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

When the garrison seal was delivered into the inner fortress, Shen Qinghe had already been waiting in the council hall for half an hour.

Several newly copied rosters were spread on the table, and next to them were stacks of inventory documents for warhorses, prisoners of war, and military rations.

Xu Qingshan placed the bronze seal on the corner of the table.

Hou San followed him in and reached out to touch it.

Shen Qinghe picked up the booklet and tapped the back of his hand.

"Your wound was just stitched up, and your hands are already restless?"

Hou San withdrew his hand.

"I'm just checking how much this thing is worth."

Xu Qingshan sat down and said, "Selling it should be enough for you to buy a new coffin."

"Then let's keep it, I don't need it for now."

Xiao Hongluan, Zhou Laoqi, Qin Yuenu and others entered the room one after another.

The room quickly filled up, with Tie Niu arriving last, still covered in sweat.

He ran ten laps carrying the wooden shield, and upon entering the room, he didn't even bother to drink water before staring at the bronze seal on the table.

"Is this the garrison seal of the Four Forts?"

"Um."

"With this, will the people of Iron Gate Fortress and Broken River Fortress have to listen to us?"

Xu Qingshan said, "That's how it's done according to military orders."

Tie Niu grinned and said, "That's quite convenient."

Zhou Laoqi shook his head from the side.

"If it were that easy, would Tang Su really just dump three fortresses on us?"

Tie Niu thought about it and felt it made sense.

Shen Qinghe unfolded the first list.

"Let's talk about people first."

"Blackstone Fortress currently has 108 men who can stand on the city walls, more than 20 of whom are wounded and unable to undertake long-distance marches in the short term."

"Fifteen Zhenbei cavalrymen were left at Qingya Fort to guard the granary, prisoner camp, and armory within the city."

She drew a horizontal line on the paper with a charcoal pencil.

"Less than ninety people can be mobilized from the fortress at any time."

Tie Niu frowned.

"Didn't they send out eighty people for military inspection yesterday?"

"The inspection of the soldiers only lasted nine breaths."

Qin Yuenu glanced at him.

"You want those wounded men to ride horses for a whole day, and then fight again, and see what happens?"

Tie Niu recalled the screams in the wounded soldiers' quarters and quickly dismissed the idea.

Shen Qinghe continued, "Qingya Fort originally had thirty-five soldiers, seven of whom were bedridden, leaving only twenty-eight who could actually patrol the walls and guard the gates."

"With the fifteen Zhenbei cavalrymen left behind, we can maintain defenses for the time being."

"But the breach in the north wall of Qingya Fort has not been repaired yet. At least twenty people need to be on guard at night. If the barbarians come south again, we can only hold out for a while at most."

Xu Qingshan asked, "How many people can be selected from the military households?"

"The list sent by Feng Shouyi contained sixty-four adult men."

"Half of them have been starving for a long time and are in poor health. Let them rest for a few days, and perhaps we can select twenty men to help defend the city."

Xiao Hongluan said, "Defending the city is fine, but it's too early to go into battle."

"We need to learn how to use bows and crossbows and spears again. If we can't even stand still when we encounter the enemy, the more people there are, the more chaotic it will become."

Shen Qinghe nodded.

"As for Iron Gate Fortress and Broken River Fortress, the roster lists a total of 140 people."

Hou San asked, "What about in reality?"

"Who knows?"

Shen Qinghe threw the two volumes of documents onto the table.

"No casualties have been reported at Iron Gate Fort for two years, and the records at Broken River Fort have been cut off for two months."

"Based on the situation at Qingya Fort, it would be lucky if half the people remained in these two forts."

The room fell silent.

The four border forts had more than three hundred men listed in the military register.

The troops that Xu Qingshan truly controlled were only a hundred or so men from Black Stone Fortress and Green Cliff Fortress.

Among them were wounded soldiers, veterans, and military households who were just able to take up arms.

Xu Qingshan looked at Xiao Hongluan.

"The training at Blackrock Fortress cannot stop."

"Those who can stand up must be reorganized into teams of three, expanding into teams of ten. Each team must have someone who knows how to relay orders, lead the team, and temporarily take over."

Xiao Hongluan said, "Give me ten days."

"Five days."

"Seven days."

"Sixth day."

Xiao Hongluan looked at him.

"You really think it's like buying groceries?"

"If we keep talking, it will be five days."

"Sixth day."

"OK."

Hou San listened intently from the side.

"So you can even negotiate the price for training troops."

Xiao Hongluan turned to look at him.

"Your thirty cavalrymen will begin additional training in dismounted infantry combat tomorrow."

Hou San's smile vanished instantly.

Why do cavalrymen train for infantry combat?

"The horse is dead, are you planning to lie on the ground and wait to be carried away?"

"I can steal the enemy's horse."

"Run twenty laps first, then we'll talk about how to steal the spot."

Hou San looked at Xu Qingshan.

Xu Qingshan looked down and flipped through the roster, as if he hadn't seen it at all.

Shen Qinghe opened the second document.

"Let's talk about warhorses again."

"Four hundred and thirty-seven intact warhorses and more than one hundred and sixty wounded horses were captured from Luoyan Valley. Adding the horses that were originally in Black Stone Fortress and the dozen or so captured from Qingya Fortress, the total number is close to six hundred."

Tie Niu's eyes lit up.

"Six hundred horses, enough to form six hundred cavalry?"

Zhao Lihua walked in from the doorway, holding a handful of dry grass in her hand.

"First, find six hundred people who can ride horses."

"Find enough hay for them to eat every day."

She threw the hay on the table.

"The weather has just warmed up, and the pastures outside the city haven't grown yet. The beans in the granary are only enough to feed seventy warhorses."

"The remaining horses will remain in the stable; they'll lose weight in less than half a month."

Xu Qingshan asked, "What are your plans?"

"Select the seventy best horses to keep in Blackstone Fortress, one for each of the Zhenbei Cavalry, and keep twenty more as reserves."

"There is an old pasture near Qingya Fort, and there is water to the north. Send two hundred horses there for the military households to graze, which will also help to increase the horsepower of Qingya Fort."

"Horses with minor injuries were assigned to military settlements to pull plows and transport timber, while those that were seriously injured and beyond saving were dealt with as soon as possible."

Hou San said, "It's a pity to use the warhorses to pull plows."

Zhao Lihua looked at him.

"Are you willing to pull it for it?"

"I have a back injury."

"Is the injury healed?"

"I still need to train cavalry."

"Then shut up."

Hou San picked up the bowl of water, pretending that he hadn't said anything.

Xu Qingshan nodded.

"Do as you say."

"The horses sent to Qingyabao were divided into several batches and escorted by the Zhenbei Cavalry along the way. Feng Shouyi's side is short of transport animals, so we will leave him twenty docile horses first."

Zhao Lihua said, "There's also fodder."

"We can cut a batch of tender grass from the wasteland near Blackstone Castle in advance and dry it. The felt cloth left by the barbarians can also be turned into straw bags, so as not to waste linen cloth."

Bai Zhi took over the conversation.

"I'll take care of the felt."

"Don't send all the horse hides over; the armory doesn't have room to store them for the time being."

"First make the reins, wrist guards, and crossbow string covers; the rest will be sent to be dried in the sun."

Xu Qingshan looked at her.

"Can one of the three ballistae be removed?"

Bai Zhi asked, "Send it to Qingya Fortress?"

"Um."

"It can be dismantled, but the road is difficult to travel, and the ballista is too heavy. It would require at least four horses to pull the cart, and the axle would need to be reinforced when crossing the quarry path."

"Prepare first, and send it after the breach in the Qingya Fort city wall is repaired."

Xiao Qi said, "We need to replenish the regular crossbow bolts too."

"The battle of Luoyan Valley used up too many crossbow bolts, and there are only a little over three hundred usable crossbow bolts left in the armory."

"Qingya Fort will also take away a batch of supplies."

Bai Zhi glared at him.

"Why didn't you think about how much was left when you ejaculated?"

"When the barbarians charge, we can't hold back our shots."

"So starting tomorrow, you will lead your men to trim the arrow shafts yourselves."

Xiaoqi opened her mouth, and finally admitted it.

Shen Qinghe then opened the list of prisoners of war.

"The more than three hundred barbarian prisoners are also a problem."

"They were only given one meal of porridge a day, but they still consumed a lot of food. Twenty soldiers were also guarding the prisoners."

Aman said, "More than a hundred of them came from the subordinate tribes of the Black Wolf tribe."

"They were forcibly conscripted by Ashina, and their families and livestock were held captive in the Black Wolf tribe's camp."

"I have already selected sixty-seven people who are truly following the Black Wolf tribe in plundering the border people."

Xu Qingshan said, "These 67 people will be held in separate custody. After the investigation is completed, they will be handed over to military law for punishment."

The rest of the people were assigned to quarries, logging teams, and road construction teams.

"If you do enough work every day, you'll be given two meals. Anyone willing to provide information about the grasslands will be registered by Aman."

Ah Man asked, "Will you let them go later?"

"It depends on their performance."

"Those who want to return to the grasslands can exchange their labor for freedom. Those who wish to stay can also move with their families to the vicinity of Sibao."

Zhou Laoqi frowned.

"Won't it cause trouble if the barbarians stay in the border fortress?"

"Place them separately first, and they must not touch the weapons."

Xu Qingshan said, "The Four Forts are short of people, and we must find a way to keep all the capable people here."

"But military discipline must be the same: whoever commits murder, robs grain, or humiliates border residents will be punished."

Aman nodded.

"I'll go and talk to them."

After making initial arrangements for everything, Xu Qingshan unfolded the map of Sibao.

"Starting today, Zhou Laoqi will be in charge of patrolling the four forts."

"Select ten experienced veterans to learn how to inspect the city walls, granaries, water sources, and beacon towers. At each fortress, the soldiers must be re-verified."

Zhou Laoqi asked, "Just looking at people?"

"It also depends on the general."

Xu Qingshan pointed to Iron Gate Fortress.

"Those who are willing to obey military orders and can defend the city, stay. Those who take military rations to support their cronies and oppress military households, write their names back."

"What if the other party won't allow the investigation?"

"Come back and tell me first."

Hou San laughed from the side, "Then we'll take some people over and help him open the door."

Xu Qingshan said, "You will be in charge of the scout cavalry."

"The existing Zhenbei Cavalry will remain at a strength of fifty men. We will select another thirty border residents and veterans who can ride horses to learn reconnaissance, messenger transmission, and escort duties."

Hou San pointed to his waist.

"I'm still injured."

Qin Yuenu said, "It won't stop you from opening your mouth and teaching others."

"I'm afraid that if I talk too much, my wound will hurt."

"Then I'll sew it tighter for you."

"I feel much better all of a sudden."

Xu Qingshan continued making arrangements.

"When training heavy infantry, prioritize those who are strong and willing to take the lead; the initial number should be thirty."

Tie Niu asked, "Give them all heavy axes?"

"Give them the wooden shields and spears first."

"And you call that heavy infantry?"

Xiao Hongluan said, "Give them the axe after you've taught them not to rush forward as soon as the battle starts."

Tie Niu remembered the ten laps he had just run and obediently agreed.

"Xiao Qi is in charge of the crossbowmen. First, expand the existing ten crossbowmen to thirty."

"Qin Yuennu selected medical staff, Bai Zhi expanded the armory, Zhao Lihua managed the warhorses and military settlements, and Su Jinniang was responsible for restoring trade routes."

"Liu Ruyan gathered information about Sanbao, especially about Sun Kui and Ma Rong."

Sitting in the corner, Liu Ruyan asked, "Are Tang Su's men still usable?"

"We can borrow from them, but we can't rely on them entirely."

Xu Qingshan's finger landed on the road between the three border forts.

"From now on, scouts will travel between the four forts every day. We will know on the same day which fort's beacon fire goes out."

Shen Qinghe asked, "Where will the people expanding the army come from?"

"A number of military households in Qingyabao can be selected, and the number of refugees outside Heishibao is also increasing."

Xu Qingshan looked at everyone.

"Send more people to nearby villages and towns to spread the message."

"Those who are willing to guard the border will be provided with food and lodging in Black Stone Fortress. After serving for a full year, their families can be allocated land."

Shen Qinghe said, "After the land is distributed, there may not be enough land for the military settlements."

"First, clear out the wasteland on the south side of Luoyan Valley and along the Black Stone River."

"The prisoners of war were responsible for clearing the land, the military households were responsible for sowing the seeds, and the land was divided up according to the number of people after the crops were actually grown."

"In this way, we can recruit at least a hundred people within three months."

Xiao Hongluan said, "We may be able to recruit people, but we may not have time to train them into soldiers."

"We need to teach them how to defend the city first."

Xu Qingshan said, "Those who are truly capable of fighting outside the fortress are selected from veterans and border hunters."

"It's better for the remaining people to carry arrows, lift stones, and treat the wounded than for the city walls to be empty."

Shen Qinghe wrote down all the arrangements.

It was already dark outside.

The first batch of grain sent to Qingya Fort was loaded onto wagons, Zhao Lihua led her men to drive the selected warhorses outside the fort, and Baizhi's workshop also rekindled its furnaces.

The garrison seal had only been delivered to Blackrock Castle for half a day when the entire castle was bustling with activity.