Chapter 41: Grace and Favor (II)

The training site for the Shence Army was chosen at the Xiaoi Army Camp in the Southern Yamen of the imperial city. Perhaps out of consideration for noble princes, the Emperor of Tang personally issued an edict to change the training location from Bailu Fort in the southern suburbs to the Southern Yamen. After all, the Shence Army trained officers above the rank of company commander, and their treatment was naturally different from that of ordinary soldiers in the camps on the outskirts of the city. Moreover, those who joined the Shence Army were all princes from prominent families. Since military achievements could be gained on horseback, these noble youths found it much easier and more comfortable to earn military honors than to pursue official positions through examinations. Even if the Emperor despised these noble young men, he still had to show respect to their powerful families. However, the person in charge of this training was General Geshu Han, renowned for his strict military discipline. Even the arrogant noble youths who usually dominated Chang’an had to restrain themselves and listen to his teachings. After all, the imperial city was no ordinary place; violating its rules could result in execution. Thus, at the opening ceremony of the camp, General Geshu Han set three rules: those who left the camp without permission would be executed, those who caused trouble by disobeying military orders would be executed, and those who failed to report for duty three times without reason would be executed. Although most of them were princes born into wealthy families, they dared not risk their lives. Even though their ancestors had made great contributions to the founding of the Tang Dynasty, if their general truly enforced military law, it was likely that the busy Emperor would not risk offending a minor noble for the sake of it.

Morning light streamed through the paper windows, casting scattered patches of light. Li Kuo sat on a cushion by the window, repeatedly polishing the horn bow given to him by Nan Jiyun. After thinking all night, he still hadn’t said goodbye to A Tian. Firstly, he had come to the army to become a hermit and earn the Emperor’s trust, and such a goal couldn’t be made too public. With A Tian’s habit of talking too much, if he told her the reason in the morning, it would likely spread throughout the city by noon. Secondly, after Du Lao’s previous admonition, the young man was somewhat afraid of facing this future father-in-law.

“Sigh.”

Xiao Qi let out a long sigh and wiped the bow’s ears with the silk cloth again. Only after arriving at the military camp did the young man realize that nothing was as simple as he had thought. Not to mention standing out and catching the Emperor’s attention to become a hermit—just completing the daily training and successfully staying in the Shence Army as a low-ranking military officer seemed like a challenge in itself. Although the Shence Army trained military officers above the rank of colonel, it seemed their commander was treating him exactly as if he were a new recruit. The daily morning runs and pair-based sword fighting drills were just a taste of what lay ahead; shooting a hundred arrows from fifty paces away was considered exercise for the arms. The worst part was the heavy-distance running before dinner, with twenty-jin sandbags tied between his arms and legs—making even walking extremely difficult. To make matters worse, the damned General Guan had imposed the annoying rule that the last ten people would be denied dinner. These young masters, who usually acted tyrannically in the streets and didn’t even respect the censors, could now only swallow their anger. As the young man was still lost in thought, he heard a long, mournful sound of a horn and drum.

“Wu, wu-wu, wu…”

“Ah!”

Startled, the young man quickly stepped a few steps to the next barracks and shook Zhang Yanji, who was still sleeping soundly in his dreams.

“What time is it? Still not getting up! If you don’t appear in the training ground after three rounds of the horn and drum, you’ll be beaten with thirty military whips!”

Annoyed, he tried to pull his friend up, while Li Kuo warned loudly.

“Brother Kuo, let me sleep a bit more.”

Zhang Yanji pushed Li Kuo’s arm away and turned over on his side.

“Wu, wu-wu, wu…”

The solemn horn sound rang out again, this time with a hint of urgency. Huh? Why does it sound so close? Could it be a dream? Suddenly realizing something, Zhang Yanji sat up abruptly and glanced at the clock by the bed.

“Damn it! It’s already the third hour of the night!”

As he put on his robes, he looked out the window, sweating profusely from anxiety. “Brother Kuo, go to the training ground first. If Deputy Commander Tu asks where you are, tell him I’m on my way!”

Shaking his head at his friend, Li Kuo smiled bitterly. His friend was great in every way, but he had been spoiled into being too arrogant. It would be better for him to endure some hardship now than to end up hurt badly later.

The entire training ground wasn’t large, but it was kept quite tidy. The weeds on the ground had long been removed, and the uneven depressions had been filled with rammed earth. A red flag with the black characters of the Shence Army written on it was planted on the commander’s platform at the north end of the ground, fluttering in the wind.

Although Li Kuo was personally granted the position of Xuanjie Xiaowei by the Emperor, it was after all a nominal role. Wanting to test the young man’s leadership skills, General Geshu Han assigned him the position of commander of the new Third Brigade. This not only preserved the Emperor’s face but also avoided offending the veteran soldiers from Hexi who were in charge of training supervision.

Zhou Wucui stood at the right rear of the training ground, clad in newly issued leather armor. His round head and barrel-like waist contrasted sharply with the tight-fitting armor. Yet this did not dampen his good mood at all. Thanks to Li Xiaoqi’s favor, he had been appointed as a Renyong Xiaowei. Following military convention, he was also appointed as the leader of the first platoon of the New Third Brigade. Although working under that dull-witted Li Xiaoqi annoyed this extraordinary genius, he decided to support his direct superior out of respect for his eagerness to learn. After all, he and Li Kuo were now tightly tied together—sharing both glory and hardship.

“Brother Kuo, I’m here, little fatty!”
Zhang Yanji shouted as he tied the sash around his waist, his movements comically awkward.

“Uuuu…”
The deep, solemn horn sounded again, and Zhang Yanji finally arrived at the training ground, standing at the end of the platoon.

“Sigh.”
Zhang Xiaolangjun let out a sigh, wiping the sweat from his forehead before complaining in a low voice, “In my opinion, this early starting time is completely unreasonable. We have to gather at the training ground at the first moment of Mao hour—everyone’s still asleep. How can they get up that fast?”

Li Kuo retorted jokingly, “That’s because you can’t get up on your own. Don’t drag everyone down with you. Look at Wucui—he arrived early and started running laps.”

Zhang Yanji sized up Zhou Wucui from head to toe and shook his head. “Of course, a little fatty needs to run more laps. With his physique, not only would General Geshu Han refuse to let him fight the Tibetans, but even the decorative guards of the Jinwu Wei wouldn’t want him!”

Zhou Wucui’s face turned as red as pig liver. Just as he was about to retort, a loud voice came from the command platform: “All soldiers enlisted in the Shenwu Army have arrived today—a total of 1,243 men. I am Zhang Shouyu, the deputy commander of Hexi Zhenwei. I will be in charge of all matters during training. From today onward, formal training begins!”

The crowd became excited, with various comments flying.

“What? Weren’t those previous drills not formal training?”

“Damn, even the formal training will drive people to exhaustion.”

“I’m quitting the Shence Army. Don’t stop me…”

“Brother Ke, is that Vice Commander Zhenwei the same scoundrel from last time? He’s coming to oversee our training? Damn it!”
Zhang Yanji shrunk his neck and complained in a low voice.
“Keep it down! Do you want to die?”
Li Ke gently pinched his friend’s arm, warning him in a hushed tone.
“Since everyone’s here, I’ll make things clear. You’re soldiers, not lords. Stop acting like you’re here to enlist in the Shence Army just to become officers. All I know is that if you want to work with us under Marshal Ge Shu Han, you need to show some courage. The military achievements of our Hexi Army were earned through hard work—every officer rose from being a recruit. Our Hexi Army isn’t like the imperial guards in Chang’an; we don’t tolerate weaklings! If anyone tries to act like a spoiled brat in camp, my whip won’t care who they are.”
After a pause, Zhang Shouyu pointed to the right side of the command platform. “See that stone tablet? Marshal Ge Shu Han personally established these three rules. Considering you all come from the imperial troops, I’ve already made them fairly lenient. But once you’re in Hexi, you’ll have to follow the rules of the Tang Dynasty. If you still can’t shed your spoiled habits, your head might end up rolling around many times. If you regret it now, pack up and leave immediately—don’t embarrass yourself here.”
“Hahaha.”
Laughter erupted among the troops below the command platform. Some recruits even laughed so hard they fell to the ground. Most of them came from noble families and were used to polite, refined speech. Even when cursing, they did so indirectly, never using even half a vulgar word. But Vice Commander Zhang’s rough language made everyone’s blood boil!
“I’m not someone who ignores reason. If you have any difficulties, speak up. But you’re all grown men—don’t act worse than women and let your comrades mock you. The soldiers I lead will never include any weaklings without backbone!”

Note 2: Military regulations of the Sui and Tang dynasties: Failing to advance upon hearing the drum, failing to stop upon hearing the gong, failing to raise the flag when ordered, or failing to lower it when ordered—this is called disobeying military orders; those who commit such acts shall be beheaded. Failing to respond when called, failing to arrive at the designated time, failing to meet deadlines, or altering military regulations—this is called being negligent; those who commit such acts shall be beheaded. Failing to respond promptly to night signals, being lazy in reporting, mismanaging the timing of signals, or issuing unclear commands—this is called being slack; those who commit such acts shall be beheaded. Complaining excessively, resenting the commander, refusing to obey orders, and causing difficulties in control—this is called creating chaos in the army; those who commit such acts shall be beheaded. Making loud noises, laughing, disregarding prohibitions, and rushing at the military gates—this is called being disrespectful; those who commit such acts shall be beheaded… In total, there are seventeen types of capital punishment and fifty-four types of severe punishment. The military regulations of the Sui and Tang dynasties were very strict; as low-ranking soldiers, they often lived in constant fear with their commanders’ heads hanging from their belts.