xymnovel Chapter 19 Training the Army
Chapter 19 Training the Army
Wang Lun could only guess that Zhao Yupan must have thought of this girl named Zheng Ke'er after she left.
She might face retaliation.
When Zhao Yupan returned, he happened to run into Zheng Ke'er, who had chased after him out of the city.
He then asked her to hand over half of the jade ring and ordered her to serve him.
Wang Lun slept soundly that night, never expecting that Zhao Yupan also had feelings for him.
Since that's the case, I need to work even harder and build a powerful army as soon as possible.
Let alone defending the Song Dynasty, or even defeating the Jin people, since those are all too difficult.
But at the very least, we must protect Zhao Yupan.
Protect this princess of the Song Dynasty.
The next morning, after Zheng Ke'er helped him wash up, Wang Lun discussed with Lin Chong how to improve the troops' training.
The first training exercise was running ten miles.
Ten li is roughly equivalent to five kilometers in modern terms.
Running five kilometers is not difficult for a qualified soldier, but for this group of bandits who only know how to drink and eat meat all day long, it is too difficult.
As a result, no one was able to complete the 10-mile run on the first day.
Most of them were exhausted halfway through, and some were even so tired that they foamed at the mouth.
Wine and women are harmful.
However, Wang Lun also failed to complete the task, and Lin Chong also failed to complete it while waiting for him.
After lying down for a while on the road, the hundreds of soldiers slowly returned to the Zuozhai camp.
Wang Lun was furious when he saw the lazy soldiers. He shouted, "I'm giving you five days. If you can't run ten li after five days, you'll be punished with twenty lashes for every li you're short, and your monthly pay will be deducted."
The soldiers were filled with resentment, but dared not speak.
They had no idea what the point of running ten miles was.
Training, isn't it just about using a long spear to poke, smash, sweep, and pick?
It's simple, and you can take advantage of the chaos.
The second exercise is push-ups.
At first, the requirement was to make one hundred, with hundreds of soldiers lying on the ground. At first, it seemed novel, and many could make dozens. But later, only a few could complete it.
The third item is frog jumps.
Hundreds of people formed a circle and hopped around like frogs.
When the frog jump ended, all the soldiers collapsed to the ground, unable to move any further.
Physical fitness training is the most important thing. If you're physically fit, you can escape even if you can't win a fight. If you're physically weak, you can't escape even if you run.
The afternoon was spent training in marksmanship using the usual methods, with Lin Chong providing instruction.
This kind of training is tedious and boring, but the effect is excellent. In the first few days, everyone finds it difficult to persevere, but after five days, they feel that they have become stronger and more energetic.
Many people can complete a ten-mile run.
Those who failed to complete the task were punished without mercy by Wang Lun. Each person was flogged, and Du Qian was ordered to write down their names and suspend their military pay for a month.
Such a novel training method was unheard of by Chao Gai and other leaders, so they all joined the training. Although they were all skilled in martial arts, they still found it difficult to complete every training task.
During the training period, Du Qian had already established a salary system, and everyone from Wang Lun to the lowest-ranking soldier received a corresponding military pay.
Wang Lun lowered the salaries of himself and all the other leaders, and then had Du Qian announce it throughout Liangshan.
The leaders were not short of gold and silver, but the soldiers were thrilled, never expecting that even lowly minions could receive a salary.
The soldiers captured by He Tao were even happier. They had received military pay in Jeju, but it was very low and unstable, with officers above them finding excuses to deduct it at any time.
The military pay given by Liangshan was actually much higher than that given by Jizhou.
For them, joining the army is all about having food and lodging and receiving a military salary.
Since that's the case, it doesn't matter who you serve in the army for, as long as you have money.
As a result, the soldiers trained harder and complained much less.
Wang Lun was very happy.
It's only in its initial stages now; once it grows and expands, a military academy will be established.
Select some literate students to study at military academies, learning battle formations, strategies, and how to lead troops into battle.
The saying goes, "Education should be provided to all without discrimination." As long as one is willing to teach, there will always be a few out of thousands who can learn something.
The blueprint for future development gradually became clear in Wang Lun's mind, and he became even more determined.
While training with the soldiers that day, he suddenly saw Zhao Sixing rushing towards him from a distance.
Wang Lun then left the training group.
Zhao Sixi said, "Director Zhu sent someone to invite Tang Long up the mountain."
Tang Long?
Wang Lun was even more pleased, as he hadn't made any improvements to the weapons recently, and hadn't even had the Divine Arm Bow made.
The reason is that the weapon-making technology on Liangshan Mountain is really bad. The Divine Arm Bow that the henchmen made before can only bring out 60% of the advantages of a real Divine Arm Bow.
The first person he ordered Zhu Gui to find was Tang Long.
He is an indispensable figure in Water Margin, and his role is even greater than that of many of the Heavenly Stars heroes.
They were skilled at forging various weapons and equipment, and came from a family of blacksmiths. They were extremely important talents throughout the Song Dynasty.
He hurriedly headed to Dazhai under Zhao Si's guidance.
Upon arriving at Dazhai, I immediately recognized this "Golden Leopard." I must say, the nickname of the Water Margin hero is quite fitting.
Tang Long had dark skin, a thin build, and many spots on his face, scars from sparks flying while forging iron, resembling leopard spots.
Wang Lun clasped his hands in greeting from afar: "I have long admired Brother Tang's name. It is my great honor to finally meet you today."
Tang Long knew that this was the chieftain Wang Lun, known in the martial arts world as "White-Clad Scholar". He dared not be negligent and stepped forward to bow: "What merit do I have to be so highly regarded by Chieftain Wang, who has ordered people to spend a lot of money to pay off my debts? I will never forget your great kindness."
This is what Wang Lun wrote on the hero's token to Zhu Gui: Tang Long was a gambler by nature, losing nine out of ten times, so he owed a lot of debt.
To find him and bring him up the mountain, you must first help him pay off his debts.
Wang Lun laughed and said, "Money is just an external thing. As long as Brother Tang comes into our stronghold, he can have as much money as he wants. If you want to gamble, the brothers can gamble with you to your heart's content."
This is extending an olive branch.
Tang Long was all alone and had already prepared to become a bandit before joining Liangshan. Upon hearing Wang Lun's words, he immediately bowed and said, "I, Tang, will obey the orders of the chieftain. Whatever the chieftain commands, I, Tang, will do my utmost and dare not slack off."
Wang Lun was overjoyed and said, "I plan to strengthen Liangshan and establish the Flying Tiger Army. We urgently need excellent weapons, so I would like to ask Brother Tang to take the position of leader and be fully responsible for the production and maintenance of Liangshan's military equipment."
Tang Long quickly agreed.
He only knew how to forge iron and knew what he was supposed to do at Liangshan; he had already guessed it in his heart.
Wang Lun led Tang Long to the weapons workshop in Zuozhai, which Song Wan had been tasked with building.
"I wonder what kind of weapon the chieftain desires?" Tang Long was quite arrogant; aside from items forbidden in the army, he could basically do anything.
Wang Lun pulled out a blueprint. He had hastily drawn up the blueprint for the Divine Arm Bow and ordered people to make sixty Divine Arm Bows, but the workmanship was poor and their power could not be fully utilized.
Later, he took some time to draw a more detailed blueprint for the Divine Arm Bow.
Upon seeing it, Tang Long was both surprised and delighted, and said in a hoarse voice, "The Divine Arm Bow!"