Chapter 114 Everyone Shows Their Unique Skills, It's Not Just You Who Has This Kind of Skill?

As for the civilians brought by Zhang Baichuan, they were both militiamen and ordinary people. These militiamen had only undergone a little training before rushing to the battlefield, and only survived once thanks to their reckless bravery and luck.

What should be done next time?

This was not something they were thinking about; Bai Qi knew very well how these people had survived.

Most of them should have died in that great flood. The floodwaters breached the dikes, submerged the villages, and swept away their parents, wives, children, brothers, and sisters. But they survived, clinging to driftwood and tree branches, struggling to climb ashore in the raging, muddy waves.

Then what?

Then they discovered that living is harder than dying.

The imperial relief grain was delayed, and local officials embezzled funds at every level, refusing to distribute the grain. Starving corpses littered the fields, and people resorted to cannibalism. They gnawed on tree bark, chewed on grass roots, and even...ate dirt. Some of them may have even secretly cut off pieces of flesh from the dead, set up an iron pot in the dead of night, and swallowed it with their eyes closed, just to live one more day.

Then, Zhang Baichuan appeared.

This man, who came from a teaching background, led them to plunder granaries and kill officials, giving them food and a name—the rebel army.

But in the end, what do they know about righteousness?

They were just desperate refugees who, driven to the brink of despair, took up hoes and went to the battlefield. With their ruthless courage and a bit of luck, they have survived to this day.

What should be done next time?

They simply couldn't imagine it.

On the battlefield, swords and spears are indiscriminate, arrows rain down, and many of them have received no proper training. They simply follow those in front, blindly swinging their weapons, and then... they either kill the enemy or are killed by the enemy. The survivors stand covered in blood amidst piles of corpses, looking around blankly, not knowing why they are still alive.

They should have died long ago.

They died in floods, in famine, under the whips of officials, on the road to escape disaster...

Yet they survived, living tenaciously and humbly like weeds. Their bodies were still breathing, but their souls had long since rotted away along with their deceased loved ones.

Bai Qi knew that this group of people would be difficult to train with.

They weren't new recruits. New recruits at least still had fear, passion, and expectations for the future. But these people had even lost their fear. They were numb, exhausted, and desperate, yet etched into their bones was a fierce determination—a beast-like instinct honed from countless near-death struggles.

Bai Qi stopped in front of a tall, thin man behind Zhang Baichuan. The man had a hideous scar on his face, running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth, and his left eye was cloudy and white, clearly blind. He gripped a rusty woodcutter's knife, his knuckles large and deformed, as if they had been broken off one by one and then haphazardly reattached.

"Name," Bai Qi said, his voice as cold and hard as iron.

The man was silent for a moment, then said in a hoarse voice, "...Gou Sheng."

"Since you have a name, you should hold your knife firmly."

Gou Sheng's one eye widened slightly, a faint light flashing in its turbid pupil.

Bai Qi turned around and walked towards the next one.

He knew how to train this group of people.

They don't need morale boosting, they don't need national righteousness, they don't even need hope.

All they needed was a knife and a commander who was more terrifying than death.

Without Jiang Ge needing to make further arrangements, Bai Qi took over the training of the troops and left directly with Zhang Baichuan and his group. As for whether to discuss with others how to train the troops…

The God of War, Bai Qi, said he had never even thought about it.

We can't keep pushing and shoving about this training exercise; should we try to negotiate a bit more?

Anyway, Bai Qi was unwilling to fake it.

Moreover, is there anyone else in Songyang County who is better at training troops than him? Besides him, who else is capable of doing the job?

As Jiang Ge watched their departing figures, he wondered if it was true that a cowardly soldier leads to a cowardly army.

Simply replacing Zhang Baichuan with Bai Qi made everyone look much more imposing and menacing.

Zhuge Liang waved his feather fan, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself; Zhou Yu played with something in his hand, a half-smile playing on his lips; Yuchi Jingde scratched his beard; Qin Shubao's golden mace swayed gently at his waist—everyone remained tacitly silent.

Anyway, Bai Qi wouldn't accept their advice.

But there are always young calves who are not afraid of tigers.

"Tsk." A soft sound suddenly came from the corner. Huo Qubing leaned out, the red ribbon binding the young general's hair fluttering in the wind. He darted in front of Jiang Ge like a nimble leopard, nearly bumping into Wen—

"Magistrate Jiang!"

Django was startled by the sudden appearance: "Let's talk this out!"

Huo Qubing's eyes shone brightly, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the hilt of his sword at his waist: "I also want to train soldiers!" He was not afraid of Bai Qi; he acknowledged Bai Qi's abilities, but he did not approve of Bai Qi's overly cruel methods.

Slaughtering a million surrendered soldiers is inhuman.

The hall fell silent instantly.

Zhuge Liang held his feather fan to his chest. The crowd looked at each other, thinking that since one city cost one million, five cities would cost five million!

Moreover, leading troops requires having a basic understanding of the soldiers.

Bai Qi took on the entire responsibility of training the troops.

Wouldn't that five million be rightfully Bai Qi's?

What about them?

They want to strive too! They're just as good as anyone else!

The military officers were all eager to try, and even Zheng He was somewhat excited; perhaps he could also give it a shot.

Wei Zhongxian huddled in the corner, wishing he could stop breathing, for every breath he took was filled with ambition. His eyes gleamed; who said that only force could take over a city?

One million!

The day of my precious baby's rebirth is coming soon.

Rise again, my darling!

Hei Fu, Wei Shun, and Du Fu exchanged a knowing smile; they couldn't get a word in edgewise in this situation. The three nonconformists shrank back into the corner, looking like three sparrows squatting under the eaves watching the spectacle.

To be honest, these military generals really went to great lengths to take over the training camp.

Jiang Ge adjusted his sleeves, but his gaze fell on Huo Qubing. The young general was patting his chest, the red ribbon binding his hair bouncing with his movements like a burning flame.

"Magistrate Jiang!" Huo Qubing's voice was clear and piercing. "Give me the young ones, eight hundred will be enough!" As he turned around, the jade pendant at his waist jingled against his iron armor. "Eight hundred elite cavalry, I can pierce through the gates of five cities for you!"

This number caused a sudden silence to fall over the room.

Zhuge Liang paused in his fan-waving hand, Zhou Yu's fingertips faltered slightly as he swung his sword, and even Yuchi Jingde forgot to retract the steel whip he had slammed onto the table.

Eight hundred—it's a number with a magical quality. Li Shimin raised an army of eight hundred, Zhu Di fought the Jingnan Campaign with eight hundred, and now Huo Qubing also casually mentions eight hundred...

"What arrogance!" Yuchi Jingde was the first to recover, slamming his steel whip into the ground. "Eight hundred Xuanjia soldiers..."

"That's the Tian Ce Prefecture using all its resources," Qin Shubao suddenly interjected, tapping his golden mace lightly on the table. "Can the county treasury scrape together eight hundred saddles right now?"

Huo Qubing suddenly grinned, revealing two sharp teeth: "Who said I wanted the Xuanjia Army? Light cavalry! One man, two horses, no heavy armor, just short crossbows and ring-pommel swords." The young general's eyes shone with an astonishing light. "I'll go and plunder the grain myself!"

"This is war, not child's play..."

Yuchi Jingde could no longer hold back.

"Let him speak." Jiang Ge suddenly raised his hand, his gaze fixed intently on Huo Qubing. "How exactly will he rob him?"

Huo Qubing didn't speak, he just smiled and said, "It's no fun talking. Give me eight hundred men, and I'll show you all what I can do."

Some things lose their meaning when spoken aloud.

Why was he able to be enfeoffed as the Marquis of Champion at the age of seventeen? Why was he able to be called one of the two pillars of the Han Dynasty alongside Wei Qing? Why was he able to seal the Wolf-Dwelling Mountain and create unparalleled achievements? The answers to these questions are never in words, but in those astonishing tactical maneuvers.

"Hmph! Don't think you're the only one in the world with skills, I have one too!" Yuchi Jingde glared.

Yes, he has more than one skill.

Back then, amidst thousands of troops, he charged into battle alone, as if entering an empty field; at Hulao Pass, he led three thousand iron cavalry straight into the heart of Dou Jiande's army of one hundred thousand, causing the enemy to flee in terror; inside Xuanwu Gate, he single-handedly held off the elite troops of the Prince of Qi's mansion, carving out a bloody path through them.

Such skill is beyond the reach of ordinary military generals.

He was not afraid of even Huo Qubing.

The air inside the hall suddenly became scorching hot, as if invisible swords were flashing and clashing among the people.

Zhou Yu chuckled and said, "Who among you here doesn't have a skill?"

That's right.

These were all famous generals from various dynasties; who would submit to whom? Besides, leading troops into battle requires fearlessness. If they were timid and hesitant, cowering in the face of Bai Qi, they would not have become famous generals, much less be remembered for their deeds.

Qin Shubao stood up, the double maces at his waist clinking lightly with his movement, producing a dull metallic sound. This usually composed general revealed his sharpness at this moment.

Speaking of military training...

His voice was calm and unhurried, yet it silenced everyone's argument. Yuchi Jingde's movements froze in mid-air, Zhou Yu couldn't help but glance at him, and even Zhuge Liang stopped waving his feather fan.

Qin Shubao unfastened the golden mace from his waist, which gleamed with a faint light.

"Back in Wagangzhai, I trained a personal guard."

With a slight flick of his wrist, the golden mace suddenly transformed into a streak of light, striking a large tree outside the window with a clang. It penetrated three inches into the wood, yet the tree trunk only trembled slightly, without even a single leaf falling.

"Three hundred men, all armed with iron maces."

Zhuge Liang paused slightly with his feather fan, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. As a strategist, he knew all too well what this meant—a special force comprised entirely of heavily armored, penetrating units, a mobile iron wall on the battlefield.

Qin Shubao strode into the courtyard, his steps steady as a mountain. He suddenly exerted force with his hand gripping the mace handle, and everyone heard a cracking sound. The locust tree, which required two people to hug, was split open, the cut surface as smooth as a mirror.

"Back then, at Hulao Pass, it was this very same cavalry unit that defeated Wang Shichong's Xuanjia Cavalry."

His tone was calm, yet it made everyone involuntarily imagine the scene: three hundred iron maces advancing like a wall, and the heavily armored cavalry crumbling before them.

Django's heart skipped a beat.

"so..."

With a flick of his wrist, Qin Shubao sent the golden mace flying through the air in a perfect arc before it was safely sheathed.

"Give me five hundred strong men, and in a month, I will return to Magistrate Jiang an iron brigade capable of breaking through heavy armor."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Everyone knew that Qin Shubao wasn't boasting; he truly had the ability and could do it.

A hint of a smile flashed in Jiang Ge's eyes: "I think it would be better to do this—since each of you generals has your own strengths, why not divide the troops and govern separately? General Bai can train heavy infantry, General Qin can train the mace guards, and Young General Huo can lead light cavalry..."

Zhou Yu suddenly interjected, "As for the naval battle... I'll leave that to you."

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Author's note: [I'm exhausted][I'm exhausted][I'm exhausted] I'm completely drained by work.