The soldier who fired the shot removed his blindfold, looked at his comrade who was covering his head, and looked apologetic.
"Brother, I'm sorry, I..."
"It's nothing, I was just too timid."
The soldier, who was covering his head, gave an awkward laugh.
Once there's a first, there's a second, a third...
More and more soldiers put on blindfolds and raised their muskets.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Gunshots rang out one after another, and the smell of gunpowder filled the training ground.
Lu Yan looked at the soldiers, a barely perceptible smile appearing on his lips.
He knew that this army was gradually becoming what he wanted it to be.
At night, a group of dark figures moved about on the city wall of Shannan County, like ghosts.
Lu Yan stood on the crenellations of the city wall, pointing to the area below, his tone tinged with a hint of mockery:
"Watch closely, everyone. This is called scaling walls and roofs, not petty theft!"
"Climb up, then climb down, be quick, and look cool, understand?"
The soldiers looked at each other in disbelief; the city wall was more than ten meters high.
It's completely bare, there's not even a place to step, how can I climb up like this?
"My lord, this...this is too high!"
Zhang Xun swallowed hard; his legs felt a little weak.
Lu Yan glared at him, "What? Scared? Back in my day, I was in Lanxiang..."
He managed to stop the car in time.
"Back in the day, I was a master at scaling walls and breaking into houses!"
"Cheer up, all of you! If you can't even climb a wall, how are you going to fight on the battlefield?"
As Lu Yan spoke, he leaped up the city wall with the agility of a cat, reaching the top in just a few bounds.
Then he slid down at the same speed, his movements fluid and graceful, leaving the soldiers dumbfounded.
"See? It's that simple! Everyone, start practicing!"
Lu Yan pointed to the city wall, his tone leaving no room for argument.
The soldiers had no choice but to grit their teeth and climb upwards.
For a time, the city walls were filled with howls and screams, and all sorts of wrestling and cursing sounds could be heard.
Ouch! My butt!
"Who the hell stepped on my hand?!"
"I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to fall!"
Standing beneath the city wall, Lu Yan looked at the clumsy soldiers and couldn't help but laugh and scold them:
"A bunch of useless trash! They can't even climb a wall, and they dare to call themselves soldiers!"
"Give it your all, or you won't get dinner tonight!"
Under Lu Yan's "coercion and enticement," the soldiers finally managed to climb the city wall, panting heavily and collapsing to the ground.
The wailing from the city wall continued until late at night before gradually subsiding.
The soldiers collapsed to the ground, like piles of mud, too weak to even move.
Looking at their pathetic state, Lu Yan felt both annoyed and amused.
"Alright, stop pretending to be dead! Go back to sleep! We'll continue tomorrow morning!"
Lu Yan cursed and swore as he descended the city wall, leaving behind a group of soldiers who were filled with despair.
The next day, Lu Yan began his "devil training" as usual.
During the day, they practiced marching and shooting; at night, they practiced climbing walls.
The soldiers complained bitterly, but dared not disobey Lu Yan's orders, so they could only grit their teeth and persevere.
Although Lu Yan's training methods were unconventional, they were very effective.
In just half a month, this originally undisciplined team became disciplined and its combat effectiveness greatly improved.
In particular, that special forces team underwent a complete transformation, becoming a sharp weapon in Lu Yan's hands.
Meanwhile, in Qingshui County, not far away...
The magistrate was reclining in his armchair, listening to his advisor's report.
"My lord, look, what is Lord Lu of Shannan County up to now?"
"In the middle of the night, they led a group of people to climb up and down the city wall, weren't they afraid of disturbing the people?"
The advisor waved his feather fan, looking puzzled.
The magistrate of Qingshui County was named Zhao Dezhu, a fat, bloated fellow.
He narrowed his eyes and gave a cold snort.
"Disturbing the peace? I think he's plotting something! Practicing climbing walls in the middle of the night is clearly a rebellion!"
"You must immediately write a memorial to the court, reporting this matter to the imperial court, stating that Lu Yan, the magistrate of Shannan County, has privately trained an army with the intention of plotting a rebellion!"
"Yes, Your Excellency is absolutely right!"
The advisor quickly agreed, secretly delighted, for this was a perfect opportunity to flatter him.
He rolled his eyes and added fuel to the fire.
"My lord, this Lu Yan not only trains troops without permission, but also amasses wealth and oppresses the people. He's practically a local tyrant! I've heard that he also forcibly abducts women and commits all sorts of evil deeds!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Dezhu immediately perked up.
"Oh? Is that so? This Lu Yan is incredibly audacious! It seems we need to teach him a lesson, or he won't know who we're dealing with!"
Thus, a embellished memorial was sent to the capital.
The next day, Lu Yan was boasting to the newly recruited musketeer battalion soldiers about how he used to be able to hit a bullseye from a hundred paces away.
A carrier pigeon fluttered down and landed on his shoulder.
He casually untied the small bamboo tube tied to the pigeon's leg and pulled out the slip of paper inside.
Upon unfolding it, several large characters were written on it in a crooked and messy manner:
"Zhao Dezhu of Qingshui County is impeaching you for treason!"
Lu Yan froze for a second, then burst into laughter like a 200-pound child:
"Treason? Reporting me?! Has that old bastard Zhao Dezhu taken expired brain-dead pills?"
"He should take a piss and look at his own shoehorn-shaped face!"
The surrounding soldiers looked at each other, puzzled.
Lu Fei asked cautiously:
"Sir, what has happened?"
Lu Yan handed the note to Lu Fei, saying with a disdainful look:
"Look at that! That idiot from Qingshui County actually said I was going to rebel! Hahaha, that's hilarious!"
"With his meager skills, he thinks he can outmaneuver Dad? While Dad was pulling out all the tricks and schemes, he was still eating dirt and playing in the mud!"
Zhang Xun and Han Sheng also came over to look at the note, and they found it unbelievable as well.
Han Sheng scratched his head and said in a simple and honest manner:
"Sir, has Zhao Dezhu lost his mind? Our Shannan County is now militarily strong and prosperous, what would he gain from rebelling?"
Lu Yan let out a cold laugh:
"What's the point? He's just jealous that I'm blocking his path to wealth!"
"If I cut off his slush fund, he'd practically wish I were dead and cremated on the spot, a complete package deal."
"Pshaw! That little guy? I could bury him in the ground with one finger and he wouldn't be able to be dug out!"
He paused, his eyes darting around, an idea forming in his mind, and a wicked smile curled at the corner of his lips:
"Since Zhao Dezhu wants to play, then I'll play along with him!"
"Lu Fei, pass down the order: tonight, all soldiers, change into civilian clothes and come with me to Qingshui County! We're going to deliver a 'big gift' to Zhao Dezhu!"
Lu Yan was rubbing his hands together, preparing for a "night raid" on Qingshui County.
Unbeknownst to her, on the other side, a memorial with the same content was also delivered to Chen Qingwan.
Chen Qingwan held the memorial in her hand, her delicate eyebrows furrowed into a knot.
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