In this realistic war game, only I understand the course of the battle.

Zhao Laoliu also noticed that group of people and asked in a low voice:

"Master Li, are those men elite troops from various guards or the Imperial Guard? What are they doing here?"

Shen Du took another look.

Whether they were elite soldiers from various guards or captains of the personal guard battalion, those assigned to the city-breaking camp were probably either in trouble or had offended someone.

It's estimated that the latter is more likely.

The man probably sensed Shen Du's gaze and turned to glance at him.

But his gaze lingered on Shen Du for less than a moment before shifting away; a mere flag wasn't worth his attention.

Shen Du didn't look again. He led twenty people past and occupied a spot in another corner of the depression.

Shen Du instructed Zhao Laoliu to distribute the short-handled axes and then checked the equipment of each person.

Are the burlap sacks tied tightly enough? Is the throwing axe securely held on your back? Is the oil paper on the gunpowder pack torn?

"Everything's been checked. There's not much time for training this time; we only have a day and a half, including today."

Shen Du spoke in a low voice, but everyone could hear him clearly.

"Once you reach the city walls, your weapon will be your life."

Before Shen Du could finish explaining, the entire depression suddenly fell silent, starting from the entrance.

A dark-skinned man strode in.

He wasn't wearing armor, only a faded robe with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his two thick forearms.

An old scar on his face stretched from his brow bone to his cheekbone, making his left eye slant slightly downwards. When those eyes swept over, no one dared to meet them.

Shen Du's heart skipped a beat when he saw this person.

The man who arrived was none other than Zhu Neng, the commander of the Pocheng Camp!

He was a key figure in the entire Jingnan Campaign, originally a deputy commander of the Yanshan Central Guard, and followed Zhu Di from the time the rebellion began in Beiping.

When attacking Jizhou, they were the first to rush into the city gates.

He captured Zunhua and led his troops on a night raid of 120 li.

He broke through Songting Pass, carrying a battering ram to personally ram the gate. Arrows from the city wall pierced his shield, turning it into a hedgehog, but he fought to the death without retreating.

Zhu Neng stood in the center of the depression, hands behind his back, and looked at the nearly one thousand people from head to toe.

I heard that...

Zhu Neng spoke, his voice booming like a bell, and because the depression was surrounded by rammed earth walls, every word was trapped and reflected back through the walls.

"Some people are calling the Pocheng Camp a cannon fodder camp behind its back."

Old Zhao quietly took the pipe out of his mouth. Several people who had been grumbling in the corner lowered their heads.

"Cannon fodder, what a perfect cannon fodder."

Zhu repeated the sentence twice, emphasizing it, before continuing.

"I've fought for twelve years, and I've never seen a single cannon fodder walk out of the gates of Jizhou alive."

I've never seen any cannon fodder run 120 miles in one night and still manage to cut the enemy's bones with their knife when they arrive.

Am I just cannon fodder too?

Zhu Neng took a step forward.

"What is cannon fodder? Cannon fodder is useless stuff, something you throw away and then discard. But the breached city camp..."

Zhu Neng pointed to the hundreds of dusty faces in the depression.

"Each of you was handpicked by me from various garrisons. You've fought tough battles, you're not wounded in the legs, and you don't flinch when you hear about attacking the city. You're just cannon fodder? Bullshit!"

The fact that you've come proves that you are top-notch elites!

The job of the breaching battalion is to clear the way. Deer antlers, chevaux-de-frise, trenches, camp gates—these things block the path of the charge, and someone has to clear them. If you don't clear them, the ladder battalion behind won't be able to get through. If the ladder battalion can't get through, this battle won't be won.

Zhu Neng's voice deepened, but each word was harsher than before.

"Clearing the road is not about sending people to their deaths; it's about creating a path for those who come after to follow."

"The faster you drive, the fewer people will die. The more skillfully you drive, the more likely you are to come back alive."

"When you fight alongside me, Zhu Neng, there's only one rule: stick close to me!"

Zhu Neng withdrew his hand, and his voice suddenly rose by half a beat.

"The moment the cannon fires early tomorrow morning, I'll be the first one there."

Anyone who thinks they can't handle it can leave now, and I'll personally escort them back to their respective ward. Anyone leaving?

The hollow was completely silent. None of the people who had been grumbling just moments before moved.

Zhu Neng waited two breaths, then nodded.

"Okay. Then keep them all."

Soon, each household will begin their drills. Go to bed early tonight, prepare meals at four in the morning, and continue the drills at five.

"When you go to the battlefield the day after tomorrow, don't disgrace the Broken City Camp."

"After the city falls, the first to scale it will be promoted three ranks and rewarded with four hundred taels of silver! The rest will be rewarded according to their merits! We will not go back on our word!"

Zhu Neng turned and strode out. Dust rose behind him, then slowly settled.

Old Zhao stuffed the pipe back into his mouth and muttered, "Damn it! Master Li, let's do it! We won't have any regrets even if we die."

Shortly after Zhu Neng left, the deputy commander began reading out the list of names and organizing the groups.

The deputy commander, carrying a sword, walked to the center of the drill ground, holding a roll of roster in his hand, and read out the names one by one.

Those whose names are called step forward and stand behind their respective centurions in the order they are called.

The thousand men of the Pocheng Camp were divided into ten hundred-household teams, each with about one hundred men.

But as the deputy commander read on, his brows furrowed.

This mobilization was hasty, and many people were sent from various guards, but there was a severe shortage of officers.

Of the ten centurion teams, six teams had centurions temporarily borrowed from other thousand-household units, and only one team had a full-time centurion.

"Gu Zhang."

The deputy commander raised his head and scanned the crowd.

Shen Du followed the deputy commander's gaze and discovered that this person was the same extraordinary captain from before.

Gu Zhang stood in the queue, his face still showing the resentment of being forced into the position. When the deputy commander called his name, he only gave a casual reply.

But his back remained straight, showing meticulousness.

"You served as a battalion commander in Zhongwei, Yanshan?" the deputy commander asked, looking at the roster.

"Yes. The Yanshan Central Guard Cavalry Battalion is hereby appointed as the Commander-in-Chief."

Gu Zhang's voice wasn't loud, but you could hear the pride in it.

The deputy commander nodded and made a mark on the roster with his pen.

"The city-breaking battalion is short of officers, so you, as a squad leader, will be promoted one rank and assigned to lead Team C."

Gu Zhang, however, felt no joy at all.

He went from being the cavalry battalion commander to a centurion in the city-breaking battalion; his rank did get promoted.

But Gu Zhang knew in his heart that the cavalry battalion's captain was the one who charged with the general, while the centurions of the city-breaking battalion were the ones who led men to fill the trenches.

Gu Zhang took a deep breath. "Your subordinate obeys."

The deputy commander turned another page. "Li Jingzhong."

Shen Du stepped forward, drew his sword, and saluted.

The deputy commander glanced at him. "Are you a junior officer?"

The deputy commander's gaze lingered on Shen Du for a couple of moments. "You brought twenty men with you this time. You'll start as the captain."

Shen Du also cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Your subordinate obeys."

The deputy commander closed the roster. "Gu Zhang is the centurion of Team C, and Li Jingzhong is the squad leader of Team C."

You two teams will be grouped together as the main group, and you'll also be assigned a few smaller teams, following a chapter-based system.