The prefect couldn't sleep for the whole night. The next day, when he saw the hideous head of Cao Dadang with his own eyes, the prefect who had not slept all night could not control his emotions. In a rage, he decided with unprecedented administrative efficiency to immediately send troops from Jinguan City to wipe out the bandits in Xichuan.
No matter how unimportant the province of Xichuan is now, it is still a serious province after all. According to the accounts of the Ministry of War, the empire has stationed a full force of 10,000 households in Xichuan. To be fair, these soldiers may be slightly insufficient for attack, but they are more than enough to defend this province surrounded by various dangerous passes. This is why the prefect mobilized a full team of 1,000 people in one go to suppress the bandits.
Upon receiving the order, Captain Xiao immediately demonstrated his strength as a professional soldier of the empire. In less than an incense stick of time, he ran from the Yubo Tower in the west of the city to the military camp in the east of the city. After dressing neatly, he ran to the prefectural government in the center of the city, respectfully handed over the package, and asked to see the prefect.
The governor was pleased to see Captain Xiao fully armed.
After all, everyone said that Xichuan's military preparations were lax, and there were even people who were collecting empty salaries and sucking the blood of soldiers. However, Captain Xiao came to ask for orders fully armed immediately after receiving the order, which shows that the rumors from the outside world are very different from the actual situation.
"I'm Xiao Chuan, the captain stationed in Jinguan City. Nice to meet you, sir." Captain Xiao has a square face and a beard. He's over seven feet tall and looks strong and powerful. At first glance, it seems that there are thousands of muscles shaking under his armor, and every move he makes is full of power.
Simply put, it is the "soldier look" that the Ministry of War likes most.
The prefect also likes it very much.
"No need to be so polite, Captain Xiao. Get up." The governor, feeling very relieved, didn't even care that Captain Xiao came in empty-handed. He even condescended to help him up from the ground. "Since Captain Xiao is here, then tell me, how do you want to fight this battle?"
Upon hearing this, Captain Xiao immediately knelt on one knee again, clasped his fists and said, "Sir, in my humble opinion, this battle cannot be fought."
"Well, okay... okay..." The governor, who was stroking his beard and shouting "OK", was suddenly stuck. He walked up to Captain Xiao with a bit of disbelief and leaned over to ask, "I didn't hear clearly just now. Did Captain Xiao say 'I can't fight' or 'It's no big deal'?"
Captain Xiao's body trembled. He knew the governor must have heard everything, and his actions were simply an attempt to get him to change his tune. Normally, as the highest official in the province, if the governor asked him such a question, he would definitely change his tune and follow the governor's lead. But today, he would make an exception. After all, he knew his own business.
"Report to the prefect, the empire has more than ten thousand troops stationed in Xichuan, including ten thousand mobile cavalry and more than nine thousand combat soldiers distributed in various fortresses and large cities. There are a full five thousand combat soldiers stationed in Jinguan City alone." Captain Xiao did not answer the prefect directly, but instead brought up the issue of military strength.
"Oh? Captain Xiao feels that his own army is not enough to suppress the bandits, and he wants some reinforcements?" The prefect's expression relaxed. Well, before going on an expedition, the enemy's situation is unclear, so it is reasonable to want more troops.
"The enemy's situation is unclear. I really want to bring more soldiers, but sir, we have no soldiers." Captain Xiao looked embarrassed.
"How come you are out of soldiers? I told you to take it easy, but how come you only have a thousand left..." Oh, right, as he was speaking, the prefect came to his senses.
It is true that Xichuan has 10,000 soldiers, but now that the four countries are preparing for war, Xichuan is not the empire's primary war zone. Moreover, Xichuan has a superior geographical location and is so strong that one man can hold the pass against ten thousand, so 4,000 of the 10,000 soldiers had already been withdrawn to supplement the central front.
Well, a solid 5,000 people were taken away...
After all, even though the mobilization documents were issued by the Ministry of War, you only had to indicate 4,000 troops on the document. The actual number of troops depended entirely on your operational ability, and any inquiries would be nothing more than a scramble. However, the person who received these soldiers was Lord Longqiu Long, the Imperial Supreme Pillar of the State, Duke of Yan, and General of the Cavalry, who commanded the Empire's central front.
To put it simply, if I offended the Ministry of War, the worst I'd get would be an incompetent grade on the final exam. After all, I'd already come to Xichuan; the Empire couldn't possibly demote me to Xiangyun. But if I offended Lord Long, that wouldn't be a matter that could be resolved with a simple argument. Even being skinned alive by Lord Long wouldn't be the least of my trouble. If Lord Long, in a rage, sent someone to Xichuan to chop me up, the only thing the Ministry of War would do would be to burn all files related to me and pretend I never existed...
Therefore, the four thousand soldiers transferred to Lord Long were fully equipped and staffed.
Of the ten thousand men, four thousand had been mobilized, leaving only three thousand. After careful calculation, the governor discovered that he only had three thousand soldiers to mobilize.
Yes, he was right. After all, the antique vase behind the governor was only worth two hundred soldiers...
When the governor heard that Xichuan was not within the empire's main battle area, he was quite happy. Since there was no war, maintaining so many soldiers was simply insane. This was the consensus of the governor and the other captains.
So with everyone's flexible operation, the 3,000 soldiers that were withheld became the newly built small building of the prefect and the inconspicuous decorations in the building. Of course, we couldn't treat the captains unfairly, otherwise how do you think Captain Xiao managed to stay in the Yubo Tower for a month without returning to the military camp?
Of course, the prefect was also loyal to his duties. Of the remaining 3,000 people, 1,000 were stationed in Jinguan City, 1,000 were stationed in Tangguan, which was on the border with the Chen Dynasty, and 1,000 were stationed in major cities on the Xichuan Plain. They were assisted by three shifts of yamen runners from local yamen, and a group of militiamen who raised their own funds and were responsible for their own profits and losses. This was enough to suppress the local rebellion and maintain public order.
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