"If the general receives the order, he will take command of the expeditionary force, reward the troops in the field, and then issue his orders. Those who disobey will surely be killed. To advance when drums are beaten, or to halt when gongs are sounded, to rise when flags are raised, or to lie down when flags are lowered – this is called mutiny. Such men shall be beheaded. To fail to answer when one's name is called, to fail to arrive when summoned, to be late in coming and going, to act contrary to military discipline – this is called insubordination. Such men shall be beheaded. To communicate by means of the watchtower and drum at night, to be listless and not alert, to fail to keep proper watch, to have unclear signals – this is called laxity. Such men shall be beheaded. To utter angry words, to resent not being rewarded, to be headstrong and difficult to manage, to defy the commands of the general – this is called defiance. Such men shall be beheaded. To laugh and talk as if no one were present, to ignore prohibitions and regulations, to be undisciplined – this is called recklessness. Such men shall be beheaded. To be unskilled in weaponry, to have bows and arrows with broken strings, to have arrows without feathers or nocks, to have swords and halberds that are blunt, to have banners and pennants that are tattered – this is called deception. Such men shall be beheaded. To spread rumors and falsehoods, to fabricate tales of ghosts and spirits, to rely on dreams to sow discord and fear among the soldiers with strange doctrines and heresies – this is called witchcraft. Such men shall be beheaded. To have treacherous tongues and sharp wits, to sow dissension and discord, to incite resentment among the soldiers, and to make them disunited – this is called slander. Such men shall be beheaded. To insult the people of the land where one goes, to violate their women – this is called depravity. Such men shall be beheaded. To steal the property of others for personal gain; to take the heads of others for personal merit – this is called thievery. Such men shall be beheaded..."
"In martial arts competitions, the initial test will consist of three high-grade, three mid-grade, and three low-grade regulations. For further competition, those who remain in their original grade will receive no reward; those who advance one grade will receive fifty taels of silver; those who advance two grades will receive one hundred copper coins; those who advance by more than one grade will receive five hundred taels of silver. A single instance of remaining in the original grade will be excused; a second instance will result in five lashes; a third instance will result in ten lashes; for five or more instances of remaining in the original grade without advancement, forty lashes will be administered, and the offender will be dismissed. Anyone unwilling to be flogged may pay fifty copper coins for each instance, one hundred for the second, and three hundred for the third, which will then be awarded to those who advance in martial arts."
"If one man takes the lead and nine men fail to rescue him, resulting in his death in battle, the nine men will all be executed. If one man falls in battle, and the nine men capture one enemy soldier alive, the nine men will be pardoned. For one captured alive and two killed, the nine men will be rewarded collectively. The main body of troops will follow suit. If a unit is surrounded and the next unit fails to rescue it; if a unit is surrounded and its own main body fails to rescue it; if one unit is surrounded and all others fail to rescue it; if one camp is surrounded and other camps fail to rescue it, resulting in its capture, the commanders of the respective units and camps shall be executed by military law..."
"......"
"My heavens, all this talk of execution and flogging, how much of it is there?"
"It's all over the place, who can possibly know?"
"Brothers, be careful, one wrong move and you'll be in deep trouble, a dead man."
"You little birdies, are we training soldiers or killing people?"
"What's there to train? Survival is paramount!"
"We're here as exiles, but with all this talk of execution, we'll lose our lives sooner or later anyway. We might as well go back to prison."
"But these rewards... they're incredibly generous. Little brother has inquired, and one can even earn merit and promotion. To give that up now would be a pity, wouldn't it?"
"Exactly, exactly. Not only are the rewards substantial, but I've heard that after earning merit, taxes for the family can be reduced or even waived. With that, it's worth a gamble, and the whole family wouldn't starve to death."
"But this... it's good, but it's too strict. One wrong move and you could lose your life here in Xue Lin City..."
"Alas, it's truly a dilemma..."
"What's so difficult about it? If you don't break military law, then nothing will happen!"
"Brother speaks wisely. I shall go memorize it right away, and make sure to know it by heart."
"Hush, stop talking, someone's coming."
In a training ground somewhere south of Xue Lin City, over four hundred people from various places were crowded around the entrance, peeking and discussing animatedly.
These were individuals about to enter the training for the Ice Bone Battalion.
The training ground was located south of Xue Lin City, enclosed by a wooden palisade, spanning about ten li. Besides the training area, there were also obstacles like abatis and deer fences. The vicinity of the training ground was strictly guarded by soldiers of the Flying Bear Army, making entry difficult and exit even more so.
At the entrance of the training ground stood over a dozen large wooden boards. White paper was posted on these boards, on which were written numerous regulations, whether they were the military laws of the Flying Bear Army or the rules of the training ground, all of them extremely strict, to the point of being almost cold-blooded.
Zhou Fugui, Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, Xue Wentai, Yang Xinhong, Chen Kunkun, Xue Wentai, and others were among them.
Zhou Fugui was also astonished, speechless for a long time.
Zhou Fugui was not unacquainted with the world and had seen military laws and regulations before. However, he had never encountered such stringent and cold-blooded military laws or regulations. But Hu Yan Sheng was a master of military discipline, and within these rules, there were both punishments and rewards; under severe penalties, there were also great rewards.
"This must be the military law of the Flying Bear Army," Zhou Fugui mused silently in his heart.
Just then, Tu Dis, the captain of Hu Yan Sheng's personal guard, arrived at the training ground with dozens of horsemen.
Tu Dis was originally a drill instructor in the army, and later became Hu Yan Sheng's trusted personal guard captain. Now, Hu Yan Sheng had ordered Tu Dis to train these four hundred warriors. Of course, only those who completed the training could be called warriors; those who gave up halfway or were injured and died in the process would be eliminated and could not be called warriors. They would also be assigned to auxiliary troops to perform menial tasks.
Tu Dis rode a remarkably spirited white horse. On the right hindquarter of his mount was a round shield with a sharp blade attached. Such a shield was not only defensive but also offensive. Zhou Fugui had indeed seen it before. On the left hindquarter of the white horse hung a powerful bow. At Tu Dis's waist was his heavy sword, weighing ten jin.
Tu Dis wore an iron helmet with a plume of hair sticking straight up. His upper body was covered by a sleeveless leather armor, revealing his strong chest and arms. His lower body was a skirt of armor, exposing his two thick thighs, which were covered in dense leg hair...
His limbs were strong, his shoulders broad and rounded, his chest high and powerful, with beautiful muscle lines. Tu Dis was as sturdy as iron stakes and steel pillars.
Tu Dis's dozens of subordinates wore almost identical attire, which was astonishing. Zhou Fugui, however, was utterly amazed.
Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, Xue Wentai, and the others were unaware; they had no experience, so how could they know? But Zhou Fugui was different; he had a good guess about Tu Dis and his men's origins.
"Could Tu Dis and his ilk be from ancient Rome, or even Sparta?" Zhou Fugui thought to himself in shock.
During their time on the snowfields, Zhou Fugui had regaled Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, Xue Wentai, and others with tales of the three hundred Spartans, but now the real thing had appeared before him? How could Zhou Fugui not be astonished and amazed?
"No wonder I was defeated by him," Zhou Fugui mused.
Of course, this was not to say that Central Plains warriors were inferior to ancient Roman or Spartan warriors, but rather that Tu Dis was undoubtedly an elite among ancient Roman or Spartan warriors. Compared to him, Zhou Fugui and the others had not undergone cruel training and could, at best, be considered mediocre.
"Form ranks!" One of Tu Dis's subordinates, seeing the over four hundred people crowded messily at the training ground entrance, waved his hand and shouted the order.
And so, over four hundred people formed four ranks, one hundred per rank. Zhou Fugui stood at the head of the first rank. It wasn't because he was the tallest or the strongest, but due to his status as a deputy general of the Great Yan Kingdom, which granted him a slight special treatment.
After everyone had formed their ranks, Tu Dis rode his horse to the front of the crowd, his hand resting on the heavy sword at his waist, his posture erect. He silently observed everyone, paying particular attention to Zhou Fugui.
"Eight months..." Tu Dis said, pointing to the training ground, "These eight months will be like hell. You will live a life worse than death."
Tu Dis waited for a moment and then asked, "Does anyone wish to withdraw? It's not too late to withdraw now. Once you enter the Ice Bone Camp, you will have no choice."
Eight months of harsh training? Everyone present was secretly startled. After a moment, seventy or eighty people among the four hundred plus lost their nerve and decided to back out. They stepped out of the ranks, and the formation of over four hundred was now reduced to three hundred and fifty-two.
In fact, for training a warrior, eight months was not a long time. One must remember that Tu Dis and his men had been undergoing harsh training since childhood, which lasted for over ten years.
How much could eight months train Zhou Fugui and the like from being "trash" was up to fate. At the same time, Hu Yan Sheng and Zhou Fugui shared the same idea as they had in the White Tiger Camp: training was better than no training at all.
Zhou Fugui stood tall and straight in the cold wind, unmoving.
Zhou Fugui clearly understood the meaning of harsh training and the principle of "sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in war."
Tu Dis coldly waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to escort the seventy or eighty cowards back to Xue Lin City. From then on, they would forever be relegated to border auxiliary troops or servants.
"Are you willing to undergo training?" Tu Dis then loudly asked the remaining three hundred and fifty-two people.
"Willingly!" the crowd roared in response.
"Fear no death or injury? Speak louder!" Tu Dis asked again.
"No fear!" the crowd shouted in unison.
"Fear no venomous snakes, wild beasts, or insects?" Tu Dis inquired loudly again.
"Great General, this monk fears not death itself, why would I fear venomous snakes, wild beasts, or insects?" Xue Wentai, the great monk from Guanzhong, laughed loudly. "I only fear having no food and drink..."
"Hahahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter.
"Slap!" Tu Dis, enraged, drew his long whip and lashed out at Xue Wentai, shouting as he did so, "Did I give you permission to speak? You need to understand that the first rule in the camp is that military orders are like mountains!"
"Slap! Slap! Slap!"
Tu Dis's whip was both accurate and fierce. Soon, it left many welts on Xue Wentai's body, and his clothes were torn, fluttering in the wind. The onlookers were secretly alarmed, and some of those who had not left now had regrets.
However, Xue Wentai's skin was thick and tough, and he seemed unfazed, merely glaring at Tu Dis.
"Get back!" After whipping Xue Wentai over fifty times, Tu Dis ordered him to return to the ranks.
"Since there are no objections, I will now issue the first general's order," Tu Dis then said loudly to the three hundred and fifty-two men. "Take off your clothes, every last stitch!"
"Take off our clothes?" The crowd was stunned. In this cold weather, to strip naked? They would freeze to death or be shamed to death!
However, no one dared to defy the general's order at this point. They all began to undress, shedding their garments until they were completely bare, shivering in the cold wind.
Of course, they were still allowed to leave a fig leaf for modesty.