Li Shimin rested in Youzhou for five days.
Firstly, the soldiers had been traveling for two months and had suffered hardships. Secondly, some of them were injured or fell ill along the way and needed to be properly cared for.
At the same time, he also took these few days to carefully examine the troops he had led.
Although he was with these people every day, he was too busy to carefully examine the results of Li Jue's teachings.
Early that morning, Li Shimin walked out of the palace and went to the city wall to inspect the layout of the entire Youzhou barracks.
Upon hearing the news, Li Shiji immediately jogged after him, fearing that His Majesty might find fault with him.
"Your Majesty, do you think my arrangement is acceptable?"
Li Shimin looked at the well-arranged barracks and nodded in satisfaction.
"Acceptable!"
"It's just that this barracks is a bit dirty and messy, which makes it easy for germs to grow..."
"Germ?"
Li Shimin noticed Li Shiji's doubts and immediately began to show off the knowledge he had learned from Sun Simiao.
According to Master Sun, all illnesses are caused by germs.
"But where do germs come from?"
"Outhouses, rainwater drains, ponds, etc..."
"This place is also teeming with snakes, insects, rats, ants, mosquitoes, and the like. When these things come into contact with people, they naturally spread diseases!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shiji immediately displayed a perfectly timed expression of surprise and astonishment.
"Your Majesty is truly a divine being! You even understand the principles behind epidemics!"
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin smiled and waved his hand.
"Not at all... I was just repeating what others had said..."
"You're here just in time! Show me around!"
"promise!"
"Your Majesty, this barracks below the city wall belongs to the Turkic cavalry led by Ashina Duer."
Li Shimin frowned slightly upon hearing this.
"So they're Turks. No wonder the barracks are so messy..."
Upon hearing this, Li Shiji immediately echoed.
"Your Majesty, the barracks were all built according to the imperial court's regulations, without any distinction of rank or status. It's just that these Turks are really a bit outrageous. They live with their livestock and defecate everywhere, which is why the barracks are in such a terrible state."
Upon hearing this, Li Shimin continued walking forward. After walking a hundred paces, he saw that the barracks were no longer as messy as they had been at first.
"Your Majesty, these are the soldiers I brought from Guanzhong!"
"If you ask me, the soldiers of Guanzhong are the best in the world!"
“Look, even though it’s the same barracks, our Guanzhong kids know how to cherish it. No matter how far the outhouse is from the tents, they will use the outhouse, unlike those Turkic barbarians who urinate and defecate anywhere…”
"Moreover, the stables were far from the barracks, and each group assigned dedicated people to take turns serving them, taking very meticulous care of them."
Li Shimin nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this.
This is also why he liked the Guanzhong Army; they were disciplined, knew the rules, and obeyed orders.
However, when the two reached the southern section of the city wall, Li Shimin immediately froze.
He noticed the very neat barracks.
Although the barracks under the city wall looked no different from the ones we had seen before, they were not only clean, but the roads inside were also spotless, without a single leaf in sight.
What's even more impressive is that they actually dug drainage ditches within the camp.
This way, even on rainy days, the campsite can remain clean and dry, unlike other campsites that are muddy and messy.
"This is……"
"These are the Guanzhong troops brought by His Majesty?"
Li Shimin had recognized this army long ago, but he did not expect that just over a month of indoctrination would transform it so completely.
Just as Li Shimin was in a daze, the bell in the camp rang.
One by one, sleepy-eyed soldiers emerged from the barracks, lined up in an orderly fashion, and went to the west wall of the camp to wash their faces and brush their teeth using the bamboo tubes extending from the wall.
This scene completely stunned Li Shiji. Even as a nobleman who was a general, he couldn't guarantee that he could brush his teeth once a day.
However, the 50,000 soldiers His Majesty brought along all of them had to brush their teeth every morning!
This is a wealthy and powerful army!
However, what shocked Li Shiji even more was yet to come.
After brushing their teeth, these people were immediately called away by their respective captains, brigade commanders, and fire chiefs. They then lined up in order and ran around the barracks, chanting strange slogans like "one, two, one, two."
While they were jogging, the cooks lit the stoves and began preparing breakfast.
What intrigued Li Shiji was what kind of food these guys were making, that they could cook it so quickly, with a delicious aroma wafting through the air in no time.
"Your Majesty, these 50,000 men you brought are far too elite..."
Li Shimin was also surprised, but since he had seen some things on the way here, he didn't react as dramatically as Li Shiji.
"Li Shiji, if I were to say that this is all thanks to Li Jue, would you believe me?"
"I……"
"Your humble servant believes!"
"Your Majesty, I have long heard that the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife is a man of extraordinary talent, born with innate knowledge. Seeing him today, I can confirm that he is indeed extraordinary!"
Li Shimin laughed heartily upon hearing this.
"I didn't believe it before, but now I have no choice but to believe it, hahaha!"
"Walk!"
"Accompany me to the barracks and see what the inside of these guys' tents is like!"
"promise!"
While the 50,000 soldiers were running with abandon, Li Shimin led Li Shiji to sneak into their barracks.
Li Shiji was already deeply shocked when he was on the city wall, but when he entered the barracks of these soldiers and saw the neatly folded quilts, which looked like tofu blocks, he was even more astonished.
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