On the Gengyin day of the tenth month in the winter of the fifth year of Xuanhe, the camp of the first army of the right wing of the Tianwu Army.
In the largest barracks of the First Army, all officers gathered together, including the commanders and deputy commanders of each battalion, as well as the heads and deputy heads of each city under their jurisdiction.
This was probably the first gathering of all the major officers of the First Army since its establishment.
They received the official notice yesterday. The notice was very strict. Anyone who failed to show up without reason would be dismissed from his post and expelled from the First Army.
The officers did not dare to slack off at all and arrived at the barracks early.
At the entrance of the military camp, the soldiers standing guard were dressed in military uniforms and had serious expressions.
Inside the military camp, there were also soldiers standing guard at the door of the barracks where the meeting was held.
Every officer felt the tense atmosphere and became uneasy. When they entered the barracks, they just nodded to each other as a greeting.
People say that a new official starts with three major changes. Since Zhang Shixun took on the position of deputy commander-in-chief, there has been no movement. Unexpectedly, after so many days, such a thing suddenly happened.
After the officers sat down, they saw that the commander had not arrived yet, so they began to whisper to each other, trying to find out the purpose of calling the meeting today, but everyone looked confused.
The new commander left a good impression on them. In the first few days after he arrived, he wandered around the barracks with a smile on his face all day long. He greeted everyone, whether officers or soldiers, and regardless of whether he knew them or not. He looked harmless.
Ba Jin'er whispered to Hei Bie, "Do you know what the commander is going to do?"
"I asked Gao Yanei a few days ago, but he didn't know anything."
"The new commander is in office. We two brothers should be more discerning and not make any mistakes at this crossroads."
"Do I need to tell you that?"
Ba Jin whispered again, "See? There are two unfamiliar faces in the front row. I don't know where they came from. Do you recognize them?"
Black Turtle looked at the two men and shook his head: "I don't know them. They look very unfamiliar."
Bajin'er murmured to himself: "Looking at this situation, it's clear that something big is happening." "I feel the same," Heibie agreed.
Suddenly, a soldier at the door shouted, "Zhang Shixun, deputy commander of the First Army, has arrived."
All the officers in the barracks stood up at the same time. Some of them knocked over the stools behind them because of nervousness.
Zhang Shixun was dressed neatly in a red military uniform, followed by Gao Yanei, who was also dressed in a red military uniform.
He walked straight to the front and glanced at the officers with a cold look.
Without exception, all the officers whose eyes were swept by him felt inexplicably nervous.
"Clerk, roll call!"
Zhang Shixun specifically asked Gao Qiu for a secretary. In the entire Tianwu Army, there was not a single person who could read and punctuate. He had no choice but to ask Gao Qiu for one.
"First Commander, Commander Li Fu."
"Coming!" a lazy voice agreed.
"Second in command, Commander Lu Wan."
"I'm here." The answer was equally lazy.
These two men were newly transferred, and all the officers looked at them.
"The third commander is Commander Zhang Bajin."
"Here!" Zhang Bajin shouted.
"The fourth commander is Commander Hao Twelve."
"I'm here too." Black Turtle replied in a rough voice.
…
The clerk held the list in his hand and read it out.
No one who was called stood up, and their answers were all kinds of strange.
Zhang Shixun sat there expressionlessly, waiting for the clerk to finish calling the roll before he spoke: "I called everyone here today to tell you: From today on, your good days are over..."
Are the good times over?
What are you talking about?
The officers looked at each other in confusion.
"...You must be wondering why I said that. Well, I won't waste my words on you. I'll take out the heavenly book and show it to you first."
Before he could finish his words, a buzzing sound suddenly rang out in the room.
"Did I hear correctly? The military commander was talking about the Book of Heaven."
"Wow! Is there really a heavenly book?"
"The military commander is not lying to us, is he?"
…
Gao Yanei knocked on the table and said, "You bastards! Be quiet! The commander is talking, and no one is allowed to whisper. Listen carefully to me."
Zhang Shixun took out his PDA and started playing videos for them.
The officers stared at the so-called "Heavenly Book". Some of them knelt down just as they started reading. Others did not dare to sit and knelt down as well. The sound of stools falling could be heard one after another.
They all stared intently, not daring to breathe, their eyes filled with horror and fear.
After they finished reading, Zhang Shixun said, "Many people have already read the Heavenly Book, and the emperor is the first to do so."
He casually placed his PDA on the table and said in a heavy tone, "The reason I let you read the heavenly book is to let you know that a storm is coming and a huge disaster will befall us."
The room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"If we don't cheer up, a catastrophe will be waiting for us, and everyone here, including their families, will be unable to escape."
At this point, Zhang Shixun suddenly stopped, looked at everyone with his piercing eyes, and said after a while: "Starting tomorrow, the First Army will begin training!"
"Master, we...we are officers."
A voice from below asked timidly.
"Bullshit! With your behavior, you still dare to call yourselves officers?" Zhang Shixun's tone turned cold. "Just look at each other. You all have greasy hair and powdered faces, look listless, and you don't know how to stand or sit properly. How can you be an officer?"
There was silence, and the officers did not dare to speak.
"Take off those uniforms you're wearing and throw them away!" Zhang Shixun pointed at Li Fu and Lu Wan. "You're so smart to think of embroidering on your uniforms! That's something only women would do... Oh! And you're even baring your chests, exposing your arms, as if you're afraid others won't see the tattoos on your chests. Is that right?"
Li Fu and Lu Wan looked at each other, then looked at Zhang Shixun together.
"Military commander, we were all transferred from the imperial guards. Among the guards, many people have flowers embroidered on their uniforms, not just the two of us." Li Fu defended himself.
"Since you've arrived at the First Army, you must follow its rules." Zhang Shixun stood up and said sternly, "From now on, everyone in the First Army must wear the official uniforms issued by the court. Embroidery is prohibited on uniforms."
“Here!”
The officers then stood up and answered with their hands folded.
"Tomorrow at 11:00 AM, all officers will gather at the military camp drill ground. Those who fail to show up without reason will be dealt with according to military law. Meeting adjourned!" After saying this, Zhang Shixun stepped out of the barracks.
Gao Yanei followed behind, and when he reached the door, he turned back and said to the officers present: "You must not be careless. The military commander is serious. He is the Heavenly Master. Don't say I didn't warn you."
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