Zhang Fei laughed heartily at the words!
"Hahaha!"
"Big Brother, don't worry. Once they join the army, they'll all be my brothers. I won't bully anyone."
After saying that, he looked at Wei You beside him and chuckled,
"But when it comes to drinking, I won't let you off the hook. Tonight, I'm definitely going to get you drunk."
Han Dang, who was nearby, also laughed and said,
"Yide is right. Once you join the army, you're brothers, but tonight, we must get you drunk. That's the rule."
Wei You looked at their enthusiastic demeanor; they were clearly all straightforward individuals. His heart was filled with warmth. At the very least, there was no infighting among them; instead, they treated each other as brothers.
He looked at them and said with a smile,
"If you want to get me drunk, you'll have to see if you have the skill. When it comes to drinking, I, Wei You, have never been afraid of anyone. Don't let me be the one to get you all drunk."
Hearing this, Zhang Fei had no intention of being polite. He immediately grabbed a jar of wine and placed it on Wei You's table.
He chuckled,
"Since that's the case, let's start drinking. I've been waiting for too long."
After saying that, Zhang Fei began to drink from a jar of wine, gulping it down with great enjoyment. He drank with immense satisfaction.
Seeing this, Wei You did not back down. He opened his jar of wine, picked it up, and began to drink furiously.
The two were like needle points against wheat awns, neither having any intention of backing down.
Liu Jin, sitting at the head of the table, smiled faintly at this scene.
Zhang Fei was indeed quite boisterous, and he was the easiest to bring laughter to the army.
The others were not to be outdone, all eating meat in large mouthfuls and drinking wine from large bowls, and the lively atmosphere grew even thicker.
After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes!
Liu Jin looked at everyone in the hall and spoke,
"Currently, the army has two thousand five hundred soldiers. They will be divided into five qu, each led by a Military Marquis, commanding five hundred soldiers."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall put down their wine bowls, their eyes filled with anticipation.
That was a Military Marquis, an official with a rank of six hundred shi, who could wear a bronze seal and a yellow ribbon, representing their status.
Even the usually calm Guan Yu showed a look of anticipation in his phoenix eyes.
Liu Jin looked at the expectant gazes of the Generals, smiled, and said softly,
"The first qu of soldiers will be led by Guan Yu."
"The second qu of soldiers will be led by Zhang Fei."
"The third qu of soldiers will be led by Han Dang."
"The fourth qu of soldiers will be led by Wei You."
"The fifth qu of soldiers will be led by Wu Xing."
"Zhao Ergou will be in charge of the army's logistics and scouting."
"After the army is reorganized, you all must diligently train the soldiers and not be lazy."
"When the time comes to attack the Yellow Turbans, you will be facing tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands. If anyone retreats in battle, I, Sima, will hold you accountable."
Upon receiving the order, the Generals' eyes were filled with excitement. They all stood up and said loudly,
"We respectfully obey Sima's command."
Liu Jin smiled and nodded, then continued to drink with the Generals.
Time passed quietly, and three days later!
The army's soldiers were divided into five qu, each with five hundred men, and were rigorously trained under the leadership of their respective Generals.
Additionally, five hundred horses had been continuously delivered to the military camp. Although some were of uneven quality and did not meet the standards of elite warhorses, they could still be used.
Liu Jin immediately began to form a cavalry unit, selecting skilled riders from the army to form a five-hundred-man unit led by Guan Yu.
They began rigorous training in the army. The first priority was unified command and the ability to charge into battle. As for mounted archery, it was not required for the time being.
For cavalry to perform mounted archery charges, they would need to be veteran soldiers trained for several years, or nomadic cavalry from the grasslands.
Newly formed cavalry units simply could not reach that level, so they could only undergo rigorous training to gradually improve their mounted archery skills.
As for stirrups, saddles, and other items, it was not yet appropriate for them to appear, mainly because the cavalry was too small in number, to avoid exposing this information to the foreign tribes of the grasslands. If they knew, then no one would be able to resist a cavalry invasion from the south.
Thus, the army's organization was divided into four qu of infantry and one qu of cavalry.
There were even some recruited militiamen, specifically for transporting grain, plus some cooks, scouts, and various others, bringing the total strength of the army to about three thousand men.
Such a large scale could already be considered an army, and many in the army were equipped with armor and elite weapons.
Their combat effectiveness was considerably stronger than that of ordinary government soldiers.
Liu Jin was quite satisfied with the army he commanded. At the very least, in this chaotic world, he already had the power to protect himself.
A few days later!
On a government road in Jizhou territory, a large number of soldiers were marching in an orderly fashion towards this location.
A large banner with the character 'Liu' had been erected in the army, indicating that this army belonged to a General named Liu.
Liu Jin, dressed in armor, rode a tall horse, surrounded by his Generals.
He looked up at the sky, where the colors of dusk had already appeared, and the sun was setting over the mountains.
He turned his head and instructed his personal guards to find Zhao Ergou, who was at the front.
A moment later, several swift horses galloped towards them, led by Zhao Ergou.
Liu Jin asked,
"Fourth Brother, where has the main army reached now? Is there a suitable place to encamp nearby?"
Zhao Ergou heard this and immediately said,
"Big Brother, we have already entered the territory of Zhongshan Commandery in Jizhou. If we go a few li further, we can leave this valley, and there will be an open space where we can encamp."
"Alternatively, if we speed up and go another thirty li, we can reach Wuji County and encamp outside the city, which would be more secure than encamping in the mountains."
Liu Jin was stunned to hear this. They had actually arrived in Wuji County territory.
His memories were not unfamiliar with this place, because there was a Zhen Family in Wuji County, incredibly wealthy, rich enough to rival a nation.
Although they were just a merchant family, they were also a prominent family in Zhongshan Commandery, holding significant status in this small area.
In particular, the Zhen Family had produced an Empress, who was Cao Pi's Empress during the Three Kingdoms period.
This woman seemed to be named Zhen Mi, beautiful as a celestial being, known as the most beautiful woman of the Three Kingdoms, but she was only one year old this year.
Liu Jin had no thoughts about this little girl, but he had great thoughts about the wealth of their Zhen Family.
After Yuan Shao took control of Jizhou, he chose to form a marital alliance with the Zhen Family, obtaining their financial support to recruit soldiers and horses, sweeping across Hebei, and occupying four prefectures, becoming the hegemon of the north.
He felt a certain greed in his heart. If he wanted to rise quickly, he naturally needed financial support. This Zhen Family could be considered a good source of assistance.
However, he was only a Thousand-Stone Sima. To expect the Zhen Family to pledge allegiance to him was a pipe dream, akin to a fantasy.
They were already a local prominent family, with immense wealth, and many high-ranking officials had come from their clan, otherwise, their business would not have grown so large.
Even the Prefect of Zhongshan Commandery had to show them respect.
It seems he would have to wait until after pacifying the Yellow Turbans, making a name for himself, and raising his official rank before finding a way to contact the Zhen Family of Wuji County and trying to win them over.
After a moment of thought, Liu Jin immediately ordered,
"Pass down the order: encamp a few li ahead, and leave this valley before nightfall."
His personal guards quickly went to relay the order, instructing the various Generals to command their soldiers to speed up their advance.