Before leaving Shouchun, Cao Shuo arranged for Pang Tong and Zhao Yun to establish a standing army.

In the days when he was on the road, all over the country was selecting strong soldiers to send to Shouchun.

The empty military camp in Shouchun City gradually gathered a lot of people.

Walking in the barracks, Pang Tong said to Zhao Yun: "Gongzi wants to establish a standing army, and these soldiers and horses will have to work hard for General Zhao to lead in the future." ”

"It's not difficult to command the standing army, I'm just a little worried about the soldiers of the Flying Bear Battalion." Zhao Yun said: "I don't know how Wen Chang gets along with them. ”

"General Zhao rest assured." Pang Tong said: "Wen Chang has been following Gongzi for a long time, and he and I have also been to Lujiang, and he still has some experience in leading troops. ”

"Did Childe say how many men and horses are needed for the standing army?" Zhao Yun asked.

"Childe just said that the ratio of the number of people to the standing army should be one hundred to one." Pang Tong said: "Counting like this, there are no more than a few thousand. ”

"I've never understood why there is a 100-to-1 conscription of a standing army when there are so many people." Zhao Yun said: "Ten people raise a soldier, and they should be able to raise it." ”

Pang Tong shook his head and said, "General Zhao only counts ten farmers to raise one soldier, and he can indeed raise them. It's just that not all of the people are engaged in farming, and many of them are engaged in other livelihoods. ”

"Let's go to farming." Zhao Yun said: "Other livelihoods can't produce grain and grass. ”

"General Zhao is wrong when he says that." Pang Tong said: "For a place to grow, there must be many people engaged in different industries. For example, blacksmiths, carpenters, stonemasons, Confucian scholars, and healers are all indispensable. There are also businessmen and even guards invited by businessmen, can we let them farm? ”

Looking at Pang Tongyi's eyes, Zhao Yun nodded and said, "When Shi Yuan said this, I understand. ”

"Childe went to Xudu, and he will come back soon." Pang Tong said to Zhao Yun: "When Gongzi returns, the day of our army's expedition should also come." ”

"Speaking of which, it still doesn't say how many men and horses are needed for the standing army." Zhao Yun said: "Also, the Flying Bear Battalion and other soldiers have numbers, what number does the standing army plan to use?" ”

"Thousands of people went out to fight, even if they were all elite soldiers, they definitely didn't have the slightest advantage in the battle with the Yuan family." Pang Tong said: "Gongzi wants a hundred people to raise a soldier, but I think that the first batch of standing troops is suitable for 20,000 people. ”

"In this way, there will only be forty or fifty people to raise one soldier." Zhao Yun asked, "Isn't Shi Yuan afraid that Gongzi will come back and blame him?" ”

"Even if Childe says so, he must also know the priorities." Pang Tong said: "What we lack now is more soldiers who can go to the battlefield to kill the enemy, even if Gongzi returns, it should not negate my decision." ”

"Shi Yuan said so, then gather 20,000 soldiers first." Zhao Yun said: "Fortunately, the soldiers have all followed Gongzi to fight in the south and north, and they don't need too much practice to go into battle to kill the enemy." ”

"That's what the general said." Pang Tong said: "Now the soldiers who have come to Shouchun have gathered 8,000 people and 20,000 people, not to mention more than half a month. ”

"It's too scattered." Zhao Yun said: "When Gongzi made this arrangement, I wanted to say that the soldiers and horses were too scattered and easy to be broken by the enemy one by one. ”

"Childe has Childe's considerations." Pang Tong said: "If it weren't for the occupation of Xuzhou, Huainan and other places, Gongzi would not have done this. ”

"What's wrong with Xuzhou, Huainan and other places?" Zhao Yun asked puzzled.

"Although Xuzhou is a place of several wars, it is adjacent to Yanzhou and Yuzhou in the west, and it is inevitable that it is adjacent to Yangzhou. The northernmost county in Yangzhou is Huainan. Pang Tong said: "Whether it is Sun Ce and Liu Biao in the south, or Yuan Shao and Gongsun Du in the north, if you want to enter the territory of Gongzi, you must pass through other boundaries of the Cao family. By the time they had led their army to slaughter, Childe had gathered enough troops to fight them in a decisive battle. ”

"It's still Shiyuan who understands the child." Zhao Yun said: "I haven't seen these very clearly. ”

Pang Tong smiled slightly: "Although I understand the reason for Gongzi's deployment, I also think that a standing army is needed here. Especially when Guan Yu led the army to attack Shouchun, I felt that without a standing army and horses, it was very likely that one day in the future, Shouchun would fall into the hands of others. ”

When Pang Tong spoke, Zhao Yun couldn't help nodding.

"Let's go, look at the soldiers who have gathered here." Pang Tong greeted Zhao Yun, and the two of them walked to the depths of the barracks, surrounded by a group of guards.

Cao Shuo was still on his way back to Shouchun, and Yuan Shang, who had left Xudu half a day earlier, returned to Yecheng.

Yecheng Yuan family.

After listening to Yuan Shang's reply, Yuan Shao's brows furrowed tightly.

"That's why you came back but didn't bring Fang'er back?" Yuan Shao asked Yuan Shang.

"Back to my father." Yuan Shang said: "Fang'er is my sister-in-law, and I also want her to return to Yecheng, but Cao Zirong said that she is pregnant and inconvenient to travel far, so I have no reason to forcibly take her back." ”

"Leave Fang'er in the Cao family, is it possible that you have a reason?" Yuan Shao glared at him and asked angrily.

Seeing this, Cui Yan, who accompanied Yuan Shang back, clasped his fists and bowed to Yuan Shao and said: "Yuan Gong is angry, Gongzi is actually 100% sure of doing this." ”

"What are you sure of?" Yuan Shao asked.

"Cao Zirong will not be embarrassed by Miss's grasp." Cui Yan said: "Regardless of whether what Cao Zirong said is true or not, his return to Xudu this time must be for Miss." ”

"What do you mean by that?" Yuan Shao asked.

"The soldiers and horses of the Yuan Cao family have moved, and they both understand that the current stability may be broken in a short time." Cui Yan said: "Although Miss is the daughter of the Yuan family, she is also the daughter-in-law of the Cao family. If she is pregnant, some of them are also the heirs of the Cao family. Although Cao Cao is resolute in his work, he is unusually friendly to his family. Although he had many children, most of them were still young. can give birth to only Cao Zirong alone. The young lady is pregnant, how can Cao Cao embarrass her? ”

"In case ......," Yuan Shao said two words hesitantly.

Cui Yan said: "Does Yuan Gong want to ask, what if Miss is not pregnant?" ”

"That's what I said." Yuan Shao said: "If Cao Zirong just shooks a shot to bring you two back, what should I do?" ”

"Yuan Gong rest assured." Cui Yan said: "Regardless of whether the young lady is pregnant or not, it can be seen from Cao Zirong that Cao Zirong went to Xu Du for her, Cao Zirong must love her very much, and he can't bear to hurt her in the slightest." Otherwise, he would not have rushed to Xudu. ”

After staring at Cui Yan for a while, Yuan Shao said to Yuan Shang: "Anyway, this time you also went to Xudu, and there is still no hard work." Go back and rest first, and I'll look for you again if there's something! ”

(End of chapter)