The next day.
Liang Feng woke up early at the first rays of dawn, perhaps because he’d slept too much the previous night. His throat was terribly dry. He struggled to sit up, but before he could, someone, one step ahead of him, came and lent him their support.
Liang Feng lurched; realizing that Yiyan was standing by his bed, he asked curiously, “What are you doing here?”
Yiyan stilled. He replied, “I was on night duty outside. I heard a commotion.”
Had he stood outside his door the whole night? Liang Feng was helplessly bemused, “It’s night duty, not sentry duty. In the future, you’ll sleep in the outer room in Lüzhu’s place. If at night I need anything, I’ll call for you.”
His condition was so poor that he needed assistance with everything from getting a drink to using the restroom. He really couldn’t bear to bother a young girl; a male attendant was more appropriate.
“Master, have I done something wrong?!” Lüzhu ran over, looking like she’d just gotten up, her hair still in disarray. She’d tired herself out too much while they had been away from home, and had accidentally overslept, which was why Yiyan had gotten there first.
“Staying up too much is bad for your beauty. It’s best to let Yiyan take on those duties.” Liang Feng smilingly answered.
Lüzhu’s little face instantly flushed like a tomato. Truth be told, she knew that her master had too few people attending to him. In most households, it took at least four maidservants to properly cater to their masters. How could she manage, all by herself? However, the girl did indeed harbor selfish wishes; she would rather that the new addition be a manservant than a few “clever” young sisters.
She dithered, then bowed and said, “Are you getting up, Master? I’ll help you tidy up, Master.”
As Lüzhu busied about, Liang Feng asked Yiyan, “Did you sleep at all last night? Do you still have any energy right now?”
“Yes.” Yiyan had already retracted his arm and stood up straight. He did look like he was brimming with vigor.
Liang Feng nodded, “Then why don’t you run a lap first to loosen up.”
He was referring to the five-kilometer morning exercise, of course. Yiyan jogged out the door without another word. Lüzhu handed him a handkerchief, which he used to thoroughly scrub his face, then he rinsed his mouth with brine and drank a cup of warm water before getting out of bed. It was no problem to wash his face and brush his teeth, but tasks like getting dressed and combing his hair were still beyond him. He stood obediently as a wooden puppet, letting Lüzhu drape an outer robe on him and drag him over to the mirror to brush his hair.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Lüzhu froze, and replied a moment later, “Master, there’s not that much, really. Some more linseed and knotweed will make it better.”
Liang Feng only chuckled in reply. Hair loss was also a symptom of heavy metal poisoning. But people in this era all wore caps in public anyways, so no one would notice even if his hair did get thinner. Those kinds of trifles were not nearly as important as curing the poisoning itself.
This time, Lüzhu didn’t dare to dawdle, she swiftly finished brushing his hair and carefully collected all the fallen strands before helping Liang Feng over to the desk.
“Go prepare a light meal first, would you? If we have goat milk or eggs, you can bring that as well,” Liang Feng instructed as he looked to the sky to determine the time.
He needed as much protein as he could get to detoxify the poison. And it would benefit Yiyan and Lüzhu, whose bodies were still developing, to have some as well. Lüzhu hadn’t expected her master to have such an appetite so early in the morning. She cheerily left to prepare the meal. At the same time, Yiyan finished his run and returned to the courtyard.
Anyone would be sweat-soaked after running five kilometers, no matter how excellent their endurance was. Yiyan didn’t immediately enter; he remained in the corridor, doing his best to catch his breath, and waiting for his sweat to dry off. But Liang Feng didn’t give him the time. He pointed to a plum tree in the courtyard that possessed a plethora of branches, and said, “Find a branch that’s just over your head, grasp it firmly and, using your arm strength, lift your entire body. See how many you can manage.”
Yiyan blinked in surprise at the novel activity before quickly heading towards the tree, picking out a suitable branch, and beginning to do pull-ups. To Liang Feng’s surprise, he’d managed to perform twenty before he started flagging. After thirty, his arms were trembling, but he kept at it doggedly.
Liang Feng stopped him, “Enough.”
A fifteen-minute 5k, thirty-five pull-ups in four minutes; this youngster’s physical strength was greater than expected. He waved Yiyan over and said, “Being a soldier is nothing more than knowing how to run and how to fight. Running is the foundation, as long as you know how to run, you won’t fall behind during an advance, and can escape with your life in a retreat. Fighting is much more complicated, but strength is crucial. You’ll win if your foe isn’t able to parry your attack. But there’s one more thing that many people overlook: order.”
Yiyan could understand the importance of running and fighting, but didn’t know what he meant by “order”. Liang Feng didn’t explain directly, but instead said, “‘Executing large formations and facing massive enemies is different to martial drills and bandit routs. In a grand array, thousands marching in attack, the brave must not lead, the craven must not follow. Amidst thickets of spears stabbing about, sabers slashing to and fro, the chaos in the back and forth killing, the crush of bodies surging forward, can they afford to waver left and right? One man looks back, all will doubt as well; one man turns away, all will lose their resolve. Can they afford to dither back and forth?’”
That was a quote from The New Treatise on Military Efficiency. Its author, Qi Jiguang was a master of military tactics; every word he wrote cut straight to the point and was, very unusually, colloquial and straightforward. Yiyan’s breath quickened and his eyes shone, as he seemed to realize something.
Liang Feng smiled, “That is the clashing of great armies that books of strategy speak of. A battle can easily embroil hundreds of thousands, with enemies as far as the eye can see. If there is no order, then they are as scattered sand; not only can’t they face the enemy, they will be poisoned by their cowardice. But if their hearts are as one, then they are an insurmountable force able to crush everything in their path! So, in the training of new troops, the most important thing to teach them is order. How to get into formation, how to change directions, how to march in line, how to fight together, shoulder-to-shoulder.”
By that point, Yiyan had fully understood. Like in their previous battle against the bandits, no matter how valiant he was, there was no way that he alone could fend off a dozen foes. But under his lord’s command, when the servants worked together in small groups, they were able to stand against the ambush. Every person’s temperament and strength were different, the key was being able to turn them into a unified force.
Liang Feng nodded approvingly at Yiyan’s excited expression, “Since the militia is composed entirely of new recruits, they must first learn how to line up in formation. When lined from shortest to tallest, they must advance and retreat as one, their strides the same length no matter their height. They must learn how to stand without moving; stand firm even in the face of sabers, arrows, and spears. They must learn how to distinguish left and right, so that they move together without confusion. Aside from these, they must train routinely to maintain their bodies so that they are swift in speed and strong in arm. As long as each condition is met, you will surely build a powerful army.”
It was easier said than done. Yiyan frowned, pondered, and after a while asked, “What if there’s people who don’t listen?”
“Punish them accordingly. Soldiers must obey their superior’s commands; that is military discipline, but suppression alone is not enough to lead an army well. You must suffer the same hardships as your soldiers, eating the same food, undergoing the same training, and fighting on the front lines of the battlefield. In time, you will gain their respect and obeisance. Although, these are only the basics of the basics. There’s more to that than being a general.”
“What is it?” Yiyan instantly asked.
“Tactics: knowing how to use your advantage when you have greater numbers; knowing how to take the enemy by surprise when your numbers are fewer. Just like the famous general of the Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing, who, at seventeen, led eight hundred light cavalries to attack Huanglong, killing over two thousand enemies, and was conferred the Marquess of Guanjun. Who, at twenty-two, led fifty thousand soldiers as he fought a continuous battle stretching over a thousand kilometers, defeating seventy thousand barbarian forces, and held ceremony at Langjuxu, forcing the Xiongnu tribe to take flight. Even that once-mighty kingdom had no choice but to cry in despair beneath his iron hoof: ‘Lost to us are the Qilian Mountains, our livestock breed no longer; lost to us is the Yanzhi Mountain, our women wear rogue no longer.’”
Liang Feng nearly sang the last two lines. Though his frame was fragile and frail, his complexion pale and pallid, his eyes sparkled, his lips curved in a slight smile, and he brimmed with pride and aspiration. Yiyan’s heart suddenly sped, he unconsciously stepped forward and declared, “I will be your Marquess of Guanjun, my lord!”
Liang Feng asked amusedly, “Do you know how to ride? Are you capable of archery?”
“Yes! I can shoot an arrow through a wild rabbit’s eye!” Yiyan was so worked up he was itching to hop on a horse and demonstrate.
“Are you a qualified soldier? A capable general?” Liang Feng’s expression slowly grew solemn, “Maybe someday I’ll form a cavalry, but right now, your duty is to train the militia such that you can command them as you would your own arms. Yiyan, can you do it?”
“I can!” Yiyan’s blue-gray eyes shone radiantly, his chest rapidly rose and fell. He’d never learned books or poetry and didn’t know of heartfelt phrases like “if my lord regards me as a champion, I shall repay a champion’s due.” But he knew the feeling of being trusted and valued. For the one that he admired with all his heart, of course he could!
That was the spirit. Liang Feng nodded in satisfaction. A soldier who didn’t want to become a general was not a good soldier. Judged by that criterion alone, Yiyan was a top-notch soldier.
“Master, how about having some breakfast first?” Lüzhu had already returned from the kitchen with a wooden tray in hand. She brought a few desserts, a bowl of mung bean porridge, a bowl of sheep’s milk, and two peeled hard-boiled eggs.
He was indeed hungry after speaking for such a while, but inviting Yiyan and Lüzhu to eat with him wasn’t realistic. It’d serve better to use the excuse of finishing up leftovers. Liang Feng tried a few desserts and drank less than half of the porridge before finding that he hadn’t the stomach to keep eating. His damn appetite was even less than a little girl’s.
He thought for a moment and tried the sheep’s milk. Perhaps owing to the lack of processing, it reeked like the sheep it’d come from. He put down the bowl after a single sip and said, “I’m full already. How about you two split the remainders?”
Lüzhu’s eyes widened in shock, but Yiyan promptly stepped forward and downed the rest of the sheep’s milk.
Lüzhu was nearly hopping mad, “You, you wretched slave…..”
Liang Feng chuckled and gestured, “Help yourself, especially the eggs and pastries. You’re both growing right now so don’t go hungry.”
In this era, most people, aside from nobles like Liang Feng, ate only two meals a day. They’d have breakfast at nine a.m. and noonmeal at four p.m. It was too inhumane to make kids who woke at six or seven to wait till nine to eat.
Lüzhu bit her lips, conflicted and indecisive. As Yiyan reached for the bean porridge, she swiftly slapped his hand away and pushed the bowl towards Liang Feng, “Master, at least finish this bowl of porridge!”
“Alright.” Liang Feng agreed. He began to slowly drink.
Lüzhu hesitated again before reaching for an egg and two pastries. She wrapped them in a handkerchief and placed them in her pocket, blushing all the while. Probably saving them for later. Yiyan, on the other hand, wasn’t so particular; he kept shoving mouthfuls down his throat. He was ravenous from running five kilometers and doing a bunch of pull-ups, not to mention that it was a meal that his lord had used!
After he swept the food clean like a whirlwind, Liang Feng pointed outside the door, “Go and stand there, both hands by your legs, back straight, eyes forward. This is called standing at attention. In the future, you guys will have to practice this for two hours each day.”
Yiyan nodded and stood according to instructions outside the door. His posture was impeccable. Liang Feng smiled and didn’t explain. Truthfully, it wasn’t as important as training in formation. The reason he taught it to Yiyan was so that he’d have a means of honing temperament. Only the diligent would be able to endure all the standing and running. It was a simple way to select those who had the potential to become true soldiers.
He checked the sky and ordered, “Lüzhu, why don’t you invite the imperial physician over.”
The author has something to say:
Liang Feng is handsome~ =w=
I love how thoughtful Liang Feng is. It made me admire him more.
So nobody mentioned his son came to visit when he was asleep?
for an egg and two pastries. She wrapped them in a handkerchief and placed them in her pocket, blushing all the while. Probably saving them for later. Yiyan, on the other hand, wasn’t so particular; he kept shoving mouthfuls down his throat.
And with stuff like that they can later smoke out the rats who want to ‘join’ his militia.
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
I love Yiyan! I hope he does well!
Also, missing the son. How about some bonding time?
Thanks for the chapter! <3
ah ah ah I love this type of progression, being able to witness MC actually building up from weak to strong step by step!🙌💜
Lüzhu u forgot the child lol
Handsome~