Isolated town in northern border region

Chapter 21 Sharp Knife

Following the Tengger Desert event, Cangzhou enjoyed a rare period of peace.

Caravans from various northern tribes continued to trade at the border markets as usual, and Timur did not cause any further trouble.

Most of the spies from the capital fled, and the rest became obedient and dared not openly engage in any more underhanded tactics.

Xiao Lie knew that this was just the calm before the storm.

Spring is here, and the grass and water on the grasslands will soon grow lush and green, and cattle, sheep, and horses will begin to breed.

In addition, the four states that had not yet been recovered received various resources in assistance.

Once Timur has properly distributed the interests among the various tribes, he will once again lead his troops south!

Therefore, before the Northern Barbarians made a comeback.

Xiao Lie needs to forge a sharp dagger that can pierce the heart of the Northern Barbarians!

The next morning, before dawn, Xiao Lie arrived at the training ground.

The drill ground was located outside the west gate of Cangnan City, covering an area of nearly ten acres, and it took half a month to level it.

Wooden fences stood all around, with torches hanging from them, illuminating the entire drill ground as bright as day.

The three thousand new recruits of the Trapped Camp have lined up and are standing in neat rows.

Xiao Lie walked up to the high platform, dressed in a dark-colored outfit with a long sword at his waist, and his gaze swept over the audience below.

"Last night, I devised a new training plan. Starting today, I will train with you for three months!"

"Three months later, a unified assessment will be conducted, and those who fail to meet the standards will be removed from the Trapped Camp."

The new recruits below the stage were as quiet as wooden stakes.

In the previous drill training, discipline had been ingrained in these new recruits.

Xiao Lie pointed to the newly built single and double bars and rope nets on the south side of the training ground.

"These are the instruments you will be using, and everyone must take good care of them."

"Let me make this clear from the start: if anyone dares to slack off or cheat during these three months, they will be immediately expelled from the Vanguard Camp!"

No one in the audience moved, but everyone's eyes became serious.

In Cangzhou, the Trapped Camp had the best weapons, armor, and food. Even their pay was three times that of other infantrymen, on par with the Canglang Cavalry!

The delicacies that ordinary families could only enjoy during festivals were available almost every day in the Trapped Camp.

These new recruits were originally just refugees fleeing war, and many of them nearly starved to death on the road.

The generous benefits offered by the Trapped Camp were something they could never give up.

"The Trapped Camp!"

"kill!"

"it is good."

Xiao Lie nodded.

"Training begins!"

"Everyone! Four people in a row, run ten laps around the training ground!"

The training ground is about ten acres, and one lap is nearly one kilometer. Ten laps would be ten kilometers!

Xiao Lie took off his outer robe, leaving only a short jacket, and without saying a word, led the team into a run.

The early spring in the northern frontier was still a bit chilly, and soon wisps of white smoke began to rise from Xiao Lie's body.

Since arriving in the Northern Frontier, Xiao Lie has completely bid farewell to his previous comfortable life. Especially after experiencing the Battle of Cangwu City, Xiao Lie has come to understand how important a strong physique is.

He didn't want to lose his grip on the knife due to exhaustion on the battlefield again, leaving his life in the hands of luck.

However, the elite troops cannot simply be mere figureheads, so...

Xiao Lie simply copied all the military training methods he had learned in his previous life.

On the first day, everyone in the Trapped Camp felt it was all new and exciting, and they followed Xiao Lie through various training sessions.

I did all of them: horizontal bar, parallel bar, push-ups, sit-ups, frog jumps, shuttle run, 400-meter obstacle course, etc.

Everyone felt that this training method was much more interesting than standing at attention and marching in formation every day. Some of the more lively students even started to compete with each other.

"Your Highness! This double-bar thing is actually quite fun!"

"Look! I can even do a handstand on the parallel bars!"

During the break, Xiao Lie sat with the soldiers, and one of the bold recruits started showing off his skills on the parallel bars.

Xiao Lie wasn't annoyed. Although it was a military camp, didn't they also value a balance between seriousness and liveliness in their previous life?

When it's time to be lively, there's no need to restrain yourself.

Xiao Lie chuckled, wiped his sweat, and gestured with his chin toward the man on the parallel bars.

"Which team are you on? What's your name?"

The man suddenly flipped down from the parallel bars and stood at attention.

"Report! I belong to the Third Company, Second Battalion of the Trapped Camp!"

Everyone calls me Luo Da Niu!

Xiao Lie took a closer look and found that Luo Daniu was eight feet tall, with extremely thick arms and a chest as thick as a city wall.

"What a fine man! Relax."

"Judging from your appearance, you don't seem like a refugee fleeing war. What did you do for a living before?"

Meng Daniu scratched his head sheepishly.

"I used to hunt with my dad. Once, I didn't control my strength and tore a bear skin to shreds..."

"I was afraid my father would punish me, so I ran away on my own, and that's when I ran into the Tartars..."

"I turned and ran. Those Tartar warhorses couldn't run fast. I crossed two mountains in one breath and arrived at Cangnan City."

Xiao Lie was taken aback.

Good guy!

Is this even human language?

What does it mean to tear a bear skin because you didn't control your strength?

What do you mean by saying that the Tartars' warhorses couldn't run fast?

"Luo Daniu".

Xiao Lie stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

"With a physique like yours, you're a natural-born warrior!"

"hey-hey……"

Luo Daniu grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

"My dad said I was born strong, fast, and have good eyesight."

"It's just... I'm not very bright and I'm prone to making mistakes."

Xiao Lie smiled.

"It's okay!"

"In the Trapped Camp, you only need to remember one thing!"

"Obey! Absolute obedience!"

"The rest, I'll take care of!"

Xiao Lie grinned so wide his mouth stretched to the back of his head. At this moment, he truly understood why Prime Minister Cao liked Xu Chu and Dian Wei so much.

Imagine having such a formidable person under your command, wouldn't that be incredibly awesome?

Luo Daniu scratched his head.

"I've got it!"

Xiao Lie nodded, making a mental note of this formidable talent.

"Alright, that concludes today's training."

"Go back and get some rest. There's plenty of fun to do tomorrow."

"Here you go!"

The three thousand elite soldiers responded in unison, their voices like thunder.

On the first day of training, everyone found it novel and interesting.

Everything was something I'd never seen before, like a game.

The soldiers chatted and laughed, some even did somersaults on the bar, some raced to see who could run the fastest, and some competed to see who could do the most push-ups.

"Your Highness, this training is much more interesting than standing at attention!"

"Exactly! My legs would go numb from standing in formation all the time!"

Xiao Lie did not stop him.

Because he knew that tomorrow, no one would be laughing anymore.

really.

The next morning, before dawn, the bugle call to assemble sounded.

Three thousand elite soldiers stood in formation, shrouded in darkness. The morning breeze carried a chill, making everyone shiver.

Xiao Lie was still dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit, but a slightly unsettling smile played on his lips.

"Today's training physical condition!"

"Push-ups, 500 per person!"

"Do 500 sit-ups each!"

"Frog jumps, 500 times!"