"Are the grassland bandits gathering?"

When Li Xin heard this news, he was clearly surprised.

After all, it was only the beginning of spring, and the grassland bandits were already planning to march south again. Did they intend to capture Dongning City in one fell swoop and completely eliminate the Daqian Dynasty's influence in the area?

Li Xin frowned, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Tens of thousands of grassland bandits came in with great force.

Currently, the entire royal guard force of Dongning City only numbers around a thousand people.

In terms of numbers, they are no match for the grassland bandits!

Mr. Liu,

Li Xin took a deep breath and said, "We need to retreat quickly from Shuangcheng Prefecture and Xiande Prefecture."

The troops cannot be dispersed any further, nor can the people!

An order was issued in the name of the Prince Xin's Palace, ordering all prefectures and counties surrounding Dongning Province to evacuate south to Dongning City!

"Your Highness..."

Liu Jingxuan hesitated for a moment, then smiled bitterly to himself.

After all, just now, an imperial edict from the capital rebuked Prince Xin's orders from before the new year.

And now, before even replying to the imperial edict, Prince Xin has issued such an order once again.

This is practically going against the capital!

"Don't hesitate!"

Li Xin turned to look at Liu Jingxuan and said, "Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles!"

Our Dongning Province already has insufficient military strength. If each prefecture and county had tens of thousands of troops, why would we have to abandon the city?

As for the reply to the capital, there's no need to hide anything.

In my name, I reply to Father Emperor, explaining directly why we chose to do this, and outlining the advantages and disadvantages.

I believe Father Emperor understands the reasons behind this!

"Understood!"

Liu Jingxuan nodded in agreement.

That evening, the study in Prince Xin's mansion was brightly lit.

Liu Jingxuan, He Tongyuan, and all the generals of the Prince's Palace Guard gathered here.

After all, this attack by the grassland bandits was a matter of life and death for Dongning City!

It's even more serious than the attack before the Lunar New Year!

"Gentlemen,"

Li Xin cleared his throat and said, "As you all probably know, bandits on the northern grasslands are active."

Reports indicate that the grassland bandits have amassed several thousand cavalrymen, along with vassal troops from surrounding local chieftains, totaling tens of thousands, and are poised to launch an attack.

Their target is clearly our Dongning City!

For our Dongning City, this is yet another critical moment of life and death.

Therefore, I hope that you all can join me in this great undertaking, working together to resist foreign aggression and defend Dongning City!

"It is our duty, Your Highness, please rest assured!"

Wei Jun, He Chaojun, and other generals quickly responded.

"Infantry Commander Wei Jun,"

Li Xin nodded slightly, looked at Wei Jun, and instructed: "During this period, scouts should still be sent out to closely monitor the movements of the grassland bandits."

Pay attention to their troop composition, generals, location, and operational status.

Report back immediately if you have any news!

"yes!"

Wei Jun quickly agreed.

Intelligence work is an indispensable part of war!

Just like human eyes, if we can know the enemy's intelligence in advance, we can prepare for battle in a targeted manner.

As the art of war says: Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!

Therefore, intelligence work is of paramount importance!

Secondly,

Li Xin frowned and continued, "The recruitment of the Prince's Palace Guard infantry needs to be accelerated!"

Currently, the Prince's Guard only has a little over a thousand men, which is far from sufficient.

Therefore, we must continue to expand the Prince's Palace Guard.

In addition, the hunting teams, gathering teams, agricultural reclamation teams, carpentry teams, and other personnel within the city should also be organized to conduct corresponding combat training.

When the enemy arrives, these people will also be reserve soldiers.

Our Dongning city has a small population!

To survive the attacks of the grassland bandits, the entire population needed to be mobilized for war!

Only in this way can we defeat the grassland bandits!

Wei Jun, Liu Jingxuan, you need to hurry up with this matter too!

"yes!"

Wei Jun and Liu Jingxuan then responded.

"He Tongyuan,"

Turning to look at He Tongyuan, Li Xin instructed, "The construction of the Shuibin River Watchtower and the Dongshan Watchtower must be expedited."

During this period, all construction activities revolved around these two watchtowers.

We must strive to complete these two watchtowers before the arrival of the grassland bandits.

Only with the completion of these two watchtowers, forming a defensive triangle with Dongning City, can the defense of our Dongning City be guaranteed.

That would increase our chances of winning against the grassland bandits!

Therefore, the construction of the watchtower must be accelerated!

"Your Highness, rest assured!"

He Tongyuan patted his chest and said confidently, "Give me ten more days, and I guarantee that both watchtowers will be completed!"

We must finish building it, working overtime, day and night!

"Speed ​​is essential, but quality cannot be compromised!"

Li Xin gave the instructions again.

The plan to expand Dongning City has not yet been fully implemented.

Therefore, these two watchtowers are important safeguards for the security of Dongning City.

The quality of the project cannot be substandard.

After all, these two watchtowers were located on two protruding sections in the north of Dongning City.

When the grassland bandits attack, these two watchtowers will definitely become their main targets.

If the watchtower falls, all the pressure will fall on Dongning City.

A single hair can affect the whole situation!

If there is any flaw in quality, it will affect the entire battlefield situation!

That's why Li Xin repeatedly emphasized the importance of ensuring the quality of the watchtower!

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!