Chapter 317: Military Spirit
The soldiers of the Liaoxi Army, having trained for two extra months, showed even more significant changes.
During the assessment of military regulations, they all recited them without hesitation, standing tall with sparkling eyes. This was the unique confidence and pride of the Pei Family Army. After months of immersion, the soldiers of the Liaoxi Army now followed suit, their soldier ruffian laziness and slickness gradually stripped away, as if their souls had been reforged.
Li Chi admired Pei Qinghe to the utmost, the admiration and respect in his tone genuine: “I’ve always heard of the Pei Family Army’s many powerful aspects, but now I truly understand the general’s far-sighted vision.”
“They were originally a bunch of reckless soldier ruffians and thugs who joined the army just to have a full meal. Looting common people had become a habit. They were imposing toward common people but fearful and retreating when encountering Xiongnu barbarians. On the battlefield, they thought not of how to win victories, but of preserving their lives first. Sometimes, before the battle even started, there were already a bunch of deserters.”
“The general made them read and write, and I was always skeptical in my heart, thinking it was a waste of time with no use. Soldiers just need to dare to wield a knife and fight to the death—what’s the point of literacy? Now I’m gradually understanding.”
“It’s only been three months, and they all seem like different people.”
Pei Qinghe smiled faintly, looking at Li Chi: “Reading makes people reasonable, literacy enlightens the mind. They are not consumables on the battlefield; they are also living people who not only need to eat and drink their fill but should also have spiritual pursuits.”
“They go to the battlefield to protect territory, to fight to the death for the common people. Even facing fierce Xiongnu cavalry, they would be fearless.”
“This is the military spirit of the Pei Family Army.”
Military spirit.
These two words fell like a heavy hammer, shocking Li Chi’s mind and spirit.
At this moment, it was as if something shattered completely, while a new seed took root and sprouted in an instant.
“Military spirit,” Li Chi murmured: “We too have the Pei Family Army’s military spirit.”
Pei Qinghe smiled: “It’s still far too early. It takes over half a year of training troops to see true results. Li Chi, you are truly a smart man; some things I don’t need to say much about—you can see and understand them yourself.”
“I’ve taught you bit by bit how to train troops, holding nothing back. Only when you completely uproot the Liaoxi Army banner from your heart will you truly become one of my Pei Family Army.”
Li Chi’s mind surged with emotion; unlike before, he didn’t rush to pledge loyalty. After a long silence, he said: “The general’s words, I, Li Chi, will keep them in my heart.”
Pei Qinghe looked at Li Chi and said meaningfully: “No need to overthink; since I’ve accepted you, I’m not afraid you’ll harbor thoughts of rebellion.”
She personally trained the troops, infusing the Pei Family Army’s military discipline and regulations into the blood of all soldiers, forging them new muscles and bones. They were all her soldiers.
Even if Li Chi wanted to rebel, it would depend on whether the soldiers were willing to follow him in mutiny.
These words didn’t need to be said outright. With Li Chi’s cleverness, he naturally understood.
In the blink of an eye, the end of the month arrived.
The eagerly anticipated end-of-month martial practice match finally came.
The rules of the martial practice match were ingrained in the Pei Family Army soldiers. The Liaoxi Army had also experienced it twice, and everyone was eager to try, calculating how to claim the top three—eating meat for three days was a top priority, and beyond that, they could stand tall and proud for a month. The feeling of being envied and jealous by others was even more wonderful than eating meat.
The five hundred men of the Fanyang Army were participating for the first time; amid their excitement, they also felt some unease and apprehension.
It had been evident during daily training that every soldier in the Pei Family Army was powerful. Even the Liaoxi Army looked more disciplined than them. Today they were divided into five camps—would they sweep the bottom five places? That would be too embarrassing!
Lu Erlang’s palms were sweating profusely.
Pei Xuan smiled at him: “Second Brother Lu, are you a bit scared?”
Lu Erlang refused to show weakness in front of her and straightened his chest: “Of course not. I was just calculating how to encounter Li Chi and have a match with him.”
Pei Xuan laughed: “There are over a hundred camps in total, all deciding opponents by drawing lots. The chance of encountering him is minuscule. Like this—I’ll quietly beg the general to exempt you from drawing lots and directly match you against Li Chi, how about that?”
Lu Erlang coughed: “Matches have their rules; better to follow the rules!”
Pei Feng snorted.
Pei Xuan glanced at Pei Feng; his handsome face showed no expression, and at least he didn’t say anything harsh. Pei Xuan turned back and smiled sweetly at Lu Erlang: “I believe in Second Brother Lu; today, no matter who you face, you’ll surely win!”
Encouraged by Pei Xuan, Lu Erlang’s confidence soared.
The morning matches were lifting stone locks in one-on-one combat and riding and shooting. As expected, the good rankings were mostly taken by veteran soldiers from the Pei Family Army.
Li Chi didn’t feel disgraced, and Lu Erlang thought it normal. They had both learned the intensity of the Pei Family Army’s training troops; they were still striving to catch up, while the Pei Family Army had trained this way for years. In terms of individual bravery and quality, no army in the Northern Lands combined could match them.
The Beiping Army cavalry who came to watch the excitement only participated in riding and shooting to show off. The Beiping Army’s training was renowned, and these elite cavalry were proficient in riding and shooting—even Pei Qinghe couldn’t help praising them repeatedly: “The Beiping Army lives up to its name; the cavalry are indeed all elite and very powerful.”
Meng Bing, who was helped to the martial practice field, was modest and low-key: “Compared to the Pei Family Army, we still have many shortcomings. In the future, we still ask the general for guidance.”
A smile welled up in Pei Qinghe’s eyes, and she glanced at Mao Hongling.
Mao Hongling was also competing today, holding her usual spear, her soft and beautiful face filled with cold, stern killing intent.
Having stayed in the barracks for so long, Mao Hongling had long been tempered into an excellent military general. Facing Pei Qinghe’s teasing gaze, Mao Hongling’s face didn’t blush at all.
“Everyone, come draw lots to decide the opponents for the troop formation confrontation.”
At Pei Qinghe’s command, all the leaders stepped forward and lined up to draw lots. There were 126 bamboo slips in the lottery tube; those who drew the same number were opponents.
Lu Erlang’s heart raced; after drawing the bamboo slip, he glanced at it—thirty-seven!
He quickly glanced at Li Chi and, upon seeing the number on Li Chi’s bamboo slip, felt his heart settle. Li Chi had drawn twenty-six.
They didn’t match—great!
He wouldn’t admit defeat verbally, but he knew full well that if they matched, he would most likely be the one embarrassed nine times out of ten. Not matching this time was perfect!
Li Chi also looked over, somewhat regretful: “I was hoping to have a match with Brother Lu. Unfortunately, today’s draw didn’t match.”
Lu Erlang grinned inwardly but showed no weakness on the surface: “Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait another month.”
Their gazes met in mid-air, quietly sparking like fireworks.
“Twenty-six!” Pei Yan’s loud voice rang out: “Who has twenty-six?”
Li Chi’s scalp tingled, but he pretended to be calm and responded.
Lu Erlang grinned, then saw the cool Pei Feng call out: “Thirty-seven!”
