Hearing this number, Liu Bei frowned immediately.
"Can we recruit so many?"
"Yes, absolutely yes."
Zhang Heng nodded.
Liu Bei immediately frowned and said: "Ziyi, we are a rebel army. We cannot be like the Dong thief and force the people to join the army."
There were originally tens of thousands of households in Juan County. After Yang Yong's forcible eviction, more than 30% of those who escaped were killed, and another 30% were evicted. Most of the remaining people were old, young, women and children. Even if we add the 10,000 people Liu Bei brought yesterday, there will probably be less than 20,000 people left.
How many qualified young people among these 20,000 people, and how many are willing to join the army, are all questions.
Liu Bei was worried that Zhang Heng was forcing the people to recruit troops, so he quickly reminded him.
Zhang Heng shook his head and smiled: "Don't worry, Mr. Xuande, not only do we not have to force him, but the people will rush to join the army."
"Why?" Liu Bei asked puzzled.
"This matter is difficult to explain. Duke Xuande will know it when the time comes." Zhang Heng once again acted as the riddler, leaving Liu Bei stunned.
Well, everything you said is right, you never missed it before.
After determining the number of soldiers to recruit, Liu Bei pulled Zhang Heng to an uninhabited corner and said in a low voice: "Ziyi, why do we have to recruit 10,000 people? Although it is good to have more soldiers and horses, we don't have time to train now. When new recruits enter the battlefield, it is difficult for them to display their combat effectiveness, and in fact, they will be held back."
The number of soldiers is not large, but fine.
These docile people who have been working as farmers all year round have never seen the cruelty of war. Once the war goes against them, they will inevitably trample on each other in panic, which will harm the army.
Zhang Heng didn't understand this, but there was really nothing he could do now.
“Mr.
The victory or defeat of a war is often closely related to the order of magnitude.
It is difficult for one person to defeat five people, it is difficult for one hundred people to defeat five hundred people, and it is equally difficult for one thousand people to defeat five thousand people, but there is a slight chance.
But when the magnitude is calculated into tens of thousands, the outcome will be completely different.
There are many examples in history of 10,000 people defeating 50,000 people. One hundred thousand people versus five hundred thousand, the battle will no longer be about numbers, but the level of the generals and commanders on both sides.
After all, there is only one commander in a million who has the ability to command tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people.
Although Dong Zhuo's army is large in number, there are really few generals who can command large armies in battle. On the other hand, Liu Bei's side, Guan Yu, Zhang Liao, and Zhang Fei are all talented generals, but they only have so few soldiers and horses in their hands, and they cannot perform at their best.
After a while, Zhang Heng spoke again: "Besides, we still have a huge hidden danger at the moment."
"What hidden danger?" Liu Bei asked quickly.
"The question of composition and proportion of the army."
"What's the meaning?"
"Just think about it, Mr. Xuande, where did our six thousand soldiers and horses come from?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei's expression immediately changed, and he immediately understood what Zhang Heng meant.
"Our six thousand soldiers and horses have all been integrated into the enemy's army. Leaving aside Wenyuan's thousand Bingzhou Army, the rest are all Xiliang Army. It's fine when the battle goes well, but once the battle situation goes unfavorable, these soldiers will How can you be willing to be used by us, even if you rebel and defect?"
Liu Bei sighed and said, "Is that why Ziyi plans to recruit four thousand new troops to neutralize these Xiliang soldiers?"
"Yes." Zhang Heng nodded, "Xuande Gong is kind to the people of Juan County. The soldiers and horses recruited from here will definitely become the backbone with a little training."
With his own direct troops, these Xiliang army surrendered soldiers can be used confidently and boldly. After a period of running-in and reorganization, they can finally be converted into their own strength.
Although the process of training new recruits is difficult, Zhang Heng believes that it is worth it.
"Also, Duke Xuande promised to lend the people food and grass before. But for these tens of thousands of people, no matter how much food and grass we borrow, it is not enough. Now that we have recruited the young and strong among them to join the army, the military pay is enough for them to support their families, so we will It can save some food and grass.”
Rather than lending the food out for free, it would be better to make them one of our own, so that the food and grass are not eaten in vain.
Seeing that Zhang Heng's analysis was well-founded and could be said to kill three birds with one stone, Liu Bei was immediately moved and nodded heavily.
"Zi Yi's words make sense. In this case, I will leave all the recruitment of troops to you. I will send Wen Yuan to lead a thousand people to listen to your arrangements."
"Yes!" Zhang Heng responded with his hands raised.
Liu Bei smiled again and said: "Also, if we really have to recruit 10,000 people, our military rations won't last long. The food and grass matter... we have to worry about Ziyi."
Since you advocate recruiting troops, you should also solve the issue of food and grass by the way.
In response, Zhang Heng could only smile bitterly and nod.
In the end, I still have to shoulder the blame.
"The recruitment of troops is about to proceed. At the same time, I also ask Xuande Gong to send people to repair the city wall and train the soldiers. I believe that within ten days, Dong's army will attack again. By then, it will be a tough battle."
When this matter was mentioned, Liu Bei's face became serious.
"Yes, I have arranged for Yun Chang to start this matter this morning."
After the discussion was over, the two of them turned back to continue counting the grain, grass and weapons, and then sent them all to the warehouse.
When Zhang Liao was about to take people to transport him, he was stopped by Zhang Heng.
"What is the order from the chief registrar?"
Zhang Liao quickly cupped his fists and said.
He had just learned about Zhang Heng's current position, and his title had naturally changed.
Today, Zhang Heng is vaguely considered to be the number two figure in Liu Bei's group. In addition, Zhang Liao was surrendered by him before, so his attitude is quite respectful.
Zhang Heng smiled and motioned to Zhang Liao to waive the courtesy, "It's just a small matter to transport food, grass, ordnance. Just send your men to do it. But there is an important matter now. Will Wen Yuan come with me?"
"Master, please give me your instructions."
"Please gather all the soldiers and horses under your command and come with me to the city." Zhang Heng said calmly.
Hearing this, Zhang Liao looked happy, but a little uncertain, and asked tentatively: "Does the chief secretary mean to recruit all the thousand soldiers and horses under his command?"
"good."
Zhang Heng nodded, confirming Zhang Liao's idea.
"This..." Zhang Liao was filled with endless excitement, "Thank you so much, Chief!"
He originally thought that as a surrendered general, even if he could be reused, it would be a long time later, and he was even prepared to sit on the bench for a while, but what Zhang Heng said just now clearly meant that he would use his thousand Return all songs to your own command.
This means letting me go at my own pace!
Zhang Heng could naturally see Zhang Liao's inner activities and said sincerely: "Wen Yuan, remember what I told you before. Xuande Gong is a merciful master and has the style of the great ancestor. Naturally, he knows people well and uses them without suspicion. . The war is about to begin, Wenyuan must seize the opportunity to make achievements."
"Thank you, Master, for your teachings. I will always keep them in my heart!" Zhang Liao looked solemn and clasped his fists again.
"In that case, you should hurry up and recruit me back. If you encounter any obstruction, just report my name."
"As you command!"
After waiting for Zhang Liao to leave in response to the order, Zhang Heng waved his hand again, and the soldiers behind him immediately bowed and said: "What are the orders from the chief?"
"Go to the county government office and invite Mr. Lu County Cheng."
"only!"
The soldiers responded and left.
Recruiting soldiers is actually very simple. It is rare to get people to willingly and even actively join the army.
To this end, Zhang Heng planned to take advantage of the information gap and at the same time use some united front methods.
