Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 888 The Secret Weapon

The morning mist over Kunming Pool was hazy, and the sound of orderly work chants echoed from the camp of the Production and Construction Corps.

The soldiers were shirtless, their thick backs gleaming greasy in the rising sun.

Li Zhi stood on the newly leveled earthen slope, looking down at the bustling construction site.

He gets up at five o'clock every morning now. That's why people say the most frightening thing is someone from a good family who is also exceptionally diligent. With this level of diligence, nine out of ten so-called scholars who hang their heads from the rafters and prick their thighs with awls can't compare.

In just over ten days, the outline of this wasteland has begun to take shape. The foundations of the workshops, built with rammed earth, are neat and uniform, and in the distance, piles of blue bricks and timber in the temporary warehouse are being transported to various places in an orderly manner.

"Your Highness, please take a look." The head of the Ministry of Works pointed to the blueprints, his voice tinged with excitement: "According to Marshal Xia's plan, the glass workshop will be located on the east side, near a water source for easy cleaning. The cement kiln will be on the west side, downwind so it won't affect other workshops. The textile area and the agricultural implement area will be built adjacent to each other, sharing a single storage facility."

Li Zhi nodded slightly, then suddenly asked in a low voice, "Master Qin, do you think I still have any hope of catching up with Father in this lifetime?"

This was hardly a question a mere clerk could answer. Whether he said yes or no, it would offend someone. So, this smooth-talking and worldly-wise clerk pretended to have misheard and pointed: "The three hundred men drawn from the military camp are over there."

In that place, the Northern Imperial Guards who had been transferred were training together with the Production and Construction Corps, preparing for the upcoming grand competition.

Dust billowed across the drill ground. Although the soldiers of the Production and Construction Corps wore the same armor as the Imperial Guards, they moved with a greater sense of agility. They ran in squads, carrying logs along designated routes, their slogans in unison, their footsteps firmly planted on the ground.

An imperial guard stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed, his brow furrowed. Several of his soldiers were struggling to lift a stone lock, veins bulging on their foreheads, their steps already unsteady.

"Captain Wang, it seems our men haven't adapted to these new rules yet," a brigade commander from the Production and Construction Corps said calmly as he approached.

Captain Wang sneered, "It's all just for show. On the real battlefield, what matters is courage and fighting spirit!"

The brigade commander smiled and said, "Whether it's just for show or not, we'll see on the training field."

These words were overheard by Li Zhi, who was walking by. He couldn't help but laugh, because the Construction Corps and the Northern Imperial Guards were clearly separated from the same camp, and they had already begun to show a confrontational posture in such a short time.

"Your Highness." Everyone bowed as they saw Li Zhi approaching.

Li Zhi waved his hand to indicate that there was no need for formalities, and his gaze fell on the red flag fluttering in the wind in the center of the training ground: "What is this red flag?"

"Your Highness, this is a rotating red flag set up by Commander Xia." The brigade commander explained, "Each day, the discipline, progress, and cooperation of each battalion are evaluated, and the best battalion receives the flag. The battalion that receives the red flag gets an extra meal that evening, and each person receives an extra five coins."

Li Zhi suddenly realized that only then did he notice the Imperial Guards carrying the stone weights, their eyes glancing frequently at the red flag, their gazes filled with resentment and envy.

At this moment, a rider galloped into the camp, and the messenger on horseback announced loudly: "Commander Xia has ordered that the grand martial arts competition will be held in three days at the training ground on the south bank of Kunming Pool. The events will consist of six categories: foot archery, mounted archery, wrestling, marching with loads, squad attack and defense, and formation changes. Starting today, each battalion may practice on its own and assemble at dawn in three days!"

The news instantly caused quite a stir in the camp, with soldiers discussing it animatedly, adding even more tension to their already high morale.

Li Zhi turned to Zhang Jianzhi, who was accompanying him, and asked, "Brother Jianzhi, what do you think the outcome of this competition will be?"

Zhang Jianzhi pondered for a moment: "The Production and Construction Corps has been trained over this period of time and is disciplined and well-coordinated. However, the Imperial Guards have a deep foundation and superb individual skills. The outcome is probably fifty-fifty."

Xiao Wu, standing to the side, whispered, "Your Highness might consider why Marshal Xia wanted to bring about this martial arts competition?"

Li Zhi suddenly realized that his father's actions were not only to test the effectiveness of military discipline, but also to break the long-standing arrogance within the Imperial Guards. Only an army that can strictly adhere to discipline during labor can truly achieve absolute obedience on the battlefield.

Meanwhile, far away at the Xia Lin New Army Guard Battalion's encampment in the west of the city, Wei Tong was lying prone in the grass, carefully disguising himself.

She had been at the guard camp for almost a month. She was already dark-skinned, but now she had become even darker and thinner. However, she was completely lacking in energy and spirit.

At this moment, she was wearing the camouflage uniform unique to reconnaissance soldiers, her face was painted with face paint, and only her eyes shone brightly in the grass.

"Pay attention to the three o'clock position." The captain's deep voice came from beside me: "Two enemy sentries, change shifts every fifteen breaths."

Wei Tong held her breath and carefully recorded the information she observed. The training of the guard battalion was far more rigorous than she had imagined, especially the reconnaissance company, which had to conduct training in infiltration, tracking, and drawing every day.

At first, the general in the camp didn't think much of her, thinking that a noble lady like her couldn't handle the intensity of the armed reconnaissance. But she proved to be the most capable. Among the six new recruits in the same cohort, she was the only one who passed the armed reconnaissance company's assessment, becoming one of only three girls in the entire guard battalion's armed reconnaissance company.

"Withdraw!" At the captain's command, the reconnaissance team retreated into the forest as silently as ghosts.

Back at the camp, Wei Tong, without taking a break, immediately presented the drawn sentry post map to the squad leader.

After carefully examining the drawing, the captain nodded in satisfaction: "The drawing is well done, and the annotations are very clear. I heard there's a big competition in three days, and our guard battalion will also participate."

Wei Tong's eyes lit up: "Captain, can we go on the field?"

"Of course." The squad leader smiled. "Commander Xia specifically instructed that the reconnaissance company should form separate teams to compete against the winner in squad attack and defense. You are the eyes and ears of our guard battalion, so don't embarrass Commander Xia."

Wei Tong nodded vigorously. This training was to be conducted right under her father's nose; if she lost, she would lose all face. So she clenched her fists secretly, determined to impress everyone in this competition, no matter what.

Inside the study of the Eastern Palace, Li Zhi was sitting opposite Xia Lin eating. There were only two dishes on the small table, one meat and one vegetable, which was even worse than the food in the barracks. The vegetable was wild greens from spring, and the meat dish was just a plate of pork belly stir-fried with beans. Li Zhi had even packed this up from the camp canteen when he came back.

“Father, the construction corps is progressing almost twice as fast as expected. The Ministry of Works has reported that the first batch of glass workshops will be able to start production in half a month.” Li Zhi pushed a report in front of Xia Lin.

Xia Lin glanced at it casually: "As expected. People are naturally more willing to put in the effort when they have something to strive for. But what about you? What are your thoughts on this competition?"

Li Zhi composed himself and said, "I believe that the Production and Construction Corps excels in discipline, while the Imperial Guards excel in skill. But on the battlefield, discipline is often more important than skill."

“Not entirely correct.” Xia Lin put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, and took a sip. “The strength of an army lies in integrating beliefs into its blood, so that every soldier knows why they fight and for whom they fight. Discipline without a military spirit is nothing but a walking corpse. If there is only courage without discipline, then they are just a bunch of bandits.”

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards Kunming Pool: "The purpose of this competition is to make them understand this principle."

The three-day deadline passed in the blink of an eye.

The drill ground was set up on a wide, flat area on the south bank of Kunming Pool, with colorful flags fluttering all around. Before dawn, the viewing platform was already packed with people. Civil and military officials were seated according to their rank, while the common people stood around the perimeter of the ground, eagerly awaiting the ceremony.

Li Zhi and San Niang sat side by side in the center of the viewing platform. Xia Lin, still dressed in casual clothes, sat lazily beside San Niang, his hand naturally resting on San Niang's leg.

"Aren't you annoying?" Third Sister shoved his hand away. "Don't you see how many people are here?"

"Hey, we're an old married couple." Xia Lin turned around and glanced at Changsun Wuji behind him, then smiled and said, "Good morning, little Wuji."

"Ah, good morning..."

Xiao Wu and Zhang Jianzhi stood to Li Zhi's left and right, one calm and composed, the other with piercing eyes. It was quite interesting that one could tell what kind of people they were just from their expressions.

At the exact hour of Chen (7-9 AM), bugles sounded. Three hundred elite soldiers from the Northern Imperial Guard and the Construction Corps entered from the east and west sides respectively.

The Imperial Guards, with their gleaming armor and gleaming swords and spears, marched in perfect unison, displaying the majesty of the royal army. The Construction Corps, on the other hand, appeared somewhat plain, but every soldier's eyes shone with determination, and their silent advance exuded a chilling aura.

Changsun Wuji sat at the head of the officials, stroking his beard in silence. He noticed that the construction corps' formation was exceptionally neat, forming a straight line no matter how you looked at it, something he had never seen before among the Imperial Guards.

The first competition was archery. Targets were lined up one hundred paces away, and each team fielded thirty archers.

The imperial guards archers drew their bows and nocked arrows with fluid and graceful movements. The arrows pierced the air, most hitting the bullseye, drawing cheers from the crowd.

When it was the Production and Construction Corps' turn, the archers' movements were simple yet extremely steady. Each arrow seemed to be precisely calculated, and their hit rate was even half a percent higher than that of the Imperial Guards.

“These archers from the Production and Construction Corps were not particularly outstanding in the Imperial Guards,” Zhang Jianzhi said to Li Zhi in a low voice. “It seems that strict discipline and scientific training methods can indeed improve the overall level.”

Li Zhi nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on the field. He noticed that the Construction Corps archers would quickly adjust their breathing and posture after each round of shooting, while the Imperial Guard archers relied more on personal experience.

In the subsequent wrestling and heavy-load marching exercises, the Production and Construction Corps demonstrated astonishing endurance. Especially in the heavy-load marching exercise, they supported each other in squads and arrived at the finish line half an incense stick's time ahead of the Imperial Guards.

Whispers began to circulate on the viewing platform. Many officials looked surprised; they hadn't expected their former comrades to have changed so much in just over ten days.

The team-based attack and defense competition reached its climax. Each side fielded ten teams to engage in combat within a designated area.

The Imperial Guard squads launched fierce attacks and displayed outstanding individual martial arts skills, but their coordination was somewhat disorganized. The Production and Construction Corps squads, on the other hand, had clear tactics, advanced and retreated strategically, and often achieved victories against superior numbers.

In the most thrilling battle, a five-man squad from the Production and Construction Corps was surrounded by ten Imperial Guards. Just when defeat seemed imminent, the five men suddenly formed a circle back to back, providing mutual cover and managing to hold out until reinforcements arrived.

"Bravo!" General Wei, who had been silent all along, suddenly cheered from the viewing platform. "Brilliant!"

Third Sister glanced at him, then turned to Xia Lin and said, "It seems your method really works."

"Of course it's true. It's only been a short time. If you give me a year or two, I can make them wipe out the entire Northern Imperial Guard."

Ultimately, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps won the first stage of the competition with four superior results and two tie scores.

When the referee announced the result, the soldiers of the Production and Construction Corps did not cheer, but saluted in unison and then silently left the field. This composure and calm demeanor secretly startled the officials on the viewing platform.

Li Zhi rose and walked towards the victorious soldiers, personally awarding them prizes.

"You all did a great job." Li Zhi's voice clearly resounded throughout the arena: "I hope you will continue your efforts, not only to win in the martial arts competition, but also to establish merit on the battlefield to defend our country!"

The soldiers responded in unison, their voices echoing across the fields.

As the sun set, the first day of the competition came to a close.

The victory of the Construction Corps naturally caused a huge stir among the Chang'an army. But an even greater suspense was yet to come: three days later, this newly victorious army would face the newly trained Guard Battalion personally trained by Xia Lin.

Wei Tong stood in the ranks of the guard battalion watching the ceremony, her eyes shining with excitement as she looked at the soldiers of the Production and Construction Corps in the distance. When her gaze met that of her father on the stands, she became even more spirited, and even whispered to the guard battalion general standing at the front of the column, "General, General, let me tell you, my father has a Dragon Eagle Guard under his command. How about we have a match with them?"

The general chuckled and glared at her as he turned back: "Stop whispering. We'll talk about it when we get back."

(End of this chapter)