The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 239: Central Military Training Ground
Luoyang, the central military camp.

"Everyone, start practicing!"

"rush!!"

Ma Long, wearing heavy armor, shouted loudly, then took the lead in the charge.

The soldiers on the other side started charging in their armor, while the soldiers on the other side raised their shields. The two sides collided violently, and both men and horses fell to the ground.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Ma Long ran wildly in the original direction again, and the soldiers stood up and began to evacuate.

The content of the drill was very simple, which was the basic marching techniques, such as charge, retreat, and some very simple formations, raising shields, raising spears, giving way, obeying orders, etc.

These things are considered basic skills for foreign armies.

But in the central army, these things had not been practiced for a long time, which surprised Ma Long greatly.

He took the lead in the training. He was wearing heavy armor and carried more weight than the soldiers. Moreover, they trained separately and had basically no chance to rest.

Those officers who were unable to participate in the training and rarely came to the camp on weekdays were beaten badly by Ma Long, and some were beaten to death.

Those who performed well in the training were entrusted with important tasks by Ma Long and received many rewards.

The fact that he clearly distinguished between rewards and punishments alone won him the support of the soldiers in the central army.

They hadn't encountered such a captain for a long time.

The Imperial Guards have always been the easiest to be corrupted, simply because they do not need to fight outside all year round. Many children from wealthy families regard this place as a place to gild themselves, and once there are too many such people, the entire army will easily lose its combat effectiveness.

This is also the reason why Sima Shi was so wary of Guanqiu Jian even though he had the central army.

The most powerful armies of the Wei Dynasty today are the foreign armies of Yongliang and Yanghuai.

The combat effectiveness of the central army was a little hard to say. Later, when the Western Jin Dynasty faced local rebellions, the performance of the central army almost shocked Sima Yan.

In the end, it was the foreign troops that defeated the Xianbei people.

Ma Long looked at the central army in front of him with disbelief in his eyes. He didn't understand why the imperial guards were not as good as the local army of Yanzhou. The army of Yanzhou was a prefecture and county army, and could not even be considered an organized foreign army!
If the governor of our province saw such an army, wouldn’t he faint from anger immediately?
Ma Long started a new training again.

Hearing the roar coming from the parade ground, several officers stood in the distance, not daring to get close at all.

"I'm not going back. Absolutely not."

A tall but extremely thin young man shook his head.

His eyes were filled with terror.

"That crude warrior is not a general, he's just a butcher. He doesn't treat us as human beings. He actually requires a general to wear armor all day and cannot take it off, and even participate in training. This is clearly trying to kill us!"

"Yes! Yes!"

"He's a warrior with thick skin and strong muscles, so he's not afraid of this. How can we do that?"

"Never mind. Even if Zhongfu forces me to go there with a knife, I won't go. If I see him, he'll kill us as deserters."

"Just like he killed Yang Jun!"

"Let's go back!"

When Ma Long treated the central army as a real army and began to train vigorously, those parasites mixed in the central army did not dare to stay any longer. Ma Long was very strict with the soldiers, and even stricter with the generals. He even set an example himself, so that no one could say anything.

After training like this for a whole day, Ma Long finally took off his armor and returned to the tent.

"Hahaha, Ma Xiaoxing is truly a warrior!"

Inside the tent, there was a man dressed as a scholar, with a smile on his face, waiting for Ma Long to come back.

This person was Sima Zhao's younger brother Sima Gan.

Sima Zhao left Luoyang with four camps. He took with him Yin Damu, Cheng Chen, and another captain from a prominent family.

Sima Gan was left behind to keep an eye on the rest of the central army generals.

Sima Gan looked at Ma Long in front of him with admiration in his eyes.

"General."

Ma Long hurriedly bowed his head.

"Xiaoxing, please stand up. This is not necessary."

Sima Gan invited Ma Long to sit next to him, and then said seriously: "Xiaoxing manages the army well. In just a few days, he has made such earth-shaking changes in the camp. It is really unbelievable."

"When it comes to training soldiers, Xiaoxing's talent is unmatched in the army. I think it's a waste of his talent to be a lieutenant! He should be a general!"

Ma Long's expression was very calm. "How can I be a general if I haven't accomplished anything?"

Hearing this, Sima Gan's mouth twitched, pretending not to hear, and said with a smile: "General Wei admires you very much. He asked me to come and see you and give you a reward on his behalf. You will be reused this time!"

Sima Gan actually didn't want to come, but his brother personally ordered him to come.

Sima Zhao also heard about what happened in the central army, and he was very happy with Ma Long's behavior. Ma Long made Sima Zhao see the possibility of controlling the central army. Now Sima Zhao, who was outside, was also ready to follow Ma Long's example and kick out those people arranged by the aristocratic families.

Of course, not all people from aristocratic families are Fu San, of course there are also real elites.

However, they were in the minority after all. The real elites of the aristocratic families were all making meritorious contributions in the border army. Who would come here to waste time? And the talent shown by Ma Long also made Sima Zhao very tempted.

He decided to win this person over to his own use.

Ma Long knew better than anyone what Sima Zhao and the others were thinking. He looked at Sima Gan, who was smiling in front of him, but he didn't feel moved at all.

Because he could see the disdain in the eyes of the person opposite him.

Ma Long thought he was no weaker than anyone else, but for so many years, he had never had the opportunity to move up. The emperor was the first person to discover his talent and the first person to use him regardless of his family background.

He was unwilling to betray the emperor's trust.

"Thank you for your kindness, General Wei, but I have done nothing and I dare not accept the reward."

After being confronted by Ma Long twice in a row, Sima Gan could no longer laugh.

What are you implying when you keep saying that you have not accomplished anything?

You're the only one who knows how to fight, right? You're just a warrior, a farmer by trade, so why are you pretending?
Sima Gan wanted to explode, but remembering Sima Zhao's kindness to this man in his letters, he suppressed his displeasure and said, "Captain Ma, if that's the case, I will tell General Wei the truth and personally reward him when he returns!"

Sima Gan bowed and left with a stern face.

Ma Long shook his head. Such a person was actually the commander of the central army. He had never appeared in the central army camp in these days, and he had never even seen him wearing armor. Could such a person really lead the central army to fight?

Is it enough to have a good background and good abilities?
Can you definitely become a high-ranking official?

Ma Long suddenly spat on the ground.

"Hahaha, why didn't Captain Ma spit in his face?"

There was a voice outside the door.

Ma Long turned around and saw that the person coming was Ji Kang.

Ji Kang was actually wearing armor at this moment, which looked out of place. He limped in and almost collapsed on the ground.

"How difficult it is! I see a captain wearing armor and fighting all day long. I wear this for half an hour and I feel like I'm going to die from exhaustion!"

Looking at the breathless Ji Kang, Ma Long laughed, "Captain Ji, it's already very difficult for you to hold on. You usually drink too much and have damaged your health. You seem to be much more energetic these days."

Ji Kang was stunned and touched his arm. "Indeed, my playing hand has been trained to wield a knife! You are turning me into a warrior!"

Compared with Sima Gan, Ma Long prefers Ji Kang.

Because Ji Kang was very direct, he would joke with himself and call himself a crude warrior from time to time, but he had no malice and was not hypocritical.

"Captain Ji, once you've practiced, you'll be able to play music even more powerfully!"

"I'm not a drummer, why would I need that much strength?"

Ji Kang slumped down on the ground in a very rude manner and asked, "Why is that guy here? Is he here to scold you?"

"They came to win me over, saying they would reward me and make me a general."

Ji Kang was stunned for a moment, then said disdainfully, "Xiaoxing, don't be fooled by this man. You are of too low a birth. No matter how great your contributions are, you will never be fully valued by Sima Zhao. When something goes wrong, he will let you take the blame, and when the problem is solved, he will replace you. The credit will always go to someone else."

"I'm not lying to you. You come from a very low background. Even if Sima Zhao likes you, he can't make use of you. He has many powerful families around him, and he can't ignore their feelings."

Ma Long listened to Ji Kang's words and said seriously: "Don't worry, I know these principles."

"I've experienced this kind of thing many times in Yanzhou. Back when the governor hadn't arrived yet, whenever there were bandits, we were asked to quell them. After the problem was solved, they would share the credit. The benefits would never reach us."

"I've been through that kind of thing too many times. I won't be bought off by them."

Ji Kang nodded and asked again, "You always talk about your governor. Does he know more about training than you do?"

Ma Long spoke of his own governor with respect in his eyes. "Since Governor Deng arrived, he has been clear about rewards and punishments, and things like this have never happened again. He is proficient in military affairs, far superior to me. If he had been in charge of the central army, the central army would definitely not be in its current situation."

Ji Kang listened quietly to Ma Long praising Deng Ai, and there was some inexplicable look in his eyes.

Sima Zhao had originally said that he wanted Deng Ai to come to the central army and serve as the general of the guard.

When Deng Ai arrives, this Captain Ma will not go directly to him, right?

Ji Kang's eyes were a little complicated. He admired Ma Long's behavior these days.

It would be a pity if such a talent could not be used by Your Majesty.

He pondered for a moment before saying, "I heard that the governor might actually be coming to the central army."

When Ma Long heard this, he was overjoyed.

"If that's the case, that would be great!"

"Then I can persuade him to assist His Majesty!"

"Ok??"

"Does Captain Ji think this is inappropriate?"

"No, no, that's great, your idea is very good!!"

(End of this chapter)