The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 317 Personal Guard
For someone like Gan Minglan, who joined the army halfway through her career and had no connections in the military, choosing personal guards was no easy task.

Among all military branches, the personal guard is a very special one.

Those who can serve as a general's personal guards are usually people who are related to him.

Even so, the personal guards had to go through layers of selection before they could be chosen.

The Lord will conduct a detailed background investigation into these people's origins, backgrounds, and social relationships.

These handpicked guards earn several times more than ordinary soldiers.

Aside from the meager military pay that the imperial court should provide, the main source of income for the personal guards was still their family heads.

To ensure the loyalty of their personal guards, generals must pay them high salaries.

Just like his personal guards, including the bearded man, Zhao Muyun would give them at least a hundred or eighty taels of silver a year, and sometimes even more.

Compared to ordinary soldiers who haven't seen their pay for over a decade, their income far surpasses that of many centurions.

As the old saying goes, don't just see the thief eating meat, but also see the thief getting beaten.

Following a general, one need not worry about their future.

However, if the commander is captured by the enemy, his personal guards will be the first to be beheaded by the enemy.

For example, a general might die in battle.

The guards risked their lives to retrieve their commander's body.

Otherwise, even if you go back alive, you'll be in big trouble.

If a personal guard dies in battle, in addition to the imperial court's rewards, the commander-in-chief will also provide generous compensation to his family.

Therefore, the commander-in-chief and his personal guards form a mutually beneficial relationship.

If the commander is brave and skilled in management, the status of his personal guards will naturally rise accordingly.

This is the most coveted profession for all the young men from the border towns' military households.

However, without any kinship, if these young men don't have any outstanding skills after they come of age and join the army, they will never be able to serve as personal guards for a general.

The entire Kansai Nine Guards.

Aside from General Xiong, who is in charge, General Gan's vanguard battalion is the most promising.

That's why the veteran surnamed Ma said that if his son could be selected by General Gan, it would be a stroke of good luck for his family.

Gan Minglan had no choice but to recruit people from outside.

After the Zuo family of Daming Prefecture split into two branches, the group of people in the border town, led by the direct descendants, would naturally no longer be of use to Gan Minglan and her husband.

Most of the men from the dozens of households that came with the Seven Guards of Kansai joined the cartography team, and they preferred to do clerical work in the army that did not require going to the front lines.

Scholars and intellectuals are truly not physically resilient.

The women in the medical team led by Ms. She have really made something of themselves now!
A few days ago, General Xiong returned to Hamiwei and issued a military order to expand the medical team to three hundred members. He also said that more doctors would be invited to teach them medical skills in the future.

The twenty-odd women are now extremely busy every day, as they need to help take care of the thousands of seriously wounded people who have come down from the battlefield.

When Zuo Chixia came to the General's Mansion with his master to eat beef, he complained that he hadn't seen his mother, Madam She, for several days.

There's no one available in my husband's family, and my own family currently only has two younger brothers.

Gan Mingfu is very talented in cartography and has his own ideas. If he can lead a team to make a map of the entire Western Regions, he will definitely get a position as a centurion.

Gan Mingshou also had a heavy burden on his shoulders. He had to help her manage such a large ranch, and also help take care of Gan Weixian and her parents.

Right now, she can only choose her personal guards from this group of teenagers.

After praising people and distributing prizes to the first thousand people, Gan Minglan stood on the reviewing stand and said:

"Before you came to Guazhouwei, did you all hear that this was an assessment for you to enter the vanguard camp?" All the young men's eyes lit up, and they nodded frequently, staring intently at General Gan's movements.

Gan Minglan's expression was cold and stern: "Do you know what joining the Vanguard Battalion means?"

Immediately, one of the more lively individuals shouted:

"The Vanguard Battalion is the most elite force in the entire army; only the most skilled can enter the Vanguard Battalion."

"It means they are not afraid to die and are capable of fighting!"

"Hehe, they can also make a fortune by following you, General."

"."

Gan Minglan continued to nod with a stern face:
“You’re all right! But do you know how many people died or were wounded in this western expedition against the Hu? Out of five thousand men, one thousand nine hundred and thirty-five died heroically, and one hundred and eighty were seriously wounded and left disabled! That’s almost half the casualties.”

"Wow"

A bucket of cold water was poured over it.

The boys, who had just been full of enthusiasm and were eager to get started, suddenly felt a chill.

Then they heard the list of casualties.

General Gan read out the names one by one:

"Cheng Youqian, 21 years old, captain of the vanguard battalion. Since joining the vanguard battalion, he has participated in five battles, large and small, and has been wounded three times. He has killed 86 Hu people."
Mao Chuan, 23 years old, captain of the vanguard battalion. Since joining the vanguard battalion, he has participated in five battles, large and small, and has been wounded five times, killing 117 Hu people.

A name is more than just a name.

General Gan could readily recount the performance of almost every fallen soldier after they joined the vanguard battalion: in which battle they distinguished themselves, and where they were wounded and how serious their injuries were.

Upon hearing familiar names, many teenagers covered their mouths and burst into tears.

I knew it would be dangerous to enter the vanguard camp, but I didn't expect the danger to come so soon.

He silently shouted in his heart:
"Waaaaah, Brother Ang! Brother Ang is dead! You promised to teach him how to ride a horse when he arrived! How could you go back on your word, Brother?"

"Waaaaah, Uncle, don't die! Auntie just gave birth to a big, healthy daughter for you! A daughter without a father has no one to stand up for her when people bully her!"

Grief is contagious.

Especially when the list of the dead or seriously injured is filled with their own family members.

Even though most people didn't have anyone at home in the vanguard camp, they still heard many familiar yet unfamiliar names.

I'm used to being called by nicknames, so when I suddenly hear his real name, it takes me a while to realize who he is.

The list wasn't long, but Gan Minglan read out the names and their life stories for most of the hour.

Then, silently, she cried for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea for those boys who were just moments before so excited.

He slowly opened his mouth and asked:

"You are probably familiar with the skills and courage of these people. Even with their abilities, there's a 50% chance they won't come back from the battlefield!"

Think about it carefully: can you become warriors like them within a year or two? In other words, are you truly not afraid of death?

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word touched everyone's heart.

The harsh truth has awakened most people.

Entering the vanguard camp is too dangerous.

If someone loses their life, what relevance is the compensation left to their family?
Some, however, went to the other extreme.

My family members were killed by the Hu people. Following General Gan is the fastest way to avenge them.

What is there to fear in death?
What I fear most is not dying in battle, but dying a humiliating death!
(End of this chapter)