A thin mist enveloped the military camp in the early morning, and wisps of smoke, much thicker than usual, floated above the kitchen.
Kan Dadao lifted the tent flap and walked out with a livid face.
He wasn't wearing his bronze armor, but only a dark brown leather cloak, and the bronze sword hanging at his waist looked dull and lifeless.
Lieutenant Zhao Tiezhu trotted over, the copper studs on his leather armor clanging. "Shall we conduct training as usual today?"
Kan Da Dao snorted coldly, glancing at Ling Xian, who was counting the grain not far away.
The strategist changed into an indigo cotton long gown today, with a plain leather belt around his waist, and his hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin.
He was clean-cut and efficient, but there was not a trace of the refined elegance of a strategist. He looked more like a manager doing accounting in the fields.
"Why are you asking me?" Kan Dadao said sarcastically. "This mighty army isn't just my decision-making power anymore. Go ask your strategist!"
Zhao Tiezhu actually ran up to Ling Xian in a flash and bowed respectfully: "Strategist, shall we conduct troop training today?"
"Bullshit, how can there be no training?" Kan Dadao kicked over a wooden bucket next to him, spilling the wine left over from last night all over the ground and soaking his boots.
Ling Xian closed the booklet and gently waved his feather fan: "After traveling from Liangzhou to Qingzhou and experiencing a snow disaster, the soldiers are already exhausted."
He looked at the soldiers who were organizing their weapons. They were all emaciated and some even needed to lean on their spears to stand. "Why don't we rest today and let everyone have a good meal?"
"Have a good meal?" Kan Da Dao chuckled, pointing to the empty granary. "Did the strategist lose his mind while doing the accounts last night? Since we arrived in Qingzhou, we haven't taken a single grain of rice!"
“This matter is none of your concern, General.” Ling Xian smiled slightly. “Instead of wasting your time, you might as well get some more sleep. Perhaps when you wake up tomorrow, you will see a brand new army.”
The mighty general rolled his eyes. He wanted to see what this cunning strategist and the clueless Jiang Dashan could do.
However, just as he was muttering to himself, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the camp gate.
Jiang Dashan led a dozen or so men in coarse cloth and short clothes in, pushing a cart with dozens of wooden barrels piled on it, steaming from the gaps in the lids.
Further away, there were several oxcarts with bamboo baskets stacked on top, and the golden corn and bright red melons and fruits could be vaguely seen.
"Dinner's ready!" Jiang Dashan shouted, lifting the lid of the nearest wooden bucket.
The rich aroma of meat instantly filled the entire military camp!
It was a full bucket of braised pork belly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat soaking in the amber-colored broth, glistening with oil.
Next to it was a wooden bucket filled with golden corn porridge, and next to that were large, snow-white steamed buns, each about the size of a fist.
The soldiers stared wide-eyed, some swallowing nervously, their stomachs rumbling. But no one dared to move; all eyes were fixed on Ling Xian.
The soldiers smelled the aroma, and their eyes gleamed like those of hungry wolves.
The strategist walked slowly to the front of the troops and tapped his feather fan lightly: "From this day forward, the Mighty Army will be renamed the Wilderness Mountain New First Army."
His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly: "Your duties are no longer to rob and plunder, nor to forcibly conscript farmers, nor to arbitrarily confront the imperial court."
A slight commotion arose in the crowd, but it quickly subsided.
“But you need to train every day.” Ling Xian pointed to several strong men standing next to Jiang Dashan. “These instructors will be in charge of the training. Those who meet the daily targets can eat meat; those with excellent results will get an extra serving of braised pork and a slice of watermelon.”
He paused, then pulled a brand-new booklet from his sleeve: "In the future, meritorious service in suppressing bandits can be exchanged for contribution points. Contribution points can be exchanged for food, clothing, farm tools..."
With a flick of his feather fan, he pointed to the faint outline of the desolate mountains in the distance, saying, "Those who accumulate enough points can exchange them for houses, land, or even factory jobs and school places for their children."
"Did you understand?" Jiang Dashan asked loudly, "Anyone who wants to leave can collect their travel expenses and leave now!"
The camp was deathly silent. Suddenly, an old soldier with a face full of scars knelt down: "Strategist, I, Wang Dahu, am loyal to the New First Army!"
"Me too!"
Count me in!
Shouts rose and fell, and the soldiers' eyes shone with an alarming intensity. Some secretly wiped away tears; many of them were farmers who had been forcibly conscripted.
What a joke! With steaming hot food and braised pork laid out in front of them, and so many other temptations waiting for them, only a fool would choose to leave at this moment!
Kan Dadao stood in front of the tent, his face turning from green to white, and then from white to green again.
He gripped the knife handle tightly, his knuckles turning white.
How could all the soldiers have defected in such a short time?
Damn it, how come there isn't a single tough nut to crack?
"General." Ling Xian appeared beside him at some point and handed him a bowl of braised pork. "Try it? It's a special sauce made in the wilderness."
Kan Da Dao stared at the bowl of meat and sneered, "I'm not hungry!"
He turned and slammed the curtain shut behind him as he went into his tent. Outside, the cheerful chatter of the soldiers lining up for their meals pierced his ears like knives.
Not long after, he quietly turned around, reached out a hand, and pulled the bowl of braised pork back.
…
As night fell, the long-lost aroma of food filled the military camp.
Kan Dadao sat alone in the dark tent, listening to the excited discussions of the soldiers outside.
"The instructor said that once you accumulate 500 points, you can exchange them for a draft ox!"
"My mother has poor eyesight, and the strategist said he could ask a doctor from the remote mountains to treat her..."
He pulled out a wine jar from under the bed and took a big gulp.
The cheap liquor burned my throat, but it couldn't suppress the inexplicable bitterness in my heart.
In a daze, he recalled the thin scholar who stood on the edge of the field cheering for him when he first raised the banner of rebellion many years ago.
The moonlight outside the tent was like water, shining on the lonely bronze sword standing on the weapon rack, the red silk on the hilt long since faded.
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