Chapter 231: Huang Zhong and Gan Ning
Xun Yu made a good start, and the generals and counselors stopped trying to persuade him and began to fill the gaps from other angles.

Huang Gai said: "My Lord, with 16,000 combat troops and 14,000 new recruits, the army is too small. I suggest that we must gather 40,000 combat troops and call in Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin's navy to help us."

Wow, this is like summoning all the county soldiers who have been trained in actual combat. I didn’t expect Huang Gai to be such a person.

Jin Mao hesitated and said, "County soldiers have failed multiple assessments and selections, so they are not suitable to go to the battlefield again."

In Jin Mao's eyes, everyone has their own expertise. Some people are not suitable for going to the battlefield, and it is much better for them to be a police-type sheriff.

Zhou Yu stepped out and said, "Then we should select the best new recruits to join the army, and gather 40,000 soldiers!"

"Yes." Jin Mao nodded and said, "Since we are selecting once, let's select more."

"Anyone above 40,000 will join the navy!"

Jin Mao pointed at Huang Gai and said, "The Yangtze River waterway is under the jurisdiction of Gong Fu, and will be called the Yangtze River Navy from now on; the Huai River basin is under the jurisdiction of Zhou Tai and Jiang Qin, and will be called the Huai River Navy."

"The remaining recruits will be divided equally between the Yangtze River Navy and the Huai River Navy."

Everyone said in unison: "My lord is wise!"

After the army is determined, the next thing to do is to arrange food and supplies.

Xun Yu stepped out and reported: "This year, Yuzhang County has left the fields uncultivated, and five counties in Kuaiji County have left the fields uncultivated, producing 1.01 million tons of grain... and turning it in..."

"The four counties of Wu Prefecture are left uncultivated, and the grain produced... is handed over..."

"Danyang County has no fallow land, and produces grain... and hands it over..."

"Jiujiang County..."

"Guangling County..."

"Lujiang County..."

"The six counties have handed over a total of 7,932,321 dan of grain and a certain amount of straw."

The series of numbers seemed to be engraved in Xun Yu's mind. He could calculate them clearly without even making a draft.

Next, it was Gu Yong's turn to report on the harvest in Jingzhou.

"Among the five counties of Jingzhou, only Jiangxia County, Changsha County, Lingling County, and Guiyang County planted early rice in time."

Wuling County has been at war all the time, and the people have been cultivating the land on their own initiative. Jin Mao was too lazy to give any instructions, and he ordered that all the income from the county this year should belong to the people, and not a penny of tax should be collected.

This was the key to Zhou Yu's ability to conduct guerrilla warfare in Wuling County. Otherwise, without the protection of the common people, he would have been caught up and defeated by Liu Yan long ago.

With a ten-fold difference in troop strength, even the most elite soldiers cannot win head-on.

Throughout history, is there anyone who could win despite a ten-fold difference in military strength who did not have great luck?

It is not a victory based on pure superior military strength at all, unless the difference between the two sides is only in numbers, not in military strength.

Gu Yong then reported: "Changsha County produced 3.27 million tons of grain... handed it over..."

"Lingling County produced 4.53 million tons of grain... handed it over..."

"Jiangxia County..."

"Gyeyang County..."

"A total of 6,358,955 dan of grain and a certain amount of straw were handed in."

Damn, this is the granary!

Yangzhou has achieved such grain production only after years of operation by Jinmao, and Jingzhou’s yield is not inferior to that of Yangzhou after just starting trial planting.

If we cultivate the land carefully in the future, the yield will be unbelievable!
You should know that the places with the largest grain production in Jingzhou are Nanjun and Nanyang counties, and the other five counties combined produce only a little more than these two places.

Therefore, Yangzhou would be on par with Jingzhou if it removed Yuzhang County, which had the largest grain production, and Jingzhou would be on par with Jingzhou if it removed Nanyang County and Nan County, which had the largest grain production.

If the Yangtze River and Han River are managed well, the paddy fields in Jingzhou can be doubled!
But that's too far away.

Back to topic.

After listening to the report, Jin Mao pondered and said, "Although the harvest is great, it is not durable enough."

"The 350,000 farmers in Yangzhou who have left their farmland uncultivated are crying out for food, and the grain that the state has handed over cannot be used."

"We must also keep most of the grain in Jingzhou for emergency use."

Jin Mao looked at Xun Yu and Gu Yong and said, "Wen Ruo, Yuan Tan, calculate the military rations needed for this expedition."

After a pause, Jin Mao said, "No need to calculate the food and grass needed to support Sun Jian!"

Now Jin Mao has grown stronger and no longer needs Sun Jian as an ally. He has already crushed Sun Jian in all aspects, both civil and military.

On the contrary, if Sun Jian wanted to achieve something, he had to seek help from Jin Mao.

The lesson of joining Yuan Shu was enough to deter Sun Jian from even thinking about it.

After all, who can be as trustworthy, moral, and powerful as Jinmao?

Xun Yu and Gu Yong went down to calculate the military rations.

Seeing this, Jin Mao continued to the next topic.

"I will bring two military advisors with me on this expedition. Who is willing to go?"

Xi Zhicai, Xun You, Zhou Yu and Yu Fan successively stepped forward to ask for battle.

"Zhicai, Jingzhou needs someone to be the governor of grain and grass, and you are the best person to do it. Let someone else be the military advisor."

Xi Zhicai responded calmly: "Yes!"

This is his job. If one day Jinmao doesn't let him supervise the food supply, that would be the end of him.

"Yu Zhongxiang, Guangling County can't do without you, so don't join in the fun."

Yu Fan was delighted and said, "Yes!"

The importance of Guangling County is self-evident. It is the military foundation and cannot be easily moved, which shows Jin Mao's trust in it.

Jin Mao looked at Zhou Yu and Xun You and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Gongjin and Gongda."

At this moment, the two factions of advisers under Jin Mao were divided into three categories.

One category is loyal ministers, represented by Xi Zhicai and Yu Fan, who held important positions of power.

One category is internal affairs, represented by Gu Yong and Xun Yu.

There is another type of military adviser, represented by Xun You, and Zhou Yu happened to be the right person for him.

The number of senior advisers has begun to take shape, but there are too many administrative scribes below them, and Jin Mao can't even recognize them all.

Most of them were powerful families in Yangzhou who were friendly with Jinmao in the early days. A few were from Jingzhou or foreign refugees.

As soon as Jin Mao finished making the arrangements, Xun Yu and Gu Yong calculated the upper and lower limits of the military rations that could be mobilized.

Xun Yu calculated the upper limit: 1.5 million dan of grain.

Gu Yong calculated the lower limit: 300,000 shi of grain.

The lower limit is the food needed to support 40,000 people in a campaign for one month, and the upper limit is the food that can be used as military rations.

The rest of the grain that was handed over was either kept as disaster relief reserve or as relief grain, pension grain, etc.

This also includes the autumn crops that will be harvested soon.

Jinmao couldn't help but feel in his heart that the larger the territory, the fewer resources it could use.

Back then, he led 100,000 men across the Yangtze River and rushed into Xuzhou alone. He was defeated for five months but still managed to escape unscathed.

Nowadays, this requires money and grain, and that requires money and grain. No matter how much is produced, it cannot be used at will in order to ensure the basic needs of the people.

It can only be said that Jin Mao, as a person of later generations, has an extraordinary awareness and is fundamentally different from the warlords of this era.

Finally, it is the choice of military generals.

Jin Mao's original intention was that all the generals he called should lead the troops into battle.

After the farce between Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, his mind also changed.

It is not a good idea to keep using guest generals to keep up appearances. The correct approach is to find a way to get some top-notch generals of your own.

But without Guan Yu leading the army, the others are not good enough.

Zhou Yu, the only hopeful one, not only has to assist Jin Mao as a military advisor, but also has to control Zhang Fei, Dong Xi, Ling Cao and other generals, and not let these reckless men ruin things.

Generally speaking, if there are not enough generals, they must be promoted from below.

But in this era, there are so many brilliant generals, why should we look for gold in the sand instead of looking for pure gold in the gold?

The worst gold found is the gold with the lowest gold content, but it is still gold!

After realizing this, Jin Mao ordered people to issue a proclamation in the surrounding states and counties to recruit military generals.

The time limit is half a month.

There is no limit to the scope, whether it is a cavalry general, infantry general, water general, or an all-round general, we want them all!
…Xinye County, Nanyang Prefecture.

Ever since Wancheng, the capital of Jingzhou, was completely destroyed by Sun Jian, Yuan Shu and others, the powerful people in the vicinity fled south and settled down in Xinye County.

this day.

Jinmao's recruitment manifesto reached Xinye County, causing quite a stir.

It’s not that Jinmao has a good reputation, but its reputation is so good that it can stop a child from crying.

In everyone's eyes, Sun Jian is just Jinmao's henchman, how could he be so powerful? If the real him were to take action, wouldn't it cause chaos?
"Nanyang County is finished!"

"The Yangzhou Mu is about to attack!"

"The Yangzhou governor wants to eat people!"

As the rumors grew more outrageous, the recruitment notices became more widespread.

Anyone who does not mention this manifesto in after-dinner conversation will be looked down upon.

A small house somewhere in Xinye County.

Wen Pin, courtesy name Zhongye, just turned twenty this year, an age full of energy and enthusiasm.

Wen Pin was originally from Wancheng, but fled to Xinye to avoid the war.

If it weren't for the burden of his family, Wen Pin would just want to stay in Wancheng and watch Sun Jian fight against Yuan Shu.

When Wen Pin heard the news that Jin Mao was recruiting military generals, his restless heart could no longer be suppressed.

Bidding farewell to his parents and relatives, Wen Pin mounted his warhorse, put on his ancestral fish-scale armor, and set off to Jiewen to Xiangyang City to apply for a job.

I never expected that someone would get there first.

Wen Pin knows this person!

Huang Zhong, also known as Huang Hansheng, was the original defender of Wancheng. Later, when Yuan Shu was attacked by Sun Jian at night, he led his troops to successfully resist, but then left Yuan Shu.

To be honest, Wen Pin also looked down on Yuan Shu.

It is a great fortune to meet Huang Zhong this time.

"Huang Hansheng!"

Wen Pin shouted excitedly, "Where are you going?"

Huang Zhong was in his forties and could be Wen Pin's father. How could he not be annoyed when being shouted at like that?

When I turned around, it turned out to be Wen Pin.

The two are both from Wancheng, and they meet each other even if they look up.

Wen Pin has been quite skilled in martial arts since he was young. As the defender of Wancheng, Huang Zhong had to deal with Wen Pin too many times.

"My dear boy, what do you want to call you for?"

Huang Zhong said angrily: "If you commit a crime, don't look for me, go find your father!"

Wen Pin was also annoyed: "Old dog, look at the gun!"

Huang Zhong did not dare to be arrogant. He rolled over, drew his bow and arrow, pointed it at Wen Pin, and shouted angrily, "How dare you, little boy!"

"Nai Gong doesn't want to kill you."

Wen Pin also knew how good Huang Zhong was at archery, so he put down his spear and pointed at the letter that had just been taken down and asked, "Old Huang is also going to seek refuge with the governor of Yangzhou?"

Seeing that Wen Pin had surrendered and was still so foul-mouthed, Huang Zhong let go and the arrow flew over Wen Pin's head, shooting off his feather.

"Naigong advises you to clean your mouth and not get yourself killed out there."

Wen Pin was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He caught the feather on his head with both hands and said, "Huang Hansheng, you haven't answered my question yet."

Finally forcing Wen Pin to change his words, Huang Zhong put away his bow with satisfaction, carefully took out the paper manifesto from his bosom, and said, "That's exactly what I meant."

"The governor of Yangzhou rests with the people. I heard that the people of Yuzhang County rest their farmland for a year and still have food to eat. Such a kind ruler is rare."

Huang Zhong then reacted and asked, "Wen Pin, you want to go too?"

Wen Pin raised his head proudly, like a black swan, and said, "I allow you to go with me."

"Hey!" Huang Zhong grinned. This kid has a really bad mouth.

However, this time Huang Zhong had no intention of teaching Wen Pin a lesson. He jumped up, mounted his warhorse, and galloped south with a dozen trusted followers.

"Huang Hansheng! Wait for me!"

Wen Pin rode his horse quickly. Xinye County was not far from Xiangyang City, only about seventy or eighty miles in a straight line, and it could be reached in one day by riding a horse.

But the warhorse Wen Pin was riding was newly bought, and his riding skills were not very good. If he walked slowly, he might not be able to reach the destination in a day.

It was different when following Huang Zhong. The veteran knew a lot and knew when to travel and when to rest. Everything was arranged in an orderly manner, so Wen Pin didn't have to worry about anything else.

Huang Zhong knew this very well, so he did not make things difficult for Wen Pin. He slowed down his horse and waited for him to catch up.

...

Ba County, Yizhou.

Gan Ning, courtesy name Xingba, was in his early thirties, just the right age for adulthood.

Five years have passed since Gan Ning began studying the various schools of thought at the age of twenty-five. He has made some achievements and has become a clerk in the Ba County Bandits Division.

It's funny to say that when Gan Ning was young, he was the biggest thief in Ba County, but now he has transformed himself into a thief Cao Yuan who catches thieves.

That's really a professional match!

Gan Ning knew exactly where the bandits were nearby, and in just one year, Ba County was pacified.

The previous governor highly appreciated Gan Ning's talents and wanted to promote him to the position of county magistrate.

Accidents will happen.

The governor of Yizhou, Liu Yan, and the governor of Yangzhou, Jin Mao, came into conflict with each other. Ba County was the first to be affected and became the focus of contention between the two sides.

Gan Ning had also fought against the Yangzhou army before and knew how powerful they were, so he often advised the former prefect not to be impulsive.

But some people just won't listen.

The former prefect's reckless advance resulted in heavy losses for the defenders of Ba County, with more than 5,000 casualties.

Liu Yan was furious and dismissed him, and appointed a new prefect, Wang Xian.

When Wang Xian took office, the first thing he did was to blame Gan Ning, falsely accusing him of collaborating with the enemy.

Gan Ning spent a lot of money to avoid disaster, but suffered heavy losses.

That day, a loyal younger brother of Gan Ning pulled Gan Ning aside mysteriously and said, "Brother, the governor of Yangzhou is recruiting military commanders, why don't you give it a try?"

After saying that, the younger brother carefully took out a paper manifesto from his pocket and handed it over.

Gan Ning took it and took a look, and found that it was true.

"Old Nine did a great job!"

"No one knows except you, right?"

The ninth one was very clever and said, "Don't worry, big brother. No one knows except the thirteenth, eighteenth, fifth, sixth, and nineteenth!"

Gan Ning was speechless. Who were the Sixth and Eighteenth Brothers?

Commonly known as a loud voice.

What these two people know, who else can not know?

Gan Ning could predict that Wang Xian would definitely continue to make things difficult for him. Even if he was extremely wealthy, he could not withstand such trouble.

There is no other way. It seems that I have to go to Jingzhou this time.

However, leaving empty-handed is not Gan Ning's character.

"Old Nine, gather the brothers, put on your armor and prepare your weapons tonight, and gather in my courtyard!"

Lao Jiu asked excitedly: "Brother, who are you going to rob?"

After not doing anything for so many years, Lao Jiu almost forgot those days of revenge and satisfaction.

Gan Ning laughed and said, "This time it's a big fish!"

“Bigger fish than ever before!”

Lao Jiu's eyes sparkled, and he pursed his lips and said, "I'll go right away! I'll go right away!"

"Brothers have been looking forward to this day for a long time!"

(End of this chapter)