Chapter 850: Military Discipline

It was evident that while Yu Jin was satisfied with being assigned as the vanguard, most of the other generals were not pleased with Chen Xi's arrangements. However, they all obeyed his orders without complaint.

After the meeting, Chen Xi kept Liu Ye and Fazheng behind. "It seems like most of them weren’t too happy with the assignments I gave out?"

"Of course not. Give me a force, and I’ll go take Jizhou," Fazheng said with a smirk.

"No way I’m letting you do that," Chen Xi retorted. "Our goal is Ye City. Don’t forget what the first step is. As you said earlier, I’ve made my decision, so I’m not hiding anything anymore."

"Xuande is in Linzi, Wen Chang is in Qinghe, our lord is in Linyi, and we’re in Jiyin. It won’t be easy to force Yuan Shao into a position where he’s stretched too thin," Liu Ye said calmly.

Liu Ye understood Chen Xi’s strategy. By spreading out their forces across different areas, even Yuan Shao’s vast army would struggle to defend everywhere at once. Eventually, Yuan Shao would be forced to retreat and focus on defensive measures.

When it came to siege warfare, it could easily drain the morale of the attacking forces, and Chen Xi was not the type to waste resources and energy on prolonged siege battles.

"Are you planning to force Yuan Shao back to Ye City and then hit him from both sides?" Fazheng frowned. "That’s unlikely. Yuan Shao is too proud to let himself be cornered like that."

"True, but Yuan Shao will still be wary of my presence. Sending reinforcements to Ye City would be his safest option," Chen Xi shook his head. Caution was a two-way street, and there were many who feared his strategic prowess.

"Are you planning to breach the first defenses?" Liu Ye asked, frowning. "When he retreats, it won’t be just one army."

"Of course not. And I can guarantee that figures like Tian Feng and Ju Shou will be with him. But to deal a heavy blow, we need to swallow up his strongest force," Chen Xi nodded. He understood Liu Ye’s concerns but had other thoughts in mind.

"Indeed, if we can crush his strongest army, it will devastate the morale of his other troops. They might crumble at the first sign of battle afterward," Fazheng agreed. The destruction of a key army or a prominent leader was a disaster that could be hard for any faction to recover from.

"So you want Zijian to guard the flanks, Wen Ze as the vanguard, and Xiaozhi and Yide to stay back, meaning I’ll be the obvious strategist for the western army?" Liu Ye quickly pieced together Chen Xi’s intentions, his sharp mind catching on quickly.

Fazheng also realized Chen Xi’s plan. "Are you trying to make it seem like I’m still recovering from my wounds in Taishan?"

"What do you think?" Chen Xi smirked. "They’ll be able to guess my general involvement easily enough, but having you and General Zhang as my hidden cards will give us an edge. As for Zijian, just because he’s in plain sight doesn’t make him any less important."

After the Xiliang cavalry were equipped with new armor, their morale soared. While Taishan couldn’t provide iron armor for every soldier, they were all fitted with leather armor and a chest plate made of half-inch-thick black iron. It might not shine like polished steel, but it offered substantial protection. Even at fifty paces, a normal archer would struggle to pierce the chest plates.

Dressed in their new gear, with shorter spears in hand, the Xiliang cavalry underwent a complete transformation—from a ragtag band of refugees to a well-organized, elite force. Their satisfaction with serving under Liu Bei soared as a result.

However, where there are people, there are always conflicts. The Xiliang cavalry had fiery tempers, and off the battlefield, their discipline was lacking. They often bullied auxiliary troops, though previously, most of those auxiliaries were Qiang people, who had grown accustomed to the harsh treatment. No significant trouble had arisen.

But once they arrived in Yanzhou, things changed. The Xiliang cavalry suddenly found themselves the object of ridicule.

Initially, the Qingzhou soldiers had heard of the fearsome reputation of the Xiliang cavalry and had seen Hua Xiong’s well-equipped forces in action. They had great respect for their abilities. However, upon seeing the newly arrived Xiliang cavalry—disorganized, poorly equipped, and looking more like refugees than soldiers—the Qingzhou troops felt as if their idols had been insulted.

This was exacerbated by the fact that many Qingzhou soldiers hadn’t witnessed the Xiliang cavalry’s earlier march under Hua Xiong’s command. Otherwise, they would have felt the overwhelming pressure of the cavalry’s arrival—the earth-shaking momentum that even poor equipment couldn’t diminish.

Money could buy better weapons, but the spirit that scorned all opposition and the resolve to fight to the last man—those could not be purchased. They were earned through countless battles.

The conflict started when the Xiliang soldiers got a little too excited after receiving their new armor. Some Qingzhou soldiers, who had grown cocky after their own success, made mocking comments. And given the Xiliang soldiers’ upbringing in Yong and Liang, where they regarded anyone outside their own ranks as mere animals, they wasted no time before fighting back.

Qingzhou, known for its fierce and rugged people, was not one to back down. With a population of over two million, half of whom were tied to the Yellow Turbans and the other half connected to bandits or pirates, these soldiers were no strangers to combat.

So, a fight broke out in the rear camp where the armor was distributed. In the end, the Xiliang soldiers proved that even without their horses, they were still a fearsome force. They beat down an entire unit of Qingzhou soldiers and took all the remaining armor. At least they hadn’t stripped the Qingzhou soldiers of their own gear.

"Damn, those guys are tough," Wang Fang muttered, rubbing his side. In Yong and Liang, they were used to beating up Qiang people who never dared fight back. But this time, he had taken a hit from a Qingzhou soldier that almost knocked the wind out of him.

"Doesn’t matter. Let’s just grab the armor. This is the first time in years we’ve seen so much good gear," Hu Feng said, directing his men to carry off the armor supplies from the rear camp. Having been deprived for so long, they couldn’t resist hoarding as much as possible.

Chen Xi only learned about the incident when the medical officers reported it to him. He had to admit, the Xiliang soldiers were formidable. After beating down an entire unit of Qingzhou soldiers, they even spun the incident as a "friendly sparring session" between soldiers, implying that if the Qingzhou troops couldn’t handle it, they shouldn’t embarrass themselves by complaining to their superiors.

As a result, none of the beaten Qingzhou soldiers reported the incident. Instead, they quietly returned to their camp to train, determined not to let this humiliation stand. After all, it would be a disgrace to admit they had started the fight and lost.

"Bring me the ringleaders and call General Hua as well," Chen Xi ordered the medical officers. He already had enough on his plate with building the floating bridge and tending to the wounded, and now the Xiliang soldiers had to go and cause trouble. Their discipline was a real problem!

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