Water Margin: I am Zhu Biao

Chapter 95 Selection of Soldiers

The next day, at dawn.

The martial arts training ground in the backyard of Zhu Family Village.

As dawn broke, the three hundred soldiers stood in neat rows, each with their chests out, heads held high, eyes gleaming, striving to present their most imposing side.

Today, the young master is selecting soldiers!

Those who were selected became local militia in Dulonggang. Not only would their monthly wages increase significantly, but they would also be freed from slavery, able to buy land, get married, and have children.

Upon hearing about these conditions, the soldiers almost all went mad.

shhhhhh!

Just then, three loud whistling sounds rang out in succession.

Boom boom boom~

Immediately, a series of muffled thunderous hoofbeats sounded from the stable, and Zhu Biao galloped over on horseback.

Today he was dressed in a dark-colored close-fitting outfit, wearing a full set of dark leather armor, with a black cloak over it. His charcoal-colored trousers were also freshly washed, and several red tassels hung on his chest.

Truly, the man is like a dragon, and the horse is like a tiger!

Behind Zhu Biao, Luan Tingyu followed closely, followed by Lin Chong, Pang Qiutang, Wu Song, Zhu San, Zhu Wu, Zhu Jiu, and Su Fang.

A line of nine riders, kicking up swirling snowflakes, resembled a black dragon rolling and tumbling on the ground.

"Hiss!"

Reaching the front of the family soldiers' formation, Zhu Biao suddenly yanked on the reins, and Tan Tou let out a loud neigh and reared up.

"I am Zhu Biao! The third son of the Zhu family, and also the military commander of Dulonggang!"

Charcoal Head's hooves slammed heavily onto the ground, and Zhu Biao shouted loudly.

"Today, we are selecting soldiers. We only want brave men who dare to fight and die, not spineless cowards! I have a question for you: are you willing to serve us?"

","dare!"

After a moment of stunned silence, the three hundred soldiers almost simultaneously roared at the top of their lungs.

Zhu Biao nodded slightly.

"Alright! Enough with the chit-chat, those who can ride horses, step forward!"

Whoosh~

As soon as he finished speaking, twenty-six or twenty-seven soldiers squeezed out of the ranks, beaming with excitement.

Zhu Biao shouted again, "Those who can shoot!"

Upon hearing this, nearly half of the soldiers immediately showed joy, but then they heard him continue.

"Those who can hit five out of ten targets from a hundred paces away, step forward!"

The smiles of the soldiers froze instantly, and only about twenty men, chins raised, smugly squeezed out of the line.

Zhu Biao shouted one last time, "He who is strong enough to lift a millstone, step forward!"

This time, only seven or eight people came out.

Wow! I didn't expect there to be so many strongmen in the house. Zhu Biao nodded in surprise and satisfaction, and waved his hand forcefully.

"The selection process is over. Those selected will stay, and the rest will return to their camps."

After a brief silence, a tall, thin guard suddenly roared in a choked voice, "Young Master! I'm only seventeen, I can hit the bullseye four out of ten times, and I'm willing to learn to ride a horse. I'm not afraid of hardship or death, so choose me too!"

"Young Master, my spear and staff skills are amazing!"

This caused a great stir, with many soldiers excitedly volunteering, and many of them even cried.

"Shut up!"

Luan Tingyu slammed his iron staff heavily on the ground and roared, silencing all the soldiers.

He was the head instructor of the Zhu Family Manor. In addition to teaching the three young masters, he also trained the family soldiers, and his prestige was immense.

"Brothers, don't be hasty!"

Luan Tingyu played the bad cop for him, and Zhu Biao, playing the good cop, certainly wouldn't falter. He immediately reassured him, "This is just the first selection of soldiers. There will be another selection during the Grain Rain season, with the same requirements. Those who are interested can study and train diligently, and then join my ranks!"

"good!"

In an instant, cheers shook the heavens and the earth.

Upon witnessing this scene, Lin Chong, Pang Qiutang, and Wu Song all stood tall, feeling proud, while Zhu San, Zhu Wu, and Zhu Jiu were overwhelmed with excitement.

Zhu Chaofeng, who was watching from the sidelines, had a chillingly bright eye, while the Zhu brothers, Zhu Long and Zhu Hu, looked ashen-faced.

Damn it! The third brother hasn't even left the Zhu family yet, but the hearts of the three hundred soldiers have already followed him.

However, the selection process was not over; it had only just begun.

After the unselected soldiers left one by one, Zhu Biao immediately began the second round of selection and division of the soldiers.

"Those who can ride horses and shoot arrows, raise your hands."

There were only nine men, mostly former squad leaders and platoon leaders, who were the elite of the family's soldiers.

"Azure Phoenix!"

Zhu Biao turned his head and gave a soft shout.

"exist!"

Pang Qiutang responded and immediately spurred his horse forward, drawing his bow and nocking an arrow at the same time.

Puff puff puff!

At the same time, Su Fang suddenly threw his hands upwards, releasing three birds into the air.

shhhhhh!

Three arrows whistled, and before the three birds could even utter a cry, they were struck by the arrows and fell to the ground.

"Good shot!"

After a few moments of silence, cheers erupted.

"This is the Flying Lightning Azure Phoenix, who will henceforth be your leader!"

Archer cavalry is a unit that must be separated into its own category, and it is also Zhu Biao's favorite unit.

However, his preferred choice for the main general was Pang Wanchun, and Pang Qiutang was only temporarily in charge. Anyway, they were siblings, so she shouldn't get angry.

Once the surroundings quieted down, Zhu Biao turned to the strongmen and asked, "Among you, who is the strongest?"

"Young Master, if I, Bronze Ox, can have a full meal, I can even overturn an old ox!"

A man over seven feet tall with an honest-looking face stepped out, pushing through the crowd. Upon seeing him, Zhu Biao couldn't help but smile.

His name was Zhu Tongniu, nicknamed "Bottomless Pit" because his appetite was so deep that he was almost never full. However, his strength was also astonishing.

In Zhujiazhuang, he claimed to be number one, and no one dared to claim to be number two.

"That bronze bull!"

Before Zhu Biao could call out, Wu Song jumped off his horse.

"My name is Wu Song, and I am the leader of the strongmen appointed by Sanlang. Do you dare to wrestle with me?"

"What is there to be afraid of?"

With a sharp glint in its eyes, the bronze bull pushed off with its feet, spread its arms wide, and pounced on Wu Song.

"Good timing!"

Wu Song's eyes lit up, and he also spread his arms and lunged forward.

Hi~

With its four arms crossed, the bronze bull let out a roar, its face suddenly turning red, and the muscles in its arms bulging so much that they almost burst through its sleeves.

However, it did not move Wu Song even a fraction of a second.

"Ha, you certainly have some strength! But that alone is not enough."

At this moment, Wu Song even had the energy to joke. Before he finished speaking, he first slightly pulled his arms back, and then pushed outward with force.

Poof!

The bronze bull was pushed more than half a meter away and landed hard on its backside.

The simpleton wasn't annoyed; he just scratched his head blankly and asked curiously, "Wow, you're incredibly strong! How many bowls of rice do you usually eat?"

"Hahaha!"

Everyone laughed. Wu Song stepped forward, pulled the bronze ox up, patted it on the shoulder with a smile, and even squeezed it hard.

"Your strength is not bad, but it's all brute force. I'll teach you how to use your strength properly from now on."

"good!"

The bronze bull smiled too, looking rather simple and honest.

The strongmen battalion, which was also the battalion commander that Zhu Biao had already decided on in his mind, could be upgraded to a heavy armor battalion in the future, mainly responsible for charging into battle, being the first to scale walls, breaking down gates, and protecting the flag.

Wu Song, the tiger-slaying general, was simply a chosen leader.

The remaining soldiers were much easier to distribute.

The remaining guards who could ride horses formed a lancer cavalry, led by Lin Chong. He had been with the Zhu family for some time, and his superb horsemanship was already well-established.

The remaining archers, who constitute the largest number, will be led by Luan Tingyu. These men will learn to ride horses and gradually become archer cavalry and spear cavalry.

Zhu San, Zhu Wu, Zhu Jiu, Su Fang, and several brothers who were recovering from their injuries remained Zhu Biao's personal guards.

By the time all the selected soldiers were assigned, the sun was high in the sky. Everyone was excitedly divided into several small groups and getting to know each other.

Only Luan Tingyu's expression was somewhat grave. He walked to Zhu Biao's side and lowered his voice, saying, "Third Brother, we only have cavalry and archers, but our infantry consists of only a few strongmen led by Second Brother. If we encounter mountainous terrain or cities, are we going to have to dismount and fight?"

Zhu Biao's selection of soldiers was severely unbalanced.

We've almost assembled a full complement of archer cavalry, spearmen, archers, strongmen, and special units, but we're missing the most common yet crucial infantry.

"Hey~ Master is truly farsighted."

Zhu Biao smiled.

"However, this matter is not urgent for now. After the New Year and the spring plowing is completed, we will set up our camp at Huchoujian and then recruit more infantrymen to gradually fill the eight hundred positions."

Upon hearing this, Luan Tingyu's face showed relief, and he stroked his beard and chuckled.

"Ha! Sanlang is quite shrewd; it turns out he had planned this all along. I was just overthinking it."

"Young Master! Something has happened! The Master requests your immediate presence in the front hall for a meeting!"

Just then, Zhu Yan, Zhu Chaofeng's personal attendant, rushed over.

Just now, when Zhu Biao was preparing for the second round of soldier selection, Zhu Chaofeng supported his eldest and second eldest brothers as they left, and specifically instructed the servants not to disturb the training ground at will.

The old man was sharp-eyed and discerning; he had already realized that the retainers Zhu Biao had recruited were no ordinary people, but perhaps he didn't want others to know too much about them.

"Uncle Yan, what happened?"

Zhu Yan was an elder of the Zhu family and a confidant of Zhu Chaofeng. He had watched the three brothers grow up since they were young, and Zhu Biao respected him greatly.

"Young Master, a tiger has attacked the outer manor! Six people from Xiaoxi Village were killed by this beast last night!"