Chapter 517

Black Cloud Stronghold's scale swelled like inflating a balloon, crowds flowed like a weave, and the place was noisy and bustling.

The newly allied forces from all sides brought vitality, but also chaos.

Accents varied, customs differed, orders were inconsistent, and even friction over barracks and rations occurred from time to time.

If the massive force cannot quickly be twisted into a single rope and become genuine combat strength, its numerical advantage may instead become a fatal weakness.

Inside the commander's large tent, the atmosphere was solemn.

Lin Chong's wounds had not healed, yet he insisted on participating in the council.

Chao Gai, Ruan Xiaoer, Liu Tang and other core leaders gathered together, with Chen Wen also in attendance.

"We can't go on being lax like this!"

Chao Gai's voice rang like a great bell, tinged with a hint of irritation.

"I just saw two groups almost draw their knives over a well!"

"This damn lot—are they even fit to fight?"

"We must lay down the rules, and lay them down hard!"

Ruan Xiaoer, comparatively steady, added:

"What Chief Chao says is right."

"Now our Northward Aspiration Army is no longer just a part of Liangshan; it has become the anti‑Gold alliance leader gathering heroes from all quarters."

"Without strict discipline and unified orders, not to mention fighting the Gold dogs—we'd fall into chaos ourselves."

Lin Chong nodded, deeply aware of the importance of drilling and organizing the troops.

"Brother Chao Gai, Brother Ruan's words are exactly right."

"The urgent task is to establish systems and unite hearts."

"My intention is to immediately undertake three matters:"

"First, reaffirm and refine the military regulations, especially the 'Three Main Rules'; violators will be severely punished without exception;"

"Second, reorganize the structure, break up the old mountain strongholds, mix the units, and set up a clear command hierarchy;"

"Third, and most fundamentally, we must make every brother understand why we fight and for whom we fight."

Chen Wen listened quietly, then at last spoke slowly:

"Instructor Lin's considerations are thorough."

"Without rules nothing can be squared; without belief it is hard to gather hearts."

"The two words 'Northward Aspiration' are not merely a direction; they are the very foundation of one's stance."

"The Lecture Martial Hall and the Hall of Heroic Spirits should be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

His gaze swept over the crowd.

"The Lecture Martial Hall should not only teach battlefield martial skills, but also propagate the righteous cause of resisting the Gold and the Northward Aspiration ideology, cultivating grassroots officers loyal to conviction and clear in command."

"The Hall of Heroic Spirits ought to enshrine all brothers who sacrificed for resisting the Gold and protecting the people, so that posterity may remember them and the living know what to strive for."

He paused, then looked toward Chao Gai.

"Brother Chao Gai, your heroic spirit reaches the clouds and your prestige is evident; this task of tightening discipline and propagating ideology belongs to none but you."

"As for the concrete plan of mixing and reorganizing, Instructor Lin and Brother Ruan should devote more thought to it."

The decision having been made, the entire Black Cloud Stronghold, like a great furnace, began a vigorous internal forging.

At the edge of the drill ground, a building expanded from a natural stone cavern and hung with a wooden plaque reading "Northward Aspiration Lecture Martial Hall" was the first to be put into use.

The first batch selected consisted of two hundred rank‑and‑file soldiers and low‑rank officers who had distinguished themselves in the bloody battle of Zhao Prefecture or other fights and showed some potential.

The inaugural lesson was not martial‑arts drill but a personal account by the still‑wounded, pallid Lin Chong of the rearguard action in the Zhao Prefecture bloodbath.

He did not embellish his own bravery, but gave a detailed description of how ordinary soldiers, to shield the populace, willingly went to their deaths.

"…Little Zhang San, only seventeen, his intestines spilling out, yet he used his body to pin a Gold soldier, creating an opening for his comrades…"

"Old Li the Stick, his leg blown off, set off the last thunder‑crash bomb…"

Lin Chong's voice was not loud, yet it carried a heavy power that echoed in the stone cavern.

Below the stage, those blood‑licking bladesmen, many with reddened eyes, clenched their fists tightly.

They not only heard the tragedy, but also grasped the weight of the two words 'Northward Aspiration'—to protect, not to plunder; to sacrifice so that more people may live.

Immediately after, Chao Gai's rough yet powerfully infectious voice rang through the Lecture Martial Hall.

"Brothers! We endure hardship here not for promotion or riches, but for what?"

"It is so that our parents and sisters will no longer be bullied by the Gold dogs!"

"It is so that our descendants can stand tall and be human!"

"Northward Aspiration Army, no cowards, no deserters!"

"What we want are true men with guts and mettle!"

"Follow us, strike back! Drive the Gold dogs out of Zhongyuan!"

The plain, straightforward words struck like a heavy hammer on each person's heart, igniting their fervor and sense of belonging.

On the other side of the Lecture Martial Hall, a solemn structure of raw timber, the Hall of Heroic Spirits, had already taken initial shape.

Inside, for the time being, only a few dozen spirit tablets of soldiers confirmed dead in Zhao Prefecture and elsewhere are enshrined, with incense curling about.

Every new recruit is brought here by veteran soldiers to hear the stories behind those tablets.

An intangible sense of honor and belonging quietly takes root here.

However, ideology and discipline alone are not enough.

A strong army also needs the hard power capable of crushing the enemy.

After the mixing and reorganization, each unit was filled with large numbers of new troops, and their combat effectiveness varied unevenly.

Regular training takes time, but what the Northward Aspiration Army lacks most is precisely time.

In the secret training ground shrouded by night, torches crackled.

Chen Wen stood at the edge; before him were fifty officer cadets who had received preliminary instruction at the Martial Lecture Hall and been selected.

They will be the framework for the future expansion of the Northward Aspiration Army.

"Everyone, do you know why you were chosen to come here?"

Chen Wen's calm gaze swept over these youthful, energetic faces.

"Because you, at the Martial Lecture Hall, have initially understood what 'Northward Aspiration' means."

"Now I will bestow upon you power, so that you have the ability to protect this conviction."

He said no more, communicating through the thought-communication system.

"Target, the fifty ahead."

"Bestow, fourfold effect—strength, speed, endurance, reaction, martial insight!"

An intangible energy, far more precise and targeted than on the battlefield, like a precise chisel, instantly took effect on these fifty people.

In an instant, a wondrous change occurred.

A young captain who had never mastered a certain variation of the Lin Family Spear Technique suddenly felt enlightened; his spear thrust forth, its trajectory smooth, force penetrating, and he faintly bore a touch of Lin Chong's spirit.

Another sword-and-shield soldier felt his shield as light as nothing, his steps moving like a ghost; complex parry‑counter moves he could never before perform now came effortlessly.

They felt their thoughts attain unprecedented clarity, their bodily coordination peak, and their understanding of their own martial arts instantly rise to a higher level.

This was not a mere boost of brute strength, but a comprehensive catalysis and sublimation of individual combat capability.

Inside the training ground, a stifled outcry and the sharp sound of weapons cleaving the air suddenly erupted.

The fifty, as if reborn, immersed themselves in this wondrous state of surging power and soaring skill, frantically drilling and digesting this sudden boon.

Chen Wen watched silently, feeling his own energy slowly drain as the bestowal continued.

Such small‑scale, refined use of ability consumes far less than a mass‑bestowal on the battlefield, yet its effects are far more profound.

What he was forging was not a one‑off war machine, but true seeds that understand and bear the Northward Aspiration ideal, capable of standing alone in the future.

In the days that followed, the changes in Black Cloud Stronghold were plain to see.

Military discipline was strict, orders were obeyed and prohibitions enforced;

The drills' chant shook the heavens and earth, as new and veteran soldiers quickly formed tacit understanding in their integration;

The Martial Lecture Hall's curriculum and the veneration of the Shrine of Heroic Martyrs continually reinforced collective identity and honor;

And the fifty officer cadets who had undergone the Dawn baptism displayed abilities and prestige far beyond their peers at their respective posts, becoming the key nodes supporting the new framework of the Northward Aspiration Army.

A vigor distinct from the False Song Official Army, and unlike the laxness of ordinary rebel armies, a unique spirit is gestating and taking shape in this newly born army.

It possesses both strict discipline and fervent conviction;

It pursues collective strength while also beginning to emphasize individual growth.

This is the initial likeness of the civilizational flame named Northward Aspiration that Chen Wen, Lin Chong, Chao Gai and others strive to ignite in this dark, chaotic age.

The foundation is laid; all that remains is to await the winds and clouds.