Of course, this reason is not completely false. After all, it is true that Yang Shen went to Xuan Mansion to recruit soldiers, and it is also true that he left Xuan Mansion and came back.

Moreover, this route is indeed very dangerous. If there is no one to respond, it will be very dangerous for their newly recruited soldiers if they encounter a large group of enemies.

Not to mention encountering Manchu Tatar cavalry or Mongolian tribal cavalry, once you encounter the wandering horse thieves who are everywhere on the grassland, they will be in danger.

There is no need for Yang Zhen to explain these principles. With Xia Chengde's foreshadowing just now, no one else can say anything against the response.

However, the generals had different opinions on who should lead the team from the west of Songshan City to meet Yang Shen.

"Chief General! Let Zu go! Firstly, my cavalry has been resting for nearly two months, and it's time to stretch their muscles! Secondly, the soldiers recruited by Yang Shen are all soldiers from the advance battalion for the Eastern Expedition. Zu

As the deputy general of the advance battalion for the Eastern Expedition, I should also contribute!"

When everyone heard what Yang Zhen said, they were surprised. Zu Keyong stood up first and said this to Yang Zhen. Seeing that Yang Zhen hesitated, he continued:

"The last time the Commander-in-Chief left Songshan, there was a big fuss. The Imperial Envoy had just left, and rewards and punishments may come down at any time. The court will have orders by then. If the Commander-in-Chief is not in Songshan City, there will probably be another commotion!

"What's more, when heading west out of the border area, it's not uncommon to visit Jinzhou City for horse patrols. When Zu went to the border area to meet Yang Shen and his party, he encountered Jinzhou soldiers and horses, and it was easy to deal with them in every aspect!"

After Zu Keyong said these words, he stood there with his body hunched over and saluted Yang Zhen with his fists clasped, his attitude looking very resolute.

During the recent period, Zu Keyong has been feeling very lost deep in his heart.

Although Yang Zhen still respected him and was still polite, he could clearly feel that his status was gradually declining.

Those generals who followed Yang Zhen in his attack behind enemy lines intentionally or unintentionally kept a certain distance from him after returning from victory, and even intentionally alienated him.

Later, in front of Yang Zhen and other generals, Xia Chengde admitted that it was Xia Xia who failed to manage the army, and that someone under Xia Xia's command acted as an informant for Zu Zeyuan, the commander-in-chief of Xingshan.

He came back with two heads to show to the public.

Xia Chengde's doing this was tantamount to dispelling Zu Keyong's suspicion of betraying the Songshan generals in disguise. However, the relationship between Yang Zhen's advance battalion generals and Zu Keyong did not immediately return to its previous state.

Zu Keyong knew very well that as a member of his ancestral family, if he wanted to win the unreserved trust of the generals in the advance camp for the Eastern Expedition, he must work harder and do more and win trust through action.

It was just such an opportunity to go to the grasslands outside the border to meet Yang Shen who had returned from recruiting troops from Xuan Mansion.

Although Zu Keyong has an upright temper and is very cold, unwilling to compete with others for credit, and will not blame others, this does not mean that he is stupid.

He also hopes that the number of troops under his command will increase and his position in the advance camp of the Eastern Expedition will become more and more stable, especially if he can follow Yang Zhenzhen to defeat the Eastern Lu Manta in the future, he can also wash away the Daling River.

The stain left by the war.

Therefore, this time he had to fight for this opportunity no matter what. He gave four reasons at the beginning, and every point was stated openly and honestly.

"This - Lieutenant General Zu, what you said is correct! But the heavy cavalry under your command is really too few! - Let's do this! This time, you can go with me!"

Yang Zhen pondered for a while and finally made up his mind to ask Zu Keyong to follow him.

But as soon as he said these words, Xia Chengde and Lu Pinqi suddenly stood up, and Xia Chengde was the first to say:

"Sir, Commander-in-Chief! Xia has three hundred heavy cavalry under his command. It has been two months since the last battle at Songshan! Xia is also willing to follow you westward to the border!"

Lu Pinqi has already tasted the benefits of following Yang Zhen out to fight, and he is very keen. He seems to have sensed some signs from Yang Zhen's recent method of subduing Li Ma's team of horse thieves traveling abroad. He feels that this time he goes west to the border, he may

It's not just as simple as accepting Yang Shen.

Therefore, when he saw that Xia Chengde was also fighting to get there, as soon as he heard his words, he immediately clasped his fists and said, "Master General! There are four hundred elite cavalry under Lu's command! We are going to the grasslands outside the border, and the heavy armored cavalry is in full use!"

The general is also willing to follow you!"

When Yang Zhen saw Xia Chengde and Lu Pinqi rushing to stand up and express their intention to take their heavy cavalry to follow him to the outside world, Yang Zhen felt very relieved.

This is the chain effect brought about by the previous attack behind enemy lines.

As a leader, if you want others to follow you, you must first succeed in doing things and be able to win, or at least let followers see the hope of success.

Second, you have to give them benefits and constantly let them benefit a lot from your success, or at least get some profits and dividends.

If you cannot do these two things, then the number of teams under your command will only become smaller and smaller, and there will be no more people to follow you to the death.

Fortunately for Yang Zhen, he has already accomplished these two points, and has proven that he can do it by rescuing Songshan and attacking behind enemy lines.

However, this time, he had to reject the statements of Xia Chengde and Lu Pinqi, because what he faced this time was not the Mongolian tribal cavalry, not the Manchu Tatar cavalry, but the escort team of the Zhangjiakou Shanyou Merchant Group.

He didn't need that much heavy cavalry. On the contrary, he actually needed the light cavalry from Eastern Mongolia under Xu Changyong.

"No need! Brother Xia, Brother Lu, I accept your wishes! But you really don't have to follow me. There is no need for you. In addition to Vice General Zu's troops, I will also bring the musketeers and grenadiers, one person and two people."

Ma, that's enough!

"Secondly, Songshan City needs you even more to renovate the city defense! You must remember that the newly built barbicans outside the west gate and the south gate must be built with great care and speed! They must be built with strips of stone on the outside and rammed earth on the inside. They must be able to withstand the red

The heavy blow from the Yi artillery projectiles! That is our top priority in defending Songshan City from now on!

"Besides, if all the main forces in Songshan City leave, if the Manchu Tatars raise troops to retaliate at this time, then the city will be empty of troops, wouldn't it mean that we have lost our foundation? So you stay behind, there is no need to follow!

"

After Yang Zhen said this, he asked Xia Chengde and Lu Pinqi to sit down without any argument.

Although both of them were a little disappointed, what Yang Zhen said was reasonable. After all, Songshan City cannot be left undefended, and the Wengcheng construction project that has just started cannot be stopped just to accommodate Yang Shen.

Bar?

Yang Zhen saw Xia Chengde and Lu Pinqi hesitantly sitting back in their seats, and then continued: "In addition to Zhang Chen's musketeers, Li Lu's grenadiers, and Lieutenant General Zu's Chinese heavy cavalry reserve,

General Xu Changyong and the forward sentry cavalry of the advance battalion of General Xu also went to the border with me!"

When Yang Zhen said this, he looked at Xu Changyong who was already full of joy and said: "General Xu Shen's troops are mostly Mongolian light cavalry. It turns out that they are from abroad and are familiar with the grassland terrain, so you will act as guides and lead everyone on a journey."

Let’s go!”

When Xu Changyong heard this, he could no longer hold back the joy in his heart. He immediately stood up and replied loudly: "The general will get the order!"

In Xu Changyong's heart, he knew what was going on and what the purpose of the trip was. He also knew that after they arrived on the grassland, the enemies they faced were just the guards of the Zhangjiakou caravan.

It’s awesome, but how awesome can it be?!

Compared with the huge gains that may be achieved from this trip, even if the idea is a little more difficult, it is still worth the trip and the experience.

Therefore, he had been looking forward to this trip for a long time. When he heard Yang Zhen finally call his name, although he already knew it, he was still very excited and his face was full of joy.

After Xu Changyong stood up to receive the order, Zhang Chen and Li Lu, who had been silent, immediately stood up and clasped their fists at Yang Zhen to receive the order.

Qiu Zhenhai and Yu Liangtai did not expect that when Yang Zhen summoned them to discuss matters today, they would talk about such things.

These things were all their first time, and they had no cavalry under their command, so they couldn't help even if they wanted to, so they just kept watching, not knowing what to say.

However, Yang Zhen did not leave the two of them behind. He could not tell how many days it would take for his trip to come back. Therefore, before leaving, he had to arrange the things that should be arranged in advance, otherwise it would be a waste of time.

"Yu Tonggui! Earlier I asked the Assistant Operations Office to tell you that our ammunition factory and ironworks in Songshan City need to mine and transport back a batch of nitrate and pyrite in the Hongluoshan area! You have not been given permission before.

Go! I’m here to approve it today!”

Yang Zhen had previously called Zhang Degui, Pan Wenmao, and Wang Shoutang to find Yu Liangtai. They wanted to use a group of flat-bottomed sand boats under Yu Liangtai's command to take the Xiaoling River to the Wuxin River, and then go up the Wuxin River to Hongluoshan for mining and transportation.

Pyrite, Yu Liangtai already knows about this situation.

After Yang Zhen said this, he saw Yu Liangtai nodding and continued to say to him: "This matter is very important. If enough saltpeter and pyrite can be found and transported back from the Hongluoshan area! Then from now on, our Songshan

The ammunition in the city can be self-sufficient!

"What I mean is that if you can set off tomorrow, then we will set off together! In addition, the defenses on the sandbank of your Sailor Camp cannot be stopped! You can't stop until the wall on the water level is completely built.

Real peace of mind!”

After hearing this, Yu Liangtai quickly stood up and received the order, and said that he would personally lead a team by boat to visit the Hongluo Mountain area in the upper reaches of the Wuxin River.

Immediately afterwards, Yang Zhen reiterated many arrangements for Qiu Zhenhai, asking him to continue to lead the people of the Zhimao Bay Boat Camp and work hard to build the fortifications. At the same time, he assigned people to reclaim wasteland, transplant seedlings, and fish for those who should be fishing.
Chapter completed!