My vicious dog, my horse, I can do whatever I want with it

When the imperial edict was delivered to Pingnan Camp, all the soldiers in the camp were rewarded, and the emperor praised Zong Yanli a lot.

Along with the imperial edict came many rewards. The tangible rewards of gold and silver made the soldiers happiest. It was also at this time that Zong Yanhongjing promoted Zong Yanli to be the commander of the central army, making him equal to Peng Deqing and others.

It should be unbelievable that a general of a battalion was only eighteen years old.

But when this matter fell on Zong Yanli, no one in the army opposed it, and some even felt amazed that this day had finally come.

Although Zong Yanli took on the post of commander-in-chief of the central army, he did not continue to stay in Pingnan Camp. Instead, he was given the important task of providing assistance and would be leaving for Changfeng County soon.

"General Yang." Zong Yanli went to visit Yang Liqun. The two had not seen each other for a long time. When Yang Liqun saw Zong Yanli, he knew his intention and smiled helplessly: "Don't say polite words. Your friends have been wanting to pack their bags and join you for a long time!"

"Don't blame me, General Yang..." Zong Yanli felt a little embarrassed. He always felt that his behavior was like stealing his people.

"Hmph." Yang Liqun snorted twice. Zong Yanli was a brave and resourceful man and anyone would want to follow him. He also had a deep friendship with his former accomplices, so it was understandable that they wanted to join Zong Yanli.

but……

It still hurts!

Zong Yanli was a little shy and said with a simple smile: "General Yang, I only need four people this time."

"Huh? Four people?" Yang Liqun was stunned when he heard that. He didn't expect that Zong Yanli didn't intend to take them all?

"You also know that I am going to defend the city. I don't need to go into battle except for the battle formation." Zong Yanli pondered and said, "So I don't plan to bring more people."

"Which four do you plan to take?" Yang Liqun found it strange. Which general doesn't want to have more brave generals under his command? Why doesn't he want one?

"Pei Liang and Meng Qi." Zong Yanli first selected two people, and after a little hesitation, he said: "Lu Hao is also a figure. As for the fourth person, I thought about it for a long time and decided to choose Qian Zhixing."

Yang Liqun was completely dumbfounded when he heard what Zong Yanli said. It was actually these four people! ?

Compared to others, these four people are obviously not particularly outstanding.

Not to mention others, Monk Chi is considered a partner of Zong Yanli. Apart from Monk Chi, Kuang Xingquan and Huo Wenqi are obviously more outstanding, while Qian Zhixing and Lu Hao are more ordinary. Yang Liqun really doesn't understand.

He even included Wang Kangcheng in this, and thought that Zong Yanli would get rid of Wang Kangcheng.

Wang Kangcheng himself also thought so, and was even tormented by the decision of whether to go or stay. He was actually willing to follow Zong Yanli, but Yang Liqun had helped him, so Wang Kangcheng was naturally torn.

Until Zong Yanli came to the Right Camp, he was not chosen in the end?

The pulling feeling suddenly turned into a feeling of loss, a feeling of helplessness and a bit of relief...

The most unexpected ones among them were Kuang Xingquan and others.

The second time!

Even though Kuang Xingquan had a good temper, he couldn't help but question Zong Yanli: "Why doesn't the general want us?!"

"It's not that I don't want to..." Zong Yanli was helpless. Looking at the posture of Kuang Xingquan and the others, he said with a bit of a smile: "We are going to Changfeng to defend the city. Defending the city will inevitably involve fighting the enemy. Ah Quan, you are better at commanding on the battlefield, Wenqi is suitable for arranging troops, and Xiaohu is suitable for setting an ambush to capture the general's head."

"After much thought, I think Aqi has the highest chance of winning among the generals, so I asked him to go with us." Zong Yanli analyzed for them seriously.

"Moreover, we are defending the city against the Kingdom of Qing this time. Asking you to follow General Yang and stay behind will also prevent trouble from the Kingdom of Jin. You have good abilities and you should perform your duties conscientiously in your own positions." Zong Yanli raised his eyes slightly and looked at several people and said so.

"What about Pei Liang?" Kuang Xingquan still felt unhappy, pursed his lips and said, "He is still a defeated general under the general, is he qualified to fight?"

"..." Zong Yanli raised his hand to his forehead, and said with a little displeasure: "If we talk about fighting, none of you can beat me. Now that Pei Liang has joined our army, he is like our brother. How dare you look down on him like this!"

"Pei Liang was already a general of a battalion in Nankang. You still have a lot to learn." Zong Yanli stood up and looked at them and said, "Don't look down on others."

Kuang Xingquan lowered his eyes with an indescribable expression on his face. He pondered for a while before saying, "General, I am not looking down on Pei Liang. I just think that we are the ones you should trust more..."

Zong Yanli stepped forward and held Kuang Xingquan's arm, saying seriously, "It is precisely because of trust that I believe that you can go higher and further without my guidance."

Zong Yanli stared at Kuang Xingquan with a firm look in his eyes and said, "Changfeng is difficult to defend. Even I am not sure that I can defend it. If Changfeng is destroyed, you will be my backup. Do you understand what I mean?"

As Kuang Xingquan listened to Zong Yanli's words, the resentment in his heart seemed to slowly dissipate. Reinforcements are always crucial in the army. No matter what you do, you must leave a way out for yourself. And now Zong Yanli is telling Kuang Xingquan, you are my backing!

It can be a partner fighting side by side, and also the strongest backing.

Zong Yanli was not exaggerating. The State of Qing was completely different from Nankang. Its military strength was even comparable to that of the elite troops of the State of Jin, not to mention its sophisticated siege crossbows.

Changfeng is much more dangerous than they imagined.

Zong Yanli and Kuang Xingquan explained the situation in detail and were able to appease them.

"The general is right. We are indeed not as good as Aqi in fighting generals." Huo Wenqi sighed solemnly, patted Kuang Xingquan and said, "Since the general left us to defend the rear, he must think that Qing Kingdom is difficult to defeat. We must be ready to go to support at any time."

"Hmm..." Kuang Xingquan frowned deeply, his expression slightly complicated as he said, "Perhaps we are too dependent on the general. Only when we become independent sooner can we keep up with the general's pace."

They always thought that one day Zong Yanli would become a general and be able to recruit them under his command.

But Zong Yanli has never lacked generals around her. What she needs is a general who can give her backup and support, a general who can command the soldiers even if she leaves!

It turns out that what Zong Yanli said at the beginning, that we would meet at the top, was never a joke.

It's her expectations of them.

Pei Liang and Meng Qi were not surprised at all to be able to serve under Zong Yanli. However, Qian Zhixing and Lu Hao felt as if they were floating on the ground since they arrived at the central army camp.

Since Zong Yanli established the Ghost Camp, he rejected many people's self-recommendations, including Qian Zhixing. The two have had no contact since then. Qian Zhixing almost thought that he could no longer reach such a high level, and it was normal for a small person like him to be forgotten.

In fact, when the Ghost Camp was recruiting soldiers, Qian Zhixing felt somewhat unhappy that Bai Xiujun was able to stay but he was not.

Does he think he is no worse than Bai Xiuyun?

Later, when he learned that Zong Yanli wanted Bai Xiuyun and not Kuang Xingquan and the others, he felt relieved.

"Are they all here?" Inside the main tent of the central army, Zong Yanli was sitting in the main seat wearing a silver helmet and iron armor. The table was covered with various maps and scrolls. Only Wen Nian was standing beside her in the tent. There was no one else. After all, she was the commander of a battalion, but she had only one personal soldier. Wasn't it too shabby?

This thought popped up in Pei Liang's mind when he walked in.

Zong Yanli waved his hand: "Sit down."

She didn't waste time talking to them. She looked up at the four people and said, "The four camps in the central army are in the southeast, northwest, and northeast. You four will each take a position. There are five teams under your command. Select a team as soon as possible and report to the top. Count the number of people and go to Changfeng County half a month later."

"I don't care what methods you use. If you are not competent, get out as soon as possible."

"Go down."

"..."

Well, so sudden...

Qian Zhixing and Lu Hao didn't even have time to ask why Zong Yanli chose them.

I was already sweating profusely just from her two sentences.

There are not many troops left in the central army, and each battalion is scrambling for people. You can't just get people you want. For people like them who have no achievements or merits, if you don't have the ability, what you will get in the end are the prisoners left over by others, or those who look skinny and are willing to die on the battlefield.

You can fill in the numbers and select those useless soldiers to report back, but when you go to the battlefield, the general will ask about the casualties in the army.

How do you justify the heavy casualties among your soldiers?

If you are charged with the crime of lax military discipline, being beaten with a stick and losing your official position is a minor matter, but if you cause our army to suffer heavy losses, it is common for you to be beheaded.

Don't think that it's easy to be a general. Qian Zhixing and others also know the importance of this matter, so they immediately went to recruit soldiers. There is a rule for this recruitment. If someone is brave, like Zong Yanli, they just need to spread the word and people will come to recommend themselves.

However, not everyone in the army was like Zong Yanli. Other generals would put up flags in front of the camp and shout and lobby like hawkers. Some generals would also announce martial arts competitions to show their martial arts skills and attract soldiers to join.

This kind of situation is very common in the military and it is actually a lot of fun.

"Come under my command, and I'll give you at least one meal of meat a month, among other things!" Qian Zhixing didn't have Pei Liang's eloquence, nor Meng Qi's bravery, nor Lu Hao's popularity, so he could only find another way to recruit soldiers for himself.

"Real meat? Maybe they just cooked rat meat to fool people..." In such a hard military life, it is really tempting to have something oily to eat.

"Absolutely impossible!" Qian Zhixing promised, saying that if he did not keep his word, everyone could ask to change camps!

Over there, Monk knocked down four or five people in succession and won a round of applause. The soldiers saw how brave he was and thought that if they followed such a general, they would at least feel more secure!

On the other hand, although Pei Liang came from a complicated background, he was well-versed in military books and could converse with others fluently. His eloquence and strategy attracted many people. With just a few words, he persuaded many soldiers, which really made Qian Zhixing anxious!

He secretly hated himself for being tongue-tied, but Lu Hao was more relaxed. He had made many friends and now that he had set up an account, his old friends who came to him because of his reputation would follow him.

Zong Yanli was also not idle. This time she led more than a thousand soldiers, and as a general she had to keep an eye on the military supplies and food.

Half a month passed in a fast and slow manner, but Qian Zhixing and his men finally handed in a perfect answer. All the troops under their command were properly deployed, and they were ready to go to the battle as soon as Zong Yanli gave the order!

"Get ready and set off tomorrow." Zong Yanli probably felt that there was only Wen Nian by his side and not enough people to maneuver, so Yang Liqun finally sent someone to Zong Yanli.

Zong Yanli took a look and found that it was an acquaintance.

Gao Feilin knelt down and bowed, "I pay my respects to General Zong Yan!"

This person was none other than the one Zong Yanli met on the way from the recruit camp to the right camp. This person and three of his accomplices competed with Zong Yanli, and in the end, all three were knocked down by her.

I didn’t expect so many years to pass by in a flash.

Zong Yanli looked at Gao Feilin and caught a glimpse of the bowl-sized scar on his neck. The sharpness he had in the right camp had now been completely worn away, and he seemed much calmer. It seemed that the wars in the past few years had made him suffer a lot, and he was no longer the high-spirited man he used to be.

"Get up." Zong Yanli said, "This general does not need anyone to serve him personally. You just need to pass on orders and run errands for him."

"Yes!" Gao Feilin lowered his head and responded.

Gao Feilin walked out of the tent and saw Wen Nian sitting on a chair wiping his silver spear. He hesitated for a long time about how to address him, and finally walked up to him and called out, "Brother Nian."

Wen Nian seems to be Zong Yanli's personal soldier, but it is obvious that he is not an ordinary personal soldier. At least anyone with a discerning eye can see that Zong Yanli treats Wen Nian differently. Wen Nian has been following Zong Yanli since the recruit camp, and the two are inseparable.

Gao Feilin could never treat himself and Wen Nian as equals.

The next day, Zong Yanli went to meet Zong Yanhongjing.

Then he led more than a thousand soldiers from the right camp and set off for Changfeng County.

At this time, the main forces of the Qing Kingdom had arrived outside Changfeng County one after another, and had been challenging the Qing Kingdom outside Yuanshi Pass for many days. Zong Yanhongtu followed Zong Yanli's advice and refused to fight. He watched the number of Qing Kingdom troops outside the pass increase, and he became more and more horrified, thinking that Zong Yanli's prediction was really right.

"General." Dong Haoqiang walked into the guard post at Yuanshi Pass and said to Zong Yanhongtu, "We don't see any more troops coming from Qing. Maybe they are already preparing to attack the city. If we refuse to fight, I'm afraid Qing will forcefully attack."

"What is your preliminary estimate of the number of troops and horses that the Qing Kingdom has sent to attack the city?" Zong Yanhongtu asked in a deep voice.

"Fifty thousand." Dong Haoqiang said with difficulty.

When these numbers were uttered, the generals in the tent all gasped. Or were they too conservative? They thought that 30,000 soldiers were already a lot, but they never thought that Qing State would spare no effort and mobilize all the troops to deal with Jin State?

Zong Yanhongtu's temples throbbed, he took a deep breath and asked, "When will the reinforcements arrive?"

A burly general at the bottom stepped forward and said, "Maybe it will take another ten days."

Zong Yanhongtu pondered for a while and said, "Strengthen the defense of the towers outside the pass, set up a lookout tower to keep an eye on the enemy's movements at all times, and hold out as long as possible."

Zong Yanhongtu has already sent an urgent military report, which will be presented to the emperor soon. He only hopes that the emperor will increase the troops as soon as possible. Otherwise, with more than 20,000 defenders in Changfeng County, it is likely that they will not be able to resist the 50,000 troops of Qing Kingdom!