Do You Know?: I, the Little Cabinet Elder, Regent of the World

"Li Liangzuo of Western Xia is nothing but a child!"

"Since he came to power, the Western Xia have been rebellious, daring to raise an army of wolves and jackals to trample on our land of Xihe! The elders of Miaochuan, Longzhuhei, and Xunhua are all hoping for the royal army to rescue us!"

Jiang Zhao waved his hand, drew his longsword, and pointed it at the north.

"In the eighth year of the Jiayou era, I was ordered to enter the border and led 20,000 soldiers to conquer 2,000 li of land in one fell swoop!"

"Now that an army of 100,000 has entered the border, why should we fear that brat Li?"

With his long sword pointing to the sky, Jiang Zhao passionately declared:

"Li Liangzuo's evil deeds are too numerous to count; how can this be tolerated! I swear I will not be a man if I do not avenge this hatred!"

"Seize this opportune moment, march north to punish the guilty, and reclaim our lost land!"

"Even to expand our territory!"

"Wow~!"

"Wow~!"

The oath-taking ceremony of a large army should have been solemn and silent.

If they were ordinary soldiers, they shouldn't have made a sound at all.

However, as soon as these words were spoken, many soldiers subconsciously made some noises, intending to echo them.

There's no other reason than that the young Grand Secretary is truly capable of expanding territory!

When the young Grand Secretary goes to the border, he can really make a fortune by recruiting soldiers!

From the training platform, one can see that the soldiers are in high spirits.

Jiang Zhao raised his arm and shouted, "I, the commander, have been entrusted by the Emperor to oversee the military and political affairs of Xihe and Shaanxi! This expedition has only one purpose—"

Suddenly, he drew his sword and swung it, causing the pig's head, one of the three sacrificial animals, to fall down.

Blood splattered, leaving a crimson stain.

"kill!"

Every word was as firm as iron, and each resounding with conviction.

"kill!"

"kill!"

"kill!"

The high morale, once ignited, resounded throughout the heavens.

The drums resounded, and the horns wailed.

One hundred thousand soldiers were stationed there, spears raised, a chilling atmosphere filling the sky.

The single word "kill" was shouted for more than sixty breaths, without showing any sign of weakness.

The leader, Bao Shun, was startled and hissed inwardly.

This cohesion?

It's not actually difficult for a 100,000-strong army to roar out a force that "shakes the heavens and the earth."

After all, a force of 100,000 is simply too large.

Even if nine out of ten people slack off, there are still ten thousand people echoing and shouting.

Roaring for three to five breaths is not difficult at all.

The real challenge is maintaining a sustained, long shout.

To achieve sustained shouting, at least two requirements must be met:

Firstly, it really boosted morale.

When the army swears an oath, many soldiers will shout a few words as a symbolic gesture, which is to give the commander-in-chief some face.

To sustain the shouting for an extended period, it's essential to genuinely inspire the soldiers and boost their morale.

Secondly, the soldiers trusted and obeyed their commander.

A simple morale-boosting exercise might only take a dozen or twenty breaths at most.

Fifty or sixty breaths is far more than just a simple morale booster.

Anyone who shouts for dozens of breaths will definitely have a dry and uncomfortable throat.

The soldiers kept shouting simply to give face to their commander.

More precisely, it's called being convinced!

Bao Shun was secretly startled.

Is Jiang Zichuan really that influential?

"All troops, listen to my command! Let us end war with war today!"

"Victory is assured in this battle!"

"Must win!"

"Must win!"

"Must win!"

The roars echoed through the heavens.

The slogans to boost morale were chanted for over a hundred breaths without showing any signs of weakening.

"With the head coach's reputation, experience, and achievements, everyone who hears about him cannot help but admire him."

"It is not surprising that he commands the respect of 100,000 people."

Seeing Bao Shun's surprise, Wang Shao couldn't help but explain.

The eighth year of the Jiayou reign was truly the only time in the century-long history of the dynasty that the country expanded its territory!

His pioneering achievements and unparalleled merits have made the name "Jiang Zhao" known throughout the world.

From eighty-year-old seniors to three-year-old children, most people can tell some stories about Jiang Zhao.

One can govern a country with civil administration and expand its territory with military force.

Such a person is naturally admired by society.

For the soldiers stationed there, the name "Jiang Zhao" held even greater significance.

The biggest beneficiaries of the land reclamation policy were ordinary soldiers.

When Xihe opened up the border, each soldier had fifty or sixty mu of farmland.

It should be noted that this is fifty or sixty acres.

Five or six mu of land can support one person, and fifty or sixty mu of land is enough for the soldiers stationed in the fields to live a "prosperous" life.

Now, we are launching a northern expedition.

If we can accumulate dozens of acres this time, that would be a hundred acres.

A hundred acres of land—that's what makes a farmer rich!

It's not exactly defying fate, but it's not far off.

How could anyone not be convinced?

This can really make you rich!

Bao Shun understood and watched silently.

With his purple robes fluttering, Jiang Zhao stood with his hands behind his back on the school platform, like a solitary peak reaching for the sky.

One hundred thousand soldiers, their fierce and terrifying presence shook the heavens.

The shouts of pledge continued for a long time.

The Chinese military tent.

On a long table, about ten feet long, was a geomantic map of the Zhou, Western Xia, and Tubo dynasties.

Jiang Zhao, Wang Shao, Zhang Heng, and Zhong E gathered around, pointing and whispering from time to time.

From the fourth person onwards, civil and military officials were arranged in separate ranks.

There were about thirty military officers, led by Zhang Ding, Bao Shun, Zheng Xiao, Yao Si, Yang Wenguang, and Guo Kui.

The opening of the Xihe border benefited a number of civil officials, and naturally, corresponding military generals also benefited.

Besides Wang Shao, Gu Tingye, and Zhong E, a few other older military officers of moderate rank also rose up in response.

Just like Yao Si, Yang Wenguang, and Guo Kui.

Yao Si was born into a commoner family, was skilled in archery, and was well-versed in the art of leading troops. He climbed step by step to the position of a fifth-rank military officer.

Yang Wenguang was a core member of the Yang family for three generations, and the son of Yang Yanzhao, also known as "Yang Liulang," the Marquis of Zhongwu.

Even though the Yang family generals have declined, they still wield considerable influence.

Yang Wenguang's path to becoming a military general was remarkably smooth.

Guo Kui was once a palace guard. In the second year of the Zhiping era, he was appointed as a fifth-rank Privy Councilor and went to the border to serve as an official.

These individuals are all rising stars in the border regions in recent years.

The civil officials also numbered around thirty.

The two leaders were Zhang Fangping, the pacification commissioner, and Xu Zhi, the deputy commissioner.

Zhang Dun, Xue Xiang, Shen Kuo, and Zeng Bu were all appointed as prefects of a prefecture, and were required to govern the entire prefecture, but they could not enter the tent.

“In addition to the three major cities of Miaochuan, Longzhuhei, and Xunhua, Datong City has recently been added.”

Jiang Zhao pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "These are the four cities. More than 70% of Lezhou's territory has fallen. This place is also where the main force of Western Xia is gathered."

"Going down from Lezhou, there are also many Western Xia soldiers in Lanzhou, but none of them have captured the city. Their numbers are small and they are not enough to cause any real trouble."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Western Xia soldiers in Lanzhou will mainly play a vanguard role."

"As far as the situation is concerned, it is not difficult to break through."

"To clear the territory, we simply need to go upstream along the river, clear the territory of Lanzhou, and suppress the Western Xia army along the way, forcing them to gather in Lezhou."

"Finally, the battle at Lezhou will determine the victor."

Wang Shao nodded in approval.

The purpose of Li Liangzuo's personal expedition to the Western Xia was not hard to guess: he wanted to open up a path along Lezhou, Lanzhou, and Hezhou, extending all the way to Qinghai.

In this way, the Han and the non-Han peoples could connect, unite to resist the Xihe border army, and try to reclaim their territory little by little.

Wang Shao pointed to the two places north and south of Diezhou and said slowly, "Besides Li Liangzuo of Western Xia, Dongzhan and Muzheng should also be taken seriously. These two tribes together can muster at least 60,000 to 70,000 troops."

"Ah."

Jiang Zhao nodded, then put his hands behind his back and pondered.

After about ten breaths, he stated, "Given the current situation, breaking the deadlock is not difficult."

"We'll focus on attrition," Jiang Zhao stated definitively. "We'll proceed steadily and surely, advancing step by step."

Zhang Heng understood: "The Western Xia has a population of several million. They implement a policy of universal conscription, with one in ten people being soldiers."

"The Khitan, Shaanxi, and Uyghurs all surrounded the Western Xia."

"The number of Western Xia soldiers stationed on the frontier alone is as high as 100,000."

"Given the strength of the Western Xia, it certainly cannot afford to waste time."

The group nodded in unison, agreeing with this statement.

The number of troops stationed on the frontier alone would be around 100,000.

If you include the troops within the territory, there are at least three to four hundred thousand soldiers.

The Zhou dynasty had a large number of soldiers, and the Western Xia dynasty was no less so, perhaps even more so.

With a population of 50 million and a soldier numbering in the hundreds of thousands, at least 50 people could spare some food to feed one person.

The Western Xia had a population of three to four million and three to four hundred thousand soldiers, which meant that ten people had to spare food to feed one person.