If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but the open space outside Duanhe Fort was already bustling with people.

The notice announcing the expansion of the army to five hundred men in Sibao had just been posted in front of the gates of each fort, and in just one day, the news spread with the wind and snow to dozens of refugee huts, hunter settlements, and scattered villages around Bailangji.

As dawn broke, no fewer than eight hundred able-bodied men had gathered outside the Duanhebao training ground.

The crowd huddled in the cold wind, their eyes burning with fervent anticipation. Now, everyone along the northern wall knew that Commander Xu of Duanhe Fort had not only wrested military rations and armor from the barbarians, but had also forced the Yunzhou General's Office to back down and pay the owed wages. Serving in the Four Forts meant two solid meals a day, meritorious service earned land and grain distribution, and even those who died in battle had their names meticulously engraved in the military register, and their families supported by the Four Forts until old age.

In this desolate wilderness where human life is as cheap as grass, such rules are like a mountain that shelters refugees struggling on the brink of life and death.

However, when the heavy gates of the training ground slowly opened, what greeted them was not the usual simple physical examination, but a solemn and orderly iron-blooded formation.

Directly in front of the drill ground, Xiao Hongluan, clad in dark red light armor, stood ramrod straight before the command platform, her hand resting on her sword. Behind her, sixty heavy infantrymen, clad in Xuan-grade refined iron lamellar armor, stood on either side, their spears like a forest, their iron shields interlocked, their chilling aura forcing the noisy crowd into involuntarily silence.

Shen Qinghe and Liu Ruyan sat behind a wooden desk with several clerks and scribes beside them, with thick blank military registers and writing implements.

"Line up!"

Zhou Laoqi strode forward, his rough voice echoing like thunder across the training ground:

"Those who make noise will be expelled! Those who cut in line will be expelled! Those who cheat and shirk their duties will be expelled! If you want to eat the rations of the Zhenbei Army, first put away your scoundrel habits from among the refugees!"

The crowd stirred slightly, then quickly formed four long lines at the command of the patrolling veteran.

Xiao Hongluan slowly descended the steps, her cold gaze sweeping over the long queue, her voice clear yet carrying an undeniable authority:

"When the four forts were first built, the recruitment was to gather three hundred soldiers to defend against the enemy. As long as they were physically capable and dared to take up arms and obey orders, they could join the army. But this time, it is an organized army."

Xiao Hongluan pointed to the several assessment areas marked out within the training ground and continued:

"Those who join my Zhenbei Army will no longer be mixed together. Those who are strong and heavy will be assigned to heavy spearmen, those who are agile and brave will be assigned to scouts, those who are skilled in horsemanship and archery will be assigned to war cavalry, those who are good at mechanics will be assigned to the supply workshop, and those who are literate and knowledgeable in medicine will be assigned to the logistics medical camp. Those who can pass the test can receive their winter clothing tokens today; those who cannot will return to the civilian camps to await assignment for land reclamation."

As soon as the words were spoken, the assessment officially began.

The first hurdle is the most rigorous screening of physical and mental strength.

On the east side of the training ground, two hundred and three hundred catties of heavy bluestone locks were neatly arranged. The men who applied for the job had to carry the weight of the stones with both hands for fifty steps, and then immediately raise a twelve-foot-long white waxwood spear and thrust it in thirty times. Those whose spear tips drooped more than half an inch were eliminated on the spot.

A particularly burly refugee gritted his teeth, veins bulging, and grabbed a 300-pound stone weight. He strode fifty paces, the snow flying as he landed. He then picked up a heavy spear and thrust it thirty times in one go, each thrust accompanied by a piercing whistling sound.

Xiao Hongluan observed coldly from the side, then nodded slightly: "Extraordinary arm strength, solid footwork. Enter the heavy spear camp, line up in armor, and await orders."

The man wiped the sweat from his forehead, clasped his hands in a gesture of ecstasy, and retreated.

On the west side of the training ground, the selection of mountain scouts was personally overseen by Hou San and A Man.

A dozen or so young hunters, who had made their living in the mountains since childhood, showed off their skills here. They moved nimbly, using the breeze and shadows to conceal their figures, gliding and tumbling across the snow, their short crossbows hitting the bullseye repeatedly.

Hou San, with a blade of grass in his mouth, patted the hunters on the shoulder: "Quick-witted and sharp-eyed. Follow Aman to get your leather armor and crossbows. You'll be in charge of the hidden sentries thirty miles north of the wall from now on."

However, what surprised the onlookers the most was the special assessment area set up on the north side of the training ground.

There were no swords, spears, or targets there; instead, there were only lumber, anvils, wheels, horseshoes, and writing implements.

Several middle-aged men who originally thought they were too weak to join the army stood somewhat awkwardly in front of Bai Zhi and Shen Qinghe.

An honest man who had once worked as a coachman in the mainland skillfully repaired a broken axle of a supply wagon in front of everyone using a short axe and wooden wedges within half an incense stick's time; while an old blacksmith skillfully hammered out a pair of perfectly fitting, non-slip horseshoes.

Bai Zhi quickly sketched on the booklet with a charcoal pencil and said crisply, "Passed. Join the supply corps craftsmen team, with the same monthly salary as the combat soldiers, specializing in the maintenance of vehicles, horses, and equipment."

The coachman stood there, stunned, and stammered in disbelief, "Young lady... I don't fight on the front lines, yet I can receive a soldier's salary?"

Xu Qingshan, who was standing not far away, walked over, looked at him gently, and said:

"War is not just about the flashing swords on the battlefield. Who will repair the broken weapons? Who will replace the broken axles? Who will nail the horseshoes? An army that can win battles is never just a few hundred men wielding swords."

Xu Qingshan's gaze swept over the skilled artisans, his expression solemn:

"As long as you perform your duties in the army, safeguard the supply lines, and maintain the armor, the hammers and chisels in your hands will be just as heavy as the spears in the hands of the soldiers."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the several craftsmen reddened, and they all bowed to accept the order.

After a day of rigorous screening, the originally dense crowd on the ground was divided into layers.

Nearly 600 people who were physically weak or took a chance were eliminated, and in the end, 198 strong and capable people with a real skill or a brave physique remained.

With the addition of the original 302 veterans in Sibao, the standing combat force of 500 people was now fully formed!

Holding the revised roster, Xiao Hongluan strode to Xu Qingshan's side, her tone brimming with the excitement of a newly formed army:

"All 500 people have returned to their posts and completed their assigned duties."

"Sixty Zhenbei cavalrymen, all equipped with fast horses, leather armor, and horn bows; one hundred and sixty heavy spearmen, all clad in Xuan-grade fine iron lamellar armor and large shields; one hundred crossbowmen, equipped with double-barreled crossbows modified by Baizhi Workshop; sixty mountain scouts, led by Hou San and Aman; eighty supply and logistics men, including carpenters, blacksmiths, and charioteers; and forty medical personnel, trained in battlefield first aid by Qin Yuenu."

This is a complete border army system with a clear division of labor, covering both frontline combat and rear operations, no longer the rabble of the past crammed into dilapidated bunkers fighting their own battles.

However, just as the generals were immersed in the joy of the army's formation, the door to the council hall was pushed open, and Shen Qinghe and Zhao Lihua walked in with two thick stacks of account books, their expressions serious.

Shen Qinghe spread the account books out on the table, and the abacus beads made a crisp and rapid clicking sound under her fingertips.

"Centurion, the recruits are complete, but we now face a very real difficulty."

Shen Qinghe raised her head, a hint of solemnity on her delicate face:

"Previously, the daily food rations of the three hundred soldiers in the four forts, plus the civilians accompanying the army, were still within a controllable range. But now the number of soldiers has surged to five hundred, and the soldiers' training consumes a lot of energy. They need two meals of dry rice a day, and meat and oil every ten days."

Zhao Lihua, standing to the side, handed another logistics calculation ledger to Xu Qingshan, pointing her finger at the vermilion numbers:

"I just calculated it carefully with Qinghe. Five hundred soldiers, plus sixty warhorses and more than two hundred mules for transport, consume more than eight shi of fine grain every day, not to mention countless fodder and beans. Even if the Yunzhou General's Office makes up for the grain arrears of the past two years as agreed, if we rely solely on the current grain reserves of the four forts and let them run out, we can only last until March at the latest."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly quieted down as the cold, hard accounts were laid out.

Soldiers don their armor and receive their pay, but do not engage in farming. Two hundred more mouths to feed become a heavy mountain of grain weighing down on them in the snowy, cold winter months.

Zhou Laoqi scratched his head, his excitement fading considerably, and remained silent.

Guo Shan and Feng Shouyi exchanged glances, their brows furrowed.

Hou San, standing by the door, rolled his eyes, then couldn't help but lean forward and tentatively whisper something:

"Centurion... if the food and pay are really tight, how about... we recruit fewer men? Send back forty or fifty, and the saved food will last us a while, won't it?"

Xu Qingshan was looking down at Zhao Lihua's accounts when he heard this. Without even looking up, he simply uttered a sentence:

"If you feel there's not enough food, eat one less bowl of rice at each meal."

Hou San shrank back, quickly covered his mouth, and sheepishly retreated to the corner, not daring to utter another word.

The originally heavy atmosphere in the hall was broken by a few soft laughs, and the tense atmosphere dissipated considerably.

Xu Qingshan closed the account book in his hand, raised his eyes, and his gaze was deep and firm:

"Retreating is impossible. The situation on the border is constantly changing. The Vulture Tribe has suffered a great loss and will not let it go easily. Chen Huaishan of Yunzhou is also watching us from the shadows. Five hundred soldiers are our bottom line for holding the northern wall. Not a single one of them can be lost."

He stood up, walked to the map of the four fortresses hanging on the wall, and his gaze fell on the large, flat wasteland along the river outside Duanhe Fortress.

"It's easy to have five hundred soldiers, but difficult to feed five hundred people. Since the imperial court's provisions are not enough, starting tomorrow, we will use the swords of these five hundred soldiers to completely revitalize this wasteland."

Xu Qingshan turned around, looked at Zhao Lihua and Shen Qinghe, and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Pass down the order: starting tomorrow, activate the large-scale military settlement along the cut-off river!"