Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

"The core of the struggle is with the direct descendants of Tan Shihuai. Kui Tou, Fu Luohan, and Bu Dugen are one faction, while Qian Man is another. The two sides are still vying for leadership of the royal court. Their sphere of influence is in the Yunzhong and Yanmen counties area."

"A new force, led by Kebineng. This kid has some ability; he's developing in the Dai and Shanggu counties, and his momentum is quite strong."

Liu Ce stroked his chin, thinking to himself, "Kebineng... I've heard of that name before. It seems he was the one who later unified the Xianbei in history? But that was a later matter."

Lu Bing gave a final report on troop strength:

"The five groups together have a total strength of about 120,000 cavalry."

He counted on his fingers: "The core forces number about 30,000 cavalry, the central Xianbei about 30,000 cavalry, the eastern Xianbei about 30,000 cavalry, the western Xianbei about 20,000 cavalry, and the emerging forces about 10,000 cavalry."

Liu Ce stared at the map and said, "A total of about 120,000 cavalry? That's quite a bit less than at its peak."

"Indeed!" Lu Bing laughed. "Back then, Tan Shihuai had at least two hundred thousand cavalry. Now that he's fragmented like this, our opportunity has arrived. My lord, the brothers have even clearly marked all the water sources, pastures, and tribal migration routes across the grasslands. From now on, we can attack wherever we want, just like going back to our own backyard!"

Lu Bing continued, "The brothers have seen it with their own eyes on the grasslands. The Xianbei people still mainly use leather armor, and iron armor is extremely rare."

"Good! Very good! Brother, you've worked hard." Liu Ce took out a small wooden box from behind and pushed it to Lu Bing. "There's fifty gold coins in here. Distribute them among the brothers who went to the grasslands. Also, get some good wine and meat, and say it's on me. In addition, all the Jinyiwei who participated in this reconnaissance will have their pay doubled this month."

Lu Bing took the box and smiled, "Thank you, my lord! Knowing that you care, the brothers are even more motivated to work!"

"Alright, go and rest," Liu Ce waved his hand and said. "Leave the map; I'll study it carefully."

"Yes."

After Lu Bing left, the study became quiet.

Liu Ce stared at the grassland map, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.

120,000 Xianbei cavalry...that sounds terrifying, but they were scattered across five factions that were at odds with each other.

The saying "one Han soldier is worth five Hu soldiers" is no exaggeration—the Han army's equipment, discipline, and tactics were all superior to those of the nomadic peoples.

Saying "one Han man is worth five Hu barbarians" is an understatement. With the men under my command, even one could easily take on ten.

not to mention...

Liu Ce thought to himself, "I currently have the three thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, three thousand Iron Pagoda Cavalry, and three thousand Jingsai Iron Cavalry (still in the system space) awarded by the system, Zhao Yun's three thousand Xiaorui Camp cavalry, Lü Bu's three thousand Feiqi Camp cavalry, Yuwen Chengdu's three thousand Tianbao Camp cavalry, Gongsun Zan's three thousand Baima Yicong, and my eight hundred Longxiang Camp... adding up to more than twenty thousand cavalry."

"This time we captured more than 20,000 warhorses from the Wuhuan, and we can form three more cavalry battalions, with each person equipped with two horses... adding another 9,000 cavalry."

"More than 30,000 fully armed elite cavalry, all clad in armor, with equipment that was more than an era ahead, to defeat 120,000 scattered Xianbei cavalry... Hmm, that makes sense."

He had already mentally simulated the decisive battle on the grasslands: the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry, the Iron Pagoda Cavalry, and the Jingsai Iron Cavalry charging head-on, while the White Horse Cavalry harassed the enemy with guerrilla tactics...

"But we can't rush it." Liu Ce calmed down. "We need to digest the spoils from the Wuhuan first, train the new cavalry battalion, and have more provisions after the autumn harvest. Let the Xianbei fight amongst themselves for now; maybe they can even have a '鹬蚌相争' (鹬蚌相争, a Chinese idiom meaning two parties fighting each other) situation..."

Lost in thought, Liu Ce got up and headed outside: "Let's go to the military camp first and settle things with the cavalry battalion!"

...

In the military camp, the generals were gathered in a circle watching Zhang Fei and Xu Chu arm wrestle.

"Old Xu, give it your all!" Cheng Yaojin egged him on from the sidelines. "The loser buys drinks tonight!"

Xu Chu's face flushed red, and the muscles in his arms bulged. Zhang Fei wasn't about to let up either, his mustache bristling as he said, "Heh heh, I, Old Zhang, have never met my match!"

(Adding a note)

Name: Xu Chu, courtesy name Zhongkang

Gender: Male

Age: 24

[Strength]: 102

Command: 69

[Politics]: 30

[Intelligence]: 36

[Appearance]: 63cm

Special skills:

【Tiger's Fool】: When targeting an enemy general, all attacks launched by the user will lock onto that target and deal significantly increased damage to them.

【Naked Battle】: Sacrificing some defense in exchange for a significant increase in attack power, attack speed, or combo probability.

【Wholehearted Protection】: When acting as the lord's bodyguard or standing beside the lord, this ability significantly enhances the lord's survivability and reduces some of the damage taken by the unit in question.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, they suddenly heard a guard at the door shout, "The lord has arrived!"

With a "whoosh," everyone instantly stood up straight.

Zhang Fei and Xu Chu released their grip at the same time. Xu Chu almost fell over due to inertia, but Dian Wei caught him.

Liu Ce strolled in with his hands behind his back, looked around, and said with a smile, "It's quite lively, isn't it? Keep going, pretend I wasn't here."

The generals chuckled, and none of them dared to move.

Liu Ce walked to the high platform in the center of the training ground and looked down at the large group of generals below.

"Gentlemen!" Liu Ce cleared his throat and said, "We have gained a lot from the battle against the Wuhuan. Putting everything else aside, we captured more than 20,000 warhorses alone. After deducting losses and... we still have at least 20,000 left."

A buzz of excitement immediately erupted from the audience.

The generals' eyes lit up—warhorses! In the age of cold weapons, these were strategic resources!

"Therefore, I have decided," Liu Ce raised his voice, "to form three new cavalry battalions, each with three thousand men, and each rider with two horses!"

"Wow—" The audience erupted in cheers.

A new cavalry battalion! Who wouldn't want to lead cavalry? Infantry commanders want to switch to cavalry, cavalry commanders want to expand their forces... everyone is eager to try.

"Brother! I volunteer!" Guan Yu was the first to step forward, his phoenix eyes narrowed. "I am well-versed in the Spring and Autumn Annals and knowledgeable in cavalry warfare. If I can obtain a cavalry battalion, I will surely pacify the grasslands for you!"

Zhang Fei followed closely behind, his voice booming, "Brother! I, Old Zhang, have long wanted to lead cavalry! Give me three thousand riders, and I'll march straight to the Xianbei royal court!"

Zhao Yun, more composed, clasped his hands and said, "My lord, although I already have the Elite Cavalry Battalion, if a new cavalry battalion is needed, I am willing to serve."

Lü Bu was even more direct, clasping his hands in a fist and declaring loudly, "My lord! The Flying Cavalry is unparalleled in the world, why build a new one? If you grant me your warhorses, I am willing to expand my existing troops into ten thousand cavalry!"

Good heavens, he just opened his mouth and ordered ten thousand cavalry.

Liu Ce chuckled inwardly, but kept a straight face and said, "Fengxian, we don't have that many soldiers right now. Take it slow, take it slow."

Yuwen Chengdu, Xue Rengui, Xu Da, Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, Huang Zhong... even generals like Yu Jin, Gao Shun, and Zhang He, who were more focused on infantry, watched with longing.

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I know you're anxious, but don't rush."

The audience was silent.

He glanced around and then fixed his gaze on Yuchi Gong, saying, "Jingde, you will no longer command the Xuanjia Iron Cavalry. The Xuanjia Iron Cavalry will be commanded solely by Shubao."

Yuchi Gong was taken aback, a hint of disappointment flashing across his face as he said, "My lord, I..."

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Jingde, you form a new cavalry battalion, and its designation... is 'Black Cavalry Battalion.' Don't you like black? The entire battalion will be clad in black armor, how about that?"

Yuchi Gong was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, my lord! This humble general will definitely train the Black Cavalry into the sharpest weapon in Youzhou!"