"Come with me."
After Zhao Cheng asked the question, Zhao Huan led everyone out of the house and slowly made their way along the slippery mountain path until they finally arrived at the top of Lingshan Mountain.
Zhao Huan walked to the edge of the cliff and pointed to a spot on the mountainside.
It was a flat piece of ground, so flat that if it wasn't cleaved by some god with a giant axe, it must have been built by human hands.
The area was densely packed with people, all performing the same movements, clearly in training.
Zhao Cheng approached Zhao Huan and was increasingly shocked by what he saw.
Although they were far apart, and people were only the size of a finger in their line of sight, their movements were still clearly visible.
They're practicing shooting!
Zhao Huan said, "There are a thousand people working in the mine on weekdays and four thousand people training. They take turns, so mining and blacksmithing training are not delayed."
Zhao Cheng murmured, "One thousand...four thousand...Father, you actually hid five thousand people in Lingshan!"
Zhao Huan declared with boundless pride, "These five thousand men are the Dragon Spear Guards who fought alongside me through thick and thin back then. They are the most elite force in the Great Jing Dynasty, without exception!"
Zhao Cheng hadn't heard Zhao Huan speak with such boldness in a long time. He exclaimed, "Back in Lingshan, I felt something was off. Mr. Lian told me there were only five hundred old brothers in Lingshan, and I guessed it was a thousand. Later, when you asked me to send immortal wine to Lingshan, I had my doubts again, but you said with certainty that there were only a thousand. I thought a thousand men couldn't do much, even if they were the Dragon Spear Guards, their numbers were too few. But I didn't expect it to be five thousand! With these five thousand Dragon Spear Guards, we could fight against fifty thousand cavalry!"
"Old man, you've kept this from me for so long, you've really kept it a secret!"
Lian Zhongyi also came over, stroking his beard and said, "The old marshal had no choice but to do this. To prevent Yuan Xiu from becoming suspicious, the old marshal had to do this. Hiding the Dragon Spear Guards serves two purposes: first, it protects their safety, as we are worried that if they are scattered to different places, they will be eliminated one by one by Yuan Xiu and Wen Tai. Second, the old marshal is also preparing for that day to come. These five thousand Dragon Spear Guards in Lingshan are the Zhao family's last trump card."
As he spoke, Lian Zhongyi pointed to another place, which was in the direction of the mine. He could vaguely see people coming and going from the mine. He continued, "The mine has been operating for many years. We have enough weapons and equipment. If we recruit soldiers now, our stockpile can arm 100,000 people."
Not only Zhao Cheng, but everyone who didn't know the inside story was stunned.
He Zhi also said, "In addition, the commander-in-chief purchases grain in different periods every year and transports it up to Lingshan. Only a small portion of the grain is used to supply the daily consumption of 5,000 people. There is also a lot of grain stored up over the years."
Zhao Cheng gasped; this was what truly alarmed him.
No wonder Zhao Huan disagreed when Zhao Cheng said he wanted to do iron ore business; Zhao Huan and Zhao Cheng were on completely different paths.
Zhao Cheng worked desperately to earn money, while Zhao Huan worked desperately to gather supplies.
This is the moment we've been waiting for!
Zhao Cheng said, "Old man, you've made such thorough preparations, and you still say you don't want to rebel?"
Zhao Huan said without batting an eye, "If Dajing is at peace and our family is doing well, I will hand over everything in Lingshan to you before I leave. How you use it, or whether you use it at all, will be up to you. Of course, I don't want to rebel, but the court has forced us to this point, so I have no choice but to make some more trouble."
Lian Zhongyi smiled and said, "Acheng, don't blame the old general for keeping it from you. Although Lingshan is a vast mountain range, there are still five thousand people living there, mining and transporting grain. It's easy to be exposed if you're not careful. Over the years, in order to hide the truth about Lingshan, we have killed countless bandits and pirates who wanted to settle on the mountain. We even destroyed their bodies to make it look like they were devoured by wild beasts and monsters. That's how we made the villagers at the foot of the mountain stay away from Lingshan and turn Lingshan into a no-man's land."
"I understand, I understand everything..." Zhao Cheng nodded and exclaimed, "On horseback you're a dragon general, and on foot you're a prime minister. Old man, I really underestimated you."
Everyone on the mountaintop was shocked, but Zhao Zhan was the most excited. Looking at the Dragon Spear Guards on the mountainside, his eyes gleamed, and he said, “Father, my eldest brother has fought in Lingshan, Jiangyang County, and Muqiaokou, and has wiped out the Southern Zhou spies three times. His fighting skills are beyond question. My third brother is also highly skilled in martial arts; he was always at the forefront at Muqiaokou, killing countless enemies. He has the ability to lead troops. Although I haven't learned martial arts, I've been well-versed in military strategy since childhood. After we go down the mountain, I hope Father will allow me to join the army!”
"you?"
Zhao Huan glanced at Zhao Zhan, thought for a moment, and said, "You and Lao San were both raised by your eldest brother. He will arrange your affairs."
Zhao Zhan exclaimed joyfully, "Big Brother!"
Zhao Cheng raised his hand and said, "Now is not the time to talk about these things."
As Zhao Cheng's advisor, Yan Zheng had been wanting to interject, and now he seized the opportunity to say, "Although I haven't personally witnessed the power of the Dragon Spear Guards, their reputation for driving away Ye Dan and intimidating the Western Regions is certainly not unfounded. However... with only these five thousand Dragon Spear Guards, it's fine to guard Lingshan, but it's too difficult for them to carve out their own territory. We need to plan our strategy carefully and not act rashly."
Lian Zhongyi asked, "What are your thoughts, Mr. Yan?"
"I am unworthy of such high praise!"
Yan Zheng clasped his hands in a fist salute, knowing this was Lian Zhongyi testing him. He said calmly, "War is about people and money. From what I know of the boss, the money should be enough, so the most important thing is people. It's not wrong to spend money to recruit soldiers, but we need to plan it well. Where should we recruit soldiers? How long should we spend training them? Where should we buy horses? Do we have suitable horse sources?"
"During my time working at the Yiwen Society, I have gained some understanding of the local customs and people's livelihood in Dajing and the various counties, especially the actual situation in the three counties of Jingdong. I suggest that Marquis Qingdong cooperate with me, and we can come up with a plan to recruit soldiers and horses, and then send the Yiwen Flying Team down the mountain to conduct an on-site investigation."
"In this way, we have the highest probability of recruiting the best soldiers and buying the best horses, so that our money is not wasted."
"Brilliant!" Lian Zhongyi stroked his beard and smiled at Yan Zheng.
Xu Shouli said, "I have no problem with that. I will certainly provide you with the information that the Ministry of Revenue has."
Yan Zheng clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you, Marquis Qingdong."
Xu Shouli waved his hand and said, "They've already rebelled, so let's not bother with the 'waiting' thing anymore."
"As long as the Great Jing Dynasty exists, the Marquis is still the Marquis."
As he spoke, Yan Zheng looked at Zhao Huan and suggested, "Although the campaign has not yet begun, recruiting soldiers and buying horses still requires a proper title. Why don't we let the Right Chancellor take command again?"
"I agree." Lian Zhongyi admired Yan Zheng even more and chimed in, "With the Dragon Spear Guards emerging from the mountains, the old commander should use the name Zhao as his banner and restore his identity as the Dragon Commander!"
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