The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 360 Assessment
The questions that came out of the examiner's mouth were like a blow to the head, completely stunning Yang Lin.

He stared wide-eyed at the examiner, looking completely bewildered, and blurted out:

What? What did you say?
What kind of fodder is it?
The examiner, too lazy to waste any more words, simply pulled out a piece of paper and slammed it down in front of Yang Lin:

"The problems are all listed above, take a look for yourself."

"Think carefully, write diligently, and I will come back to collect it after an incense stick has burned."

Having said that, he got up decisively, lifted the tent flap and went out, leaving Yang Lin alone in the tent.

Yang Lin picked up the light sheet of paper, on which several lines of large characters were clearly written:

1. What are the colors, shapes, and patterns of the flags displayed in the camp?
2. Where is the haystack located within the camp? Approximate quantity? How many men and horses can it support?

Yang Lin was scratching his head in frustration, his mind filled with doubt:
"What the hell is this? Who in their right mind would have a fight over this kind of nonsense?"

"I'm here to hone my skills and make a name for myself, not to be a bookkeeper!"

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, so he grabbed the letter and went outside the tent, wanting to find someone to ask him what was going on.

But as soon as he lifted the tent flap, he was immediately blocked by two guards.

"What?"

One of them shouted sternly.
"Once you've answered, stay put. Someone will come to collect it in an incense stick's time!"

Seeing this, Yang Lin had no choice but to shove the letter in front of the other person and complain:

"Brother, you be the judge, what kind of problems are these?"

"What kind of martial arts competition tests this?"

"Who came up with this idea? Isn't this making things difficult for people?!"

The guard glared at him and cursed without any politeness:
"Where did you get all this nonsense from?"

"I'm telling you, this is a test question personally selected by the King!"

"If you know what's good for you, hurry back and answer the questions properly. If you dare to make any more noise, I'll mark you for disrupting the exam!"

"A question posed by...the King?"

Yang Lin was startled upon hearing this, and immediately put on a solemn expression, swallowing back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

He quickly took back the letter and gave the guard an awkward smile:
"That's okay."

"I'll go back right now and write it properly, write it properly."

But even so, once he sat back down and stared at the black and white words on the paper, Yang Lin started to worry again.

He had just passed by the camp and glanced around casually, his attention not on the camp at all, let alone observing any flags or hay.

Left with no other choice, he could only close his eyes and desperately try to recall what he had seen and heard, attempting to extract some useful information.

The flags hanging in the camp... their colors, banners, and styles...

Yang Lin frowned, trying hard to recall.

As a veteran, he was naturally familiar with all kinds of flags in the army, and recognizing flags and identifying the battalion was his most basic skill.

"It's definitely not the central command banner. The banner isn't that big, and it doesn't have any ferocious beast patterns like dragons, tigers, leopards, or bears, nor does it have any large characters..."

He muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on the table.

"That flag...it looks like it's triangular, with a green background?"

"Oh right, there seems to be a pattern of Kui Xing's dipper on the flag!"

Thinking of this, he perked up.

In his memory, the green triangular flag with the Big Dipper drawn on it was usually the identification flag used by generals of the rank of brigade commander or guerrilla general.

However, Yang Lin couldn't recall any details about the hay piled up in the camp.

In the military, transporting and managing fodder has always been the job of auxiliary soldiers or fodder officers.

As a soldier who charges into battle, he wouldn't usually pay special attention to such trivial matters.

As for inferring the number of men and horses in the camp from the fodder, he was completely clueless.

Time ticked by, and Yang Lin was sweating profusely with anxiety.

With an incense stick's worth of time almost up, there was no other way but to guess!

Since the flag resembles that of a lieutenant general or guerrilla commander, then according to the current organization of the Han army, the number of directly commanded battalions is usually around three thousand.

"Never mind, let's just say three thousand people!"

Yang Lin steeled himself, picked up the brush beside him, and wrote a few lines of large characters in a crooked and messy manner on the blank space of the letter paper:
"The flag was a triangular green flag with the Big Dipper on it, which was suspected to be used by a deputy general or guerrilla. Based on this, it can be inferred that the unit had about three thousand people."

As for the fodder and the duration of the shelter, he could only rely on inference and guesswork.
"Based on the half-month duration of the expedition, there are approximately 15,000 bundles of grass and 600 shi of feed."

Looking at the answer before him, he felt uneasy and had no confidence whatsoever.

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn is over in the blink of an eye, and the examiner lifted the curtain and walked in right on time.

He took the letter from Yang Lin, glanced at it, and smiled:

"Not bad, you've written quite a lot."

"Your observation skills are quite keen; you're clever. Come with me."

Yang Lin was somewhat confused. Was that all?

He followed the examiner nervously, unable to contain his anxiety, and couldn't help but ask:
"In your opinion... was my answer correct?"

"What exactly does Your Majesty mean by asking this question?"

But the examiners seemed not to hear him and ignored him, simply taking him back to the training ground to join the other hundred people.

Yang Lin squeezed into the queue, nudged a familiar comrade next to him with his elbow, and asked in a low voice:
"Hey bro, how did you do on that question?"

His comrade looked dejected and shook his head repeatedly: "Don't even mention it!"

"All I remember is that the flag was green. I didn't see anything else clearly, and I didn't pay any attention to the fodder."

"I just scribbled a few lines, I'm afraid it's going to be a disaster."

Another person nearby chimed in with a complaint:

"I did see the haystack, but who knows how many men and horses it can feed?"

"In the end, I could only write 'unknown human or horse' and hand it in, and I'm afraid I'll get beaten up."

Upon hearing this, Yang Lin felt a little more at ease, realizing that everyone's exam results were not very good.

Soon, everyone was led to an open space on the west side of the training ground.

Here, they met their superior, Cao Er, the commander of the central army.

But Cao Er's face was extremely ugly at this moment, and the veins on his forehead were bulging. He looked at the group of elites who had been carefully selected, and his eyes seemed to be spitting fire.

It seems he already knew the assessment results in advance, and was furious about it.

As expected, Cao Er immediately launched into a tirade of abuse, a barrage of insults:

"You bunch of idiots! You sons of bitches!"

"You guys are usually so capable, always bragging and claiming to be the elite of the military!"

"And the result? A complete disaster on the exam!"

You've completely disgraced me!

He waved his arms, scanning the hundred or so people in front of him.
"Which damn bastard wrote 'unknown centaur' and handed it in?"

"Huh?! You have those two eyeballs just for breathing?"

"That's not all!"

"Someone actually dared to hand in a blank paper! Did they get their brain slammed in a door or kicked by a donkey?"

Cao Er became increasingly angry as he spoke, pointing his finger at the crowd.
"Tell me, how can I face the king?"
It's no wonder Cao Er was so furious.

Since Jiang Han declared himself king, he has entrusted the most core and elite central army to Cao Ertong.

In other words, this competition is not only testing the soldiers below, but also testing his ability to lead and train troops.

He had only glanced at the submitted papers briefly, but he already knew that the results must have been disastrous.

Just as Cao Er was cursing and spitting, Jiang Han walked over surrounded by his entourage.

As soon as he arrived, he saw Cao Er jumping up and down and cursing at the front of the line.

Jiang Han quickly interrupted:
"Alright, alright."

"He's a commander-in-chief, after all. How can he act like a shrew yelling in the street? What kind of behavior is that?"

Upon seeing Jiang Han arrive, Cao Er reluctantly shut up and stepped aside, but before leaving, he still glared fiercely at his group of good-for-nothing subordinates.

Looking at the somewhat dejected soldiers before him, Jiang Han waved his hand and said loudly:
"I have seen the performance of my brothers in archery, horsemanship, swordsmanship, and martial arts during this competition."

"To be honest, those who can stand here are all elites selected from among the best in our Han army."

"On the battlefield, clad in armor and wielding weapons, taking on ten men single-handedly is a piece of cake!"

He first affirmed the bravery of the group, then changed the subject...
"As for this final test, it was added by me on the spot and has nothing to do with your fighting skills."

"Those who didn't pass the exam shouldn't be discouraged."

After hearing Jiang Han's words of comfort, the soldiers who had just been scolded regained some confidence and raised their heads again.

"Since they are all elites, then they shouldn't go back to their original outposts."

"From this day forward, you will all be assigned to the Vanguard, where you will be responsible for assaults and charges, serving as the vanguard of our Han army."

"In addition, each person will be rewarded with ten taels of silver as a token of appreciation for your hard work!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted on the training ground:
"Thank you for the generous reward, Your Majesty!"

"Long live the King!"

The soldiers present patted each other on the shoulder, their faces beaming with excitement.

Ten taels of silver was a considerable fortune for them, but more importantly, being a "striker" also represented honor and a higher status.

Although the vanguard is always at the forefront, the risks are extremely high.

However, their corresponding treatment and honors are also much higher than those of ordinary soldiers.

The military now implements a tiered pay system. The militia, which is engaged in both farming and training, receives the least pay, only during the few months of training when farming is slack, at about one and a half taels of silver per month.
Soldiers receive monthly rewards, with additional bonuses at the end of the year;
The Vanguard Battalion received the best treatment, with a monthly salary of up to three taels of silver, an even greater year-end bonus, and priority access to the best military equipment.

Being selected as a vanguard is not only a symbol of strength, but also a shortcut to quickly accumulating military merits and wealth, something everyone in the military aspires to.

After the cheers subsided, Jiang Han raised his hand to quiet everyone down.

"Those whose names are called, step forward."

The chief examiner immediately stepped forward, unfolded a list, and loudly announced:
"Zhao Jingsong, Xu Zhijian, Song Wu, Zhang Shouyi, Yang Lin..."

The list wasn't too long, and the people whose names were called walked out of the queue one by one, their faces still showing some confusion.

Yang Lin was equally confused when he heard his name called, and quickly stepped forward.

In the end, only about thirty people passed the final assessment.

Seeing this, Jiang Han nodded slightly, then instructed Cao Er:

"I will take these people with me."

"Take the rest back and train them properly."

(End of this chapter)