"Yanei, you worry too much. If she is my destined one, she will not be able to escape. If not, she will still run away no matter how hard I try."
"You look so confident, as if you've already secured victory." Gao Yanei said sourly, "I, Gao Yanei, am also a well-known figure in the capital, but I have never had a meal with a beauty like her."
"You are you, I am me, there is no comparison between us."
Gao Yanei snorted, "What do you mean by that? Am I not as good-looking as you? Is my family background not as prominent as yours?"
"Things between men and women are very subtle. It's all about feelings and personal charm, or what's commonly known as 'eye-to-eye'. It has little to do with status. If you think a woman doesn't like you, look for the faults in yourself."
"Are you saying that there's something wrong with me and I'm not attractive?" Gao Yanei asked, pointing at the tip of his nose.
"I didn't say anything. I just answered your question. As for whether you have any problem, you can judge for yourself."
Gao Yanei tilted his head and thought for a long time, then said, "Thinking carefully, apart from your looks, you seem to be better than me in every aspect..."
Zhang Shixun curled his lips slightly and thought to himself: You have a pumpkin-like face that even pigs don't want to gnaw on, and "besides your looks".
Gao Yanei said, "You are good at martial arts, you can play the piano, and you can cook... Hey! It seems that you are not much better than me."
Zhang Shixun patted his shoulder and said, "Young Master, work hard and learn these things. Then you will have many women chasing after you."
"Okay! Starting tomorrow, I will begin practicing martial arts."
"Speaking of martial arts training, let me talk to you about serious matters." Zhang Shixun's expression became serious.
"The serious matter you're talking about is the military training, right? My father asked me to train with you. I came to you just to ask what your rules are."
"There are so many rules, I'm afraid you can't handle it." Zhang Shixun really didn't have any confidence in this guy.
"It's just military training, it's just a matter of paying more attention, what's so unbearable?"
"Yanei, you think it's too simple. Military training is very hard. Don't think that military training is just about drilling soldiers."
"Isn't military training just about training the soldiers? Do we officers have to train with the soldiers?"
Zhang Shixun said, "You're absolutely right. We must train with the soldiers and share the joys and sorrows."
"How do you share the joys and sorrows? Please tell me in detail." Gao Yanei's heart began to beat.
"Eating together, getting up together, doing drills together, training together, practicing martial arts together... this is what it means to share weal and woe." Zhang Shixun said, counting on his fingers.
"Ah!" Gao Yanei jumped up immediately. "Brother, did a donkey kick your head? The Song Dynasty has a million-strong army, and I've never heard that officers also have to train with the soldiers."
"When it comes to me, officers and soldiers are treated equally."
"You don't even know what military training is. Let me tell you, so-called military training is just drilling soldiers."
"That's why the Song army is so weak." Zhang Shixun said with a stern face, "Young Master, since we've come to this point today, I'll tell you why the Song army is so weak."
"Okay! Go ahead and talk, I'm listening."
"Although the Song Dynasty's fiscal revenue far exceeded that of the previous dynasty, much of it was used to support officials and soldiers. Due to the rapid growth of the military and the officials' embezzlement, military funds were always insufficient. The court was helpless and came up with a bad idea - allowing the army to engage in commerce. This was an extremely bad idea. Once the business trend took hold, military training was neglected. On weekdays, training was rare or non-existent, and the majority of their work was transporting goods and doing menial tasks. The soldiers' woolen satin weaving became a source of income for the officials... Haha! The lord of the court was very familiar with this, so I won't say more."
Gao Yanei smiled awkwardly. What Zhang Shixun said was the truth and it was irrefutable.
"This poorly equipped army was completely defeated by the Liao army, which was on the verge of collapse. Even against the small northwestern state of Xixia, they suffered repeated defeats. Consequently, the imperial court had to increase its troops, but insufficient funds forced the armies to expand into commerce. As a result, the more troops they had, the weaker the national strength and military power became... a vicious cycle."
"This is the court's business, not ours."
"You're right. This is the court's policy that's wrong. We can't change it, but that doesn't mean we should just sit back and do nothing."
"So, you need to train your troops."
"I want to conduct a pilot program in the First Army, and training soldiers is just one of the steps. Next, I will separate the old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers who are unable to undergo training and set up a separate logistics battalion. This battalion can engage in business and perform miscellaneous tasks."
Gao Yanei's eyes lit up when he heard this: "That's a good idea, I like it...Brother! I'll leave this command to me. Assigning tasks and making money is my specialty."
Zhang Shixun looked at him with a smile and said, "Yanei, even this battalion still needs training, the intensity just isn't as high as that of a regular battalion."
Gao Yanei became frustrated. "Do I have to follow the training?"
"It's a must. Unless you leave the First Army, you will absolutely not be able to escape training. There is no room for negotiation on this point."
"If I don't participate, what can you do to me?" Gao Yanei showed his dandy face and started to act like a rogue.
"If you don't participate, nothing will happen to you. I'll just lock you up in a dark room for a few days. If you don't participate in training after you get out, you'll be beaten out of the First Army. Then you'll be completely free to go wherever you want."
"Brother, given our relationship, can't we be a little flexible?" When Gao Yanei's plan failed, he changed his strategy, began to lower his stance and bargain.
Zhang Shixun looked at him with a smile and said nothing.
Seeing that he refused to compromise, Gao Yanei stamped his feet in anger. "Brother, even if you don't care about the bond between brothers, you should at least give my father some face. If not for the monk's face, for the Buddha's sake, consider that he is the commander-in-chief of the Palace Guards. Please take care of me a little."
"Yanei, if you don't want to train, it's easy. You can ask General Gao to transfer you to other armies." Zhang Shixun still refused to give in.
"But my father won't let me leave the First Army."
Zhang Shixun shrugged. "In that case, I can't do anything about it. As long as we're in the First Army, everyone has to train, including you and me, without exception... Yanei, you're on your own."
"Oh my God!" Gao Yanei held his head and said nothing.
"Young Master, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but being idle all day at such a young age is not a blessing. Look at your big belly, it's almost as big as a pregnant sow. Not only will women dislike you, even your wife would probably be fed up with you."
Gao Yanei raised his head, rolled his eyes at him, and said, "My wife treats me very well, so don't make wild guesses."
"Where's your concubine?"
"My concubine can treat me just fine, but..."
"Just what?"
"My concubine has a bad temper."
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