Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

Upon hearing this, the tent fell silent.

The four of them looked at each other, none of them able to react for a moment.

Xu Tai was the first to come to his senses, leaping up from his chair with a joyful expression and shouting:

"Captain! You've been promoted?! To Commander-in-Chief of the Cavalry! That's a proper army commander!"

Chen An also stood up and smiled:

"Why call him 'Captain'? He should be called 'Commander-in-Chief' now!"

"Absolutely! Absolutely!"

Zhou Ping and Wu Kang both stood up and offered their congratulations in unison.

The four of them were genuinely happy. They had followed Li Cenji for more than half a year and knew his abilities and character well.

Li Cenji was promoted, and naturally, his subordinates also rose in rank.

Li Cenji waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down, and then said:

"There is a third matter."

The four of them sat down again, staring at him expectantly.

Li Cenji explained the matter of expanding the army, and the four men were overjoyed upon hearing it.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Ping spoke:

"Among the defeated soldiers, there are probably not many who can ride horses and can be called cavalrymen."

He paused, then explained:

"Our five hundred brothers are all elites selected by Lord Zheng from the various armies of the Northern Army. After more than half a year of training, their horsemanship and archery skills are naturally beyond question. But those defeated soldiers—some are imperial guards who escaped from Chang'an, and some are garrison troops scattered from various military districts. Their composition is mixed, and their quality varies greatly. There may be some with cavalry experience among them, but there certainly won't be many. If we want to gather two thousand cavalry, I'm afraid it won't be easy."

Li Cenji nodded and said:

"You're right. That's what I think too."

He stood up, paced a couple of times in the tent, and said:

"It's unrealistic to gather two thousand cavalry all at once. My plan is to first select five hundred riders from the defeated soldiers who can ride horses. Adding these five hundred Imperial Guards, that's a thousand riders. These thousand men will form the backbone of our cavalry. The remaining thousand will be used as infantry for now, and we can gradually expand our horse fleet and convert them into cavalry later."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Chen Andao:

"Commander, your idea is sound. You can't get fat in one bite. Cavalry is different from infantry. Not only do riders need to know how to ride, but the training, feeding, hoofing, and saddlery of horses are all subjects of study. Rather than trying to do too much at once, it's better to first train a thousand elite cavalrymen in a solid and thorough manner."

Li Cenji then said:

"There's one more thing. I've incorporated Zhang Yansi's brigade of garrison soldiers into my own ranks. From now on, they're one of our own."

Upon hearing this, Xu Tai grinned and said:

"Good job, Commander! That brigade commander surnamed Zhang seems like an honest man, and his soldiers are all quite capable. With these extra hundred men, we'll have more money to spare."

Li Cenji nodded and then said:

"Now that we have new recruits, we need to train them. My idea is to have experienced soldiers mentor the new ones."

His gaze swept over the four brigade commanders, and he said:

"Our five hundred Imperial Guards are all well-trained in horsemanship and archery. Zhang Yansi's brigade of garrison soldiers, although considered elite, are still infantry and are probably quite unfamiliar with horsemanship and archery. It's a good opportunity to use them as practice subjects and let the brothers experience being teachers. After some time, when the defeated soldiers arrive, with the experience of the veterans guiding the new recruits, teaching the new recruits will be a breeze."

Upon hearing this, the four brigade commanders immediately perked up.

Zhou Ping nodded and said:

"Commander, that's a good idea. Having experienced soldiers mentor new ones not only trains them but also helps them get to know each other better, preventing any future misunderstandings."

Seeing that no one had any objections, Li Cenji waved his hand and said:

"In that case, you may make the arrangements. Zhang Yansi's brigade will be divided into five teams. The four of you, plus Zhao Shun who is still on duty, will each lead one team and train them. If they train well, they will be rewarded; if they train poorly, I will punish them."

The four men stood up in unison, clasped their hands in greeting, and said:

"Yes, sir!"

After the four people left the tent, the tent became quiet again.

After Li Cenji sat back down at his desk, he unconsciously tapped the surface of the desk with his fingers, making a "tap, tap, tap" sound.

He was thinking about personnel matters.

Two thousand men—not a lot, but not a small number either.

Once this business is established, he can no longer rely on himself to oversee everything as before.

A framework needs to be established, with each level having its own responsibilities and subordinates at each level, so that it can be used as effectively as one's own arm.

He closed his eyes and pondered, calculating the temperaments and abilities of the five brigade commanders under his command.

Chen An, in his early forties, has served in the military for over twenty years. He is calm, experienced, and composed in the face of battle.

His soldiers may not be the most capable fighters, but they are certainly the most reliable.

Advance when it's time to advance, and retreat when it's time to retreat; I will never ruin important matters because of a momentary impulse.

Zhou Ping has a round face and big ears. He looks kind and gentle, but in reality, he is meticulous and quick-witted.

Such people, if used properly, can be a sharp weapon.

If paired with Chen An, one would be steady and the other skillful, complementing each other perfectly.

These two men could serve as commanders of two thousand-man squads under their command.

Li Cenji opened his eyes, reached for the paper and pen on the table, and wrote two names on the paper: Chen An and Zhou Ping.

After finishing writing, he picked up his pen again and wrote "Commander of the Left Wing Infantry" under Chen An's name and "Commander of the Right Wing Cavalry" under Zhou Ping's name.

Two thousand men were divided into two wings, one thousand men in each wing.

Chen An led the left wing, and Zhou Ping led the right wing.

On the battlefield, they can coordinate left and right, and can attack or defend as needed.

He put down his pen and pondered for a moment.

Below the side rooms lies the capital.

Each usually has two to five hundred people.

Li Cenji lacked capable men, so he planned to expand the establishment of each capital to five hundred men.

There were four captains on both sides.

What I currently have on hand:

Xu Tai is a fierce general, daring to charge and kill, with a fiery temper and a sharp tongue, making him most suitable for leading the charge and charging into enemy lines.

He might not be quite up to par to lead an army on his own, but he'd be a perfect fit to lead five hundred men into battle.

Although Wu Kang was young, he had served in the army the longest among the five, except for Chen An.

He joined the army at the age of sixteen and has served for twelve years, possessing exceptional martial arts skills.

Zhao Shun, like Xu Tai, was a reckless and impetuous man who would risk his life in battle.

If you use him, you must let him fight tough battles and tackle difficult tasks.

As for Zhang Yansi...

Li Cenji added another name to the paper. Although this person was a new recruit, Li Cenji had recognized him that night at the military supervisor's residence.

This brigade commander is a responsible person.

Faced with the coercion of that brute Xu Tai, he did not simply resist, but argued his case and protected the brothers behind him.

Such a responsible and measured person deserves to be given important responsibilities.

Moreover, Zhang Yansi's brigade of garrison soldiers were originally Peng Jingrou's personal guards selected from various battalions, and their quality was not bad.

Letting him continue to lead his old brothers is also making the best use of his talents.

The four captains, Xu Tai, Wu Kang, Zhao Shun, and Zhang Yansi, each led one captain's post.

Li Cenji wrote these names down on the paper one by one, then tapped them with the tip of his pen, nodding silently to himself.

Of course, this is just a preliminary plan.

We also need to gradually find suitable candidates for positions such as deputy commander, lieutenant commander, and brigade commander.

But that's a story for another time.

The most important thing right now is to set up the framework, recruit the 1,500 defeated soldiers, and train them.

Li Cenji folded the paper, put it in his pocket, stood up, and walked out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the autumn sun shone brightly.

Shouts and cheers echoed from the drill ground.

Xu Tai was an impatient man, and he had already led his men to divide Zhang Yansi's brigade of garrison soldiers into teams and begin teaching them horsemanship.

Most of the garrison soldiers were originally from the infantry. When they climbed onto their horses, they wobbled and staggered, which made the imperial guards laugh.

Xu Tai yelled and cursed, and when he got tired of cursing, he simply mounted his horse and demonstrated it himself.

Li Cenji stood at the tent entrance, gazing at the bustling scene on the training ground, a slight smile playing on his lips.

These were his soldiers.

His capital.

This was the foundation upon which he found his place in the chaotic world at the end of the Tang Dynasty.

-----------------

In the days that followed, Fengxiang City was like a watermill that had been idle for a long time, suddenly filled with fresh water, its gears meshing and rumbling as it began to run.

Military orders were issued from the military governor's office to various parts of Guanzhong.

The sound of horses' hooves never ceased on the post road day and night, and messengers with flags on their backs galloped back and forth, mobilizing troops scattered across the north and south of Longshan to Fengxiang City in waves.

In no time, the military camps in the four corners of Fengxiang Luocheng were packed to the brim, and even several abandoned granaries in the city were vacated to serve as barracks.

Armored soldiers could be seen everywhere on the streets, and the business of taverns and teahouses was several times better than usual. However, fights and brawls were also frequent.

Zhao Buying, the commander in charge of military discipline, was in for a headache and had to double the number of patrolling soldiers to maintain order day and night.

What concerned Li Cenji the most were the Guanzhong defeated soldiers who were gradually being gathered together.

These defeated soldiers came from all sorts of different backgrounds.

Some were Shence Army soldiers who escaped from the Forbidden Garden when Chang'an fell. They were fully equipped with armor and weapons, but they were terrified by Huang Chao's army. They were all emaciated and had shifty eyes, like frightened birds.

Some were remnants of the Tongguan garrison. Their commander collapsed without a fight, and these ordinary soldiers wandered aimlessly through the Guanzhong countryside like headless flies, barely surviving by looting villages.

Other soldiers came from Jinshang, Shannan and other places. They were sent by their respective governors to defend the emperor, but when they heard that Chang'an had fallen and the emperor had fled west, they lost their way and were stranded in the Qishan area.

Zheng Tian entrusted the task of gathering the defeated soldiers to Wang Chu, the military commander.

Wang Chu then assigned several judges to lead teams, each with dozens of soldiers and provisions, to go to various key roads, ferry crossings, and villages east of Fengxiang to pacify the region.

The method of pacification was quite simple. First, find the squad leaders and brigade commanders among the defeated soldiers who were still in charge, show them the seal of the Fengxiang military governor, and tell them that Prime Minister Zheng was here and wanted to gather troops to defend the emperor.

Those who were willing to return to their units were given three days' worth of rations on the spot, plus one hundred coins each, and were organized into a team to be taken back to Fengxiang.

Those who were unwilling were not forced to stay; their weapons and armor were confiscated, and they were allowed to leave on their own.

These conditions weren't particularly generous, but for those defeated soldiers who had been wandering the countryside for months, sometimes starving and sometimes full, it was a godsend.

Having a decent place to go and food to eat is better than anything else.

Therefore, in just seven or eight days, Wang Chu's men brought back nearly three thousand defeated soldiers, divided them into several camps, and temporarily settled them in an old drill ground in the southwest corner of Luocheng.

Upon receiving the news, Li Cenji led Chen An and Zhou Ping directly to the old training ground to select people.

The old drill ground was originally the site of a military weapons workshop from the previous dynasty. It covered a large area, but it had fallen into disrepair over the years, with the ground uneven and the surrounding walls partially collapsed.

The defeated soldiers sat scattered in small groups among the broken walls and ruins.

Some were wrapped in tattered blankets and huddled in the corners, dozing off; some were huddled in a circle, gambling with stones; and others were cooking a porridge of wild vegetables they had somehow gotten their hands on in simple earthenware pots.

A sour, rancid smell filled the air.

Li Cenji walked into the training ground, found a slightly elevated earthen platform in the center of the ground, and stood there, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic crowd below.

The routed soldiers all raised their heads, their eyes filled with scrutiny and vigilance.

These people had experienced the fall of Chang'an, the emperor's flight to the west, and the general's defeat, so they didn't trust anyone much.

Li Cenji didn't care and said loudly:

"I am Li Cenji, the commander of the Fengxiang cavalry. I have come here on the orders of Minister Zheng to select the strongest men to join the cavalry. Anyone who can ride a horse and wield a bow and spear, regardless of which army or garrison they were from before, as long as they are willing to follow me, step forward and let me see them."

There was a moment of silence, followed by a buzz of discussion.

Upon hearing the words "Ma Jun," these defeated soldiers knew it was a good place to go.

Cavalrymen received higher pay and better food than infantrymen, and had a greater chance of survival on the battlefield.

However, no one knew for sure what this young military officer was like, what his personality was like, or whether he kept his word.

After a moment, a man in his early thirties stood up from the crowd.

This man was not tall, but he was extremely stocky, with broad shoulders and a thick back, and his arms were as thick as small tree stumps.

He had an old knife scar on his face, which ran diagonally from his left eyebrow to his right cheekbone, splitting his otherwise fairly regular face in two, making him look rather ferocious.

He was wearing a bright armor that was tattered in many places, with several plates missing, revealing a filthy linen robe underneath. His boots were also worn through and tied together haphazardly with straw rope.

He walked to the earthen platform, looked up at Li Cenji, and without bowing, asked in a deep voice:

"May I ask, Commander, is your word reliable?"

Li Cenji wasn't annoyed, and looked at him, saying:

"Naturally, it will be counted."

The man then said:

"I was originally a squad leader under Zhang Chengfan, the military commissioner of Tongguan. My name is Shi Chonghou. On the day Tongguan fell, I led my men to protect Zhang Chengfan as they fought their way out of the encirclement, but we were separated from the rest of the troops. In the days since, I have been hiding with them, and three of us have died, leaving twenty-one. If you want to select men, I will not interfere. But my men must stay together and not be separated. If you can agree to this, I will lead my men to serve you. If not, I would rather lead my men back to our hometown to farm."

These words were extremely impolite; any other officer would likely have reacted angrily on the spot.

Li Cenji could tell that this person dared to speak like this in front of so many people because he had some confidence and a sense of responsibility.

It is no ordinary person to be able to protect more than twenty brothers and survive for more than half a month in this chaotic world.