The Ming Dynasty: Starting with bandits, it swept across the land.

The news that Xi'an Prefecture was going to send troops to suppress the bandits quickly reached Yanchang County through various channels.

The government originally intended to keep the news from spreading, but they did not expect that when Li Chengye passed through Luochuan and other counties, he had used silver to disguise himself as a merchant and bribed several clerks in the county government to send them a copy of the government's movements on a regular basis.

Although the clerks knew that the matter involved state secrets, they put their concerns aside when they saw the piles of silver.

Li Chengye was puzzled as to why Mao Bing was the one who came last time, but this time it was the Fu Biao Battalion that was dispatched, even the main force for suppressing bandits had been changed.

But the only certainty is that the government troops have come in large numbers this time, and are stronger than before.

The Shaanxi governor's garrison, at full strength, numbered about 2,500 men. This was basically the best-preserved unit in Shaanxi, apart from the personal guards of border generals in places like Yansui.

While Mao Bing might be superior in individual bravery, he was inferior to Fu Biao, a well-organized army of the Ming Dynasty, in terms of systematic offensive and defensive formations.

Moreover, unlike the Mao Bing, which consisted almost entirely of infantry, the Fu Biao Ying had cavalry. According to the Ming army's standard organizational structure of "three horses and seven infantry," they had at least six hundred cavalrymen.

"This is going to be tough."

Luo Dai said with a frown.

But no one around him disagreed, clearly believing that the situation was more serious than he thought.

However, according to the information, they still have at least seven or eight days to prepare from Xi'an Prefecture to Yan'an.

The first priority was to prepare more marching rations. The batch we had brought from the mountains was almost gone.

After the extended harvest, they were able to find plenty of wheat, which they ground directly into flour to make fried noodles. They then mixed in oil, salt, and coarse sugar, and served with the previously blanched and prepared vinegar cloth, which made the meal even better for everyone.

Secondly, there is the issue of manpower.

Since Li Chengye's troops left the mountains, they have always recruited soldiers based on the number of livestock they owned.

The number of people hired is determined by the number of livestock.

The basic standard was one horse or mule for each soldier, two horses for each auxiliary soldier, plus a donkey to carry luggage and armor.

This is mainly to maintain the mobility of the entire army.

Li Chengye now understands very well that if his band of outlaws wants to survive the government army's encirclement and suppression, they must march quickly.

As long as the government troops can't catch up, they have room to maneuver and can even find an opportunity to counterattack unexpectedly; but if they are caught up due to their lack of speed, with their current combat strength, even if they can win a battle, they will eventually be annihilated sooner or later under the continuous encirclement and suppression by the government troops.

Therefore, speed is their primary lifeline.

"How are the new brothers doing?" Li Chengye asked Liu Yefa, who was standing to the side.

As the chief instructor of Li Chengye's army, Liu Ye was in charge of training new recruits.

"The four hundred new recruits have been dispersed and assigned to various teams as you instructed, with veterans leading them to familiarize themselves with our rules and basic drills."

Liu Ye's answer was straightforward and prudent.

Li Chengye nodded, indicating that he understood.

However, he then thought of something else and asked, "Brother Liu, you mentioned that there are approximately how many people in our team who were formerly from the border army?"

Liu Ye thought for a moment and replied, "Currently, there are about 10% of the team, around a hundred people."

Li Chengye said, "This is about what I estimated. These brothers all have military experience, have fought in battles, many have seen blood, and some have even fought against the Mongol Tartars in the north."

Their combat experience far surpasses that of newly recruited soldiers. We will select thirty outstanding individuals from among them to form a training team, and have them take turns instructing various teams.

For example, we can spend two days in Team A, and then two or three days in Team B the day after tomorrow. Each team currently has about 150 people, which is perfect for one person to mentor five others and pass on their experience. This way, the troops' tactics and skills can improve more quickly.

If conditions permit in the future, such a training squad should be incorporated into each team as a model. In the event of a tough battle, these training squads can be combined and used as a sharp spearhead.

Luo Dai, who was standing nearby, remarked, "Then wouldn't this training squad be considered a kind of household guard?"

Li Chengye nodded: "That's true, but they don't belong to any particular general or are the personal guards of any battalion. They are the core members of our team who are officially organized."

However, as you said, Brother Luo, since it's meant to serve as a model and has a role similar to that of a servant, then its treatment should be improved.

"Although we don't have a fixed military pay right now, let's try our best to ensure they can eat meat every day, shall we?"

Everyone exclaimed, "That's great! We're in a life of constant danger, and even if we earn money, we might not live to enjoy it. If we could have meat every meal, that's a blessing many people would kill for. It's totally feasible!"

Li Chengye continued, "Furthermore, I plan to divide our existing six teams into three armies: the front, the middle, and the rear. I will command the middle army myself, Brother Liu, you will lead the front army, and Brother Luo, you will command the rear army. This way, it will be easier to command and coordinate when the government troops invade in the future."

Luo Dai was surprised by his trust and immediately replied, "Since the manager trusts me so much, I will definitely lead the team well!"

Liu Ye nodded, saying he would do his best.

After agreeing on these matters and explaining the relevant details, Li Chengye led several people to Zheng Guangqiu's place to discuss the news of the government troops coming to suppress them.

Zheng Guangqiu chose to stay at the mansion of a wealthy merchant in the south of the city.

The guards at the gate all recognized Li Chengye, and as soon as they saw him, they immediately went in to report.

Zheng Guangqiu then personally came out of the house to greet them; he was dressed in a silk brocade robe.

Seeing his attire, Li Chengye felt somewhat displeased, but he didn't say anything.

Li Chengye entered the house with a warm welcome from Zheng Guangqiu, and at the same time had someone call Wang Pingyue over.

After Wang Pingyue arrived, Li Chengye told them that the government troops were about to launch a large-scale attack.

He suggested that everyone pack their supplies and prepare for evacuation.

There's no need to hold onto a single city or territory; as long as the enemy can't find any trace of us, there's room for maneuver.

Wang Pingyue had no objection. He was often chased by government troops, yamen runners, and local militia, and he knew his own limitations.

Zheng Guangqiu also understood that his own strength was insufficient, and he could not defend the city with his own troops alone, but he still wanted to stay for a few more days.

"The brothers are used to living in the open and the wind is blowing. Now that we finally have a roof over our heads, they don't want to leave right away. Besides, the government troops haven't arrived yet. I have to have a good talk with the brothers. They can't just leave like Brother Li did."

Since Zheng Guangqiu did not intend to stay long, only asking to stay for another two or three days, and since the government troops would indeed need more time to arrive, Li Chengye did not say anything more.

If Zheng Guangqiu had truly become infatuated with the county town at that time and was trapped inside by the government troops, then I had already given him a warning, which was more than enough.

After leaving Zheng Guangqiu, Li Chengye decided to organize his men and set off once preparations were complete. Today, he would first transport a batch of gathered cloth and other supplies to Nanniwan.

It's already autumn, and winter will arrive in a month. The wind is cold in the mountains, and one more batch of cloth might save one more life.

In addition, the raw materials for making gunpowder, such as saltpeter and sulfur, which have been collected from the city in recent days, should also be sent to the mountains to produce as much gunpowder as possible.

After arranging the delivery of supplies and watching the transport team depart, Li Chengye was about to return to the city when he suddenly heard someone shout:

"Are you Chengye and his brothers?"

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the man was dressed in tattered clothes, his face was dirty and black, his hair was disheveled, and he was leaning on a cane.