The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 462 Manpower Sources
It didn't even take three days.

Half of the nobles who witnessed the massacre collapsed when they returned to their own territories.

I was terrified!

The other half were cheering for General Gan in various cities and tribes.

Whenever they encountered leaders who were still hesitant to surrender, these people would immediately reenact a scene of slaughter.

The effect is quite obvious.

Hundreds of leaders, big and small, completed the process of stamping their surrender documents within two days.

These letters of surrender were then sent back to Hami City by Xiao Jin.

After reading Gan Minglan's account of the impending consequences in her letter, and then looking at the stack of signatures and seals on the letters of surrender, Xiong Zhen grinned from ear to ear:
"Hahahaha. That little brat, Surilege, has fallen into General Gan's hands again. Does he still think General Gan is just an ordinary doctor? How hilarious! Hahaha."

His one-eyed bodyguard nodded solemnly, then shook his head:

"The scouts from the Hu people are no good! Who in the Nine Guards of Guanzhong doesn't know General Gan's illustrious reputation? Have the Uyghurs in Huozhou stopped sending messages to their former masters?"

"Do you think the General of Huozhou is a pushover? Last time, the natives of Huozhou acted as collaborators for their former masters. After being captured, none of them fared well. The ringleader was torn apart by five horses, and the entire tribe became the most miserable slaves! They are still brought up from time to time as negative examples to educate the locals. I heard that the Uyghurs of Huozhou are now extremely obedient!"

Are you trying to get yourself killed by being dishonest?
The only people who hold the fate of their family in their hands now are the garrison in Fire State.

The regular strength of the Huozhou garrison is 10,000! There are also tens of thousands of reservists who can be deployed to the battlefield at any time.

When the unfortunate Surileg was mentioned, the two of them had another round of sighs.

"If this brat hadn't provoked me, General Gan probably wouldn't have been prepared to kill so ruthlessly. Fortunately, with this divine intervention, I can return to Shangdu in glory!"

"My lord, General Gan is truly a lucky general! Whoever is her superior will enjoy her good fortune!"

“You’re right! General Gan, my deputy, not only saved my life and helped me rise through the ranks, but also brought wealth to my family for generations! Tell me, how can I possibly repay General Gan’s kindness, which is heavier than a mountain?”

The one-eyed man pondered for a long time before saying:
"Based on my observations over the years, General Gan has not had much desire for power! I have heard many times that what she dislikes most is dealing with the affairs of the garrison, and she is also impatient with all kinds of social engagements."

She had no interest in scheming or maneuvering in officialdom.

Let's return to the topic of money, which everyone loves. General Gan herself is a money pit, and all those workshops in Ganluchuan Garrison are golden goose laying eggs. She herself has no shortage of money.

Most men spend their lives pursuing promotions, wealth, and concubines, but General Gan is a woman! We've never seen a female official before, and we have no idea what they pursue!

Xiong Zhen stroked his long beard, his preconceived notions broken free from the one-eyed man's thoughts by his words:

"You're right. If there are no female officials to refer to, then just refer to men! They have power and endless money, so they can keep several male favorites and have several attentive servants when they return home!"

One-Eyed was so startled by his master's astonishing words that he kept hiccuping.

He frantically shook his head: "I hiccup... I didn't... hiccup... that's not what I meant!"

"Oh! You mean there are no handsome men in this windy and sandy place like Guanzhong? You're right! With General Gan's good looks, who knows who will suffer and who will benefit if he keeps a few ordinary-looking male concubines who don't know how to serve people! When I get to Shangdu, I'll find some good ones for General Gan."

One-Eyed: "." Oh no, oh no, I don't even know how my master got led astray.

What if the truth comes out in the future?

Will Zuo Xiucai talk to him about Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?

Scholar Zuo: Do ​​you think it's easy for me to eat a mouthful of delicious soft rice? If anyone dares to break my bowl, I'll dig up their ancestral grave!
After Xiong Zhen had figured out his grand plan to repay the debt of gratitude, he turned his attention to the governance of the Yili River Valley.

With a large local population, the number of troops stationed there was naturally considerable.

Just look at the example of the Fire State!

After much deliberation, Xiong Zhen issued a military order:
Effective immediately, within ten days, 20,000 men will be drawn from the Nine Guards of Guanzhong and stationed in the Iri River Valley under the command of General Tian Jiu, a third-rank cavalry officer!

After issuing the military order, Xiong Zhen grinned, relieved.
"Thank goodness I listened to General Gan's advice and gritted my teeth to get 500,000 immigrants! Although feeding them in the first year made me go bald from worry, once I got through it, I realized how great immigrants are!"

The one-eyed man wholeheartedly agreed, his tone brimming with undisguised pride.

"Back in those days in the border town, everyone said that being the eldest son of a military household was the most unlucky thing! Young ladies didn't want to marry the eldest son! Why? Because the eldest son was the first to be sent to the army."

Back then, soldiers had a really tough time. They could barely get enough to eat, and their clothes were just enough to keep them from freezing. The worst part was that they didn't get paid!

Looking at our Nine Guards of Guanzhong, everyone takes pride in being a soldier. The sons of military households have to go to school early to compete for their family's military quota, and they dare not neglect either their studies or physical training.

Even so, it's not as simple as just wanting to join the army. They not only had to compete with other sons from military households, but also with outstanding peers from the immigrant community! Those who weren't selected could only serve in the reserves!

Xiong Zhen was very pleased with himself:

"Looking at the other important border towns of the imperial court, who can compare with our Guanzhong army? Those over thirty years old, or those who are seriously wounded, can choose to retire with two hundred taels of silver, or they can choose to work in workshops such as coal mines and weapon factories! They can earn at least ten or twenty taels of silver a year, which is enough to support their families!"

If word got out that these two retirement choices, it would make the soldiers in other important border towns green with envy!

What do they have to compare with our Kansai army? The average age of our current garrison is no more than twenty!

"The master craftsmen at the Ordnance Bureau are about to finish building the mobile cannon! With this kind of portable, high-powered weapon, the 50,000 to 60,000 troops stationed in Kansai will be safe!"

"Your Majesty is wise! The master craftsmen of the Arsenal are exceptionally skilled! If His Majesty knew that such a gift was among the generous presents you prepared, he would surely drink with you for three days straight!"

"Hahaha, while the weather's nice today, One-Eyed, you should give me another good compliment."

Gan Minglan was thousands of miles away and could not feel the joy in Hami City.

But she wanted her superiors to be able to bring back the freshly issued proclamation of territorial concession when they returned to Shangdu.

They used a herd of wild horses to send a message to Hasbaren, the ruler of the Kashgar Khanate.

The distance from the Yili River Valley to Shache is more than 3,000 li.

A herd of wild horses can easily make a round trip in ten days to half a month.

Among the group, Tiger Head, who was the best at Uyghur, volunteered to lead ten elite vanguard battalions on a swift journey.
(End of this chapter)