Over the next few days, no news came from Wuchuan Prefecture. Lü Tu guessed that Yun Ao must have made up for the taxes he had underpaid.
Otherwise, given Yun Tian's personality, how could he have tolerated Lü Tu for so many days? He probably would have sent someone over long ago to order Lü Tu to cut off his finger.
After the start of spring, the weather begins to warm up. Although the snow has not yet melted, the vibrant scene of all things thriving is still vivid in our minds.
These past few days, the previous squad of 30 soldiers has been honed to a high level, and it's time to recruit more people to join his ranks.
Lu Tu is now a squad leader with a full complement of 150 men under his command, and there are still 120 vacancies. He plans to select men from among the military slaves.
Firstly, the military slaves were all alone and had no worries about their safety when they risked their lives. Secondly, after the military slaves were freed from slavery, their loyalty to Lü Tu would be somewhat higher.
Lu Tu arrived at the training ground early in the morning and found that the soldiers, led by Nie Yun, were still repeating the training methods that Lu Tu had taught them, and were working on their physical fitness.
Meanwhile, the slaves were also making preparations, some working and others hunting.
Upon seeing Lü Tu arrive, Chai Yong, who was in charge of the hunting team, immediately went to greet him: "Sir, what are your orders?"
Lu Tu glanced at the soldiers in the hunting party and saw that although their complexions were not exactly rosy, they were much better than their previous sallow appearance, which meant they had been stealing food these days.
Lu Tu wouldn't care about these things; he understood the principle that "if the water is too clear, there will be no fish."
"Spring has arrived. Today I'll go hunting with you all to see if you've made any progress."
The crowd's faces lit up with joy: "Yes, ma'am!"
Lu Tu continued with a smile: "You all must perform well today. I plan to select 30 outstanding individuals from among these 200 men to become my soldiers."
Upon hearing this, all the soldiers present were moved to tears, for everyone knew what Lu Tu meant by those words.
Not only could they be freed from slavery, but they could also join Lü Tu's ranks. Given Lü Tu's absolute authority and his never-mistreated subordinates, even being a lowly soldier under him would be safer and more comfortable than being in the border army.
"I will certainly not fail in my mission!"
With a goal comes motivation, especially since only 30 out of 200 people can be promoted. Even though the soldiers were usually good brothers, they now had a competitive relationship and were all eager to try their luck, unwilling to give up this chance to change their fate.
At this moment, a military slave immediately came out to protest: "Sir, I, Li Tao, feel that this selection is unfair!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked and secretly praised the young man for his audacity in daring to contradict Lü Tu.
Lu Tu became interested: "Oh? Tell me how it's unfair."
Li Tao knelt down on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lü Tu, and said, “Sir, Chai Yong and the other members of the hunting team all have bows and arrows, but the selection criteria this time is to go hunting, so it’s unfair to us lumberjacks!”
These words expressed the sentiments of most people present, since the hunting team consisted of only 30 people, and most of them usually did logging and building work.
Lu Tu saw that Li Tao was not old, only in his early twenties. Although he had a stubble beard, his eyes were bright and piercing. Such a person had courage, but still needed to be tempered.
He walked straight up to Li Tao, looked down at him, and said, "Fairness? You're talking to me about fairness?"
"Yes, sir, we have all seen your character. In my heart, you are a hundred times more fair than any other official in Wuchuan Prefecture. I think fairness is very important!"
Lu Tu's voice suddenly rose: "You're right, fairness is indeed very important! But what right do you have to ask me for fairness? When the Wuhuan people cross the Great Wall to slaughter civilians, do you think they'll show mercy if I talk to them about fairness? Do you think the enemy won't cut off my head if I don't have a knife in my hand?"
"Once you're on the battlefield, luck is also a crucial factor. If you think it's unfair to lack luck, then you can be eliminated immediately because you don't deserve to be my soldier!"
The rebuke left Li Tao speechless. Although a sense of humiliation welled up in his heart, he dared not lose his temper. Although Lu Tu's words were harsh, every word made sense.
Lu Tu looked at the other military slaves around him and said loudly, "I know you are not convinced, but you have to keep it to yourself. If you want me to respect you, show me some real skills!"
"Yes!" the 200 slave soldiers shouted in unison, seemingly venting their discontent.
Even Chai Yong and the others felt that Lü Tu's actions were somewhat inappropriate, because they directly caused the other military slaves to become hostile towards them, simply because almost everyone in their hunting team had a bow.
Lu Tu rode ahead on horseback, followed by 200 military slaves trotting behind him, and the group arrived at the outer edge of Ai Ying Mountain.
Lu Tu glanced at the sun, then addressed the crowd: "The deadline is before nightfall. Whoever brings back the most prey will be freed from slavery. But I have one condition: no killing each other is allowed. Anyone who violates this rule will be executed without mercy!"
"Yes, sir!"
"The hunt begins now!"
"Charge!" With a wave of Lu Tu's hand, the 200 slave soldiers, like old bachelors who had been celibate for many years, suddenly saw a naked beauty and their eyes turned red. They rushed into the Eagle Mountain in a hurry.
Among the military slaves, there were also some clever people who carefully considered the requirements that Lu Tu had just mentioned. Only killing each other would be punished, which meant that other methods would have no effect. So, deceiving and cheating were all acceptable?
Sun Meng and Sun Kuang, who were guarding Lü Tu, saw the soldiers rushing into the forest and asked, "Brother, won't many of the soldiers selected this way be people who take shortcuts and try to be clever?"
Lu Tu laughed nonchalantly: "So what if he's clever? It's the law of the jungle: survival of the fittest. Even if he relies on deception, if he can trick the most prey before dark, he's still a talent. And what I need most right now is talent."
"Brother, brilliant!"
Lu Tu shook his head slightly and got down to business: "Shouldn't you all be going to the Commandant's Office to report for duty soon?"
The two were embarrassed after hearing this. Only Lü Tu would make the story of betraying them sound so noble and even take the initiative to remind them to go back and betray them.
Sun Meng cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I plan to go tomorrow."
Lu Tu nodded: "Remember to make our lives sound more affluent."
Sun Meng stared wide-eyed in confusion: "Why, brother? Everyone else is trying to keep their wealth hidden."
Lu Tu gazed into the depths of the mountains and smiled wickedly: "That's someone else. The Commandant already knows my abilities. If I remain unknown and do nothing for a long time, that's what will make him suspicious. He can just pick and choose what to say. You should know your limits."
The two brothers exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in each other's eyes. Lu Tu's magnanimity and composure had once again broadened their understanding of him.
He cupped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes, sir!"
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