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According to the Ming Dynasty's system, a guard had 5,600 soldiers. However, most guards had less than half of their actual strength because their generals were idle.
At present, the total strength of Ganzhou Guard is 5,700 people, mainly due to Qin Mu's private expansion. The total number of people in Xinfeng and Huichang alone is 3,500.
After Qin Mu discussed with his generals, they decided that Ma Yongzhen would lead 700 men from Huichang Qianhu and 800 men from Ganzhou City, a total of 1,500 people, to march south, relying on Nan'an Prefecture and defend the southern line.
Qin Mu personally led 2,200 troops, including 1,000 from Huichang and 1,200 from Xinfeng, to march north.
The remaining 500 men of Huichang Thousand Households and part of the original Ganzhou City garrison were left in Ganzhou, and the defense of Ganzhou was handed over to Xiang Liancheng.
The reason why Meng Ke was not left to take charge was that Qin Mu wanted to take him to the battle, and he had to make a name for himself in the first battle.
Therefore, Qin Mu wanted to bring out powerful generals such as Meng Ke, Liu Meng, Su Jin, Huo Sheng, Cui Feng, Ling Zhan, and Ning Yuan, striving to scare the rebels with one battle, and also to make Lu Daqi intimidated by the combat effectiveness of the Ganzhou army and not dare to act rashly.
Secondly, Xiang Liancheng was allowed to stay in Ganzhou and select strong and brave men from the refugees to form an army. The newly formed army could avoid being influenced by Meng Ke and Ma Yongzhen.
The more the army expands, the less influence Meng Ke and Ma Yongzhen will have in the future. Doing so has nothing to do with whether Meng Ke and Ma Yongzhen are trustworthy, but rather it is a principle that must be followed to strengthen the trunk and weaken the branches.
The troops from the two thousand households of Xinfeng and Huichang successively entered Ganzhou City for assembly. In addition to the mobilization of troops, it also involved the transportation of a large amount of food and grass. Such a large-scale movement meant that even though the rebels were still hundreds of miles away, Ganzhou was already shrouded in war clouds and the atmosphere was extremely tense.
The people on the street walked with light and hurried steps. Even their voices became softer. Everyone felt as if a lead block was pressing down on their hearts, and the heavy feeling made it hard to breathe.
The rumors about Yang Tinglin's murder not only did not subside with the approach of the rebels, but spread even more fiercely. Under Yang Tinglin's leadership, Ganzhou had just put down a rebellion that spread throughout the province a few months ago. At this time, people particularly hoped that Yang Tinglin could stand up and save Ganzhou.
But Yang Tinglin has not appeared again, which has led to rumors about his murder. However, there are different opinions on who killed Yang Tinglin. Now more and more rumors say that Huang Danian, the garrison commander of Ganzhou, and others launched a mutiny, holding Yang Tinglin and Qin Mu hostage, causing Yang Tinglin to be seriously injured.
The rumors gradually turned in favor of Qin Mu, but this did not alleviate people's panic and confusion. At this time, Qin Mu had someone post a notice to reassure the people.
After reading this notice to reassure the people, the panicked people rushed to the government office.
In the square in front of the government office, a large flag with the Chinese character "Ming" and a large flag with the Chinese character "Qin" fluttered in the autumn wind. Under the two flags, two thousand elite soldiers in bright armor stood still like a mountain and solemnly like a forest.
No matter how many people came around, they surrounded them in three layers. The two thousand soldiers did not move at all, like sculptures, cold and solemn; their swords were not unsheathed. Their bows were not strung, but the aura of the iron cavalry stopped the people from coming in, not daring to get too close, and even the voices of their discussions were as quiet as possible:
"These are Huichang's troops..."
"Yes, have you noticed that many people have scars on their faces?"
“Although I can’t explain it, looking at their eyes, I feel that this army is different.”
"This is called evil spirit, and only an army that is good at fighting has it."
"I heard that this was trained by County Magistrate Qin himself..."
Amid the whispers of the onlookers, Qin Mu, dressed in armor and with a sword hanging from his waist, walked out of the government office. Behind him followed seven brave generals, Meng Ke, Liu Meng, Huo Sheng, Cui Feng, Ling Zhan, Ning Yuan and Su Jin, each of them walking like a dragon or a tiger, with the gaze of an eagle or a wolf.
Seeing the eight people walk out of the government office, the discussions around them suddenly quieted down. Whether it was the soldiers in the middle or the onlookers, all eyes were focused on Qin Mu.
Now a large number of refugees have fled to Ganzhou and are displaced. The people of Ganzhou see this and are panicking, fearing that this disaster will soon befall them.
Zhang Xianzhong's rebels had not yet arrived, but the people were already in a state of panic, unable to sleep or eat. At this moment, seeing Qin Mu, who had once protected Ganzhou, come out, people finally saw a glimmer of hope, and countless pairs of eyes looking at him were full of expectations.
Qin Mu stood on the high platform, looking at the two thousand soldiers standing quietly like a forest below, and suddenly shouted: "Tell me loudly, tell the people of Ganzhou, what is your military oath?"
The soldiers below puffed out their chests and shouted, "Sir Qin, obey orders firmly, fulfill your military duties faithfully, observe discipline, be prepared, care about your comrades, and work together. Love the people and the nation, do not fear sacrifice, and would rather die than surrender. Do not betray your companions, do not inform on the enemy, and remember your duty, honor, and loyalty."
Qin Mu pressed the hilt of the sword, took a step forward, and then shouted quickly: "Very good, now is the time for you to fulfill your military oath. Zhang Xianzhong's hundreds of thousands of rebels, like locusts all over the sky, swept across Huguang. They destroyed people's homes, robbed people's property, raped people's wives and daughters, dug up people's ancestral graves, and countless people's families were broken up wherever they passed. The numerous crimes they committed are too numerous to list. Now, this evil rebel army is coming towards Ganzhou. In order to save the people of Ganzhou from suffering, to prevent your homes from being destroyed, and to prevent your wives and daughters from being raped, tell me, what are you going to do?"
"Take up arms and defend your country."
"Fight bravely and die bravely."
"... ... ... ... ... ... ... "
"Okay, now the people of Ganzhou are in a state of panic, and your loved ones need your protection. Now, they are all watching you, hearing the promises you made, and seeing you as their protectors. Tell me loudly, and tell the people of Ganzhou, will you disappoint your fellow countrymen?"
"Won't."
"Won't."
"Won't."
A tsunami-like shout echoed in front of the government office. It was the sound of swords and horses. If it had substance, it would have soared into the sky. Qin Mu always paid attention to cultivating the sense of honor of his soldiers. At this moment, Qin Mu elevated them to the patron saints of Ganzhou. Under the watchful eyes of the people in the city, the sense of responsibility and honor in the soldiers' hearts were easily aroused.
Qin Mu looked at the two thousand soldiers with satisfaction, then gradually shifted his gaze to the people a little further away. Looking at the dark crowd, he shouted loudly: "I, Qin Mu, have a few words from the bottom of my heart to say to the elders and villagers of Ganzhou today. There are many rumors in the market now, saying that I, Qin Mu, have my own army and that I have evil intentions. I don't want to make any excuses for these rumors;
I only know that the world is in flames today and we must strengthen our military. I only know that when the evil rebels come to Ganzhou, we must stand up to defend the safety of Ganzhou and keep the enemy out of Ganzhou, to ensure that the homes of every Ganzhou citizen are not destroyed and every life is not destroyed. "
"I, Qin Mu, have trained three thousand elite soldiers for this day. Today, in front of the people of the city, I solemnly promise that as long as I, Qin Mu, am still alive, I will not let a single rebel enter my Ganzhou territory. If they want to come, they have to step over my dead body."
Qin Mu's words were decisive and resounding. The people in the city looked at him in silence. Even the three-year-old child was frightened by the calm atmosphere and did not dare to make a sound. A moment later, the crowd suddenly erupted like a volcano. The cheers from countless people gathered into a surging wave that rushed into the sky.
There was not much substance in people's cheers. Perhaps they just wanted to vent the depression that had accumulated in their hearts over the past few days. Or perhaps someone worthy of reliance finally stood up and promised to protect them from the wind and rain. The anxious people finally found their backbone.
"Today, I, Qin Mu, swear to lead my troops north and will not return until I defeat Zhang the traitor. Fellow villagers of Ganzhou, please stay at home and farm and make a living. Do not listen to any rumors and do not panic. Before you see my body, please believe that the rebels will never enter Ganzhou..."
When Qin Mu said this, he saw Yang Chen walking out of the government office with the support of Yang Zhi. Both mother and daughter looked very haggard, followed by Yang Zhaocai, the housekeeper of the Yang Mansion.
Seeing the mother and daughter, the onlookers began to whisper and talk about it. The rumor that Magistrate Yang was murdered was brought up again and was hotly discussed.
Qin Mu never expected that Yang Chen would come out at this time. What were they doing here
These days, Yang Chen was extremely cold to Qin Mu. Every time he saluted her, she would not even raise her eyelids. She always stayed silently by her husband's bed. No matter what Qin Mu said or did, it seemed as if it had nothing to do with her.
She suddenly came out at this time. Could it be that she wanted to expose her own deeds in public and reveal the truth that Yang Tinglin was injured by her knife
Qin Mu looked at the mother and daughter silently. He had already made up his mind to go to the battle. He no longer cared what Yang Chen said. No matter if she was a heroic police officer revered by everyone or a rebellious person despised by everyone, he would let Blade speak for himself.
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ps: Ahem, these chapters seem to have touched a minefield, and the book review section is full of curses, sin, sin, Hao Yuan is deeply reflecting... ... ... To be honest, Hao Yuan wrote these chapters, really wanting to lay the groundwork, but accidentally stepped into a minefield, and has been burnt on the outside and tender on the inside these days, reflecting, deeply reflecting... ... ..
Well, it seems that everyone can’t wait to charge into battle, so let’s swear to go to the battlefield.
Asking for monthly tickets and rewards! Let's charge forward together. (To be continued...)
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