Chapter 116 Establishing Authority
Lin Changning and the three commanders helped Qi Rong move his things into an empty tent. After arranging the things, they poured themselves some tea. Lin Changning was the first to burst into laughter: "Just thinking about this new commander being alone in an empty tent makes me want to laugh, hahahaha."
Old Ma laughed too: "How come this new commander is so greedy? Look at him, he can't take his eyes off the good stuff on the commander's table."
Old Zhou finished laughing, then sighed, "Who can argue with that? But with such a greedy commander at the top, things will get complicated in the future..."
Qi Rong also sighed: "Fortunately, it's just a demotion, and he's still in Daxing. Being greedy is fine. It's not that we're afraid of having problems, it's that we're afraid of not having problems. If there are no problems, it's hard to find a reason to bring someone down."
Lin Changning also sighed, "This commander doesn't seem like a kind person. We're afraid we won't have an easy time in the next few days."
Qi Rong was silent for a moment before looking at the group: "You shouldn't have helped me just now."
Old Ma didn't speak, Old Zhang didn't say anything either, and Old Zhou muttered in a low voice, "I can't stand it."
The group drank their water without answering Qi Rong. They knew that helping the commander would likely lead to retaliation, but the commander was here for not only merit but also hard work and outstanding achievements. He led them in protecting the peace of the region, and such a person should not be insulted by a despicable person. The talk of moving the tents was just a way for him to establish his authority by taking advantage of the commander. Besides, the decorations and furniture in the tents were quite valuable, and he wanted to keep them for himself. He made it sound noble, but wasn't he just afraid that someone would overstep his bounds and make it difficult to control Daxing?
Lin Changning understood, and the others naturally understood as well. Qi Rong downed his tea in one gulp and looked at the others: "In the future, don't come here to me unless it's absolutely necessary. I am the heir apparent, and he wouldn't dare to do anything to me, but you are different."
Lin Changning stared at Qi Rong's seemingly sincere face and explained, "Commander, regardless of whether we have any dealings with you or not, today's matter is settled. The man surnamed Zhang is a despicable person, as you should be able to see. Even if we don't take sides, he might not let us off the hook."
Qi Rong looked at Lin Changning seriously for a while, then looked at the remaining people staring at him: "Is that what you all think?"
Commander Ma nodded hesitantly and said, "Yes, Commander. Apart from Changping, we've all been with you for a long time. Even if we really submit to that Zhang guy, he might not let us go."
Old Zhou stood up and drank the tea in one gulp: "It's time to go. Let's take it one step at a time. At least for now, the Zhang guy can't do anything to us."
After saying this, the group stood up and prepared to go back. Today, they had emptied the camp, which meant they had truly offended the newcomer Zhang Bo. They couldn't afford to give anyone any excuses in other matters.
The five men walked together back to their tent. Halfway there, they saw Zhang Bo's personal guards carrying dusty furniture and belongings from the warehouse, one by one, into the tent.
When they entered, Zhang Bo's beautiful maid, whom he had brought in from who-knows-where, had already tidied up the tent to a near-perfect state. She was now sitting at the head of the table, embracing her delicate maid and whispering sweet nothings to each other, completely disregarding the gazes of the soldiers around them.
Qi Rong frowned, his face grim: "Commander, women are not allowed to be brought into the garrison!"
Zhang Bo sneered and pushed the woman out of his arms: "Prince Qi? You still think you're in charge? Come, come, tell me, who's the boss in this garrison now! You dare to boss me around? Who gave you that right?"
Old Zhang had a fiery temper. He clenched his fists tightly, and the veins on his forehead bulged. Qi Rong had saved his life from the battlefield, and he couldn't stand anyone insulting Qi Rong. Hearing this, he almost couldn't suppress his anger.
Lin Changning noticed Zhang Qianhu's unusual behavior, and then looked at Qi Rong, whose expression remained unchanged as he quietly watched Zhang Bo. Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed Zhang's arm, pressing him down.
"Don't be impulsive, Lao Zhang."
After pressing down Commander Zhang, Qi Rong looked at Zhang Bo for a while and then cupped his hands in greeting: "Naturally, Commander Zhang is currently the highest-ranking officer."
Zhang Bo snorted coldly: "Good that you know. Times have changed. You really think you're something special. Hmph, if there's nothing else, go and lead your men to do the drills. You few, go with them. I've heard that Daxing is united, even training Prince Qi like a common soldier. I'll take this opportunity to see for myself. Go ahead. I'll be patrolling tonight. Don't disband without my orders!"
The five men responded in unison, and then lined up to leave the tent, leading their men to the training ground for a large-scale drill.
Actually, today wasn't a day for a major drill. The man surnamed Zhang was just giving them a warning. Fortunately, the group was in good physical condition and they usually practiced with the drills, so this wasn't too difficult.
The sky was already bright, and thousands of soldiers quickly assembled at the drill ground. Many people were still confused about what was going on today, but Daxing had always been known for its strict military discipline. Once the order came, the assembly was completed quickly. The huge Daxing banner fluttered in the cold wind, and beneath the banner were the garrison soldiers who had assembled and were neatly arranged in square formations.
"Boom boom boom!" The war drums resounded in the cold wind, their sound penetrating the city of Daxing. Ma Yanyan, who was making pastries, suddenly looked up: "Why is there such a large-scale military exercise today?"
Madam Liu also came out of the shop and looked in the direction of the garrison: "Why is everyone so busy at the end of the year?"
Many families also found it strange that their sons and children were taken away early in the morning during the Lunar New Year, and this time a large-scale exercise was started, which was not the case in previous years, so they couldn't help but be a little surprised.
The flag officer spurred his horse forward, waved the flag, and loudly commanded, "Drill!"
"First Guard, step forward!" In the front row, a group of guards stared wide-eyed at the five men holding swords lined up at the very front. One soldier rubbed his eyes and asked, "Am I seeing things? Why are the commander and the four commanders coming down?"
Another person shushed, "Keep your voice down, the higher-ups have changed people, practice your speaking properly."
The five men, leading their formation, responded with a shout and then moved in perfect unison: "Kill!"
The waist sabers were brandished, their blades gleaming, and with a single strike, a great whistling sound was heard as the flag officer commanded the resumption of archery, horsemanship, and infantry combat drills.
The cavalrymen rode their warhorses back and forth, while Lin Changning led his men in archery practice, their arrows hitting the bullseye almost every time. The infantry formed battle formations, with spears in front and sabers and wolf-tooth rakes behind, their movements coordinated, varied, and their battle cries rising and falling.
The training lasted until noon, and almost all the soldiers were covered in sweat. However, since the man surnamed Zhang did not give any orders, no one dared to leave first. Lin Changning and the other three were all covered in sweat, and by noon, everyone's stomachs were growling with hunger.
Lin Changning brandished his waist knife, not daring to relax, while Old Zhou beside him was panting heavily: "Damn it, it's already noon, it's time to eat, we can't let everyone train on an empty stomach!"
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