Chapter 97

Exactly forty people.

In truth, far more had wanted to follow him than this number.

But he had only carefully selected forty.

Ten men to a squad.

Led by Tie Shitou, Wang Hunu, Chen Qing'an, and Liu Bai Tu.

In all things, one must be careful not to overdo it.

Forty men was currently the limit of what he could control; any more would lead to chaos, and the value of troops lies in their quality, not their quantity.

These forty men were equivalent to the first class of the Whampoa Military Academy he was currently training.

In the future, if the day truly came when the world fell into chaos, these forty men would be the seeds he scattered, capable of growing into four thousand, or even forty thousand.

But there was a prerequisite: these forty men must be just like Tie Shitou and the others—completely loyal to him.

And one hundred percent loyal at that.

For this, he spared no expense to forge weapons for these youths, had Gao Shun train them, and provided them with assistance.

This was already the limit of what he could do at this stage.

He was currently just a Patrol Officer, not a General.

Perhaps when he became a General, he could proceed to the next step of his plan.

Gao Shun's ability to train troops was beyond doubt.

Although Gao Shun had never been exposed to such things before.

But some people are born with a certain special talent.

Gao Shun was such a person.

He was born with this talent.

Coupled with his personality, it forged Gao Shun's gift for drilling troops.

Gao Shun's personality was so upright it bordered on stubborn, and he was so meticulous in his work that it felt like he had a mental obsession with cleanliness.

This slightly flawed personality happened to complement his talent for training troops.

Usually, Tie Shitou and the others were always laughing and joking, but the moment they saw Gao Shun, it was as if they had met their match, and they immediately became obedient and well-behaved.

With Duan Yu's authority suppressing them, Gao Shun really did punish them to the point of exhaustion.

Only ten days or so had passed.

Now, when Tie Shitou and the others stood together, they possessed a certain strict discipline that Duan Yu found familiar—the kind from the armies of the later generations.

Watching the forty-four-man squad stand in perfect unison with standard movements.

Duan Yu nodded with a satisfied smile.

Although this forty-four-man squad was only in its infancy, the combat power it could form was already evident.

And... it was time to take them out to test their combat effectiveness.

"Time to eat!"

Diao Chan stood in front of the house in the distance and waved her arm at Duan Yu.

Duan Yu turned back and nodded with a smile, then turned to Gao Shun and said, "Alright, let everyone dismiss and go eat."

Gao Shun, holding the twin flags, looked at Duan Yu with a deadpan face, as if he hadn't heard a word.

"Military posture, for the time of one incense stick. Anyone who moves will have their meal halved."

Duan Yu: "......."

Good grief.

I just spent a long time praising you in my heart, and you turn around and slap me in the face.

Duan Yu's face fell.

Diao Chan walked up to Duan Yu with a smile and said, "Husband, Boping is truly working hard at training the troops."

"Look at Shitou and the others; only a few days have passed, and their conduct is much more orderly."

"They used to be terrified when they saw Boping, but now even their walking posture is the same as when they are training."

Duan Yu nodded; this was true.

"This guy is good in every way, except for this foul temper; he's too stubborn."

Diao Chan smiled, then stepped forward and beckoned to Gao Shun.

"Boping, come here."

Gao Shun had just raised the command flag in his hand, but upon hearing Diao Chan's call, he thought for a moment, lowered it, and walked over to her.

Diao Chan looked Gao Shun up and down, then pointed at his somewhat torn clothes and said, "Go eat, and take off these clothes later. They're full of holes, yet you still wear them. How could any girl like you like this?"

"You're not young anymore. I've looked at a few families in the village with girls; go take a look later."

"Find a good family, settle down, and establish your career; only then can you be stable and mature."

"Also, if you find a girl you like, take her to see your mother and tell her you're getting married."

As Diao Chan spoke, Gao Shun's head sank lower and lower.

Duan Yu twitched the corner of his mouth.

He sighed in his heart, thinking that sometimes fate is truly a magical thing.

In history, both Gao Shun and Chen Gong had very strong opinions about Diao Chan.

But now.

There is a saying: one thing is always there to subdue another; that's how it works.

Gao Shun feared neither heaven nor earth, yet he held Diao Chan in high esteem.

This story went back to when Gao Shun first moved here.

Gao Shun had originally buried his mother in a piece of wasteland.

But after coming to Wucun Township, it was very inconvenient to pay his respects.

It was Diao Chan who stepped forward, had Gao Shun's mother's grave moved to Wucun Township, and even invited people from the village to properly renovate it.

Gao Shun was a man of great filial piety, and to him, this was a massive favor.

Thus, Gao Shun recognized Diao Chan as his elder sister before his mother's spirit.

An elder sister is like a mother, so naturally, Gao Shun dared not disobey Diao Chan's words.

When he raised his head, Gao Shun wiped the corner of his eye.

Then he waved his command flag at the men behind him: "Dismiss."

A burst of cheers immediately erupted from behind him.

Evening.

The village, busy for the whole day, returned to peace.

Oil lamps were lit in every household, and smoke curled from the rooftops.

Spring plowing had arrived; the success of the year depends on the spring plowing.

Villagers carrying farming tools returned home from the fields, shedding the fatigue of the day.

Behind the mountains of Wucun Township.

Gao Shun, dressed in a black long robe with his hair combed meticulously, walked toward a grave, holding burnt paper in his hands.

The area around the grave was level, and the high mound of earth had not a single weed on it.

The blue stone tablet was also wiped clean.

In front of the tablet, a few yellow flowers, a bowl of millet, and two small side dishes were placed.

Gao Shun, having just reached the grave, froze and stopped in his tracks at the sight.

He turned his head to the side and understood instantly.

Not far from his mother's grave were two other graves—those of Diao Chan's parents.

Seeing that all the graves were kept clean, Gao Shun knew exactly who had done it.

He set down the burnt paper in his hand.

Gao Shun knelt before his mother's grave.

"Mother, your unfilial son has come to see you."

Kneeling before the grave, he lit the paper.

Gao Shun's nose felt sore.

"Your son is incompetent, letting Mother suffer with me, falling ill and ultimately unable to be cured."