This side of Chen Mo.

After occupying Anchang City, Chen Mo had people repair the city gates on one hand and reinforce the city defenses on the other.

It’s definitely not possible to fight again in the next couple of days.

So Chen Mo asked the Cavalry Department to form another cavalry unit.

The reason the cavalry of the Great Song is few is primarily due to the shortage of horses. Coupled with the Nanyang rebellion and the Eighteen Lords’ rebellion, many were lost. Currently, Chen Mo has less than five thousand cavalry.

However, the Cavalry Department has more than just this number of people; as long as there are warhorses, they can instantly become cavalry.

As it happens, they had seized about three thousand warhorses on the Anchang Plain, and after capturing Anchang City yesterday, they seized about a thousand ordinary horses in the city.

Chen Mo wanted to utilize these horses and have the Infantry Department form a cavalry unit of four thousand.

But after resting for a day, Chen Mo found that having so many people idle was a waste and simply had people lead troops to take over the towns surrounding Anchang City.

The Desolate Kingdom garrisons of these towns, upon receiving news that Anchang City was breached, immediately fled in panic.

So the takeover of these towns went very smoothly.

...

Youzhou, Royal City.

Beacon fires were lit, and the land for thousands of miles was on alert. Outside the four city gates of the Royal City, recruitment platforms were set up, with crowds of Jianghu men holding weapons gathered before them.

Youzhou, unlike Nan Zhou, was the old territory of the Chu Kingdom. After the founding of the Great Song, Chu people were ’Song-ified,’ becoming an integral part of the Great Song, and the Great Song treated Chu people as its citizens, giving them a sense of belonging and deterring thoughts of restoration.

However, the Chu people’s martial spirit did not change, making Youzhou the place with the most Jianghu people.

Originally, Zhao Jiang, taking on the role of the master of all under heaven, did not wish to be too deeply involved with Jianghu people, so the relationship was such that one did not interfere with the other. Although Jianghu people were recruited, it was done privately.

But after being defeated by Chen Mo, Zhao Jiang no longer cared about this point, especially after agreeing to cooperate with Chen Mo and legalizing his recruitment, Zhao Jiang zealously recruited Jianghu people and even offered them high roles.

What Jianghu people care most about is nothing more than a resounding reputation, face, martial arts, and the so-called righting wrongs and promoting good.

For this, Zhao Jiang addressed these needs specifically.

He first offered martial arts, promising that those who defected to him would obtain high-level martial arts.

It must be known that the top cultivation techniques and martial arts under heaven are in the hands of the Royal Family.

As King Yan, Zhao Jiang naturally possessed them.

Then he organized a martial arts competition and created a ranking list, called the Hidden Dragon List.

The Hidden Dragon List could only be joined by those who defected to Zhao Jiang.

To attract many Jianghu experts to join him, Zhao Jiang deliberately placed a highly controversial Jianghu expert at the top.

This immediately sparked discussions, and many were unconvinced.

What? He made it to the top of the Hidden Dragon List?

Shouldn’t it be someone else at the top?

No way, is the list all mixed up?

Regardless of whether it’s mixed up or not, the world is full of ordinary people, and seeing such a list issued by the Prince Yan’s Mansion, ordinary people still regarded it as authoritative and believed the rankings.

This belief made some Jianghu experts restless.

What nonsense? If he can make it to the top ten, shouldn’t I be number one?

Thus, many went to join Zhao Jiang and participated in the martial arts competition.

Jianghu people do care about reputation, and once they promised to defect, it became difficult to go back on their word. With Zhao Jiang offering good conditions and knowing how to maintain and care for them,

except for a few who defected only to prove the inaccuracy of the Hidden Dragon List and left, most stayed in the Royal City.

Additionally, to satisfy their vanity for righting wrongs and promoting good, Zhao Jiang publicly declared the recruitment was to prepare for a southern campaign against the Desolate Kingdom and drive these Desolate Kingdom barbarians out of our country.

Among these Jianghu people, there were many righteous individuals who, upon hearing this, became immediately inspired, eager to sacrifice themselves in battle.

Seeing the success of his plan, a joyful and prosperous atmosphere naturally filled the Prince Yan’s Mansion.

In the main hall of the Prince’s Mansion, King Yan, Zhao Jiang, sat high at the head position, surrounded by guests that included generals from various places and heads of various sects, groups, and other Jianghu forces, as well as some lone Jianghu experts. Cups and toasts were exchanged, and praises like "Benevolent King" and "Wise King" were incessant.

Some even suggested Zhao Jiang become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader.

Zhao Jiang quickly declined.

Wearing a Python Robe and fiddling with a smooth, oiled walnut in his hand, his expression was amiable, but as a Vassal Prince of one region, Zhao Jiang had not been fooled by this surface strength, nor was he impulsive enough to take on the role of Martial Arts Alliance Leader.

In Zhao Jiang’s heart, he looked down upon these martial people.

The relationship between the Imperial Court and Jianghu martial arts has never been particularly harmonious.

Because some wanted criminals hunted by the Imperial Court were considered righteous heroes and generous heroes in the martial world.

Moreover, some martial arts experts violated the laws of the Great Song, relying on their martial arts prowess.

If Zhao Jiang were to become the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, it would surely cause controversy in the future.

Now Zhao Jiang had gathered them here to help take over the Southwest.

The Southwest is a thousand miles away from Youzhou and has now fallen into the hands of the Desolate Kingdom. Zhao Jiang organized such a move.

Firstly, to prove to the world that his recruitment was aimed at driving out the Desolate Kingdom barbarians, to recover some of his reputation.

When the Eighteen Lords were allied, he was subject to scorn from many people across the lands.

To become the supreme power under heaven, he certainly couldn’t lose the people’s support.

Secondly, under the guise of reclaiming the Southwest, he intended to occupy the land stretching a thousand miles from Youzhou to the Southwest.

Thirdly, he could reap the benefits as a third party.

Watching the main force of the Desolate Kingdom compete with Chen Mo, both sides would suffer, giving him an opportunity to act.

Not only could he claim the great merits of driving out the Desolate Kingdom barbarians for himself, but he could also remove Chen Mo, a threat to his own rise to the ultimate power.

It’s a plan that achieves three goals at once.

...

After resting for two days, Chen Mo had Bai Yongtao and Zhang Lie lead a force of a hundred thousand to garrison Anchang City, as his logistics and backup. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

He took less than thirty thousand troops and continued north.

Recovering several cities along the way.

The one hundred ninety-seventh day of the Great Chaos, evening.

"Report—"

"Sir, generals, scouts have reported from the front that a unit of light cavalry is heading toward Ao County," the scout reported.

"Weiqiu, you stay here and guard the army. Gao Zheng, take the Fire Qilin Army and come with me," said Chen Mo.

"Understood," Gao Zheng responded.

He took less than thirty thousand troops and continued north.

Recovering several cities along the way.

The one hundred ninety-seventh day of the Great Chaos, evening.

"Report—"

"Sir, generals, scouts have reported from the front that a unit of light cavalry is heading toward Ao County," the scout reported.

"Weiqiu, you stay here and guard the army. Gao Zheng, take the Fire Qilin Army and come with me," said Chen Mo.

"Understood," Gao Zheng responded.