Chapter 62

The next morning, before dawn, the drums in the military camp began to boom.

The exhausted soldiers were jolted awake. After yesterday's march and battle, they had somewhat shed their previous lazy habits and had developed a bit of military awareness.

No matter how tired they were, the soldiers had to grumble and get up, hastily put on their armor, and without even washing their faces, rush to the parade ground.

Chen Qing already had a usable force, the fifty scouts led by Zhao Xiaoyi.

These scouts were selected for their elite status, with good physical strength and robust bodies. Although they had their faults, with a little guidance, they could become Chen Qing's temporary military police.

Otherwise, tasks like flogging would have to be carried out by Liu Qiong and Zheng Ping.

Before long, two thousand soldiers had gathered. Chen Qing watched as the last dozen soldiers ran in.

It was still dark, and the soldiers held torches. Chen Qing shouted loudly, "First, let's talk about the morning assembly. During our first camp assembly, thirty-seven people were late. This morning, the number decreased to sixteen. In any army, being absent from roll call is a serious offense. Today is the last time I will overlook it, but from tomorrow on, being late once will result in thirty lashes, and being late three times will result in beheading and public display!"

The two thousand soldiers were silent, all feeling the severity of their commander.

Chen Qing continued, "I brought you here to fight bandits, not to die. But with your current physical condition, you can't even run away, let alone fight. So from now on, I will train you into a real army. Even if we are only two thousand, we will still crush the bandits!"

Chen Qing set up a tall bamboo pole on the parade ground and said to the soldiers, "Now we start running. Run around the city once, starting and ending at this bamboo pole. The top ten will each receive one string of coins as a reward. The last ten will not be fined, but I will post your names on the shame board for all to see!"

The run began. Regardless of their willingness, the two thousand soldiers followed the main group and ran toward the north city gate. Several generals rode horses to supervise, and anyone trying to slack off would be mercilessly whipped.

The circumference of the city wall was about eighteen miles, meaning the soldiers had to run about twenty miles. Compared to the hundreds of miles of training runs by the Western Army, this distance was insignificant.

Even so, the twenty-mile run left the two thousand soldiers exhausted, with many collapsing by the moat and vomiting.

Many soldiers, unable to run any further, crawled slowly on the ground, drawing laughter from groups of children and women, making them feel extremely embarrassed.

Chen Qing set the time limit at half an hour, or about ten kilometers in an hour, but it took an hour and a half for the first soldier to return.

The soldiers finally began to return one by one, all collapsing on the ground, unable to move. The last soldier took two hours to return.

"Next, I will announce the top ten names. After training, go to the military affairs tent to collect your reward of one string of coins. First, Xu Sheng; second, Wang Ping from Wuling Gate; third, Ma Shao..."

After announcing the top ten, Chen Qing sneered, "Since there are top ten, there are also bottom ten. Tenth from last, Wang Zhanjiang; ninth from last, Li Balang; eighth from last, Zhu Xiaobao... and first from last, Jin Can.

Each of you will receive a snail as a reward. I will also post your names at the city gates for all the county residents to see. If you don't want this shame, run your hardest tomorrow and don't let me post your names on your front doors."

Chen Qing's move was ruthless. He wrote the names of the bottom ten in large characters and posted them at the city gates, drawing a crowd of onlookers.

If the run made the soldiers feel pain and torment, the afternoon horse stance training was a hellish ordeal.

The instructor for the horse stance was Zheng Ping. Despite his obesity, his horse stance was excellent, and even Xu Ning praised him.

More importantly, he was ruthless, using a stick to beat any soldier who tried to slack off without hesitation.

"Training with me, you'll think the commander is a living Buddha. But I will ensure your survival and help you live through battles with the enemy."

As Zheng Ping spoke, he viciously struck the soldiers' legs with his stick.

After less than half an hour, many soldiers were in tears, unable to continue.

"Keep training! Anyone who dares to slack off will be punished by me!"

On a distant platform, Hu Yan Tong watched the fierce Zheng Ping and smiled at Chen Qing, "Is it better to start so harshly, or to gradually increase the intensity?"

Chen Qing replied calmly, "I would like to take it step by step, but time doesn't allow it! It won't be long before Zhang Kui discovers the truth and will soon return. We must improve them as quickly as possible."

"But what if they desert in battle?"

"That's one of the purposes of my training. They had no training before, doing things as they pleased, with poor physical conditions and no confidence. In battle, they would think of running. Now, with strict discipline and rigorous training, once they feel their own strength, they will gain confidence, and confident people won't desert."

"So the evening training is also for reinforcement?"

"Evening training is to develop night combat skills. The Western Army has night combat training, and it has been very effective, maintaining an undefeated record in night battles."

At this moment, many soldiers training in the horse stance could no longer hold on and collapsed. Chen Qing instructed a soldier, "Go tell General Zheng that the soldiers can rest for a quarter of an hour."

The soldier ran off, and Hu Yan Tong, after a moment of thought, asked, "Earlier, you said Zhang Kui would soon know the truth. Does that mean they have informants in the city?"

"Hmph!" Chen Qing sneered, "It would be strange if they didn't!"

"In that case, I have a suggestion."

"Go on!"

"I'm worried that the soldiers might be ambushed by bandits while running in the morning. It would be better for them to run on the city walls instead of outside the city."

Chen Qing nodded, thinking it was a good suggestion. Running on the city walls would also be easier to manage, "Agreed. From tomorrow, the soldiers will run on the city walls!"

......

After a day of brutal training, each soldier was exhausted. Unfortunately, their good dreams were short-lived. The next morning, the intense drumbeats sounded again, "Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The drumbeats were heart-stopping, and the soldiers were jolted awake from their dreams. Despite their exhaustion, they remembered the commander's warning and quickly put on their armor, with many not even taking it off, half-asleep, and ran to the parade ground.

Chen Qing stood on the parade ground, looking sternly at the soldiers running in. After 108 drumbeats, five or six soldiers rushed in, but were stopped by the enforcement soldiers.

Chen Qing glanced at the six and said coldly, "I have already warned you, but some are still late. According to military regulations, take them away and give each thirty lashes!"

One soldier struggled and shouted, "General, I didn't want to be late, but I couldn't find my shoes."

"You could have come barefoot. Take them away!"

The six soldiers were dragged away, beaten on the ground, and the sound of the sticks and their cries of pain made the other soldiers' faces twitch.

"Continue running, start!"

The two thousand soldiers, with their sore legs, marched out of the camp and ran toward the north city gate. Today, they didn't need to leave the city but ran around the city walls.

Another nightmare began.

......

In the south of the city, near the city gate, there was a meat shop called Wang Yang Ji.

The shop's sign had the character for "sheep," but it mainly sold wild game. Hunters would deliver goods daily, and occasionally they also dealt in furs, with good business.

On the fourth day after the soldiers entered the city, a hunter in his thirties carried a deer to the meat shop.

The hunter placed the deer on the table and shouted, "Shop owner, I've brought the meat!"

The shop owner, Wang Long, quickly came out, saw the hunter, and was startled. He looked around and gave the hunter a signal, leading him to the back yard.

"General, why did you come in person?"

This hunter was none other than the bandit leader Zhang Kui, whom Chen Qing had come to eliminate. He usually wore armor, but today he was dressed as a hunter, with his hair hanging down, covering his face, so no one recognized him.

Zhang Kui was in his thirties, with a long face, dark skin, and a long scar on his face, making him look extremely fierce. He had been a commander in the Imperial Army, skilled in martial arts, and had fought against the Jin soldiers.

During the Liu Miao rebellion two years ago, he was a key participant and one of the seven people the emperor Zhao Gou ultimately punished. The other six were executed, but he escaped.

Zhang Kui's core force was a group of three hundred Imperial Army soldiers. With this army, he continuously recruited and expanded, and his bandit force now numbered four thousand five hundred.

Recently, due to a lack of food, he had set his sights on the county of Chun'an. He wanted to secure food and also make Chun'an his base.

The tall and sturdy city walls of Chun'an suited his needs.

Zhang Kui drank a bowl of water in one go, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and asked, "I want to know about the new soldiers!"

That day, he had hastily retreated south, and the more he thought about it, the more it didn't make sense. The enemy had cavalry but didn't pursue them, which was suspicious.

Zhang Kui had his doubts and decided to come and gather information in person.