Chapter 193

Once everyone had arrived,

Su Xuan looked around the circle and said, "As of now, the Huang Jin Rebellion has been quelled, and I have become the Administrator of Nanjun and concurrently the General Who Pacifies the South."

"All of this relies heavily on the contributions of you all."

Huang Zhong and the others, upon hearing this, spoke with repeated humility:

"Not at all! My Lord, you are too modest! It is primarily due to your own merits!"

"Indeed! Without you, my Lord, I would likely still be at home, wasting my time reading!"

"And I would likely still be hiding in the mountains and forests, evading the pursuit of the government."

"....."

Hearing the words of the group, Su Xuan gave a knowing smile. He raised his hand to quiet them, and once they had all settled down, he continued: "Your contributions have all been recorded, and a portion has been converted into merit points for you."

"With these, you may go to the Merit Pavilion to exchange for the rewards you desire."

"Furthermore, your positions must also be elevated."

"Firstly, I am clear in my rewards and punishments; secondly, it is to handle the situation as I head to Nanjun to take up my post."

As he spoke, Su Xuan immediately announced: "It is my intention to expand the Profound Armor Army from 3,000 to 6,000. Personnel will be selected from the New Recruit Camp. The main commander will be Huang Zhong, whose military rank is elevated to Captain. Zhao Yun will be the Deputy Commander of the Profound Armor Army, and his military rank is elevated to Military Sima."

"Understood! Thank you, my Lord!"

Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun immediately stood up to offer their thanks.

"Very well!"

Su Xuan nodded and continued: "Dian Wei! Zhou Cang!"

"This subordinate is here!"

"I order you to select another 2,000 men from the Huang Jinlishi to supplement the Profound Martial Battalion, forming a heavy infantry unit of 6,000."

"Afterward, all necessary heavy infantry armor and corresponding weapons will be provided to you as quickly as possible. From this moment on, you are the main commander of the Profound Martial Battalion, and your military rank is elevated to Captain. Zhou Cang will be the Deputy Commander, temporarily holding the rank of Military Sima, to be confirmed once sufficient merit has been established."

"Understood!"

Dian Wei and Zhou Cang immediately stood up to accept the order.

Zhou Cang had formally recognized Su Xuan as his lord and pledged his service a few days prior, following the recommendation of Zhang Ning.

Out of respect for Zhang Ning and in recognition of the contribution of those 10,000 Huang Jinlishi, Su Xuan had directly granted him the position of Military Sima.

This could be considered an exceptional promotion.

"Wen Pin! Xu Ding!"

"This subordinate is here!"

"I order Wen Pin to select those with swimming proficiency from the New Recruit Camp and the Huang Jinlishi. If that is insufficient, recruit more from outside, for a total of 6,000 men, to establish our army's Nanjun Naval Force."

"As for warships, I will have the Ordnance Department oversee their construction as soon as possible."

"At the same time, I will purchase a batch from local shipyards in Jingxiang. Wen Pin will be the main commander of the naval force, holding the rank of Captain. Xu Ding will be the Deputy Commander, temporarily holding the rank of Military Major, to be confirmed once sufficient merit has been established."

"Understood!"

Wen Pin and Xu Ding immediately accepted the order.

Xu Ding was the elder brother of Xu Chu.

He was 24, with a cultivation base at the late stage of Anjin.

A few days ago, after Su Xuan returned, he had taken the initiative to meet Su Xuan through Xu Chu and joined Su Xuan's command.

While Xu Ding might be far inferior to his younger brother Xu Chu in terms of martial prowess, his ability to command troops and his administrative capabilities were superior to Xu Chu's.

With proper cultivation, there would be no problem with him becoming a great general capable of defending a city in the future.

"Zhang He! Xia Houlan!"

"This subordinate is here!"

"I order you to select 3,000 men from the New Recruit Camp and the Huang Jinlishi to establish the Brave Cavalry Battalion as horse archers. For the time being, focus on infantry and crossbow training. Once sufficient warhorses have been procured, officially transition to cavalry training. You will be the main commander, holding the rank of Captain. Xia Houlan will be the Deputy Commander, temporarily holding the rank of Military Sima, to be confirmed once sufficient merit has been established."

"Understood!"

Zhang He and Xia Houlan immediately accepted the order with excitement.

Among them, Xia Houlan had joined following Zhao Yun.

He had previously been among Zhao Yun's 300 local volunteers.

Su Xuan had not known this initially; it was only when Zhao Yun recommended him to Su Xuan a while ago that he entered Su Xuan's command.

Xia Houlan was 19 years old and currently only at the mid-stage of Anjin. His martial talent was far inferior to Zhao Yun's, but if cultivated properly in the future, there was a chance for him to achieve the status of a first-class Transformation Realm general or even a Danjin super-first-class fierce general.

It all depended on whether he worked hard enough.

In Su Xuan's Merit Pavilion, there was no lack of cultivation methods and secret techniques to alter one's aptitude.

"Xu Chu!"

"This subordinate is here!"

"I order you to select elites from our army to establish my Personal Guard Battalion, with a strength of 800. You will be the Commander of the Personal Guard Battalion, and Su Zhan will be the Deputy Commander. You should guide this brat well!"

"Understood!"

Xu Chu immediately accepted the order and grinned at Su Zhan, who was sitting at the end.

Su Zhan was also full of joy.

He had finally managed to enter the regular army under his elder brother.

Although it was only as a personal guard, being able to stay by his elder brother's side meant he could learn many things.

By now, Su Zhan, as well as Su Yu and Su Yi, the three brothers, all worshipped Su Xuan to the extreme.

They wished they could stay by Su Xuan's side to learn at all times.

Next, Su Xuan looked at Huang Zhong and said: "Hansheng, you shall also concurrently hold the post of Nanjun Commandery Commandant! By the way, when the time comes, set aside some time to recruit and train 8,000 commandery soldiers. When that time comes, let Zilong help you more!"

"Understood!"

Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun both stood up to accept the order.

Huang Zhong felt deeply moved in his heart.

This was profound trust!

He swore that he would definitely strive to serve his Lord.

"Besides, Xu'er has already recovered from his illness and has been cultivating for over a year. He is now at the late stage of Clear Metal. This brat's talent is quite good; he can be cultivated well, and in the future, let him also serve the Lord."

Huang Zhong thought to himself.

After reorganizing the generals and the army, Su Xuan looked toward the civil officials and said to Seeing Xun You You and the others: "Gongda, I appoint you as the Chief Clerk of the Administrator's Office and the General Who Pacifies the South's Office. The matter of coordinating military affairs is entrusted to you!"

"Furthermore, I need you to establish a Staff Department;"

"In daily life, cultivate military staff, conduct simulations for military and war affairs, formulate battle plans... and so on;"

"I will discuss the specific operations with you in detail later!"

"In my view, all military advisors should join the Staff Department from now on."

"Understood!"

Seeing Xun You You happily accepted the order.

At the same time, he was also very interested in Su Xuan's proposal for this Staff Department.

"Zhicai, you shall be the Commandery Assistant, assisting me in handling the administrative affairs of Nanjun, and at the same time, you will hold the post of military advisor in the Staff Department."

"Understood!"

Xi Zhicai immediately accepted the order.

"Zhongde, you shall be the Attendant of the Administrator's Office and the General's Office, assisting me in handling the administrative affairs of Nanjun and the General's Office, and likewise, you will hold the post of military advisor in the Staff Department."

"Understood!"

Cheng Yu stood up to accept the order.

"Finally, there is Guo Jia! You shall temporarily stay by the sides of Gongda and Zhicai, learning while assisting in handling military and political affairs. You will likewise hold the post of military advisor in the Staff Department."

"Understood! Thank you, my Lord!"

Guo Jia, upon hearing this, was immediately overjoyed.

Without a specific appointment, it meant he could be lazy!

Hehe! He liked that.

How could Su Xuan fail to see his thoughts?

He immediately rolled his eyes and said: "Do not even think about being lazy. While you are young, you must learn more and do more in order to grow better;"

"Zhicai and Gongda will both be supervising you;"

Guo Jia, upon hearing this, immediately wore a bitter expression. Before he could say anything, Su Xuan continued: "Furthermore, your physical condition is poor. I specifically require you to enter the Personal Guard Battalion for three months of training;"

"If you meet my requirements, you may leave the camp;"