The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 128: The King's Uncle Trains His Troops
Ma Xun began to formally train his troops, but he started by training his generals.

Fortunately, it is not the hot summer now, but the cool autumn, so Ma Xun will not feel hot even in his armor.

He looked serious as he looked at the group of young people who were persisting in front of him.

These teenagers did not disappoint him. They stood with their feet 60 degrees apart, legs straight, thumbs placed on the second joint of index fingers, and hands hanging naturally and close together.

Tuck in your abdomen, straighten your chest, raise your head, look forward, and stretch your shoulders back.

Basically, the military posture standard of 'three straight, three level, three upright, two level, two sticking, and one top' has been achieved.

"When God bestows a great mission upon a man, he must first make his mind suffer, his muscles and bones work hard, and his body starve." Ma Xun said with full vigor, "You should do the same when you join the army."

Then Ma Xun suddenly shouted loudly, "Remember this, since you have joined the army, you must remember to serve the court and live up to the emperor's grace. Your elders are famous, so don't bring shame to your family!"

"If you want to get promoted and make money, please go elsewhere. If you are afraid of death, don't enter this door!"

The boys still gritted their teeth and continued to persevere. They stood for a long time and only felt the soreness in their legs and arms, but they still persisted.

Because they are all teenagers now, they are at the most passionate age, and also the age that can least tolerate being looked down upon.

Ma Xun asked loudly, "Did you hear that?"

The boys shouted in unison, "Did you hear that?"

"Didn't you eat?" Ma Xun was furious and asked loudly, "I'm deaf and can't hear you!"

The boys started shouting at the top of their lungs, the veins on their necks popping out, "I heard you!"

Ma Xun then nodded in satisfaction, experiencing the fun of being a military training instructor.

Liu Jing came over and whispered, "Right Commander, it's time to rest."

Ma Xun nodded slightly, then said loudly, "Stand at attention!"

The young men quickly stood at attention, and Ma Xun nodded with satisfaction, "Rest for an incense stick, then dismiss!"

As soon as Ma Xun finished speaking, the young men who had been standing straight collapsed to the ground. They didn't care about their image at all, and sat or lay on the ground, groaning bitterly.

Although Zhu Chong, Chang Mao and others often went to military camps when they were young, tied up their legs, followed the march, or did some simple training, etc., these were things they were familiar with.

They believed that all of this had laid a solid foundation for them, and that this training would definitely go very smoothly.

But reality cruelly dealt these young people a heavy blow. They obviously did not expect that Ma Xun would be so troublesome.

Even so, he still said that he didn't know how to train soldiers and didn't understand military affairs. Maybe my uncle didn't know how to fight. But when it comes to training soldiers and cultivating new soldiers, his methods are better than those of some veterans.

Under the shade of a tree not far away, Ma Xiuying smiled and said, "Fortunately, Lao Wu was not allowed to come, otherwise he would not have suffered all this."

Zhu Biao also said with lingering fear, "That's right, I think it's too early for him to come to train at the age of twelve. I'll go and tell Uncle Xu that he shouldn't have let Yun Gong come."

Ma Xiuying nodded. The fact that Ma Xun refused to accept Xu Yungong had to be explained clearly. This did not mean that the royal family did not trust the Xu family.

This matter was a bit of a headache for Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying. Letting Ma Xun train the troops was actually very simple. At first, they just wanted to use Ma Xun's identity to intimidate Zhu Chong and others.

After all, these are princes, and even the generals in the army can't say much.

Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Deng Yu and others were prestigious and dared to train these princes, but they would also give them some care. The most important thing was that these people had military missions and had no time to train these princes.

Ma Xunlai was the best trainer, but who knew that he would run into Chang Mao and the other guys riding horses in a busy city and get caught.

All of a sudden, these Huaixi nobles became active and sent their eldest sons over one after another. It was a good thing that Ma Xun couldn't refuse.

Now, the people in Huaixi think that the emperor and empress have the authority to decide which families' offspring Ma Xun, the uncle of the emperor, accepts, which reflects their status in the royal family to some extent.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "I told you earlier that I would let you train the troops and review them. That was because he didn't know much about military affairs. Now it's time to let you train the troops."

Fighting, even though people outside were saying that Ma Xun had broken into Qingyang and captured and killed Zhang Liangchen and his son.

But Zhu Yuanzhang and others knew the truth. This was a man who could not even understand what he was doing when he led his army to attack, so there was no hope for him to win the war.

But it doesn't matter if you can't fight, being able to train soldiers is also a skill. Now the Ming Dynasty has no shortage of generals who can fight, and there are also many generals who can train new soldiers, but one more is also a good thing.

Ma Xiuying also said, "Look at my younger brother, he is a good person after all. He has read a lot of books and is very smart. If you don't have military experience, it would be appropriate to hand it over to him."

Zhu Biao asked, "Will the new soldiers train here with your uncle before being assigned to the garrison?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded, "When I captured Chuzhou, I collected 20,000 soldiers, many of whom were new recruits. You also know that some people who rebelled claimed to have tens of thousands of people, but those people were just a mob, including women, children, the elderly and the weak." Ma Xiuying also added, "Giving them wooden sticks is considered a weapon, and they have no armor. They don't know how to use a sword, nor do they understand battle formations and flags. What kind of troops are they?"

Zhu Biao nodded. He naturally understood these principles. There were many such cases in history books.

Therefore, some armies that seem to have hundreds of thousands of volunteers may collapse directly after one battle. An army claiming to have tens of thousands of troops will basically no longer pose a threat as long as one or two thousand people who can fight are killed.

Zhu Yuanzhang was full of expectations, "Your uncle is good, he can't fight but he can train soldiers. When you become emperor in the future, let your uncle take charge of the Beijing Guards and the garrison, and you will have no worries about military power."

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "There are also my second and third brothers, they can also help a lot."

"Your third brother is not good enough, he will be used by someone else when the time comes." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile, "Let your second brother go to fight outside, and your uncle will stay in the capital. You can train a capable general by then, I'm afraid Chang Mao can't be counted on."

Zhu Biao thought for a while and said, "Then wait until Jinglong grows up and practice hard. I think Xu Yungong is not bad either."

Zhu Biao was also very bold. He was a crown prince who had only served as regent a few times and had not yet officially observed or managed government affairs, but he was already fantasizing about what would happen after becoming emperor.

But he didn't think there was any problem. Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying also didn't think there was a problem. They both gave advice to make Zhu Biao's future as emperor more stable.

The family of three came forward, talking and laughing, and Ma Xun quickly clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor."

Zhu Chong and others also stood up, "Your Majesty, I, Zhu Chong (Chang Mao) and others, pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and raised his hand, "No need to bow, you all have been trained very hard, but luckily you all held on. This is what a real man should be like, not afraid of hardship! You must have a promising future!"

As he spoke, Zhu Biao stepped forward, took the tray from the eunuch and knelt down.

Zhu Yuanzhang took the ruler and said to Ma Xun, "If the princes don't obey, you, as their uncle, will have to beat them and scold them. I'll give you this ruler. It doesn't matter if you hurt them. Take them back and enjoy your wealth and luxury, otherwise they will be embarrassed in public and ruin the lives of the soldiers!"

Ma Xun quickly knelt down and took the stick in a proper manner. From then on, it would be more legitimate for him to teach the prince a lesson.

He definitely wouldn't beat him to death or maim him, and Ma Xun couldn't bring himself to do that.

However, he agreed with one point very much, that is, an incompetent general can lead to the death of the entire army. It would be fine if the general died on the battlefield himself, but it would be heartbreaking if he caused the defeat of tens of thousands of troops.

Zhu Chong and others were trembling with fear, as they were afraid of Ma Xun.

Now that their uncle has the stick bestowed by His Majesty, he will be even more merciless in the beating.

These young men originally imagined that they would not have to study when they arrived at the military camp, and they could wear helmets and armor, ride war horses and command thousands of troops. That was the majestic military career they longed for.

But the reality has become that they have to stand at attention here every day. It is said that after standing at attention, they have to learn how to turn, and then they have to learn how to march in formation, etc.

I couldn't even touch my weapon, and my legs were sore and painful from standing. I was scolded now, and I would be beaten in the future.

This kind of military career is not what they wanted at all, but now everyone can only grit their teeth and persevere, because this is the military.

Other armies would also undergo strict training, learn marching formations, learn fighting techniques, etc. The only difference is that what Zhu Chong, Chang Mao and others learned was more rigorous and seemingly more boring.

Zhu Yuanzhang was knowledgeable about military affairs, so he asked, "Now, besides military discipline and will, you want them to learn how to obey orders and how to form battle formations, right?"

Ma Xun nodded and said, "I do have this in mind. I have always felt that discipline and queue are the most basic things. It doesn't matter if we train harder now. The more we sweat in peacetime, the less blood we shed in war."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "It's right to practice according to your method, but it will take a long time. Don't expect to fight in one or two years. It may take three to five years to form an army."

Ma Xun did not deny that the troops he was training now were in a different situation and did not need to go to the battlefield immediately.

This means that some areas can be promoted and borrowed from, but it is really not suitable to be implemented throughout the entire army immediately.

After all, this kind of training method is costly now, not only in terms of time cost, but also in terms of logistical costs.

Some things in the future may not be immediately useful if they are moved to now.

Ma Xiuying pointed to the tent next to her and asked, "Is that the medical officer you trained?"

"Some of them know how to bandage and clean external injuries, and some have learned some massage to promote blood circulation." Ma Xun said, "It's a good opportunity for them to practice with you. Diligence makes perfect, while idleness makes waste. They have a skill that can be put to good use."

Ma Xiuying was very satisfied with Ma Xun's approach. Her younger brother was not the most talented one.

In terms of military affairs, he certainly cannot compare with Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others, and in terms of court strategies, he cannot compare with Li Shanchang and others.

But this is also a talent, which can be used anywhere. People are smart and work carefully, so they like to do things that do not show their merit but are very solid and basic.

This is a good uncle-in-law, who shares the country’s worries without seeking fame, and is of great use to both the emperor and the prince.

(End of this chapter)