Tiger Guards

Chapter 368 Classic Reappearance
After breaking through the Su family's fortified village, the army rested for five days in Pingling before continuing its march towards Tongguan.

Duan Wei has enough grain reserves, but Zhao Ji needs to personally check the exact amount.

The army split into groups and set off again, much faster than the imperial army that moved eastward at that time.

At the end of April, Zhao Ji arrived at Tongguan.

During this period, the 5,000 cavalrymen and the 15 battalions of the Five Battalions that subsequently approached the Three Auxiliary Regions had already been in Hongnong for nearly half a month.

In half a month, they worked with Duan Wei's road-building army to rebuild the Hangu Pass and set up camps along the way.

Grain was transported to Luodu station by station through relay.

The amount of grain transported by land was not large, accounting for only one-third of the total, less than 200,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

Other grains were transported by land through the Sanmenxia Gorge in Shaanxi and Tianjin, and then switched to boat transport, going downstream to Luodu.

April and May are the dry season for the Yellow River, and the reefs that fell into the river during the time of Emperor Huan have already surfaced.

Transporting grain downstream from upstream allows for easy avoidance of these reefs, greatly increasing efficiency and safety.

When Zhao Ji led his troops to Tongguan, the first batch of military uniforms and flags transported by the Fen River had already arrived.

The National Protection Army was a temporary organization, using 100-man and 1,000-man squads, which were flexibly combined during combat.

The specific allocation of personnel was in Zhao Ji's hands, in order to diminish the influence of the former generals of Guanzhong on the army.

The distribution of brand-new uniforms to the entire army brought a long-lost sense of familiarity to the various armies in Guanzhong who were used to the wilderness.

The more senior the soldiers were in the Imperial Guards of Beijing, the deeper their feelings were at this moment.

Not only military uniforms and shoes, but also the entire army had to take a bath after receiving their uniforms and shoes before heading to Northeast China, symbolizing the washing away of the old dust.

At the same time, the two suicide squads of a thousand men carried out more in-depth sanitation reforms, with the entire army, from Gao Yanglong and Li Ying down, having their heads shaved.

Zhao Ji personally supervised the process, watching as these daredevil soldiers shaved each other's heads, even their beards.

Only by shaving their beards and hair clean could these two suicide squads of a thousand men possess unique and distinctive identifying characteristics.

Fortunately, the criminals selected for the suicide squad had already lost their human rights, and no one in the surrounding army would sympathize with them.

In an era when even Sinicized Xiongnu people began to grow their hair long and tie it up, the daredevils were also very resistant to shaving their heads.

To reduce resistance and unnecessary losses, those who accepted the shaving of their heads were all awarded the first-class merit... as if they were killing their old selves and then gaining a brand new life.

Under pressure, Gao Yanglong, Zhao Ji's confidant, also took the lead in shaving his head, and Li Ying also set an example... For the Li family, shaving their heads was better than shaving their heads.

The hair and beards shaved off by two thousand people were piled up and burned to ashes.

As for the daredevils who shaved their heads, they generally had scalp sores, and even though they shaved their heads carefully, they were not very good at shaving.

If you're not careful, you'll get sores from scratching, and the shaved hair will be infested with lice, looking like a patch of sesame seeds growing out of the hair.

Although Zhao Ji issued such an inhumane and brutal order.

Even as he was shaving his head, he continued to patrol the camp.

The daredevils who accepted the shaving of their heads and waited for it to happen dared not utter a single complaint in front of him.

After washing his hair with warm water, Gao Yanglong felt a stinging pain on his scalp and scars from the sun exposure, so he rested under a shaded canopy.

Seeing Zhao Ji approach, Gao Yanglong carefully bowed and straightened his back only after stepping out of the shade.

In terms of height, this guy has grown even taller after his nutrition improved, and is now about nine feet seven inches tall, making him the tallest in the military.

"Grand Sima."

Gao Yanglong felt a little embarrassed. After bowing to the emperor, he raised his hand to touch his head. The wound from shaving had scabbed over, and his palm no longer stung when he touched it. He gently stroked the stubble back and forth, and felt a strange sense of comfort.

There was an indescribable feeling of enlightenment, as if my soul had burst out of my head.

Zhao Ji bowed his head and sat down in the shaded pavilion, gesturing for the people around him who were resting after having their heads shaved to sit down as well. He then looked at Gao Yanglong and said, “Don’t worry about what others think. The country is corrupt and decaying because of the five worms. The human body also has visible and invisible worms. Shaving your heads today to remove these worms is for your own good.”

“I understand. I didn’t think much of it while I was in the camp, but I’m worried about being ridiculed when I’m dealing with other people in the future.” As Gao Yanglong spoke, he reached up and scratched the back of his head, which quickly stopped the itch.

Looking at the dozen or so bald heads in front of him, Zhao Ji laughed and said, "What's so shameful about this? They're just laughing at you for not having any hair on your heads. Although they have hair, the hair is full of grease and lice that constantly suck their blood and flesh, weaken their vitality, and shorten their lifespan. What's there to be proud of?"

These people looked on with a mixture of doubt, anticipation, and a hint of joy. Zhao Ji continued, "I really don't understand. When a person's vital energy and blood decline, they become weak and sickly, or even die young. Now, by shaving your head and paying attention to washing and changing your clothes frequently, you can get rid of all visible insects and keep out invisible ones. In the future, your vital energy and blood will be abundant and your body will be strong. What is there to resist about prolonging your life?"

“In the early days of our lives, there were countless kinds of insects, such as boils and scabies. How could a person with a strong body and intact skin get sick for no reason? It’s because insects bite the skin, suck blood and eat flesh, and inject insect venom, which makes the disease difficult to get rid of.”

Gao Yanglong nodded repeatedly as he listened. He was a staunch supporter of the Green Locust Strengthening Pill. He added, "You don't have to shave your head. You can still get rid of the insects by spending more time each day."

"What you said makes sense."

Zhao Ji scrutinized Gao Yanglong's burly face, which was covered in scornful fury, and sneered, "Someone like you who only washes his face every few days, look at the pimples on your face, they're all from insect bites."

Gao Yanglong was speechless. Zhao Ji then pointed to his face: "Look, this is the face I wash twice a day and once every two days."

Gao Yanglong lowered his head in shame. Zhao Ji then looked at the other guilty officials: "Indeed, after the soldiers shaved their heads, they could be more likely to escape after the expedition to Guandong. But I have no ill intentions towards you. Life in the camp is hard, and we are exhausted every day. Where would we find the extra time to groom our hair? Also, after being wounded, it is easy to bandage the wounds on the torso and limbs, but how can we bandage the wounds on the head?"

"While serving in the military, one should prioritize survival and killing the enemy; everything else is insignificant. After leaving the army and returning to one's farm, what difficulty is there in growing one's hair back?"

Zhao Ji's gaze fell on Li Ying's face: "You are well-informed and have heard of the Western countries. We can learn from their experiences. I believe that the benefits of shaving one's head far outweigh the drawbacks. This year, we will try it out among the daredevils. If it works well, we will keep it unchanged; if it is not beneficial, we will abolish it later."

Li Ying smiled obsequiously: "Yes, I understand my guilt."

"I called you to be suicide soldiers so that you could redeem yourselves through meritorious service and start anew, not to invite deliberate humiliation. Compared to other armies, only suicide soldiers are suitable for testing the effectiveness of shaving heads. I will also posthumously award each of you a first-class military merit, so do not spread any more negative rumors. Also, convey what I just told you to the soldiers below."

"Furthermore, the officers and soldiers in the camp must also frequently change their uniforms. This is the first batch of summer uniforms, and in a few days another batch of spare summer uniforms, shoes, and socks will be delivered. Once we arrive in Luodu, the autumn and winter uniforms will be transported here."

"It's no big deal if clothes get worn out or washed to shreds. When more cloth is produced in Hedong and Taiyuan next year, each person will be issued four sets of military uniforms per year. When you serve here, the weather is changeable and the seasons are unpredictable. Food is certainly in short supply, but clothing and other necessities will not be lacking."

When it comes to this kind of ideological work, Zhao Jining would rather go on and on explaining things clearly and reiterating them repeatedly than cause a bigger problem due to a misunderstanding.

As for military pay and such, there's no need to discuss it with the daredevils.

Other regular armies also don't receive pay, which means that order and production have been disrupted. Now, many people are content to join the army because they can get enough to eat.

Besides, among the old army in Guanzhong, who didn't have a secret stash of money?

Once the military land system was implemented and there were enough tenants to rent the land, the army was completely stabilized and firmly bound to him.

In Zhao Ji's personal philosophy, since these people were willing to risk their lives for him, it was his duty to ensure that the army was well-fed, had decent clothing, and good equipment during their work shifts.

If they don't expect the army to support them, are they going to rely on the powerful families and prominent clans in various regions?
Even dogs have the right to eat his leftover bones, let alone these living people who fought side by side with him.

Li Ying also understood Zhao Ji's military philosophy and was clear about Zhao Ji's distribution principles.

In fact, as long as you stay within the military system, you can't afford to suffer losses.

Because Zhao Ji once said that the country belongs to the army.

Although it was an attitude expressed in private conversation, it still spread.

Upon hearing this, the officials and soldiers below would naturally believe and support this statement.

The masters of the country should give full play to their initiative in the fight... Let alone having enough to eat, even if Zhao Ji just draws a line and gives out an empty organization, there will be plenty of people jumping out to take on the mission.

Therefore, the most difficult thing for Zhao Ji was actually to reduce the size of the army.

To prevent the number of government tenants from falling behind, which would result in a reduction in the annual salary for military farmland and make it difficult to pay on time.

Therefore, from Zhao Ji onwards, there was a morbid enthusiasm for relocating more people when sending troops to the Northeast.

The more government-owned tenants there are, the more secure everyone's annual military land salary will be!

When the scale of government-owned farms is substantial and resources are plentiful enough to be directly distributed to individual soldiers... shaving heads?
They even shave their eyebrows on their own!
As for the aesthetics and traditions after shaving... those are trivial matters compared to the health of the individual soldier.

Enabling soldiers and civilians to live healthy lives and extend their lifespan is the greatest expression of conscience.

With this strongest sense of conscience supporting him, Zhao Ji could feel at ease even if he occasionally committed minor evils.

(End of this chapter)