Xu Rong added, "Brother Zhang, I'm telling you all this because I truly consider you one of my own."
Zhang Liao quickly clasped his hands in thanks.
Xu Rong pulled him close, pointing to the boxes on the ground. "I brought a bunch of brothers to Yi Province this time, braving all the hardships. It's not just these six thousand brothers outside who are waiting to eat meat and drink soup; there are tens of thousands of brothers waiting in Ya Province too! When I said Wu Shuangren treated me like a beggar, I meant that he only saw that I brought six thousand men, but he didn't see that my Shannan Army sent thirty thousand men to Jiannan Circuit this time! Tell me, is this little bit of silver enough to fill the teeth of thirty thousand men?"
"..."
Zhang Liao was speechless.
He certainly underestimated Xu Rong's appetite.
"But the officials in the city don't want us to enter. If Wu Shuangren forces the city gates open and lets us in, he'll probably cut himself off from Yi Province in the future."
Zhang Liao still spoke up for Wu Shuangren.
Xu Rong scoffed, "Those who wield weapons are the real bosses. What are those civil officials? If Wu Shuangren has the ability to establish this Yi Province Militia, do you think he can't control those civil officials?"
Zhang Liao sighed inwardly. The other party had spent many years with the border troops, and his mentality was indeed completely different from his own.
"Brother Xu."
Zhang Liao recalled Wu Shuangren's excessively youthful face and slowly said, "Wu Shuangren is only eighteen years old and has already reached the First Rank realm. He even defeated a powerhouse like Lu Yulin, and now he commands tens of thousands of men. Isn't such a person worth recruiting? Didn't you just say that he might become the second [Hegemon-King]?"
Xu Rong released Zhang Liao: "So that's what you think, brother."
Zhang Liao nodded. "I think Wu Shuangren is indeed a young hero, a talent unparalleled in the world. Why make him our enemy when we can befriend him?"
Xu Rong laughed heartily and shook his head, "My earlier remark that he might become the second [Hegemon-King] was just a momentary surprise, not a genuine belief that he had that opportunity."
"Brother, as the saying goes, 'circumstances create heroes,' and no matter how talented an individual is, they cannot defy fate!"
"..."
"What is the background of that prince in Western Capital? He was born the young master of one of the Four Great Aristocratic Clans! No matter how powerful Wu Shuangren is, he's just a local militiaman, a commoner. What makes him comparable to that prince?"
"..."
"Let's not talk about anything far away, just take Lu Yulin from Mount Liang. Ha, he passed the martial arts exam with top honors back then, and what happened? Later, he became the number one martial artist in Hebei Circuit, and that's how he got ahead, right? And what about now? He's still a bandit!"
"..."
"Brother Zhang, I know you mean well, and I'm not determined to be enemies with Wu Shuangren. As long as he doesn't try to monopolize the benefits of Yi Prefecture City, I'd be happy to be his friend, and even introduce him to the military governor!"
"..."
Zhang Liao pursed his lips and remained silent throughout.
In fact, when Xu Rong gave his example, he also thought of himself.
He, First Rank expert, so confident in his talent, is still trapped in a small fortified city as a garrison commander?
In Zhang Liao's eyes, Wang Yan, who led 30,000 Shannan Army, was inferior to himself in every way, yet he was able to become the commander of 30,000 troops at such a young age!
Fate can sometimes be quite frustrating.
"But Wu Shuangren is so young and already at the First Rank level; who knows, he might become Grandmaster in the future."
Zhang Liao paused for a moment before speaking.
Xu Rong scoffed, "The Great Grandmaster of the Deer-Slaying Palace once said that every First Rank expert has the opportunity to become Grandmaster. But whether they can take that step depends not on talent, but on opportunity. In the end, it all comes down to fate! Who can say for sure about such things?"
Does this mean that when I lead my army in the future, I'll have to give face to every First Rank I encounter? Who will give face to my Shannan Army then?!
Zhang Liao sighed, knowing he couldn't persuade the other party.
He would indeed prefer to be friends with Wu Shuangren, but unfortunately, he wasn't the one leading the army this time.
What are you planning to do, Brother Xu?
Zhang Liao asked.
Xu Rong replied without hesitation, "Since Brother Zhang wants to make friends with Wu Shuangren on behalf of our Shannan Army, then I'll trouble you to make another trip and tell Wu Shuangren that as long as he's willing to open the city gates and let us in, we'll be friends. In the future, I can introduce him to the military governor. The military governor will surely appreciate such a talented person."
Zhang Liao continued, "What if... the other party still disagrees?"
Xu Rong's eyes turned cold. "If he still refuses to let our army garrison Yi Prefecture City, then I will lead my men to garrison Bo County!"
That afternoon, Wu Shuangren met Zhang Liao for the third time.
"Militia Commander Wu."
Zhang Liao looked at Wu Shuangren, his tone somewhat helpless, "General Xu still insists that you open the city gates. If you are willing to befriend the Shannan Army, General Xu can later introduce you to Dong Military Governor Dong of Shannan Circuit."
Wu Shuangren remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "It seems General Xu is unwilling to make me his friend."
Zhang Liao sighed, understanding Wu Shuangren's choice:
"General Xu also said... if you are unwilling to let the Shannan Army garrison Yi Prefecture City, then he will take the Shannan Army to garrison Bo County next."
Upon hearing this, Wu Shuangren's eyes turned cold.
He said coldly, "Please tell General Zhang to convey to General Xu that I need to consider it."
"Good."
Zhang Liao cupped his hands in apology, feeling embarrassed to stay any longer, and got up to leave.
Guo Jiwang came out from a side room, took a sip of wine from his gourd, and shook his head:
"It seems the Shannan Army is used to being domineering, and their appetite is far greater than we imagined. It's a pity that Zhang Liao wasn't originally part of the Shannan Army, so he has no say in the military."
He walked up to Wu Shuang, looked at her expressionless face, and sighed.
He had originally prepared many methods to win over Huairou, but now it seems none of them are needed...
Meanwhile, Zhang Liao returned to the military camp and told Xu Rong what Wu Shuangren.
"Then I'll give him a day to consider it."
After listening, Xu Rong said coldly.
At the Yi Prefecture City, the drawbridge was lowered, and the city gate slowly opened.
Wu Shuangren led the way, heading out of the city first, followed by a 300-strong personal guard, all of whom were clad in heavy armor!
The guard consisted of one hundred riders, their hooves thundering on the ground.
Two hundred cavalrymen followed closely behind, and then all the Militia Private who had entered the city in iron armor were now marching out in formation. The iron armor gleamed darkly in the afternoon sun.
Wu Shuangren led his men to join the Yi Province Militia who were lined up in front of the camp outside the West Gate, and spent some time reorganizing their ranks.
Just like the battle formation against the Mount Liang Army that day, the archer brigade was in the front, the spearmen were in the center, the swordsmen and shieldmen were on the flanks, two hundred cavalrymen protected the left flank, two Rong Province Battalion were in the rear, Wu Shuangren led his personal guard brigade as the central army.
Xu Yu followed beside Wu Shuangren, holding the large black banner with the character 'Wu' written on it in one hand.
The banner fluttered in the wind.
At Wu Shuangren's command, tens of thousands of people moved towards the east gate!
At the Shannan Army camp outside the East Gate, several scouts galloped from afar. Upon arriving at the camp, they dismounted and rushed towards the central army camp.
Soon, a scout entered the tent, knelt on one knee, and reported to Xu Rong:
"General, over ten thousand troops from Yi Prefecture City are heading towards our army. This time, their ranks are also reinforced with several hundred more cavalry!"
Xu Rong was sitting behind his desk studying a map of Yi Province when he heard this. He slammed his hand heavily on the table and stood up abruptly.
"What did you say?!"
The scout shuddered and repeated what he had just said.
Xu Rong laughed angrily, "Very well, I underestimated Wu Shuangren!"
With that, he strode out of the tent, channeled his Internal Skill, and shouted, "All troops, listen to my command! Form ranks and prepare to meet the enemy!"
Upon hearing the news, Zhang Liao arrived and immediately inquired what had happened.
Xu Rong was already having his personal guards put on his armor.
His face was grim, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Wu Shuangren said he needed to consider it, but he took the initiative to lead his men this way, trying to intimidate me. What an arrogant fool! I'll see if he dares to make a move!"
Zhang Liao was stunned after hearing this. He had previously thought that Wu Shuangren was not as young and arrogant as he had imagined, but rather humble and polite. He never expected the other party's reaction to be so intense!
This is... hard to handle.
The bugle sounded urgently.
The six thousand men that Xu Rong brought this time were all elite troops. The soldiers quickly emerged from their tents, put on their armor, took their weapons, and rushed out of the camp to form ranks.
More than a thousand cavalrymen had already assembled in the open space in front of the camp.
Xu Rong donned a set of infantry armor, picked up a long spear, and rode out of the camp, with Zhang Liao following beside him on horseback.
"Cavalry in front, spearmen in the center, swordsmen and shieldmen protecting the flanks."
Xu Rong gave the order.
Soon, he took the lead, pushing forward with six thousand men.
A moment later, the two teams were about a mile and a half apart, facing each other from a distance.
Xu Rong had assumed that Wu Shuangren would be the first to order the Yi Province Militia to stop, but to his surprise, they continued to advance without any intention of stopping!
His anger intensified, and he led his six thousand men forward.
Dust billowed across the ground.
The two groups of people drew closer and closer, neither showing any intention of giving way!
173 Seeking wealth and merit, let's advance together to Rong Province.
Yi Prefecture City, the two armies continued their advance.
Eight hundred steps.
Seven hundred steps.
Six hundred steps.
As they got closer, they could see each other's lineups more and more clearly.
Drums sounded from both sides of the procession, but the drums from the Yi Province Militia were louder because they were in sync with the footsteps of tens of thousands of people.
Each strike made the ground tremble slightly!
Xu Rong, mounted on his horse, looked at the opposite side, his expression gradually shifting from initial anger to solemnity.
The Yi Province Militia's ranks stretched out horizontally, their spears like a forest, their formations neat and their steps synchronized.
That's fine.
Xu Rong also noticed a lot of iron armor on the Militia Private in the first few rows!
Initially, the scouts discovered that only a portion of the Yi Province Militia were wearing leather armor, and not many had iron armor.
In retrospect, it seems that Wu Shuangren intentionally concealed his strength at the time.
Although the enemy's armored force was not as numerous as the Shannan Army brought by Xu Rong, it far exceeded the number of local militias!
In addition, Xu Rong was also shocked to find that the enemy's left flank had more than two hundred cavalrymen.
Even a provincial commander in many places might not be able to muster that many cavalry!
What Xu Rong feared most was the spirit and morale of the team in front of him.
He was a veteran general with extensive experience, and he could tell at a glance whether a team was capable of fighting or not.
Many teams may appear to have a large number of members and be powerful, but in reality, their morale is low, and they are just a paper frame that will crumble at the slightest touch.
The so-called Yi Province Militia in front of us is clearly in high spirits and full of energy!
Xu Rong originally thought that the Yi Province Militia was only lucky to defeat the Mount Liang forces. It was Wu Shuangren who defeated Lu Yulin with his personal bravery, which disrupted the morale of the Mount Liang army.
Hearing is unreliable, seeing is believing.
After witnessing the Yi Province Militia firsthand, he had to admit that he had indeed underestimated them.
When the two armies were about 500 paces apart, Xu Rong reined in his horse, raised his hand, and signaled for the entire army to stop.
Going any further, we would be within range of the enemy's crossbows.