loudly, "Brother, those Shannan Army came with great force, but weren't we still driven back? As long as we are still on the walls of Ya Province City, the government troops won't be able to advance an inch!"
"Yes, as long as the brothers are of one mind, Jiannan Circuit will be ours sooner or later!"
"So what if First Rank? Does he think he can take on so many of us? Once we take back Yi Province, we'll hang that brat's head on the city gate to avenge our fallen brothers!"
"..."
As everyone in the room chatted, the previously low morale was suddenly reignited, as if fueled by a douse of oil!
Song Hai straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and slowly nodded. "Good, with you all here, what is there to worry about in achieving great things?"
Through his actions, he stabilized the morale of his troops and revitalized their spirits.
A moment later, everyone left, leaving only Song Hai and the strategist Wu Yan in the hall.
Song Hai slowly sat back down in the main seat.
Wu Yan stood up and bowed to him. "It is Wu Yan's incompetence that allowed the Grand Commander to send a detachment to Yi Province, which has led to the current losses of soldiers and generals, and the failure to capture Tiger Soul Pass."
Song Hai shook his head and gestured for support, saying, "Strategist, there's no need for that. I agreed with your words back then. The defeat in Yi Province wasn't due to your decisions, but rather because no one expected an eighteen-year-old to possess such abilities."
"I, Wu, am ashamed; I underestimated the heroes of the world."
Wu Yan straightened up, waved his goose feather fan, and sighed.
Song Hai looked at him. "At this juncture, does the strategist have any good plans?"
Wu Yan pondered for a moment and said:
"We have burned most of the Shannan Army's supplies, as well as a lot of their siege equipment. They probably won't continue their assault until Shannan Army Shannan Circuit. I suspect they might send a Shannan Army to detour to Lu Province, then to Yi Province, to seize control of Yi Province and cut off our retreat."
Song Hai nodded, agreeing with this assessment.
Wu Yan continued, "Ya Province is barren, and we can't hold out for long relying solely on the grain reserves in the city. Yi Province is fertile and is the best granary for our army's southward advance. Therefore, we must simultaneously contain the Shannan Army outside the city and send men to Yi Province to seize the Yi Prefecture City first!"
Firstly, it would provide a large supply of grain. Secondly, it would allow them to train their troops. Thirdly, after conquering Yi Province, they could continue to recruit local militia and strengthen their own forces.
Song Hai asked, "Strategist, who do you think should be sent as commander-in-chief to capture Yi Prefecture City?"
Wu Yan said, "Since Instructor Lin just said that only Marshal Lu can defeat Wu Shuangren, then Marshal Lu is indispensable for this expedition. Moreover, Marshal Lu is now seeking redemption through merit, so he will certainly exert all his strength and fight without regard for his own safety in the attack on Yi Prefecture City!"
Song Hai nodded.
In fact, he wanted to personally lead the troops to Yi Province, but now that he was facing the border troops from Shannan Circuit, if he, as the commander-in-chief, left, it would probably shake the morale of the troops, so he could only stay and hold the line.
"Then let Lu Yulin lead all the hall masters and ten thousand elite troops south!"
Song Hai had already made his decision. "Marshal Lu is a skilled warrior, but he is too rigid in his actions. Wu Shuangren of Yi Province has achieved such a feat at such a young age; he must have a master strategist guiding him. Strategist, you should also go south with Marshal Lu."
Wu Yan bowed solemnly to Song Hai: "Wu Yan will not fail in my mission!"
On the same night, in the military camp of the Shannan Army.
A group of generals were also discussing matters, Zhang Liao, the Tiger Soul Pass who had prevented Lu Yulin and his men from breaching the pass for so long, was among them.
"Commander Wang, I think we can send a detachment through Lu Province, bypass Yi Province, and take control of Yi Province first."
Zhang Liao advised the commander-in-chief in the tent, "Firstly, this will cut off the Mount Liang rebels' retreat; secondly, Yi Province is rich and prosperous. If we control Yi Province, the army's logistics will not have to rely solely on the Shannan Circuit."
The commander-in-chief leading the 30,000- Shannan army was named Wang Yan, the adopted son of Dong Zhuo of Shannan Circuit.
Wang Yan was only twenty-eight years old, making him the youngest among the generals in the camp.
This was the first time he had led troops to suppress bandits in Jiannan Circuit alone. He thought that the rebels were no threat, but he did not expect to suffer a great loss.
In the battle a few days ago, if Zhang Liao hadn't led his troops in an ambush during the retreat, turning the tide against the Mount Liang pursuers and cutting off Mount Liang advance, the Shannan Army might have suffered heavy casualties!
After that battle, Wang Yan's attitude towards Zhang Liao changed drastically. Hearing the other's advice now, he nodded without hesitation:
"General Xu, you and Zhang Liao will take six thousand men and detour through Lu Province first, then proceed to Yi Province."
"Yes!"
A general bowed and accepted the order.
Zhang Liao quickly accepted the order, his expression somewhat excited.
A moment later, all the generals left, leaving only Wang Yan and Xu Rong, whom he had appointed to lead the army to Yi Province, inside the tent.
"Commander Wang, going to Yi Province is a desirable position; many in the army would love to go. Why give the opportunity to Zhang Liao all people?"
Xu Rong asked.
Wang Yan explained, "Zhang Liao is a capable man. Before I came, my godfather specifically instructed me to find an opportunity to win him over."
Xu Rong suddenly realized, "This small city garrison commander has actually caught the eye of the military governor; he's really lucky!"
Wang Yan nodded. "If it weren't for him that day, I would probably have been severely punished by my godfather when I returned! This time, I can only win, not lose! You and Zhang Liao go to Yi Province, listen to his advice, and make sure to control Yi Province!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Xu Rong cupped his hands in greeting.
Early the next morning, Xu Rong and Zhang Liao led 6,000 elite troops to Lu Province.
Meanwhile, Lu Yulin once again led his army south with a group of Mount Liang masters and 10,000 Mount Liang elites, to retake Yi Province!
The twenty-first day after Ciwen was killed.
More people continued to arrive in Yi Prefecture City from various parts of Yi Province. These people were all local leaders and powerful figures who had been recruited by the local magnates.
To get the epaulets from the Militia Colonel, everyone pulled out all the stops, recruiting as many people as possible from their hometowns.
A few days later, the remaining four battalions of the Yi Province Militia were all at full strength!
Not only that, but there were more than a hundred extra people.
Wu Shuangren didn't delay any longer and finally announced the battalion commanders and deputy battalion commanders of the four battalions. The positions were indeed determined according to the number of people that everyone brought into the training camp.
The militia leaders of the four counties other than Bo County each served as battalion commanders of four battalions, holding the rank of Senior Militia Colonel.
The remaining eight deputy battalion commanders were given to representatives of the eight local powerful families with the most members.
Wu Shuangren kept his promise and re-selected the captains, company commanders, and battalion commanders of these four battalions, handing over two-thirds of the positions to these regimental commanders and powerful figures for their appointment. The veterans of the Bo County Militia occupied one-third of the positions in the four battalions.
No one disagreed with this.
At this point, the Yi Province Militia consisted of seven battalions: one personal guard battalion, one cavalry battalion, one crossbow battalion, and one Command Flag Battalion, totaling 8,623 men!
With the addition of the two Rong Province Battalion camps that were not part of the official force, Wu Shuangren can now command more than 10,000 troops!
August Summary + September Monthly Pass Giveaway
I finished writing the first volume in August. [Like a fierce tiger lying in a desolate hill] This line is taken from a 'rebellious poem' written by Song Jiang. The next line is 'Hidden claws and teeth, enduring hardship'.
The main theme of the first volume is very clear: the protagonist's initial stage, like a tiger lying on a hill, slowly accumulating strength, while also intersecting with Mount Liang. Therefore, I used Song Jiang's poem as the title of the first volume.
The image below shows my writing log for this book in August. In my book launch announcement, I mentioned that I would strive to update 8,000 words per day. In August, I updated a total of over 235,000 words, which averages out to 7,600 words per day. I'm a little short of 8,000 words per day, and I currently owe three more chapters.
Keep up the good work in September!
Then there's the September monthly pass lottery, with prizes shown in the image below:
From 00:00 on September 1st to 08:00 on September 7th, all readers who vote for this book during this period will automatically be considered for this event.
The winning numbers will be randomly selected from the monthly ticket numbers. A total of twenty numbers will be drawn. The more monthly tickets you submit, the higher your chances of winning!
Each winner will receive a [Tiger Roar] sword as shown in the picture above. (Only for monthly votes cast on the Qidian platform)
The results will be announced in a separate post at that time.
Please vote for me!
152. Iron armor is difficult to forge, and it is difficult to assemble ten thousand people.
When Luo Heng arrived in Yi Prefecture City, it was just past noon.
He led a group of men carrying five wooden crates.
When Wu Shuangren saw him in the study, she could tell at a glance that he had lost weight.
The former leader of the Flying Feather Gang, who used to brandish knives and guns at the canal docks, still has the same scar on his face, but he is much more composed than before.
"Greetings, Commander-in-Chief."
Luo Heng bowed respectfully.
Wu Shuangren asked him to sit down and talk, "Why did you come by yourself?"
"The matters here are more important. I'm afraid that if the people below make mistakes, it will jeopardize your important plans, Commander-in-Chief, so I came here personally to oversee things."
Luo Heng said, "Manager Mo also wants to come over, and asked me to ask the group leader if it would be convenient for him to come?"
Wu Shuangren smiled; he knew why these two were in such a hurry.
The news of the establishment of the Yi Province Militia has already reached West River Market, and Luo Heng and Mo Zhengxing are definitely going to be restless!
Those who received titles and promotions were all from this area. One was in charge of the Flying Feather Hall, and the other was in charge of the West River Market. Neither of them was able to enter the Yi Province Militia or get a new position. Both of them were afraid of being excluded, so they were eager to come over.
Mo Zhengxing was one of the earliest 'veterans' to follow Wu Shuangren, while Luo Heng was the one who was willing to gamble the entire Flying Feather Gang on Wu Shuangren.
Now that Wu Shuangren has truly achieved great success, the two of them are naturally unwilling to fall behind.