A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

Zhao Daxuan stared at the refugees gathered outside the city gate for a long time before asking someone to call Qin Lide and Uncle Li over.

"Village Chief Qin, Uncle Li, I have them set up a defense line of 3,000 meters for this camp. That should be enough to accommodate 5,000 people. I also intend to bring in some refugees."

Before Qin Lide could speak, Uncle Li answered with a smile.

"Sir, I have already registered you and you are now one of your soldiers. As for the camp, Village Chief Qin will take charge from now on. I will not be involved. You can call me by my name from now on. My full name is Li Changming."

Zhao Daxuan smiled and nodded upon hearing this. He hadn't expected that Uncle Li would also choose to join the army. Then he looked at Qin Lide.

"Then I'll have to trouble Village Chief Qin with the rest. You can also pick a few more helpers from the Han people in the north, otherwise, as the number of people increases, things will inevitably become more and more complicated."

Qin Lide showed no surprise, clearly indicating that Uncle Li had already spoken with him beforehand, and he waved his hand repeatedly.

"Lord Zhao, you flatter me. This is my duty. Changming has already found a few clever people to help me manage the camp."

He paused for a moment, then looked at Zhao Daxuan with a serious expression.

"My lord, the establishment and defense of this camp are basically all thanks to your great help. Since you have decided to take in some refugees to settle here, I will certainly support you."

"However, there are more than a hundred villages and towns of all sizes around Zhenbei City, with a population of 100,000. Now that Zhenbei City has ordered a scorched earth policy, these people will probably flock to Zhenbei City."

"What are your requirements, sir, for the refugees placed in our camp? Is it a first-come, first-served arrangement, or...?"

Zhao Daxuan had already made a decision on this issue, and he would have informed Qin Lide even if Qin Lide hadn't asked.

"Indeed, our capabilities are limited, so we can only select some qualified people to be placed here."

"I am currently recruiting soldiers, so anyone willing to join my army, regardless of age or gender, can be placed in our camp, and the benefits of military service will be the same as what I have mentioned today!"

"In the next few days, Village Chief Qin, please arrange for some people to go and tell the refugees who have fled here: anyone who wishes to join the army is welcome to come. Although it is not as safe as the city, I will do my best to protect everyone."

"There's another thing. My newly recruited soldiers will be training this afternoon, which will greatly reduce the manpower for digging trenches. You can arrange for other refugees who will enter the camp later to help with the digging."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lide smiled and nodded.

"That's a good idea. Not only do they join the army to protect their families, but the construction of the camp's defenses also requires more manpower. Plus, with such generous terms offered by you, sir, I imagine there will be countless people signing up!"

Zhao Daxuan shook his head with a faint smile, "Right now I can only command a thousand men. Any more than that and they won't be able to be registered, and we won't be able to receive their pay and provisions. I can't afford to support so many people."

Qin Lide and Uncle Li couldn't help but smile. Then, Qin Lide took his leave and arranged for people to leave the camp to inform the refugees who had fled there.

About half an hour later, all the lines of people queuing to register for military service had finished registering, with only a few people occasionally coming to sign up.

Li Erlong rushed over to Zhao Daxuan's side to report the situation, his face beaming with excitement.

"Sir, over 190 people have registered to join the army today, and a few more have come to register. We expect to recruit 200 people today!"

"Once I take the roster back tonight, I'll register them at the core camp. Then they'll be real soldiers, and they can collect their pay and rations from the quartermaster!"

Zhao Daxuan nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. Although they haven't been officially registered yet, time is of the essence. Let them assemble now. I'll say a few words to them; training starts this afternoon!"

Li Erlong nodded in acceptance, turned and left to gather everyone together.

A moment later, more than two hundred people had gathered in front of Zhao Daxuan.

One small formation of over fifty men stood ramrod straight, exuding an imposing aura; they were veterans who had come out of the city with Zhao Daxuan that day.

The other, unevenly spaced formation consisted of newly enrolled recruits. They were only able to form a proper square formation under the command of Li Erlong and others.

At this moment, all the new recruits looked at Zhao Daxuan with longing. Zhao Daxuan coughed twice and looked at everyone in front of him with a serious expression.

"Gentlemen, from today onwards, we are all brothers in the same trench. The Tartars could attack at any time, so we must quickly build up our fighting strength."

"So training will begin this afternoon. Currently, I have one unit under my command called the Heavy Swordsmen and Shieldmen, but today I will establish another unit called the Black Armor Cavalry."

Upon hearing that Zhao Daxuan was preparing to establish a new branch of the military, veterans like Li Erlong turned their heads in surprise.

"These two troop types each have their strengths and weaknesses. The Heavy Swordsmen excel in defense, but their offensive capabilities are also considerable; they can withstand the Tartar's 'Azure Wolf Iron Cavalry'!"

"【Xuanjia Cavalry】As the name suggests, they are cavalry, focusing more on mobility. Their ranged attack and offensive capabilities are not bad, but their defense is definitely not as good as that of sword and shield soldiers."

"Those who just registered for military service today can choose one branch of service, with a limit of one hundred men per branch! You'll have a short time to prepare. Those who want to join the Swordsmen and Shieldmen, please stand to the left; those who want to join the Xuanjia Cavalry, please stand to the right!"

After the words were spoken, the nearly two hundred recruits fell silent for a moment, then began to whisper among themselves and discuss the matter.

Uncle Li, who was standing at the front of the group, was silent for a while, then turned to look at A Liang behind him.

"Ah Liang, which class of soldier do you want to choose?"

Ah Liang looked up at Uncle Li with a determined gaze.

"I choose the Xuanjia Cavalry! Uncle Li, with our physiques, look at the heavy armor that Squad Leader Li and the others are wearing. Do you think we could even run in it?"

Uncle Li nodded upon hearing this, as he had the same idea. In addition, they had been herding horses for the Tartars for many years, so they had some skill on horseback.

Without further hesitation, Uncle Li took the lead and walked to the right. Seeing this, A Liang and the others from Li Family Village followed suit and walked to the right as well.

In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the hundred Xuanjia cavalrymen who chose the right side were the first to fill the position, leaving the rest with no choice but to move to the left.

Once it was determined which individuals would be converted to which military units, Zhao Daxuan used the corresponding military tokens to convert them.

The new recruits felt a sense of connection, as if they were unconsciously drawn closer to their own branch of service.

Zhao Daxuan turned to Li Erlong, "Erlong, the new recruits in the swordsman and shield infantry are now under your command. Make sure they get familiar with the area as quickly as possible!"

Li Erlong nodded in acceptance, then looked at Zhao Daxuan with curiosity, "Sir, what about the Xuanjia Cavalry you just established?"

Zhao Daxuan smiled and said, "I'll bring them myself!"

Li Erlong looked on with envy. He had witnessed Zhao Daxuan's skill in archery and horsemanship, and the cavalry he led must be extraordinary.

If he hadn't already grown fond of the heavy swordsman and shield infantry unit, he would have wanted to switch to being a cavalryman.

Zhao Daxuan looked at the hundred men who had transformed into Xuanjia Cavalry, and he was looking forward to their performance.