Chapter 96

"O... o... one... two... one..."

"Turn left, align to the right!"

The loud commands echoed across the training ground west of Yuejiazhuang, which had doubled in size. Thousands of soldiers trained in response to the officers' commands, creating a bustling scene.

"Why won't the higher-ups acknowledge our contributions? We did kill five hundred Tartars and seized a lot of their armor and weapons. Why can't that count as merit?"

Shunbao's voice rang out from a corner of the training ground. Today, Shunbao was still wearing his dark gray Gothic armor, a red cloak over his shoulders, and a long sword at his waist, looking quite impressive. Ever since Yueyang appointed him as the defense officer, he would often wear his Gothic armor to show off.

"That's just how it is; the court won't acknowledge it!" Hu Laosan, standing nearby, was relatively calm.

"But we lost over a hundred brothers. It's not right not to give them an explanation!" This was the voice of Wu Chengfeng, the cavalry commander. In the recent battle with Dodo, the cavalry he led suffered the greatest losses, and he was naturally the most heartbroken.

"But the problem is that we can't say anything. Lord Yue acted without the court's and the Ministry of War's orders. If this gets out, we won't just lose the court's commendation; we might even be dismissed from our posts." This was said by Feng Xiaoming, the oldest among them but the lowest in rank.

Hearing this, everyone fell silent. Finally, Shunbao said, "But Lord Yue did provide compensation for the fallen soldiers, and their families receive two taels of silver per month. This will make their lives a bit easier."

At that moment, a voice came from behind them. "What are you all gathered here talking about?"

Hearing the voice, everyone hurriedly saluted and called out, "Greetings, Lord!"

"Very good, everyone!"

Yueyang, dressed in military attire, walked over and stopped among them. His sharp eyes scanned the group before he spoke. "I know you are dissatisfied that the fallen soldiers in the recent battle against the Tartars have not been recognized by the court. I understand your feelings. But Feng Baizong is right. Our last sortie was unauthorized. If the court were to investigate, we would face severe consequences. So I did not report them to the court. However, you can rest assured that as long as I am here, the families of the fallen soldiers will not be neglected. Moreover, their deaths were not in vain. We have acquired nearly four thousand warhorses this time. With these horses, we can form another cavalry unit of about two thousand men. Wu Qianzong, this will be a great boost for your cavalry." The last sentence was said to Wu Chengfeng with a joking tone.

"Thanks to Lord Yue's guidance and support, I dare not take credit!" Wu Chengfeng quickly bowed in gratitude. Currently, almost all of Yueyang's cavalry was under his command. The larger the cavalry, the greater his power, which any officer would be pleased to see.

"Although your power has increased, you must also recognize your shortcomings." Seeing Wu Chengfeng's happy expression, Yueyang did not forget to remind him. "In the last battle with Dodo, your thousand cavalry surrounded fewer than two hundred Tartars. Although you almost annihilated them, you also suffered heavy losses. This clearly shows that your training is still insufficient!"

"Yes, Lord, you are right. From now on, I will train my men more rigorously." Wu Chengfeng's face turned red. In the battle with Dodo, he had attacked with five times the enemy's numbers, yet it took great effort to defeat them, and he lost nearly a hundred men. Such a result was far from satisfactory.

Seeing Wu Chengfeng's downcast head, Yueyang decided not to continue the reprimand and changed the topic. "From the last battle, I am very unsatisfied. We had more men and better weapons and armor than the Tartars. If it weren't for the power of the new muskets, I'm afraid we would have been completely wiped out. Shunbao, as the defense officer, do you have nothing to say?"

"Ah..."

Shunbao was taken aback by Yueyang's sudden shift of focus to him. Unprepared, he fumbled for words before finally lowering his head and saying, "Lord, this is my fault. I have failed to meet your expectations. I am guilty!"

"Enough, the main responsibility lies with me. I did not anticipate the possible outcomes, which led to unnecessary losses."

Yueyang took the blame and continued, "In recent days, our forces have expanded rapidly, from a few hundred to now over seven or eight thousand. The size of our army has grown, but the training of the soldiers has not kept up, especially among the lower-ranking officers like squad leaders, platoon leaders, and company commanders, most of whom are selected from the old soldiers. They lack both ability and experience, which is a significant issue. Therefore, our next step is not to continue expanding the army but to conduct a six-month intensive training for the entire army. We need to spend six months training to form a competent force!"

"Intensive training for the entire army?" Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes showing a hint of doubt. Shunbao asked first, "Lord, I wonder how this training will be conducted. Is it really necessary for the entire army to train together?"

"Yes, Lord, we are no longer a small militia of a few hundred. With seven or eight thousand men, the impact of training together would be significant." This was Feng Xiaoming's comment.

"Indeed, Lord, you must think carefully!" Several others also began to advise Yueyang.

"No need to think carefully, I have made my decision. This training must go ahead!" Yueyang's tone was firm. "Only by sweating more in peacetime can we bleed less in war. The last battle with the Tartars has shown us that more soldiers do not necessarily mean better results. The key is the morale and training of the soldiers. If it weren't for our good luck and the muskets, I might have become a pile of bones on the grassland.

Today, I am making it clear. If anyone feels they cannot handle it or cannot bear the hardship, they can speak up now. I will immediately assign them to the outer bend of Wulizhai to farm and till the land, where they can spend every night with their wives and children. Who wants to go?"

As Yueyang finished speaking, everyone became silent, and no one dared to speak up.

"Is no one willing to go farming?" Yueyang scanned the group again, and no one dared to meet his eyes.

"Every day, you all boast about how strong your soldiers are and how great you are. But in reality, victories are won through fighting, not boasting. Two thousand soldiers were flustered by five hundred Tartars. What if we face five thousand or even fifty thousand Tartars? We would probably be routed in one charge!"

Yueyang grew angrier as he spoke. The last battle with Dodo had terrified him. Many soldiers were so scared they couldn't even fire their guns. In the post-battle inspection, Yueyang received a report that a company commander found over a dozen lead balls in one soldier's musket barrel, showing how nervous the soldier had been. This nearly made the company commander faint. When Shunbao told Yueyang about this, he was shocked, which led to the idea of intensive training.

"I am putting it bluntly. This training is not ordinary. It follows the principle of promoting the capable and demoting the incompetent. Whose troops perform well, I will promote. Whose troops perform poorly... well, I will demote them completely." Yueyang's tone was stern, and it was clear he was serious.

"Finally, I have another announcement. From today, all soldiers must learn to read and write. Those who can recognize over five hundred characters will receive full pay. Those who cannot will receive half pay. Those who can recognize over a thousand characters can serve as company commanders. Those who can recognize over three thousand characters can serve as battalion commanders. If you do not meet the standards, even the Son of Heaven cannot make you an officer! Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand, Lord!"

A scattered response came from the group, and many faces showed signs of worry. For many, going into battle was easy, but learning to read was as difficult as a poor man marrying a rich woman. Hu Laosan, who was particularly unhappy, turned pale and pleaded with Yueyang.

"Lord, I can't read a single word. Making me learn to read three thousand characters is like asking me to die!"

Looking at Hu Laosan's pleading face, Yueyang said bluntly, "If you don't want to do it, you can take off this tiger skin and return to Yuejiazhuang to be a guard. I won't stop you!"

"Don't... Lord, please, I... I'll learn, okay?"

Seeing Yueyang's serious expression, Hu Laosan quickly agreed.

Yueyang then said coldly to the group, "That's it. Whether you choose to farm or stay in the army is up to you. Your fate is in your own hands!"

With that, Yueyang walked away, his mind already reflecting on the recent battle...