Chapter 6, Do you want to eat?

After this, the blacksmith Yang and his son became busy again. They intended to forge some spearheads using the collected iron materials, but due to the poor quality of the materials, it was quite difficult to create the spearheads. Zhang Chu simply referred to the appearance of the later triangular spearheads and instructed them to directly forge triangular spearheads, then carve out the blood grooves on top, resulting in long spears that, although not aesthetically pleasing, were equally capable of killing.

Everyone stopped eating and looked up at Zhang Chu, listening attentively.

Understood. Clearly, that person has prepared for the worst possible outcome

The long spear can only be used to practice the thrusts and blocks of bayonet fighting. Zhang Chu does not know anything else. However, as a homebody, Zhang Chu has some knowledge to draw upon; he previously engaged in online debates about the effectiveness of Japanese bayonet fighting. Zhang Chu believes that Japanese bayonet fighting primarily relies on collective coordination. To this end, he specifically researched the tactics of Japanese bayonet fighting coordination online. Although he has never practiced it himself, he still taught everyone by imitating what he learned. Everyone continuously practiced and explored. Zhang Chu noticed that while practicing, everyone always imagined themselves charging forward with their guns, which inevitably evoked a sense of the Japanese invading the village.

During this period, the blacksmith Yang and his son forged another batch of long spears, while Zhang Chu and Wu the carpenter reinforced the stockade gate to make it even sturdier

Do you know what is happening on the mountain?" Yang the blacksmith continued to ask

Zhang Chu noticed that everyone was in high spirits and decided to take this opportunity to share his thoughts. When he saw that everyone had eaten enough, Zhang Chu loudly asked everyone: "How is it? Are you full?"

"Of course I thought about it, I really don't want to go hungry anymore," He Jin replied eagerly

Everyone was also inspired by Zhang Chu's emotions, their eyes filled with longing

Zhang Chu assigned five individuals to He Jin for training, and thus the training ground was filled with He Jin's incessant shouts and curses. He Jin intensified the methods he used to discipline Zhang Chu during training, applying them even more harshly to these five newcomers.

Blacksmith Yang quickly found a suitable candidate, deliberately approached that person, and then took out some dry rations to eat. Upon seeing the dry rations in Blacksmith Yang's hand, the person immediately fixed their gaze on it, unable to look away, and kept swallowing saliva.

After the meal, everyone began to get busy. First, they built a rudimentary stone wall at the perilous entrance to the valley using stones, installed a simple wooden fence gate, and arranged for people to take turns on watch. Following the method of setting up a message tree, they established a message tree at the intersection, so that any abnormalities could be promptly reported to the people in the valley

After more than ten days of training, a rough shape has finally emerged. More importantly, everyone has unified their thoughts and recognized Zhang Chu's leadership

Zhang Chu then solemnly said to everyone: "No matter how much food we have, there will come a time when it runs out. Moreover, there is also the possibility that our food could be taken by others. Now that we have finally had a full meal, we must remember that without foresight, we will face immediate worries. If we do not make plans early, we may end up consuming all our food and then start to starve, or be killed by bandits. In this chaotic world, it is impossible for us to survive without uniting together."

At this time, Zhang Chu also had the opportunity to learn more about the two boys who had almost been taken by the bandits. Both boys were from the Kuaishan Tun area; one was named Li Qiang, aged 10, and the other was Zhang Guo, aged 9. Both of their relatives had been killed by the bandits, and fortunately, Zhang Chu had saved them. The two children were very grateful to Zhang Chu. He decided to have them stay by his side and teach them knowledge.

The person looked around and said, "As long as there is food, I am willing to do anything."

Zhang Chu walked out of the room, and it turned out that the two young women, Chunmei and Xiugu, whom Zhang Chu had brought back, had already prepared breakfast. Everyone gathered around eagerly to enjoy the meal, with smiles on each person's face

"What I eat is earned with my life. Are you willing to risk your life for food?" Yang the blacksmith continued to ask

After everyone had left, only Zhang Chu remained in the valley with He Jin and the young girls. Zhang Chu did not relax his training of He Jin at all, supervising his training every day, while also beginning to teach He Jin and the others to read and write. Zhang Chu was familiar with most traditional characters, but found it difficult to write them. Therefore, he directly taught them simplified characters and informed them that this would be the script used for establishing the new dynasty in the future

The person hurriedly nodded vigorously

Zhang Chu also stipulated that he would allocate the amount of food they received each day based on their training performance. Additionally, he would explain to them the three major disciplines and eight points of attention after the reform every day, requiring them to learn to sing the song of the three major disciplines and eight points of attention. The reason for reforming the three major disciplines and eight points of attention was that some phrases were not understandable at that time, and more importantly, Zhang Chu himself could not remember them all. However, the core principle was to abide by the discipline, obey commands, and not to indiscriminately plunder property. From then on, before every meal, the sound of everyone shouting the song at the top of their lungs could be heard. The training effect was surprisingly good. After ten days, these five individuals were already able to respond naturally to commands.

During the training, Zhang Chu arranged for everyone to have good meals, and the three dead donkeys provided meat. With sufficient nutrition, everyone's health has improved significantly

With the weapons in place, the training commenced. Although there were only six individuals training, the atmosphere could be described as fervent and lively. Zhang Chu reflected on his experiences from military training during university in his previous life, teaching others the basics of formation and how to respond to questions, as well as how to act, sit, and lie down. He aimed to cultivate a sense of discipline among everyone

The ancients once said, "Do princes and nobles have any particular lineage?" This means that anyone can become an emperor, a lord, or a minister. We are striving to establish a court that speaks for the poor. In other words, it is our own court. " Zhang Chu said loudly

"We are short of people on the mountain, would you be willing to go?" asked Yang the blacksmith

In his previous life, Zhang Chu believed he was still a child, yet unexpectedly, he has now begun to take care of children.

Upon seeing Zhang Chu's solemn demeanor, everyone became serious and exchanged glances with one another, then they all made a resolute decision to stand by Zhang Chu.

He Jin was quite troubled by his illiteracy, so Zhang Chu had no choice but to patiently advise him. He told him that in the future, not only would he need to rely on him to charge into battle and create a new world, but he also needed to become a general who could lead and command troops, and being illiterate would not suffice. He Jin had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow Zhang Chu to learn to read and write.

Seeing that the time was about right, Zhang Chu instructed Chunmei and Xiugu to prepare the provisions, and arranged for the blacksmith Yang and his son, along with the carpenter Wu, to take the provisions outside the mountain to seek strong young single men to join them. The main method was to entice them with the provisions. The goal of this expedition was to recruit four or five refugees.

"I am willing," the man gritted his teeth and replied

Zhang Chu felt very pleased upon seeing this, as it marked a good beginning. He continued, "Although we have taken the bandits' territory, we do not act as bandits; this is something we must never forget at any time. So what are we? We are the force that protects the people and maintains order in this chaotic world, simply referred to as security. At this stage, we are the security of the Great Ming. If the current court is unjust, then we are the security of our own court."

During the training breaks, Zhang Chu continuously engaged in heartfelt conversations with everyone. He told them that they are the seeds of this team, and in a few days, they will need to recruit personnel from the refugees. Therefore, these individuals will be the leaders of the newcomers, and they must first hone their own skills

In recent days, Zhang Chu has been continuously gathering information about the surrounding villages from everyone, sketching out some simple maps and contemplating over them. With winter approaching, the question of how to survive this winter weighs heavily on his mind. Although he currently has more than 30 people, they have only trained in peacetime and have never experienced real combat or seen blood. This is a source of concern for Zhang Chu. Not only must they survive, but they must also continuously strengthen their forces. In order to survive and to train the team, he is determined to first capture a landlord's stronghold.

Everyone responded: "I am full"

Zhang Chu took the opportunity to announce: "All grain will now be centralized for unified use. Other materials are also the common property of everyone, and any future assets obtained will also be collectively owned, to be distributed later according to each person's performance. We must acquire wealth while also defending our wealth. Everyone must participate in training to cooperate in the art of killing enemies; this is fundamental to our survival and existence"

Zhang Chu said with a smile, "Do you want to live like this every day?"

Zhang Chu continued, "Previously, I promised to lead everyone to find food and survive. Now, I not only want everyone to survive but also to live better. This requires everyone to unite, to work together as one, to obey my commands, and to adhere to the rules we have established together. I will say this one last time: if anyone does not wish to abide by the rules here, you may leave now. After this, this place will no longer be one where you can come and go as you please." I will say this one last time: if anyone does not wish to abide by the rules here, you may leave now. After this, this place will no longer be one where you can come and go as you please.

When Zhang Chu was teaching reading and writing in the valley, the blacksmith Yang and others arrived at the village town outside the mountain. Refugees from various places often gathered here, hoping to find food, but more often they encountered disappointment and then moved on to the next village

"Your own court?" Yang Biao asked in confusion

Observing the training results were promising, Zhang Chu instructed Yang the blacksmith and the others to go out and gather people. With the experience from the last time, this time it went more smoothly, and soon they brought back twenty-five individuals. The original five, under He Jin's leadership, quickly discovered the joys of life. The training ground became increasingly lively.

"Do you want to eat?" Yang the Blacksmith asked the person.

Following the same method, Yang the blacksmith and his companions quickly found five suitable individuals. Since Zhang Chu instructed them not to recruit too many people, they brought the five back to the valley

Everyone unanimously expressed their willingness to follow Zhang Chu's arrangements

The enthusiasm of those two young women for literacy was not very high, but when Zhang Chu spoke of the future establishment of a society with gender equality and described to them the scenes of future girls thriving, he opened the door to a new world for them, significantly increasing their eagerness to learn. Future otaku, do not blame me; you should still honestly play your roles as faux girls, Zhang Chu thought with a mischievous sense of humor.