Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 393 Prisoners of War (Part 1)

When the generals departed, they each took a portion of the prisoners of war with them, leaving more than 22,000 prisoners remaining. Of these, 4,000 prisoners were assigned to Pei Yun's forces, while the rest were assigned to Pei Qinghe's forces.

Deep down, Pei Qinghe didn't have much affection for these Bohai Navy prisoners of war. The Bohai Navy wasn't exactly lax in discipline; on the contrary, General Zhang's control over the army was first-rate when he was alive. The problem was that the Bohai Navy had accumulated all the bad habits of the Jingchao army.

The military was strictly hierarchical, with superiors oppressing and embezzling military funds, leaving ordinary soldiers lacking food and clothing. These ordinary soldiers, who were hungry and cold but still had to fight, naturally vented their pent-up frustrations once they were released from the barracks, committing all sorts of misdeeds.

Judging by Pei Qinghe's standards for recruiting new soldiers, only about two or three out of ten of these captured soldiers would be suitable. However, he had no choice but to take them all in. Firstly, the Pei family army had suffered heavy casualties and needed to replenish its ranks. Secondly, releasing these prisoners would quickly turn them into bandits, wreaking havoc on the local area.

They could only stay in the military camp and be slowly disciplined and cleaned up.

During this period, Pei Qinghe selected more than two thousand veterans, each serving as a captain leading a team of ten prisoners of war. The captains were to live and eat with these ten men, closely observing each person's words and actions. Those who constantly complained or harbored resentment were all selected and reported to the list, and those with malicious intentions or who engaged in private fights were all blacklisted.

Pei Qinghe ordered them all to be killed.

The original military officers in the Bohai Army were basically "cleaned out".

After a bloody purge, the troublemakers among the prisoners of war were gradually eliminated. This iron-fisted approach thoroughly shocked the soldiers of the Bohai Navy. Those remaining became increasingly obedient and compliant, following orders without question.

Pei Family Army's military regulations are indeed extremely strict. Just memorizing the regulations is enough to give the illiterate soldiers a headache, and having to follow them one by one is even more painful.

No matter how painful it is, living is better than dying.

Dozens of wooden stakes were erected beside the military training ground. Those who violated military discipline were hung up one by one, screaming in agony until they died. This was much more stimulating than simply beheading them.

It's better to just be obedient and live a quiet life.

That said, aside from the strict military discipline, the food and benefits in Pei's army were truly excellent. They ate three meals a day, each one filling. Everyone also received a brand-new, thick military uniform, a pair of shoes, and two pairs of cotton socks. During the New Year, the kitchen slaughtered sheep and pigs, and everyone in the camp received a large bowl of meat and a small bowl of wine.

In the past, this was something only junior officers in the barracks could afford. Ordinary soldiers often went hungry, and their uniforms hadn't been replaced in a long time. Meat? Was meat something ordinary soldiers were entitled to?
After a period of good meals and changing into gray military uniforms, the soldiers finally began to look somewhat presentable.

After Pei Qinghe entered the military camp, he summoned more than two hundred leaders.

These leaders were all veterans who had served in Pei's army for more than two years and had performed exceptionally well. They were divided into teams of ten, and ten teams formed a battalion, with each leader commanding a battalion of one hundred men.

"Unified drills will begin tomorrow," Pei Qinghe ordered in a deep voice. "You all know the rules of our Pei family army's drills. The harder you train on weekdays, the better your chances of survival on the battlefield."

"Don't be polite to them, train them hard."

The leaders were immediately invigorated and accepted the order in unison.

At dawn the following day, after clearing out the remaining 20,000 or so prisoners of war, the first formal drill began.

Ten men formed a line, and each battalion of one hundred men made ten lines. Forming ranks had to be quick, and turns left and right, even jogging, had to be synchronized. After this period of training, the prisoners of war were generally able to meet these requirements. Occasionally, someone would fumble, but a quick glance at those around them would bring them back into the game.

They started with a slow jog, then gradually increased their speed. They ran lap after lap around the training ground in the military camp, not knowing how long it would take. However, no one dared to complain or feel tired, because General Pei was running alongside them.

Pei Qinghe's name had long been known throughout the north. The soldiers of the Bohai Army remembered this name especially vividly. It was this General Pei who led his troops to Bohai Commandery, breached the city, and killed General Zhang and his son. It was this General Pei who ruthlessly ordered the purge of the military camps, executing those they knew one by one. It was this General Pei who ensured they had enough to eat for over a month and were given new, thick uniforms. And it was this General Pei who personally led these wretched soldiers in training.

They ran until they were covered in sweat, their hearts were pounding, and they were drenched in sweat, but no one dared to utter a sound. They all gritted their teeth and persevered.

The training ground is spacious, and one lap is about two li (approximately 1 kilometer). Today I ran four laps, which is nearly eight li (approximately 4 kilometers).

Pei Qinghe had a light sheen of sweat on his forehead, but his eyes were bright and he was in high spirits.

She ordered all the soldiers to sit down and rest. The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down. The troublemakers who had been grumbling and cursing a few days earlier had all been killed. Now, no one dared to utter a sound. The twenty thousand men sat in complete silence.

Pei Qinghe had no intention of mingling with these soldiers. After resting for half an hour, they lined up again and were led by the leaders of each battalion to practice boxing.

The leaders gave commands, and the soldiers responded by throwing punches. The movements were very simple: step forward, throw a punch, and then retract the punch.

Doing a simple action a hundred times is no easy feat. The soldiers' legs were trembling with soreness, and sweat was pouring down their foreheads.

After this round of training is over, I can rest for about half an hour.

This time, the soldiers couldn't hold back any longer and whispered among themselves, "Is this how the Pei family army is trained to be so powerful?"

"I don't know how long we'll have to practice today."

The leader, whose ears were perked up, naturally chimed in: "They train during the day and study, read, write, and memorize military regulations at night. It'll be like this every day from now on. That's how our Pei family army is trained, day by day."

"Also, from now on, you are all part of the Pei family army. Stand tall and show some spirit!"

What is Pei Jiajun like?
It's that kind of proud and confident demeanor of a leader.

To be honest, this appearance was completely unfamiliar to the soldiers of the Bohai Navy. They were used to raiding in droves, skilled at killing and robbing money and food, and accustomed to the contemptuous looks from their superiors and the fearful and disgusted eyes of the common people.

They simply don't know the taste of pride and self-confidence.

One soldier, imitating his leader, slowly straightened his chest. The other soldiers looked at each other and also straightened their chests.

After resting for half an hour, they resumed their boxing practice. The soldiers in this battalion were exceptionally spirited, and their slogans were particularly loud.

Pei Qinghe, who had been patrolling, was drawn over and stopped to watch for a while. However, he smiled and praised, "Good, this battalion has the best spirit and is the best trained. At lunch today, every soldier in this battalion will have a bowl of meat."

(End of this chapter)