met free Chapter 624 I'll play along with you guys.
Chapter 624 I'll play along with you guys.
Yang Shaofeng always felt that he had been tricked.
Moreover, it was all a scheme orchestrated by Xu Da, Chang Heitan, and that old scoundrel Zhu Chongba.
Look at this! Xu Da came to Ningyang County to cause trouble for me, Chang Heitan went to Dengzhou Prefecture to sweep through, and that old man Zhu Chongba is conscripting men in Ningyang County, constantly talking about forming some kind of Crown Prince's personal guard.
So you guys think I'm too idle, so you have to make things difficult for me?
Fine.
Since you all want to mess with me, then I'll play along.
Otherwise, none of you would know the abilities of a giant baby in this prosperous era like myself!
Yang Shaofeng smiled and said to Xu Da, "I can't explain the problem that you're concerned about in a short time. Why don't I accompany you to see it?"
Xu Da was slightly taken aback and asked, "Look? Where can I look?"
Yang Shaofeng said, "Naturally, we should go and take a look at the nearby Hundred-Household Office, and then go and take a look at the Thousand-Household Office south of Ningyang County."
Emperor Zhu initially dispatched a thousand-household garrison to Ningyang County, but later this garrison was inexplicably transferred to the administration of the Imperial Son-in-Law's residence.
Which respectable family's son-in-law's mansion wouldn't be enough with a thousand personal guards, and would need an additional thousand-household garrison?
Then, Yang Shaofeng demolished this thousand-household office.
There are eight communities in total, located in the east, west, south, and north of the city. A centurion's office is stationed between every two communities.
Another hundred-household garrison was set up in the county town.
The remaining five centurions remained in the south of Ningyang County. Every month, two centurions were assigned to supervise the laborers sent to Ningyang County, while the other three centurions stayed in the thousand-household garrison for training.
As Yang Shaofeng led Xu Da toward the Thousand Household Office in the west of the city, he said with a smile, "Prime Minister Xu just said that after I held a swearing-in ceremony for the Duke of E before his expedition, the soldiers under the Duke of E are stronger than before."
Xu Da hummed in agreement.
In fact, it's more than just a little stronger.
Chang Heizi himself has sighed more than once that his soldiers have not only become much more disciplined, but they are also more ferocious in battle than before.
Good military discipline and fierce fighting are actually not difficult to achieve.
The challenge lies in achieving both of these goals without increasing military pay.
Is it just a rallying ceremony before departure?
Or, to put it another way, is it simply about giving those veteran soldiers a few steamed buns or bread during the oath-taking ceremony before they set off for battle?
Xu Da felt that these alone were not enough.
The imperial court also held a swearing-in ceremony for them before they set off on their expedition.
The soldiers were paid their full salaries.
The key point is that it's completely useless.
There must be something that Chang Heizi missed, or some detail that Chang Heizi overlooked.
Faced with Xu Da's question, Yang Shaofeng chuckled and said, "Perhaps the soldiers were carrying eggs and steamed buns that the people themselves couldn't bear to eat before they went to war? Or perhaps seeing the people's eager eyes reminded them of their parents, wives, and children at home?"
Xu Da nodded slightly and said, "Perhaps this is what they call exchanging hearts for hearts, or getting half a catty for four ounces?"
For many veterans, talking about loyalty to the emperor or getting promoted and made a fortune is useless; their first thought is simply how to survive.
Because only those who survived on the battlefield could be promoted and made rich, while those who died could only receive casualty compensation.
But if you tell them to protect their parents, wives, and children, and to protect their own houses and land, many people might fight to the death.
Just as Xu Da was pondering to himself, the two of them arrived at the Baihu Office in the west of Ningyang County.
The courtyard wasn't very large. A sign reading "Ningyang County West Hundred-Household Office" hung at the entrance. Two soldiers in red lacquered waist armor stood on either side of the office gate. Behind the open courtyard gate, there was a table with writing brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone on it. Next to the table sat another soldier, also in red lacquered waist armor.
Xu Da glanced at the soldiers outside the centurion's office, then turned to Yang Shaofeng and asked, "What's this?"
Yang Shaofeng said, "The two outside the gate are sentries, responsible for guarding the gate of the Hundred Households Office, while the ones inside are responsible for registering people coming and going."
Xu Da responded with an "Oh," and asked with great interest, "Do I also need to register? What will happen if I don't register?"
Yang Shaofeng said, "According to the regulations, Xu Xiang also needs to register."
"If we don't register..."
"Or, the soldiers at the gate could attack Xu Xiang directly, mistaking him for a spy who has come to gather intelligence."
"Either they will be punished, at the very least they will be discharged from the army, and they will be dismissed for serious dereliction of duty. Their descendants for three generations will not be allowed to work as clerks or yamen runners in Ningyang County and Dengzhou."
Xu Da smacked his lips. "Alright then."
It's just a story about Xiliu Camp; I can understand it.
Yang Shaofeng led Xu Da to the entrance of the Hundred Household Office, where they verified the certificate, registered it, and then entered the courtyard.
The soldiers of the Hundred Households Garrison in the courtyard are undergoing training.
When Xu Da saw the soldiers' training, he couldn't take his eyes off them.
There were 108 soldiers training in the courtyard, plus the centurion in charge of the training and the three sentries at the gate, making a total of 112 people.
Upon seeing Xu Da and Yang Shaofeng, the centurion who was directing the training first shouted "Stop training!" Then he quickly ran to Xu Da and Yang Shaofeng, clasped his hands in salute, and loudly said, "Reporting to the Grand Commander and the Prince Consort, the centurion's office in the west of Ningyang County is conducting routine training. One hundred and eight men were expected, and one hundred and eight men are present. Please give instructions!"
Xu Da was slightly taken aback, but Yang Shaofeng returned the salute with clasped hands and shouted, "Continue training!"
Baihu returned the salute with clasped hands, loudly agreed, and then ran back to his original position to continue presiding over the training.
Xu Da muttered to himself, "Left turn, right turn, stand up, squat down. These commands are simple, but they can make these soldiers more obedient and their cooperation between them more seamless."
Yang Shaofeng smiled and led Xu Da directly towards the dormitory of the centurion.
Upon entering the dormitory, Xu Da was completely stunned.
The beds in the dormitory are not the usual one-bed-per-person type, nor are they the usual large communal beds; instead, they are bunk beds.
On the bed, the sheets were neatly laid out, the quilt placed at the foot of the bed was folded into a block shape, and the pillow was placed at the head of the bed.
Under the bed, there was a wooden basin on one side of the headboard and a boot on the other side of the footboard. The toes of the boots were aligned with the stool in the middle and the wooden basin on the other side.
There were four bunk beds in the dormitory, with desks placed between them, but the desks were empty. There were also several cabinets on one side of the room.
Xu Da turned to look at Yang Shaofeng and asked, "Those fifty constables, were they trained like this?"