Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1091: Chapter 1047: Manpower Issue

It should be noted that this was because Chen Xi had already made preparations for military expansion when establishing the organization. Every new army in the past had an oversupply of corporals and decurions, with many being reserved corporals and decurions.

At that time, to guard against unexpected situations, it was necessary to directly draw upon reserved corporals and decurions, along with middle and lower level reserved officers, and then take Tuntian Soldiers, infusing them with one-third of veterans. Under the leadership of complete grassroots officers, it wouldn’t take long to replicate a large army.

Originally, when doing this, Lub Su had quarreled with Chen Xi over setting too many grassroots officers because raising their rank by one level would also increase their stipend. With so many at once, Lub Su was almost ready to argue with Chen Xi.

However, after Fa Zheng seized Yuzhou, pacified Xuzhou, Chen Xi appeased Yanzhou, and Liu Bei took over Jizhou, the calls to remove a large number of grassroots officers completely disappeared because everyone saw the benefits of doing so.

With twice as many grassroots officers, when the territory suddenly expanded, the large number of grassroots officers, coupled with the division of veterans and the transfer of Tuntian Soldiers, allowed Chen Xi to miraculously muster a frightening number of troops.

More importantly, although these troops were not as formidable as the main forces led before, due to having a complete grassroots officer system and one-third of temporarily augmented veterans, the entire army, as long as there was a slightly capable commander in the rear for support, experienced no pressure at all!

After all, Tuntian Soldiers were also trained according to half the training intensity of regular soldiers, and after a period of intensive training, they were formidable enough on the battlefield. Scaring the enemy was definitely not a problem, especially with the addition of experienced veterans and a complete grassroots officer structure.

However, even though Chen Xi had prepared in advance, the Yuan-Liu conflict did not delay its outbreak as Chen Xi had expected, leading to a series of changes. The most apparent was the Yuan-Liu war, where Liu Bei could not maneuver smoothly. Liu Bei, who should have been controlling the rhythm of the war, ended up with a mess barely avoiding a mishap.

Similarly, because the Yuan-Liu conflict erupted prematurely, Chen Xi’s preparations were not yet complete, and Liu Bei’s elite forces were insufficient to fully garrison Jizhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, and Yuzhou.

For Yuan Tan, it was a long defensive line, which was the same for Liu Bei. What’s more, Liu Bei was bordered by Cao Cao to the west and Sun Ce to the south, surrounded by packs of wolves, with many places needing deployment.

This was why Chen Xi needed to push a new Yuan-Liu front after catching a breath, mainly because the line was too long, consuming too many troops. By re-establishing the front, Liu Bei could forge the occupied territory into an ironclad plate.

It became urgent to recall Yu Jin and Chen Dao; only previously, the roving bandit issue in Jizhou hadn’t been thoroughly resolved, and it was still winter. Liu Bei did not show too much impatience, but now that the mobilization of Wei Yan and Huang Zhong was needed, it was time to complete everything in one go.

Liu Bei paused for a moment, looked toward Guo Jia’s direction, and smiled, ”Fengxiao, your health isn’t good, and you can’t go north, so go to the southern Yuzhou to recuperate. Ziyi and his men will be under your command.”

It was obvious that Liu Bei did not let Guo Jia go north, so he compensated Guo Jia by sending him south. Moreover, once Guo Jia went south, and Chen Dao returned, others would necessarily be sent over, making it inevitable for Guan Yu to station there.

Guo Jia nodded. Going to Yuzhou was indeed suitable, and with Liu Bei’s tone, it was certain that he and Guan Yu would command the military and political affairs of Xuzhou and Yuzhou, to counter Sun Ce across the Yangtze River.

”Recall Kongming and have him learn governance with Zijing. Ziyi will guard Yanzhou, and Yunchang and Fengxiao will respectively manage the military and political affairs of Xuzhou and Yuzhou.” Liu Bei continued to issue orders.

Recalling Zhuge Liang was also a well-considered decision by Liu Bei, given Zhuge Liang’s talent in military strategy was not as formidable as his political strategy. Although military strategy Zhuge Liang could achieve faultlessness, in political strategy, he could be innovative.

”I should also pull back my disciple. I wonder if he has completed my task during this time?” Jia Xu suddenly chuckled.

”Oh, and those three youngsters, Boyan, Zijia, let me know when they return. As for Ma Zhong, after the ceremony, have him trained thoroughly under Wen Ze or Shuzhi, then send him to serve.” Upon hearing Jia Xu, Liu Bei remembered those three, including Lul Xun, Lu Yu, and Ma Zhong, and added a word.

Ma Zhong had been clamoring to serve in the army and was fostered in the mansion. Xuu Chu liked this robust lad and trained him rigorously, improving his skills. This lad was naturally resilient, with Xuu Chu training him from time to time without impacting him much. Liu Bei had often noticed him but had not paid as much attention as he did with the other adopted orphans after settling them.

To be fair, if someone could still pester Xuu Chu after being disciplined by him daily, anyone would think this boy had potential. Even if Xuu Chu went easy on him, being able to return after taking a hit the next day was indeed something.

However, he was too young before, and Liu Bei’s place didn’t accept such young soldiers. After turning fifteen post New Year, looking the other way could slide it through. Learning military strategy with Yu Jin could make Liu Bei more at ease.

”Zijing, take care of Kongming when he returns, assist you with administrative tasks, and gradually let him handle deeper matters, be more accommodating.” Liu Bei had already planned to cultivate Zhuge Liang well, as he was a genius.

”Thank you, my lord!” Lub Su extended his hand from the blanket and saluted.

Speaking of which, the first batch of cotton grown was made into the quilt wrapped around Lub Su, and bringing Zhuge Liang back to work under Lub Su would certainly relieve him. With Wang Xiu, Chen Gan, and Chen Zhen gone, Lub Su was left handling administrative affairs on his own.

Likewise, Liu Bei knew about this matter and thus arranged it this way. After all, Lub Su was like a general manager in Liu Bei’s faction, and while Chen Xi’s organizational design was excellent, actually executing it wasn’t at Lub Su’s level. Without Lub Su, many of Chen Xi’s ideas couldn’t be put into practice at all.

”Zijing, wrap your quilt properly; it’s drafty,” Liu Bei laughed, pointing to the edge of Lub Su’s quilt. Lub Su looked back and snuggled even more. Although the room was very warm, Lub Su was just cold...

”Issue orders for the leaders involved in suppressing the bandits to return to Ye City. The anti-bandit campaign can come to a close, and execute the extremely heinous ringleaders among those bandits. Others should all be sent to labor reform.” Liu Bei, after being enlightened by Chen Xi and his group, eventually understood the importance of human resources over time. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to cast recommendation votes or monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)