Xiao Yuan was not joking when he said he wanted to use troops against Xirong, but he had already had this idea.
Next, he is also preparing to go to the border in person to step up preparations for war.
The current situation at the Qin border is somewhat complicated.
This has to start with the previous governor. Xirong repeatedly invaded the border. All previous governors were invincible and adopted a concession policy. In the hands of the previous governor, they lost twelve cities one after another.
These twelve cities were in Qin, and were now occupied by Xirong. Most of the original residents there were massacred, and those who survived were all moved to Xiping Pass.
In other words, Xiping Pass is now an important line of defense against Xirong. Outside the pass are the twelve lost cities, and inside the pass is the current Qin land.
After the people who lost their homes moved to Xiping Pass, they organized themselves spontaneously to fight against the Xirong at Xiping Pass. The same was true for the local people. Once the Xirong invaded, they would pick up hoes and join the battle.
Therefore, over time, groups of civilian rebels formed on the Xipingguan defense line. Their only purpose was to block the invasion of the Xirong army.
These rebels were divided into several groups, with a total number of about 20,000 people, of which Zhao Mu was the largest and the main force.
Regardless of anything else, it is not difficult to see Zhao Mu's military talent just because he was repeatedly frustrated by the Xirong invasion after Xiping Pass.
And before that, Shangguan Wenruo even suggested to Xiao Yuan not to touch Zhao Mu. This person could be of great use and could rival Su Yi.
Xiao Yuan is actually still very short of talents now, especially first-class military generals.
After handling some government affairs here, he also handed over the affairs of the Qin Dynasty to Liu Yuzhi and appointed him as the chief promotion officer, responsible for the follow-up supply of grain, grass and weapons during the war.
To put it bluntly, Liu Yuzhi was the one who guarded the home and the people for him when he went to war, and was also the logistics minister.
The current Qinzhou army, after transferring more than 9,000 people to Wuwei Mansion, has been recruited again and has expanded to 30,000 soldiers.
Subsequently, Xiao Yuan issued an emergency order to mobilize 30,000 troops, bring a large amount of food, grass, baggage, and the latest ordnance, and rush to Xiping Pass with Su Yi, Peng Shuang, Shangguan Wenruo and others.
Thirty thousand soldiers, with black armor and red tassels, fluttering flags and standing halberds, formed a long queue. During this period, thousands of civilians were recruited to push grain carts and large siege equipment. The scene is extremely vast.
The march from Qinzhou to Xipingguan would take several days due to the heavy baggage.
On the way, Shangguan Wenruo said to Xiao Yuan: "The rebels in Xipingguan are actually organized voluntarily by the common people. In order to protect their homeland, they pick up farming tools and are willing to shed blood. Although they are not regular soldiers, most of them are brave The fighting power of young men who dare to fight and kill cannot be underestimated, and we will know how the rebel generals are doing when the time comes, whether they welcome you or not."
He was right. If these young men were armed, they would probably be stronger than the regular army of Qinzhou, because they were at the border all year round and it was common for them to go to the battlefield. I don't know how many of them crawled out from the pile of dead.
For a soldier, how can ordinary training be compared to going through a war and being baptized in blood?
Xiao Yuan is very clear about the importance of these 20,000 rebels.
A few days later, Xiping County.
After passing here, you will reach Xiping Pass.
When Xiao Yuan led 30,000 troops into the city, something unexpected happened.
At this time, the streets on both sides of the county were filled with people watching. Seeing the 30,000 troops, the crowd was boiling, and all the people were cheering.
"Is this our Qinzhou army?" someone in the crowd couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, this is much better than before. The new governor has changed everything. It seems that our Qinland can be saved..." Someone else said excitedly.
Thirty thousand troops went to Xiping Pass, no doubt to fight against Xirong, and these people all lived near the border. How could they not be excited now that they saw hope?
Among the cheers, someone raised their arms and shouted: "The Qin army will win!"
Immediately afterwards, there were countless shouts:
"The Qin army will definitely win——"
The crowd was excited and shouting loudly. The thirty thousand soldiers were also infected by this atmosphere and couldn't help but straighten their waists.
Shangguan Wenruo was riding a war horse behind Xiao Yuan. Seeing this, he lightly smashed the horse's belly, came to Xiao Yuan's side and said, "Sir, what the people want is a good thing."
Hearing this, Xiao Yuan nodded and said: "Yes, the people's support means that it condenses the military morale of the soldiers, and also lets them know why they are fighting."
In fact, what he doesn't know is that since he took office, he has suppressed bandits, eliminated bullies, purged officials, and issued a series of decrees. Not only did he no longer impose taxes, but he also developed people's livelihood, benefited the people, and reclaimed wasteland. These actions Come down and the people can see it.
As the saying goes, the words of the people are the hearts of the people.
The contrast between his various actions and those of the previous governors who were a prey to the common people was so huge.
How could the people of Qin not praise him?
In fact, his current prestige is unmatched by anyone in Qin.
Thirty thousand troops were welcomed by the people in Xiping County. After passing through the city, Xiao Yuan led his troops to Xiping Pass that afternoon.
At this time, there was already a large group of people waiting there for a long time in the pass.
After seeing the army, the group of people hurriedly came forward, then knelt down on one knee, clasped their fists and said, "Welcome to the Grand Administrator——"
Because Xiao Yuan was riding a horse at the front, and was wearing the commander's armor and a cape behind him, people would naturally regard him as the real master.
Seeing this, Xiao Yuan also got off his horse, raised his hand and said, "You don't have to be polite, you are..."
"My lord, Zhao Mu, we are all members of the Xipingguan Yijun. We heard that the prefect was about to arrive, so we are here to greet him." One of the young men said.
"Oh?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but be shocked, and subconsciously took a look at Zhao Mu.
The latter is about in his twenties, has a resolute face, fair face and no beard, and is not tall in stature.
Is it him who led the people here to fight against Xirong for several years, preventing them from entering the pass?
After looking at it, Xiao Yuan glanced at the others.
At this time, Zhao Mu said again: "After your Excellency takes office, you will reorganize the army, appease the people, and bring great rule to the land of Qin. We have already heard about it, and we have long wanted to go to Qinzhou to visit you. However, there have been many changes in Xirong recently. I don’t dare to leave this place easily, and I hope you will forgive me.”
"Huh? You righteous heroes led the fellow villagers to protect our homeland and shed your blood. I would like to thank you very much!" Xiao Yuan said seriously.
"Your Excellency has arrived today. I, Zhang Dashan, am willing to serve as a dog and horse under your command!" Someone else said in a loud voice.
As soon as he finished speaking, the others also straightened up their expressions, and then said in unison:
"We are all willing to obey your orders!"
"Okay!" Xiao Yuan was delighted when he heard this.
I thought that there would be some twists and turns after arriving at Xiping Pass. Unexpectedly, these rebel generals directly stated their stance.
In fact, this is not difficult to understand, because these people are all righteous soldiers who organized Xiangyong. They want to retreat from Xirong and protect their homeland, but they have never had a true leader.
The arrival of Xiao Yuan undoubtedly allowed them to find their backbone.
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