Under the old locust tree by the drill ground, a dozen large wooden barrels were lined up, steaming with a rich aroma of food.
The water droplets condensed on the barrel wall glistened in the blazing sun, and when the lid was lifted, a blast of cold air hit you!
"Iced, chilled soy milk, this is supposed to be chilled soy milk!" Wang Gousheng's hands trembled as he held the ceramic bowl, noticing a layer of crushed ice at the bottom. "But in this hot weather, where did the ice come from?"
Chen Yan slapped him on the back of the head: "Look at you, so spineless!"
The instructor kicked the bamboo basket beside his feet. "We believers in the wilderness even use jade bottles to control floods! Haven't you all heard of that? Getting some ice is nothing, we have even better stuff here! And you've definitely never tasted anything like it!"
Several large watermelons with green stripes and black seeds rolled out of the basket, and the blade just touched the rind.
It cracked in two with a snap, and wisps of white steam rose from the red flesh.
"Let's get this straight!" Jiang Dashan shouted, brandishing a melon-cutting knife. "If we don't catch any bandits today, we're only allowed to look, not eat!"
The drill ground was filled with cries of anguish. Several young soldiers beat their chests and stamped their feet in despair: "It's all Zhao Tiezhu's fault for running too fast! We had just reached the gate of the stronghold when he had already tied the bandit leader up like a dumpling!"
Zhao Tiezhu, who was being called out, was enjoying a watermelon when he heard this. He shook his head smugly, watermelon juice dripping onto his leather armor.
"What's the rush?" Chen Yan kicked the shortest guy who was making the most noise. "Black Cloud Stronghold is just an appetizer. Thirty miles to the south is Green Cloud Stronghold, and fifty miles to the west is a bandit stronghold, both hiding fat sheep!"
The soldiers' eyes lit up instantly, and some were already rubbing their hands together in anticipation. In a corner, a thin boy timidly raised his hand: "Instructor, even if I'm not fast, can I still accumulate contribution points?"
"See that pile of targets?" Chen Yan pointed to the west side of the training ground. "Starting tomorrow, we'll add an archery test. Anyone who hits the bullseye will still get a refreshing iced plum drink!"
The cheers startled the sparrows in the locust tree.
Ling Xian walked out of the tent, fanning himself with a feather fan. He looked at the group of men who had been pale and thin not long ago, but now they were all in high spirits, and even their backs were straighter than before.
"It's wonderful! I love this vibrant scene. Seeking refuge in the barren mountains was the best decision I ever made!"
The strategist went back and elegantly ate watermelon on the ice basin.
Mmm, so sweet!
In the distance came the groans of a group of men being trained.
…
On a rest day morning, the new recruits were squatting in twos and threes by the stream washing clothes. Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly, and the stream water rippled.
"Is this... an earth dragon turning over?" Wang Gousheng jumped up, holding his wet underpants.
A woman in an indigo-blue dress walked towards them from a distance, with a dark red handkerchief tied around her waist, and her black hair casually tied up with a wooden hairpin.
She carried a millstone-sized stone lock in her left hand and dragged a long wooden stick in her right, raising dust wherever she went.
"This woman..." Zhao Tiezhu's eyes widened, "Could she be here to deliver tofu?"
Amidst the laughter, Lin Anniang had already walked to the center of the training ground. She threw down the stone lock with a "bang," making the ground tremble: "My name is Lin Anniang, an ordinary manager of the desolate mountain."
With a flick of her toe, the 300-pound stone lock flew up like a shuttlecock. "Today, let's test your weight."
The new recruits looked at each other in bewilderment.
A burly man with a pockmarked face squeezed through the crowd, grinning as he said, "How would you like to try, young lady? How about... ouch!"
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly leaped into the air. Lin Anniang grabbed his belt and flung him away, sending him flying three zhang away!
The drill ground was deathly silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos.
"Attack together!" Wang Gousheng shouted, grabbing a wooden stick. "You think you can be taken advantage of by a woman..."
"Smack!"
Lin Anniang slapped the target next to her to pieces, and amidst the flying wood chips, her figure moved like a ghost.
Before the dozen or so men at the front could even see what was happening, they clutched their stomachs and fell to their knees.
Some people tried to lift the stone weights, but they couldn't budge them at all!
However, Lin Anniang on the other side had already used her five fingers like hooks to pull the stone lock back, leaving five finger marks on the lock with a snap!
"A bunch of weaklings!" Lin Anniang stomped on the bluestone slab, shattering it. "With such meager skills, you dare to wear the leather armor of the New First Army?"
Chen Yan stood on the reviewing stand with his arms crossed, grinning from ear to ear: "Now you know why we wear iron-filled vests during training, right?"
Some members of the New First Army were still unconvinced, but when they saw Lin Anniang crush the old millstone next to them into pieces, their last shred of resistance vanished.
Who can match such terrifying strength?
Immediately, some people cried out and begged for extra practice.
As the sun set, Lin Anniang dusted off the stone dust from her hands, picked out the largest watermelon from the basket, and strode away.
The new recruits, staggering about on the drill ground, looked at her retreating figure and instinctively touched their heads.
Thankfully, it didn't break.
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