Liu Jin remained silent for a moment, then nodded and slowly said,
"Since that is the case, I will allow you to select excellent soldiers from the army."
"Not only that, but I will also equip these more than a thousand men with armor."
"But you must keep your word and build me a strong elite army within half a year."
Gao Shun's smile grew even wider when he heard the word "armor." He bowed again and loudly declared,
"This subordinate will never betray the Marquis's trust. If I do, I will bring my head to you."
Liu Jin nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, still very confident in Gao Shun's abilities.
He also wanted to see how powerful the Trap Camp built by Gao Shun truly was, and if it could really fight ten enemies at once, as history claimed.
After giving his orders, Liu Jin left and went to the main tent, taking his seat at the head.
The Generals in the army soon received the news, and Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and others walked in one after another.
Seeing Liu Jin at the head, they immediately clasped their hands and greeted him,
"Marquis."
Liu Jin nodded slightly, signaling for everyone to take their seats on either side.
His clear voice slowly rang out,
"Since the battle has ended, tonight we will reward the entire army. Let everyone eat and drink their fill. After a few days of rest, training will resume."
"As for your merits, I have already reported them to the court. We will know the outcome after the Emperor and the civil and military officials in the court discuss it."
The Generals all nodded upon hearing this, their faces filled with excitement.
Especially Zhang Yang, who was sitting among the crowd and already held the position of Yanmen Commandery Commandant.
If he could gain some merit from this battle and pay some price, it was indeed possible for him to seek the position of Prefect.
Liu Jin looked at the Generals in the tent; most of them were his trusted subordinates.
Only Zhang Yang and Hao Zhao were relatively speaking, merely subordinates.
Hao Zhao wasn't too worried; as long as he remained under Liu Jin, he would eventually be won over and become one of his Generals.
In fact, with the end of this battle, Liu Jin's prestige in the three commanderies was outstanding, and Hao Zhao had already subtly begun to grow closer to him.
Although he hadn't explicitly stated it, his words and actions implied a willingness to follow Liu Jin's lead.
Only Zhang Yang made Liu Jin a bit difficult. He wasn't too close to Liu Jin, nor too distant, simply interacting as a subordinate General.
Moreover, this person had some prestige in history, being one of the eighteen warlords who fought against Dong Zhuo.
He indeed harbored some ambition, but compared to Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Gongsun Zan, and others, he was less of a concern.
Many people had no choice but to go with the flow of the great trend. With the world in chaos, as a Prefect holding significant military power and governing hundreds of thousands of people, it was impossible to say they had no ambition.
The current Zhang Yang probably didn't have much ambition, as he was merely a commanding General, not a Prefect who governed a region.
Furthermore, with Liu Jin suppressing him, even if he had some small thoughts, he likely wouldn't dare to show them. It was just unknown whether Liu Jin could win him over.
Thinking of this, Liu Jin shook his head and didn't dwell on it.
If this person intended to pledge allegiance to him, he would eventually become Liu Jin's man. If he had ambition and wanted to leave, what use would Liu Jin have for him? It would only cause more trouble.
Soon, wine and meat were brought to the tables, their fragrant aroma filling the entire tent.
Zhang Fei, sitting nearby, looked at the several jars of fine wine on the table and felt his throat involuntarily salivate.
He grinned and laughed loudly,
"For the past few months, I, Old Zhang, haven't touched a drop of wine. I'm already parched!"
After saying this, he directly opened the lid of a wine jar, poured it into a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.
A look of exhilaration appeared on his face, and he even felt it wasn't enough.
He directly picked up the jar and started gulping it down against his lips.
Guan Yu, sitting nearby, saw his third brother still as infatuated with fine wine as ever. He stroked his beard and let out a wry smile.
Liu Jin looked at Zhang Fei's thirsty appearance, a helpless smile on his face, but he was still very satisfied.
Since they became sworn brothers, he had intentionally or unintentionally taught Zhang Fei that during major battles, as a General, one must never drink alcohol to avoid making mistakes and losing cities.
Because Zhang Fei in history had several times delayed important matters due to drinking, Liu Jin could not let this happen.
Even Guan Yu had changed a lot, reducing the arrogance in his heart and becoming gentle and polite. He finally no longer viewed everyone as mere fodder.
Liu Jin was very satisfied with the changes in both of them; at least, he, as their elder brother, had taught them well.
Soon, the atmosphere in the tent became very lively, with the Generals toasting each other and chatting.
Several days later!
After a few days of calm, Dingxiang Commandery gradually returned to peace. Many common people emerged from the shadow of the Xianbei's southward invasion.
However, quite a few common people were still somewhat panicked, planning to move south with their families, unwilling to remain there to avoid being massacred by foreign tribes.
In Gaoliu County, inside the Prefectural Yamen's study.
Liu Jin sat to one side, looking at the government affairs in his hand.
It was the household registration of the entire Dingxiang Commandery. The entire commandery only had seven counties, with a population of approximately 130,000.
As for the other counties, after being ravaged by the foreign tribes from the grasslands, they had completely become desolate lands.
His brows furrowed slightly. It seemed that to develop Dingxiang Commandery and restore the former county towns, a pass would have to be built in the north.
Like Yanmen Pass, it would block the southward route from the north, preventing the enemy from coming and going without a trace, able to invade at any time, leading to the slaughter and devastation of the common people.
Otherwise, it would be impossible for Dingxiang Commandery to develop. If this continued, the population might even decrease.
Liu Jin decided to discuss it with everyone to see if there was a good location to build a pass.
He immediately ordered the guards outside the study,
"Send someone to summon Tian Feng, Min Chun, Wei Zhong, and others to discuss matters."
The guards, having received the order, immediately went to invite them.
A moment later, several footsteps sounded, and the door was pushed open.
Tian Feng and others walked in one after another, quickly bowing and greeting, "Marquis!"
Liu Jin did not waste words. He waved his hand, motioning for everyone to come over, and immediately pointed to the map on the table, saying,
"I invited you all here to discuss something. I want to build a pass in the north of Dingxiang Commandery to guard against the foreign tribes from the grasslands, to prevent them from invading Dingxiang Commandery at any time."
Everyone nodded upon hearing this, expressing their agreement.
Especially Wei Zhong, who was among the crowd, his eyes filled with excitement, wishing he could immediately build a pass to protect the common people of the commandery.
