Chapter 89: Beat him until his stinky mouth is ruined

Hearing Jia Jing's words, Ma Guocheng's heart relaxed.

He no longer worried that the reduction would cause soldier dissatisfaction, after all, transferring to auxiliary troops still earned a monthly stipend of five dou of grain, which was more than what the former Marquis of Linchuan gave them!

Previously, Bashang Daying owed military pay, and often a month they could only receive three or four dou of grain, barely making a living.

Ma Guocheng knew that as long as there was a way to survive, the soldiers would not easily cause trouble; this arrangement now actually motivated the troops to strive upward.

The stipend for combat soldiers was double that of auxiliary soldiers; to earn more military pay, one had to train hard to become a combat soldier.

Ma Guocheng and Zhu Que bowed and received the order, saying:

"Yes, Marquis!"

Jia Jing continued:

"The second matter is training; I have written a new style training manual. You take it back to copy several copies and distribute them to all the camp officers; you must all master it."

"From now on, all training in the camp will follow the new style manual, aiming to reshape military discipline, strengthen physiques, and improve the soldiers' combat skills."

Jia Jing handed the newly written training manual to the two of them.

This was written by Jia Jing combining the drill experiences of Zhao Yun, Xiang Yu, and others with modern army training methods, mainly divided into three aspects.

Specifically, formation training, physical training, and tactical skills training.

Formation training mainly cultivates discipline and coordination, turning individuals into a cohesive unit, instilling ironclad discipline of unconditional obedience to orders, and eliminating past lax habits.

Moreover, neat uniformity is the foundation of any complex tactic or battle formation.

Throughout history, strong armies have always had strict discipline, such as the Yue Family Army and the Qi Family Army.

It is not that individuals are more capable in combat, but that strong military discipline enables strict obedience to orders on the battlefield; wherever the command flag points, they advance fearlessly through blades and fire.

Even in fierce battles or when outnumbered, they can withstand pressure and press forward relentlessly.

Specific drills begin with standing at attention, aligning ranks, looking left and right, reporting numbers, halting turns, and marching in step.

Physical training forges the soldiers' physiques, enhancing endurance, combat will, and the courage to fight.

Specific drills consist of loaded marches, strength training, and agility training.

Strength training mainly involves stone locks, stone pole weightlifting, and horn-butt wrestling, etc.

Each training item will be progressively promoted and assessed weekly.

Tactical skills training naturally trains combat abilities, with firearms units, infantry and cavalry, scouts, and other branches conducting targeted training by division of labor.

For example, spearmen train thrusting and parrying; sword-and-shield soldiers train charging and parrying; cavalry train mounted slashing, etc.

Besides the three main trainings, there are later advanced tactical coordination training, night fighting, harsh weather training, and regular psychological and legal lectures.

Ma Guocheng and Zhu Que received the training manual, looked it over, exchanged glances, and thought it was markedly different from current Da Han training methods, yet undeniably had its own unique merits.

Jia Jing said in a deep voice:

"Everyone must participate in the upcoming training, including myself; no one may be absent or take leave."

"Generals and military officers must lead by example, with higher standards set for them; training assessment results will directly affect their stipends and promotions."

"I plan to replace at least half of the mid- and low-ranking officers in this training based solely on performance; in the army, the strong rule, and there is no room for pretense."

"Do you all understand?"

"Yes, Marquis!" Zhu Que and Ma Guocheng received the order.

"Hmm, we will officially begin reducing the troops and recruiting tomorrow, and start training formally three days later; go prepare!" Jia Jing said to the two.

Upon hearing this, Ma Guocheng immediately left the tent and went off busy.

Zhu Que, however, stood still in the camp, looking as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.

Jia Jing frowned and said:

"What? Is there something else?"

Seeing Ma Guocheng walk away, Zhu Que said:

"It's nothing major, just some movements in the mansion; today Jia Zhen of the Eastern Mansion came to the Rong Guo Mansion..."

Zhu Que then recounted everything that happened today in the Jia Mansion's Rong Qing Tang hall, describing the scene as if he had witnessed it himself, without any discrepancy.

"You see, should we handle this? Jia Zhen harbors resentment toward the Marquis, spreading rumors and repeatedly vilifying and insulting him; although it hasn't caused substantive harm, it is nevertheless aggravating."

After hearing this, Jia Jing's eyes grew deep, and he slowly said:

"Just a cowardly rat; he must have held a grudge after I reprimanded him in the ancestral shrine, jumping about like a clown, merely inviting laughter!"

As for Jia Zhen, Jia Jing's dislike surpasses that for Jia She; but since there had been no prior conflict of interest, Jia Jing simply couldn't be bothered with him.

Jia She merely drinks and consorts with concubines, but Jia Zhen is a grave‑robber and engages in father‑son illicit relations, truly shameless to the extreme.

Moreover, he often does bad things, oppressing the populace and violating laws and order just as much; he is truly a scoundrel rotten to the core.

Now, since he dares to provoke me, I must give him a lesson.

Zhu Que, standing aside, flashed a hint of severity in his eyes and said coldly:

"Marquis, should we treat him as we did Jia She and also give him..."

Jia Jing glanced at him, shook his head, and said:

"Lately the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been active frequently; gathering evidence on this Ba Shang matter too quickly will inevitably draw attention, so it's no longer advisable to act; for the short term let them lurk and develop, and refrain from further moves."

"Besides, Jia She and Jia Zhen both getting into trouble would attract too much notice! We cannot use the Embroidered Uniform Guard for this!"

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is a major trump card in Jia Jing's hand; this time being able to obtain the evidence against the Marquis of Linchuan and others so quickly relied entirely on the Guard's covert investigations.

Therefore, Jia Jing will not risk exposing the Embroidered Uniform Guard over a mere Jia Zhen.

Zhu Que said:

"Then what should we do? We cannot simply let him slander the Marquis!"

Jia Jing laughed and said:

"With my current status and prestige in the clan, dealing with a Jia Zhen doesn't require hiding or holding back."

"You directly take a detachment of personal troops back, give me a thorough beating of his foul mouth, then bring him to the ancestral hall to kneel and reflect for several days."

Jia Jing no longer takes the affairs of the Jia Mansion to heart as much.

After he befriended the clan and with his authority and strength, dealing with anyone inside the Jia Mansion is a crushing superiority; he hardly needs to worry at all.

Now he resembles the Jia Clan patriarch more than Jia Zhen does, handling clan affairs, he can act with complete freedom.

「Right! Assign a portion of the Liaodong troops and the Embroidered Uniform Guard to Bashang Daying, where they will serve as low‑rank officers in the camp, helping us better command Ba Shang's forces。」

Jia Jing then ordered, preparing to forge Bashang Daying into a sharp sword in his hand.

If these 100,000 troops are well trained and firmly under his command, they will be enough for him to dominate the world—this is the pressing matter at hand!

「Yes, my lord! 」 Zhu Que clasped his fists, accepted the order, and then withdrew.

……

The main hall of Ning Guo Fu.