Chapter 252

"Alright!"

Huang Yan couldn't wait to run out of the tent; he felt that his Ming Army's flag was very imposing, and it had to be planted all over the city walls of Beijiang.

Jiang Jinshi instructed Luo Feng: "Have logistics prepare more food; from now on, we are one family!"

The next morning, the Zhenbei Army gathered at the city gate; although their numbers had suffered quite a few losses, they had been tempered on the battlefield for a long time and still carried an aura of grimness.

They looked at the Crown Prince on the high platform, who had lost an arm and was pale, as well as the Vice General Han Xiao beside him, and discussed among themselves; unease permeated the air.

Han Xiao had already learned of Wei Xikang's decision last night, and he had initially had different opinions.

It wasn't until Wei Xikang said 'as long as the people and the soldiers live well, it doesn't matter who is in charge of this world' that Han Xiao understood just how broad the Crown Prince's mind really was.

Wei Xikang walked to the front of the platform and used all his strength, his voice clearly reaching everyone below:

"Soldiers! The defeat in Beijiang is my fault alone! It is my incompetence that led to the General's sacrifice and caused all you brothers to shed blood on the battlefield!"

He bowed deeply, causing a commotion below the platform.

"Now, our army has been defeated repeatedly, the Xiongnu are powerful, and the Imperial Court... reinforcements are hard to come by." He paused, ignoring the even more obvious uproar below.

"If we remain trapped here, we have only a dead end! But... behind us are the fathers and fellow villagers of Beijiang! We cannot die worthlessly!"

At this moment, Jiang Jinshi stepped onto the platform, and Wei Xikang pointed to Jiang Jinshi: "This is the leader of the Great Ming righteous army, Jiang Jinshi! It was he who led the righteous men of Guangwu Jun to repel the Xiongnu and retrieve the General's head!

It is also he who has the ability to lead you to continue fighting on this land, to survive, and to protect what you want to protect!"

Wei Xikang took a deep breath and said the most critical words: "From today on! I, the Crown Prince of the Qian Kingdom, transfer the command of the Zhenbei Army entirely to Chief Jiang Jinshi! To see him is to see me! His orders are my orders! Anyone who refuses to obey will be dealt with by military law!"

The crowd below instantly exploded!

Everyone looked at each other, the soldiers' faces filled with disbelief.

Handing over the Imperial Court's army to a righteous army leader of unknown origin? This was simply unheard of!

"Your Highness! Please think twice!" a lieutenant couldn't help but speak up.

Wei Xikang's gaze swept over everyone, carrying an unquestionable determination: "My mind is made up! This is not a discussion, this is a military order! Believe me, this is currently the only and the best choice! Chief Jiang has the ability to lead you to find a way to survive! Those willing to stay, obey Chief Jiang's orders! Those who are not willing... may leave on their own, I will not pursue it!"

His gaze finally landed on the faces of those officers who looked hesitant: "Everyone, I entrust it to you!"

After saying these words, Wei Xikang handed the tiger tally to Jiang Jinshi in front of all the soldiers, then took a step back, leaving the entire platform to Jiang Jinshi.

Wei Xikang didn't feel very heavy; after handing over the tiger tally, he only felt relaxed all over. Perhaps it was because his shoulders weren't broad enough to bear such a heavy burden?

But no matter what, once he made a decision, he wouldn't change it. Next, he had to recuperate for a period of time and then go see the academy Jiang Jinshi had mentioned.

As for this front line...

He would safely leave it to the Ming Army!

Jiang Jinshi stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the whole scene calmly; there was no impassioned speech, only a calm and powerful voice:

"I, Jiang Jinshi, am just an ordinary person of Beijiang. I don't understand many grand principles, I only know one thing: the Xiongnu want our lives and want to destroy our homes, so we must fight them to the death!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince trusts me and entrusts all you brothers to me. I, Jiang Jinshi, swear here today that I will live and die with you all! From now on, as long as I have a breath left, I will never let the Xiongnu trample on our land at will! As long as I have a bowl of rice, I will never let my brothers fight on an empty stomach!"

"I know some of you are unconvinced, some are suspicious. No matter! Whether you are a hero or a good man, we will see the truth on the battlefield! Our blades should be aimed at the Xiongnu, not at our own people!"

No one questioned Jiang Jinshi's martial prowess; after all, the battle with Adunla was still fresh in their minds, but the Zhenbei Army had suddenly changed commanders, so they were still a bit uncomfortable.

Even Han Xiao had no bottom line in his heart, but this was indeed the best choice for the Zhenbei Army at the moment.

The Ming Army had grain and morale, and they were not inferior to the Xiongnu; plus, everyone was from Beijiang, so it actually wasn't that hard to accept.

"Now, I order!" Jiang Jinshi's voice suddenly turned sharp, "Each camp will follow the original system to count personnel, ordnance, and provisions, and report the numbers to me within half an hour!"

The troops, which had been somewhat restless, gradually quieted down under this unquestionable order.

The officers looked at each other, and seeing that Han Xiao had no objections, the lieutenant was the first to cup his hands and bow: "This subordinate obeys the order!"

With someone taking the lead, others followed suit.

An army is, after all, a place that obeys orders, especially at this critical moment of life and death.

Wei Xikang stood below the platform, watching Jiang Jinshi quickly take control of the situation and begin issuing orders, and the last stone in his heart finally fell.

Half an hour later, all the Ming Army officers and Han Xiao sat together, and Han Xiao stood up to report: "Currently, there are over 13,000 soldiers remaining in Lin City, and 20,000 remaining in each of the cities of Shuang and Yin, totaling about 53,000 people.

Provisions are basically exhausted, there are some city defense weapons, 15,000 horses, and there is a surplus of 20,000 sets of armor, but they have varying degrees of damage that need to be repaired!"

One must know that the previous Zhenbei Army had a full 100,000 people; now they had lost nearly half, but fortunately, the weapons and armor were still quite sufficient.

Jiang Jinshi nodded after hearing this: "My plan for the next step is to first integrate our own troops. The Zhenbei Army soldiers are all veterans with seasoned experience, while the Ming Army soldiers are all recruits who need training. So, we will break them up and reorganize them to train the troops first!"

This could be said to be a necessary process; the Ming Army had high morale but lacked experience, while the Zhenbei Army had rich experience but successive blows had left their morale very low. Integrating the two and spending some time training would surely take their combat power to the next level!

Han Xiao wanted to say something, but Jiang Jinshi clearly knew what he was going to say, "The positions of the officers will not be lowered, and they will temporarily correspond to the positions within the Ming Army, but the military pay will have to change. I don't care what your previous military pay was; from now on, it will all be according to the Ming Army's internal standards!"

The words Han Xiao wanted to say were stuck in his throat, and after a long while, he spat out a sentence: "There is military pay?"

"Old Han, isn't that a rhetorical question?" Jiang Ze was more familiar with Han Xiao and didn't speak so politely, "Of course there is! But there's nothing we can do about what the Imperial Court owes you; it can only be calculated based on the time you joined today!"