On a summer day, it was already dawn. They woke up even earlier than before. It was their first time arriving in Liangzhou last night, so everyone was excited and couldn't help but sleep late. When they arrived at the training field, everyone was sleepy and some even wore their shoes inside out.
Shi Tou was fine, but Xiao Mai and Hong Shan were walking while tying their belts. The two saw that He Yan was full of energy and asked in confusion, "A He, aren't you sleepy?"
"I slept early last night, so I slept enough," He Yan replied.
Xiao Mai praised, "You're amazing!"
As they spoke, they had already arrived at the training field. Because today was the first day, they still lined up according to their previous schedule. On the high platform stood a strong man wearing a red suit. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he was tall like a tree. He held a long spear in his hand and looked very impressive.
"Who is that?" He Yan asked.
"He's the instructor in charge of supervising our training, Shen Jiaotou." Xiao Mai was a nosy person, so she had already asked around.
He Yan nodded, but in her heart, she thought that Xiao Jue would personally come to train the soldiers. She didn't expect that she wouldn't even see him today. Speaking of which, although they were all young men who joined the army and were conferred the title of general, every general had their own way of training soldiers. He Yan wanted to see Xiao Jue's methods and secretly learn from him. However, it seemed that it was impossible for now.
"I'm your chief instructor, Shen Han." Shen Jiaotou's voice was like a bell. The training field at the foot of Mount Baiyue was surrounded by mountains, so listening to his voice made one's scalp tingle. "From today onwards, I'll be leading you." He shook the military register. "Now, let's start the roll!"
The roll call had to be fast. Today was the first roll call. After a few days, the soldiers would be divided into five, one hundred, one brigade, and one division. Then, the appointed five commanders, one hundred commanders, one brigade commanders, and one thousand commanders would be in charge of the roll call, saving a lot of time.
This group of people were all unaffiliated soldiers recruited from the capital. In the past, they had never received any training. After listening to someone call out the soldiers for several hours, they could only stand in the martial arts arena. He only felt uncomfortable all over and moved his body from time to time. Xiao Mai whispered to her brother, "Big Brother, A He Ge isn't moving. It looks like a piece of Shi Tou."
Shi Tou looked at He Yan.
Compared to him, He Yan seemed to be more deserving of this name. She stood as straight as a pine tree with her arms by her side. Her eyes were bright as she looked at the high platform. She didn't seem to be tired or bored. It gave people the illusion that she could still stand like this even after two hours.
Shi Tou thought of the time when he and Xiao Mai hunted in the mountains. There were wild beasts in the mountains. When the wild beasts caught wild hares, they also hid quietly in the grass without moving. At first glance, they looked like a lifeless piece of Shi Tou. He had hunted with Xiao Mai for so many years. He was fine, but Xiao Mai couldn't help but come down. Why was He Yan able to do it? He heard from the Hong Shan that He Yan joined the army because his family was in dire straits. Looking at his appearance, he seemed to have a good family background. Why did such a person have the patience and perseverance of a wild beast?
After all, He Yan didn't need to hunt.
He didn't get an answer from his contemplation. The roll call was over.
Shen Jiaotou closed the military register book and said, "From today onwards, a hundred people will form a team. Each team will have one instructor. You will train here, set up formations, and practice how to charge! Today, I will be teaching you military orders! " At this point, Shen Han's face revealed a smile. For some reason, when everyone saw this smile, they only felt a chill in their hearts.
Sure enough, they heard Shen Han shout, "You didn't answer the call, you didn't arrive on time, and you didn't arrive on time. This is called a slow-moving army. Those who break this rule will be whipped! Today, you are late by a minute. You should be punished according to military law. However, since this is your first offense, I will be lenient. "
Everyone's hearts were beating up and down after hearing his words. As soon as they landed, they heard the stern instructor's emotionless voice.
"Everyone, carry sandbags and run laps around the barracks. Ten laps! You can't miss a single lap. Each team's instructor will be guarding you. Whoever dares to slack off will be punished according to military law! "
Everyone present sucked in a breath of cold air.
The training field at the foot of Mount Baiyue was the barracks. One lap was at least one li long. Ten laps was more than ten li long. They still had to carry sandbags. When they woke up early, it was still early and they didn't feel hot. Now, after the roll call, the sun was high in the sky. It was hot and hanging above their heads. Just standing there made them sweat non-stop.
They had to run laps under the sun. The surrounding area was suddenly filled with wailing.
Xiao Mai said, "A He Ge, what Shen Jiaotou said is exactly the same as what you said. Hey, how did you know that he would say that?"
How did she know? Naturally, it was because when she entered the barracks, it was the same situation. Just like the killing stick, the new recruits were first put in their place and let them know that they didn't join the army to enjoy life. Even if it wasn't for this, Shen Han would find some other reason to punish them.
"Remember more military orders." He Yan patted the young man's shoulder. "It's good for you."
Xiao Mai nodded, not fully understanding.
Sure enough, according to what Shen Han said, there were so many soldiers and they were divided into teams of a hundred people. Everyone went to collect sandbags. He Yan initially thought that the sandbags were the size of a palm, just like the ones she and He Yunsheng used to chop firewood in the mountains. They could be tied to the legs. However, when he reached the end, his eyelids twitched.
That sandbag was the size of a bundle. It wasn't tied to the legs, but carried on the back. It was heavy to carry and definitely not comparable to her sandbag.
"Damn it, running ten laps with this thing on your back, that's too much!" Hong Shan shouted.
Xiao Mai secretly looked at He Yan's expression. He Yan's calm face finally cracked when he picked up the sandbag. Xiao Mai secretly heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that A He Ge was also an ordinary person and wasn't omnipotent.
He Yan didn't know what to say.
When she was training the new recruits, in order to increase their physical strength, it was necessary to run with weights. However, it was done step by step. Most of the time, she used the sandbags she made in the He family. They increased the weight little by little.
In the past, she didn't know about Xiao Jue's training methods. Now, she finally knew. Xiao Jue was so fierce right from the start. She didn't expect Xiao Jue to be so ruthless even though she had a beautiful face. She still underestimated how ruthless Xiao Jue could be.
She was a ruthless person.
"A He, you …" Hong Shan was about to ask if she needed his help to carry the sandbag on her back when He Yan picked up the sandbag and tied it to her body.
She was too thin and small. In the military camp full of men, she looked like a teenager who hadn't grown up yet. The sandbag was big and heavy, and when it was on her back, it seemed to make her shorter. She looked very pitiful and tottering.
Shi Tou was a man of few words, but he couldn't stand it anymore. He only said to her, "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay." He Yan smiled at him.
When they saw her smiling face, they were slightly relieved. They thought that she was still a young and strong man. Although she looked thin and weak, she still had strength.
He Yan cursed Xiao Jue a million times in her heart.
With such a load, it was naturally no problem for her to pass. However, Lady He had a delicate body. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't turn Lady He into Hercules overnight.
Therefore, it was really heavy.