Poyang County Left Army Thousand Household Office.
Military Camp.
"Brother Bin!"
Chen Sanshi reported in on time.
Xu Bin pressed a hand to the saber at his waist and frowned slightly at the familiar form of address, "Brother." "From now on, in the Military Camp, address me by my position."
"Alright, Officer Xu!"
Chen Sanshi did not particularly care.
"Mm."
Only then did Xu Bin nod in satisfaction, his face still expressionless. "Go change into your armor, then gather at the Training Ground. Lord Hundred Households will teach you martial arts."
"Alright."
Chen Sanshi found a corner at random and began changing into the armor he had received earlier.
Though it was called armor, its main body was actually cotton cloth, with armor studs fastened across its surface.
This armor was known as brigandine, or hidden armor.
As for genuine armor, the sort seen in dramas, only military generals were permitted to wear it.
The assembly call sounded.
Chen Sanshi had just finished changing as well.
When he arrived at the Training Ground, nearly thirty people had already gathered on the broad, flat expanse of yellow earth. They stood scattered about—some full of vigor, some listless; some tall and powerfully built, others skin and bones.
About half of them were locals, while more than half did not appear to be from Poyang County.
"Line up, line up."
Soldiers came to direct the crowd into formation.
Then, led by a fat man with a handlebar mustache, two officers emerged behind him, one after the other.
He raised his voice and introduced himself. "My surname is Wang, given name Zhi. You may call me Commander Wang.
"I will be responsible for teaching you the basic martial arts of the frontier army.
"The stance manual was issued yesterday. You should all have received it. After the stance work comes spear technique. Practice the two together, and that makes the complete Basic Soldier Spear Technique.
"Today, I will personally demonstrate it for you once."
The fat Hundred Household Commander lowered himself into a horse stance. Despite his bloated body, he stood as steady as Mount Tai. When he performed the stance work, his movements flowed like drifting clouds and running water, without the slightest error.
"Next comes the spear technique."
He reached out and caught a Plum Blossom Short Spear tossed over by an officer beside him.
The spear was around two and a half meters long, not exceeding three meters, so it still counted as a short spear.
Commander Wang, who had been as steady as a mountain moments ago, became exceptionally nimble the instant he took hold of the Plum Blossom Spear. The iron spear in his hands shot out again and again like a violent storm, the sound of torn air echoing throughout the Training Ground.
The crowd watched, dumbstruck. This was their first time witnessing true martial arts.
Before they could recover their senses, he had already finished displaying the spear technique paired with the stance work.
"That's it?"
Everyone watched Commander Wang toss aside the iron spear. He clearly had no intention of explaining it in further detail.
It was over so quickly—who could possibly see it clearly?
Wang Zhi ignored the murmurs below, cleared his throat, and said in a deep voice:
"Let me explain the assessment standards for new recruits.
"Three days for stance work, seven days for spear technique. Those who can smoothly perform the spear technique in conjunction with the stance work within ten days will become Warrior Recruits. The rest will be formation recruits.
"Warrior Recruits begin with a monthly stipend of three taels. Every seven days, they receive one bowl of medicinal tonic. In the future, they may rise to become officers through cultivation or military merit.
"Additionally.
"Whichever one of you manages to cultivate your first thread of qi and blood first will be directly promoted to Banner Officer, with the added qualification to participate in next year's vanguard selection."
Direct promotion to Banner Officer!
Hearing this, everyone was tempted.
Who would not want to become an officer right from the start?
As for the "vanguard selection" mentioned afterward, few understood what it meant.
The Hundred Household Commander on the platform did not seem inclined to explain either.
In the end, a thin man with a goatee in the crowd drawled out an explanation:
"This vanguard selection is for picking elites! Three years ago, after Lord Governor took command of the entire northern border, he began selecting elites from every garrison. Those who pass the vanguard selection can directly enter the Heavenly Strategy Camp and become Governor Sun's personal disciples~"
"Tch! I thought it meant becoming a high-ranking official and getting rich."
"Exactly. Who doesn't know the Eight Great Camps face the barbarians head-on and have to risk their lives every day? I'm not going."
Some were bitterly disappointed.
"What the hell do you know!"
"If you want to go far on the martial path, you need guidance from a powerhouse like Governor Sun and the support of the Eight Great Camps' resources."
"That's right. How can anyone rise above the crowd without risking their life?"
"..."
Others argued back.
"Enough. I've taught everything I needed to teach."
Commander Wang cut them off, sounding highly impatient. "From here on, practice on your own.
"If there are specific points about the stance work or spear technique that you do not understand, seek out the Banner Officers yourselves and ask them. Hah—"
With that, he yawned, rubbed his shoulders, scratched his back, and left.
"That's all?"
"What did he even teach just now?"
The crowd looked at one another.
The entire lesson had lasted less than twenty minutes. There had not even been a single detailed explanation or slow demonstration. Who the hell could learn it?
The stance work was one thing. They each had a booklet and could at least draw a gourd and copy its shape.
But what about the spear technique?
Who could remember it?
Some people went to ask the Squad Leaders for instruction.
Only after asking did they learn that it cost money.
Thirty wen qian for one demonstration, fifty wen qian for one hands-on lesson.
The prices were clearly displayed, fair to old and young alike.
The moment they heard it cost money, most people immediately gave up.
If their families had money and they could afford to eat, who would come enlist as soldiers?
Of course, a small number of ambitious people, hoping to become Warrior Recruits, were willing to pay. They began learning every movement of the stance work from the start.
Watching the absurd scene before him, Chen Sanshi was rather speechless.
This was the military!
They could even use this to make money?
No wonder the garrisons grew more corrupt by the day and their Combat Power kept declining.
He could not help shaking his head.
Fortunately, Chen Sanshi possessed Eidetic Memory and did not need anyone's explanation.
He took a deep breath, settled into his stance, and the familiar burning sensation came over him once more.
He had firmly memorized every movement Commander Wang had made earlier. Now he checked for omissions and filled in the gaps, examining whether any of his own movements were off.
Only after confirming there were no errors did he begin practicing the new movements.
In less than half an hour, half of the thirty-odd people on the Training Ground had collapsed. For most people, the burden the stance work placed on the body was unbearable.
Naturally, quite a few still persisted.
Chen Sanshi noticed sharply.
There was a youth even younger than him whose stance-work practice was only slightly slower than his. Moreover, his breathing rhythm while practicing was different from everyone else's, as though he had some special trick.
Upon careful comparison, Chen Sanshi discovered it was extremely similar to the way Commander Wang had demonstrated it.
Earlier, he had noticed that the Hundred Household Commander's breath was long and steady and had assumed it was simply a trait of martial artists. But now it seemed very likely to be part of a cultivation method.
"What we practice is incomplete?"
"What does that mean?"
Chen Sanshi looked at the Banner Officers waiting at the edge of the Training Ground to collect money. How could he not understand?
The breathing method most likely cost money too...
"They really scrape every feather from a passing goose!"
"But according to Uncle Xu, even so, learning things in the Military Camp is still much easier than at a martial arts school."
"First, I should master the stance work."
He was confident he could become a Warrior Recruit, but whether he could directly rise to Banner Officer and obtain the qualification for the vanguard selection, he was not one hundred percent certain.
Work hard!
Not far away.
Inside a military tent.
Four or five officers sat around a table, drinking and eating meat.
Just as they were enjoying themselves, the tent flap was abruptly thrown open.
A senior general wearing chainmail strode inside.
The officers immediately put down their wine and food, rose in unison, and clasped their fists in salute. "Lord Thousand Households!"
Thousand Households Xiang Tingchun looked over the mess in the tent, his brows tightly furrowed. The moment he opened his mouth, he launched into a furious curse. "You bastards! All day long, you neither train the soldiers nor practice martial arts, and only know how to drink! If you truly have so much idle time, get your asses to Poyang County and help the city guards find the barbarian assassins!"
The Hundred Household Commanders lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.
Xiang Tingchun swept his gaze across them one by one before it finally landed on a middle-aged officer. "Commander Luo, I have already submitted your promotion to Deputy Thousand Households to Lord Governor. A reply should arrive before long."
"Thank you, Lord Thousand Households!"
Delight flashed through the middle-aged officer's eyes.
"Mm."
Xiang Tingchun nodded, then continued to the group, "In recent years, barbarian raids have never ceased. The Great Sheng Dynasty is precisely in need of people. Stop always thinking about earning those few scraps of silver. Teach what ought to be taught."
"Yes, Lord Thousand Households. Your instruction is correct."
The officers chimed in agreement.
Xiang Tingchun shook his head, lifted the tent flap, and left.
Before three seconds had passed, the officers raised their wine cups again. "Come, come, come! Everyone, toast Commander Luo! Let us congratulate him in advance on his promotion to Deputy Thousand Households!"
"Hahahaha—"
They all offered Commander Luo their congratulations.
Only Wang Zhi silently mouthed something as he raised his cup. He secretly spat on the ground.
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