Chapter 8

"Nor is it entirely your fault. In the past, when I was busy, my father neglected to manage you properly. However, once a superior officer is appointed, obedience is your duty. Don't give me excuses about your seniority or merits. If you feel wronged, step forward now. After I report to my father, your civilian status will be restored, and you can leave. It's not hard to select a few hundred personal guards from the hundreds of thousands in the imperial army. If you think you have merits, hard work, and seniority, and you don't want to obey, step forward now. I won't punish you, but in addition to restoring your civilian status, your past merits, hard work, and seniority will be converted into money, and then you can leave!"

At this point, Gao Fangping said, "Alright, I've made everything clear. If you want to leave, come forward now and take the money. Remember, this is your only chance. If you stay and then refuse to obey orders and discipline, thinking you're special and defying your superior, you'll be dealt with according to military law!"

Several hundred personal guards did not step forward.

It wasn't that they were afraid. With so many people present, everyone believed the promise would be kept. It was just that it wasn't worth it.

Everyone knew how much the Song Dynasty despised soldiers. Almost no officers refrained from withholding military pay and rations or exploiting their troops. Staying in the personal guard of the palace marshal's office meant they were part of the inner circle, and at least they wouldn't be exploited, and their families could eat.

After Gao Fangping laid out all the conditions, no one stepped forward. Everyone shrank back, worried that if they were expelled from the Gao family, they would have no food to eat.

"Very well. Since you don't want to leave, Xu Ning's military law will apply to you from this moment on. Don't complain or cry, this is your own choice," Gao Fangping said.

At the same time, a commander from the palace marshal's office entered the parade ground.

Seeing the high-ranking official, the soldiers, under Xu Ning's command, quickly formed ranks. Although not perfectly, they managed to line up neatly within the specified time, looking somewhat proper.

"Your subordinate, Xu Ning, pays respects to the commander," Xu Ning said, kneeling on one knee. The others remained still. This was the rule; once the formation was set, only the commander greeted the superior officer.

The commander helped Xu Ning up and handed him a document, saying, "Marshal Gao has sent this to you. Now you have an official position. From now on, serve the imperial army well."

Xu Ning opened the document and read it. It said he was a 9th-rank Benevolent and Brave Commander, in charge of a camp under the Imperial Guard. He was extremely excited and knelt on one knee again, saying, "Thank you, all superiors, for your promotion. Thank you, young master, for your care."

The commander smiled, bowed to Gao Fangping, and left the parade ground. He was a high-ranking official and, although a close confidant of Gao Qiu, he didn't want to get too involved with Gao Fangping, a foolish and spoiled young master.

Xu Ning was still breathing heavily. The happiness came too suddenly. Although his family wasn't poor, no one would turn down money. Even as a military officer, the Song Dynasty was generous to officials, and the salary was quite high. The new position as a camp commander was a significant improvement over his previous role, and he would also receive the salary of a 9th-rank Benevolent and Brave Commander, significantly increasing his income. Additionally, he would have the prestige of commanding troops and the power that came with it.

Previously, he was just a low-ranking instructor, essentially teaching a group of adult students who would leave as soon as the class ended, ignoring him.

Gao Fangping pulled him aside.

"I don't know if the young master has any additional instructions or if I can handle them."

Xu Ning was still somewhat cunning. He was willing to protect him, but if asked to rob, he would likely back out.

"Xu Commander, don't worry. I won't ask you to do anything bad. I have plenty of lackeys," Gao Fangping said. "I need you for training matters."

Xu Ning said seriously, "I don't know the standards. What kind of personal guard does the young master want?"

This question meant, if the young master wanted a group of lackeys to bully others, there would be one way to train them. If he wanted something else, there would be another method.

Without hesitation, Gao Fangping said, "Of course, I want a fierce and loyal army. They should be trained with principles and faith, capable of fighting in real battles."

Xu Ning thought for a moment and said, "I understand. However, such soldiers are hard to train and take a long time. They may never be ready without real combat experience."

Gao Fangping said, "Do your best. At least start with military discipline. An army without discipline is not an army. This is the most fundamental thing. Once discipline is established, we can focus on instilling values, which is very important, even the soul of the army. Without goals or faith, an army is not an army. Once we have these, we can improve individual skills and gradually gain combat experience."

Xu Ning asked, puzzled, "Where can we find combat in Bianjing?"

Gao Fangping patted his shoulder and said, "The Song Dynasty has many things in abundance: soldiers, officials, money, and grain. It also has many bandits and rebels. So, fighting bandits is a way to train the army."

He paused and added, "But there are few real armies. Apart from the Western Army under the Zhong family, there is no truly combat-ready army. Do you understand?"

Xu Ning knew he was right but didn't dare to agree, as it might be seen as criticizing the emperor's wisdom.

He couldn't help but look at the former foolish and spoiled young master differently. The young master had pointed out the problems in the army. Xu Ning knew that the truly elite forces in the Song Dynasty were not the imperial guards but the Western Army under the Zhong family. Most people didn't understand this, and those who did pretended not to see it. The instructors in the imperial guards were the ones who saw it most clearly.

"You're a good actor, young master!" Xu Ning sighed. "I've only seen one person who truly has ambition and understands the military, and that's you."

"Too kind," Gao Fangping said, bowing and walking away. "Many people can see it, but they don't dare to say it. If they do, they'll be skinned and dismembered by my corrupt old man. So, only I can say it."

Xu Ning almost fainted. The kid actually called his father a "corrupt old man," which, though true, was too direct...

Gao Fangping carried a birdcage, not knowing what kind of bird it was, just to feel like a spoiled young master. Otherwise, the bird's chirping would be annoying.

"Still chirping?" At one point, Gao Fangping reached in and pinched the bird, hitting its head against the cage.

Puff—

Suddenly, Gao Fangping felt a pain in the back of his head. He covered it and turned around to see his corrupt old man.

Gao Qiu was so angry his beard stood up. "Boy, do you know how much I spent on this bird? I planned to train it and present it to the emperor. If you don't care, that's one thing, but you shouldn't destroy it like this."

"Father, you don't understand. A good bird doesn't need to chirp much; it needs to chirp cleverly. The emperor prefers quiet and appreciates static beauty, not constant noise..."

Seeing his corrupt old man's eyes bulge, Gao Fangping deflated and said, "Alright, you caught me. I was just making it up. I won't do it again."

Gao Qiu, both amused and exasperated, patted his son's head. "You're a clever one, my son. You've become quite shrewd and interesting."

"Thank you, sir," Gao Fangping nodded.

Then Gao Qiu scolded, "But you, my rebellious son, dared to call me a corrupt old man in front of the personal guards... I @￥"

He was so angry he couldn't continue, resorting to bird language.

"Father, you don't understand. You are a corrupt old man, and everyone sees it," Gao Fangping said formally. "Truly smart people don't listen to what you say but watch what you do. From a psychological perspective, if he believes you are a corrupt old man, denying it will only make him resist and resent you. By acknowledging it, I create a common language with him, and he will lower his guard, thinking you respect talent and are open to criticism."

As the top court jester, no one was better at reading people's minds than Gao Qiu. He couldn't help but admire the boy's wit. Upon closer inspection, there was some truth to what he said.

"Whatever you say, my clever son," Gao Qiu said, patting his son's head. This head was precious; he couldn't hit it anymore.

He thought for a moment and said, "Order it: except for me and the Song Emperor, no one is allowed to touch the young master's head. Violators will be executed!"

Gao Qiu added, "I heard you visited Lin Chong in the Kaifeng prison?"

"That's none of your concern. I am a hero of the palace marshal's office, brave and calm, so I have my reasons," Gao Fangping said.

Gao Qiu nodded. "I don't interfere with your visits to the Zhang family because I know your preferences. You won't let that young lady go, and I support what you want. But with Lin Chong, you might be mistaken. I don't believe this can be resolved. As a superior, the worst thing is to leave a problem unresolved. I don't interfere, but I have my own plans. I've already sent Lu Qian to deal with it."

Gao Fangping said, "If you didn't do that, you wouldn't be Marshal Gao. Fine, you do your part, and I'll do mine. The rest is up to Lin Chong's fate."

"Interesting, very interesting," Gao Qiu said, stroking his beard. "It's like you're playing chess with me, my son?"

"I'm not trying to beat you. I'm trying to gather some useful talent for our family. I've done too many bad things and have a bad reputation. I can't sleep without a few skilled guards," Gao Fangping said.

"So, Lu Qian is likely to die on the way, and Lin Chong is likely to reunite with his wife?" Gao Qiu asked curiously.

Gao Fangping said awkwardly, "Lin Chong is more acceptable than Lu Qian, right?"

Gao Qiu said, "I know Lin Chong's character better than you. He is talented, and I know that better than you. The real obstacle between our family and Lin Chong is Zhang Zhen. I'm worried you can't control yourself and will go after Zhen. If you do, Lin Chong won't tolerate it, and you'll be in danger. So, think carefully. If you decide to give up on Zhang Zhen, you can have Lin Chong. Otherwise, you must kill Lin Chong!"

"You underestimate me. I want something much bigger. I might like women, but I'm not obsessed with them," Gao Fangping said.

"You can be taught," Gao Qiu said, relieved. This boy really was growing up...

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