weaving

Xu Jinyong, the deputy general of the Weiyuan Battalion of the Yongyi Army, was left in Suizhou and appointed as the deputy general of the Yuan Shu Prefecture Battalion of Guide Prefecture. He was in charge of commanding and dispatching the troops of Wang Yanbin and six other local garrisons in the name of the Prefecture Battalion.

The reason why the Earl of Yongning left Xu Jinyong in Guide was twofold: firstly, to command and train the local armed forces that had surrendered, such as Wang Yanbin; and secondly, to keep an eye on Luo Rucai so that he would not make any moves without being noticed.

People like Wang Yanbin and Ning Zhen, although their strength is far less than that of Luo Rucai, are still heroes who have gathered in the mountains and forests. If you don't have some ability, you really might not be able to suppress them.

Although Yuan Shu had considerable prestige in Guide and was one of the few people knowledgeable in military affairs.

But he was, after all, a civil official. In the past, he might have been able to keep these powerful figures in check, given the prestige of the Yuan family. But in this chaotic world, without real strength, he probably wouldn't be able to keep up.

This is also the reason why the Earl of Yongning kept Xu Jinyong!
To this end, twenty brave warriors were selected from the heavy cavalry to serve as Xu Jinyong's personal guards, and fifty cavalrymen were transferred from the Imperial Guard and Tiger Guard units, in addition to the four hundred cavalrymen transferred from He Zhenxiong's battalion.

These 500 cavalrymen were all from the core battalions of the Yongyi Army, and were the elite of the elite. In particular, the 120 elites selected from the heavy cavalry, the Imperial Guard, and the Tiger Guard would become the foundation for Xu Jinyong's establishment in Guide Prefecture.

The recruitment of local men from respectable families is also underway...

As arranged by the Earl of Yongning, Yuan Shu was tasked with recruiting a group of men from his relatives. This was completed in less than three days, but only a little over three hundred men were selected, which was seventy percent short of the quota of one thousand. Therefore, they had to recruit from the people of Suizhou.

Although many people fled due to the chaos caused by bandits, Guide Prefecture was still in a slightly better condition than Kaifeng.

After the initial attack on Shangqiu, the allied forces of the rebels and Cao Cao turned back towards Kaifeng. They did not penetrate deep into the eastern part of Guide Prefecture, and their stay there was relatively short, so the damage they caused to the local area was limited.

After Luo Rucai led his troops away from the rebel leader, he rushed into Guide Prefecture and settled in Suizhou. At that time, Luo Rucai was already willing to surrender, but he was still hesitant, so he did not plunder the area.

After that, Luo Rucai's Cao Ying troops were pacified by the Earl of Yongning and became the government's official army. Naturally, they could no longer harass the local area too much. As a result, many of the scattered people returned home early, and their production resumed earlier than that of most prefectures and counties in Kaifeng.

Even so, the area remains devastated and food is still scarce. Even though the Earl of Yongning has implemented work relief, the porridge is very thin and can only barely fill one's stomach.

This is also one of the reasons why it was difficult for Cao Cao's camp to reduce its soldiers. No one wanted to leave the army, since they could barely get enough to eat while in the army, but once they returned to civilian life, making a living would become a problem.

Therefore, as soon as Xu Jinyong raised the banner of recruitment, he immediately received a large number of volunteers. However, due to the long period of famine and war, most of them were skin and bones, and very few of them actually met the recruitment standards of the Yongyi Army.

Many respectable men need to be raised for a period of time before their physical condition can be assessed, but Xu Jinyong doesn't have time to wait. He can only strictly select from these men, which takes some time.

However, the selection of soldiers from Cao Cao's camp proceeded surprisingly quickly; the quota of 500 was filled in less than two days.

Therefore, Xu Jinyong specifically asked the Earl of Yongning whether he could select another batch of soldiers from Cao Cao's camp to supplement his own standard battalion, but the Earl of Yongning ruthlessly refused.

The reply from the Earl of Yongning to Xu Jinyong was that if it was really difficult to recruit soldiers in Suizhou, the vacancies could be reserved and the soldiers could be recruited slowly after advancing into Shangqiu. It was not advisable to select too many people from the soldiers dismissed from Cao's camp to join the Fubiao Camp.

In fact, the Earl of Yongning's considerations and concerns were not without reason.

Luo Rucai's presence in Cao Cao's camp remains an unstable factor. If he were to make any moves in the future, not only Guide Prefecture, but also Kaifeng Prefecture, and even the entire Central Plains, would be in danger. Xu Jinyong's presence in Guide is precisely to monitor and deter Cao Cao's camp. How could too many former Cao Cao soldiers be allowed to infiltrate Xu Jinyong's own camp?

In the end, Xu Jinyong recruited 537 people from the people of Suizhou. The remaining 160-plus people could only be recruited after they arrived in Shangqiu.

…………

The Earl of Yongning did not linger in Suizhou...

After the conference, he summoned Luo Rucai, Yuan Shu and others separately, and even Wang Yanbin and other garrison commanders, as well as the generals of Luo Rucai's Cao camp.

This move is precisely where the Earl of Yongning's brilliance lies!

By having one-on-one meetings and conversations, one can show respect and importance to each of them; probe their background during the conversation; make certain promises and guarantees to them to keep them in check; and make them suspicious and wary of each other, so that they can no longer work together as a team.

Once they lose absolute trust in each other and can't find out each other's bottom line, they won't dare to collude together to do anything wrong. In this way, even if a few individuals are disobedient and unruly, they won't be able to cause much trouble.

In addition to these military officers, the Earl of Yongning also summoned Wang Renzhe, the anchor of Suizhou, and Liang Ren, the vice prefect, and encouraged them both. In particular, he promised to recommend Wang Renzhe, the registrar, for the position of assistant prefect of Guide Prefecture.

Yuan Shu had two sons. His eldest son was named Yuan Fucheng, courtesy name Yiqian. He was twenty-six years old and quite talented. He was also taken into the staff of the Earl of Yongning and temporarily used as a clerk.

Although the Earl of Yongning's move was suspected of using his son as a hostage, it seemed more like a sign of his trust in Yuan Shu, which is why he brought his son into his staff and had the intention of cultivating him.

…………

When Zhang Chenglin, the Earl of Yongning, was about to leave Suizhou, Luo Rucai and Yuan Shu and others saw him off for twenty miles.

Before leaving Suizhou City, Luo Rucai privately told Zhang Cheng that his camp had no shortage of beautiful women and he was willing to give twenty beauties to the Earl of Yongning for his leisure time.

Luo Rucai even claimed that these women were not only beautiful, but also talented in singing and dancing, and were all top-quality women. Moreover, the most important point was that he, Luo, had never even had a chance to enjoy any of these women before, and they were all incredibly fresh and exciting!
The Earl of Yongning naturally refused.

However, the Earl of Yongning did not say much about Luo Rucai's preferences. He only advised him to take care of his health and not to ruin it. Secondly, he clearly told him not to forcibly take women from the common people. If he took a fancy to a girl, he could buy her with some money and grain.

However, the Earl of Yongning also sternly warned Luo Rucai that if the girl or her family did not wish to be with him, he must not force them, otherwise the military law would not spare him.

Luo Rucai was a shrewd person, so he readily agreed.

The Earl of Yongning, fearing that he might not mean what he said, reminded him again that if he was reluctant to part with the money, he could go to his residence to withdraw it.

Luo Rucai first expressed his deepest gratitude, feeling deeply appreciated for the Earl of Yongning's kindness. He then swore an oath that he would never violate the Earl of Yongning's military rules and regulations. (End of Chapter)