Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 209 New Recruits (Part Two)

The basic training for new recruits wasn't going so smoothly. Some couldn't endure the hardships of training and decided to quit, sneaking out of the camp in the middle of the night.

He had barely stepped out of the military camp when he was caught by patrolling soldiers.

The two deserters who were caught tried to argue that they needed to relieve themselves. The patrolling soldiers ignored them, tied their hands and feet, and took them to the general's tent.

Pei Qinghe was awakened from her sleep. Knowing there were deserters, she was not angry. She only gave the order: "Hang them by the training ground."

This was a military camp left behind by the Beiping Army, unlike Peijia Village which had a ready-made forest. Pei Qinghe had a row of wooden stakes with branches and leaves buried next to the training ground.

The veterans knew what was going on, but the new recruits were completely unaware. It wasn't until they got up at dawn that they found two more "gourds" on the wooden stakes beside the training ground.

The two deserters were bound hand and foot and hung from the wooden stake.

Even without being gagged, the two deserters who had just been hung up still had the strength to shout and plead for mercy. The veterans ignored them, continuing their drills. The new recruits, who had never seen anything like this before, were disturbed and kept glancing over.

Exposed to the scorching sun by day and chilled to the bone by night, with no food or water, the two deserters, their voices hoarse from the day's work, were completely too exhausted to shout anymore.

On the third day, one of the deserters died. The other deserter held on until the fifth day, but also died.

Even after death, they were kept hanging until they rotted and emitted a foul odor, at which point the ropes were cut, and their bodies were thrown into a pit and buried.

From then on, there were no more deserters.

Lotus and Cui'er were both stunned by their general's ruthless methods, and dared not discuss it casually in private anymore. Only when everyone was asleep late at night did the two dare to lean their heads together and whisper: "All the military regulations set by the general are true."

"Deserters will be executed, as will those who steal, rob, kill, or humiliate women."

"Cousin Cui'er, I'm a little scared."

"Cousin Lotus, I'm a little scared too. These past few days, I haven't dared to look at the General at all."

Even though the general still patiently queued up and ate with everyone, they felt deep respect for him.

A few days later, Pei Qinghe began to personally instruct the new recruits in martial arts. Each recruit was given a wooden sword, and they drew, swung, and sheathed their swords to the sound of a bamboo whistle.

The simple yet monotonous movements were practiced for half a day at a time. By the end, their arms were sore and aching, and beads of sweat dripped incessantly from their foreheads. Yet, no one dared to complain or show signs of fatigue, and no one dared to stop.

The third rule of military regulations is to train diligently and not to shirk or complain. The consequences of violating these regulations are clear to the new recruits, and they dare not even test whether the general will show leniency.

In the afternoon, the new recruits practiced in pairs. Pei Qinghe inspected them and said, "Don't be soft-hearted or hold back. The person standing in front of you now is your enemy. You must use all your strength and all the techniques you have learned to defeat them."

"Only by mastering martial arts and the ability to kill can one kill the enemy and save one's own life on the battlefield."

Lotus and Cui'er happened to be assigned to the same group. At first, neither of them was willing to go all out, and their back-and-forth exchanges were just fancy moves, which Pei Qinghe observed.

Pei Qinghe stopped in her tracks, her gaze turning cold.

Lotus trembled at the sight, gritted her teeth, and swung her fist with all her might. Cui'er had no time to dodge and was hit on the shoulder. She felt a pain that made her want to cry, but she forced herself to hold it in and punched back.

That's when they started to look like they were practicing together.

Pei Qinghe watched for a long time until Cui'er was knocked down by the lotus flower, then said, "Everyone, take a break."

Lotus vigorously wiped her face, whether from sweat or tears, and reached out to help Cui'er. Cui'er limped alongside Lotus to sit down and drink some cool water to rest. Neither sister spoke. It felt as if something inside them had been shattered, yet something new was quietly growing within them.

So this is how the formidable female soldiers they admired were trained. It was ten or even a hundred times harder than they had imagined.

After a day of training, the outstanding recruits were singled out for praise by Pei Qinghe and each was rewarded with a bowl of meat.

The new recruits, after a day of drills, didn't have a break even in the evenings. Each squad had a veteran soldier who taught them five simple characters. Each recruit had a sand tray and used sticks to practice recognizing and writing characters in the sand. Only after they had learned all the characters could they rest.

The new recruits had only been in the military camp for a little over a month, and regardless of their writing skills, they all recognized at least a hundred characters and could write their own names.

The veterans from Peijia Village were very familiar with this kind of life. They had all endured it step by step. Military discipline was firmly engraved in their hearts and ingrained in their blood.

The Pei family army became a renowned elite force in the north in just a few years, thanks to their rigorous training day after day and year after year.

"How are the new recruits?" Pei Yun asked Pei Qinghe with a smile in the military tent.

Pei Qinghe smiled and said, "They are all from good families and have good character. There are two cousins, one named Zhao Hehua and the other named Wang Cuier. They are intelligent and quick-witted, and are good candidates for soldiers. Keep an eye on them."

Pei Yun also remembered: "Were they the two new recruits who recited the military regulations word for word in two days?"

There were over thirty military regulations, all written in plain language, totaling six or seven hundred characters. For a new recruit who couldn't read a single word, memorizing them word for word was no easy task. Some, with poor memories and slow minds, had to memorize them repeatedly for one or two months. Zhao Hehua and Wang Cuier, however, could memorize them in just two days, demonstrating that they were the most intelligent and hardworking.

Pei Qinghe smiled and nodded, "It's those two. They've been training diligently these past few days. They're also the fastest learners of characters every night."

"During today's sparring session, the two of them couldn't bring themselves to go all out at first. I stood aside without saying anything, and the two of them started sparring with all their might. Their skills were also quite good."

Every batch of new recruits produces such promising talents. Next, they must undergo relentless training, truly taking up arms and engaging in bloody combat; only those who survive will become the true elite soldiers.

"Tomorrow I will personally go down to the field and train the new recruits."

Pei Yun nodded, silently lighting a candle for the new recruits in her heart.

The news that the general would personally train the troops sent a wave of excitement through the new recruits. One by one, they eagerly stood up and signed up, much to the bewilderment of the veterans.

Then, one after another, they were beaten black and blue.

Pei Qinghe stood still, her feet not moving, and with just her fists, she knocked down dozens of new recruits in succession: "Who's next?"

His gaze fell on Zhao Hehua's face.

Zhao Hehua gritted her teeth and stood up: "Zhao Hehua requests guidance from the General!"

A hint of a smile flashed in Pei Qinghe's eyes; she quite admired Zhao Hehua's bravery. Of course, she still showed no mercy. She defeated Zhao Hehua in three moves.

"Who else is coming?"

Wang Cuier felt a chill run down her spine when she was swept by her general's gaze, but she still bravely stood up: "Wang Cuier requests your guidance, General!"

……

(End of this chapter)