“General Huo Qubing (Yao Guangxiao) greets His Highness!”
Outside the military camp, Ye Chen looked at the two men with great delight, and quickly helped them up after their greeting.
“This is not the place for discussion. Follow me.”
In the main general’s tent, Ye Chen summoned several of the main generals of the Yunzhou Army. Currently, the Yunzhou Army had grown to a force of over six thousand men.
Inside the tent, Ye Chen, Lao Huang, Zhang Zhi, Zhao Yun, Xu Da, and Yao Guangxiao all took their seats and focused on the map on the table.
Before Ye Chen could speak, Lao Huang said:
“Your Highness, many young men in Yunzhou City want to enlist. I have kept seven hundred of them, and the rest have been sent to the Prefectural Office.”
Ye Chen nodded:
“Good work. Yunzhou will serve as our future reserve base, so the Prefectural Office is crucial. Sending some men there will also help Chen Xing and the others govern Yunzhou.”
Yao Guangxiao thought for a moment and then said:
“Your Highness, with this, the Yunzhou Army will expand to seven thousand men. If they are all equipped with the Xuan Armor, the steppe infantry will be helpless against them.”
Ye Chen agreed and nodded. His points were just enough to equip the remaining two thousand men. The sight of seven thousand Xuan Armor troops galloping across the steppe was beyond imagination!
Huo Qubing also said:
“Xuan Armor troops are indeed the nemesis of infantry, but the steppe people excel in mounted archery. If we encounter their cavalry, we might be at a disadvantage.”
Ye Chen had already considered this and replied:
“Currently, with seven thousand men in the Yunzhou Army, if we launch a surprise attack, no tribe on the steppe can withstand us. Our first target will be the Tu Man tribe!”
Since the Tu Man tribe’s ten thousand men were wiped out by Ye Chen last time, they now had at most twenty thousand combatants. Against Xuan Armor troops, the steppe infantry had no chance.
Ye Chen continued:
“After eliminating the Tu Man tribe, I plan to recruit three thousand more men from Yunzhou City into the Yunzhou Army. Then, we will equip one thousand of them with heavy armor to form the Heavy Armor Troops.”
“Another thousand will be provided with warhorses and heavy armor to become the Heavy Cavalry. With this, no enemy will be a match for us on the entire steppe.”
Everyone present was seasoned veterans who had seen many battles. Even they were stunned by Ye Chen’s plan.
It is known that even a powerful nation like Chu has only two thousand heavy armor troops due to constant financial constraints and the burden on the common people.
As for Heavy Cavalry, Chu had none.
The reasons are manifold: first, the cost of warhorses is exorbitant, and even light cavalry is Chu’s limit; second, the technical difficulty in matching warhorses with heavy cavalry armor is immense; and third, the maintenance of heavy armor is extraordinarily costly, requiring a daily expenditure of one hundred taels of silver, which is nearly a hundred times that of the same number of infantry!
Despite the incredibility, no one doubted Ye Chen’s words. Ye Chen was known for creating miracles in any situation.
Even Yao Guangxiao was seriously analyzing the situation and said:
“Your Highness, how long until the army can move out?”
Lao Huang, who was in charge of training the Yunzhou Army, immediately responded:
“Another half month of training will be needed to achieve full combat readiness!”
The focus then shifted to Yao Guangxiao, who looked at the sky and then calculated on his own.
Finally, Yao Guangxiao placed his finger on an empty area on the map:
“If we move out in half a month, our first target should be the Zhuo Cheng tribe.”
The Zhuo Cheng tribe? Ye Chen paused and looked at the inconspicuous little tribe on the map, somewhat puzzled.
“Why the Zhuo Cheng tribe?”
Yao Guangxiao pulled out a book titled “Grassland Tribe Records” and analyzed:
“Although the Zhuo Cheng tribe is a small tribe on the steppe, they have always supplied talent to the Tu Man tribe and the western U Lie tribe. The food they plundered from Chu also goes to the Zhuo Cheng tribe. Attacking them is not considered taking advantage of the weak.”
Ye Chen nodded. Although his goal was to conquer the steppe and the Western Regions, he did not intend to slaughter all the tribes. He would rather not take action against tribes that had no conflict with Chu.
However, Ye Chen questioned what use a small tribe might be:
“Strategist, if we attack the Zhuo Cheng tribe, isn’t that equivalent to attacking two tribes simultaneously?”
At this moment, Yao Guangxiao looked at Ye Chen with a half-smile and replied:
“With Your Highness’s abilities, are you afraid of a single tribe?”
With these words, everyone present recalled Ye Chen’s terrifying strength on the battlefield. His one-man army was an insult to his prowess.
If not for the goal of annihilating the enemy, Ye Chen could have flattened the bandit strongholds even without the Yunzhou Army.
In fact, Ye Chen’s combat power had surpassed human limits, and no obstacle could halt his progress.
Yao Guangxiao continued:
“Your Highness, no matter where you are, you are an invincible presence.”
“Therefore, if you personally attack the Zhuo Cheng tribe, many of them will surely go to inform the Tu Man tribe and the U Lie tribe.”
“The two major tribes will not send heavy troops, considering the possibility of ambushes. They will likely send at most ten thousand troops.”
“The Yunzhou Army will ambush the U Lie tribe on their way, and with Xuan Armor, only a few U Lie soldiers can break through. It will be a crushing victory.”
Yao Guangxiao paused for a moment, noticing Ye Chen’s smile and understanding the plan, he added:
“Your Highness will wait at the Zhuo Cheng tribe for the Tu Man tribe’s reinforcements. What happens next is up to you.”
Ye Chen knew exactly how to deal with the Tu Man tribe and didn’t need further elaboration. Everyone present had a clear picture.
“Good!”
Ye Chen applauded and then ordered:
“I will now divide the Yunzhou Army into six battalions.”
“One thousand men will form the Iron Blood Battalion, led by Xu Da. They will become the Yunzhou Army’s heavy armor troops in the future!”
“One thousand men will form the Steed Cavalry Battalion, led by Huo Qubing. They will become the Yunzhou Army’s heavy cavalry with warhorses and heavy armor!”
“One thousand men will form the Sharp Blade Battalion, led by Lao Huang, serving as the Yunzhou Army’s vanguard.”
“One thousand men will form the Tiger Ben Battalion, led by Zhang Zhi, serving as the Yunzhou Army’s left wing.”
“One thousand men will form the Dragon Might Battalion, led by Zhao Yun, serving as the Yunzhou Army’s right wing.”
“Two thousand men will form the Divine Wind Battalion, led by Yao Guangxiao, serving as the Yunzhou Army’s rear guard.”
“Understood!”
After the order, everyone in the tent rose and accepted the command. Ye Chen then added:
“The Sharp Blade Battalion, Tiger Ben Battalion, and Dragon Might Battalion can recruit soldiers along the way and equip them with Xuan Armor until the Xuan Armor infantry reaches two thousand men!”
Ye Chen then rose and instructed the assembled generals:
“You have the same authority as me in your respective battalions. You may act as you see fit and make decisions in my absence, as long as it benefits the situation. Feel free to act decisively!”
Managing the Yunzhou Army of seven thousand men, plus the additional three thousand recruits, would be a significant challenge.
If they were all divided like the Tu Man tribe and bandit strongholds, the battle situation would be chaotic. Ye Chen’s meticulous division of the Yunzhou Army was to ensure proper organization for future large-scale battles.
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