Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 315 Rebirth
Lu Erlang nodded frantically.

Pei Feng, standing to the side, curled his lip. This idiot! He'll soon find out how ruthless Pei Xuan is! Pei Xuan is notorious in the Pei family army for her ruthlessness and cruelty; the sweeter her smile, the more vicious she becomes.

Pei Yan, who was not far away, also grinned gloatingly.

Pei Qinghe also noticed it and came over to casually tell Pei Xuan, "Take it easy and practice slowly."

Lu Erlang puffed out his chest and shouted, "Those who came with me are all heroes of the army. General, just watch!"

Pei Xuan smiled sweetly, responding to her general with her eyes. He himself had said it.

Pei Qinghe smiled and said no more.

That evening, Lü Erlang dragged his slow steps into the military tent and lay down, grimacing. His personal guards were also exhausted, but they mustered their strength to fetch some medicine for bruises and sprains, sighing, "This Pei Xuan girl has a sweet smile, but she's ruthless when it comes to training soldiers."

Disorderly formations, slow movements, and hesitation upon receiving commands will all result in punishment.

Even if the troops are formed a little too slowly, they will still be punished.

During the sparring session, they went all out, and the leaders were thoroughly beaten. Lu Erlang was no exception, and he suffered the worst beating, losing all face and dignity in front of everyone. It was truly a miserable sight!

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Lu Erlang immediately glared at her. "Miss Pei Xuan meant well, training us. How was she being cruel?"

The guard's lips twitched. Well, his young master had already lost his mind; better not argue!
As soon as Lü Erlang took off his first piece of clothing, a familiar, clear voice rang out from the military tent: "Brother Lü! I've brought you medicine!"

Brother Lü's eyes suddenly lit up.

The guard touched his nose and put away the medicine bottle.

Pei Xuan entered with a smile. Lu Erlang was a little embarrassed and grabbed his clothes to put them on. Pei Xuan laughed and said, "When it gets hot, soldiers in the camp often go shirtless. You can see everything over at the wounded soldiers' camp. Brother Lu, you still have a piece of clothing on you, what's the rush?"

This is true.

Having spent most of his time in the military camp, what kind of soldiers hasn't Pei Xuan seen?

Lu Erlang chuckled awkwardly and put the clothes back. Pei Xuan didn't waste any words and handed the medicine bottle to her personal guard: "This is a wound medicine personally prepared by Physician Lu. It uses top-quality ingredients and is very expensive. This small bottle costs five taels of silver, and the effect is exceptionally good."

Lu Erlang blushed and thanked him.

Pei Xuan smiled and said, "Second Brother Lü, don't be angry with me. Our Pei family army has always trained like this. I didn't mean to make things difficult for you today. Our strict daily training will give you real skills, and you'll have more ability to survive on the battlefield."

"The Pei family army was able to fight against the Xiongnu barbarians' cavalry with infantry because of their hard training day after day."

“Since Brother Lü has brought five hundred men, he is a member of the Pei family army and should be trained like the Pei family army.”

Lu Erlang, feeling both ashamed and filled with fervor, nodded solemnly and replied, "You're right. We've never trained this hard before in the Fanyang army. From now on, we will definitely train our formations and troop formations diligently."

Pei Xuan smiled and said, "I'm relieved that Brother Lü is so determined. By the way, after the medicine is applied, let's call everyone above the rank of captain over! I'll teach them to read and write."

Lu Erlang's body trembled: "You still need to study and learn to read?!"

“That’s right! Everyone in the Pei family army can read.” Pei Xuan smiled sweetly and lovelyly: “Let the captains learn first, and then they can teach their own teams when they get back. Our monthly assessments not only test our skills, but also our literacy.”

Lu Erge's vision went black.

The soldiers standing nearby also looked dejected. Running, boxing, sword practice, and combat were one thing; they could grit their teeth and endure the hardship. But most of them were illiterate, uneducated soldiers—why were they required to study?
“Miss Pei Xuan, training troops during the day is so arduous, how about we postpone the learning to read?” Lu Erlang still held onto a sliver of hope, and tried to reason with her with a smile.

Pei Xuan smiled, revealing two small dimples: "There's no going back! I've already made a pledge to the general. Next month's assessment, all five hundred men under Brother Lü's command must pass. Otherwise, Brother Lü and I will both get a beating!"

Lu Erlang: "..."

This continued for several days.

The soldiers of Fanyang Army were suffering terribly. Daytime drills were already extremely strenuous, exhausting them. Evenings brought no rest; they were forced to learn to read.

Pei Xuan's smile was still sweet, but no one wanted to look at her anymore. Seeing her from afar sent chills down their spines, making them want to turn and run.

A few bold troublemakers finally couldn't hold back any longer and stood up angrily to accuse: "I came here to fight a war, why should I need to study and learn to read and write?"

Pei Xuan was not annoyed. She "invited" this bold hero out of the military tent and sent him directly to Pei Qinghe.

Pei Qinghe was like a war god in the eyes of the soldiers. When he was silent and not smiling, his face was cold. His sharp black eyes swept over them coldly: "You do not obey the rules of the Pei family army?"

The hero felt a chill run through his body, his knees buckled, and he knelt down, repeatedly admitting his mistake.

Pei Qinghe coldly said, "This is the first and last time. If it happens again, it will be dealt with according to military regulations!"

The Pei family army's disciplinary measures are not to be taken lightly. Every three to five days, someone who violates the rules is severely punished.

There are just too many military regulations. After six or seven days of memorizing them, only two or three people could recite them from beginning to end without missing a single word.

General Pei issued a military order that everyone who joined the Pei family army must memorize the military rules after one month.

Sneaking out of the military camp, robbing civilians, and abusing women were all capital offenses. In the old Fanyang military camp, these things wouldn't have been considered serious.

Only by being in a military camp can one truly feel the differences between the two armies.

To truly integrate into Pei's army is not something that can be done by simply talking about it; everyone has to shed a layer of skin first.

The troublemaker returned to the military camp dejectedly.

The soldiers in the same tent couldn't help but mock, "Oh, weren't you just jumping around saying you were going to cause a ruckus, or else you'd quit and leave? You went to see the general, and now you're slinking back like a coward?"

Enraged, the troublemaker clenched his fist, ready to punch someone. The soldier, as if reciting a spell, fluently recited the sixth military regulation: "Fighting without cause in the barracks will be punished with thirty strokes of the military rod!"

These past few days, the number of people who violated this military rule has been the highest, and without exception, they have all been punished with military rods.

The troublemaker glared at him fiercely, then lowered his fist: "You're lucky today. I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you off the hook."

The soldier, despite gaining the upper hand, wasn't particularly happy. He sighed in despair, "What am I going to do? Of the thirty-odd military regulations, I've only memorized six. Tonight, I'm supposed to learn ten characters, but I've only managed to remember three. What am I going to do?"

The other soldiers in the tent also wailed in despair.

They were busy day and night, spinning like tops, and had no time or inclination to leave the military camp to do evil.

(End of this chapter)