The Golden Family, rising from the Western Regions

Chapter 348 Loyalty to Qin, Loyalty to the King

The military academy would divide students into four categories based on their strengths and wishes: cavalry, artillery, logistics, and engineering. If they had the opportunity to further their studies at the Hexi Military Academy in the future, they would also be given the option to take the infantry and naval courses.

Chen Muzhi chose the cavalry, which is the core branch of the Northern Frontier Army and his childhood dream.

Like the warriors of the northern frontier, they rode their warhorses across the battlefield.

After finishing the morning classes and having lunch, the afternoon session consisted of military skills training.

However, before practicing according to the Cavalry Manual, extensive physical training must be conducted first.

Pull-ups, push-ups, abdominal crunches...

These training programs, which Li Xiao borrowed from later generations, became the daily must-do exercises for the teenagers.

The instructors often said, "The battlefield is a contest of physical strength. Whoever can hold out longer will survive and kill more enemies."

"With stronger arms, you can strike harder and have a better chance of killing the enemy."

Chen Muzhi easily completed all the physical fitness exercises and continued practicing military skills.

Mounted archery, gunfights, slashing, cavalry tactics, team management, wilderness survival, wilderness first aid, topographic surveying, etc.

These were subjects that Chen Muzhi and the others had already learned, but they still needed to practice them every day to improve their proficiency and develop muscle memory.

On the other side, the artillery platoon, the supply platoon, and the engineer platoon were also practicing their respective subjects, never slacking off.

As the afternoon training session came to an end, the sun was already setting, and the wind in the valley carried a hint of coolness.

Chen Muzhi and his classmates dragged their tired bodies back to the camp, and they could smell the aroma of meat soup wafting from the canteen from afar.

Today it was the turn of the class that had been herding sheep to return. The canteen slaughtered two sheep, and in addition to naan and porridge, we were also given a big bowl of mutton soup for dinner.

This is undoubtedly the most tempting expectation for teenagers who expend a great deal of energy every day.

Just as everyone was lining up to get their food, a series of orderly footsteps suddenly came from afar.

The students instinctively straightened up and looked toward the intersection.

A middle-aged man dressed in gray clothes with a serious expression walked in.

He had broad shoulders and a thick back, and carried a sharp aura of someone who had been through many battles. He was Zhao Lie, the chief instructor of the Jinzhou Military Academy.

Zhao Lie was once a centurion in the Northern Frontier Army. He was wounded in the Battle of Hexi and transferred to civilian work. Li Xiao appointed him as the chief instructor of the Jinzhou Military Academy, responsible for coordinating the teaching and management of the academy.

He was stern and rarely smiled, so the students secretly called him "Black-faced God," but they also respected him from the bottom of their hearts.

"All of you, stand at attention!"

At the command of the instructor beside Zhao Lie, the students, who had been loosely seated, instantly stood at attention, their backs straight, their hands behind their backs, and even their breathing became lighter.

In the empty field where hundreds of people were gathered, only the sound of orderly footsteps and the rustling of clothes remained. That obedience, discipline, and teamwork ingrained in their bones were the most distinctive marks of the military academy.

Zhao Lie's gaze swept across the ranks like a hawk's, his sharp eyes causing every student he looked at to hold their breath.

After a moment, he spoke in a deep voice, not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears: "In another month, you students of this class will step out of the gates of this school."

"From the moment you step out of the gate, the identity of 'student' will be left behind forever. Your new identity is that of a soldier of the Great Qin."

The word "soldier" struck the hearts of every boy like a heavy hammer, instantly making their eyes serious and fervent.

"What is the purpose of you learning to read, do arithmetic, practice physical fitness, and practice riding and archery in school?"

Zhao Lie continued, "It's not so that you can have enough to eat in the future, but so that you can take up arms and protect the territory of Qin and the people of the northern frontier."

"You must remember that every inch of Qin's land was won by the King and his Northern Frontier soldiers with their blood and lives."

"From the Seven Rivers Grassland to the Hexi Corridor, from the northern grasslands to the Guanzhong Plain, where are there no fallen soldiers' bones? Where are there no heroes' blood?"

He paused, his gaze falling on the ranks where Chen Muzhi was: "You have studied the national history and know that the King led my northern army to destroy the Xia Kingdom and defeat the Jin army, and was bestowed the title of King of Qin by Heaven."

"You learn tactics and strategies, and you know the 'luring the tiger away from the mountain' strategy in the Battle of Lingzhou and the 'feint attack to the east while striking in the west' strategy in the Battle of Weibei. These are not just stories, but the glory of the Great Qin, and the responsibility that you will inherit in the future."

"As soldiers, honor is above all else, and loyalty is more important than life."

"As descendants of the Chinese nation, you must remember that the northern frontier is your root and the Qin state is your home. No matter where you go in the future, you must never forget who you are and never bend the spine of the Great Qin."

The camp was completely silent, except for Zhao Lie's voice, which echoed throughout. Every student's face was filled with excitement and solemnity.

Chen Muzhi clenched his fists tightly, his heart pounding with excitement.

He recalled the Battle of Qihe, in which his father sacrificed his life; he recalled the bravery of the northern frontier soldiers recorded in the national history; and he also recalled the majestic appearance of Li Xiao in the portrait.

To become a soldier of the Qin Dynasty and protect this land—that was exactly what he sought.

The next second, all the students put their hands to their chests and shouted in unison, "Loyalty!"

Immediately following this, Zhao Lie dropped another bombshell: "The graduation assessment a month from now will be a practical assessment."

"To test your tactical application and coordinated combat capabilities."

"Those who fail the assessment will be held back to the next term. And this assessment will be observed by His Majesty in person!"

"Is the King coming?"

These words instantly ignited the students' emotions, and several suppressed gasps even rang out from the ranks.

Chen Muzhi was also stunned, and then his eyes flashed with intense light.

How could he actually see the king in person?

How can I showcase my training results in front of the King?
"Everyone, take the oath!" Zhao Lie's voice rang out again.

The students immediately raised their right hands, placed them on their left chests where their hearts were, and shouted in unison, "Our glory is loyalty!"

"Loyal to Qin! Loyal to the King! We swear to protect China to the death!"

His voice was loud and clear, causing all the birds and beasts in the forest to scatter. The boy's sincerity and determination were enough to inspire everyone present.

Zhao Lie nodded slightly, then turned and left the cafeteria with a blank expression.

Another instructor shouted, "Sit down and eat!"

The students all sat on the ground, bursting into excited discussion.

"Will the King really come? I'll finally get to see the King in person!"

"You must perform well in the practical assessment; you can't afford to embarrass yourself in front of the King!"

"Our cavalry squad three must win first place and show the king what we're capable of."

"Our class is number one."

Chen Muzhi was also infected by this excitement. He looked in the direction of Longcheng and secretly vowed in his heart: he must perform at his best in the actual combat assessment.

Not only do I need to graduate smoothly, but I also need to demonstrate my abilities to the King.

He wanted to become a warrior like the king, the most outstanding cavalry general in Qin, so that his father could be proud of him even in the afterlife.

In the days that followed, the students trained even harder, all in order to perform better during the assessment.

Every morning, as soon as the reveille sounds, rustling sounds immediately come from inside the tent.

The students strictly followed the standards of the "Household Management Regulations" and quickly completed all procedures within fifteen minutes: tidying their clothes and beds, arranging their personal belongings neatly, and cleaning their tents to ensure cleanliness and tidiness.

After tidying up, it was time for a morning run around the valley.

The first batch of more than 300 students stood in neat rows, marched in unison, and shouted slogans such as "Loyal to the Great Qin, we swear to protect the northern frontier to the death," their voices echoing through the valley.

After the morning run, the boys lined up to read aloud the "Revelation of the King of Qin." Facing the huge portrait of Li Xiao, their voices were louder and their eyes were more determined than ever.

When night fell and lights out was sounded, the tents fell silent instantly. Everyone lay obediently in bed, not allowed to speak or play around.

The instructors would patrol outside the tents at irregular intervals. If anyone was found to be violating the rules, they would be punished by being made to stand in the corner, or even expelled. No one dared to risk their future.

School life was intense and monotonous, yet exceptionally orderly, like a precise clock, with every component operating flawlessly.

On this day, the students were called to the open space of the camp in batches. At the front stood several people holding scissors and razors, and the school was going to cut everyone's hair.

There are no mandatory requirements for hairstyles in the Northern Frontier Army. After all, the soldiers come from different places and ethnic groups. Some are used to having long hair, while others prefer to be bald.

At the military academy, according to the "Internal Affairs Regulations," all students must cut their hair short.

Long hair is a burden in the military camp. Wearing a helmet in the summer is stuffy and can easily cause sores. If you ride a horse without a helmet, the wind will block your vision.

Whether on the march or in daily training, soldiers simply don't have the time or the means to groom their hair, which over time makes them prone to fleas and the spread of diseases.

A short buzz cut is clean, neat, and can also reduce the risk of injury.

Therefore, all the students at the military academy had their hair cut into short buzz cuts, similar to those of later armies.

This trend was also started by Li Xiao setting an example.

At this moment, the students getting haircuts undoubtedly foreshadowed the upcoming final assessment.

Three days later, at dawn, all the students were summoned to the camp square.

They formed ten neat square formations, straight in all directions, each person standing with their hands behind their backs and their backs ramrod straight.

The entire square was silent, save for the sound of flags fluttering in the wind.

A moment later, a series of neat footsteps came from the entrance of the square, and the head instructor led several school instructors to the front.

Beside them were several young generals dressed in yellow armor with red trim.

The students recognized them at a glance because of the bright colors of their armor.

"They are the Imperial Guards around the King," Chen Muzhi thought to himself.

The students' eyes lit up instantly, their gazes fixed on the few Wuwei Army generals.

Judging from the insignia on their chests, the highest-ranking officer was a centurion, while the others were captains.

Chief Instructor Zhao Lie stood at the front of the stage, his gaze sweeping over each formation, and said in a loud voice: "I have gathered you all here today for tomorrow's practical assessment."

"These people beside me are the assessment supervisors sent by the King to witness your assessment results."

"This is Li Shurong, a centurion of the Wuwei Army. He will be speaking next!"

Li Shurong was only a few years older than Chen Muzhi and the others, but he had experienced the bloody battles of Guanzhong, and his every move exuded a calm and composed military demeanor.

He looked at the students below the stage and smiled gently: "His Majesty has always valued the students of the Military Academy and often asks about your training."

"Knowing that you are going to participate in a practical assessment, you specially asked me to bring 500 jin of dumplings. We'll have a good meal tonight to celebrate your graduation."

Wow! Dumplings!

The students were secretly excited, their eyes filled with surprise.

In the school, dumplings were a luxury, yet the king had specially prepared them for them, a gesture that warmed the hearts of the young students. After the students' emotions had calmed down a bit, Li Shurong's tone became serious: "The target of this assessment is a group of bandits entrenched in the lower reaches of the Dalong River."

"This band of bandits has committed numerous atrocities, robbing herders and even attacking grain transport teams in the northern frontier. They are a scourge to the northern frontier. The King has ordered you to go and wipe them out, both as a test and to rid the people of this menace."

He pointed to the armor piled up on one side of the square: "In order to help you better adapt to the battlefield environment, His Majesty specially ordered the Wuwei Army to bring over a batch of armor."

"Although they are all old, they are all in good condition, and you may receive and wear them today."

The students looked in the direction he pointed and saw that more than a dozen carriages in the distance were piled with yellow armor.

The armor still bore faint traces of blood, clearly indicating that it had been through actual combat.

"They can actually wear the armor of the Wuwei Army."

Chen Muzhi was thrilled. Like many of his classmates, he hoped to join the Wuwei Army after graduation and become a personal guard to protect the king.

Being able to wear the armor of the Armed Forces ahead of schedule is undoubtedly a step closer to my dream.

As for the suppression of the bandits, the students felt no fear whatsoever.

During previous training, the instructors had taken them out to suppress several small-scale bandit gangs. Although they followed orders, they still gained practical experience.

"I've learned all the tactics and skills I needed to learn, and now I can finally command battles on my own." Chen Muzhi clenched his fists, his eyes full of anticipation.

Li Shurong continued, "You must remember, you are not ordinary students, you will soon be soldiers of the Great Qin."

"The soldier's mission is to protect the country and the territory of China; even if he dies, he must remain loyal to the king and to the Qin Dynasty."

"This assessment will not only test your abilities, but also see if you are qualified to bear the title of 'Soldiers of the Great Qin'!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the students immediately clutched their chests and shouted in unison, "Loyal to the Great Qin! Loyal to the King!"

The sound was deafening, filled with the youthful ambition and determination.

After the oath was taken, the students lined up to receive their armor.

They carefully picked up their own armor, which was heavy and stained with old blood, but no one complained.

Every scratch and every drop of blood on this armor is a mark of glory.

Chen Muzhi donned his armor and gave a standard military salute to the portrait of Li Xiao in the square.

With a resolute expression, he murmured softly, "Loyalty!"

Bandits are a scourge on the grasslands.

Most of them were remnants of tribes that had been conquered by the Northern Frontier Army, who had managed to escape death and banded together for warmth.

They live like ordinary herders on ordinary days, but when resources are scarce, they will look for opportunities to plunder.

However, the people of northern Xinjiang had long been living in groups of hundreds of households, with herdsmen patrolling and protecting them, so the bandits dared not provoke them easily. They then set their sights on the remote grain transport teams and scattered herdsmen.

On this day, the student army arrived at a military garrison in the northwest of Jinzhou. The garrison commander was named Liu Daba, a burly man with a scar on his face.

Upon seeing Li Shurong, they came forward to greet him, followed by several soldiers from the pastoral settlement armed with scimitars and crossbows.

He noticed that although the students' armor was bright and shiny, it couldn't hide their youthful immaturity, and he couldn't help but frown.

"Commander Li, you're saying you can wipe out those bandits with these child soldiers?" Liu Daba's voice was hoarse and filled with obvious doubt.

However, given Li Shurong's special status, he quickly explained the situation of the bandits: "These two groups of bandits each have fifty or sixty people, and they are hiding deep in the Black Stone Mountain ahead. No one knows their exact location."

“We’ve tried to encircle and suppress them twice before, but these bandits are very cunning. As soon as they see a large number of people, they run into the mountains. Our cavalry can’t catch up with them because they’re stuck in the crevices of the rocks, and our infantry are afraid of being ambushed. In the end, we couldn’t succeed.”

Li Shurong ignored his questioning, turned to Chen Muzhi and the other ten squad leaders, and said in a deep voice, "You all know the general situation of the bandits."

"Two forces are hiding in Black Rock Mountain and are skilled in guerrilla warfare."

"You have one day to prepare. The squad that finds the bandits' exact hideout first will be the commander-in-chief of this bandit suppression operation and will coordinate with the other squads."

"Yes!" Chen Muzhi and the others responded in unison, then turned around and gathered their team members to prepare.

Watching from the side, Liu Daba couldn't help but mutter, "A bunch of kids who've never been on a real battlefield, and they want to be commanders-in-chief?"

"Don't let the bandits chase you and force our herdsmen to come and rescue you."

Li Shurong glanced at him and said calmly, "Commander Liu, true gold fears no fire."

“If these child soldiers can’t even find bandits, they will never become pillars of the northern frontier.”

"Don't worry, what they learn in school is not just horseback riding and archery."

Liu Daba chuckled and said nothing more.

He was a veteran of the Six Garrisons, and only after he injured his left leg in the Battle of Hexi did he transfer to civilian work as a military commander of a thousand households in the pastoral garrison.

I only believe in one sentence in my life: "True strength is revealed on the battlefield."

I always felt that these child soldiers trained in schools couldn't compare to veterans who had fought in real battles.

On the other side, Chen Muzhi, dressed in a tattered sheepskin, entered Black Stone Mountain with only two students.

They often practiced wilderness survival and reconnaissance in the school: they could tell the movements of bandits by looking at hoofprints on the ground, judge whether there was human activity by listening to bird calls, and even judge which path was frequently used by people by the moisture of the moss on the rocks.

Three days later, he finally found the bandits' trail outside a hidden cave.

Without making a sound, he quietly noted down the location of the cave, the number of sentries, and the surrounding terrain, then returned to report the news to Li Shurong.

Meanwhile, Mu Ying, the squad leader of another class, also found the hideout of another group of bandits in a valley.

Upon receiving two intelligence reports, Li Shurong immediately ordered: "Appoint Chen Muzhi as the commander-in-chief of the left flank, leading five squads to encircle and annihilate the bandits in the mountain cave."

"Mu Ying was appointed as the commander of the right flank, leading the other five squads to wipe out the bandits in the valley."

"Commander Liu, please take five hundred soldiers from the pasture and be ready to provide support at any time."

Liu Daba nodded slightly. In his opinion, child soldiers were still unreliable, and in the end, he would have to rely on his own support.

Because the bandits are very cunning, as soon as they discover that the Northern Frontier Army has entered the mountains, they will immediately flee without hesitation.

As for a night raid?

The mountain terrain is complex, and if the battle were to take place at night, the student army would suffer far greater casualties than the bandits.

Therefore, in Liu Daba's view, the best way is to seal off the mountain and use the absolute advantage of military strength to gradually compress the encirclement.

But what happened next completely stunned him.

Chen Muzhi did not send his troops to storm the cave. Instead, he sent men disguised as a merchant caravan to swagger through the foot of Black Stone Mountain carrying 'grain'.

Discovered by scouts from Black Stone Mountain, the bandit leader ordered his men to check the mountain road ahead and behind. There were no other ambushes, and because of the lack of food in the mountains, the grain transport team consisted of only about twenty people and five horse-drawn carts.

The advantage is mine!

So he led most of the bandits down the mountain to plunder.

But just as they were about to ride their horses to the front of the carriage, Chen Muzhi shouted sharply, "Divine Arm Crossbow!"

The twenty student soldiers lifted the sacks on the carriage and pulled out twenty cocked crossbows.

"Fire arrows!"

With a command from Chen Muzhi, arrows whistled as they shot toward the bandits a hundred meters away.

After firing their arrows, each student soldier, as if by muscle memory, skillfully changed arrows and continued firing.

Moreover, its accuracy is extremely high.

"Ahhhhh~"

"Chief, we've been ambushed."

"It's a Divine Arm Crossbow."

“These people are not businessmen, they are the army of Jinzhou.”

In a short time, more than twenty bandits fell to the ground under the charge, and the bandit leader turned pale.

He quickly pulled on the reins and shouted in terror, "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

The remaining thirty-odd bandits quickly fled. Chen Muzhi did not pursue them, but instead led his men to deal with the wounded bandits who had not had time to escape.

This was because Chen Muzhi had already ordered his men to set up an ambush on the bandits' way back.

There are many paths down Black Stone Mountain, and Chen Muzhi could not predict which path the other party would take. However, he guessed that in their panic, the other party would definitely choose the shortest path to escape back into the mountain.

Sure enough, when the remaining bandits fled to the mountain pass, a large number of student soldiers rushed out from both sides, armed with bows and crossbows and spears, and killed all the bandits in a short time.

Meanwhile, Mu Ying and his men quickly dealt with the bandits in the valley.

With so many students marching into the mountains, it was impossible to keep it a secret from the bandits' scouts. So the bandits immediately retreated and used the mountain's advantages to wage guerrilla warfare against the Northern Frontier Army.

Unfortunately, they could never shake off the pursuit of the Northern Frontier Army, who blocked them from the front and chased them from the back, killing and wounding almost all the bandits.

When Liu Daba arrived with his troops, he was met with hundreds of bandit corpses. He stood there dumbfounded, muttering to himself, "When did the bandits become so weak?"

"They actually got wiped out by a bunch of kids?"

"What's so special about me, Old Liu, who's been fighting bandits for so long?"

Li Shurong, standing beside him, shook his head and smiled faintly: "Commander Liu, it's not that the bandits have become weaker, it's that the student soldiers are too strong."

He pointed to the students in the distance who were organizing their equipment and continued, "These kids are young, they are not as strong as the veterans, and they have less experience, so their individual combat ability is naturally not as good as the veterans, but they have something that the veterans don't have."

"Exceptional discipline and execution."

"Many veterans can't lie still in the mud for a whole day, but it's part of their daily training."

"If you throw ants or rats into their clothes and they sting them, they can remain unfazed."

"Even if there are mud pits and cliffs ahead, as long as the bugle sounds, they will charge forward without hesitation."

"Although our veterans from the northern border region are more combat-ready, they are no match for student soldiers in this respect."

Simply put, veterans have already developed their own combat habits and styles of conduct, which are difficult to change.

However, student soldiers are more malleable, and discipline, obedience, and the ability to execute orders are key.

Veterans tend to have their own ideas, but these students are 100% obedient.

"They are like blank sheets of paper, highly malleable, and can perfectly execute the tactics and discipline taught in school."

"And this is exactly what our Northern Frontier Army needs most: not lone warriors, but an iron army that is not afraid of sacrifice, danger and hardship, and can fight together."

(End of this chapter)