Chapter 147 Female Soldier Speech
The woman called Gu Guihua was obviously not a pushover. She gently lifted her hair and replied with a decisive tone, "Sanniang, this woman's enlistment is an order from the King, so our Gu family must actively respond. Who do you think you are? You can tell me to go back just like that?"
The last one walking was obviously the girl from the Liu family. She held her forehead with her hand, sighing and saying, "Hey, what are you guys arguing about? Aren't you going to make a fool of yourself? If I were to say, why don't you two just have a fight? Whoever wins gets to leave. Anyway, I won't leave. Daddy said that if I become a female general, he'll give me Auntie's snow-white puppy."
Xu Zhenying's jaw dropped.
These three young ladies...there is always someone better than you.
"Humph, you're like this, and you still want to be a female general? A female general should naturally be like me. I can uproot weeping willows and break rocks with my chest. If you don't believe me, let's compete——"
"What's the point of competing here? If you're brave enough, go to the military camp and compete. Whoever loses will be treated like a grandson!"
"Just go, who's afraid of who!"
The three girls looked at each other, and then rushed to the registration office at lightning speed.
"I'm the first one!"
"I'm the first one!"
“I’m number one!”
Three voices sounded at the same time, and then they glared at each other, pushing each other, as if they all wanted to be the first.
Feng Er was stunned, then smiled and said, "You three girls are so ambitious. Come, please register your personal information."
Xu Zhenying looked at the three girls and couldn't help but find them very amusing. She smiled and shook her head: "Young people, you are full of energy."
Xu Yinxi hid her smile and said, "Now the women's barracks are bustling with activity."
Later, Jiang Yongkang, Ming Xiaoshuang and Feng'er came together to report on the recruitment situation.
To Xu Zhenying's surprise, the target of 500 male soldiers and 100 female soldiers that Xu Zhenying had required were recruited in just one or two days.
Feng'er also said that the situation of the female soldiers was better than expected. There was no crying or panic. One hundred girls living in the barracks were chattering and it was as lively as the New Year.
Xu Zhenying smiled after hearing this and said, "People just follow the crowd. Feng'er, you're in charge of the female soldiers. Although these girls have bravely taken the first step, they're also extremely sensitive. You must spend more time to comfort them and don't let their morale drop. Especially when the training intensity increases later, or if there are any rumors in the city, you must pay close attention and resolve them promptly."
Feng'er nodded. "City Lord, I will follow your previous instructions and divide the female soldiers into groups of twenty. Each group will have a leader, and I will also let a thoughtful woman serve as the instructor. If I find any problems with the female soldiers, I will deal with them immediately."
"Feng'er has done a solid job." Xu Zhenying praised her. Ming Xiaoshuang and Jiang Yongkang also looked at Feng'er with a smile. Feng'er felt a little embarrassed.
"Although it's still a bit cold right now, we can't let our guard down in the city defense. Formal drills will begin tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll go to the female barracks to give a mobilization speech. Fourth Sister, please prepare a rough outline."
Xu Yinxi quickly wrote it down with a charcoal pencil.
Under Xu Zhenying's leadership, everyone in the Xu family is accustomed to taking notes with charcoal pens, mainly because it is convenient, quick and does not smudge.
"Also, the intensity for the female soldiers will gradually increase. It doesn't have to be too intense on the first day. According to the previous arrangement, the female soldiers will drill in the morning and study in the afternoon, while the male soldiers will do the opposite. Yongkang will be in charge of the drills, while Ningmo will be responsible for lecturing the soldiers. They'll alternate mornings and afternoons, so please bear with me. Alas, why can't I see Ningmo?"
Qian Zhenniang immediately replied, "Fang Ningmo said that Mr. Fang had just returned a few days ago and was not feeling well, so..."
Qian Zhenniang was not used to calling Fang Ningmo by his name, but Xu Zhenying had requested that when discussing matters, she should either refer to his title or call him by his name. After doing this a few times, she seemed to have gradually gotten used to it.
"Ah." Xu Zhenying seemed to be lost in thought, but he quickly put Fang Ningmo out of his mind. "Zhenniang, I asked you to contact the carpenters in the city to make some training equipment. How are things going now?"
Qian Zhenniang was called upon and immediately replied, "City Lord, the parallel bars, physical training equipment, obstacle course equipment, and high and low crawling nets you requested are already being made by the carpenters. They're just following a blueprint, so it'll take time. They should be finished in about three days."
"Okay. Where's our makeshift mess hall?"
"We'll just set up a tent and hire a dozen women who know how to cook. We'll serve two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. Manager Miao is in charge of the procurement herself. She's currently giving emergency training to the people who will be starting work tomorrow at the cafeteria."
Qian Zhenniang also learned to be smart imperceptibly. These days, she was extremely alert and kept an eye on Xu Yinxi's work. Combined with Feng'er's advice, Qian Zhenniang also slowly learned how to handle government affairs with ease.
After two days of getting used to each other, Qian Zhenniang gradually figured out Xu Zhenying's style of doing things.
To work for Xu Zhenying, one must first be diligent, quick-witted, observant, and have strong execution abilities.
The word "strong execution" was taught to her by Feng'er, which means that she must remember and implement every subtle point mentioned by Xu Zhenying.
Especially when Xu Zhenying asked about something, she had to explain clearly the current progress, whether there were any problems, how to solve them, and when to solve them.
Therefore, before Xu Zhenying could ask, Qian Zhenniang had already taken out the wooden dinner plate from behind her and calmly handed it to Xu Zhenying on the long table. "I've asked the carpenter to make the dinner plate you mentioned earlier. Please take a look at the result."
Looking at the familiar plate, Xu Zhenying was in a trance and returned to the scene of eating in the cafeteria when he was studying for his doctorate.
The only difference is that one is made of stainless steel and the other is made of wood.
Xu Zhenying took it in his hand and examined it carefully. "Not bad, let's do it according to this. Let's make a thousand first. Our county government will need them later."
"Okay, then I'll urge the carpenter to hurry up."
Xu Yinxi behind him looked at Qian Zhenniang with admiration.
Lian Feng'er also secretly gave Qian Zhenniang a thumbs up.
Qian Zhenniang's face turned slightly red and she retreated calmly.
"The rest of the work is almost done. The only thing we need to worry about is the training content and daily management. Jiang Yongkang, go all out on this matter, and report back to me regularly. Remember, I want more than just soldiers; I want a team of talented generals who are both civil and military. These people may go on to serve in the military, politics, or even the civil service, but they all need to lay a solid foundation now. You must not let your guard down."
Jiang Yongkang looked at Xu Zhenying and seemed to suddenly understand the profound meaning in her eyes.
If he guessed correctly, Xu Zhenying really had that plan.
If that is true, Lan County will be their first city, and this first batch of soldiers will be particularly important.
Jiang Yongkang tacitly cupped his hands and promised solemnly: "Don't worry, City Lord."
Early the next morning, both teams began training.
At the same time, the entire Lan County was alarmed.
It was still dark when the girls were woken up by the instructor. While they were still fast asleep, they were asked to run around the city wall.
This circle is five kilometers.
Yesterday's beautiful atmosphere was broken in an instant.
The girls wailed, but still crawled out of their warm beds.
So the people of Lan County saw this beautiful scenery for the first time.
As soon as the cock crowed once, the sound of uniform footsteps was heard from inside the city, and the girls shouted slogans such as "one, two, three, four".
This scene, which is rarely seen in a century, naturally aroused everyone's curiosity.
Countless people wrapped themselves in outer clothes, opened their doors, stretched their necks, and pointed at the female soldiers who were leaving.
"Oh, this is the first time I've seen a girl practicing in my old age."
"These kids are so tired. They have to get up before dawn."
"This is all the fault of that mountain king!"
"These girls look so skinny they look like they could be blown down by a gust of wind. They still want to train? They'd better not cry later!"
"How could the girls endure this? Leading into battle has always been a man's job. I don't know what that bandit was thinking, insisting on dragging women through training. It's simply a joke!"
When the girls arrived at the training ground one after another, they were all exhausted. Some of them sat down on the ground, some were too tired to stand, and some had red faces and tears in their eyes. The instructors kept whipping the ground with whips, shouting at those who sat down, and forcing everyone to stand up.
Several girls have already started crying and complaining.
Because they were afraid of Xu Zhenying's ruthless methods of killing the Chen family, the girls dared not speak out and just held back their anger.
"Stand up straight, stand up straight!" Feng'er, wearing long clothes and trousers, with her hair tied up high, looked very cheerful. "Don't be crooked. You are not ordinary girls now. You are female soldiers now! If you are a soldier, you should act like a soldier. Stand up straight!"
The girls recognized Feng'er as someone close to the mountain king, and she had been training with them. When they saw that the people from the Xu family were at the front of the team, their anger subsided a little.
There were not many female soldiers who signed up, and including some people from the Xu family, the entire team had about a hundred people.
At this moment everyone stood in a square.
The wind blew past, making people's faces hurt.
At this moment, everyone saw a thin figure walking out from the front of the team, followed by Feng'er and several people from the Xu family.
Wang Sanniang took a closer look and gasped in shock. She quickly said to the girls around her, "Look...that person looks like the king!"
Most of the girls had not received formal training and did not look like soldiers at all. When they saw something strange, they all stuck their heads out to look, and the team immediately dispersed.
City Lord, why is he in the team?
Could it be that he was practicing with us just now?
Jiang Yongkang frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with the training results. Xu Zhenying beside him smiled and said, "Don't worry, Yongkang. It's the first day. Everything needs to be done step by step. Give the girls some time."
Everyone watched as Xu Zhenying walked up to the high platform of the training ground. The girls looked over curiously, as if they wanted to see what the legendary mountain king looked like.
Some people looked frightened and hid backwards.
"Pa pa pa!" Xu Zhenying clapped his hands. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. The scene was as quiet as a grave for a moment.
Then everyone saw Feng'er take out a trumpet-shaped iron box and hand it to Xu Zhenying. Xu Zhenying raised the object to his mouth, and the sound instantly came from far away, as if it was right next to his ear.
Everyone felt it was magical in an instant.
"Everyone, I am Xu Zhenying, and I am also the mayor of Lan County."
The brave girls looked up at Xu Zhenying, only to find that he was the same height as them, with a childish look on his face, very fair skin, and a smile on his face when he spoke. He looked very friendly.
The girls really couldn't connect this smiling man with the executioner who killed all the Chen family members that day.
This city lord... looks very friendly.
And the girls blushed.
The city lord's voice was also very pleasant and sounded very refined, like that of a scholar.
"Please stand still and listen carefully to every word I say next."
Since Xu Zhenying had spoken, the girls symbolically moved their bodies and tried to stand up straight.
"I know most of you were forced to come here. You didn't want to come. If it weren't for these five acres of land, you might never have had any contact with military service in your life. You blame me, hate me, and are angry with me in your hearts. I understand all this."
Some girls' eyes suddenly turned red.
Some glared at Xu Zhenying on the stage with anger on their faces.
Some still kept their heads down.
"I encountered many obstacles in establishing a female army. Not only you, but also my subordinates and the people of Lan County were not optimistic about the formation of a female army. But why did I insist on pushing forward this matter despite all the opposition?"
"Some girls might say that charging into battle is a man's job and none of your business. Girls just need to take care of the affairs of the harem and take good care of their husbands and children. Well, then I want to ask you today——"
"Since you say charging into battle is a man's job, then let me ask you, whose job is it to pass the imperial examination? Whose job is it to be granted a title of nobility or appointed as prime minister? Whose job is it to bring honor to the family?"
The people below didn't understand what he meant and there was complete silence.
"That's right, it's all men's business. What do women do? All they do is dress up beautifully, sit at home, and wait for a husband they've never met and whose temperament they don't know, then commit their whole lives to a stranger. Whether you live a good life or not depends entirely on God's will. That's what you call fate! But men, as long as they have talent, temperament, and family background, they can firmly control their own destiny. They only need to work a little hard to achieve achievements that you will never be able to achieve in your entire life. Have you ever asked why? What is the basis for it?"
The girls who were chattering just now were all silent now.
Some of them asked themselves, yes, why, on what basis.
"Some of you might say it's because they're men! Men are strong, can farm, carry on the family line, and bring honor to the family! Then I want to ask again, who said these words?!"
A girl replied weakly: "But everyone in the world says so—"
"Yes, men farming and women weaving is the moral code, and it has been like this since ancient times."
Xu Zhenying pressed the speaker close to the speaker and spoke word by word, "Then let me ask you one more question. Has it been like this since ancient times? Is that right?"
"Are you exhausted today? Let me tell you, the training ahead will be even harder and more tiring! These past few days are just a gradual progression. In a few days, your training load will be the same as that of the male soldiers!"
The girls below burst into laughter and began to talk.
Xu Zhenying continued, "I just asked two questions: one is why, and the other is on what basis. First, to answer the question of why, it's because you have already decided that you are inferior to men, and you accept this fact very calmly. You tell yourself with a clear conscience that you are simply inferior to men. You can't do the things men do, and it's useless to do them. So why do them? As a result, you are even more afraid to move forward, to break through. Am I right?!"
The girl below gnashed her teeth and stared at Xu Zhenying viciously.
One girl looked enlightened and seemed to be thinking seriously about what Xu Zhenying said.
"As for the second question, why? I also want to ask, why does this world have two sets of standards for men and women? Men can have three wives and four concubines, but women must be faithful to one man; men can have affairs, but women who ask about marriage are labeled fickle; the world expects men to achieve great things, but only expects women to be docile and obedient. Can anyone tell me, what's the point of being obedient?"
Wang Sanniang's face turned pale upon hearing this. Her mind seemed to be about to explode. She asked loudly and recklessly, "You sound nice, City Lord. We girls are weak and have no ability to make a living. We have no money and no talent. What else can we do except listen to our father and brothers and earn a place to stay?"
It was a rare sight for Gu Guihua and Liu Pan'er to stand on the same side. They felt an unprecedented insult and spoke up for themselves with blushing faces: "Sanniang is right! The world is like this, what can we do?"
Zhang Wanjun said, "The City Lord is wrong. My father has no sons, so I am the son of the family. I do all the heavy work at home. I'm incredibly strong, as strong as any man! I can do anything a man can do, but because I'm a girl, they don't want me at the docks, in the military camp, or even as a handyman in the restaurant. I have all the strength, but I can only die of starvation and thirst at home!"
"You also feel it's unfair, right?" Xu Zhenying's eyes flashed darkly. She spoke very slowly, enough for the more than one hundred people present to hear clearly. "Some of you are as talented as your fathers and brothers, some can write and calculate, and some are skilled in martial arts. But just because you are women, you have to hide your incompetence your whole lives, and be looked down upon your whole lives. You want to show off your talents, but they say that women's virtue lies in their lack of talent. You want to show off your martial arts skills, but they say that women's beauty lies in their weakness. You can write and calculate and want to do business, but they say that you are showing off and are not observing women's virtues. Ultimately, men in this world want you to be stupid, obedient, and docile. Why? Because they are afraid!"
Xu Zhenying's words made not only the one hundred soldiers, but even Feng'er, Xu Yinxi, Qian Zhenniang, Lian and others who followed behind her have their hearts pounding.
Someone immediately asked, "What are they afraid of?"
Xu Zhenying smiled faintly and said firmly, "They are afraid of you. Because they know you have the most tenacious character, the strongest endurance, the most intelligent mind, and the most lasting perseverance. They are afraid that if they give you the slightest chance, you will overwhelm them!"
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