CH 29

“First row, level spears. Stab!”

A row of spears thrust forward, sending straw shreds fluttering to the ground several feet away. 

“Second row, level spears. Stab!”

The second row followed up without hesitation, moving exactly with his orders. Five men to a row, four rows in total; after all twenty of them had gone up, the straw targets were nearly reduced to smithereens.

Before needing anyone to waste their words, two soldiers jogged over, removed the old targets, and put up new ones. The four team leaders instantly stepped up to their positions, raised their spears, and took a deep breath.

“Level spears. Stab!” 

The militia practiced spear drills every day, following the team leaders’ commands as they raised their spears and impaled their target. The spears they held weren’t bald sticks anymore; now, each one was capped with a metal speartip around four or five inches long. The things weren’t even half a pound heavy, but they increased the lethality of their weapons several times over. They swished rather threateningly when used.

“Hah!” After stabbing out for the last time, Zhu Er had no choice but to stop and heave a couple of breaths. This was the third round already. Who could’ve thought that even a single stab would be so exhausting? Even so, he didn’t dare to slack off. The militia wasn’t some place you could muddle around in for a free meal. Those who couldn’t keep up with the training would be dismissed.

A few of the people who’d joined up the same time he did and hadn’t been able to keep up had already been kicked out. Those who’d showed good behavior could still be “reserve forces,” though they didn’t have lease land, but those who’d been too lazy could only go home and plant crops. After a couple rounds of sifting, there were only four teams of five left. But anyone who couldn’t meet requirements would still be demoted to “reserve forces.” He sure didn’t want to lose such a cushy job!

Just thinking about the ten mu of high-quality fields under his name was enough for Zhu Er to psych himself up again. He quickly marched back into place with his team – they had to get in formation before and after each spear thrust. Those who messed up the troops’ rhythm or direction got flogged!

Perhaps because they’d lined up especially neatly this time, the team leader standing at the front said, after inspecting their ranks, “Rest where you stand for fifteen minutes.”

Everyone let out a breath of relief. Quite a few of them sat down on the ground right then and there; after training for an entire afternoon, they were all at their limit. Zhu Er sighed as well. Dragging his spear on the ground, he ambled over to the shade of a nearby tree, untied his waterskin from his belt, and took a couple gulps. They’d all been issued waterskins upon entering the militia. The water they drank now wasn’t just well water, it was water that’d already been boiled in the early morning. They filled their waterskins with it and drank whenever they got thirsty. Each soldier could guzzle almost two whole jugs of water a day.

No one knew why they had to go through all the trouble of boiling water before they drank it, but then again, the master did say that it was Buddha’s will, and that doing so could kill some invisible blight. Even the doctor that’d come to treat the master’s sickness agreed. So regardless of whether it was true, everyone in the estate who didn’t laze off would all find a way to heat their water before drinking it.

After only a few mouthfuls, Zhu Er set down his waterskin and started meticulously checking over his precious spear. These spears needed maintenance; he had to check whether the spear tip was still sharp, whether the shaft had cracked, etc., every day. His team leader had said that their spears were their lifelines. They had to lug it around when they ran, carry it when they stood in formation, and even keep it by their pillows when they slept. If they couldn’t even look after their lifelines, then weren’t they were all a bunch of dickless good-for-nothings? 

After checking his spear up and down, Zhu Er finally let out a breath. It seemed he’d gotten lucky; there hadn’t been any damage on his speartip. Now, his team leader wouldn’t have anything to say about it. He relaxed and picked up his waterskin again, but just as he looked up, he saw a commotion in the training fields. A bunch of people were crowding around a straw target, one of them was his own team leader, Sun Jiao. Damnit! Was he really going to challenge the sergeant?

Forgetting about his water, Zhu Er picked up his spear and jogged to the field. Yiyan and Sun Jiao, both armed with bows and arrows, stood across from the target. Sun Jiao eyed all the onlookers and said, very ostentatiously, “Sergeant, how ‘bout if I win, I lead the militia’s training tomorrow?”

Sun Jiao was a serf of the estate, who used to be a hunter. Not only were his martial skills impressive, but he knew his way around the bow as well. Yiyan had promoted him to team leader not long after he’d joined, though he was more than just a bit haughty. After he’d familiarized himself with the training regime and seen that it wasn’t too complicated at all, he’d started getting ideas about being the sergeant himself. Bossing around five people hardly counted for anything; having twenty people at his beck and call was where it was really at.

Kter, joafg j ofk vjsr bo rlifca byrfgnjalbc, tf olcjiis vfmlvfv ab mtjiifcuf Tlsjc ab jc jgmtfg mbwqfalalbc. Lf tjv atbeuta jybea qlaalcu tlr rqfjgkbgx jujlcra Tlsjc’r, yea joafg j ofk vjsr’ qgjmalmf, tf obecv atja atja kjrc’a delaf qbrrlyif. Ktfs jii tjv atf rjwf rqfjgr, yea Tlsjc mbeiv erf tlr ojra jr ilutaclcu, jcv klat remt ofgbmlas atja la kjr lwqbrrlyif ab vbvuf. Po atf batfg vfmlvfv ab “erf qeyilm boolmf ab rfaaif qglnjaf ugevufr,” jcv tjqqfcfv ab qbxf j tbif lc tlw, atfgf kjr cb kjs tf’v regnlnf. Qtlmt kjr kts Vec Aljb qlmxfv jgmtfgs lcrafjv. 

Archery was his specialty after all. Plus, he’d seen Yiyan go off alone to practice before. His strength was decent, but his accuracy was horrible – far worse than his. This day, he’d finally stood out to challenge Yiyan, choosing a time when everyone would be resting and watching. If Yiyan valued his pride at all, he wouldn’t refuse.

Yiyan side-eyed him and said blandly, “You first.”

He’d agreed? Sun Jiao instantly got excited. He drew his bow and fired three arrows in quick succession, each one striking into the chest of the straw dummy a hundred steps away. The new dummy’s straw was still tightly woven, and yet the arrows had sunk in almost halfway; the force behind his arrows was very decent.

Sun Jiao lowered his bow and raised his chin, “So, are my archery skills passable?” 

Archery wasn’t a skill that could be acquired overnight. Even among actual soldiers, it was hard to find a competent bowman. His skills were indeed worthy of showing off already.

Yet, Yiyan didn’t spare him a glance. He drew back the bowstring, planted his feet, then casually loosed an arrow. His was also a stiff one-stone bow, but when he drew it to its fullest, the long arrow seemed as a ray of light crossing the sun. It thudded right between the straw dummy’s eyes. If his arrow had veered just slightly off course, it might’ve slid off the target altogether. But before the tail of the first arrow had stopped vibrating, the second and third arrow all struck true, clustered within a space no larger than a copper coin.

After those three shots, the crowd burst into cheers. A few of them guffawed, “Hey Sun guy, don’t be stupid, the sergeant’s a left-hander y’know?”

Sun Jiao’s jaw dropped in shock. What? A left-hander? How come he’d never seen Yiyan use his left hand? When he trained and when he practiced archery in private, he always used his right hand! Then, Sun Jiao suddenly tensed up. How would the sergeant punish him for provoking him so openly? Demote him from team leader? Kick him out of the militia? 

Contrary to his expectations, Yiyan did nothing of the sort. He only said, “Your team will take a round of latrine duty.”

The barracks had its own crude latrine they all used to take care of their business. Each team would take turns cleaning it up, switching every seven days, to maintain hygiene. No one liked latrine duty, though it wasn’t a serious punishment either. Everyone burst into laughter. Sun Jiao’s face reddened as he grumbled, “Yeah yeah, you all act like you’ve never seen poop before! Sergeant, what if I win next time?”

“You can try.” Yiyan said, then got serious and yelled at all the onlookers, “Gather up, time to start training!”

Their break had been cut short, but no one dared to disobey. Everyone scrambled to their spots, straightened their backs, and waited for the next set of orders. 

※

After a full day of training, Yiyan, as usual, went to the river to bathe. He washed away all the dust and sweat, then after checking that he didn’t smell, he changed into clean clothes and made his way to the main residence.

These days, the militia had been even training even more diligently. Although, since they were fed well, having eggs with each meal and the occasional fish or meat soup, they were all quite energetic, and their endurance grew by the day. They could finish their morning run in just over fifteen minutes – no one took thirty minutes anymore.

And because they were full of energy, their minds started sharpening up as well. Incidents like the one with Sun Jiao had happened more than once recently, though Yiyan didn’t think it was a bad thing. The most important thing was having bravery and courage. Plus it seemed rather inadequate that they only had spear-wielding footsoldiers. Perhaps he should ask his lord whether they should organize a squad of archers… 

Yiyan entered the room as he thought it over, getting a noseful of pungent mugwort. His eyes widened once he saw what was going on. Behind half draped curtains, his lord, half-dressed, was lying on his stomach. Next to him, Jiang Da pinched a needle between his fingers and carefully stuck it into his back. That needle was a whole three inches long, and who knew how deep it’d gone in; it was painful just to look at. What did he intend to do?! A firey hot ball of rage ignited in Yiyan’s heart, then was quickly damped down. Because Lüzhu was also kneeling to the side, both her hands clasped over her mouth, trembling, too afraid to look.

Was this treatment for his sickness? Yiyan gritted his teeth. It must be, otherwise, Lüzhu wouldn’t be sitting around watching; otherwise, his lord wouldn’t let that Jiang guy jab needles into him. But no matter how much he admonished himself, he still couldn’t help glaring at Jiang Da and the hair-raisingly long needles in his hands.

On the bed, Liang Feng suddenly said muffledly, “Yiyan, training’s over already?”

His voice instantly called Yiyan’s reason back to him. He approached him and said softly, “Yes, my lord.” 

“Mhmm, take a seat by the side. It’ll be done in a moment.” Liang Feng instructed impassively, without raising his head.

In the span of that short exchange, Yiyan’s killing intent had already receded. At her colleague’s arrival, Lüzhu turned to look at him with tearful eyes. She was too rattled to even speak as she wordlessly pointed at the spot next to her. Yiyan strode over to her side and sat down properly in seiza.

Now that the feeling of having a naked blade held against his throat had faded, Jiang Da wiped away the thin layer of sweat on his forehead and asked, “How’re you feeling, Zixi?”

“A bit sore, but it’s fine. Use your needles however you must, Ji’en.” Because the two were of the same age, and Liang Feng didn’t mind their difference in status, they’d already started addressing each other by their courtesy names. 

Jiang Da nodded, “Heated needles might feel uncomfortably tight at first, but it’ll get numb after some time. You must endure it calmly and not move.”

Then, Jiang Da picked up another silver needle, lit the strip of mugwort, let it heat up, and stuck it in the next acupuncture point. Ordinarily speaking, a person who was receiving acupuncture for the first time, especially if it was on their back, would be so tense that they were difficult to treat, no matter how much mental preparation they had. But the person lying before him wasn’t nervous at all. In fact, he was so laid back it almost seemed he was taking a nap; it let him carry out the procedure far more smoothly.

With such a cooperative patient, Jiang Da’s movements became nimble and fluid. Before long, he’d gotten all the needles in place. He lit a moxa roll and gently brushed it over the places he hadn’t stuck any needles in. Because the Jiang family specialized in nourishing health, and Jiang Da had been brought up as his grandfather’s inheritor, his moxibustion technique was, of course, superb. He managed not to scald his patient at all.

But no matter how deft Jiang Da’s actions were, Yiyan still clenched his fist unconsciously. The palm of his hand nearly touched skin as it wandered unscrupulously across his lord’s back, almost caressing his nape and spine. Where the needles entered his back, his pale skin flushed a faint pink, either from discomfort or heat, and shone with a faint sheen of sweat. His topknot had come loose at some point; a few strands of ink-black hair arrayed themselves suggestively across his shoulder blades. 

If possible, Yiyan wanted to shove aside that doctor and wrap his inner robe tightly around his body. But he couldn’t. This was treatment. This was for the sake of saving his lord’s life. He couldn’t even look too intently, for fear of disrupting that doctor’s movements. Yiyan silently lowered his head and tightly clenched his fists.

Jiang Da’s hands weren’t idle. He waved the moxa roll several times up and down Liang Feng’s back till it was nearly sweat-soaked before stopping, “Bear with it for a second, I’m pulling out the needles.”

Immediately after, he swiftly plucked out all the needles he’d previously placed. A few droplets of blood seeped out here and there, mixing with the sweat. Jiang Da picked up a soft towel, attentively wiped away the sweat and blood on Liang Feng’s back, then let out a breath of relief, “That’s it then. From now on, I’ll perform acupuncture on you every five days for a month. Then, you’ll be able to use medicinal baths.”

“Thank you, Ji’en.” Liang Feng pushed himself up from bed then instructed, “Lüzhu escort Doctor Jiang to his quarters to rest.” 

At that moment, Jiang Da was also drenched in sweat. Acupuncture was not easy, especially not when performed in conjunction with moxibustion. It was rather taxing on the mind and spirit. Only after giving Liang Feng a few more reminders, did Jiang Da slowly make his way out of the room.

As soon as the outsider left, Yiyan’s first reaction was to quickly walk up to the bed, pick up the robe lying by the side, and shroud Liang Feng with it.

Liang Feng chuckled, “It’s fine. It’s getting warmer now, I won’t catch a cold.”

Yiyan snapped out of it and stepped back. A moment of silence later, he said, “My lord, Sun Jiao challenged me to an archer competition today.” 

He was changing the subject, but Liang Feng paid it no mind. He raised his brow curiously, “He’s certainly a brazen one. How did you punish him?”

His lord hadn’t even needed to ask the results to know that he had won. Yiyan’s brows slowly unfurrowed. He replied lightly, “I put his team on a round of latrine duty.”

“Haha, not bad.” Liang Feng chuckled. That was indeed an oft-used punishment in the military. Yiyan had done very well. He’d defended his own authority without crushing his subordinate’s initiative, handling a difficult matter with ease.

The approval in his smile made Yiyan’s chest scaldingly hot. Those contemptible thoughts he’d had earlier were swept clean by a gust of wind. He thought for a second, then said, “I think we can set up a new team, solely responsible for archery. The spear formation is only suitable for close-quarters combat. It’ll be difficult to defend against an enemy that has bowmen.” 

Liang Feng nodded, “Naturally. But right now, the militia’s numbers are too few. It’s best not to split them up. Once harvest season is over, I’ll consider broadening our manpower resources. You can begin bringing the militia to train near the farmlands and leak the news that we intend to recruit new troops. In time, those who hope to join the militia will begin training secretly on their own, becoming an excellent backup source of soldiers. In case of an emergency, our forces will be able to mobilize very quickly. As for defense… a few days ago, I ordered the tailory to rush production on a batch of leather armor. The vital parts are all protected by cowhide. It’s not exactly sturdy, but it’s better than cloth.”

His lord always considered everything more thoroughly than he did. Yiyan nodded vigorously, “I understand!”

“It takes more than a day’s work to build a powerful army. Take it slow, don’t rush. But, you must remember this firmly, the four teams under your command are all pricelessly valuable seeds. When the time comes to scatter them amongst new troops, each one of them can shoulder the role of team leader or sergeant. Thus, you must watch over them strictly, so as to not lead them astray.”

Even though they didn’t have so many soldiers yet, the soul of a military force took root during the first moments of its founding. Liang Feng wasn’t looking for a gaggle of violent brutes. His most basic requirements were that they must attack when they advanced, defend when they retreated, and follow every order they were given. That was something that needed to hammered in from the beginning. Thankfully, he’d picked the right person to lead his soldiers. 

His shoulders still prickling with pain, Liang Feng stretched and laid down on his side, “While there’s still light, bring a volume of ‘Spring and Autumn Annals’ over.”

Since his spirits were improving, Liang Feng had put elementary education on the agenda. During the day, he let Lüzhu learn how to write alongside Liang Rong. At night, he told Yiyan stories from the history books. He didn’t want to be surrounded by a bunch of illiterates. If they were teachable, he’d do his best to teach them. They needed to be able to read, write, and do basic math.

Yiyan instantly perked up and scurried over to the desk. Liang Feng couldn’t’ help smiling a bit at his eagerness. These days of convalescence weren’t too bad after all.

The author has something to say: 

haha, *pats the wolfdog’s head* xD