Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

Yang Ling frowned and said worriedly: "If we offer so many favorable conditions, I'm afraid the common people may not be willing to join the army. After all, these common people were forcibly conscripted by the government to farm during the slack season, and they have no idea about being a soldier."

"Don't worry, Marshal. The common people are actually the easiest to satisfy. As long as we give them more benefits, they will be willing to join the army and serve the country."

"It makes sense!"

Chen Xiao asked: "Marshal, how do we recruit this new battalion of soldiers?"

Yang Ling smiled and replied, "According to the court's regulations, the new soldiers need to pay a deposit of 30,000 coins before recruiting. However, we are senior generals in the army, and we are training under the order, so we can be exempted from this. As for the food and silver consumed in the training, I will pay for it, and then borrow from the gentry."

Having said that, Yang Ling couldn't help but reveal a proud look.

Everyone also showed excitement.

Yang Ling thought of something and asked Zuo Mou, "Zuo Mou, do you think they will realize that we have discovered their conspiracy?"

Zuo Mou smiled and said, "I don't think so. They don't know that we have already known about the plan leak."

Yang Ling nodded in agreement, then frowned and said, "But if we suddenly change our actions here, we will have to prepare for it!"

When the generals heard Yang Ling's words, they couldn't help but become nervous and looked at Yang Ling.

Yang Ling thought for a moment and said, "For now, we can only send an envoy to tell them our decision so that they can prepare in advance."

Zuo Mou nodded in agreement, "Well, let's do as the Marshal says."

Then everyone dispersed, but Yang Ling kept Zuo Mou and invited him to sit down and have tea.

After chatting for a day, the two parted ways. Yang Ling rode his horse towards the north of the city with a few personal guards. As he walked on the road, he was still immersed in the joy of discussing the battle situation with Zuo Mou just now.

I thought to myself: When I tell the news to General Li tomorrow, he will probably panic right away. This is a great opportunity!
The smile on Yang Ling's face became brighter and brighter, as if victory was within reach.

Yang Ling led his men to the north of the city, dismounted, and came to the outside of the city gate tower.

When the soldiers guarding the city gate saw the commander-in-chief, they rushed forward and knelt on one knee to pay their respects.

Yang Ling waved his hand at the soldiers and said, "Get up."

The soldiers straightened up and stepped aside.

Yang Ling walked up the stairs into the city and arrived at the command center.

Yang Ling walked into the room and saw the generals sitting in a semicircle, discussing something.

Yang Ling felt very relieved when he saw the excitement and anticipation on everyone's faces.

At this time, everyone saw Yang Ling coming back, and they all stood up and saluted in unison; "Welcome, Marshal!"

Yang Ling glanced at everyone and asked with a smile: "What are you talking about? Why are you so happy?"

Everyone laughed.

Yang Ling was a little confused and asked, "What happened? It actually made you guys so happy as if you had won a battle!"

Chen Xiao smiled and said, "Marshal, the left prime minister just sent a message. He said that he has contacted dozens of villages, and they have agreed to participate in the military exercise. They have also prepared enough supplies. We are just waiting for us to determine the specific combat plan, and then we will arrange for them to be transported here immediately."

Yang Ling's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "How many people are there?"

Chen Xiao took out a booklet and handed it to Yang Ling, "There are about five thousand people."

Yang Ling took the booklet and flipped through it. The more he read, the more excited he became. He raised his head and said excitedly to the generals, "Everyone, come and take a look. This is the situation of that village."

Upon hearing this, everyone rushed forward and were surprised and delighted to see the number of villages recorded in the booklet.

Yang Ling continued to introduce: "This records the situation of the villages participating in the military exercise. There are fifty-six of them..."

All the generals read it and then started shouting, all of them were extremely excited.

Yang Ling ordered Zuo Mou: "Order all members of the Zuo army to assemble immediately!"

Zuo Mou clasped his fists in agreement, then turned and left.

All the generals looked at Yang Ling, and Yang Ling said to them, "Starting tomorrow, every three days, send people to notify these villages, telling them that we have determined the training base and promised to give them generous rewards! In addition, you also need to select elite troops to escort the people from these villages here."

The generals were all confused. "Brother, if that's the case, then why wait until tomorrow?"

Yang Ling explained: "What we have to do now is to confuse the enemy. Although these fifty villages are some distance apart, they are all within the territory of Western Xia, and Western Xia is in the south. Therefore, I think they will never dare to act rashly. Even if we do not take the initiative to provoke them, they will come to us and beg us. Therefore, there is no need for us to rush to recruit them, which will only backfire. It is better to wait for them to come to us themselves!" The generals suddenly realized and clasped their fists in agreement.

Yang Ling turned to Wang Kai and said, "Wang Kai, you immediately send a team of scouts to monitor these villages along the way. If they discover us, retreat immediately and report back." Wang Kai clasped his fists in response and left quickly.

Yang Ling said to the generals, "I will stay at the headquarters for the time being. If there is any major incident, please inform me immediately. If you encounter any difficult issues, you can make your own judgment and deal with them."

The generals clasped their fists in agreement, then took their leave and went down to prepare.

Yang Ling glanced at Zuo Mou and saw that Zuo Mou was still looking worried. He couldn't help but ask, "Zuo Mou, what's wrong? Are you worried about something?"

Zuo Mou sighed and said, "General, I feel something is not right."

Yang Ling was stunned and asked, "What's wrong?"

Zuo Mou said: "I think that since these villages have agreed to participate in the military exercise, why don't we organize civilians to build military camps now? This will not only enhance our military's combat effectiveness, but also allow the people to adapt to the living environment of the military exercise more quickly."

Yang Ling frowned, remained silent for a moment, and asked, "Zuo Mou, tell me, why do you want to set up a military camp?"

Zuo Mou said: "General, we are going to stay here for a long time, so we need a military camp. This way, we can ensure our safety. It is also easier to train soldiers in the military camp. After all, we are good at this kind of thing."

Yang Ling pondered over it and felt that Zuo Mou's statement made sense. He couldn't help but praise him: "Zuo Mou, you are very thoughtful and you did a good job on this matter!" Then he frowned and murmured: "However, if we start to set up a military camp now, I am afraid we will not have time to train the soldiers, and it will also delay our training time." Zuo Mou clasped his fists and said: "I have an idea that may alleviate the current predicament!"

Yang Ling's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Zuo Mou, please feel free to talk."

Zuo Mou pointed to the door and said, "Our army currently has more than 8,000 newly recruited soldiers, most of whom were originally ordinary farmers. Their quality is definitely not as good as those veterans who have been through many battles. We can let them serve as instructors. This way, we can not only make up for the disadvantage of our army's lack of training and low martial arts skills, but also accelerate their growth!"

Yang Ling agreed with it and nodded, saying, "Your suggestion is very good!"

Zuo Mou smiled and said, "We have been expanding continuously over the years, but the soldiers and generals we have used have never been able to meet the needs. If these newly recruited soldiers are used as instructors, it will not only accelerate their growth, but also make them quickly strong and brave. In this way, the strength of our army will grow by leaps and bounds! As for those original soldiers, we can take the opportunity to temper their will and make them more resilient. This strategy of killing two birds with one stone is really wonderful!"

Yang Ling laughed, "Let's do as you say! But I'm worried that they may not be willing to listen to our orders, especially the generals."

Zuo Mou said: "Although the generals are unruly, I believe they will obey our orders." He paused, "However, I think it is better to test them first to avoid making things worse."

Yang Ling thought: "I plan to test them tomorrow."

Zuo Mou nodded, clasped his fists and said, "General, you are wise. This matter is settled!"

Yang Ling said to a deputy general, "You go to each village immediately and ask them to send representatives to the command center to discuss matters!" The deputy general clasped his fists in response and ran off.

Zuo Mou clasped his fists and said, "General, please forgive my intrusion."

Yang Ling smiled and said, "Just tell me."

Zuo Mou hesitated for a moment and whispered, "I have something to say in private, but I'm not sure if I should tell you."

Yang Ling laughed and waved his hand, saying, "Go ahead."

Zuo Mou hesitated and said, "General, I feel that although our army has the upper hand now, it would still be very dangerous if a war really breaks out."

Yang Ling raised his eyebrows and asked, "Why do you say that?"

Zuo Mou said sternly, "General, you just said that we are now fighting in the northwest desert, and the most terrifying thing in the northwest desert is the cavalry. According to the information we have received, the scale of the Western Liao cavalry is very large. Although our army is now equipped with sabers, shields and other weapons, they are after all later products and have limited defensive power. Moreover, the tactics of the Western Liao cavalry are very flexible and secretive. If we encounter a sneak attack by the enemy, it will be difficult for our army to resist."

Yang Ling pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "You are right."

Zuo Mou breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So I think our army should temporarily abandon the battle in the northwest desert and instead defend Xining Prefecture!"

Yang Ling frowned and shook his head, saying, "If we choose to defend Xining Prefecture, then our army will be alone. If we choose to attack, we can tie down the two reinforcements of Liao at the same time." He paused, "Of course, our army can also adopt guerrilla tactics to delay the enemy, and when our army's food and grass are exhausted, we can launch a general attack at the same time and completely destroy the Western Yan army!"

Zuo Mou nodded repeatedly, "Marshal is far-sighted, this is indeed a sound strategy, but..."

"But what?"

"General, I think the situation in the northwest desert is not as bad as we imagined. Instead, it is a godsend opportunity."

"Oh, why do you say that?"

Zuo Mou lowered his voice and said, "The main force of the Western Yan army has been transferred to encircle and suppress the bandits in Lijiazhuang. This way, we have the opportunity to attack the Liao Kingdom from the south. Now the Liao Kingdom's attention is focused on Lijiazhuang, and the flank of Western Yan is empty. We can completely cut in from here. As long as we conquer Liaodong, we can go straight to the capital, and as long as we take the capital, the Liao Kingdom will basically perish!"

Yang Ling's heart began to beat, and he asked in a deep voice: "Zuo Mou, do you think this is a feasible strategy?"

Zuo Mou said decisively: "It is definitely a feasible strategy."

Yang Ling nodded, turned around and ordered: "Zhao Dabao!"

Zhao Dabao immediately walked in, clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "I am here!"

Yang Ling said: "You should lead two thousand elite troops to sneak into the territory of Liao immediately, and wait for an opportunity to harass the counties and towns of Xiping County of Liao. Remember, you must conceal your whereabouts and do not reveal your identity. If you can break through the enemy's county or town, you should immediately retreat. In addition, if you are blocked by the enemy, try to lure the enemy to chase you, and if they don't chase you, return immediately!"

"Yes!" Zhao Dabao responded excitedly, turned around and ran away.

Yang Ling said to Zuo Mou, "Write another secret letter to Zhou Tong and ask him to send a team of scouts to follow Zhao Dabao to Xiping County in Liao."

Zuo Mou nodded in agreement, and then asked, "So, Marshal, who will be responsible for this mission?"

Yang Ling said without hesitation: "Of course you are responsible!"

"Subordinates obey orders!"

Yang Ling warned again: "However, your reconnaissance range must be controlled within 300 miles, and must not exceed this distance."

"I understand."

Yang Ling continued: "In addition to the security guards and scouts, we must be fully prepared so that we can retreat in time if something unexpected happens."

"I understand the humble position!"

In the evening of the next day, Yang Ling left the camp with dozens of fast horses and galloped westward. He decided to go to Liaoyang Prefecture first to ask the Queen Mother of Liao for help and borrow troops to recover the lost territory.

Yang Ling and his companions galloped along the way, camped to rest at night, and continued on their journey the next morning.

Yang Ling and his companions walked for two days and two nights, passing through several small cities, and finally arrived near Liaoyang Prefecture. It was early winter now, and the weather was freezing cold. Goose-feather-like snowflakes were falling from the sky, and the sky and earth were bleak.

Yang Ling and his companions climbed over a hill and saw a winding river not far away. The water was clear and cold. Under the reflection of the setting sun, it looked particularly beautiful and magnificent. They couldn't help but sigh that the scenery here was so beautiful! The soldiers were all delighted to see this scene.

Yang Ling raised his head and glanced at the city wall in the distance. He was so excited that he wanted to ride his horse to the city gate tower immediately, but he endured it.

The troops continued to gallop forward, and soon they arrived at the foot of a mountain. A wide bluestone road led straight to the city gate. At this time, a sound of horse hooves was heard, and then dozens of horses came whistling and approaching. There were more than a dozen soldiers sitting on the horses, and some of them were carrying wooden boxes. At this time, the horse team stopped moving forward, and several soldiers jumped off the horses, opened the wooden boxes, and took out a bunch of tightly tied ropes from them. A soldier explained: "These are our tools."

Yang Ling smiled and said, "Very good!" He looked at these familiar tools and felt a strong desire to return home.

The soldiers picked up a huge stone pillar and walked towards the majestic city gate tower in the distance. (End of this chapter)