Chapter 29: New Boss

The black-clad man widened his eyes, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing and collapsed limp.

Jiang Xiaomu drew his dagger; fresh blood spurted out, splashing his face.

He wiped the blood from his face, looked at the black-clad man lying on the ground, and felt no ripple in his heart.

The surrounding bandits fell silent, stunned by Jiang Xiaomu's ruthless methods, each frozen like a wooden chicken, not daring to breathe.

The scar-faced man was even more terrified, slumped sitting on the ground, his complexion deathly pale, his whole body trembling.

Jiang Xiaomu raised his dagger high and shouted sternly: "Hu Sandao is dead! From now on, I, Jiang Xiaomu, am your new leader! Anyone who disagrees, step forward!"

His voice echoed across the stronghold, shaking the heart of every bandit.

Dead silence; you could hear a pin drop.

Jiang Xiaomu scanned the surroundings; the bandits trembled under his piercing gaze, like quails under an eagle's stare, not daring to breathe.

The earlier arrogance of the fierce ones had vanished completely.

Finally, a bearded, burly man like a bear stepped forward cautiously, speaking in a muffled voice: "Um… this hero, we brothers who followed Hu Sandao gained nothing, living in constant fear."

"Since you're so mighty, we… we are willing to follow you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other bandits reacted, eagerly vying to pledge loyalty.

"Yes yes! We are willing to follow you!"

"You are our new boss!"

"Boss! From now on just call me Gou Sheng!"

Jiang Xiaomu looked at this rabble, feeling contempt; these guys change sides faster than flipping a page.

However, now is the time to use people, so he couldn't be bothered to quibble.

"Good!"

Jiang Xiaomu said, "Since you're willing to follow me, I'll accept you! But let me be clear up front—I hate betrayal most; anyone who dares to betray me will end up like Hu Sandao!"

The crowd replied in unison: "We wouldn't dare! We wouldn't dare!"

Jiang Xiaomu nodded satisfactorily, about to order them to clean the battlefield, when suddenly a mechanical voice sounded in his mind:

【Ding, the host will battle and defeat the leader of Hu Sandao's former troops, winning over the other members.】

【They will passively join the host's faction, rewarding 20 Destiny Points,】

【After the host repels the black-clad man, Granny Ya will take a series of retaliatory actions.】

【When the black-clad man reports his defeat in combat with the host, Granny Ya will surely be greatly shocked.】

【Afterward, she will fully recruit the city's ruffians, plotting a sinister sneak attack.】

【And while Jiang Xiaomu travels to Flying Eagle Stronghold to pick up his sister, that is the optimal time Granny Ya has chosen.】

【The ruffians will launch an assault; the host will suffer severe injuries in the melee, and due to excessive blood loss untreatable, will ultimately die.】

Jiang Xiaomu looked at the ragged remnants of Hu Sandao's troops before him, pondering how to blend this rabble with the veteran oil sticks of the General's Residence.

He walked up to that bearded big man, patted his shoulder, and smiled: "What's your name?"

"Replying, Boss, I'm Xiong Kuohai!"

The bearded big man puffed out his chest, as if this name were a symbol of glory.

"Xiong Kuohai? A fine name!"

Jiang Xiaomu muttered to himself, this name actually suits his burly build quite well.

"From today on, you are Jiang Xiaomu's… uh… Vanguard Captain! Responsible for leading these people to the military camp to train alongside the brothers there."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Kuohai instantly beamed: "Thank you, Boss, for the promotion! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

Jiang Xiaomu waved his hand, signaling him to lead the people forward.

Returning to the General's Residence military camp, the sight before him made him involuntarily frown.

The soldiers lounged about, their equipment tattered beyond repair, training was perfunctory, and the whole camp reeked of decadence.

"Is this the elite of the General's Residence?"

He summoned Xiong Kuohai, pointed at the lazy soldiers, and asked: "What do you think of these people?"

Xiong Kuohai scratched his head, smiling honestly: "Boss, these folks look… not up to snuff."

"Indeed they're lacking, so your task is to whip them into shape! Though Hu Sandao's lot are used to laxity, they still have some real skill.

"Scatter them, distribute them among the squads, and let them drill these raw recruits."

"Boss is brilliant!" Xiong Kuohai slapped his thigh, eagerly accepting the order and departing.

Jiang Xiaomu watched Xiong Kuohai's back, secretly sighing.

Merely integrating the troops is just the first step; more important is boosting their combat effectiveness.

He began working on improving the camp's training methods.

Former training amounted to nothing more than standing in formation and running laps, devoid of practical significance.

Jiang Xiaomu combined modern military training concepts with this world's circumstances.

He devised a brand‑new training program.

Formulated a completely new training plan.

Practical drills and teamwork are what matter most.

Practical combat mode and teamwork are the most important.

On the training field, dust flew up.

The soldiers were divided into squads to conduct mock attack‑defense drills.

Battle cries shook the heavens, blades clashed, sparks flew everywhere.

Jiang Xiaomu personally went onto the field to guide, correcting the soldiers' postures and explaining the key tactics.

Jiang Xiaomu personally went into battle to guide, correcting the soldiers' postures and explaining the key points of tactics.

He occasionally demonstrated grappling and combat techniques; his clean, crisp movements drew rounds of applause from the soldiers.

"Shield bearers, watch your formation! Archers, aim at the target! Do not waste arrows!"

Jiang Xiaomu's voice echoed across the drill ground.

A new recruit shrank back in the melee, and he grabbed him by the collar:

"On the battlefield, hesitation means death! Remember, you are a unit; you must cover each other to survive!"

A few troublemaker soldiers refused to obey orders, secretly complaining that the training was too intense.

Jiang Xiaomu called them to the front, in front of all the soldiers, and had them spar with him.

After a few rounds, the troublemakers all had bruised noses and swollen faces, lying on the ground unable to move.

"Anyone still have complaints?"

Jiang Xiaomu scanned the crowd, his tone icy. The soldiers fell silent, not daring to utter a sound.

In the evening, as the sun set westward, the soldiers dragged their weary bodies back to the camp.

The quartermaster began distributing the reward money; heavy pouches of coins fell into each soldier's hands.

"This is a goose-feather saber forged from fine steel, far stronger than the broken copper and rotten iron you used before!"

One soldier excitedly waved the long blade in his hand, its edge flashing cold light in the sunset.

"General Jiang is truly generous—this reward is double what it was when Hu San Dao was here!"

Another soldier hefted the money pouch, grinning from ear to ear.

Xiong Kuohai, leading Hu San Dao's former troops, also gradually adapted to this high-intensity training.

Although they were unruly, they could not help but admire Jiang Xiaomu's training methods.

Late at night, the camp was brightly lit.

The soldiers sat around the campfire, cleaning their newly issued weapons while eagerly discussing today's training.

"Following General Jiang, we will surely have good days ahead!"

"That's right! We will train hard and lay down our lives for General Jiang!"

At the war council, the commanders were also discussing.

"One commander said: 'General Jiang's measures have raised the soldiers' morale; in future battles they will undoubtedly be even more valiant.'"

"Another commander laughed: 'That's only natural; having such a general is our blessing—who wouldn't willingly risk life and death for him?'"

……

The next day.

Jiang Xiaomu was inspecting the camp when suddenly he heard a commotion.

He followed the sound and saw a soldier running over in a panic.