The motorcycle sped to a halt outside the vocational school. Zhao Gang, hearing the sound, came out to meet him.
"This is the inscription for the monument. Take it and find someone to carve it well. Also, have this calligraphy framed with colored glaze and sent to the school."
After a few simple instructions, Fang Er returned home. The next day, upon waking, he received a report from Qi Sui that the six thousand new recruits had been successfully recruited and requested him to address them. Fang Er ate a quick meal and left home. The weather suddenly turned extremely cold, and a gust of wind made it difficult to grip the handlebars. His exhaled breath instantly turned into white mist. The large motorcycle had only traveled about two hundred meters before he despaired and turned back, opting to drive a pickup truck instead. This meant that the original plan to rebuild the workshop had to be postponed.
Upon arriving at the training ground, the six thousand new recruits were undergoing drill training, the first lesson in their induction. Qi Sui ran over and opened the car door for Fang Er. "My Lord!"
Fang Er nodded, got out of the car, and walked towards the high platform in the center of the training ground. Zhang Tian, Wu Yong, and Liu Meng were already standing there, observing the new recruits' performance. Among the veteran soldiers, those holding positions from company commander upwards were moving back and forth within the ranks of the new recruits. Any recruit with non-standard movements was immediately disciplined with a whip. Muscle memory was the fastest way to learn, and physical punishment had never been forbidden within the Tianhuo Army; no one felt it was inappropriate. After all, that was the era. Minor mistakes were met with a whip, major mistakes with confinement, and persistent offenders were directly expelled from the Tianhuo Army. This was the tradition of the Tianhuo Army.
"My Lord!" Seeing Fang Er approach, Zhang Tian and the other two saluted in unison. "All hands assemble, I have a few words to say," Fang Er said calmly to Zhang Tian and the others as he stood on the platform, looking down at the soldiers. "Yes, my Lord." Liu Meng saluted again, then took a whistle from his pocket and blew it forcefully. "Doo~~doo~~doo~~!"
New recruits learned emergency assembly drills first. Therefore, upon hearing the sudden whistle, they immediately understood its meaning. The sound of neat footsteps echoed across the training ground. The six thousand new recruits and four thousand veteran soldiers quickly assembled in front of the high platform. Once everyone was in position, Fang Er looked at them and spoke. "I am Fang Anzhi, the Marquis of Liaodong." "Greetings, my Lord!" ten thousand voices roared, shaking the heavens.
Fang Er raised both hands, gesturing for them to quiet down, and continued, "What is a soldier? They are the children of the common people, hence I call them 'children soldiers'! The duty of a soldier is to be a shield for the common people! The needs of the common people are our direction! My requirement of you is to sweat more during training and bleed less in battle! The world is vast, far beyond your imagination. I hope that in many years, when you fight on the battlefield, you will still be by my side!"
Fang Er didn't want to dwell on grand pronouncements, having had enough of meetings in his previous life. Thus, he conveyed his expectations in just a few words. Specific ideological guidance would be provided by their respective squad leaders and company commanders later. "We swear to follow my Lord to the death!" the ten thousand voices echoed again. Fang Er nodded, "Continue training!" "Yes!" The troops resumed their previous training subjects. Fang Er stood on the platform, watched for a while, and then got up to leave. As he departed, he instructed Wu Yong and Zhang Tian, "Come to my home tonight, I will teach you a military song to pass down."
Driving the pickup truck back to Fang Residence, he asked Xiao Qing to call Xing'er over. "Xing'er, I have a song, can you compose a melody for it?" To Xing'er, Fang Er was exceptionally talented in literature, and it was not unusual for him to hum a few tunes, so she wasn't surprised. "My Lord, please wait, Xing'er will fetch her zither." With that, she went to the backyard to get her instrument. Shortly after, she returned with a guzheng. Chai Yue, Xiao Qing, and others also came over curiously to watch.
After Xing'er set up the guzheng, she bowed slightly to Fang Er. "Xing'er is ready, my Lord, please." Fang Er cleared his throat and began humming the melody he had chosen in his mind. "We are soldiers!"
"We are soldiers, what makes us different? / It's just because we all wear simple military uniforms. / We are soldiers, what makes us different? / Since leaving home, we rarely see our parents. / To say different is also to say the same, / We are all in the prime of youth, all brave young men."
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The military song was stirring and resonant. Chai Yue and Xiao Qing listened with fresh ears, having never heard such a melody before. Xing'er was diligent, humming along while trying to pluck the strings of her zither, searching for suitable notes. Fang Er only sang it three times before she had figured out the complete score. "My Lord, I have composed the melody, let me play it for you." Then, her fingers danced across the guzheng strings, like little elves in a graceful dance. The beautiful notes, with a melody so different from this era, made Fang Er feel as if he had returned to a world over a thousand years in the future.
"Bravo!" Xing'er's guzheng playing is truly excellent. After the last note faded, Fang Er applauded Xing'er with both hands. Xing'er rose and bowed to Fang Er, "Thank you, my Lord, for your praise." As soon as she finished speaking, Su Feng came to announce that Liu Meng and the others had arrived. "Let them in," Fang Er said, then turned back to Xing'er, "Later, teach them this song. It will be used as the military tune from now on."
When Liu Meng and the others entered, they were overjoyed to learn that Xing'er herself would be teaching them the song. This was a courtesan that the Marquis had purchased at great expense; ordinary people wouldn't have the privilege of her personal instruction. They all studied with exceptional dedication and learned the entire song in less than half an hour.