133. Heading Out (2)
Of the 800,000 Mo Family Army, only General Zhang Qilan's 50,000 troops were stationed in Capital City. These troops were reportedly assigned to guard the metropolitan area and, as such, could not join Ye Li's main force heading to the battlefront. Ye Li and Marquis South had to lead their men to a place a few hundred miles from Capital City to rendezvous with troops stationed in various other locations before proceeding to the frontier. This eliminated the need for the usual farewell gatherings and ceremonial speeches before departure. Ye Li never cared much for such pomp and pretense, so the somewhat perfunctory arrangements were quite acceptable to her.
