Chương 267: Military Expansion

After everyone had finished speaking, Liu Ce finally spoke:

"What you all say makes sense. Youzhou is indeed stable now, but as Xuanling said, chaos is coming. The Yellow Turban Rebellion was just the beginning, and what follows... I'm afraid there will be even greater turmoil."

Everyone looked at him.

He paused, looked around, and said, "My opinion is to expand, and to expand on a large scale."

Liu Ce stood up and walked to the map on the wall:

"The army directly under the Prince of Yan's command... (excluding the county soldiers)"

"The cavalry force will be expanded to 50, 000 cavalry."

"The infantry force will be expanded to 100, 000 men."

He turned to the crowd and said:

"Weapons and equipment will be provided to the highest standards. Money is not a problem, food is not a problem; what Youzhou has in abundance right now is money and food."

"Weapons and equipment will be arranged by the government. Food and logistics will be handled by Wenruo, Xuanling, and Keming. Training will be coordinated by Tiande, Rengui, and others."

Everyone's spirits lifted.

Liu Ce paused, then said:

"There's one more thing, the online army."

"An online army?" Everyone was taken aback.

Youzhou is located by the sea, but it has never had a proper navy. There are only some small boats patrolling the coastal waters.

"Yes, the navy." Liu Ce pointed to the Bohai Sea on the map.

"We have the sea, and we can't waste it. If we need to transport troops or supplies by sea in the future, or... fight across the sea, we can't do without a navy."

Guo Jia's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "Your Majesty intends to..."

"Let's give it a try first," Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "Form a navy of 10, 000 men. Let's discuss who should lead it."

The group started discussing again.

In the end, the opinions were relatively unified: Gan Ning and Cheng Pu.

The two of them are a perfect match.

"Alright," Liu Ce decided.

"The navy will be led by Gan Ning and Cheng Pu, with a strength of 10, 000 men, to test the waters first. Have Song Yingxing expedite the construction of the warships."

He sat back in the main seat and said solemnly:

"The expansion of the army is being carried out in secrecy. To the outside world, we'll just say... well, that we're doing things like 'border defense rotation' and 'grassland defense,' and that we're recruiting in batches and training them in different locations."

Everyone understood and said, "We understand."

...

A few days later, in the council hall of the Prince of Yan's residence.

This time there were even more people; all the generals and important civil officials were present.

Liu Ce sat in the main seat, glanced around, cleared his throat, and said:

"I've gathered everyone here today because there's something important to discuss."

The hall fell silent.

Everyone perked up their ears.

"After discussions with..., we have decided to expand the army."

A slight commotion arose below.

Liu Ce continued:

"..."

"The cavalry force will be expanded to 50, 000 cavalry."

"The infantry force will be expanded to 100, 000 men."

"Form another 10, 000-strong naval force."

He paused, then emphasized, "This matter is confidential and must not be disclosed. The official explanation should be: 'Border defense rotation' and 'military farming to defend the border.' Recruitment and training must be conducted discreetly."

The generals shouted in unison, "Yes!"

Liu Ce began to select his generals:

"Cavalry Unit: Zhao Yun, command the formation of 10, 000 cavalry."

Zhao Yun stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

"Lu Bu, take charge and organize 10, 000 cavalry."

Lü Bu stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Yes, sir!"

"Gongsun Zan, take command of the formation of 10, 000 cavalry."

Gongsun Zan stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

"Qin Qiong, take command and organize 10, 000 cavalry."

Qin Qiong stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

"Yuchi Gong, take charge of organizing 10, 000 cavalry."

Yuchi Gong grinned and said, "Rest assured, my lord! I will definitely train the best cavalry!"

"Infantry troops..." Liu Ce continued reading, "Zhang Liao, lead the formation of 10, 000 infantry."

Zhang Liao stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

"Guan Yu, take command and organize 10, 000 infantrymen."

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "I will certainly not fail my elder brother's trust."

"Zhang Fei, take command and organize 10, 000 infantrymen."

Zhang Fei shouted in a loud voice, "Brother! I, Old Zhang, guarantee to train a fierce and powerful army!"

"Yuwen Chengdu, take command of the formation of 10, 000 infantrymen."

Yuwen Chengdu clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

"Cheng Yaojin, take command and organize 10, 000 infantrymen."

Cheng Yaojin chuckled and said, "My lord, I'm an expert at training infantry!"

"Huang Zhong, take command and organize 10, 000 infantrymen."

Huang Zhong stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

"Qu Yi, take command of the formation of 10, 000 infantrymen."

Qu Yi stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

"Zhang He, take command and organize 10, 000 infantry."

Zhang He stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

"Yu Jin, take command of the formation of 10, 000 infantrymen."

Yu Jin stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

"Xu Huang, take command and organize 10, 000 infantrymen."

Xu Huang stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "This humble general obeys the order!"

Liu Ce finished reading in one breath and added:

"The above generals are the commanders. Luo Cheng, Gao Shun, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Taishi Ci, Gao Lan, Han Dang, Zhou Cang, Pei Yuanshao and others are the deputy generals, assisting the commanders in command."

The deputy generals whose names were called responded in unison.

"Naval forces," Liu Ce said, looking at Gan Ning and Cheng Pu.

"Gan Ning and Cheng Pu, lead the formation of a naval force of ten thousand."

Gan Ning and Cheng Pu stepped forward, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinates obey orders!"

After assigning the tasks, Liu Ce nodded and continued:

"I intend to form three armies with these 50, 000 cavalry and 100, 000 infantry."

He walked to the map and pointed at it, saying:

"The First Army is personally commanded by me. It includes: 10, 000 cavalry under Zhao Yun, 10, 000 cavalry under Lü Bu, 10, 000 infantry under Zhang Liao, 10, 000 infantry under Guan Yu, and 10, 000 infantry under Zhang Fei."

"When I am not in the area, Zhang Liao will temporarily take charge."

Zhang Liao clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "This humble general will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!"

"The Second Army was commanded by Xu Da. It included: 10, 000 cavalry under Qin Qiong, 10, 000 cavalry under Yuchi Gong, 10, 000 infantry under Yuwen Chengdu, 10, 000 infantry under Cheng Yaojin, and 10, 000 infantry under Huang Zhong."

Xu Da stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general obeys the order."

"The Third Army, commanded by Xue Rengui, consists of: 10, 000 cavalry under Gongsun Zan, 10, 000 infantry under Qu Yi, 10, 000 infantry under Zhang He, 10, 000 infantry under Yu Jin, and 10, 000 infantry under Xu Huang."

Xue Rengui clasped his hands and said, "This humble general obeys the order."

"As for the navy, it will be an independent force, directly under the command of the Prince's Palace."

The generals shouted in unison, "We will obey Your Majesty's command!"

The structure of the three armies was thus established.

Each army has 50, 000 men, including both cavalry and infantry, and is capable of both offense and defense.

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction and looked at Song Yingxing, saying:

"Mr. Song, the construction of the warships is entrusted to you. If you need manpower or supplies, ask Xuanling, Keming, and Wenruo."

Song Yingxing stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my utmost!"

"Alright." Liu Ce clapped his hands.

"Then it's settled. Everyone, let's hurry and get started!"

"promise!"

A chorus of responses rang out in the hall.

After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed, each one eager to get started and make a big splash.

...

In the fourth year of the Zhongping era, in June, in Zhuo County, Youzhou, it was midsummer.

Several months passed, and in the backyard of the Prince of Yan's mansion, the ladies' bellies began to show.

Cai Yan was more than six months pregnant, and her belly was already protruding; Zhang Ning, Ren Hongchang, Zhen Jiang and others were about the same.

The sight of ten pregnant women sitting in the courtyard was... quite spectacular.

Liu Ce's most important task every day is to accompany his wives, taking walks, chatting, listening to music, and occasionally playing mahjong.