Late at night, Geng Songfu picked up his pen and wrote down the contents of the announcement.

Early in the morning on March 7th, as soon as Wu Shan entered the government office, Geng Songfu handed him the announcement, instructing him to handwrite multiple copies and put them up in every corner of the county.

In early March, the temperature had already warmed up, and wisps of cooking smoke rose in the city. The people were getting up earlier than in the previous two months.

Just as the time of Chen Shi (7 a.m. to 9 a.m.) began, the shouts of vendors started echoing on both sides of the street. Vendors living outside the city dashed into the city like a sprint when the city gate opened, bringing their goods, selecting their most suitable spot, and setting up their stalls.

At this moment, a hurried sound of footsteps was heard, and a team of constables came walking from a distance, which made the vendors quickly stand up and look around, fearing that they would be caught occupying the roads.

After February, the government office began collecting taxes from merchants and farmers one by one. Farmers' taxes were low, and merchants' taxes were high, as it had always been the case since ancient times.

Of course, small vendors were not defined as merchants and did not need to pay taxes, only needing to pay a minimal management fee every month. Only those with shops were defined as merchants.

To provide a good business environment for merchants, the government office issued a notice prohibiting stalls from being set up in front of merchant shops, occupying roads, or littering casually.

However, the constables were not there to make trouble; instead, they were there to post an announcement in a crowded place, where the flow of people was greater. They read the announcement content aloud three times according to the rules and then left.

The noise attracted the surrounding people and vendors to gather around while the constables were reading.

Someone who could read repeated the announcement content, and upon finding it was the same as the constables read, there was an uproar around them.

"Working in Xia Lin will even result in land allocation, not just food and lodging provided, but also wages. Is that true?"

"Are you new here?"

"How do you know? Is it because my accent is heavy?"

"No, it's because locals don't question the authenticity of announcements. Since Chen Mo, County Magistrate Chen, governed Pingting County, the announcements from the government office have never been false, only newcomers would question it."

"But these benefits are just too good to be true. To allocate land, the government office hasn't allocated land in a long time, and this time it's not recruiting soldiers with land allocation but recruiting workers."

"I've heard Xia Lin is very chaotic, nothing will happen if I go, will it..."

...

The crowd gathered around the announcement and began to discuss it fervently.

When Chen Mo crawled out of the blankets of the Xia Sisters in the morning, washed up, and arrived at the main hall of the government office, Geng Songfu happily informed him that many people had come to sign up.

There's no surprise; the temptation was too great.

With so many people in both counties and many poor without land, even if some were worried about safety, they still wanted to take the gamble.

Chen Mo was not surprised by this, knowing that the Soul Devouring Array would affect crop yields, and he even told Geng Hongfu that after dividing the land, the tax policy for Xia Lin should be half of that in Pingting and Qingtian.

With the war imminent, soldiers in the city's barracks started sharpening knives and spears, and some even found an iron piece to make a Heart Protection Mirror for survival.

Chen Mo naturally hoped that the war would break out as late as possible, at best after he had crafted the heavy cavalry.

But things did not go as one would like.

On March 10th, Chen Mo ordered all the citizens who signed up for work in Xia Lin to travel with their families, escorted by three hundred Divine Martial Guards, to Xia Lin. Wang Ping also went with them.

Wang Ping had been working in the government office for almost a year, influenced by being around Geng Songfu. Sending him to Xia Lin was also a test of his abilities. If he performed well, Geng Songfu would report to Chen Mo to promote Wang Ping.

In the afternoon, followers of the Celestial Master Sect sent by Luo Guang arrived in Pingting County, and a galloping horse with an eight hundred miles urgent yellow flag sped through the street.

In the government office main hall, after leaving the military order issued by Luo Guang, the Celestial Master Sect followers were about to leave, but Chen Mo stopped them, told them about what happened in Xia Lin, and asked them to relay the message to Luo Guang.

Of course, what Chen Mo told them was naturally his fabricated reasons. Originally, Chen Mo intended to report it himself, but since Luo Guang had already sent people, he saved the trouble.

For the Celestial Master followers to handle the matter well, worldly decency was indispensable, so he invited them to the Purple Gold Tower, calling a few beauties to accompany them.

In the main hall, Chen Mo put down the military order and said, "It seems that County Magistrate Geng's guess was right. The Celestial Master Army will dispatch troops no later than April, and they have already moved towards Hedong, ordering my unit and Yang Minggui's unit to fully capture Yu State, then proceed west through Yu State into the Longyou region to attack the Western River Land."

"Attacking the Western River Land? Luo Guang is planning to have us enter the Hetao Region, intending to attack the Loyalist Army from both sides..."

Geng Songfu furrowed his brow, as if there was a complete map of the Guanzhong region in his mind. He said in a deep voice, "The Loyalist Army has now completely occupied the Hedong Region, along with the vital passage of the Guanzhong Plain, firmly in his grasp. To the southeast lies the Long Pass, and directly east is the Qin Pass. If we advance from the west, the final target of surprise would be the Qin Pass.

The Qin Pass, with the perilous protection of its mountains, is easy to defend and difficult to attack—a strategically essential place for military experts. Should we attempt this, it would be akin to throwing our lives away. Even if we breach it, we would be deep in enemy territory and doomed to be trapped within."

Chen Mo had never seen a complete map of the Great Song Dynasty, so he couldn't fully empathize with Geng Songfu's current sentiment. However, he grasped his intent: if they followed Luo Guang's plan blindly, the outcome would not be favorable.

"However, the Western River Land is renowned as a major granary. During the early days of the Great Song's establishment, there were refugees everywhere across the nation, yet the Seven Commanderies of the Western River remained well-fed and well-clothed. If we could occupy the West River, supporting an army of 500,000 men would not be an issue," Zhao Daoxian said with some excitement.

"This makes the situation even more suspicious. With such a large granary, why would Luo Guang let us have it? Clearly, he knows it is a tough nut to crack. Moreover, the Liang Family is in Hedong, wielding extensive influence. If we capture Yu State, news will soon reach Hedong. The Liang Family is allied with the Dou Clan of the West River through marriage, putting us in a vulnerable position," Geng Songfu stated.

Following Geng Songfu's analysis, Chen Mo detected a hint of conspiracy and said, frowning, "Luo Guang intends to use us as bait, drawing the Loyalist Army's attention away for his convenience."

"Indeed," Geng Songfu nodded in agreement and continued, "From the perspective of the Celestial Master Army, this strategy undeniably benefits them the most, but it doesn't favor our development."

As he spoke, Geng Songfu took pen and paper, sketching out a plan as he continued, "For us to grow stronger, after securing Yu State, we should advance towards Linzhou. If the situation changes, we can demarcate and govern along the river, seizing a foothold. Thereafter, we can traverse the river to attack Huai State or retreat to Jiangdong, then advance upstream to annex the entire Jiangnan."

"However, in doing so, we would defy Luo Guang's military orders, effectively severing ties with the Celestial Master Army. Our faction would be fully exposed to the world's scrutiny," Zhao Daoxian expressed his concern.

"It's about time we separated from the Celestial Master Army. If we succeed in taking Yu State and Linzhou, our power won't be trivial. Even in the world's view, we need not worry," Geng Songfu declared.

Chen Mo anticipated that by then, he would at least be a Third-Grade Martial Artist, with the heavy cavalry established and an armor distribution rate reaching sixty percent.

Geng Songfu nodded, "The current reputation of the Celestial Master Army is not favorable for our long-term development. It's merely a question of when, not if, we sever ties."

"Discussing this now is still premature. Let's first focus on capturing Yu State," Chen Mo stated earnestly.

Chen Mo resolutely declared, "In this campaign, I have decided to lead an army of fifteen thousand, conscript two thousand laborers to support the logistics team in transporting provisions and supplies. From tomorrow, County Magistrate Geng, you shall issue a public announcement to recruit five thousand soldiers across the two counties. Once the army is recruited and completes basic training, the seven thousand stationed troops should swiftly prepare for battle and be ready to support the front line at any moment."

Currently, Chen Mo's army already numbered twenty-two thousand.

Among them, there were five thousand in the Divine Brave Guard, four thousand in the Divine Martial Guard, and thirteen thousand in the Xianzhen Guard.

The former reserve troops have been integrated into the Divine Brave and Divine Martial Guards.

"...Understood." After a brief stunned silence, Geng Songfu respectfully replied, understanding that Chen Mo's deployment of such a large force signaled his determination to capture Yu State.

...

The transfer order from Fengzhou arrived, quickly reaching Han Anniang and Yi Shiyin in the mountain stronghold.

Han Anniang had accompanied Chen Mo from the time he first rose in rebellion and attacked the county city, braving her fears each time he marched on Yu State. Over time, her capacity to endure strengthened considerably, and she became much more composed.

Upon Chen Mo's return to the stronghold, Han Anniang no longer displayed the fearful demeanor of a young wife. Instead, she shyly asked, "Erlang, how long will you be gone this time?"

"It might be longer than last time, at least six months. An Niang, in the meantime, you might want to move into the city to stay," Chen Mo said softly while holding Han Anniang's hand.

Standing nearby, Yi Shiyin's eyes turned red upon hearing that Chen Mo was leaving for so long. Understanding the gravity of the situation, she dared not object, only pitifully pleading, "Husband, I too am a martial artist. May I accompany you on this campaign? Last time, even Zhi Ning went with you."

Honestly, taking Yi Shiyin along was feasible, given that she was a Grade-Entering Martial Artist and her combat prowess was certainly superior to that of ordinary soldiers.

However, she was like a pure white sheet, and Chen Mo could not bear to have her witness the harsh realities of war. He hoped she would remain in a cocoon of kindness.

Chen Mo shook his head, "Xiaolu, stay with Sister Han for me. Killing is too dirty a business for someone like you."

Yi Shiyin frowned slightly, but being the most obedient to Chen Mo, she did not insist further and could only urge him to be careful.

...

March 12th.

In the training ground, Chen Mo glanced at the assembled troops below. For this campaign, he had left behind only one thousand Divine Brave Guard, one thousand Divine Martial Guard, and over five thousand Xianzhen Guard to guard the home base. The rest had all gathered in the training ground.

Chen Mo unsheathed his waist sword and raised it high. The drumbeats in the training ground ceased instantly, and he shouted, "March forth, troops bound for Yu State!"

The commanding officers included Sun Meng, Liu Ze, Wei Qing, Cui Shuang, Zhang River, Hu Qiang, and Xia Zhining.

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