The united front method from later generations can be called a dimensionality-reducing blow to people of this era.
When the people believed in Zhang Heng, they believed in the Liu Bei Group. The final result of recruiting troops was naturally gratifying.
Among the 20,000 civilians, nearly 5,000 people rushed out and enthusiastically signed up to join the army. Almost all the young people in the city were here.
In response, Zhang Heng chose to tighten the standards, and anyone under the age of sixteen was prohibited from joining the army. If circumstances didn't allow it, Zhang Heng would even want to set his age at eighteen.
Even so, he finally succeeded in recruiting 4,000 people, which can be said to be quite fruitful.
Although these four thousand people are all new recruits, they are pure in composition. With a little training and two bloody battles, they can become the backbone of Liu Bei's command and a trustworthy direct force in the future.
As for the distribution of these 4,000 people, Zhang Heng planned to select 300 people as Liu Bei's personal bodyguards. After two bloody battles, of the veterans Liu Bei brought from Gaotang, less than two were left. One hundred people can just be added now.
Of course, you have to choose the best.
The remaining 3,500 people were all handed over to Guan Yu for training.
As the top general in the entire late Han Dynasty, there is no doubt that Guan Yu's military training level will be able to create an elite force.
As for Zhang Liao and the thousand Bingzhou troops under his command, Zhang Heng planned to capture them in his own hands first. This is not because Zhang Heng wants to use his power for personal gain, but under the current situation, it is unrealistic in a short time to let Zhang Liao go out and lead the army alone.
By staying by his side, one can cultivate his goodwill and tacit understanding with Guan Zhang, and the two can be used as trump cards at critical moments.
As for the remaining 6,000 people, let Zhang Fei lead 3,000 and Guan Yu lead 3,000 respectively as the real main force in combat.
In the evening, the four thousand recruits were finally assembled. Zhang Heng ordered Zhang Liao to briefly organize these people and then took them to see Guan Yu. However, he took Lu Chang to Liu Bei to report on today's work.
After Liu Bei handed over the recruitment work to Zhang Heng, he took Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to repair the city wall and prepare for the next battle.
When Zhang Heng found him, Liu Bei had already taken off his outer robe, rolled up his sleeves and was repairing the cracks in the city wall with his soldiers.
The Eastern Han Dynasty has been peaceful for more than a hundred years. Juan County is the largest county in the hinterland of Henan Province. Even during the Yellow Turban Uprising in the past, it was not affected much. In addition, its location is not a strategic pass, so no one paid attention to the city defense.
This city wall made of rammed earth was not very strong to begin with, and it had gone through years of erosion, resulting in a huge amount of repair work that could not be completed in a short time.
Fortunately, Liu Bei didn't plan to tear it down and start over again. He just made some repairs, which was enough for the time being.
"Mr. Xuande!"
Zhang Heng walked to Liu Bei's side, cupped his hands and saluted.
Liu Bei raised his head with a smile on his face, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then asked: "Ziyi, how was the result of this recruitment?"
"Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life..."
Zhang Heng also smiled and told what happened today, which made Liu Bei's eyes widen.
He never expected that there would be such a way to recruit soldiers. But if you think about it carefully, what Zhang Heng did, whether it was taking care of food or killing enemy troops on the spot, was perfectly in line with the interests of the people. No wonder he could respond to everything at once.
It seems that Ziyi is not only good at planning, but also good at calculating people's hearts. He is a natural genius!
"What Ziyi did today not only recruited soldiers and horses, but also calmed the people's hearts. It is really a good method!" Liu Bei gave a thumbs up and praised.
"Mr. Xuande was so complimentary..."
Zhang Heng said modestly, and once again explained the distribution of troops he envisioned, but Liu Bei frowned repeatedly.
He had no objection to the new soldiers being given to Guan Yu for training. He had no objection to Zhang Fei commanding 3,000 men. He even had no objection to Zhang Liao's 1,000 men being left with Zhang Heng. Liu Bei had no problem with it, but...
"Mr. Xuande, is there something wrong?" Zhang Heng asked, seeing Liu Bei's troubled expression.
"Ziyi, I have no objection to your allocation, but..." Liu Bei smiled bitterly, "You gave all your troops to Yunchang and Yide, what should I command?"
"Didn't I leave five hundred personal soldiers for Duke Xuande? That should be enough."
"It's not enough. It's definitely not enough. Five hundred people are enough for what we can do. Can you leave some more for me?"
At the end of the sentence, Liu Bei couldn't help but rub his hands, seeming a little embarrassed.
Zhang Heng shook his head resolutely. He was about to tell Liu Bei about this.
"Mr. Xuande, we now have an army of 10,000. As the commander-in-chief, Gong Xuande no longer has to do everything personally, nor does he need to take the lead. So I think that five hundred people are enough."
With more armies, the way of fighting should also be changed.
When there are two or three big cats and kittens like before, keep everything simple and Liu Bei personally takes the lead in the charge, which will naturally have the effect of boosting morale.
But it can't be done now. Once the coach is trapped in a tight siege or unfortunately dies, the 10,000-strong army will inevitably be in chaos.
"Ziyi, what do you mean is that I no longer need to lead the army to attack first?" Liu Bei asked doubtfully.
"It's not that I don't have to, it's that I can't!" Zhang Heng said sternly, "The son of a rich man can't sit down in the hall. Mr. Xuande is the commander of an army, how can he be in danger? Once Mr. Xuande encounters something unexpected, it will definitely affect his morale. It shakes the morale of the army. I implore Mr. Xuande not to lead the charge again in the future!"
Countless examples have proven that if the coach takes the lead, it will not end well.
For example, Sun Jian, the fierce tiger of Jiangdong, Sun Ce, the little overlord of Jiangdong, and even Xia Houyuan, who later pacified Liangzhou and was known as the tiger on the right side of the pass.
Seeing that Zhang Heng was serious about what he said, Liu Bei was greatly moved and immediately nodded in agreement.
"Zi Yi's kind words, I have written them down."
"Now that the troops and horses are all assembled, I would like to ask Xuande Gong to hurry up and order people to repair the city wall. Dong Thief's army should be arriving soon."
Speaking of this, Liu Bei's face became serious.
"Yes, but this county wall is really..."
Liu Bei wanted to say that he was vulnerable, but when he saw that Lu Chang was behind Zhang Heng, he still took his face into consideration.
"There hasn't been a war for more than a hundred years, so it's understandable that the city's defenses are dilapidated. It doesn't mean we have to spend a lot of time repairing it. As long as it can survive the first wave of Dong thief's attack." Zhang Heng shook his head and smiled.
Liu Bei immediately smelled something different, "What does Ziyi mean by this?"
"The small town of Juan County is not a place that can be defended for a long time after all."
Zhang Heng looked into the distance, and there seemed to be endless waves in his eyes.
"This is not a place for long-term defense, so where is it?" Liu Bei asked again.
"It's hard to say now, but don't worry, Mr. Xuande. I already have an immature idea."
Seeing Zhang Heng acting as the Riddler again, Liu Bei got used to it, so he had to smile helplessly, turned around and led his soldiers to continue repairing the city wall.
If you don't tell me to pull him down, I will know it by then anyway.
At this moment, soldiers suddenly came to report that an army appeared outside the city.
Hearing this, Liu Bei's expression changed drastically.
"The thieves are coming so fast!" Liu Bei exclaimed, and then shouted loudly, "Quick, order Yun Changyide to quickly prepare for war."
Zhang Heng frowned and asked with a puzzled look on his face: "How many soldiers and horses are there outside the city? What is the flag?"
"Back to the main register, it's getting late, so I can't see clearly. There are probably hundreds of people. As for the flags... there are no flags."
Hearing this, the shock on Liu Bei's face suddenly turned into surprise.
"Only a few hundred people, and there's no banner?"
"good!"
The messenger nodded in response.
"This..." Liu Bei looked at Zhang Heng again, "Ziyi, what should we do?"
"In order to prevent the bandit army from setting up a suspicious formation, you can send someone out of the city to check the situation."
"That's fine." Liu Bei nodded.
Zhang Heng waved his sleeves and summoned Zhang Liao who was not far away. After handing over the new soldiers to Guan Yu in the evening, he rushed back to Zhang Heng.
"What are your orders, my lord?"
Zhang Heng smiled and said: "Wenyuan, an army has come outside the city. I don't know whether it is an enemy or a friend. Do you dare to lead the army out of the city to find out?"
"What's the problem? I'll go out of the city and have a look."
Zhang Liao responded with a cup of fists, then turned around and left.
After Zhang Liao ordered all the soldiers and horses to leave the city, Liu Bei and Zhang Heng also climbed onto the tower and saw an army in the distance. It's just that the sky is too dark and it's impossible to see clearly who the leader is.
