If we refuse, it will inevitably cause the Xu Family to have doubts, which will affect future cooperation.
Moreover, Guo Jiwang also thought the Xu Family was a good fit, so there was nothing to hesitate about.
As for love and such, Wu Shuangren didn't care about it at all.
The sixty-fifth day since Xu Rong was killed.
After receiving Wu Shuangren's message, Wu Dongrong and Xu Nanzhi rode swiftly from Bo County to Yi Prefecture City.
Although marriages are arranged by parents and matchmakers, given Wu Shuangren's current success, he can certainly make his own decisions regarding marriage, and Wu Dongrong and Xu Nanzhi support all his choices.
Therefore, after confirming Wu Shuangren's feelings, the two immediately agreed to the marriage.
The two met with Xu Cheng that very evening.
Xu Cheng learned that Wu Shuangren's mother also had the surname Xu, he couldn't help but marvel at how destined the two were.
He was a soldier, while Wu Dongrong was a veteran of the border army. He didn't put on airs of a superior, and directly addressed Wu Dongrong as "brother" at the dinner table. The two had a lot in common and chatted happily.
Ultimately, the marriage between the Wu Clan and Xu Family was tentatively settled in a pleasant atmosphere.
After the banquet, Xu Cheng found Xu Jing:
"Did Wu Shuangren learn martial arts from his mother?"
Xu Jing shook his head. "I'm not quite sure."
Xu Cheng pondered for a moment, "His father was a veteran of the border army, skilled in martial arts, but not quite at the First Rate level. There's no way he could have raised a son who had reached the First Rank level at such a young age. I can sense that Wu Shuangren's mother is no ordinary person."
Xu Jing witnessed Xu Nanzhi's attack, Xu Jing remarked, "The opponent should also be at the First Rank."
Xu Cheng nodded. "That's right."
Xu Jing asked, somewhat puzzled, "Father, is there a problem?"
Xu Cheng explained, "I told you before, according to the family genealogy, our Xu Clan's original ancestral home was not actually in Lulin County, Shu Province."
Xu Jing nodded.
Xu Cheng: "Our branch of the Xu Clan migrated from Jiangnan Circuit to Jiannan Circuit a hundred years ago. We are a branch, while the main branch is from Jiangnan Circuit. However, due to the great distance and the long passage of time, the two sides lost contact long ago."
Xu Jing asked thoughtfully, "Father, do you think Wu Shuangren's mother is from the main branch of Jiangnan Circuit?"
Xu Cheng shook his head. "I'm not sure either. When I talked to Xu Nanzhi tonight, I asked her about her hometown, and she only said that she wasn't from Jiannan Circuit. But I noticed that she spoke with a faint Jiangnan accent. I've heard your grandfather mention a few times that our Xu Clan ancestors once produced a Great Grandmaster! They were a martial arts family in Jiangnan Circuit, but later, due to unforeseen circumstances, a branch of them moved to Jiannan Circuit to avoid disaster and prevent the Xu Clan line from dying out."
"This..."
This was the first time Xu Jing had learned about the deeds of the main branch of the Xu Clan.
The two families have not had any contact for nearly a century. Apart from sharing the same surname, Xu, they are now completely different Lineage.
His surname is Xu, he speaks with Jiangnan Circuit accent, and he is First Rank expert.
No wonder Xu Cheng that Xu Nanzhi was a descendant of the main branch of the Xu Clan left in Jiangnan Circuit. Xu Jing also felt that this was possible after hearing this.
"But if our Xu Clan family ancestors included Great Grandmaster and we are a renowned martial arts family, why isn't our family's traditional martial arts... considered top-tier?"
Xu Jing asked, puzzled.
He does have some talent for martial arts, having practiced the Xu Clan's traditional martial arts since childhood, and is currently only at the peak of the Fourth Rank in Internal Skill cultivation.
Xu Cheng was also only Fourth Rank. The Xu Family had no more than one hand's worth of First Rate experts in the past hundred years, and not a First Rank expert.
Xu Jing felt that such family-inherited martial arts did not seem like the style of Great Grandmaster.
Xu Cheng said helplessly, "I also asked your grandfather about this issue. He said that it was probably to avoid our lineage being affected, so they made a severance in the inheritance of martial arts."
Xu Jing nodded. His lineage had never been targeted by any enemies in the past hundred years, perhaps because of this reason.
"If Wu Shuangren's mother is truly the main branch of our Xu Clan remaining in Jiangnan Circuit, and even First Rank expert like her has to hide in Jiannan Circuit, then Jiangnan Circuit must be in a very difficult situation..."
Xu Jing sighed.
Xu Cheng also sighed.
Although the two sides have not been in contact for nearly a century, they are still of the same lineage.
As for the grudges on the main branch, the two of them weren't too worried.
The Xu Clan has been in Jiannan Circuit for over a hundred years without any incidents. Xu Nanzhi has been in Jiannan Circuit for so many years, and her son is already eighteen years old, yet nothing has happened to her.
There's no need to worry unnecessarily.
Xu Cheng even felt that now that they had formed a marriage alliance with the Wu Clan, the two families' influence might have a chance to expand into Jiangnan Circuit in the future.
At that time, we might even be able to avenge the main branch of the Xu Family!
The marriage between the two families was only tentatively arranged. Next, according to the "Six Rites," the groom's family needed to send a matchmaker with a goose to the bride's home to propose marriage; this was called "Nacai" (纳采).
After the woman agrees, the man will send someone to her home again to inquire about her name and birth date; this is called "asking the name".
Following these are the steps of Naji, Nazheng, Qingqi, and Qinying.
It will take at least two to three months to complete all the steps.
Wu Shuangren was not in a hurry to get married; in fact, she felt that the later the marriage, the better.
However, he did not deliberately delay to avoid misunderstandings with the Xu Family. The day after Xu Cheng returned to Shu Province, he sent someone with wild geese and other gifts to Shu Province to propose marriage.
In the days that followed, Wu Shuangren left all the wedding-related matters to his parents to handle. Apart from practicing martial arts every day, he devoted all his attention to training the group.
In the Battle of Rong Province City, Wu Shuangren seized a large amount of military equipment and five hundred warhorses from the Shannan Army.
Because they acquired over two hundred more sets of infantry armor, Wu Shuangren's personal guard increased by another two hundred men, bringing the total to five hundred.
These are five hundred heavily armored infantrymen!
In addition, there were more than 700 crossbows of various types and 30 crossbows of the Divine Arm type.
The number of crossbowmen was expanded to nine hundred, and they were finally no longer so lacking in ranged firepower.
Finally, there was the cavalry battalion. Although five hundred more warhorses were added, Wu Shuangren did not directly increase the number of cavalrymen by five hundred.
Because each rider and horse is responsible for training, the pace is actually very slow. If a warhorse is injured during training or battle, the cavalry will have no spare horse.
With only one man and one horse, many classic cavalry tactics become difficult to execute.
Therefore, on the advice of Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu, Wu Shuangren only increased the number of cavalrymen by one hundred this time.
He currently has over 800 warhorses. His personal guard will take 200 warhorses, leaving over 600 warhorses for the 300 men of the cavalry battalion, ensuring that each man can have two horses.
Veteran soldiers were drawn from various battalions of the Yi Province Militia to fill vacancies in the personal guard and cavalry battalions. The soldiers drawn from each battalion, the vacancies caused by casualties, and the crossbowmen missing from the crossbow battalion were all recruited from tenant farmers in Yi Prefecture City.
The recruitment was completed more than a month ago, and Wu Shuangren didn't need to worry about the basic training.
He trained with his personal guard and cavalry every day, and also learned various cavalry tactics from Liao Yu.
After returning from Rong Province, Wu Dongrong and Xu Nanzhi went back to Bo County to guard the rear for Wu Shuangren.
Liao Yu voluntarily stayed behind to continue helping Wu Shuangren train cavalry.
With everything on track, Guo Jiwang told Wu Shuangren that he was going back to West River County.
He's been away from home for almost half a year; he should definitely go back and visit.
Before leaving, Guo Jiwang told Wu Shuangren:
"After the marriage alliance with the Xu Clan is completed, my lord can consider taking control of Xi Province as well!"
Wu Shuangren actually had the same idea. Now, Yi Province and Rong Province could be considered his sphere of influence. If he wanted to continue expanding outwards, Xi Province would be his first choice.
Because Wu Shuangren already controls both West River Market and West River County in Xi Province, and the Xu Family also has relatives by marriage in Xi Province, who can be of assistance.
Guo Jiwang's return to West River County this time was not only to handle affairs and appease people, but also to lay the groundwork for Wu Shuangren's next move.
The seventy-fifth day after Xu Rong was killed.
The matchmaker who went to Shu Province to "present the betrothal gifts" returned to Yi Province and informed Wu Shuangren that the Xu Family had officially agreed to the marriage.
Wu Shuangren sent someone to Shu Province again with gifts to inquire about the woman's name and birth date.
The eighty-second day after Xu Rong's death.
After divination, it was determined that the man and woman's birth charts were compatible and they could marry. Wu Shuangren then sent someone with gifts to inform the Xu Family of this, completing the third step, "Naji."
Meanwhile, Li Bian, the new emperor of the Wu Dynasty, held his enthronement ceremony in the capital, establishing the reign title as—
Kwanghee!
The ninth day of the first month of the first year of the Guangxi era.
The ninetieth day since Xu Rong was killed.
Wu Shuangren organized a joint martial arts competition between the Yi Province and Rong Province militias.
The two militias held a martial arts competition at the border of the two prefectures. This competition was more extensive than the one West River Market.
It is divided into individual and team competitions.
Individual competitions include horseback riding, archery, and singles wrestling, among others.
The team competition follows the same rules as the martial arts contest at West River Market, except this time it's a competition between battalions, with a thousand people facing a thousand people.
Wu Shuangren offered a total of three thousand taels of silver as a reward for this grand martial arts competition!
The competition lasted for five days, and the gap between the two training teams was obvious.
The Rong Province Militia can only achieve good results in individual competitions; they can't win a single team match!
None of the five battalions of the Rong Province Militia were at full strength. During the competition, the Yi Province Militia had the same number of personnel as the opposing team.
Using the same equipment and competing under the same rules, the Rong Province Militia was completely outmatched in teamwork, tactics, morale, and fighting spirit!
Even the two Rong Province Battalion that fought in the battle of Yi Prefecture City did not perform well and lost to the Ninth Battalion and Tenth Battalion battalions of the Yi Province Militia, which were mostly composed of new recruits.
This made the battalion commanders of the Rong Province Militia feel very ashamed.
With the same treatment and the same training methods, such a huge difference exists, and it's not just a matter of lacking practical experience.
Wu Shuangren was naturally dissatisfied with this result, but he had expected it beforehand.
He stayed in Rong Province for more than a month, and only left Rong Province to return to Yi Province after he had overseen the Rong Province Militia getting on track.
Next, he instructed Luo Heng to send people from the Flying Feather Hall to secretly keep an eye on the Rong Province Militia.
As a result, the people from the Flying Feather Hall told Wu Shuangren that less than half a month after he left Rong Province, the Rong Province Militia's training in all aspects had already begun to slacken.
Wu Shuangren set a rule that all training sessions must be completed every day, and that all aspects of life, including clothing, food, and lodging, must be conducted in accordance with regulations, without any laxity.
Such requirements are extremely stringent, and the vast majority of officers and soldiers do not meet this level of training.
With Wu Shuangren watching over them, no one dared to slack off.
As soon as Wu Shuangren left, all the battalions of the Rong Province Militia relaxed their vigilance.
"Militia Commander Wu."
Huang Cheng and four other Rong Province Militia approached Wu Shuangren with nervous Orthodox God.
The five people stood in a row, heads down, not daring to look Wu Shuangren in the eye.
196. In managing affairs, nothing is more important than being cautious at the beginning.
The grand martial arts competition organized by Wu Shuangren took place in a field.
He built a viewing platform on a hillside, which allowed him to have a clear view of the competition from above.
At this moment, he was sitting alone in the stands, while Huang Cheng and five other battalion commanders stood in a row in front of him with their heads down.
Given the speed of information transmission in this era, the difficulty of management will increase exponentially as one's territory expands and the number of subordinates grows!
From Yi Prefecture City to Rong Province City, if one person has multiple horses and takes turns riding, it can be reached in as little as two days, and the round trip takes four days.
However, due to this mere four-day "time difference," problems began to arise in the Rong Province Militia as soon as Wu Shuangren left Rong Province!
This is just a problem that has occurred in two neighboring states. If Wu Shuangren's sphere of influence expands to several states or even more in the future, will he be unable to command his own troops?