The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 748 Leading troops is so easy—why is leading troops so difficult?!

"Follow me!"

"Follow my orders!"

"I'll save your lives!"

Shen Le, carrying a hastily sewn backpack, stood at the front of the line, his face stern as he shouted. Before him, over a hundred people pricked up their ears, listening intently.
"Half of the people standing here trained with me for a year, so you know what I'm capable of! As for the rest of you, you've all heard of me and know how you've enjoyed these good years!"

"That's right!"

The young man closest to Shen Le nodded vigorously:
"I can't beat you, and even if we each bring ten men, I still can't beat you! I'll do as you say!"

Shen Le smiled at him. The man who spoke was his uncle by seniority, but he was actually only three years older than him.

When Shen Le first started training his household servants, he relied on magic to cheat by increasing his strength and agility, which allowed him to barely defeat his opponents; but when it came to commanding, well…

He's not bragging, but the level he demonstrated during the few military training sessions was more than enough!
"I'll listen to you too!"

"Young Master, we'll all listen to you! Following you will ensure we have enough to eat!"

Shen Le smiled and nodded to each of them. Then, she stepped forward and raised her voice:

"I dare not say that every one of you can survive the battle, but as long as you listen to me, you can survive outside the battlefield. On the battlefield, if you stick together and don't get separated, you won't die a miserable death!"

Over the years, he personally trained half of the able-bodied men, keeping half in the family and taking the other half to the battlefield.

Of those who went to the battlefield, he kept a small squad by his side as his personal bodyguard, while the other half were scattered among the various units, each responsible for leading their own soldiers.

Read as "soldier," written as "recruited conscripts from the fields." In Shen Le's eyes, it was basically a filler-in-the-blank exercise...

"Shenjiawan?" The military officer in charge of conscription didn't even need to open the register; his eyes narrowed immediately.
This group of people has such a strong presence!

A hundred or so people stood in three rows, in neat lines and columns. Although not particularly orderly, not a single cough could be heard, let alone pushing, shoving, whispering, or even trying to run away at any moment.

In the past few days, he has taken in over a thousand village militia members. They are not allowed to stand still and quiet anymore. As soon as he counts their heads, they dare to run into the bushes to defecate!

"Yes, my name is Shen Yue." Shen Le stepped forward first from the front row, cupping his hands in a salute. The officer dared not be negligent, tucked the booklet under his arm, and quickly returned the salute.
"Shenjiawan is to conscript 112 men... You brought them all, right? Fine, then you're the village head. You'll be in charge of arranging the lower-ranking officers, squad leaders, and platoon leaders!"

Shen Le silently gave himself a thumbs up. Sure enough, his knowledge was correct. To accommodate the powerful families who supported him, the Sun family father and son acknowledged their military command, thus forming the hereditary military leadership system unique to the Sun Wu state.

Following the example set by their superiors, the military commanders of powerful clans could inherit the positions of their troops, with sons succeeding fathers and brothers succeeding brothers. At least these small rural clans could maintain their complete organizational structure!

By sticking together and forming a community, the survival rate on the battlefield was much higher than if the generals were randomly assigned to some unknown place and given supplies by complete strangers!
Shen Le led this small team on the road to assembly. The march was fraught with countless tasks, keeping him so busy he wished he had eight heads:
"Watch where you're setting up camp! No! Don't camp by the stream! If the water rises, everything will be washed away! Look at the waterline, it's here, let's move up there!"

"Fetch water from upstream! Build a stove for each village, and boil all the water thoroughly before pouring it into bamboo tubes. Never drink raw water!"

"No relieving yourself anywhere! Dig a latrine—not near the water, but next to a cliff, where the soil is thick! We're going downstream. Do you want to drink your own shit?"

"See the mugwort? If you do, pick a handful and hang it next to your backpack! When you set up camp, burn it next to the tent to keep mosquitoes away!"

"Tie your leg wraps..."

"If there's still time, boil water and soak your feet to pop the blisters... It's very simple, just pull out a small piece of hair and stick it into the blister..."

What was simple for him was a completely different story. But for these soldiers going to the battlefield for the first time—and, forget that, the farmers—everything had to be taught from scratch. What he taught yesterday, they would forget today, and he would have to teach them all over again, step by step.

Shen Le could only try to comfort himself: This is how illiterate farmers are. Back when Yuan Shikai was training his troops at Xiaozhan, the soldiers couldn't even tell left from right. They would turn halfway wrong even when he shouted "Turn left!"

However, even such simple marching and training allowed this small team to display a strength far exceeding that of other teams.

The small squads merged into the main force, and the main force merged into the army, marching in a winding, circuitous route from their hometown all the way to the Danyang Mountains. Four hundred li (approximately 200 kilometers), marching thirty li a day under the scorching sun—this was a heavy burden for these peasant soldiers.

In just half a month, about one-tenth of the peasant soldiers transferred from various parts of Wu County had fallen ill. They suffered from acclimatization problems, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, shivering…

Only Shen Le's village remained quiet. Under Shen Le's strict discipline—drinking boiled water, eating cooked food, using designated toilets, washing hands before and after meals, burning mugwort next to the tents to repel mosquitoes—almost no one fell ill.

Therefore, when the captain in charge of this battalion needed to select men to carry out the mission, he naturally chose Shen Le's unit:
"Road closures? Rice harvesting?"

Shen Le blinked, asking again with a hint of disbelief. The captain raised an eyebrow at him:
"Of course! What do you think? That you'd fight to the death? — How many people would die in such deep mountains and such a vast area? We'll just block them like this, and when they're starving, they'll naturally come out!"

Got it. Shen Le understood instantly:
This strategy is essentially a reverse scorched-earth policy. The mountains are barren, and farming is difficult for the mountain people; the grain they grow on small plots of flat land at the foot of the mountains is a large part of their food source.
Once the land is completely harvested and the siege continues for a long time, many mountain people will surrender due to famine...

This is much more convenient than traversing mountains and valleys and storming dangerous passes! You must know that the mountains that lie in front of them are a continuous mountain range consisting of Huangshan, Tianmushan and Jiuhuashan!
"After visiting the Five Sacred Mountains, one need not see other mountains; after visiting Huangshan, one need not see the Five Sacred Mountains." The most beautiful scenery also means the most dangerous terrain. Nobody wants to go there to climb mountains for no reason!
More importantly, this strategy would minimize casualties among his clansmen and tenant farmers...

"Your subordinate obeys!" He clasped his hands in acceptance, already having a plan in mind. Upon returning to his village, he immediately gathered everyone and reorganized them:
"You, you, you, you..." He named sixty people in one breath, all of them tenant farmers, used to farm work. Each carried a sickle and a basket, with only one task:
Harvest the rice! Harvest the rice quickly! Cut down all the rice that the mountain people have cleared in the flat areas, the rice that is about to ripen, leave not a single grain!
"If there's really no time to carry them away, just burn them." Shen Le took out a small bundle of thin bamboo tubes, gave one to each person, and told them to tie it around their waists.
"Look, pull it out like this, shake it, blow on it, and it'll catch fire! The rice plants don't run away from the ground, so you need to be quick and take care of yourselves!"

"Then... Shangyue..."

The tenant farmers, who had grown up hearing tales like "The Yue people are coming" and "The Yue people are coming down the mountain and taking you away," turned pale. Shen Le smiled and patted his chest:

"Leave it to me! I'll protect you!"

The remaining half consisted mainly of his own trained retainers and local militia, some of whom he had personally trained and possessed some fighting ability, supplemented by a number of clever and daring tenant farmers. Heavy weapons were useless against the mountain tribes, so Shen Le simply used a makeshift "Mandarin Duck Formation": "Come on! You're in charge of carrying the bamboo poles! —Too heavy? Can't carry them? No problem, we'll trim some off, trim a little off and try again!"

"Can you two handle the sword and shield? Not quite? It's awkward holding the sword with your left hand, and you're worried you won't be able to provide enough cover with the shield? -- Could you turn to the side?"

"You're in charge of the spear. They hold off the enemy, so you charge in—nowhere to thrust your spear? You can thrust it through the bamboo grove! Don't be afraid, your spear is long!"

"I'll be an archer... Sigh, there are only a handful of people who know how to shoot arrows, it's such a hassle..."

The troop would need two more days to march to the rice-harvesting site, so Shen Le used those two days to practice repeatedly. He stumbled and made countless mistakes, leaving him utterly overwhelmed.
Even the monkey version is this difficult. How did Qi Jiguang manage to train an elite army that drove the Japanese pirates into a panic?
Fortunately, his opponents were not Japanese pirates, but some mountain people. Upon seeing the arrival of the large contingent of soldiers, the mountain bandits' first reaction was not to rush out and attack, but to turn and flee, disappearing into the depths of the mountains and forests;
By the time they had amassed their forces and charged out again, Shen Le's troops had already found several narrow and treacherous spots, set up their formations, and even practiced the Mandarin Duck Formation several times...

"Steady! Steady!"

"Don't be afraid! Their faces are painted ugly, but that doesn't make them any fiercer! Have you ever seen actors hit people?!"

"Our weapons are long, theirs are short! They can't hit us!"

"Raise bamboo poles! Raise shields! Throw!"

"prick!"

"Stab again!!!"

Wolf-tooth spears blocked, swords and shields parried, spears thrust, and arrows volleyed. The mountain people's rudimentary weapons and virtually nonexistent armor, facing this formation from a thousand years in the future, unsurprisingly suffered heavy losses.

In one battle, two bodies were left behind, and two mountain villagers returned wounded.

In another battle, two more bodies were left behind. If they hadn't retreated quickly, many more would have died.
The third time was the most dangerous. The mountain people gathered a full twenty people, led by an exceptionally strong and powerful man, and charged forward recklessly.

At the critical moment, Shen Le swiftly drew his bow, killing three people in quick succession, then stepped forward himself and brandished his wolf-tooth rake—

The heavy bamboo pole with bamboo branches could only be barely lifted by the wolf-brush hand, but in Shen Le's hands, it could be swung in a wide circle, hitting and smashing all over the head!

After swinging half a circle, the mountain villagers who rushed up were blocked behind by the heavy bamboo poles, and two long spears took advantage of the situation to thrust forward, and blood splattered.

Only the big leader roared, grabbed the wolf-tooth rake and pressed it down, actually slamming the end of the bamboo pole to the ground, before leaping over with all his might!

His body was covered in blood from being scratched by bamboo branches, but he didn't care. He brandished his short knife, creating a blur of silver light, and charged forward bravely. Shen Le braced the bamboo pole against the wolf-tooth hand's shoulder, and without thinking, drew his knife to meet him!

My swordsmanship was learned in the Anxi Protectorate, from the white ape, and I even charged into the Tibetan royal palace on the snowy mountain—in a one-on-one fight, someone like you could take on three or four at once!

Zheng!
clank!

Several clangs of metal clashing rang out. The burly leader roared, blood spurting from his arm as his short sword was flung high into the air—and then, Shen Le's steel blade was firmly placed against his neck.

After this round of attacks, the mountain people finally did not return. Shen Le's troops successfully harvested the rice and returned with only a few minor injuries. Compared to other teams, which suffered anywhere from seven or eight casualties to more than a dozen, their victory was truly remarkable.

After this battle, Shen Le was promoted from squad leader to brigade leader, in charge of a total of five hundred people!

The rice harvesting operation was a great success overall. The mountain people retreated into the deep mountains, and due to hunger, cold, and hardship, some surrendered one after another. Finally, the army that was suppressing the mountain people had a great opportunity:

"Commander Zong and Hong's troops are willing to surrender! However, they demand our help to remove You Hai's troops who are blocking their way. Otherwise, they won't be able to get out and won't be able to surrender with peace of mind, as You Hai's troops have a blood feud with them!"

To eliminate the mountain tribes, it was necessary to attack and capture their strongholds. These strongholds and passes were mostly built on steep cliffs, with only a narrow, treacherous path hanging down from them.

One man can hold the pass against ten thousand. Despite several fierce attacks, the government troops suffered heavy casualties but achieved nothing!
"Tomorrow it's my turn to attack." The captain summoned his officers for another meeting. His gaze swept across the tent, assessing each soldier before finally making his decision:
"Shen Quzhang, tomorrow you will be the first to lead your men!"

This… Shen Le hesitated. He had absolutely no confidence in launching a direct assault on this terrain! In this life, his magical abilities had not yet recovered; he could only conceal himself, not bless others, and certainly not shake mountains with a single thought—

If he charges in like that, he'll be lucky if he can save 100 of his 500 soldiers!

"Um--?"

The captain frowned, his gaze stern, and it looked like he was about to question Shen Le. Shen Le's mind raced, and before the captain could give the order, he quickly stepped forward, forcing a bow.

"Captain, a frontal assault is unlikely to succeed. Perhaps... we could try climbing up the steep slopes, circling around to the rear of the camp, and launching a surprise attack from within?"

Before the words were even finished, a chorus of sneers erupted inside the tent. The officers, sergeants, and military commanders, their faces filled with disdain, all spoke up:
"Climb up? Makes it sound so easy! Even monkeys would have a hard time climbing those cliffs!"

"If you fall, you'll be smashed to pieces!"

"Commander Shen, are you trying to stall for time, or are you so desperate for military merit that you've gone mad?"

Shen Le's expression remained unchanged as he met the captain's firm gaze. After a long while, the captain raised his hand to stop the laughter of the crowd, staring at Shen Le: "You have a plan?"

"I have been skilled in craftsmanship since childhood. If you would be so kind as to grant me a few more days, I can attempt to make some climbing equipment and personally lead some daredevils to try it out!"

What if it doesn't work?

"I will personally lead the charge!"

(End of this chapter)