You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 140 Lingwu's New Recruits, Born for Great War
Under a bright moon and sparse stars, a banquet was set up in the flower hall of the old Zhong mansion.

Although the night was bitterly cold, the floor heating in the flower hall and the incense burner in the outer room were burning brightly.

Old Zhong, Yang Cheng, and Wu Jie were all dressed in thin clothes. There were only the three of them in the flower hall, and no servants were there to serve them. They had to do everything themselves.

Wu Jie, who came from the Western Army, was very polite to Lao Zhong. Although he was happy inside, he appeared very solemn and expressionless.

This shows that they gave the former leader a lot of face.

Yang Cheng was a Han Chinese from Western Xia and a confidant of Chen Shao. He was clearly very happy.

Yang Cheng picked up a piece of crispy roasted mutton with his chopsticks, chewed it carefully, swallowed it, then drank a cup of wine and said with a smile, "Thank you for your hospitality, Grand Commandant Zhong."

Old Zhong raised his glass but remained silent. These days, the atmosphere throughout the Western Army had been somber and heavy, making him feel suffocated.

Facing two outsiders today, Old Zhong breathed a rare sigh of relief and felt inexplicably relaxed.

With the Western Army returning severely weakened, the vitality of the various circuits in Shaanxi was also greatly diminished. The four circuits of Shaanxi, a vital town on the western border of the Song Dynasty, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and consuming tens of millions of strings of cash from the Song Dynasty every year, are now in a state of near collapse.

The current situation at court is common knowledge; it can no longer be concealed. It's estimated that no provisions or salaries have been allocated. The military officers, having retreated without authorization, are unable to argue with the court, and the civil officials in Shaanxi have even less say in the affairs of Bianliang.

How will the various regions of Shaanxi survive this year? This question weighed heavily on Lao Zhong, making him unable to straighten his back. Faced with survival, everything else seemed less important.

Nowadays, life is not very comfortable everywhere, but the Dingnan Army is still relatively prosperous.

Chen Shao's territory, though called an army, was actually larger than a road; it used to be a complete Western Xia state.

Now that things have come to this, there's not much I can do. Fortunately, Chen Shao's attitude is acceptable; his letter is sincere, and the person he sent is of sufficient importance.

Old Zhong could only console himself that when this aunt came, his uncle was already bedridden and died a few days later.

His real aunt had long been buried with his uncle.

Old Zhong longed to take a knife and kill Chen Shao, but he had no choice; he had to survive first!
This year, the imperial court did not distribute a single grain of grain, and the Western Army had to find their own way out. He even planned to borrow grain from Chen Shao to get through this difficult period temporarily.

Moreover, the Western Army returned from Hebei on its own, and the court is currently too preoccupied to deal with them. However, once they have recovered and have more time to spare, the court may decide to settle scores with them.

He must find a way out for his children and nephews.
When Lao Zhong chatted with the two men, he discovered that Chen Shao's subordinates had a characteristic of being very pragmatic.

Their words were filled with hope for the future, and their eyes shone as they talked about whatever they were doing.

It seems that soon I will see the fruits of my hard work.

This was completely out of step with the stagnant bureaucratic system of the Song Dynasty.

Old Zhong couldn't help but think of that young man, who had quietly built a huge foundation in the Northwest over the past few years.

Old Zhong always felt that he was unique, and that he seemed to have a unique confidence whenever something important happened.

They are very decisive in their actions. Once they set their sights on a goal, they are willing to risk everything, as if they are certain that they will succeed.

It's as if they've already decided to break off relations with someone like Tong Guan without hesitation, as if they've already foreseen his inevitable defeat in his campaign against Liao.

As a veteran and the leader of the Western Army, Old Zhong knew all too well the value of this quality.

As for the so-called "luck" theory, he scoffed at it. Gaining Tong Guan's trust, defending Hengshan alone, suppressing the rebellion in Jiangnan, and destroying Xia in the Northwest—none of these achievements could have been accomplished by luck alone.

Both the Western Army and the Song Dynasty were showing signs of decay and decline, but a vibrant new force had emerged in the Northwest, and their commander was so young.

Old Zhong didn't know what the future held.

When the Dingnan Army's power reaches a certain level, his subordinates will also push him forward in order to gain greater power.

What happened 160 years ago in Chenqiaoyi is the best proof.

He glanced at Wu Jie, then thought of Han Shizhong, who had been buried by the Western Army for more than ten years, but was now in charge of a large army under Chen Shao.

Old Zhong suddenly realized something: perhaps the various circuits of Shaanxi were no different from the Song Dynasty court, both already old and decrepit.

"Come, drink this cup to the brim!"

At this moment, in the neighboring courtyard, Zhe Ningxiang, dressed in a light purple robe and wrapped in a mink coat, exuded a noble air while harboring a passionate springtime desire.

She was looking at the crabapple tree from the window, her mind elsewhere. A group of maids and servants stood under the corridor in the distance, waiting for her to give them orders.

Everyone packed their things early and was ready to set off.

As for why they set off at night, Lao Zhong couldn't bear the embarrassment and tried to downplay the matter.

She was restless when she learned that someone from the Northwest had come, but when she found out that it was Chen Shao who had sent someone to pick her up, she was overjoyed.
-
Xiping Prefecture, a suburb near the Yellow River.

It is home to a large cluster of water-powered mills. When the water level is high in spring and summer, they come into operation, where people grind flour, press oil, and pound rice, keeping them extremely busy.

There was a grain warehouse not far away.

Now that spring has arrived and the ice has melted, it is a busy time, with thousands of soldiers working in the vicinity.

This year, an estimated 300,000 to 1 million shi of grain passed through this area.

Nearby, there was a large open space, which Chen Shao used to build military camps.

He recruited a new army, all from the various prefectures of Lingwu. At this time, apart from those working in the water mill, the others began to set up stockades and fortifications around the camp.

In spring, the ice in the water melts, but there is still some frozen soil on the ground, which is perfect for ramming. The new camp is digging trenches all around, partly to extract soil and partly to serve as fortifications.

These soldiers, selected from various tribes, were originally the private soldiers and servants of the tribal leaders and chieftains, but now they have become Chen Shao's garrison troops.

Li Qianshun went to great lengths to promote Sinicization here, but his progress was fraught with difficulties, and he was met with layers of obstruction from the old aristocratic forces at every step.

But Chen Shao didn't need to worry about these things. He had violently destroyed the Western Xia, and their resistance was unusually fierce.

This also led to the annihilation of most of the stubborn Tangut nobles.

They possess vast amounts of land and assets, waiting to be distributed among themselves.

Now, only the group that surrendered to Xingqing Prefecture remains of the Western Xia. They are also being targeted by Chen Shao, who is having Wang Yin gather materials to launch a major case against them and wipe them out in one fell swoop.

What's even more interesting is that Toshiaki Nano has many grievances and often complains.

Chen Shao rode his horse along the riverbank, looking at the newly built camp, and was fairly satisfied.

Putting aside other things, his subordinates are generally quite capable when it comes to civil engineering.

Between the somewhat recognizable moat and fortress, after leaving space for the rammed earth walls, the area inside was where troops were stationed.

The approximate route has been marked out with lime powder, leaving a passage for troop movement and firebreaks. This passage is very wide, ensuring that troops can be deployed quickly.

The camp also selected a location for digging a well. Although it was near the Yellow River, the camp still needed a place to draw water to prevent being surrounded and cut off from the water supply.

Although this was the heart of his territory, Chen Shao was not complacent. He considered defeat before victory and even prepared for the possibility of being forced back to Xingling Plains after a bad battle with the Jurchens, where he would hold his ground to the death.

In some ways, he was even more stubborn than Li Qianshun.

This time, we must fight the Tartars to the death. We absolutely will not allow them to easily occupy the Central Plains and then cross the river to lord it over the people, just as they have in history.

It should be noted that in history, the Jin dynasty not only carried out massacres in the Central Plains, but even the Southern Song dynasty across the river could not escape their humiliation.

When the Jin envoy presented the letter of state, he referred to it as an "imperial edict" and demanded that the Song emperor descend the steps and kneel to receive it.

Moreover, every time an envoy came to Lin'an, he would demand benefits. On one occasion, he directly demanded 3,000 strings of cash for "tea and fruit" from the Lin'an government, as well as 500 taels of silver and 100 bolts of Shu brocade.

Looting merchant ships and their cargo, using Southern Song officials as targets for shooting, and abducting women were all common occurrences.

Although Chen Shao's caravans had always traded with the Central Plains, they did not sell many important goods to outsiders.

For example, animal hides and sinews. Now, at these garrison sites, caravans of horses and carts have brought in brand-new cowhide tents, piled up like small mountains.

Some soldiers were beginning to set up these tents, and the area left for troop deployment was so vast that it would be more than enough to house 30,000 infantry and cavalry. Chen Shao had built the barracks to the scale of someone who would continue fighting even if forced to this location.

Of course, it's best if you never need to use it!
While other camps were only just beginning to be set up, the central army camp was already completed. This force was directly commanded by Chen Shao, and the central army guards were composed of his most loyal Hengshan men and warriors from the Mozang tribe.

The central army camp occupied a large area, but fortunately, land in the northwest was not very valuable, and the surrounding area was a water mill, so no one lived or farmed there.

A dozen or so large cowhide tents were linked together, with various flags densely arranged outside. The flags of the central army commanded the five directions and five positions, and the flags were arranged according to military regulations. They all fluttered in the cold wind.

Having led troops for a long time, Chen Shao also knew some of the camp flags and flag signals. He talked and pointed them out with great interest to Wu Lin while on horseback.

Wu Lin was transferred by him and appointed as the commander of the Lingwu Camp, a position second only to Chen Shao and the deputy commander of the Lingwu Camp, Meicang Pangge.

Not far to the west of the garrison area, there is another large open space, which is the specially reserved drill ground.

The command platform for the troop deployment has not yet been erected; it is currently just an empty space where flags flutter in the wind, creating a rather somber atmosphere.

Such a place is indeed a good place to station and train troops.

Chen Shao started the plan at the beginning of the year to recruit soldiers and establish the Lingwu Camp, and now, just two months later, it is almost complete.

In contrast, the new recruits for the Beijing Garrison in Bianliang, which have been making a fuss since last year, still have no place to go.

Soon, the soldiers in this camp will break away from the control of the chief and the tribal chief, following his policies.

We have to thank the emperors of the Western Xia dynasty for laying the groundwork that enabled us to achieve all this.

The Western Xia were committed to Sinicization. They themselves were of tribal origin and had witnessed the power of the Tang Dynasty. How could they not know the harm of tribalism and the benefits of Sinicization?

Their efforts over the past century should have been fully realized under Li Qianshun's leadership, allowing them to continue for another century or so.

Unfortunately, Chen Shao got the job.

The number of soldiers in the Lingwu camp is increasing, now exceeding 20,000, and Chen Shao is still recruiting.

This is 20,000 soldiers.

With the current number of troops Chen Shao has, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that he's building this up for war. If he doesn't fight, he's just a complete idiot.

He now commands over 100,000 soldiers.

This is not the kind of 100,000 troops that Sun Quan had in Hefei, but a genuine 100,000-strong fighting force, capable of charging into battle and seizing territory.

If we include the soldiers who are half-farmers and half-herders in the fortified villages and towns, the number would be even more impossible to count.

If there isn't a major war, half of these troops could be reduced to focus on herding and farming.

In Chen Shao's heart, the Lingwu Camp also held great significance, as it would become one of his most reliable personal guards in the future.

Since that's the case, then we must make them part of Chen Shao's community of interests.

Therefore, the treatment was very good from the very beginning of recruiting new soldiers. Although the soldiers who came here knew they had to work, none of them failed to put in their best effort.

Many people even brought their entire families, including all their able-bodied relatives.

The barbarian soldiers weren't so particular; many brought their wives with them, and they would receive their wages for each day they worked there.

Some older Tibetans also brought their young sons to the army, hoping to get them into the military and make a fortune.

After fighting for so many years, we've finally seen something different. This time, the credit won't be taken by the big shots.

Experienced elders know that this kind of situation only happens once or twice in a hundred years.

According to word of mouth, the last time something like this happened was when the Li family of Western Xia established their kingdom.

The more people understood Chen Jieshuai, the more wholeheartedly they devoted themselves to serving him.

Many people from various circuits in Shaanxi also came to join him, including officers from the Western Army. When will lowly soldiers in the Song army, dominated by military families, finally have such an opportunity to rise in the ranks?
They are all rare talents, and Chen Shao naturally welcomes all who come. Moreover, as long as you come, your family will be properly settled.

After the defeated Fuyan army returned to the northwest on its own, many people feared that the imperial court would settle scores with them in the future.

Since neither side was under defense, it was easy to come from Hengshan, and once we arrived in Yinzhou, we could reveal our identities.

Although the Western Army generals discovered the situation quickly and began a thorough investigation, people continued to cross the border to join Chen Shao.

Following you, we'll go hungry nine times out of three days, and there's even the risk of being purged in the future. None of us are fools.

Han Shizhong is the best example.

Po Hanwu came from the Fuyan Army, and Wu Jie came from the Xihe Army. They were both genuine old brothers of the Western Army. Now, we can only imagine what they've become over there.

Moreover, Chen Shao was also from the Western Army, so people who went to join him were not even considered to have defected to the enemy.

When Chen Shao and his men arrived at the central camp, they saw a long row of tents erected in front of the tents, where soldiers from all over the country were being tested for age, strength, courage, and obedience.

Looking at their appearance, Chen Shao was quite pleased. He suddenly felt the same high spirits that Li Shimin had when he watched the scholars enter the examination hall and said to those around him, "All the heroes of the world are now in my grasp."

Soon, he would begin to truly train this new army. Chen Shao planned to establish a core force of 15,000 infantry and cavalry. Those who were laid off could receive pay and be dismissed, while those who wanted to serve as auxiliary troops could serve as auxiliary troops.

Those selected will not have to wait long; they will immediately receive a month's military pay and a resettlement allowance equivalent to three months' military pay.

Everyone was beaming with joy as they handed over heavy copper coins, not to mention the brand-new military uniforms, boots, armor, and equipment that Chen Shao had distributed, even including undershirts and cloth socks.

Therefore, even though these newly formed troops knew that they had become regular soldiers and had to work on construction sites after receiving their new badges, they did not complain.

They even worked twice as hard, after all, it was to build a large camp for their own use, where they would live in it in the future.

Chen Shao and Wu Lin dismounted and continued walking around the camp.

Not far away, a long row of stoves had been built, and now it was time for the food to be cooked, steaming hot.

Chen Shao nodded and walked over. He wondered where the military commander in charge of supplies had found so many large cooking pots. Many of the people preparing the meals were dressed in civilian clothes, and some of the women were quite bold and unashamed.

Steamer baskets of white flour flatbread, pots of simmering meat and vegetable broth, and buckets of hot soup are almost ready.

Whether they were soldiers of the ever-victorious army or laborers, at this time they all lined up under the leadership of the generals, each holding a wooden bowl and chopsticks, waiting to receive their food.

Everyone was all smiles, praising the commander for his excellent preparation of delicious food! Look at this row of big pots and stoves, there's more food than you can eat!
Chen Shao stepped forward, took a steamed bun, broke it in half, and handed half to Wu Lin.

These steamed buns are white and big, and they feel soft and elastic to the touch.

He didn't give it to Da Hu because Da Hu had basically given up the bad habit of eating staple foods. He could eat meat and feel full, so why should he eat staple foods?
The two sat to one side, chewing on steamed buns. Chen Shao asked, "How long do you think it will take for this army to become combat-ready?"

Wu Lin followed him around, his heart filled with excitement, even more so than Chen Shao's.

Just a few years ago, he and his brother were soldiers under Liu Fa.

They had never experienced such a military atmosphere in the Western Army.

Wu Lin said very seriously, "We will be able to conduct field operations in less than half a year."

At least half of this army has combat experience.

The entire Western Xia population was conscripted into the military; the non-Han peoples were traditionally skilled at fighting on horseback and herding livestock on foot. During Tong Guan's five-year campaign against Western Xia, he trained these non-Han peoples to stand at attention.
Needless to say, the Han Chinese were mostly Western Army soldiers who had fled there. They were not only veterans, but also very cunning ones.

They may have their flaws, but they have no shortage of combat experience. The next step is to train them to obey orders.

This is especially crucial, even more so than physical fitness. The more capable a disobedient soldier is, the more destructive he can be.

Therefore, he said this not to please Chen Shao, but out of his true feelings.

This army is not only able to join the battle quickly, but its combat effectiveness is also quite high!

Chen Shao was delighted, smiled, and nodded repeatedly.

(End of this chapter)