Chapter 15: Training
“Starting tomorrow, you four teams, march at my command.”
Pei Qinghe disliked lengthy nonsense, announcing the training essentials concisely and clearly: “Obey orders without question.”
The Pei Clan was a general’s family passed down for generations, with military books handed down from ancestors in the household. The way of training troops boiled down to just a few principles.
As the commander, one must lead by example, match words with actions, balance rewards and punishments appropriately, and establish prestige.
Most importantly, ensure the soldiers under one’s command are well-fed and warmly clothed, and receive full military pay. Only then can they loyally follow the commander. Sharing clothes when short and sharing food when short is the highest realm of training troops.
These were all matters for later.
The Pei women before her mostly had some martial arts foundation and healthy bodies. With a little training, they took on a proper appearance.
At the current speed, the distant and long over a thousand li exile road could be covered in about two months. Taking advantage of these two months, have the Pei women train stamina, endurance, and formation marching, and engrave military orders and military discipline into their minds.
Once the two words “military order” are imprinted in their minds and fused into their blood, the Pei Family Army would take initial shape.
“Yes!”
Pei Yan’s voice rang out loudly, the first to respond.
Pei Yun was much more steady, nodding in acknowledgment.
Mao Hongling hesitated slightly, asking softly: “Training like this, won’t it be too conspicuous? After all, it’s during the exile journey. If it falls into the eyes of those with ulterior motives and brings more trouble, that would be bad.”
Approval flashed in Pei Qinghe’s eyes: “Second Sister-in-law thinks carefully, what you say makes sense. Training troops like this is indeed conspicuous. So, these days I’ve fed Guard Gao with silver and wine and meat, and also sealed Captain Sun’s mouth.”
With the accompanying Eastern Palace Guards providing protection along the way, and the escort officer staying silent, who else would meddle or gossip?
On the official road, passersby were indeed encountered from time to time. Ordinary common people would evade from afar upon seeing the tall horses and big soldiers. Merchants on the road didn’t dare cause trouble either. Even if someone noticed the exiled women acting strangely, they wouldn’t know where to report to the officials.
Admiration showed in Mao Hongling’s eyes: “You’re still the one who thinks thoroughly.”
Aunt Wu Xiuniang picked up the conversation: “However you want to train, we’ll listen to you.”
Pei Qinghe was already prepared, whispering a few sentences. The several captains silently memorized them, then each gathered their own team and passed down the few simple military orders.
During the day passing a bamboo grove, Pei Qinghe borrowed a knife to chop a section of bamboo. Now she took it out and carefully made a bamboo whistle with a dagger.
This dagger, about three inches long, gleamed with sharp cold light. It was what Pei Qinghe had exchanged for five taels of silver from the square-faced big soldier.
The square-faced big soldier happily pocketed the silver. With this windfall, he could go back and marry a wife.
Captain Sun saw the square-faced big soldier’s delighted expression, twitched the corner of his mouth, and turned a blind eye, pretending not to know.
The dagger was exquisite and small, inconspicuous when hidden in the bosom, and could save a life in a critical moment.
Pei Qinghe gripped the dagger, swiftly whittling the bamboo, and the bamboo whistle soon took shape.
Madam Feng was lowering her head making cotton clothes, occasionally looking up, unable to hold back her amazement: “Qinghe, how are you so proficient with a dagger!”
That small dagger flipped up and down in Pei Qinghe’s hand, more nimble than the embroidery needle in her hand.
Pei Qinghe said casually: “Kill enough people, and it comes naturally.”
Madam Feng was amused: “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Pei Qinghe smiled and continued lowering her head to make the bamboo whistle.
In her previous life after arriving in Youzhou, she was clawed in the face by a tiger, disfigured and ruined. She had no time to care.
Half a ferocious and terrifying face added more deterrence to her. Leading the Pei Family Army, she killed bandits and robbed magnates everywhere, countless died under her blade, and describing her as killing like flies was not excessive.
Over a dozen years of fighting to the death and hard battles honed a body full of killing skills.
No matter what weapon, in her hands, it became a lethal tool for killing.
……
The next day at the fifth watch.
The sky was slightly bright, and the aroma of steaming hot food wafted over with the wind.
The square-faced big soldier first touched the silver in his bosom, then turned his head with a grin: “This smells too good.”
The mole-faced big soldier was also drooling greedily.
Big soldiers usually marched with dry biscuits to fill their stomachs, which was already good. A bunch of stinky soldiers, even if they wanted good food, lacked the cooking skills.
Now it was different. This group of Pei women had sturdy bodies and strode nimbly, not inferior to men on the road. At night they didn’t idle either: half made cotton clothes, preparing for the bitterly cold Northern Lands life, the other half kneaded dough, chopped filling, made buns, and steamed them at the fourth watch.
Then boil a pot of hot soup to go with the meat buns—it was simply immortal days.
“Sixth Sister is so generous.”
Eating meat buns with oil dripping from their mouths, the big soldiers called out “Sixth Sister” one after another, extremely affectionate: “Yesterday bought two pigs, the buns are full of meat.”
“And this meat broth, drinking it is so fragrant.”
“Sixth Sister is really generous, spends silver without blinking.” The mole-faced big soldier nudged the square-faced big soldier: “That broken dagger of yours actually fetched five taels of silver!”
The square-faced big soldier was full of self-satisfaction: “This is a good thing I found two years ago when following the boss to raid a house. Not some broken dagger, cuts iron like mud! Sixth Sister has an eye for goods! Your eyes are wasted!”
The other big soldiers were all very envious.
They got two taels of military pay per month, often delayed or deducted, and once they got silver, they spent it on eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. One by one, empty-handed, their money pouches cleaner than their faces.
The square-faced big soldier got lucky, his carried dagger caught Sixth Sister’s eye and was bought at a high price.
“I have an old bow here,” a round-faced big-eared big soldier said slyly: “Picked up from the battlefield, though a bit worn, still usable. Wonder if Sixth Sister would buy it.”
The mole-faced big soldier still had some sense, glaring warningly: “A dagger isn’t conspicuous, we don’t say anything, no one knows. But a bow and arrow is so eye-catching. If someone finds out you’re privately selling bow and arrow to exiled convicts, do you want your head anymore.”
The round-faced big soldier verbally agreed, then quietly went to find Sixth Sister Pei for “idle talk”.
At departure time, the middle grain cart had an extra bulging gray cloth bundle, hidden among the grain bags, not conspicuous at all.
The round-faced big soldier’s bosom had ten taels of silver more.
Captain Sun was so angry he laughed, calling over the square-faced and round-faced big soldiers for a thorough scolding. The two were scolded bloody-headed, and hurriedly offered half as filial piety to Captain Sun.
Only then did Captain Sun subside his anger.
Guard Gao silently twitched his mouth, whispering to several Eastern Palace Guards: “These big soldiers are poor crazy, blinded by silver, even daring to sell weapons to the Pei Clan.”
“You all be sharp, don’t do such stupid things.”
The Eastern Palace Guards nodded together.
They helped Sixth Sister run errands and pass messages, and got silver for it, disdaining to do such taboo things.
Beep!
The clear and loud bamboo whistle sound suddenly rang out.
Guard Gao was startled.
Captain Sun was also stunned, swiftly turning his head.
Sixth Sister Pei had an extra red cord around her neck, the bamboo whistle tied to the red cord blown again.
Training troops begins^_^ Seeing so many reader messages every day makes me very happy. The greatest joy of writing is the like and recognition from readers. Every morning at seven, see you there o(*￣︶￣*)o
