Chapter 42: Winning Over

"……There's a show to watch."

"I bet on Commandant Lv to win. You guys haven't seen it; this morning, Commandant Lv held down that runaway pig with one hand."

"The General had Commander Xu protect His Highness, so Commander Xu must have extraordinary martial arts. He is from the Imperial Guard, after all; he used to protect the Emperor."

"……"

The army is the most boring place; usually, there is nothing to do besides training.

Lv Chang and Xu Lie entered the field, clearing a space in the center of the Drill Ground.

The soldiers sat in a circle to watch the show, every one of them craning their necks.

Zhao Xu sat calmly on the Command Platform, with Liu Fu standing to one side, "Your Highness, this subordinate bets on Commander Xu to win."

At critical moments, he still instinctively held prejudices against disciples from Rich Clans like Lv Chang.

"I bet on Lv Chang." Zhao Xu looked toward the center of the field.

The reason he put Lv Chang into the County Soldiers and placed trust in him was not without cause.

Before this, he had looked into Lv Chang.

In the words of the people of Yancheng, Lv Chang had never oppressed innocent commoners.

Although he often fought, it was mostly to uphold justice; he could be considered a righteous person.

It was precisely considering this point that he decided to use Lv Chang.

And not entirely out of consideration for winning over the Lv Family.

Of course, the three families also had clansmen in Yan Commandery who committed evil acts.

But just as he handled the Huang and Du families, he did not strike them all down with one blow.

After all, even in a large clan, there are evil thugs, but there are also good officials and capable generals.

"On this point, please forgive this subordinate for not agreeing; this subordinate is willing to bet all his savings that Xu Lie wins." Liu Fu spoke with certainty.

Zhao Xu smiled and said nothing.

While the two were talking, Xu Lie and Lv Chang had already taken their stances.

Both were empty-handed, deciding the winner based solely on fists and feet.

"Offense taken." After bowing to each other, Lv Chang exerted force suddenly, reaching out to grab Xu Lie.

Xu Lie was startled; he dodged to the side but was too slow, and his shoulder clothing was grabbed by Lv Chang, unable to break free.

His gaze sharpened, and he reached back to seize Lv Chang's arm, only to find that Lv Chang's strength was immense and he could not move it.

Only then did he remember that Chang Wei had said Lv Chang's brute strength exceeded that of ordinary people.

Thinking of this, he raised his foot to attack Lv Chang's lower stance.

Lv Chang did not react in time; his knee buckled, and he almost fell.

Xu Lie took the opportunity to punch Lv Chang in the crook of his arm, breaking free from Lv Chang.

"Good!" A burst of cheers rang out in the army.

On the Command Platform, Liu Fu's mouth was almost grinning from ear to ear.

In the field, Lv Chang chuckled twice, not taking it to heart.

A pair of bull-like eyes stared at Xu Lie, searching for an opportunity.

Xu Lie did not dare to underestimate his opponent again at this moment, dealing with him cautiously.

The two fought for another dozen rounds in the field, with neither side gaining much advantage.

During another grapple, Lv Chang suddenly roared and lunged at Xu Lie, his arms tightly locking around Xu Lie's waist.

Xu Lie struck Lv Chang's back hard with his elbow, but Lv Chang seemed not to feel it at all.

With a roar, he exerted force with both arms and suddenly lifted Xu Lie above his head.

On the platform, Zhao Xu saw this scene and said, "That is enough."

Hearing Zhao Xu's voice, Lv Chang put Xu Lie down and said solemnly, "Offense taken."

Xu Lie landed and stood, not angry, but rather showing some appreciation, laughing, "Commandant Lv has good strength."

Having said that, the two returned to Zhao Xu's presence.

Liu Fu was dejected, "Commander Xu, you caused me to lose ten taels of Silver."

Xu Lie mocked, "I didn't ask you to bet."

Zhao Xu cast his gaze toward Lv Chang, "You are indeed suited to be a fierce general. From today on, the County Soldiers will be merged into the Personal Army; you will work in the Personal Army from now on."

Lv Chang was overjoyed, "Thank you, Your Highness. In this way, this subordinate can kill the Northern Di with General Chang."

To him, the County Soldiers were nothing more than gatekeepers, usually responsible for arresting some bandits.

The Prince's Personal Army was the real army.

Zhao Xu nodded, "But don't get cocky; if Xu Lie had brought a bow and arrow and a Dagger, you might not have won."

In his view,

Lv Chang was more like a meat shield charging at the front, suitable for the battlefield.

While Xu Lie was more all-around, indeed suitable for guarding him.

Lv Chang was not stupid; when he held Xu Lie high, Xu Lie had punched his neck.

If he had been holding a Dagger, he would have died, so he nodded at him.

Zhao Xu's trip was more to get close to the soldiers and win over their hearts.

He did not want the soldiers he raised to not even know what he looked like.

Descending from the Command Platform, Zhao Xu walked among the soldiers.

Squeezing a soldier's arm, he asked, "What did you eat this morning?"

The soldier was a bit excited, his voice cracking as he spoke, "Replying to Your Highness, I ate a bowl of rice porridge, three steamed buns, and some pickled vegetables."

"Are you full?"

"I'm full. There's plenty to eat in the army now; I never ate this well even at home," the soldier said loudly.

"Hehe..." The soldiers all laughed, their expressions full of satisfaction.

Clearly, like this soldier, their food and clothing had improved since joining the army.

"Mm, being full is just the basic requirement. I have already issued orders to ensure you all get some meat in the future, such as adding eggs to your morning porridge and having some meat at noon," Zhao Xu said with earnest words.

Although the soldiers trained diligently, he still saw some unsatisfactory aspects.

It was that there were many thin soldiers, which was related to them not having enough to eat or warm clothes to wear in the past.

Such soldiers certainly could not compare in physical fitness to the Beidi soldiers on the Grassland who ate beef and mutton and drank cow and sheep milk.

Therefore, looking impressive is only secondary; if they cannot withstand an impact, it is useless.

Soldiers must have strength.

And strength training requires sufficient nutritional supplementation; otherwise, their bodies will collapse due to the high intensity of the training.

Furthermore, his requirement for his Personal Army is not just to restore an ancient standard army, but to evolve toward a modern army in all aspects.

And the standard of a modern army is not just the Weapon, but the strengthening of physical fitness, discipline, and ideology, so that they can withstand more combat losses without collapsing.

Unlike ancient armies, which would scatter after a combat loss of ten or twenty percent.

Currently, constrained by Da Song Law, he can only recruit twenty thousand for his Personal Army.

He must take the path of elite troops.

"That would take so many eggs; even if you added up all the chickens in Yan Commandery, they couldn't lay that many," a soldier said, drooling with a look of anticipation.

Not to mention the soldiers, even the generals felt it was somewhat unreliable.

When Chang Wei came back and mentioned it, they just laughed and didn't take it seriously.

After all, even the generals couldn't eat that well in the past.

Zhao Xu's eyes swept across everyone's faces, "You just wait; I will not go back on my word."

Whether it was true or false, the soldiers were very happy that Zhao Xu, with the status of Yan Wang, could make such a promise to them.

"Thank you, Your Highness," the soldiers shouted in unison.

Zhao Xu chatted with the soldiers for a while longer and then went to inspect the barracks.

In the Da Song army, ten men form a squad with one Ten-Man Leader, one hundred men form a flag with one Flag Leader, five hundred men form a battalion with a Colonel, five thousand men form a Du with one Captain, and above the Captain, they are led by a General.

To facilitate management, the North Camp is governed by battalion-specific areas.

After patrolling for a round, he did not leave until evening.

Watching Yan Wang and his party leave, the soldiers' agitated hearts calmed down slightly.

For them, Yan Wang coming to the camp in person to have close contact with them was simply a supreme honor.

After all, the Rich Clan of Yan Commandery usually had arrogant faces and treated them like dirt.

"Yan Wang is young, yet so approachable."

"Isn't that so? My palms are sweating from excitement."

The soldier whose hand had been shaken by Zhao Xu had a dazed look in his eyes, "I won't wash my hand for a month."

The firmament cast down a black curtain, and the North Camp was gradually covered within it.

And tonight, the only topic on the lips of the Personal Army soldiers will be—Yan Wang.