Officer and Elite Selection

Poyang County Left Army Thousand Household Office.

Military camp.

"Brother Bin!"

Chen Sanshi reported on time.

Xu Bin, resting his hand on the saber at his waist, frowned slightly at the familiar address "Brother": "From now on, in the military camp, address people by their rank."

"Okay, Officer Xu!"

Chen Sanshi didn't mind.

"Mm."

Xu Bin nodded with satisfaction, his face still expressionless: "Go change into your armor, then gather at the training ground. Lord Hundred Households will teach you martial arts."

"Okay."

Chen Sanshi found a corner and began changing, putting on the armor he had received earlier.

The so-called armor was mainly made of cotton cloth, with padded studs sewn onto the surface.

This armor was called cloth-faced armor or hidden armor.

As for the real armor, like the kind seen in TV shows, only high-ranking military officers could wear it.

The assembly horn blew.

Chen Sanshi had just finished changing.

He arrived at the training ground. On the wide, flat yellow dirt ground, about thirty-odd people had already gathered, standing scattered around. Some were energetic, some listless; some were tall and strong, others thin and frail.

About half were locals, and more than half did not look like they were from Poyang County.

"Line up, line up."

A soldier came to direct the crowd into formation.

Immediately after, a fatty with a handlebar mustache led the way, followed by two military officers.

He raised his voice and introduced himself: "My surname is Wang, and my given name is Zhi. You can call me Commander Wang. I will be responsible for teaching you the basic martial arts of the border army. Posture training was distributed uniformly yesterday; you should all have received it. After posture training comes spear techniques. Practicing both in combination forms the complete Basic Soldier Spear Technique. Today, I will demonstrate it for you personally."

The stout Commander Wang assumed a horse stance. His bulky body was as steady as a mountain, and his posture training was performed with flowing grace, without the slightest deviation.

"Next is the spear technique."

He reached out and took a Plum Blossom Short Spear handed to him by an officer beside him.

The spear was about two and a half meters long, not exceeding three meters, and was still considered a short spear.

Commander Wang, who had been as steady as a mountain moments ago, became extremely agile the moment he grasped the Plum Blossom Spear. The iron spear in his hand thrust out repeatedly like a storm of wind and rain, the sound of it tearing through the air echoing throughout the entire training ground.

The onlookers were dumbfounded; it was their first time witnessing true martial arts.

Before they could recover, a set of spear techniques combined with posture training was completed.

"That's it?"

Everyone looked at Commander Wang as he tossed the iron spear aside, clearly not intending to explain further.

Who could have seen clearly with such speed?

Wang Zhi ignored the murmurs from below, cleared his throat, and said in a deep voice:

"Let me explain the assessment standards for new recruits.

'Three days for posture training, seven days for spear techniques. Those who can fluently execute the spear techniques combined with posture training within ten days will be considered Warrior Recruits; the rest will be Infantrymen.'

'Warrior Recruits will receive a monthly salary starting at three taels, with a bowl of medicinal tonic every seven days. In the future, through cultivation or merit, you can be promoted to officer.'

'Additionally.'

'Among you, whoever can be the first to cultivate the first wisp of qi and blood will be directly promoted to Officer, plus qualification for next year's elite selection.'

Direct promotion to Officer!

Hearing this, everyone was tempted.

Who wouldn't want to become an official right from the start?

As for the "elite selection" qualification mentioned later, very few people understood it.

The Lord Hundred Households on the stage did not seem inclined to explain.

Finally, a thin man with a goatee in the crowd explained in a drawn-out tone:

"This elite selection, it's about choosing the elite! Three years ago, after Lord Governor took charge of the entire Northern Border, he began selecting elites from various garrisons. Those who are successfully selected will be able to directly enter the Heavenly Strategy Camp and become direct disciples of Governor Sun~"

"Tch! I thought it was a chance to become a high official and get rich."

"Exactly. Who doesn't know that the Eight Great Camps directly face the barbarians and have to fight for their lives every day? I'm not going."

A portion of them were greatly disappointed.

"You don't know anything!"

"If you want to go far in martial arts, you need guidance from a strong expert like Governor Sun, and the resources of the Eight Great Camps to assist you."

"That's right, how can anyone succeed without putting in the effort?"

"..."

Another portion of people retorted.

"Alright, I've taught you all I'm going to teach."

Commander Wang interrupted them, saying impatiently, "From now on, you'll practice on your own.

"For the specific essentials of posture training and spear techniques, if you have any questions, go and ask the officers yourselves, ha--"

With that, he yawned, stretched his shoulders, and left.

"That's it?"

"What was that just now?"

Everyone looked at each other in confusion.

The entire teaching session lasted less than twenty minutes, with no detailed explanations or slow-motion demonstrations. Who could possibly learn anything from that?

Posture training was manageable, at least they each had a booklet and could imitate the movements.

But the spear techniques?

Who could remember them.

Someone went to ask a Squad Leader for guidance.

Upon asking, they found out it cost money.

Thirty wen for a demonstration, fifty wen for hands-on instruction.

The prices were clearly marked, fair to all.

Hearing that it cost money, most people immediately backed down.

If their families had money and could afford to eat, why would they join the army?

Of course, a small number of ambitious individuals who wanted to become Warrior Recruits were willing to pay, starting their learning from every movement of the posture training.

Looking at the absurd scene before him, Chen Sanshi was quite speechless.

This was the military!

And they could even use this to make money?

No wonder the garrisons were becoming increasingly corrupt and their combat effectiveness was declining.

He couldn't help but shake his head.

Fortunately, Chen Sanshi had eidetic memory and didn't need others to explain things to him.

He took a deep breath, settled into his stance, and the familiar burning sensation returned.

He had firmly remembered every movement Commander Wang had demonstrated earlier. Now, he was checking for any flaws or deviations in his own stance.

After confirming there were no errors, he began practicing the new movements.

In less than half an hour, half of the thirty-odd people on the training ground had collapsed. For most of them, the burden of posture training on their bodies was unbearable.

Of course, many were still persevering.

Chen Sanshi keenly observed.

There was a boy even younger than him whose practice speed for posture training was only slightly slower than his own. Furthermore, his breathing frequency during practice was unusual, suggesting some special technique.

Upon closer comparison, he found it to be extremely similar to what Commander Wang had demonstrated earlier.

He had previously thought the commander's long, steady breath was just a characteristic of a martial artist, but now it seemed highly likely to be part of a cultivation technique.

"Are we only practicing incomplete versions?"

"What do you mean?"

Chen Sanshi looked at the officers waiting by the side of the training ground to collect money, and he understood immediately.

The breathing technique was probably going to cost money too...

"They really are trying to squeeze every last drop!"

"But according to Uncle Xu, even so, learning things in the military camp is already much easier than in a martial arts school."

"I'll focus on mastering the posture training first."

He was confident in becoming a Warrior Recruit, but he wasn't entirely sure if he could directly advance to Squad Leader and qualify for the elite selection.

He had to work hard!

Not far away.

Inside a military tent.

Four or five officers were gathered around a table, drinking and eating meat.

Just as they were enjoying themselves, the tent flap was ripped open.

A high-ranking general in scale armor strode in.

The officers immediately put down their food and drink, standing up in unison with clasped fists to salute, "Lord Thousand Households!"

Commander Xiang Tingchun looked at the mess inside the tent, his brow furrowed. He opened his mouth and immediately began to curse, "You scoundrels! You don't train your soldiers or practice martial arts all day, you just know how to drink! If you're really that bored, then get lost and go to Poyang County to help the city guards find barbarian assassins!"

A group of Hundred Household Commanders lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound.

Xiang Tingchun scanned them one by one, his gaze finally landing on a burly officer. "Commander Luo, I have already submitted your promotion to Deputy Thousand Households to the Lord Governor. You should receive a reply soon."

"Thank you, Lord Thousand Households!"

The burly officer's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Mhm."

Xiang Tingchun nodded and then addressed the crowd again, "In recent years, the barbarians have been constantly harassing us. Our Great Sheng Dynasty is in need of people, so you all shouldn't always be thinking about earning a few scraps of coin. Teach what needs to be taught."

"Yes, Lord Thousand Households, your reprimand is correct."

The officers chimed in.

Xiang Tingchun shook his head and pushed aside the tent curtain to leave.

In less than three seconds, the officers had picked up their wine again. "Come, come, everyone toast Commander Luo! Congratulations in advance on your promotion to Deputy Thousand Households!"

"Hahahaha--"

They all congratulated Commander Luo.

Only Wang Zhi, while toasting, muttered something silently and secretly spat on the ground.