Early July, 189 AD.
Compared to Zhao Hao's side, which was clearly prepared for a three-pronged attack, the Xianbei and Han court were relatively quiet.
In Luoyang, He Jin was caught in the middle of a plot to eliminate the eunuchs, instigated by Yuan Shao, while also dealing with the issues of Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo's stationed troops. Therefore, his silence was inevitable.
Zhang Yi and Qin Yilu, who were loyal to the Han Dynasty, had not received any hints from Zhao Hao about the situation in the court this time, and had no idea how to deal with the impending chaos.
On the Xianbei side, the second batch of supplies had long been delivered, but due to the corruption in the Han court, no one paid any attention except Zhao Hao.
At this moment, the Xianbei people were only thinking about waiting for Zhao Hao to lead his army south, at which point they would have plenty of opportunities to rescue the Xianbei nobles and prisoners.
However, they were unaware that Zhao Hao's 300,000-strong army was already poised for battle!
After a series of reforms and developments, Bingzhou now had a population of nearly five million, and apart from the more than 100,000 elite Qin soldiers, the total number of county troops had expanded to more than 200,000!
Meanwhile, Bingzhou has had a bumper harvest this year! The grain in the granaries is enough to support the entire army for two and a half years of continuous fighting. It can be said that Bingzhou is already taking the shape of the granary of the world!
With further optimization of water conservancy and improvement of wind-blown sandy land, Bingzhou will be able to support not only 10 million people, but probably even 30 million!
On this day, in the council hall of the General of Zhenbei's Mansion in Jinyang.
Among them, besides the familiar faces, there are quite a few unfamiliar faces.
In the past five months, Zhao Hao has recruited quite a few skilled people!
"Gentlemen! Enough of the small talk. I previously ordered you to form various new armies, and today, the time has finally come for you to put them to use!"
With Wang Meng leading the way, all the generals and civil officials bowed their heads.
"We will all obey the general's orders and will never disobey!"
Zhao Hao nodded slightly, got up and went to the sand table in the center of the hall.
"Gentlemen, in Bingzhou today, there are 347,861 armored soldiers, of whom 30% are elite warriors."
However, to the north lay the menacing Xianbei, and to the south, the treacherous Bai Bo and remnants of the Xiongnu, along with the impending turmoil of the court.
Although the Qiang people to the west have not yet antagonized us, we must still be wary of them. To the east, the majority of the Black Mountain bandits have already pledged allegiance to us, yet some still harbor ill intentions to seize control of my prefectures and counties!
"Everyone, are you scared?"
"Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid! Don't be afraid!"
The group of female generals couldn't help but feel a tremor in their hearts as they looked at the men who were full of passion.
The civil and military officials who usually seemed to have their own strengths now appeared to be blind fanatics, with only Zhao Hao's desires in their eyes.
They probably felt more admiration or even love for Zhao Hao...
"Excellent! You are all worthy of being the civil and military officials under my command, Zhao Hao! You are all outstanding!"
Zzzzz!
Zhao Hao suddenly drew the Ancestral Dragon Sword and destroyed a non-load-bearing pillar with a single strike.
"Today, I, Zhao Hao, swear to wipe out all those who dare to defy me! Anyone who dares to try to stop me will be punished like this pillar!"
"We are willing to die for the general, and dare not speak of retreat!"
"Excellent! In that case, all generals, listen to my command!"
"Of the four directions, the most heinous are the bandits in the north, who have been plundering the people and counties of China for years, committing all sorts of atrocities such as burning, killing, and looting! Therefore, we must deploy heavy troops to the north!"
Those who excelled in the elite troops were incorporated into the rest of the army as officers. A total of 100,000 elite soldiers, supplemented by 150,000 regular soldiers, were to jointly attack the Xianbei!
One hundred thousand elite soldiers and one hundred and fifty thousand county soldiers served as auxiliary troops.
Such a large-scale mobilization shows that Zhao Hao is determined to take Budugen's head this time!
"Supreme Commandery shall station 20,000 troops to guard against rebellions by the Qiang people and to provide reinforcements to the troops stationed in Xihe if necessary."
The Xihe garrison has 50,000 troops, waiting for the right opportunity to quell the rebellion in Hedong in one fell swoop!
We have stationed over 30,000 troops in Shangdang. If any rebellious elements in Heishan dare to invade, we will wipe them all out!
"General, you are mighty! We are willing to be the vanguard and fight to the death for you!"
Zhao Hao laughed heartily, "You all have your own tasks. Before coming here, everyone received Jing Lue's brocade pouch, right?"
Upon hearing this, the generals nodded and took the brocade pouch given to them by Wang Meng.
"Very good. Now you may open the brocade pouches, find your own battle zones, and get to know your comrades who will fight alongside you."
Tomorrow, the armies will be dispersed and each set off. Gentlemen, may we all return victorious. I will personally celebrate your triumph then!
"We will not fail the general's trust, and we will not rest until we die!"
...
"My lord...are we really going to go to war?"
After returning to his residence, Zhao Hao gave a few instructions and then discussed the expedition with his wife, Liu Tong.
Liu Tong was clearly still grieving Liu Hong's passing. During the mourning period, she was expected to mobilize the entire province to launch an attack on a foreign country, which was something she could not comprehend at the moment.
“That’s right, Meng Yan and Third Sister will both be going with me on this trip. Then you’ll be all alone in the manor…”
"Husband, I want to go too!"
"ah?"
Liu Tong's gaze was firm, then she nestled in Zhao Hao's arms and whispered gently.
"Father is gone, and I only have you left. Rather than spending my life alone, I would rather go with my husband."
My husband can see that I don't understand why we have to go on this northern expedition. But if I could fight alongside you and travel across the northern deserts, just like I did in the court that day, I could stand with you through thick and thin.
Perhaps then I can understand my husband's thoughts on the northern expedition...
Zhao Hao gently stroked Liu Tong's forehead. With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?
"The barbarians of the northern deserts are cruel and ruthless. At that time, your husband will no longer be just your husband, but a general who will bear the lives of millions. My wife, are you sure you want to go?"
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