Super Cultivation System of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 197: Recruiting the Army
Cui Jun, Cheng Liang and others were extremely efficient. Early the next morning, they gathered a total of 36,000 to 37,000 people to a huge parade ground in the city.

Five thousand Anmin troops were guarding the city on the city walls, and thirty thousand soldiers were outside the city, each wearing new armor and holding shiny weapons, and they surrounded the parade ground several times.

The more than 30,000 people looked at the solemn-looking, fully-armed guys around them, and felt a little nervous.

"Hey, Brother Li, what does this new captain do?"

"I don't know, but this Commander Liu is really brave. Look, all those people who were previously taken away by the powerful to serve as their own private soldiers have now returned. There were twelve powerful families, and within two days, none of them were left alive by Commander Liu, and all their properties were ransacked!"

"Oh! This guy is really ruthless when it comes to beating up the local tyrants, but those families are not good people either. If we really talk about the crimes, it is not unfair to kill all nine clans."

"What do you know? The court is incompetent now, and our food and wages are often in arrears. Last month's food and wages were not only 20% less, but also mixed with bran. Although those families are ruthless villains, the situation in Yanmen is serious now, and they dare not treat their tribesmen harshly. At least we can have enough food if we follow them!"

"Hey, Old Ai, I haven't seen you very often. You've gained a lot of weight in the past few months since you joined the Lin family as a private soldier!"

"Hey, don't mention it. The head of the Lin family is also a fucking bastard. Although we can have enough food after we go there, his whole family treats us like slaves. It's much more humiliating than what we suffered in the army!"

"That's right. It was the same with the Nan family I visited. I was patrolling the mansion that day and happened to meet the second young master of the Nan family. He actually ordered a few of us to pour night incense for him. Damn it! If it wasn't for a meal, I would have rebelled against him long ago!"

"You should be content. Look at those of us who are still in the army. Our guns are rusty, our armor is torn, and we don't have enough food to eat. We really don't want to do this anymore!"

There were nearly 40,000 people whispering to each other, and the overlapping voices sounded quite noisy to Liu He's ears.

Liu He winked at the messenger beside him, and the messenger raised a flag and waved it three times crosswise to the left and right. Suddenly, deafening shouts came from the surrounding 30,000 Anmin Army.

"Everyone be quiet! Listen to the captain's instructions!"

This roar directly frightened the people in the middle.

"What's going on? Why are you shouting so loudly for no reason?"

"Stop talking. I think Captain Liu has bad intentions. Let's be quiet and listen to what he has to say."

"Alas, a new official has three things to do upon taking office. Let's all listen."

In the blink of an eye, the whole place became quiet and you could hear a pin drop.

Liu He glanced around and took a deep breath.

"Commanders!"

His shout shocked everyone again. They never expected that such a young man like Liu He could be so full of energy and his voice was so loud and clear that the whole audience could hear it.

"I! The new commander of Yanmen County, my surname is Liu, my name is He, and my courtesy name is Xianzhao! I don't want to preach to you all, because I know that you have all suffered these days!"

Everyone seemed a little surprised that Liu He would speak like this. This was completely different from the officials they had met before. This made everyone concentrate.

"I, Liu He, and several brothers started from the countryside. We started with a group of one or two hundred militiamen, fighting against bandits and pacifying the area. We have come to where we are today. We have suffered a lot and seen a lot of battles. I am not bragging about my achievements. The three brothers Zhang Jue, the rebels of the Taiping Dao, all died at the hands of my brothers! But I know that the hardships we have suffered are still not comparable to the bitter cold that you soldiers have endured in this frontier land!"

"The Han Dynasty has been striving to bring peace to the country since Emperor Gaozu, especially against the barbarians in the north. Since the time of Emperor Wu, we have launched attacks everywhere and achieved remarkable results. It is precisely because of the bravery of the border troops who protect the border and the people that the Han Dynasty is so prosperous today! It can be said that among the millions of soldiers of the Han Dynasty, the border troops are the best when it comes to the elite!"

These words seemed to make the thirty or forty thousand people in the middle feel a long-lost sense of pride again!

Most of these people were former frontier army soldiers who had fought on the battlefield and had dreamed of making great achievements and killing all the enemies. However, the military situation has been critical in the past two years, and the burden of reality has forced them to give up their beautiful ideas and bow to reality.

"Now..." Liu He changed the subject. "Yunzhong County has been lost, and the northern part of Yanmen has also become a Xianbei horse farm. What is this? This is a great shame for our Han Dynasty! If Generals Wei and Huo were still alive, and the Hanwu Iron Cavalry were still alive, how could we allow the barbarians to be so rampant! Emperor Xiaowu once said, 'Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever the rivers flow, all belong to the Han Dynasty'! But today, we have even lost the Han territory that we have defended for hundreds of years. Aren't we ashamed of the blood shed by our ancestors!"

Some of the soldiers on the field looked ashamed, some lowered their heads in thought, and some became a little indignant and dared to confront Liu He.

"Captain Liu, I don't like what you said! Many of us soldiers are from Wuyuan, Yunzhong, Yanmen and other counties. We wish to lose our homeland, but the court is incompetent and the generals are incompetent. What can we ordinary soldiers do?"

"Yes! If we didn't join those powerful families, I'm afraid many people would have starved to death or frozen to death by now, and there would be nothing we could do!"

After these few people took the lead, it seemed to ignite everyone's emotions, and they complained one after another for a while.

"Good! I am very pleased that you have not lost your heart to serve the country and defend the land! I, Liu He, promise here that as long as you return to the army, continue to serve, and bravely kill the enemy, I will not only not pursue all the past, but also give you generous rewards if you have made meritorious contributions!"

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other, and many of them were tempted.

Being a deserter and joining other people's private army is a capital crime. In the past, when the captain died in battle or the prefect was weak, no one would pursue the matter. But now, the newcomer is obviously a ruthless guy. Since they can be exempted from prosecution and promised to be rewarded for their meritorious service in future battles, this is of course the best!
If one can have enough food to eat in the army and even make merit and bring honor to the family, who would be willing to be someone else's private soldier and suffer that kind of bullying?

However, having said that, these people had been deceived by former officials and former captains in the past, so they did not completely believe what Liu He said.

"Captain Liu, I dare to ask you, do you mean what you said? Even if you mean what you said, the food and wages are distributed by the court, and they are deducting money from them at every level. Can you do anything about it?"

"Yes, if there is no food, fighting on an empty stomach is the same as seeking death, isn't it?"

"That's right. The Xianbei cavalry is extremely fierce. We are already at a disadvantage. We don't want to go there on an empty stomach! It would be better for them to kill us now."

"Yes, beheading is just one blow, but falling into the hands of barbarians is worse than death!"

This was also within Liu He's expectations.

"Everyone, rest assured! I, Liu, cannot guarantee how the imperial court will treat us! But I, Liu He, can guarantee that everyone will have three meals a day, and even those who have made contributions can drink wine and eat meat!"

These words were like a fire lit on dry grass, and the flames shot up high in an instant.

"What? Three meals a day?"

"People who have made contributions also get wine and meat? Is this true?"

"It must be a lie! How can such a good thing happen in this world? If that's the case, I will recruit all my brothers to join the army. Although it is extremely dangerous, it is better than being poor and hungry in my hometown! Starving to death is also death, and being beaten to death by bandits is also death. It's better to eat a full stomach and fight the barbarians before dying!"

"Does Commander Liu really mean what he said?"

Everyone stretched their necks, as if they had never been so expectant about a word spoken by someone!

Liu He nodded solemnly: "Of course I am serious! To be honest, I and my brothers are now in charge of five counties, namely Langtiao County, Yu County, Yangqu County, Luwei County, and Fenyang County. Over the years, the weather has been good and the people are prosperous. The population of the five counties has reached nearly 200,000!"

"That's right. I've also heard about the incident in Langtiao County. It's said that this county has 70,000 to 80,000 people, and its annual grain tax accounts for nearly one-third of Taiyuan County!"

"This Captain Liu is so powerful?"

"If that's true, these five counties can definitely make up for the portion of food and wages withheld by the imperial court!"

(End of this chapter)