The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 186 The Best Time

“In that case, I would like to make the arrangements,” Gao Shun said.

Since everyone present was a former military officer, there wasn't much formality about the meal. At Chen Er's suggestion, Gao Shun directly asked the owner of the teahouse to arrange a banquet, as he had heard that the highest-ranking official in the district he was in charge of had graced his establishment with his presence.

The boss was taken aback at first, then hurriedly went down to prepare, yelling at his shop assistants as he ran: "Get it done! Go buy the vegetables right now, the best and freshest meat and vegetables, and river fish. We have important guests for lunch today, you know?"

The boss was quite tactful and didn't reveal the true identity of the distinguished guest, otherwise today's commotion would have been huge.

After lunch, Chen Er and his group went their separate ways to their respective destinations.

Chen Er followed Gao Shun toward the First Organization's encampment outside Pengcheng. After the Battle of Shouchun, the First Organization had been stationed in Pengcheng, serving as Gao Shun's personal guard and maintaining local security in Xuzhou by training reserve soldiers.

How is the training of the reserves progressing?

On the way, Chen Er asked Gao Shun, who turned to Chen Er and replied, "Reporting to my lord, the reserve training in Xuzhou has only been going on for three months. Due to the New Year, the training was suspended for half a month, but it has now resumed."

"So, Xuzhou doesn't currently have a reserve organization capable of undertaking second-line missions?" Chen Er countered.

"Not yet. Only some local garrison troops that were originally part of the Xuzhou local forces are currently undertaking local garrison duties. These troops are well-trained and will soon complete their initial training and assume garrison duties," Gao Shun said.

Chen Er nodded and said, "The local organizational leaders must be strictly vetted. Their abilities are not important; what matters most is their loyalty, their understanding of our organization's organizational philosophy, and their character."

"Yes, I understand." Gao Shun naturally understood why Chen Er brought this up. It was all because of the problem in Meishan Town. The local garrison battalion and the militia companies in various places were the reserves of the main force. Once they became corrupt, they could very likely affect the main force during the war.

"Local security work should be left to the government offices as much as possible. Otherwise, what's the point of setting up such a separate department?" Chen Er reminded Gao Shun, who said he understood.

"How is Man Chong performing in Yangzhou?" Chen Er asked again. Gao Shun shook his head, indicating that he was not sure: "I don't pay much attention to the local administration of Yangzhou and Yuzhou. However, with such a vast area, it is estimated that it will be difficult for Lord Man Chong to manage things in a short period of time."

“I understand that too. Never mind, I’ll see for myself when I head south,” Chen Er said, waving his hand.

"My lord, what you see now is the garrison of the Second Division. There are 10,000 soldiers from the Second Division and 5,000 second-line reserve soldiers undergoing training in this garrison," Gao Shun introduced to Chen Er.

Chen Er nodded and asked, "What are the benefits of reserve soldiers?"

“Their treatment is the same as that of ordinary soldiers, except that their monthly pay is lower than that of active-duty soldiers, only 60 percent of that of active-duty soldiers,” Gao Shun replied.

Sixty percent, that's not bad. Chen Er casually called a group of reserve soldiers to stop. The leader was a captain, who immediately saluted Chen Er and Gao Shun: "Greetings, my lord, greetings, General Gao."

"Do you know me?" Chen Er asked.

The captain replied, "Yes, my lord. In Yuyang, I had the honor of seeing you up close once."

Hearing the captain's words, Chen Er nodded to indicate that he understood. The First Organization had indeed seen Chen Er frequently in the past, so it was not surprising that the captain had occasionally come into close contact with Chen Er. However, the entire organization had hundreds of thousands of people.

It was difficult for Chen Er to remember him.

"How are you feeling in Pengcheng?" Chen Er asked. "Is there anything you're not used to?"

Upon hearing Chen Er's question, the captain glanced at Gao Shun as usual. Chen Er said to him, "Ignore the others and just tell the truth."

With Chen Er's confirmation, the captain then said to Chen Er, "Reporting to my lord, since we marched south, I have followed the organization in battles all the way. The time I spent stationed in Pengcheng has been the best time of my life."

"Although the daily training tasks are still very busy, life is much better now than living a precarious existence on the battlefield."

As the captain spoke, he observed Chen Er's expression. Seeing that Chen Er's expression had not changed at all, he felt uneasy and quickly added, "Of course, this is not because I am afraid of battle. As long as the war requires it, I can go to the front line immediately!"

Chen Er, a veteran of many battles, naturally understood the meaning behind the captain's words. He raised his hand to stop the captain and said, "I do not doubt your determination to fight. I am just wondering if such a long war is really necessary."

Chen Er waved for the captain to lead the team away, then turned to Gao Shun beside him and said, "You heard that too, didn't you?"

"My lord, it was my negligence that led me to fail in my ideological work with my subordinates," Gao Shun quickly said.

Chen Er interrupted Gao Shun and said, "This is not your problem. It is not surprising that the soldiers have such thoughts. Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion began, some of these soldiers have been fighting with me for at least seven years."

"If it weren't for the war, many soldiers would probably have started families and had children by now, and their children would probably be old enough to fetch wine for their fathers."

Upon hearing Chen Er mention this, Gao Shun felt a deep connection. If we're talking about fighting, he was probably one of the longest-serving members of the entire district organization he had managed, even longer than Chen Er.

Now just over thirty, he has been in the organization for more than ten years, which is a long time. After ten years of fighting, Gao Shun must be feeling a bit tired deep down.

However, organizing teams might be the most suitable place for Gao Shun, but for the lower-level officers and soldiers, the war seems to have made them somewhat weary.

Seeing Gao Shun deep in thought, Chen Er said, "War is exhausting. We must consider the feelings of those soldiers. For them, war is a meat grinder, and they may lose their lives at any time. It is normal for them to feel tired. Therefore, we must treat this matter with caution and not generalize."

"My subordinate understands."

Chen Er nodded and said to Gao Shun, "Let's go, let's continue to look around."

As the main infantry division of the First Organization Regiment, the Second Division was naturally equipped with the most advanced equipment in its own region, consisting entirely of Type 2 Autumn Rain rifles and various types of General Organization artillery, organized according to the organizational structure of its own region.