His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

"All right."

Although she didn't get the answer from Mu Yuan, Qin Hongxiu still agreed without hesitation.

Sixth Sister-in-law Lin Xueshang has a cold and aloof personality and is not good at speaking, but she has superb martial arts skills, especially her skill in using hidden silver needles, which can kill people invisibly.

Mu Yuan not only wanted to firmly control the military power of the Western Army, but also wanted to build an elite squad that would only obey his orders and could secretly decapitate enemy leaders.

In this way, the imperial court will be wary and dare not make a move against the Mu family.

It can also deter those restless enemies abroad.

It's a win-win situation.

The reason for bringing over Sixth Sister-in-law Lin Xueshang was specifically to teach her martial arts and hidden weapons.

In addition, Mu Yuan was an elite special forces soldier in his previous life, so he could also provide guidance on some tactical skills.

In this way.

They have all the necessary conditions to build an elite squad.

Of course, before that, it is necessary to select promising talents from the Central and Western Army.

After all, not everyone can become an elite.

Thinking of this, Mu Yuan called out:

"Someone come here!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a soldier strode in: "Commander, what are your orders?"

"Tell Yang Daye and the other commanders to come to me immediately. I have important matters to discuss with them," Mu Yuan said in a deep voice.

"You've only been sitting down for a short while, what are you planning to do now?"

Qin Hongxiu didn't understand Mu Yuan's actions. After training all morning, she was already exhausted. She had just sat down when she called Yang Daye and the others over to discuss important matters. If this continued, even an iron man wouldn't be able to endure it.

"For the sake of the Mu family, there are some things I must plan ahead for!"

Mu Yuan's gaze was resolute, and his expression was extremely serious.

A short while later.

Yang Daye and other commanders arrived upon hearing the news.

"General, what important matter has summoned us here?" Yang Daye chatted and laughed with the commanders who had come with him while talking with Mu Yuan.

"I've invited you all here for no other reason than to request that some manpower be drawn from your ranks," Mu Yuan said slowly.

Upon hearing this, no one took it to heart and readily agreed.

"General, isn't it just about needing men? Our Western Army may not have much else, but we have plenty of men."

"General, you're too kind. If you need to transfer men, you can simply send a messenger. Why bother asking us?"

Seeing that no one seemed to realize the problem, Mu Yuan shook his head and said, "There are certain conditions for the personnel I need to transfer!"

Upon hearing this, everyone present stopped smiling and instead showed expressions of curiosity.

"What are the conditions?"

"They need to be physically strong, quick-witted, and resolute. In addition, they must be able to endure hardship." Mu Yuan knew that selecting talent was of paramount importance in building an elite team.

Upon learning of Mu Yuan's conditions for wanting people, Yang Daye's curiosity only intensified, rather than diminishing.

"General, what use do you have for these men?"

"You'll find out later." Mu Yuan smiled mysteriously, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense. Then, he continued, "Just choose ten people from your respective units who meet the conditions I've given you."

"yes!"

The group looked at each other, but finally agreed in unison.

However, at that moment...

A discordant voice rang out:

"My lord, please forgive me, but I cannot agree."

The sound caught Mu Yuan's attention. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a burly, middle-aged man in his prime.

"This man is Sun Yang, the commander of the Tiger Flower Army. He's a bit of a stickler for details," Qin Hongxiu whispered a reminder.

Taking things too seriously?

Mu Yuan raised an eyebrow.

To put it nicely, he's meticulous; to put it bluntly, he's stubborn and inflexible. In the military, he'd be a typical troublemaker.

"Commander Sun, what is your reason for not agreeing?" Mu Yuan asked.

"Commander, these past few days you've lived, ate, and trained alongside the soldiers. I've seen it all and I admire you." Sun Yang first affirmed Mu Yuan's character and conduct, then abruptly changed his tone: "However, since you're going to draw men from the various commanders and have set conditions, you must explain it clearly to everyone!"

"Old Sun, don't be rude. The commander-in-chief has his reasons for doing things," Yang Daye quickly advised.

Despite Yang Daye's kind advice, Sun Yang, who was already stuck in a rut, wouldn't listen at all and instead complained:

"Old Yang, I can't control how you treat your soldiers, but most of my soldiers are from the same place as me, they're my brothers. How can I just sit idly by? If you want me to send men, at least let me know why!"

"You're too stubborn. Do whatever you want." Seeing that he couldn't persuade Sun Yang, Yang Daye simply shut up and stopped talking to him.

Mu Yuan was both amused and exasperated. To be able to subdue the hot-tempered Yang Daye showed just how stubborn Sun Yang was when it came to taking things seriously.

"Since Commander Sun is so determined to get to the bottom of this, I'll reveal some secrets so you can all know a thing or two."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes were filled with anticipation.

Mu Yuan took a deep breath and slowly said, "This time, by drawing men from your ranks, I intend to train an elite force among elites!"

The elite of the elite?

Everyone present was completely baffled.

It should be noted that the Western Army, under the command of the Mu family for generations, and always at the forefront whenever enemy troops invaded, had long been renowned throughout the four southwestern states for its military discipline and combat capabilities.

The Western Army has long been known as an elite force.

Otherwise, the imperial court would not have sent Prince Ning to seize military power when the Mu family was robbed.

"General, your so-called elite of the elite is a bit too ambitious!" Sun Yang's face darkened slightly. "Who doesn't know the prestige of the Western Army? Why bother creating another elite of the elite? Besides, even if you could train ten men drawn from each commander, they would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot against hundreds of thousands of Western Army soldiers—utterly useless!"

Sun Yang's questioning was secretly agreed upon by the other commanders present, though they did not show it on their faces.

After all, the Western Army had a reputation for being proud and fierce soldiers when they were out in the field.

Mu Yuan wanted to build an elite force, but simply drawing ten men from each commander's ranks was far too few.

Even if they are trained.

They had no chance against the well-trained Western Army, which numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

Mu Yuan wanted to explain the underlying principles, but some of the words were too obscure. After thinking it over, he suddenly had an idea.

"It seems Commander Sun has some reservations about my training of the elite of the elite. How about this: I will first draw men from other commanders and lead them in secret training for ten days. After ten days, we will then have a contest with your Tiger Flower Army. What do you say?"

The moment the words were spoken, the barracks fell into an eerie silence.

Mu Yuan's character and actions, as well as his tenacious personality, are indeed admirable.

However, those present knew nothing about the ability to train soldiers.

At this moment, Mu Yuan's absurd bet seemed utterly unbelievable to everyone, and impossible to fulfill.