Chapter Thirty-One: Busy with Inventory and Reorganization of Men and Horses

  After paying respects to the Zhao family, he also met with the elder lady Xu Wanting. From now on, Xu Wanting and Hu Xiang'er would address each other as sisters and serve Zhao Xing together. After completing the formalities, Zhao Xing left his new wife Hu Xiang'er in the care of his mother and elder sister (Xu Wanting) and rushed off to see Guan Yu and Guo Changzi.

  "Master Guan has taken Guo Changzi up Qingfeng Ridge." When Zhao Xing, who had only found Zhou Cang, heard this, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

  "Have all the brothers who arrived yesterday been properly settled?" Zhao Xing asked.

  "According to Mr. Wen's arrangement, they have been mixed with our Zhuang Ding and live together." Zhou Cang replied.

  "Then let's just wait quietly in the village for good news." After saying this, Zhao Xing yawned and turned to head towards the backyard, wanting to take a nap.

  "Master is really a lucky man, while others are busy catching thieves at night, he's busy with his wedding chamber. Now it seems like he still wants to go back to that... Alas, this person is really infuriating...” Zhou Cang sat in the council hall, lost in thought.

  Another night passed, and Zhao Xing, who had just experienced the strong emotions of a foreign land, got up early with a refreshed spirit. It wasn't that he wanted to get up so early himself, to be honest, the feeling of sleeping in a warm and cozy place was great. But because there was a commotion in the village, Li Tiezhu came knocking on the door early in the morning, saying that Guan Yu and others had led a group of people back to the village.

  Only Guan Yu and Jia Xu were seen in front, Hu Che Er and Pei Yuan Shao were pressing behind, a group of ordinary people entered the village under the protection of the Qianghu people's horses. Behind Guan Yu, however, there was an extra sturdy and powerful man, about thirty years old, who looked calm and unhurried, presumably the newly arrived Guang Zhongzi.

  "Mr. Wen and Brother Guan, you've worked hard!" Zhao Xing stepped forward to greet them, "You're busy outside, while Guo Chang is enjoying his honeymoon, I really feel a bit guilty in my heart, please forgive me." Zhao Xing frankly admitted.

  "Guo Chang is being overly self-critical, such a small matter doesn't require him to take personal action, as long as he's in charge of the estate, having someone with a strong sense of responsibility inside and out is enough." Jia Yu said with a smile.

  "Must be this is the one that Zhou Cang and Pei Yuanshao often mention, Guo Changzi Guo Zhuangshi?" Zhao Xing greeted the person behind Guan Yu.

  "We are just mountain bandits, we don't dare to offend the master of the manor. We have been rude before, and I hope the master will forgive us!" Guo Changzi dismounted his horse, knelt down and knocked his head on the ground, saying carefully.

  Zhao Xing helped him up and said, "Guo Zhuang Shi doesn't have to be so polite. From now on, we are like one family, don't be too formal."

  Leading a crowd of people towards the Zhuangzi, Zhao Xing began to plan how to integrate the three troops and settle their respective women, children and elderly.

  In the conference hall, around Zhao Xing's personally designed and newly made super-large round table, everyone was very excited, calling each other brothers and getting familiar with each other.

  "Wen and gentleman, currently there are three batches of troops that have come to join the Tiger Village, with over 600 young and strong soldiers. I think it's time to reorganize and regroup them, is this possible?" Zhao Xing said to Jia Yu.

  "It should be so!" Jia Yu nodded in response.

  I want to divide the troops into two divisions. The first division is a mechanized force, with a total of 300 people, and is called "Flying Tiger". This division is also divided into two teams: one is a heavy armor long spear cavalry team, composed of Qiang Hu young men and good riders from Taihang Mountain, with 150 people, led by Hu Che Er; the other is a light armor bow and arrow cavalry team, composed of Qiang Hu young men and good archers from Taihang Mountain, also with 150 people, led by Guo Chang Zi.

  The second battalion is the defensive force, with a total of 350 people, composed of soldiers from Zhuangzhong, Xiongnu and Taishan Mountains, led by myself, with the camp name "Wotiger". This battalion is divided into three teams, each with 100 people. The first team is the axe-wielding squad, the second team is the spear-throwing squad, and the third team is the shield-bearing squad.

  The first squad leader was Li Jinwu, the second squad leader was Zhou Cang, and the third squad leader was Pei Yuanshao. The remaining fifty people served as guards, mainly responsible for the important personnel of Wozhuang Village going out and daily communication, temporarily called "Guard Battalion", with Li Jinsi as the battalion commander.

  "Mr. Wen and the gentleman were in charge of rewards and punishments during wartime, and they would lead the vanguard to command. In peacetime, they would be responsible for instructing the heads of each battalion on military strategy and tactics. Currently, due to a shortage of weapons and armor, we are temporarily using our own equipment, but after the spring arrives, I will recruit craftsmen to make custom-made weapons for each battalion. From now on, if more people come to join us, we will expand our troops according to the situation and promote them based on their merits." After Zhao Xing finished speaking, he looked at everyone present.

  "This arrangement is very reasonable. But I wonder if all the horses are tied up near Sleeping Tiger Village?" Guan Yu asked.

  "I intend to dispatch a contingent of troops to continue occupying Qingfeng Ridge. What are your thoughts on this, gentlemen?" Zhao Xing said.

  "Oh, I wonder what Guo Chang means by this move?" Jia Yu asked thoughtfully.

  "It's not suitable for Sleeping Tiger Village to have too many soldiers, otherwise it will attract the attention of the authorities and that would be troublesome. Once Zhang Yang, the governor of Shangdang County, takes a liking to my horses, it will be a big problem. Therefore, I plan to hide the cavalry in the mountains, still pretending to be just a gust of wind, but no longer plundering the countryside, focusing on training instead." Zhao Xing replied.

  "If we have the support of Wozhuang Manor, there's no need to plunder supplies and provisions everywhere. But can't we use this opportunity to eliminate the bandit forces around us under the banner of a sudden storm? This way, we can train our troops and secretly expand our strength!" Jia Xun added.

  "What Mr. Wen said is very true, I have this intention too. Within a year, I hope to expand both the heavy and light cavalry to three hundred people, not just an increase in numbers, but also strong horses!" Zhao Xing replied.

  "We will never betray the trust of our lord!" Guan Yu, Hu Che'er and Guo Changzi stood up and replied with a fist.

  "From today on, all soldiers will be re-selected and reorganized according to their individual abilities and specialties. Through mutual competition, the final personnel for each battalion will be determined. On the 15th of next month, a flag-granting ceremony will be held, after which the Flying Tiger Battalion will enter Qingfeng Ridge!" Zhao Xing waved his hand and made a summary with a flourish.