Lu Tu said loudly, "However, I don't need that many people. I can only choose the elite among you! If you can be like me, you can join my ranks and enjoy the treatment of a regular soldier!"
Liu Yang was asked to find a wooden stick and light it to keep track of time.
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. If they were to follow someone else, let alone a monthly salary of one string of cash, even three strings wouldn't be enough for anyone, since being a border soldier was too tough.
Not only were their food, clothing, and daily necessities cut off, but their lives were not much better than those of ordinary people, let alone as pleasant as working under Lü Tu.
After saying that, Lü Tu began to practice on the newly built facilities. He first sprinted 100 meters at an extremely fast speed, then jumped onto the horizontal bar and did 20 wide-body pull-ups. After getting off the horizontal bar, he did 50 push-ups.
He spun around in place 10 times before picking up his bow and arrow, aiming at the target 50 paces away, and shot it straight to the bullseye!
Last night, the wooden stick in Liu Yang's hand was still a third of its length burned.
The once noisy, empty space fell into a long silence.
No one present expected that Lü Tu would be so fierce! Although they couldn't understand the intricacies of pull-up moves, they could intuitively feel it from Lü Tu's speed.
Especially the arrow shot after the circle was completed, which completely overturned their understanding!
Although they couldn't understand it, they were still deeply shocked.
Looking at the stunned villagers, Lü Tu laughed loudly, "If anyone can complete all the actions I just performed before this stick burns out, I will reward them with 10 catties of millet!"
These words excited everyone present! Everyone eagerly raised their hands: "Boss, I'm willing to give it a try!"
I want to try it too!
"I'm sure I can do it!"
Seeing that they were disorganized and had swarmed around him like a beehive, Lu Tu shouted, "Quiet down, all of you!"
He then reprimanded everyone and said, "From now on, whatever you do, you must be organized and disciplined. If you want to serve under me, you must obey orders! Everyone line up to take the test. Only those who pass the test can join. The soldiers under me can only be elites."
The crowd stopped chattering and, following the previous standards, each found a stick, held it in their hand, and lined up to prepare for the test.
Sun Meng brought a chair for Lü Tu to sit down, and waved his hand, saying, "Go!"
A burly man with a dark face stepped forward from the crowd, cupped his hands in greeting to Lü Tu, and said, "My name is Hu Erniu, I'll make a fool of myself here!"
Lu Tu nodded to signal him to continue. He had some impression of Hu Erniu, who was burly and strong, and was usually hardworking. Lu Tu valued him quite a bit.
It doesn't matter if I can't pass the final hurdle of archery; as long as I pass the physical fitness test, I've already passed.
Hu Erniu easily completed the 100-meter sprint, then jumped up to grab the horizontal bar and began doing pull-ups.
To Lu Tu's surprise, Hu Erniu was not light, but he could actually do 20 pull-ups. His arm strength was really good!
However, after doing all this, Hu Erniu was panting heavily, hands on his hips. Clearly, such high-intensity exercise in such a short period of time had greatly depleted his physical strength.
The subsequent push-ups and archery drills were not difficult for Hu Erniu either; at least the arrows hit the target, although they were a bit far from the bullseye.
Lu Tu knew that the physical test he had set was quite difficult, and that the villagers present had not had enough to eat.
The reason he made it so difficult from the start was to let the villagers know that if they wanted to continue serving under him, they couldn't just do menial work; they had to be truly capable to qualify.
After finishing all this, Hu Erniu was so exhausted that he was supporting himself on his knees with his hands, panting like a bellows. Fortunately, he finished within the allotted time. He looked at Lü Tu with anticipation and asked, "Sir, did I pass?"
Lu Tu nodded: "Hu Erniu, congratulations on officially joining our team!"
Nie Yun cupped his hands in greeting and smiled, "Congratulations, Brother Hu! From now on, we can fight side by side."
Hu Erniu scratched his head and chuckled, "Nie Yun, you're quick-witted. I'll follow you to fight the enemy from now on."
Of the remaining participants, only about 20% were able to pass the test.
Lu Tu didn't give the others who failed a chance to continue. He just told them that they could train with the soldiers anytime, but there would be no food.
If they wanted to earn food, they would voluntarily come out to stand guard and patrol at night. Each person would receive half a pound of food per day. The villagers breathed a sigh of relief. They were willing to accept any amount as long as they could fill their stomachs and get through the cold winter.
Lu Tu set a daily training quota for them. Currently, he has a total of 27 people under his command, including Huo Ting who feeds the horses. They must complete this training every day, or they will not be allowed to eat!
In his previous life, Lü Tu was also familiar with the combat methods of the cold weapon era, whether it was a small-scale battle with a few hundred people or a large-scale battle with tens of thousands of troops.
It's simply a matter of using elite troops to break through the enemy's formation. Only by using your troops to break through the enemy's formation can you achieve victory with minimal casualties.
Whether it was Zhang Wenyuan's 800 elite cavalry outside Shouchun City in his previous life, or Sun Shiwan's 100,000 men.
Whether it was the Battle of Hulao Pass that made General Tian Ce a legend, it almost always used this method.
However, this method puts the commander-in-chief's decision-making ability and personal skills to the test. When fighting against overwhelming odds, only when the commander-in-chief has strong personal charisma and leads the charge will the soldiers behind him follow and fight fearlessly.
Nobody's a fool, especially on the battlefield.
Lu Tu had already designated this place as his temporary base. After dismissing the other villagers, Lu Tu summoned his 27 men and ordered, "From today onwards, you 27 men will be divided into 3 teams!"
"Liu Yang will manage Team One, Nie Yun will manage Team Two, and Sun Meng will manage Team Three. Each team will have nine men and will take turns on night watch. In addition to training in these areas, you will also need to learn horsemanship. Otherwise, you won't know how to ride even more Wuhuan warhorses that you capture in the future."
Everyone clasped their hands in delight and said, "Yes, sir!"
Lu Tu mounted his horse and headed home. During this time, he had been somewhat worried, as the Wuhuan people, who could attack at any moment, hung over his head like a sharp sword.
If Wuchuan were truly united, he wouldn't be so worried. The problem lies in the fact that he already knows Zhou Taishan is colluding with the Wuhuan people.
Moreover, he was not sure if Commandant Yun Tian was involved. The reason he gave such a detailed account was because he planned to go out for a few days.
The main purpose is to investigate the route of Zhou Taishan's trade with the Wuhuan people. The silver obtained from killing enemies is really insufficient, and it is not as satisfying as killing thieves and robbing goods.
As soon as he entered the village, villagers rushed towards him, shouting, "Chief, something terrible has happened! A group of soldiers are here to arrest you!"
"Arrest me? On what grounds are you arresting me?"
"They say you're colluding with bandits, and you're arguing with your wife right now! We're here to call you."
"Dare to touch my wife?" Upon hearing this, Lu Tu's eyebrows shot up, and he urged his horse to hurry home!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
