221: Recruiting

"You said you wanted those rescued Qin People?" General Meng Tian asked, puzzled.

"Yes, Great General, the Army is short on personnel everywhere right now, and This humble general doesn't want to add to the burden of the various armies, so I thought of them.

I figured since they are all Qin People, they could also be used to fill the ranks of the White Horse Righteous Cavalry," Lin Yue said.

There was no other way; this kind of matter had to receive General Meng Tian's approval, so as soon as Dong Yue left, Lin Yue came in to report to General Meng Tian.

"It's a good idea, but are you sure they will follow you?

They haven't been home for a long time, and I imagine they want to go home even more now." General Meng Tian mused, then his expression hardened as he said, "Lin Yue, their abduction is, in a way, our responsibility.

They are just a group of pitiful people, and you must not force them."

"No, Great General, This humble general has no such intention.

This humble general just thought that since there are many of them, some would surely want to join the White Horse Righteous Cavalry," Lin Yue hastily explained. He couldn't let General Meng Tian misunderstand, otherwise this plan would likely be stillborn.

However, there was an important point he hadn't mentioned: many of them were abducted to the grasslands with their families, but it's very likely that only one person would return; their families had long since perished on those grasslands.

These people might no longer have any attachment to their hometown.

"It's a good idea, but I've observed that after many years away, their bodies are quite weak, and there aren't many who can fight. Won't this affect the combat strength of the White Horse Righteous Cavalry?" General Meng Tian asked.

He was somewhat tempted by this proposal. If, on the premise of willingness, some people could still join the Army, it would effectively alleviate the tense situation of troop shortages in the front-line armies.

However, their combat strength and willpower still needed observation. After all, they were not trained Great Qin Soldiers, and he didn't want to do anything that would harm their combat strength, especially since this was the most critical juncture.

If these people were to falter before battle when confronting the Xiongnu people in the future, it would be no small blow to the morale of the Great Wall Legion.

These were all things General Meng Tian needed to consider.

As a commander, one must plan carefully before acting, be firm and resolute, not act on impulse, and not change orders frequently. Therefore, General Meng Tian meticulously deliberated every military order he issued to the Army before making a decision.

"This humble general plans to go and see first; if I can recruit an additional thousand people, it will solve the problem of a thousand troops.

As for combat strength, This humble general intends to scatter the qualified individuals, after selection, among the various units. Once they enter a fierce Army like the Great Wall Legion, even if they were once yellow sheep from the grasslands, This humble general is confident I can train them into a pack of hungry wolves!" Lin Yue said with a smile.

He wasn't sure how many qualified individuals would join the White Horse Righteous Cavalry, but as he said before, as long as they were qualified Qin People, Lin Yue was confident he could train them into Great Qin Elite Soldiers!

At the same time, saying this was also to give General Meng Tian some confidence and to allow his plan to be implemented.

"Regardless of the outcome of this recruitment, your ambition is good.

I support you. I'll have Luo Xi take you. But remember, it must all be voluntary. Those who want to go home cannot be forced!" General Meng Tian said in a deep voice.

"Understood!" Lin Yue responded excitedly!

Then General Meng Tian waved his hand, and Lin Yue exited the large tent.

"Colonel Lin, please follow me." Luo Xi had been outside the tent the entire time and gestured with his hand when he saw Lin Yue emerge.

"Thank you, Commander Luo Xi," Lin Yue replied politely.

This was his former superior, Luo Xi, the Commander of Great General General Meng Tian's Guard Battalion. When Lin Yue first joined the Golden Fire Cavalry, he served as a Squad Leader under him.

In less than a year, Lin Yue had become a Gentleman of the Household, but in front of Luo Xi, he still interacted with him as an equal, after all, the other person was the head of the Guard Battalion, a trusted confidant, with limitless prospects.

"Colonel Lin, you're too kind. The Great General is often troubled by troop shortages. If we can replenish our forces here, it would effectively alleviate the problem of strained military resources, and the burden on the Great General's shoulders would be lightened," Luo Xi said with a smile.

"Lu Yun and I are sworn brothers, so Commander Luo Xi, you're really being too formal with me," Lin Yue said with a smile.

Luo Xi smiled at this, saying, "Since you're Little Yun's brother, then I'll take the liberty of calling you Brother Lin."

"That would be excellent!" Lin Yue smiled, then asked, "How many rescued Qin People are there here in total?" Lin Yue asked.

Luo Xi thought for a moment and then said,

"If I remember correctly, there should be about 300,000 people now, with men being the majority.

Every ten days, the Shang Commandery garrison will come to the Encampment to transport a portion of the Qin Dynasty citizens back to Shang Commandery. Brother Lin, you're lucky; they should be arriving tomorrow."

"That's quite a coincidence," Lin Yue said with a smile.

At the same time, he lamented the evil deeds of the Xiongnu people, who had captured so many Qin People to be their slaves and servants!

Many more had died far from home, without even a burial place.

The two walked for some time, eventually reaching the rear of the Encampment, where a camp, no smaller in area than General Meng Tian's Encampment, appeared before Lin Yue.

"This is where they are housed. On the left are approximately one million Xiongnu people captives, and on the right are three hundred thousand Qin Dynasty citizens.

Every ten days, the Shang Commandery garrison comes here to take away three hundred thousand Xiongnu people captives and one hundred thousand Great Qin citizens," Luo Xi explained in a low voice to Lin Yue.

Three hundred thousand Xiongnu people captives; as the war progressed, more and more Xiongnu people captives would be escorted here.

"Commander Luo Xi!" a burly military general walked over and said with a smile.

"Commander Xiong, please open the gate. The Great General ordered me to bring Gentleman of the Household Lin Yue inside," Luo Xi said with a cupped-hand salute and a smile.

"Oh, is this the Gentleman of the Household Lin Yue who captured King Baiyang alive and massacred a million Xiongnu Soldiers?" Xiong Qi said with a smile.

"Lin Yue greets Commander Xiong!" Lin Yue also cupped his hands and smiled.

"Old Xiong here has admired you for a long time; today I finally get to see you alive!" Xiong Qi said with a loud laugh, pulling Lin Yue's hand.

"Uh... let's go in," Lin Yue was momentarily speechless, marveling at how pleasant Xiong Qi's words sounded.

"Good, good, good, please come in quickly, don't delay Colonel Lin's important business," Xiong Qi said with a smile.

Then the three walked into the large camp. Lin Yue looked left and right; although the environment here was not very good, at least there was shelter from wind and rain, and two meals a day were not lacking.

No one beat them, no one scolded them. Life compared to being with the Xiongnu people was like heaven and earth.

"May I ask what brings Colonel Lin here?" Xiong Qi asked curiously.

Lin Yue then explained the matter to Xiong Qi in detail.

After listening, Xiong Qi pondered for a moment, then said to Lin Yue,

"Brother Lin, this place is divided into hundreds of large sections. If you were to walk through them one by one, you probably wouldn't finish even by tomorrow.

Why don't you have a cup of tea first, and I'll call the temporary Person in charge from each section to relay the message."

"That would be even better! Thank you, Old Brother Xiong!" Lin Yue said with a smile. This was the most efficient method.

Besides, his own eloquence was average and couldn't inspire others; he could only stir up some morale when shouting for battle. As for giving a passionate speech there and stirring up excitement, Lin Yue admitted he didn't have that ability.

Lin Yue felt that there weren't many people who possessed such personal Charm, and whose language was both infectious and inflammatory.

The last person with such ability had already shot himself in the bunker of the Chancellery in Berlin.

Lin Yue and the other two waited there, sharing some interesting stories from the Army. In less than half an hour, someone returned to report.

Xiong Qi's face changed dramatically after hearing the report. He turned to Lin Yue and said with a smile, "Brother Lin, your method really works!"

"How many people?" Lin Yue asked directly, while Luo Xi, standing nearby, also watched Xiong Qi nervously.

"Forty thousand people are willing to follow you!" Xiong Qi said with a loud laugh, holding out four fingers!

"That many!" the two exclaimed in unison!

"I'm also very surprised. What do you think, should we call them all to the front of the camp and we can all take a look?" Xiong Qi asked.

"Yes, I'll go back and find some people first," Lin Yue said, then cupped his hands and left. If he went alone, he would probably be overwhelmed and unable to finish the selection.

"I'll go back as well," Luo Xi also stood up and said. He had to tell the Great General this good news!

"Alright, then I'll wait for you at the front of the camp!" Xiong Qi said with a smile.