Following beside the children, the guards, regardless of which side they were on, quickly relayed the conversation between Yilan and Ye Wenxuan to Ye Tao, Golan, Monsul, Tan Weiran, and the others, who were enjoying their barbecue and various wines in a small, undisturbed area.

"Yilan is a good kid." Monsul commented on what Yilan had said. Simply by taking in Yilan and Yisha, Monsul had shown his wisdom and courage. The bloodline of the former master of the grasslands, in the power-worshipping Northern Grasslands, did not create as much unease as the descendants of the previous dynasty did in the Central Plains, but it was still something to be wary of. Monsul focused on managing his own tribe, preventing the Korka tribe from easily attacking him, while also using the acceptance of Yilan and Yisha to express his tribe's longing for the prosperous life of the past. Monsul never intended to exploit Yilan and Yisha; he had always treated them as an elder, as a father figure. Now, the so-called bloodline of the master of the grasslands seemed insignificant. The efforts he had made over the years to cultivate Yilan's abilities in various fields, giving him extremely high standards in both literary and martial arts, seemed more valuable. Monsul knew that he, alone, and the tribesmen of the grasslands, with their heads full of hot blood, probably wouldn't be able to understand the governing system of Yunzhou. After all, they didn't have the experience of living and surviving under the jurisdiction and assistance of Yunzhou for hundreds of years, like the tribes of Benlang Yuan (Running Wolf Plains).

"I just wonder what he'll become after what happened on the grasslands," a small tribe leader lamented. These people had originally considered following Monsul and building up Yilan's reputation as the son of the grasslands. Now, Yilan would still be a capable and respected general, and at only seventeen years old, he could very well make a name for himself on the grasslands. But that's all it would be: making a name.

"If Yilan can come out of this unscathed, send him to Gondor. He's still young, and since Chief Monsul has put so much effort into nurturing him, let's not waste it. I'll find someone to teach him, and hopefully… after a few years, we can cultivate a wise governor for these Northern Grasslands," Ye Tao said quietly.

Perhaps this was a good choice, a good outcome. Monsul pondered for a moment before nodding. Then, he asked, "Lord Ye, how do you plan to deal with the affairs of the Northern Grasslands?"

Ye Tao looked at Tan Weiran. Chi Lei had already gone to gather the troops. Of everyone present, Tan Weiran was undoubtedly the most professional and highest-ranking officer. Someone like Ye Tao, an pacification commissioner, could no longer be clearly defined as either a civil official or a military officer.

"General Chi Lei will be leading the troops into the North this time," Tan Weiran said steadily. "The Frost Wolf and Silver Wing armies, plus reserves and support troops, total over seventeen thousand men. This time, at least three battalions will enter the Northern Grasslands. Four battalions of Jingyun cavalry, two battalions of Tieyun cavalry, and in addition, the Guards Cavalry Battalion, one battalion of heavy ordnance, three battalions of supply, and four battalions of light infantry will be under Chi Lei's command. In other words, we are sending fifteen main battle battalions and three supply battalions. Additionally, Yunzhou's Flying Cavalry Battalion and the Battlefield Service Battalion of the Communications Bureau will intervene depending on the situation. In total, the regular army will number twenty battalions, around sixty thousand men. Chief Golan, what do you think…"

Golan continued, "Benlang Yuan can provide at least one hundred thousand troops. Among them, twenty thousand are elites with full formal training… although not as elite as the main battle battalions, the difference isn't much. I originally wanted to send more troops, but Chief Monsul is right, we've been fighting for too long. My name, Golan, isn't exactly well-received on the grasslands, at least in the north. Therefore, the one hundred thousand troops from Benlang Yuan will be on standby, but will not easily enter the fighting in the North. I will arrange for twenty thousand elite cavalry to be on standby at all times, ready to join the battle if needed. Instead, I plan to have about thirty thousand cavalry temporarily stationed in Yunzhou, in case of unforeseen circumstances."

Golan's words made Monsul frown. In this case, Ye Tao was actually planning to rely on Yunzhou's main battle battalions to fight the war. Although over the years, everyone had become increasingly unsure about the strength of Yunzhou's main battle battalions, feeling that they were mysterious and unattainable, in the grasslands, especially where mobility was emphasized, was an army of sixty thousand men enough? Of course, Yunzhou wasn't just relying on these sixty thousand men to fight; including their own tribe, the tribes that had decided to side with the Northern Frontier Pacification Commissioner's office could also organize an army of around fifty thousand men. But… although the Korka tribe had weakened, in the Northern Grasslands, they didn't have to worry about the safety of their home base, or about someone challenging their position as the overlord of the grasslands while their army was away, or about whether or not the old and young should go to the battlefield. How many troops could they organize? And how many troops could the tribes that still followed the Korka tribe support? The Korka tribe could muster at least one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty thousand men who could ride into battle, and adding their auxiliary troops, they should have no problem putting together an army of two hundred thousand.

"We made this decision after considering various factors," Tan Weiran explained, noticing Monsul's slight hesitation. "Besides the three supply battalions entering the North, we will also have three additional supply battalions responsible for transporting supplies to the edge of Benlang Yuan and the Northern Grasslands. We calculated the various supplies needed and the transport capacity we could use before determining the number of twenty battalions. In terms of combat power, we are confident. And before the war, we also have a large batch of replaced weapons that we ask Chief Monsul to take back and equip your warriors with. I know what kind of armaments the Northern Grasslands have now. In this way, Chief Monsul, the combat power under your command will also increase. Although you will still inevitably be facing a numerically superior enemy, when calculated in terms of combat power, not only will it be even, but in fact, we will even have a slight advantage. But if we send many more battalions, the numbers might look better, but due to supply issues and other problems, it would actually be more restrictive."

Monsul did not question Tan Weiran's judgment. In fact, he estimated Yunzhou's combat power much higher than the usually cautious Yunzhou officers. Many tribes were already afraid of Yunzhou. When the banners of the Jingyun, Tieyun, Shuanglang, and Yinyi main battle forces were raised, some people would start to feel uneasy. And what the Northern tribes feared even more was the Heavy Ordnance Battalion, which seemed to control the power of the god of fire. Monsul knew that a fully supplied Heavy Ordnance Battalion, as long as it was protected by two or three battalions, could basically wipe out the southernmost string of tribes. Monsul was instead somewhat concerned about Golan's statement that the tribal warriors would be moving south for a rotation of duties. He asked cautiously, "Is… is the east or west not stable? Even with the withdrawal of sixty thousand troops, Yunzhou shouldn't need tribal warriors to come south, right?"

Golan smiled and said nothing. This matter couldn't be told to Monsul yet. Not only had Benlang Yuan sent tens of thousands of troops south, but Yunzhou had also recruited some new soldiers locally. The Veterans' Farm and Ranch System had finally been granted permission to incorporate four battalions into the Yunzhou regular army's main battle forces. In Yunzhou, slightly fewer than one hundred thousand troops would be assembled in a short period of time. Indeed, it seemed like this was a remedy for the concern that the main battle battalions were going north to fight, but it was also indeed an expansion of the army. Now, Ye Tao was no longer just the Yunzhou pacification commissioner, but the Northern Frontier pacification commissioner. After Zhenzhou was incorporated into the Northern Frontier Pacification Commissioner's office, only ten garrison battalions were formed, and the rest of the time it relied on the constant training, rotation, and feints of the main battle battalions. Originally, fifty battalions could perfectly defend Yunzhou, but now, Tan Xiaopei himself couldn't stand it anymore and issued an edict for the Northern Frontier Pacification Commissioner's office to reorganize at least thirty more battalions, and actively carry out training and preparation work for civilian combat power. And Ye Tao, sure enough, only reorganized thirty…

Ye Tao knew that there were always people who were jealous or wary of the tremendous power he held. Especially as the entire North became increasingly uneasy, only a small number of people knew about the dense and rich variety of contacts between Ye Tao and Tan Xiaopei. Over the years, the official emails alone between Ye Tao, Tan Weixin, and Danyang regarding the discussion, questions, and explanations of various policies would fill a room. Not to mention the considerable number of personal letters, gifts, samples, and other things. Tan Xiaopei hoped that Ye Tao could rely on Yunzhou and the entire Northern Frontier to try a new path, and didn't care if Yunzhou was too powerful, but when Yunzhou's fifty battalions were clearly not enough, and Tan Xiaopei felt that if there was a need, he couldn't even mobilize a large group of troops from Yunzhou, Tan Xiaopei couldn't stand it anymore… This time, he finally couldn't hold back, and cursed once in the Hall of Political Affairs, and then issued an edict to expand the army.

Ye Tao smiled and said, "Chief Monsul, you don't need to worry, it's not that there's a problem on any side. At least not yet. If, after the fighting starts in the North, the Northern Liao's western route army doesn't make any movements, that's what will disappoint me. Sixty thousand regular troops, plus the warriors in the hands of the chief and these friends here, I think that should be enough. Frankly, I'm not even doing this for the Korka tribe. Just to defeat them, is it worth me using twenty battalions? The problems in the North need to be resolved now, and the problems further north also need to be resolved."

Monsul suddenly understood and nodded, then asked, "Then when will we make our move?"

"What do you think Chi Lei is doing today, at this important occasion, when he's not here?" Tan Weiran asked with a smile.