Chapter 254 Recruiting
Lu Chenyang talked to him about business. "I have assigned 100,000 men to you, and I will take the rest to Huaizhou. Zu Xingwei and Cao Wenkai will also come this time. Who do you want? I'll leave one for you."
Ever since Zu Xingwei's great contribution in the previous battle against the King of Nanyang, Lu Chenyang had also recognized his abilities. Leaving such a talented person unused would indeed be a waste, and now was the time to use him.
So Lu Chenyang kept him and didn't send him back to the Shen family. It was just because of the mistakes he had made before, Lu Chenyang had been suppressing him and not letting him get promoted as quickly as he should have, which was considered as punishment for him.
Yan Xing said, "No need, you can take them all. You can use them more than I can."
Lu Chenyang shook his head and said seriously, "The Yilin Army is large in number and is eyeing us covetously. No matter how powerful you are, you still need someone to help you. Tingshu knows everything about us, but he's not smart enough. I'd better leave someone with you." He paused and looked at him, "Zu Xing is a man who is bold in his use of troops. He should have a similar temperament to you. But Cao Wenkai is steady and very reliable. You can choose who to leave to help you, and I'll feel more at ease."
Zu Xingwei was from the Shen family, which means he was Lu Chenyang's man; and Cao Wenkai came from Yanxing's subordinates, so he was half a Yanxing man.
Lu Chenyang did not directly ask Zu Xingwei to stay, but let Yan Xing make his own choice, which was actually a kind of trust.
Yan Xing felt very comforted, and the slight sense of loss he had just felt because of Cui Jun disappeared, and he was very easy to coax.
Yan Xing smiled and said, "Now that you put it that way, I'm a bit torn." He looked at him and asked with a smile, "If both of them were left to me, would Lord Lu be willing to give them up?"
Lu Chenyang nodded without hesitation: "I would be reluctant to give it to others, but if it is to be given to the prince, then I will definitely be willing to do so. As long as the prince likes the person in my hand, you can choose as you like!"
Yan Xing pressed the tip of his tongue against his teeth to suppress the surging emotions in his heart: "...I'll choose as much as I want?" His eyes still turned to his face.
Lu Chenyang: “…” He was so generous, so why did things go in a strange direction?
Yan Xing smiled and finally said, "Then let's keep Zu Xingwei. He is indeed flexible and bold in his use of troops, which I quite admire."
Lu Chenyang frowned again and said hesitantly, "Cao Wenkai is also very reliable."
He began to worry. Yan Xing was already unruly, and with Zu Xingwei coming along, he was afraid that they would overthrow Ningzhou.
If Cao Wenkai was watching over me, maybe things would be better.
Yan Xing glared at him: "You asked me to choose just now, and now you regret it?"
Lu Chenyang put aside his hesitation and said, "If you don't regret it, then keep him."
Yan Xing looked at him and nodded slightly.
Lu Chenyang continued, "I'll leave today or tomorrow. I won't wait for Cao Wenkai. When they arrive, they'll bring a batch of supplies, including medicinal herbs and food. You can keep them and have them send the rest to Huaizhou." After a pause, he continued, "Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will provide food and fodder, there are always unexpected events. If there's not enough food and fodder, you can always ask Cui Jun for it."
Yan Xing listened, feeling a warm feeling in his heart. Even if he had many concerns, he was still sincere to him.
Even this reserved sincerity was invaluable to him.
So Yan Xing was immediately comforted.
Yan Xing nodded and said, "Don't worry about me. My reputation is quite useful. The Yilin Army dare not act rashly. The most important thing is you. You must protect yourself well."
Yan Xing became more and more worried as he spoke, but he did not suggest going to Huai'an by himself.
Lu Chenyang said, "As the saying goes, alcohol makes a man brave. Don't be too reassured. The Yilin Army boasts a million-strong army, so perhaps this has emboldened their ambitions." He then expressed a thought he had long held: "Before I leave this time, I'll go with you to the refugee camp. I hope I can recruit more soldiers for you."
Lu Chenyang only left 100,000 men for Yanxing, which was far too few. Recruiting soldiers was something Lu Chenyang had long considered. With Lord Lu's reputation and his support, the effort would be much more effective.
Yan Xing curled the corners of his lips. Lu Chenyang was planning for him wholeheartedly, and he liked the way he cared about him.
Yan Xing nodded. "Thank you, Lord Lu, for planning this for me." He said, "It's just right. Recruiting soldiers early will give me time to train. Otherwise, I'll be sending myself to death on the battlefield in the future."
Lu Chenyang thought so too.
Lu Chenyang was a man of action. He could not sit still and went straight to the refugee camp.
Since Lu Chenyang's last conversation with Cui Yong, Cui Yong has completely changed his ways. He immediately began taking in refugees, and the refugees have settled down. The spring plowing season is underway, and in two months, by the time the autumn harvest arrives, they will be self-sufficient.
I came to the refugee camp again, and it has changed a lot.
Rows of houses have been built, and the streets are clean and tidy. The people passing by, though their clothes are still patched, have a look of contentment on their faces, and it is clear that they are all very satisfied with their current lives.
As they walked, Lu Chenyang said to Yan Xing, "Their lives are now stable, but I actually asked Ji Ping to ask them privately whether they would like to stay in Ningzhou or return home. What do you think?"
Yan Xing didn't say anything, so Lu Chenyang gave the answer directly: "Surprisingly, most people, at least 60% of them, hope to return to their hometowns. The remaining 40% are reluctant to give up their current stable lives."
Yan Xing sighed softly and said, "I know you don't want to disrupt their peaceful lives, but they are fighting for the sake of Dagan. If the Yilin Army captures Ningzhou, their current lives will be in jeopardy, and they will continue to be displaced. They are not fighting for us, but for themselves as well."
He knew that Lu Chenyang's sigh was due to his guilt because he was about to take them away from their peaceful lives and send them to war.
Lu Chenyang sighed softly: "That's what I said, but in the end... I feel sorry for them."
Lu Chenyang just sighed for a moment, but he still had to do what he had to do.
Lu Chenyang hadn't hidden his whereabouts, so he was quickly recognized and many refugees came running out. They hadn't expected to see Lu Chenyang again so soon, and they were all very excited.
Lu Chenyang was surrounded, and someone boldly asked, "Sir, I heard you got promoted? Are you now the Minister of the Chancellery?"
Lu Chenyang smiled and nodded: "You are well-informed. Yes, I did get a promotion."
"A good official like you should be promoted. Your Majesty is wise!" the common people shouted again.
Someone asked, "Sir, are you here to see if we are doing well?"
The man looked at Lu Chenyang with starry eyes. Lu Chenyang said, "That's one reason. There's another reason. I'm here to recruit soldiers."
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent for a moment. Recruiting soldiers?
Someone immediately asked, "Sir, is there going to be another war?"
Lu Chenyang shook his head and said, "Maybe. You should know that the Tatars broke into Huai'an, and I was about to lead troops to stop them. The troops left in Ningzhou were not enough. I was worried that the Yilin Army would come to besiege Ningzhou again, so I thought of recruiting more soldiers to defend Ningzhou." He paused and emphasized, "But it's all voluntary. If you are willing to join the army, you can go over there to sign up!"
Lu Chenyang explained the whole story. It was no secret that the Tatars had broken into Huai'an; they had received the news long before. At first, people were panicked, but it didn't cause any chaos.
They all had the same thought in their minds: Lu Chenyang would not sit idly by. With Lu Chenyang around, he would definitely be able to stop the Tatars.
Sure enough, Lu Chenyang was going to war.
Lu Chenyang added, "Now that everyone's life has settled down, I really don't want to drag everyone into the flames of war again. However, I have no choice. Most of the troops are now going to fight the Tatars. The existing troops are not enough to defend against the Yilin Army, so I can only recruit soldiers again. All adult men over the age of sixteen and under the age of forty-six are welcome to sign up. I hope that those who are ambitious and good will will follow me to the battlefield to defend our home."
Lu Chenyang spoke very honestly. He had no other choice because he did not have enough troops.
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