Chapter 10: Building the Army

After exchanging a few casual remarks, Tong Yifeng excused himself, citing other matters to attend to. With the divine wine in hand and no further concerns, Xu Haifeng commenced his grand plan for training.

It is not that serious; I am a newly appointed officer and know nothing about the personnel structure within the battalion. You must guide me a bit.

Accompanied by Qin Yong, Xu Haifeng selected three thousand slave soldiers. Their mental state was extremely poor, their clothing was tattered, and they were emaciated. More importantly, they all lacked identity.

Fang Ming, the eldest son of the Fang family, one of the four great families of the Han Dynasty, naturally would not regard a mere ten thousand taels of silver as significant. He laughed and scolded, calling him a miser, and said: "Tonight, I will host a banquet at the Drunken Moon Pavilion to celebrate our brotherhood and your promotion to wealth."

"Please hurry, no, I will go myself." Xu Haifeng took two steps at a time to the hall and indeed saw Tong Yifeng sitting upright in a chair, waiting for his appearance

Whatever the matter may be, as long as it is within my capabilities, I will not hesitate to face any challenge, no matter how daunting it may be

General Tong, may you be well. Xu Haifeng clasped his hands in salute, for at this moment he held the position of a deputy general and was no longer required to observe the formalities of a subordinate.

Boss Chen said that since it is what General Xu desires, he will find a way to satisfy it no matter what. Originally, a jar of Drunken Moon wine costs one hundred taels of silver, but Boss Chen has given you a discount, so it only costs fifty taels. However, in terms of quantity, Boss Chen can only provide one jar each day to satisfy General Xu's craving for wine. What does General Xu think about this?

With a chuckle, Xu Haifeng boldly remarked, "What my elder brother means is that he has been promoted to the position of deputy general in just four years, which is a role capable of commanding tens of thousands of troops. My elder brother is impressive"

"Younger brother, I truly envy you," said Fang Xiangming, his face filled with indignation. "No way, you must treat us tonight, no matter what."

Xu Haifeng nodded in agreement and then said, "Elder brother, I have a request to make of you."

Indeed, the slave soldiers are all slaves, unworthy of possessing an identity, regarded as inferior beings. Composed largely of criminals and defectors, it is essential that they do not have enough to eat; otherwise, if they were well-fed, they might gain the energy to plot a rebellion. Their treatment is the lowest in the entire army, yet they are tasked with the most arduous, dirtiest, and most exhausting work. The mortality rate remains consistently high. However, due to the vast expanse of the empire, there are certainly many offenders and captives, and their camp is often overcrowded. Thus, Xu Haifeng has considerable latitude in selection. Their treatment is the lowest in the entire army, yet they are tasked with the most arduous, dirtiest, and most exhausting work. The mortality rate remains consistently high. However, due to the vast expanse of the empire, there are certainly many offenders and captives, and their camp is often overcrowded. Thus, Xu Haifeng has considerable latitude in selection.

Soldiers typically serve for a certain number of years, and upon completion, they are to be discharged. However, those who have consumed blood wine cannot expect such treatment. Their character may not stand out in the army, but once they arrive at their destination, they will certainly attract attention. Therefore, Xu Haifeng had no choice but to abandon the idea of recruiting discharged soldiers and new recruits, instead specifically selecting slave soldiers. Slave soldiers lack identity and status; their deaths go unnoticed, let alone anyone standing up for them. They struggle painfully in the slave camp, and their ultimate fate is also death. In fact, entering the slave camp is essentially a one-way street to death. There is a saying: "No one leaves the camp alive," referring to the slave camp; once one enters, the chance of surviving to leave is almost nonexistent. Rather than living such a humiliating existence, it is better to join Xu Haifeng's army, where at least there is good wine and meat at every meal, and even in death, one can find some semblance of relief.

Having exited the grand mansion, the two mounted their horses and proceeded towards the courtyard where Xu Haifeng resided

On the second day, Xu Haifeng arrived at the camp. The orders of the ancient bearded man were more effective here than an imperial edict. Regardless of what Xu Haifeng requested, whether personnel or supplies, no one dared to make things difficult for him in the slightest. Especially in the logistics department, which was the most lucrative, not only did they provide him with the best equipment, but they also generously offered him several hundred pounds of jerky. Even when Xu Haifeng whimsically asked for alcoholic beverages, they presented everything with strange expressions. Once Xu Haifeng left, the officials of the logistics department secretly murmured among themselves, noting that no officer had ever dared to request alcohol in person. They were puzzled about the relationship between this young man and the commander, especially since he openly engaged in actions that violated military regulations. Little did they know, Xu Haifeng was merely a newly appointed deputy general and was completely unaware of any prohibition on alcohol within the military.

These days are a critical moment, and I am prepared to seize the opportunity to finalize the selection of all personnel and equipment. If my elder brother truly wishes to invite me, we shall meet at the Drunken Moon Pavilion in three months

"I will not go," Xu Haifeng stated emphatically.

Well, then after March, my brothers and I shall plan to indulge in another drink

Wherever it may be, it is merely a momentary stroke of luck, not worth mentioning

How could this be compared? I wanted to join the army at the age of seventeen, and it was only four years ago that I was promoted to a minor general. I have spent a full fourteen springs and autumns honing my skills in the military camp. In fact, there is another point that Xiang Fangming did not mention: while it is true that he served in the military for fourteen years, the most important factor is his distinguished family background and the connections he had in the court that paved the way for him. Otherwise, even if he had served for twenty-four years, he might not have been able to attain the rank of general.

In recent days, the two have developed a close friendship. Although there is a significant age difference between them, they share a bond akin to that of brothers. Regarding his jokingly sarcastic remarks, Xu Haifeng certainly does not take them to heart and responds with a smile: "Elder brother, you are wealthy, so please do not set your sights on this small amount of money from me"

Upon seeing Xu Haifeng shake his head in refusal, Fang Xiang asked curiously, "Why?"

General Bao, General Tong requests an audience.

That is a minor issue. You can come to my place, and I will tell you everything in detail. Tomorrow, you will be able to select someone.

It turned out that yesterday, upon returning to the courtyard, Xu Haifeng found Tong Yifeng and presented him with a newly acquired banknote of ten thousand taels of silver, requesting his assistance in purchasing one hundred jars of Zuiyue wine. This matter was of great significance to him, leaving no room for even the slightest oversight, which naturally weighed heavily on his mind

Behind such powerful effects lies an irreparable flaw, which is a lack of flexibility. All those who have consumed blood wine, although their consciousness and memory remain largely unchanged, exhibit extreme deficiencies in flexibility and initiative. Unless commanded, they essentially do nothing unless they are harmed. The more than one hundred survivors have been here for quite some time, and at the command of Xu Haifeng, indeed no one stepped out of the courtyard. To outsiders, this appears to be Xu Haifeng's strict military discipline, but those close to him understand the reality; they know these individuals have simply lost interest in everything, only transforming into a formidable war machine when given orders. The more than one hundred survivors have been here for quite some time, and at the command of Xu Haifeng, indeed no one stepped out of the courtyard. To outsiders, this appears to be Xu Haifeng's strict military discipline, but those close to him understand the reality; they know these individuals have simply lost interest in everything, only transforming into a formidable war machine when given orders.

Is that so? It's fine if I can't get it all at once; I just want to know how much he is willing to sell to me. Xu Haifeng furrowed his brows again. Without this wine, his subsequent plans would be impossible to execute, and all hope would merely be an illusion.

Congratulations to General Xu on his promotion. Tong Yifeng saw the main figure had arrived and quickly stood up to pay his respects

The subordinate commander can only govern a force of 3,000 to 5,000 people, while a commander of 10,000 is considered a deputy commander. Those who lead forces of over 10,000 are referred to as generals. In the five major legions, the leaders of each battalion are generals, and the deputy leaders are deputy commanders. Only a senior general can hold the position of president of the five major legions. Direction Ming's promotion to deputy commander of a force of 10,000 is largely attributed to his previous military achievements.

Boss Chen has already replied. Due to the low production of Zuiyue wine, he is simply unable to provide one hundred jars at once said Tong Yifeng in a leisurely manner

"Elder brother, don't just talk about me; haven't you also been promoted?" Xu Haifeng said with a smile.

One hundred and twenty-three individuals who followed Xu Haifeng were organized by him into a personal guard. According to what he learned yesterday, Xu Haifeng dispatched them to reorganize the ranks. These slave soldiers needed to be nourished for a few days; otherwise, they would be unable to undergo training. Fortunately, the orders he received specified that they were all young and healthy slaves. If they had been a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled individuals, Xu Haifeng would not have needed to train them and could have simply returned to resign. The one who just came to report was one of the personal guards.

"I wouldn't dare..." Xu Haifeng noticed that he did not mention the matter he had entrusted to him, and could not help but show a look of anxiety, yet he felt it inappropriate to press further.

As Xu Haifeng did not disclose his promotion during yesterday's conversation, Tong Yifeng only learned today, when the headquarters announced it, that this young man, who has only six months of military service, has unexpectedly reached the same rank as himself in just one day. After hastily completing the tasks he had entrusted to him, he rushed over without delay.

I see, then I must truly thank Boss Chen. Ever since I tasted the flavor of the Zuiyue wine last time, drinking other wines feels like drinking plain water, utterly tasteless. That is why I wanted to purchase some more, so I can enjoy it anytime in the future" Xu Haifeng explained

The primary efficacy of blood wine lies in preserving a person's consciousness while damaging the pain nerves within the body. Once the pain nerves are damaged, an individual can no longer feel pain, which allows them to be fearless on the battlefield. In the era of cold weapons, warriors were often not killed directly by the enemy, but rather suffered from various fears and negative emotions, such as sadness, triggered by the pain of their wounds. This made treatment by hetushucom.com less effective. Once injured, a warrior's combat effectiveness would inevitably decrease significantly, or even be completely lost. For instance, if a warrior had an arm severed by the enemy on the battlefield, they would likely faint from the pain. It is difficult for an unconscious person to attract attention on the battlefield, and most people died in this manner. However, when the pain nerves are absent, even if an arm is lost, they can continue to fight as if nothing has happened. The enhancement of combat effectiveness is just one aspect; more importantly, such actions can impose tremendous psychological pressure on the opponent, easily leading to a complete collapse of their morale.

General Xu is talented and accomplished at a young age, and his future achievements are boundless. I, an old man, am eagerly awaiting to see.

Looking at this group of listless men, Xu Haifeng also furrowed his brows. The reason he chose these individuals was out of necessity. Achieving combat effectiveness within three months would require a certain method—blood wine. The problem is that while blood wine is powerful, its side effects are equally pronounced.

At this moment, seeing him hesitate to speak, looking restless, I couldn't help but find it amusing. The news of Xu Haifeng requesting fine wine from the logistics department had spread throughout the entire camp in just half a day. As one of the senior officials in the logistics department, he had no reason to be unaware of it. Reflecting on how Xu Haifeng had entrusted me to buy fine wine as soon as he received his reward yesterday, as well as his extraordinary capacity for alcohol displayed during the last visit to the Drunken Moon Pavilion, I became increasingly convinced that Xu Haifeng was a man who was utterly devoted to drinking.

"Hmph, I took eighteen years to be promoted to deputy general, which is much slower than your six months to become a general," Xiang Fangming said with a cold smile. "Do you know that in the history of the Han Dynasty, your promotion is the fastest ever? I cannot say there will be no one after you, but you are certainly the first of your kind. If you are still not satisfied, we might as well take matters into our own hands."