The Method of Training an Army

Bang!

Zhou Yi flicked his finger.

"Bring someone else to question."

Zhou Yi said coldly, "Next one, you do it."

Li Zhu kept dry-heaving. "Master, I-I-I... I've never killed anyone."

"You killed today, and you'll kill many more!"

The Patrol Office soldiers were sensible enough. They dragged over another chiliarch, already a mid-ranking officer in the army. As for the Imperial Guard's senior officers, they were all dead.

"Spare me, sir! It really has nothing to do with me! The court withheld military pay, and the brothers needed to eat too!"

The chiliarch had been terrified by the headless corpses on the ground. Kneeling, he repeatedly kowtowed. "The generals came up with this idea: seize some commoners, sell them, and use the money as military pay."

"How many people did you seize?"

"This lowly one doesn't know."

"For how many years?"

"I don't know either..."

Zhou Yi gave him a cold glance and asked, "Why were there only young and strong men?"

The chiliarch said in a trembling voice, "Young men are easy to keep. The elderly aren't worth much, and children are too troublesome to raise, so they were usually dealt with beforehand..."

Zhou Yi could not be bothered to continue questioning him. "Crown Prince, it's your turn."

Li Zhu had been listening at the side, burning with rage. Gritting his teeth, he drew his sword.

Though the Crown Prince's sword was decorative, it was still a rare, sharp weapon capable of cutting through iron like mud.

Unfortunately, it was Li Zhu's first time killing someone, and he did not use enough force. He cut halfway through the man's neck, the blade catching on his cervical bone.

Amid the chiliarch's wails, Li Zhu struck him twice more before he finally died.

"Within three days, recruit five thousand new soldiers. The Imperial Guard... leave not a single one alive!"

"Master, what does leaving not a single one alive mean?"

"It means exactly what you think it means!"

"But there are accomplices too. They don't deserve to be beheaded..."

"When an avalanche comes, not a single snowflake is innocent!"

Recruiting new soldiers was extremely simple.

This chaotic age had never lacked people. So long as they were given food to eat, countless people would be willing to work themselves like oxen and horses.

Five million taels of silver and two hundred thousand taels of gold were found in Prince Guangyang's Mansion, along with countless jewels, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings.

Half went to Emperor Li Yu, while the other half became funding for the Imperial Guard.

The five thousand soldiers were all sturdy young men between twenty and thirty. Each received five taels as settlement money and sold their lives for it.

The first thing the new recruits did was behead people. Every soldier chopped off at least three or four heads.

Eighteen thousand heads were chopped off over three days and three nights.

Zhou Yi ordered Crown Prince Li Zhu to personally kill ten Imperial Guard generals every day and personally oversee the executions for three days and three nights.

After three days, the once frail and scholarly Li Zhu had gained an air of killing intent.

Afterward, when training the new army, Crown Prince Li Zhu ate and lived alongside the five thousand soldiers.

Inside the Imperial Guard's command tent.

Zhou Yi held a scroll containing a thunder method written by a Daoist grandmaster of the previous dynasty.

"Inspiration True Person Explains the Profound Thunder Demon-Subduing Sutra."

Inspiration Daoist was proficient in earth-element Profound Thunder Method. The many thunder-controlling incantations within greatly broadened Zhou Yi's horizons.

Zhou Yi could use Origin Points to max out the Profound Thunder Method, but many techniques could not be gained through spellcasting experience alone.

For example, in one variation, Inspiration Daoist refined Profound Thunder into earth-attribute ore. When needed, he could scatter it, transforming it into thunderbolts that filled the sky.

Besides, Zhou Yi currently lacked Origin Points. If he wanted to improve his spellcasting experience, he could only study the Profound Thunder Method himself.

Zhou Yi browsed the classics collected by Great Jing. There were seven ranked qi-refining methods, twenty-three spells, and three methods for refining pills.

The Profound Thunder Method was the only earth-attribute spell and suited Zhou Yi's Spiritual Root best.

The three pills were the Lesser Restoration Pill, the Body Tempering Pill, and the only ranked pill, the Yellow Sprout Pill.

Unfortunately, Zhou Yi did not understand alchemy. Otherwise, he could have spent money on refining pills and rapidly increased his True Essence.

A report came from outside the tent. "Reporting to the commander! Deputy General Li Zhu requests an audience!"

"Come in."

Li Zhu entered the main tent and performed a military salute. "General, the eighteen thousand Army Corpses have all been buried in five corpse pits as ordered."

"Good!"

Zhou Yi took out a written Military Training Manual. "Train the army according to what is written in this manual. I have important matters to attend to."

Li Zhu accepted the manual and flipped through it. There were no battle formations inside, only simple drills divided into formations and physical training. There were no battle formations, nor any secret military arts.

"This is the method for building a strong army?"

Li Zhu found it hard to believe. Could soldiers really become powerful merely by standing in neat ranks and marching in unison?

"That would naturally be enough elsewhere, but Great Jing is different. That is why I had you bury the Army Corpses at the five points around the camp—to use spells to stimulate Sha Qi!"

Zhou Yi said coldly, "Sha Qi Tempering. In less than a few months, the soldiers' physiques will greatly improve. Filled with Sha Qi, they will fear nothing. With orderly formations and absolute obedience to commands, they will naturally become a strong army."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Zhu asked softly, "Master, does that Sha Qi have any drawbacks...?"

"There are some drawbacks. The new army's lifespan... will be less than ten years."

Zhou Yi shrugged. "Perhaps they will be more likely to turn into corpses after death. That will work perfectly with the Heavenly Corpse Sect. Have them refine a batch of zombie soldiers, and sweeping across the realm will be effortless."

"Master, while training with the army, this disciple made several friends. They are all good people..."

Li Zhu's voice grew quieter and quieter. Over the past few days, Zhou Yi had constantly taught him that if he wanted to save Great Jing, he had to be ruthless—ruthless toward others and ruthless toward himself.

It was not merely verbal instruction. Zhou Yi had also demanded it through action: exterminating families, overseeing executions, killing people...

Li Zhu did not dare resist and simply endured everything. This time, he had summoned immense courage before daring to plead for a few friends.

"You have done well. A ruler must hold the power of life and death, but he must also preserve a trace of benevolence."

Zhou Yi waved his hand. "Go. From now on, you are the commanding officer in the army. During daily training, you must strictly follow what I have written. As for the activation of the Corpse Malevolence Great Array, it will be in half a month."

Li Zhu left with a delighted expression, never expecting his master to agree to let him make friends.

Mysterious yellow lightning flashed through Zhou Yi's eyes. The Profound Thunder Method had only just entered the beginner stage, and he could not yet perfectly control the spell.

"Yang Bai."

"Patriarch, what are your orders?"

Yang Bai emerged from the shadows. This simple trick of using the soul could only be used to deceive mortals.

"Investigate those close to Li Zhu, then deal with them."

"Patriarch, would that not make the Crown Prince harbor resentment?"

"Pu Du Ci Hang is the only enemy. There cannot be any problems with the corpse army! Besides, how can killing a few people count as ruthlessness? Only when one's heart turns cold can one become a qualified emperor!"

"Understood."

After speaking, Yang Bai vanished without a sound.

Zhou Yi closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. Finding no omissions, he continued studying Inspiration True Person Explains the Profound Thunder Demon-Subduing Sutra.

External things were never a long-term solution. Only by becoming powerful himself could he attain true freedom.

Pu Du Ci Hang was the same. He clearly knew that Li Yu was recruiting Zhou Yi in order to oppose him, yet he remained fearless, confident that he was invincible beneath heaven, and continued devouring the court officials according to his established plan.

Several days passed like this.

At the five positions around the Imperial Guard camp, Zhou Yi supervised the disciples of the Heavenly Corpse Sect as they drew in Profound Yin Qi to nourish the malevolent aura.

The eighteen thousand Imperial Guard corpses had possessed little combat strength while alive, yet when they were buried alive, they accumulated monstrous resentment.

After several Imperial Guard generals learned of Prince Guangyang's family being exterminated, they led their soldiers in rebellion.

Zhou Yi single-handedly killed several ringleaders and promised that anyone who surrendered would be released from military household status and sent back to their home regions, though they would never again be permitted to enlist.

Military households under the Great Jing Court had always been of lowly status. Given such a good opportunity, seventy percent of the Imperial Guard immediately volunteered to bind themselves and surrender.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the rest obediently surrendered as well.

Afterward, Zhou Yi had them inform on one another and expose each other's crimes.

According to the severity of their crimes, only two thousand soldiers with lighter sins were released. The rest, whose sins were grave, all became ghosts beneath the blades of the five thousand new recruits.

The surrendered soldiers were buried alive, and their resentment before death was extremely heavy. They were naturally capable of gathering yin and malevolent aura.

The five corpse pits were also five corpse-nourishing sites specially arranged by the Heavenly Corpse Sect's disciples.

The White Tiger Extinction Ground nurtured Gold Corpses.

Ghost Forest nurtured wood corpses.

Yin Cold Pool nurtured water corpses.

Sun-Charging Fiend Tomb nurtured fire corpses.

Nether Soil nurtured earth corpses.

Combined with the Heavenly Corpse Sect disciples drawing in Profound Yin Qi to nourish them.

At the five corpse-nourishing sites, Ghostly Wind blew in waves. Even in broad daylight, ghostly howls could be heard, while at night, yin soldiers could be seen passing through.

"No matter how rare Five Elements Spirit Corpses are, with eighteen thousand Vengeful Corpses, there should be at least a few!"