? 153 Bo County people came, who is the magistrate of Linwen? (Map of Jiannan Circuit attached)
The twenty-third day since Ciwen was killed.
Just as dawn broke, three riders arrived outside the south gate of Yi Province.
These days, Yi Prefecture City has not closed its gates, but people entering and leaving are strictly questioned and inspected.
The three were stopped by Militia Private at the city gate and questioned about their identities.
A moment later, Chen Tie led his men to the city gate and respectfully led the three into the city.
Wu Shuangren was leading a training session outside the West Gate when he received the news and immediately returned to the city.
Finally, he met Wu Dongrong, Xu Nanzhi, and Liao Yu at his residence.
"Father, Mother, Uncle Liao, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
Wu Shuangren walked into the lobby, greeted the three with a smile, and asked.
Upon seeing Wu Shuangren, Wu Shuangren Xu Nanzhi immediately stood up and walked over. She looked him up and down, and upon smelling the medicinal scent emanating from him, she frowned and said:
"Where are you injured? How badly are you hurt?"
Wu Shuangren simply said, "Mother, it's just a minor injury, it's nothing serious anymore."
Xu Nanzhi shook her head. "You still say you're fine? Have you forgotten what your mother does? The smell of medicine on you is from a serious bone and muscle injury that's treated externally!"
As she spoke, she reached out and pressed on Wu Shuangren's left shoulder, gently kneading it to check the extent of the injury.
Wu Dongrong, who was standing to the side, also looked rather displeased upon hearing this.
"You child, you said you were coming to deal with the Misty Shadow Temple, but you came to deal with the rebels of Mount Liang instead. Why didn't you tell your father and me about such a big thing?"
After finishing the inspection, Xu Nanzhi rarely showed an angry expression.
Bo County is located on the edge of Yi Province, making it difficult to get information. It wasn't until recently, when Wu Shuangren organized the Yi Province Militia and made such a big fuss, that the news finally reached them, and Wu Dongrong and Xu Nanzhi learned about the Mount Liang rebels.
Unsure of the current situation in Yi Prefecture City Yi Prefecture City, the two decided to set off immediately to find Wu Shuangren. Upon hearing this, Liao Yu also came with them.
"Father, Mother, I was afraid you'd worry. Besides, I'm fine now, aren't I? I've already driven back the Mount Liang rebels."
Wu Shuangren said somewhat awkwardly.
Liao Yu, who was standing to the side, suddenly slapped his thigh. "Good lad! I heard that you can now command tens of thousands of people with a single order, is that true?"
He helped Wu Shuangren out of the predicament, Wu Shuangren immediately turned to look at him, smiling as she said:
"Uncle Liao, the Yi Province Militia currently has less than ten thousand members, but if you include the Rong Province Militia, the number will exceed ten thousand."
"Why are there still people from the Rong Province Militia here?"
That's a long story.
"Then tell us properly, how did you defeat the Mount Liang rebels? How did you wipe out the Mist Hidden Temple? How did you organize the Yi Province Militia?"
Wu Dongrong had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.
Wu Shuangren glanced at his father, gestured for Xu Nanzhi to sit down, and he sat down as well, then began to recount the battles that had taken place during this period.
In his words, the Mount Liang rebels and the Mist Hidden Temple were nothing but clay chickens and earthen dogs, easily defeated by him. The battles he fought were not dangerous at all; he won them casually. The reason he was injured was due to his carelessness and the enemy's good luck.
In short, if others believed what he said, they would feel that he was not far from being invincible.
Wu Dongrong listened expressionlessly, while Xu Nanzhi sighed.
Liao Yu shook his head and said directly, "You're such a braggart!"
Wu Shuangren laughed and said, "Just tell me whether you won or not?"
"Ha ha ha ha--"
Liao Yu laughed loudly, "I heard you got a set of military ranks, battalion commander, Senior Militia Colonel, and so on, how impressive! Your Uncle Liao dreamed of becoming a general back in the border army. Shuangren, you have to give me an official position so I can experience what it's like to be a general."
Wu Shuangren felt a warmth in his heart. He knew that this Uncle Liao had come all the way from Bo County with his parents, not only to care about his safety but also to help him.
"Your Uncle Liao and I both led troops in the border army back in the day, so we can be of some help to you."
Wu Dongrong suddenly spoke up stiffly from the side.
Military affairs are dangerous, Wu Shuangren actually did not want his elders to participate in the upcoming battles.
He already found it hard to accept the death of his personal guards, with whom he spent every day in the militia. If something were to happen to these elders, he wouldn't know how to face them.
But looking at their expressions, he could almost imagine that after receiving the news, they had rushed over without stopping, covered in dust and grime.
They were afraid something would happen to them, but weren't they just as afraid something would happen to them?
Wu Shuangren simply couldn't bring herself to refuse.
"Alright, Father, Uncle Liao, you are equivalent to deputy commanders in the Yi Province Militia, and can command everyone except my personal guard."
Wu Shuangren said.
What the Yi Province Militia lacks most right now is people with practical combat and troop-leading experience.
Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu have arrived, which is perfect for filling this vacancy.
Liao Yu grinned so hard his eyes bulged out. "I never thought I'd become a general one day!"
The deputy commander-in-chief can command tens of thousands of people, a power that is no less than that of the general of Yi Province!
Wu Dongrong neither smiled nor nodded, but simply said, "Take us to see your soldiers first."
Wu Shuangren was taken aback. "You've traveled so hard, why don't you take a rest first?"
Liao Yu stood up, waved his hand, and said, "What are you resting for? I can't wait to see this Yi Province Militia you've put together!"
Wu Shuangren looked at Xu Nanzhi.
Xu Nanzhi gently shook her head. "I won't go. I brought some medicine with me. Could you have someone go to the city to get some other medicinal herbs for me, and I'll brew a dose of medicine for you?"
"Good."
Wu Shuangren ordered two of his personal guards to follow Xu Nanzhi.
He then led Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu toward the west gate.
A moment later, the group rode out of the west gate.
At this moment, tens of thousands of people were conducting joint training outside the west city, forming an array that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The sounds of drums, footsteps, and horses' hooves mingled together, and dust filled the air!
Seeing this scene, Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu both showed expressions of nostalgia.
"Shuangren, your soldiers are starting to look quite disciplined; they've even started using drumbeats and flag signals!"
Liao Yu asked in surprise.
Wu Shuangren: "It's all Xu Jing, the County Commandant Xu, who's in charge of troop deployment and command. I don't have that ability yet."
Liao Yu sighed, "I really didn't expect you to pull off such a big operation. And don't even mention making me a deputy regimental commander. Back in the day, your Uncle Liao only ever commanded a few hundred men at most. I couldn't possibly manage something this big."
Wu Shuangren laughed and said, "Uncle Liao, you and my father are both veterans of battle; your experience makes you qualified for the position of deputy regimental commander!"
Liao Yu shook his head. "The 'general' thing is just a joke. Your father and I are good at leading small groups of elite cavalry to flank and launch surprise attacks. You really want us to command tens of thousands of men? We don't have that ability."
Wu Dongrong chimed in, "You can keep the position of deputy regimental commander for County Commandant Xu. Your Uncle Liao and I will help you lead the cavalry."
Wu Shuangren thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say."
Next, he led a few people into the formation to observe the training session up close.
After the joint training session, he summoned the cavalry battalion and handed over more than two hundred riders to Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu.
The two men were excited to see so many cavalrymen, so they immediately mounted their horses and led the cavalrymen elsewhere to begin training.
"Wu Siyu and Liao Butou must be very skilled in mounted combat."
Xu Jing walked over, watched the cavalrymen's departing figures, and said to Wu Shuangren.
"Oh?"
Wu Shuangren looked at the other person.
Xu Jing: "I saw them training militiamen on horseback in the county before; their horsemanship was superb."
He was skilled in both horsemanship and archery, and it was quite rare for him to be praised as having "exquisite horsemanship."
Wu Shuangren nodded.
Back in Bo County, when he had Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu ride horses to attack him, he used the "strength of a horse" to train and judged from the enhancement brought by [Match for One Person] that the two were excellent riders and their mounted combat strength far exceeded that of foot soldiers!
"They were either elite scouts of the border army or top-ranking cavalrymen in a powerful cavalry unit."
Xu Jing made a judgment, "My eleven men can only teach you cavalry riding and mounted combat skills, but your two elders can teach you much more valuable things."
Wu Shuangren smiled.
That afternoon, Luo Heng suddenly found Wu Shuangren.
"Commander, news just arrived from the Flying Feather Hall."
Luo Heng's face darkened, and he handed over a slip of paper.
Wu Shuangren unfolded it and saw only one sentence written on it—
More than 15,000 men from Mount Liang have left Rong Province and are heading towards Yi Province!
Wu Shuangren took a deep breath, folded the note, and looked at Luo Heng: "Send someone to keep an eye on things, and report any developments immediately."
"Yes!"
Luo Heng accepted the order and left.
Wu Shuangren was about to send someone to summon Guo Jiwang and Xu Jing to discuss countermeasures when a guard suddenly arrived to report:
"Commander-in-Chief, Yan Bin requests an audience."
Yan Bin is the head of the Linwen County and is now the battalion commander of the Sixth Battalion of the Yi Province Militia.
"Let him in."
Wu Shuangren said.
Yan Bin was a dark-skinned, thin man in his early thirties. He stood at attention and bowed as soon as he entered the door, his face showing barely concealed anxiety.
"Commander, the Mount Liang forces are here again! I heard they've already left Rong Province, taking the same route as last time. Our Linwen County will be the first to bear the brunt!"
Linwen County is located on the border of Yi Province, close to Rong Province. It is a necessary Linwen County when entering Yi Province from Rong Province.
Last time, the Mount Liang army of over 6,000 men passed through Linwen County, but in order to take control of Yi Prefecture City as soon as possible, the Mount Liang army did not stop and did not attack Linwen County.
After Mount Liang's defeat and return to Rong Province, they passed through Linwen County again, and were even less inclined to attack.
Although the Mount Liang did not attack Linwen County Seat on either of their two visits, Yan Bin knew very well that if the Mount Liang rebels came again, Linwen County would be in great danger!
He had deployed a large number of people to keep an eye on the border between the two states, and they would report back to him immediately if there was any news. Therefore, he received intelligence at a speed not much slower than Flying Feather Hall, which allowed him to find Wu Shuangren so quickly.
Now that he has learned that the Mount Liang army has returned and is about to enter Yi Province again, Yan Bin is extremely anxious.
He stared intently at Wu Shuangren: "Commander, you said back then that as long as people were willing to join the Yi Province Militia, you would take care of any family that fell into trouble in the future. I, Yan Bin, brought all the militia from Linwen County here because I believed your words! Now that more than 10,000 people from Mount Liang have come to attack, how do you plan to deal with them, Commander?"
When the various factions from Yi Province first brought their people to Yi Prefecture City, the largest number came from Linwen County.
Yan Bin knew that Linwen County alone was no match for the Mount Liang army. Therefore, he was genuinely moved by Wu Shuangren's words and sincerely hoped that Wu Shuangren would keep his word.
Wu Shuangren looked at him and said in a deep voice, "I always keep my word. I will definitely take charge of Linwen County!"
Yan Bin was overjoyed upon hearing this and excitedly said, "Commander-in-Chief, as long as you are willing to take charge of Linwen County, the soldiers from Linwen County are willing to be at the forefront!"
Wu Shuangren nodded, offered a few more words of reassurance, and then personally saw the other person out.
He returned to his study and ordered his guards to invite Guo Jiwang and Xu Jing over.
While waiting for someone, he unfolded the map hand-drawn by Guo Jiwang and examined it carefully. (See image below)
Before long, the two arrived one after the other.
Wu Shuangren first gave the information about the Flying Feather Hall, and then told him about Yan Bin's visit to him earlier.
He looked at Guo Jiwang: "Sir, what do you think?"
Guo Jiwang said without hesitation, "There are no natural defenses near Linwen County, and the city walls are too low to withstand a large army's attack. The only solution is to have some of the people of Linwen County retreat into the nearby mountains and forests, and others retreat to the prefectural city."