Cheshi Royal City, Xianbei Camp.
"Thump thump thump!!"
Before dawn, the sound of drums echoed throughout the camp.
"What happened?"
"Where is that drumming coming from? Is it an enemy attack?"
The Xianbei soldiers, still asleep, were suddenly jolted awake and scattered in all directions, searching for their swords and bows. Some even ran out of their tents without wearing clothes.
Fortunately, the Xianbei camps today, like the Han army, have clear personnel records for each camp, which has prevented any situation where the camps were attacked without distinguishing friend from foe.
In the center of the training ground, Li Ru stood beside the war drum, looking at the chaotic state of the camp, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.
Dong Zhuo and the instructors from the Military and Political Affairs Department stood aside with smiles on their faces.
Soon, the deputy general came running over, panting.
"Brother Dong... what are you doing? Training should be done gradually. Why start beating the drums so early? The soldiers haven't even gotten used to it yet!"
The lieutenant, panting, complained to Dong Zhuo, expressing his grievances.
"Take your time?"
Li Ru's face darkened. He stepped forward, looked at his deputy, and said coldly, "How much time do you think you have left to take your time? One year? Five years? Or ten years?"
"Sir... I..."
Li Ru's gloomy expression sent a chill down the spine of the deputy general, and his voice trembled slightly.
As one of He Lian's close aides, he naturally understood Li Ru's position.
To put it bluntly, ever since Tan Shihuai died, He Lian has treated Li Ru almost like a father, obeying his every word, big or small.
With just a word from Li Ru, he could lose his head at any time.
Li Ru pointed to the Xianbei soldiers still in chaos and said coldly, "Immediately issue the order: anyone who cannot assemble at the training ground within an incense stick's time shall strip naked and run three laps around the city!"
"Uh, yes!"
Upon hearing Li Ru's order, the deputy general trembled and hurriedly turned to leave.
Watching his deputy's departing figure, Dong Zhuo stepped forward, frowned, and said, "Wenyou, the training has only just begun. Is it inappropriate for you to be so impatient?"
Li Ru smiled and waved his hand: "It's nothing. These soldiers are already quite remarkable, having traveled thousands of miles from the grasslands to the Western Regions. This kind of training won't break them!"
Furthermore, the Xianbei people possess a tenacity that even the Xiongnu lacked. The sooner we train such an army, the more advantageous it will be for us!
Dong Zhuo nodded, then turned his gaze to the Xianbei soldiers running towards the training ground.
Soon, the deputy general relayed Li Ru's orders.
In an instant, the Xianbei soldiers, who had been looking bewildered, suddenly became focused and all rushed toward the training ground, fearing they would fall behind and be punished.
It's not that they're afraid they won't be able to run, nor are they afraid they'll get cold.
The key point is that at this time, the capital of Cheshi was filled with women.
They also knew that these women would eventually become their wives, and it would be incredibly embarrassing if they saw them running around naked.
Even for the sake of my own face, I absolutely cannot fall behind others.
Soon, all the Xianbei soldiers in the camp arrived at the training ground within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Although the queue was quite chaotic, at least they had managed to gather together.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Wenyou's method of punishment is really good!"
Seeing the Xianbei soldiers who had quickly assembled, Dong Zhuo couldn't help but laugh.
Li Ru chuckled: "I haven't used the better ones yet!"
"Better? I think it's more detrimental."
Upon hearing this, Dong Zhuo's lips twitched, and while he muttered a curse inwardly, he waved to the instructors and advisors behind him.
The instructors and staff officers, carrying the newly compiled roster of the Xianbei army, stepped forward to arrange the formations for them.
After nearly an hour of work, the 15,000 Xianbei soldiers present were divided into 30 small square formations of 500 men each.
Each of these instructors and staff officers was responsible for a team.
Looking at the Xianbei soldiers who were already lined up in neat rows, Dong Zhuo stepped forward and said loudly, "From now on, you must remember your respective units and positions."
When we gather again, anyone who is late or stands in the wrong place will be severely punished, understand?
"Understood!" the Xianbei soldiers replied.
Li Ru glared at him: "Louder!"
"clear!!!"
Seeing Li Ru unleash his power, the Xianbei soldiers immediately raised their voices, and their voices became much more unified.
Seeing this, Li Ru nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Dong Zhuo and said in a deep voice, "Zhongying, it's up to you now!"
Don't worry!
Dong Zhuo grinned and then shouted, "Everyone, run ten laps around the city! Anyone who falls behind will be stripped naked and paraded through the city streets!"
"Well……"
Upon hearing Dong Zhuo's words, everyone was stunned for a moment, and all cast mournful glances at him.
They originally thought that since Dong Zhuo was in charge of the training, they wouldn't be mistreated. How did things turn out like this?
So insidious and ruthless, is this still the same generous and forthright Brother Dong?
Furthermore, we are cavalry, so why are we training to run?
Seeing the soldiers standing there dumbfounded, Dong Zhuo glared and shouted, "What are you all standing there for? Get moving! Anyone who hesitates will be paraded through the streets!"
"yes!!!"
The Xianbei soldiers responded loudly, not daring to think any further. Then, led by their instructors and staff officers, they lined up and ran out of the camp.
Before Dong Zhuo arrived, he had already discussed the training methods with a group of instructors and advisors.
In their view, if they wanted these accustomed to barbarity to accept the training of the Han army more quickly, they had to exhaust them to the point that they could no longer think and could only passively accept it.
"Brothers, now shout the slogan with me. I'll shout one, and you'll repeat it. Understand?"
One of the instructors in front shouted as he ran.
"Understood!!" the Xianbei soldiers replied.
The instructor shouted loudly: "At the beginning of military service, our mission is to defend our homeland!"
Xianbei soldier: "At the beginning of my military service, my mission was to defend our homeland!"
Instructor: "Treat the people kindly, don't rob or take!"
Xianbei soldier: "Treat the people kindly, don't rob or steal!!"
"Unity in belief, invincibility!"
And so, 15,000 Xianbei soldiers, chanting in unison, ran around the capital of Cheshi, shouting a slogan every few steps.
After running for an hour, all the Xianbei soldiers returned to the training ground, panting and exhausted.
"How is the situation?"
Upon seeing the instructors return, Dong Zhuo, who had been waiting at the training ground, inquired about the training results.
The instructor smiled. "Not bad. With constant repetition, the Xianbei soldiers have memorized all those slogans!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, the people in your Military and Political Affairs Department are really something!"
Upon learning that the first training session had yielded initial results, Dong Zhuo couldn't help but marvel.
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