Subduing an Army of Sixty Thousand

A sudden silence fell over heaven and earth.

An eerie silence.

It was clearly a battlefield where two armies faced each other, ready to erupt into a clash of blades at any moment, yet inexplicably, everyone was stunned.

The only sounds in the air were the howling wind churning up yellow sand and the low neighing of warhorses. Nothing else stirred.

Nor were there any movements.

Wang Ming was the first to react. Looking at the sixty-strong army before him, a sudden thought struck him.

These were excellent recruits.

Battle-hardened, with impressive records, and strictly disciplined.

If he could win them over, it would be an absolute boon for Yunji City and the Great General.

Now, their commander, Song Wan, had just... died so bafflingly.

A host of dragons without a head!

It was the perfect opportunity!

Thus, Wang Ming shouted at the top of his lungs, Brothers, I am Wang Ming, deputy general to Ren Tianye, the Great General of Yunji City!

You may not know me, but I am sure you have all heard of Great General Ren Tianye.

His booming voice echoed out.

Shattering the silence.

The sixty thousand troops finally began to snap out of their daze.

Ren Tianye. They did indeed know the name.

The Northern Frontier was neither too large nor too small. For those who fought and slaughtered within it, one was either considered an ally or an enemy.

How could they not know of him?

Wang Ming continued to shout, My Great General is the sole heir to the Duke of Ren's estate! He holds great power and profound resources.

Now, he also controls the two great fortresses of Yunji City and Sifang City.

Sifang City holds countless stores of rations and fodder.

Yunji City boasts countless weapons.

If you are willing to pledge your allegiance to my Great General, you will never need to worry about your pay or rations again, and you will be equipped with the finest weapons and armor.

With our Great General's strategy and valor, conquering this mere Northern Frontier is but a snap of the fingers.

What are you waiting for?

Having spent a long time in the military, Wang Ming naturally understood exactly what the soldiers hoped and longed for. It was nothing more than pay and rations... and, for those with grander ambitions, a future.

And all of this, the Great General could provide.

He pointed these out one by one to sway their hearts.

He didn't even hold back on painting grand promises.

After all, if he missed out on this sixty-thousand-strong army today, and waited for them to elect a new leader or splinter off to fight their own battles, it would not maximize their gains.

As expected, once these words were shouted, a commotion rippled through the crowd.

Ren Tianye's soldiers received 2.5 taels of silver a month and were equipped like the Imperial Guards. These were things they had always envied.

Furthermore, Ren Tianye would specifically send out men to gather the families of his soldiers in the Northern Frontier. This point alone put him far ahead of many others.

In any case, Song Wan had never made any special effort to look after their families.

As a result, hearts were already wavering.

Many were eager to make the jump.

They were soldiers anyway; who they fought for didn't matter as long as they fought.

Song Wan was indeed an outstanding strategist and a fierce warrior, but Song Wan was dead. Among his subordinates, who else could command their respect?

They might as well follow Great General Ren Tianye.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Wang Ming immediately shouted again, My Great General has never been plagued by the soft-heartedness of women!

From what I alone know, he killed Aunt Xiao, killed Zhang Wei, killed Zhan Shubai, quelled the riots in Yunji City, fought the Imperial Guards, and imprisoned the Young Prince...

In every single matter, he has been nothing but calm and decisive.

He has never been dragged down by a woman!

Therefore, if you join the Great General, you need not worry about something like today ever happening.

Originally, the mindset of many in the sixty-thousand-strong army had been teetering on the edge. Hearing Wang Ming say this, they instantly broke into an uproar.

Not dragged down by a woman?

In the past, they might not have thought much of it, but this time, they had truly seen the consequences.

It was too rare to be able to follow a normal Great General.

And so...

I am willing to pledge my allegiance to the Great General!

I am willing to join the Great General too! If for nothing else, just because the Great General treats us like human beings and won't just casually commit suicide!

We are willing to surrender! Following the Great General means silver to take, armor to wear, and top-tier weapons. The Great General loves his soldiers like his own sons. I've wanted to follow him for a long time!

...

A single stone stirred up a thousand ripples.

With someone taking the lead and emotions running high, the masses began to surrender one after another.

It was like a falling line of dominoes; once the first piece fell, the rest inevitably followed.

For a time, the shouts of surrender shook the heavens and the earth.

Watching this scene, Wang Ming was overjoyed.

To think, he never expected this.

He really never expected this!

He had thought he would have to risk his life just to have a chance at intercepting Song Wan's sixty-thousand-strong army and buying time for Great General Ren Tianye, but...

The sixty-thousand-strong army was surrendering?!

Now, not only had Sifang City been defended, but he had also gained an army of sixty thousand men for nothing!

His face flushed red with excitement.

He hurriedly arranged for men to organize and command the sixty thousand troops, having them set up camp outside the city first.

Wang Ming was not stingy either. He immediately ordered rations and fodder to be brought over, distributing a month's worth of food to every man in the sixty-thousand-strong army right away.

Just as he was about to have people carry this out, he spotted Su Jin, whose face was a mix of grief and bewilderment. He sat on his horse, his expression numb.

Wang Ming sighed and said, Su Jin, I will have someone collect Song Wan's body and bury him properly. I won't let him just be trampled by the chaotic troops.

Su Jin finally snapped back to reality. Th-thank you, General.

Song Wan was, after all, the commander of a sixty-thousand-strong army. Many of them surely still trusted him deeply. He doesn't deserve such treatment.

Wang Ming murmured this sentence, then added, Don't be too sad. After all, you hold the greatest merit for subduing this army of sixty thousand today.

The Great General has always been clear in his rewards and punishments. He will not forget your contribution.

Yes, yes, General! Su Jin replied, though his heart was extremely conflicted, unsure for the moment whether to feel joy or sorrow.

Wang Ming left him be and immediately went to busy himself. After distributing the rations, Wang Ming suddenly felt a sense of trepidation.

An army of sixty thousand men! It was incredible enough that he had managed to recruit them, and that was only by borrowing the Great General's prestige. Now he was supposed to command them?

He felt an immense amount of pressure, completely inadequate for the task.

In this battle, clashing face-to-face with Song Wan, if nothing unexpected had happened, he probably would have been beaten to the ground right then and there. All he would have had left was his hot blood, fighting to the death without retreat.

That was the extent of his ability to lead troops.

He could do his own job well enough, and being an obedient general under the Great General's command was perfectly fine, but leading an army of sixty thousand was simply too much for him to handle.

Thinking this, he quickly made up his mind.

He called over a personal guard.

I order you to ride swiftly and report to the Great General. Tell him everything that has happened here in detail, and inform him that I, Wang Ming, will soon bring this army of sixty thousand to him.

For the Great General to command!

Yes, sir! the personal guard acknowledged, galloping away at top speed!

...