Chapter 94: New Recruit Training·Subtle Influence

The drill ground of the new recruit camp.

It had become a special place of controversy in the Chan Prefecture Army, watched by countless eyes, both openly and secretly.

Mockery, doubt, and curiosity, like an invisible net, covered this land.

And Chen Wen was the spider at the center of that net, quietly weaving his own rules.

The first thing he did after taking over was not to immediately start harsh training.

But rather, he conducted a thorough 'assessment of the basics'.

The three hundred new recruits were required to do a ten‑li cross‑country run with a load.

No specific time was set; they were only required to do their best to finish.

The results were appalling; nearly half could not make it to the end.

Some collapsed beside the road, vomiting nonstop, while most of the rest took far too long, looking miserable.

This assessment not only let the new recruits recognize their own physical weakness,

but also caused those who had been watching from afar, like Han Tong, to sneer even more.

"You can't even run a road properly, and you talk about elite troops? What a joke!"

Han Tong's comment spread quickly.

Chen Wen paid no heed to it.

He reorganized the three hundred according to the assessment results.

Not according to traditional native place or height.

But roughly according to physical foundation and willpower, dividing them into several squads and appointing temporary squad leaders.

At the same time, he ordered a major improvement to the new recruits' rations.

Each day they had sufficient millet rice; every other day they could see meat, and even fresh vegetables.

This extra expense was directly allocated by the Military Commissioner's Office, also drawing criticism of 'spoiled soldiers'.

The real training began promptly the next morning.

The content was indeed as Chen Wen said, vastly different from ordinary drills.

There were no endless, boring formations; instead came various unheard‑of subjects.

Limit‑breaking physical training was broken down into several segments:

Carrying sandbags heavier than the standard, they performed intermittent shuttle sprints within a marked area, each required to be faster than the last;

In pairs, they carried heavy logs, trudging deep‑one‑step, shallow‑one‑step through the muddy depressions until exhausted;

They set up wooden walls, rope nets, and ditches of varying heights, requiring the soldiers to repeatedly climb and cross within the allotted time……

These trainings were extremely arduous.

After the first day, the three hundred new recruits were almost all weak, sore all over, with wails filling the field.

Even the old squad leader felt his eyelids twitch, thinking this Commandant Chen was simply torturing people.

However, Chen Wen was not merely brute‑force.

He could not use Ability Granting on a large scale, for that would be too conspicuous and too mentally taxing.

But he broke down and diluted the effect of double Ability Granting, applying it only to the most crucial points.

When a soldier, while climbing a high wall, began to tremble from exhaustion and was about to fall,

a faint yet precise force would quietly flow into his arms, helping him finish the last pull‑up;

When a squad carrying logs through the swamp was on the verge of collapse,

a strange sense of coordination and a brief surge of strength would flow among them, letting them miraculously persist several more steps;

During squad‑against‑squad drills, when facing a surprise attack by the 'enemy,' a soldier might suddenly have a flash of inspiration,

and perform a swift block or precise counterattack that he could never manage under normal circumstances……

These effects were extremely hidden, fleeting, as if merely the occasional burst of potential that people exhibit in dire straits.

But in the day‑after‑day training, this 'occasional' became more and more frequent.

The new recruits themselves felt astonished!

Clearly, what seemed impossible yesterday felt barely attainable today;

Clearly, feeling they had already reached their limit!

Yet under the seemingly plain but always spot‑on encouragement of Commandant Chen, they could still squeeze out a bit more strength.

Besides physical training, squad coordination drills were of utmost importance.

Chen Wen discarded complex formation changes, demanding only the most basic squads and teams.

He devised various small scenarios close to actual combat:

Alley encounters, forest ambushes, seizing high ground.

The rules were simple, the objectives clear.

But during the process, he required each squad to work out their own tactics.

They assigned tasks themselves, and the squad leader had the authority to make on‑the‑spot decisions.

At first it was naturally chaotic, with frequent arguments and mistakes.

But Chen Wen rarely intervened directly; he simply stood aside, calmly pointing out problems and guiding them to think of solutions themselves.

In this subtle way, the new recruits began to grow accustomed to communicating with their comrades under pressure.

They began to understand how to observe the environment, and began to try trusting the brothers‑in‑arms beside them.

The habit of relying on superior orders and acting mechanically was being broken bit by bit.

The cultivation of mental resilience was even more subtle.

Chen Wen did not stage any extravagant bloody simulations.

But he will have people gather urgently at night.

Conduct long-distance drills when the soldiers are most fatigued, and during training suddenly create huge noise and chaos!

Such as striking iron drums, burning wet firewood to produce thick smoke, and so on.

He constantly tells these new recruits:

"You are not ordinary foot soldiers; you are elite embryos after the most rigorous selection and training!

You can do what others cannot!

Remember the people beside you; they are your rear, and as long as you stand shoulder to shoulder, there is no obstacle you cannot overcome!

This continuous psychological suggestion and tempering in extreme environment.

Like simmering over a low fire, gradually tempering the nerves of these young people.

One month's time flies by in this day-after-day "strange" training.

Changes occur unconsciously.

The recruits' physiques become robust and solid at a visible speed.

The confusion and fear in their eyes fade, replaced by a sharpness and some confidence honed through training.

When they march, although lacking the rigid neatness of traditional formations, they nevertheless possess a vigorous and brisk bearing.

The coordination between squads, although not yet exquisite, already has an embryonic form.

Able to, without detailed orders, complete some basic tactical maneuvers.

The camp's atmosphere also quietly changes.

The initial dissatisfaction and complaints are gradually replaced by a spirited unwillingness to lose and mutual understanding within the team.

They begin to take pride in being able to complete those "impossible" training subjects.

They start to truly regard their comrades as brothers-in-arms to whom they can entrust life and death.

All of this, naturally, did not escape the eyes of outsiders.

Initially, people like Han Tong who were waiting to see a joke, although they still verbally dismiss it.

They claim "flowery rack, not able to withstand a single blow."

But when observing privately, their faces gradually become solemn.

The spirit and vigor emanating from these new recruits is completely different from that of ordinary newly recruited soldiers.

Even more so than some veteran oilies, they appear more capable.

Chai Rong also several times came lightly, quietly to the outskirts of the drill ground to observe.

He did not disturb Chen Wen, just watched from afar.

Watching those soldiers crawling in the mud, watching them engage in strange yet explosive confrontations.

Watching the light gathering in their eyes day by day.

Each time, when he leaves, the corner of his mouth holds a hint of satisfied and anticipatory smile.

Wang Pu, after accompanying an observation, sighed to Chai Rong:

"My lord, this troop... its bearing is already evident!"

"Chen Commandant's method, although strange, indeed has its reason."

"Given time, perhaps they could truly be trained into a tiger-wolf army."

Chen Wen stood at the edge of the drill field.

Watching his three hundred soldiers undergo a rebirth-like training today, his mind tranquil.

The system's assistance is subtle, but the true core is scientific method, extreme pressure, and shaping of belief.

He can feel the scale representing the "Growth Progress Bar" in his sea of consciousness.

Along with the transformation of these three hundred people and his own understanding of the way of training troops and leading troops.

Steadily and firmly climbing upward, already approaching 80%.

He knows that the inspection date is drawing nearer, the real test is about to arrive.

At that time, these three hundred blades, preliminarily honed by his hand.

They will show everyone what a true—new army—is!