Chapter 13 Why So Skilled

Chapter 13 Why So Skilled

Chapter 13 Why So Skilled

The disturbance on the parade ground was quelled before it even started due to Wang Dao's concession.

Mi Huang personally found Shao Xun, and after taking a closer look, he smiled and said, "He looks quite heroic. This is why my efforts with General Wang are worthwhile."

"I will remember the governor's kindness in my heart." Shao Xun didn't know what Mi Huang and Wang Dao had just said, but he was not stupid and he quickly figured it out.

"It's not me, it's the princess's great kindness." Mi Huang said seriously.

"The princess has been kind enough to recognize my talent, and the governor has been virtuous enough to select me. I will always remember them in my heart," Shao Xun replied.

Mi Huang nodded with satisfaction and said, "I won't say anything more. These two teams of recruits are in your hands. Take good care of them and don't let the princess down. As for those young men and old men, do you have any ideas?"

"Perhaps they can be placed in the village and do what they can." Shao Xun replied: "Quality is more important than quantity. When going into battle, if these children and old people scatter, it will affect their morale."

"You have a point." Mi Huang pondered for a moment and said, "Then I will leave them all under your command. You can make the arrangements as you see fit."

"Yes." Shao Xun replied.

His impression of Mi Huang changed.

Before this, I thought he was a typical scholar-official who was out of touch with reality. After this interaction, I found that he had many shining qualities.

The first thing is to be honest.

Promoting him to the position of Du Bo was a favor, but he did not take it all on himself, but told the truth.

Secondly, people are smarter.

After knowing that he was teaching the children to read and write, he was not separated from these people, but continued to be allowed to lead them, fully taking his personal wishes into consideration.

Some scholars just like to give up, but they are not stupid.

"Come on, I'll take you to see the newly recruited soldiers." Mi Huang waved his hand and said, "These are truly strong and capable men, strong and sturdy, familiar with all kinds of weapons. Some of them are even soldiers from the central army who were scattered. There are also some desperate criminals..."

Having said that, Mi Huang glanced at Shao Xun.

Well, he is indeed tall, but he is only sixteen years old after all, and his body has not fully grown yet. I don’t know if he can subdue these soldiers.

Shao Xun followed silently behind.

The plates of his iron armor sparkled brightly in the sun. With bow in his left hand and sword in his right, he walked like a dragon and a tiger, full of energy and confidence in his eyes, as if he didn't take anyone seriously.

The two of them quickly arrived at the front of the battle.

A hundred men stood there holding spears, in neat and solemn formation.

Shao Xun looked at him with a professional eye.

These one hundred people come from quite diverse backgrounds.

Some people look tall and strong, but their faces are honest and their eyes are timid. You can tell at a glance that they have never been to the battlefield or "bullied" others. They are just honest children.

There was a widely circulated rumor in later generations: honest people are the best soldiers. However, in the Western Jin Dynasty, people had already rejected such soldiers after practice, believing that they were "dull", "weak" and unfit for battle.

Shao Xun also didn't think these people were that good. At best, they were qualified soldiers and needed to be reformed. They were far from being excellent soldiers.

Some soldiers had stern and indifferent expressions, as if they had already consumed the last bit of enthusiasm and wiped out all their ideals in the ups and downs of the chaotic times, and now they were nothing more than zombie-like killing machines, living one day at a time and forgetting it when they died.

They were generally soldiers from the central army of Luoyang, who should have been scattered during the Sima Lun Rebellion, and had no intention of returning to the team. They just wandered around and went with the flow in the chaotic times.

The third group of people were extremely vicious, mostly bandits and thieves, who might have killed more than one person.

In today's world, bandits have a hard time. As long as they can rob merchants and kill civilians to make a living, why would they be willing to serve as soldiers and be disciplined?
"These soldiers..." Mi Huang seemed to know the details of these people. After saying half of it, he felt that he didn't know where to start, so he could only say: "Lead them well and don't cause any trouble."

"Yes." Shao Xun's eyes swept across their faces.

Some people subconsciously lowered their heads, some looked at him calmly, and some seemed to be dissatisfied with his age and looked at him with a slightly provocative look.

Haha! Interesting! I just like to deal with you troublemakers.

"Shao Dubo, please say a few words." Mi Huang coughed and said.

"Yes." Shao Xun saluted.

He walked straight into the queue, looked at an honest-looking man, and asked, "What's your name?"

"Zhang Gu."

"Why did you join the army?"

Zhang Gu hesitated for a moment and said, "The King of Qi demolished my house, so I have nowhere to go. When my parents were still alive, they arranged a marriage for me. I wanted to be a son-in-law and make a living, but Zheng the Butcher no longer liked me and broke off the engagement."

There was a burst of laughter in the army. Zhang Gu blushed and didn't know what to do.

"You are quite articulate, but Zheng the Butcher made a mistake." Shao Xun also smiled and said, "What are your skills?"

"I've killed pigs, sheep, and cows before. I'm very skilled and can kill with one strike." Zhang Gu straightened his chest and said, "I can also skin them quickly and cleanly."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Shao Xun asked.

"No." Zhang Gu's face turned pale.

"There is no difference between killing a person and killing a pig." Shao Xun said, "One cut of the knife will cause pain and will kill. The difference is that when a pig is killed, it screams and shit and urine flow out. When a person is killed, he will resist and beg for mercy. You are a soldier now, and you need to practice the skill of killing. Kill people until they are afraid of you and walk around you. Then when you stand in front of Zheng the butcher, he will never dare to look down on you again. Do you understand?" Zhang Gu nodded in agreement.

"Look at what you have accomplished!" Shao Xun sneered and said, "Follow me in the future and I will teach you how to kill people. When you become famous and successful in the future, let Zheng the Butcher see how wrong you were in the beginning."

"Yes." Zhang Gu responded.

Shao Xun punched him and said, "Don't bow your head when you talk. My soldiers are all warriors. How can a warrior be so cowardly? Hold your head high and chest out. Don't be afraid. Killing a pig is killing, and killing a person is also killing. If you keep being so servile, you will be looked down upon for the rest of your life. Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Zhang Gu responded loudly.

Shao Xun nodded, walked to another sergeant, grabbed his arm and spread out his palm.

"How many years have you been using the bow?" he asked.

"Seven or eight years."

"Where did you serve in the army before?"

"Yuki Camp."

"Which general is under his command?"

"Right Guard General."

The troops stationed in the Luoyang Central Army were called the "Seven Guards", and were led by seven people: the General of the Left Guard, the General of the Right Guard, the General of the Front Army, the General of the Rear Army, the General of the Left Army, the General of the Right Army, and the General of the Cavalry.

Specifically speaking, the troops under the command of the "Right Guard General" mentioned above can be roughly divided into three parts:

The Vanguard Battalion (heavy-armored infantry, commanded by General Hu Ben), the Base Battalion (archer troops, commanded by General Ji She), and the Strong Crossbow Battalion (crossbow troops, commanded by General Ji Nu);
The cavalry units led by the five commanders are Mingzhong Huben Commander, Huben Commander, Yulin Commander, Shangqi Commander, and Yili Commander.

The troops led by the General of the Palace were large in number, most of whom were infantry, with only a small number of archers and cavalry units.

This soldier of the imperial guards who had been practicing archery for seven or eight years came from the Youji Camp under the command of the Right Guard General. His skill level should be pretty good - if this archery unit named after the famous Yang Youji had not yet fallen.

"Why did you join the army?" Shao Xun asked.

The sergeant was a little confused, as if he had not thought about this question carefully. After a moment, he replied: "My family is broken and I have nowhere to go."

"A man should have no problem finding a wife." Shao Xun patted his shoulder and said, "You are not very old. After fighting bravely on the battlefield and making meritorious contributions, it is normal for you to get married and start a family. Don't give up on yourself."

He knew that if he didn't gather these imperial guards scattered everywhere, someone else would.

If Liu Yao, Liu Cong, Shi Le and others came to Luoyang and waved their flags, it would be normal for these veteran soldiers to join them.

It doesn't matter who you serve as a soldier for. Do you really care about national justice? The Han soldiers under Shi Le's command are the main force. How many people are there in the Jie tribe? How many soldiers can they provide?
"I remember what Du Bo said." The soldier sighed and replied.

Shao Xun came to another person, looked him up and down, and said with a smile: "He is a bandit, and he has killed many people, right?"

This was a big man with a scar on his face. He replied stiffly, "There are always a dozen of them. I've even tasted the taste of a government girl."

The bandits were different. When they saw that Shao Xun was still young, they felt a little unconvinced and spoke without thinking. They never thought about whether they would be caught by the government, tortured and forced to confess their crimes.

Shao Xun's face fell and he grabbed the man's arm.

The scarred bandit was about to resist when he was turned around and pressed to his knees.

Shao Xun grabbed his hair, pulled out a small stick from his boot, put it to the man's throat, and said, "The governor is responsible for enforcing military discipline and training soldiers. You disobeyed your superiors and should be whipped - do you accept this?"

"I give in. I give in." The scarred bandit's anus tightened, and he glanced at the gleaming dagger out of the corner of his eye and said loudly.

"You will receive ten lashes of the whip." Shao Xun let him go and said.

The scarred bandit left the group in disgrace. Huang Biao and two young men came forward and dragged him aside.

The boys probably had never seen such a vicious man, and their hands were shaking, but the man with the scar did not resist and obediently let himself be pulled aside, stripped of his clothes, and started to be beaten.

Shao Xun pulled out the bow from his waist, quickly put the string on, then without even looking, turned around and shot.

The arrow flew through the air and hit the straw man dozens of steps away.

"If you obey my orders, you will be rich and powerful in the future. If you dare to disobey, don't blame me for being ruthless." Shao Xun put away his bow and said.

The soldiers looked at him blankly at first, but when they heard Shao Xun's voice, they immediately shouted in unison: "Yes!"

After being spanked, the scarred man lay on the ground, looking at the straw man trembling slightly in the distance, and swallowed subconsciously.

"If Du Bo has such ability, what can I, Chen Yougen, do to protect you?" He climbed up swiftly and shouted at him with his naked butt.

"Do you have guts?" Shao Xun asked, glancing at Chen Yougen's crotch.

"Du Bo, you look down on me like that." Chen Yougen shouted, "If you don't have the guts to kill the enemy, I'll just cut off your testicles."

Everyone laughed.

Mi Huang couldn't help but smile.

The wicked must be dealt with by the wicked. The new official Shao Dubo seems to have some ability and has the hope of leading this army well.

It’s just—why is he so skilled?
How can a 16-year-old boy be like an old warrior who rolled out of a pile of dead bodies? I don't understand.

(End of this chapter)