Extreme Frontier Army: Starting from the bottom ranks, conquering the chaotic world

Xu Youcai hurriedly left with Zhao He, who had been untied, and a group of followers.

Half an hour later, Xu Youcai was kicked back to the Eighth Battalion by Gu Changfeng.

Lu Jing squatted down next to the official document of surrender that he had just used to wipe his boots, holding a piece of yellow wax paper in his hand.

However, this thing is not the original.

The original document had long been hidden away by Shen Qingqiu, and the copy that Lu Jing had was a copy that she had made by rewriting the tattered pages.

Xu Youcai's breathing was heavy: "Squad Leader Lu."

They forced themselves to put on a businesslike, official facade.

"If you're not satisfied with the terms of the amnesty, we can discuss it further. Mr. Gu's idea is that as long as you hand over this tael of paper, along with Zhao Baihu's personal belongings, the official rank of a seventh-grade Baihu will be immediately awarded to you. If you think one thousand taels of silver isn't enough, doubling it is also acceptable."

Lu Jing rolled the yellow wax paper into a tube and lazily tapped his palm.

"Old Xu, you've done a terrible job."

He sighed, his face full of disappointment and frustration.

"Negotiations are all about creating a huge hole first, then patching it up slowly. Yesterday's 50,000 shi of fine grain and 5,000 sets of heavy crossbows were just for show. You don't really think I expect Gu Changfeng to kneel down and hand over his entire fortune, do you?"

Xu Youcai's face turned bright red.

Lu Jing shook the roll of paper in his hand.

"This time, I'll tell you something your Mr. Gu can swallow with gritted teeth. Don't try to fool me with official titles and silver notes. Even the shiniest hat of a centurion can't stop crossbow bolts. And even the finest thousand taels of silver can't fill your stomach."

He stood up and said casually.

"Go back and tell Gu Changfeng to send me five hundred standard steel knives before dawn tomorrow. Including the scabbards and grease. If even one knife is missing, the deal is off."

Xu Youcai's eyelids twitched violently.

Five hundred standard steel knives!

According to the military regulations of the Great Yan Dynasty, armor, swords, and crossbows are the most important weapons in the army.

The Eighth Battalion's cannon fodder could only be filled with rusty iron sheets.

Once equipped with five hundred standard-issue knives made of fine steel, these five or six hundred mad dogs would be able to eat even humans.

It will immediately become an armed force capable of taking a bite out of the regular army.

"You're insane!"

Xu Youcai pointed his finger at Lu Jing's nose.

"Demanding standard-issue weapons? You're tantamount to armed rebellion! Mr. Gu would never agree to such an absurd condition! You're driving the entire Eighth Battalion to its doom!"

The four heavily armored guards following Xu Youcai immediately stepped forward.

The long sword at his waist was half drawn, and the ear-piercing sound of metal scraping against metal echoed in the air above the training ground.

The four guards were all elites from the main general's camp. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, clearly indicating that they were using force to exert pressure.

Lu Jing stared at the half-drawn blade.

He secretly thought to himself, "These bastards really won't give up until they're completely cornered..."

We need to increase the intensity on them.

"Armed rebellion?"

Lu Jing was amused.

He turned around and faced the soldiers on the drill ground, their eyes green with hunger, watching the spectacle with broken bowls in their hands.

"Brothers, did you hear that? This Lord Xu says I'm going to lead you in a rebellion!"

The hundreds of soldiers on the drill ground were completely silent.

After being exposed to the specially supplied cured meat and witnessing Lu Jing's cannibalistic display, only one thought remained in the minds of this group.

They will listen to whoever lets them live.

"Old Xu, your method of labeling people is too crude."

Lu Jing turned back and strode up to Xu Youcai.

He lowered his voice, his tone carrying the air of a street thug acting like a rogue.

"I don't want the knife. Am I supposed to leave my neck hanging for Gu Changfeng to send archers to shoot me? Gu Changfeng is guaranteed to make a profit by buying five hundred knives from Zhao He's private account and this page of the Ministry of Revenue's bank statements. If he can't bear to part with these lumps of iron..."

Lu Jingyang waved the yellow wax paper in his hand.

"On the fifteenth of the third month, 80,000 shi of fine grain from the left granary of the Yanmen black market were exchanged for 100,000 taels of silver, which were deposited into the Wang family's private treasury. On the eighth of the fourth month, 3 million taels of military pay were transferred to the Xie family's trading company in Youzhou."

Xu Youcai broke out in a cold sweat.

He had no idea how the code had been cracked, but each of the words Lu Jing uttered was enough to send heads rolling in the capital.

"How dare you threaten the main camp!"

Xu Youcai appeared fierce but was actually weak; the guards behind him had already drawn all their knives.

"Put it back, who are you trying to scare with that knife?"

Lu Jing rolled his eyes.

"Since we can't reach an agreement on the deal, don't blame me for being unjust."

He cleared his throat, took two steps back, and jumped onto the barricade.

He clapped his hands in front of his chest, creating a very rhythmic beat.

"It's the New Year in the first month of the lunar calendar, and Zhao Baihu is up to no good!"

The catchy tune of the Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form) blew up on the cold wind and echoed across the Eighth Battalion's drill ground.

Xu Youcai was stunned.

The four guards were also stunned.

Nobody has ever seen anything like this before...

At the negotiating table where the two armies were locked in a life-or-death standoff, the opposing commander suddenly started singing a folk song.

Lu Jing didn't care at all what others thought, swaying his body to the beat and making a lot of noise.

"Gu, the advisor, beamed with joy, his sleeves tucked with stacks of silver notes."

"In March, the granaries are empty, and the black market carts ride the east wind."

"In April, the army was busy with pay, and it was immediately sent to the Xie family's house."

The lyrics are crude, straightforward, and catchy, directly conveying the most crucial transaction information from the Ministry of Revenue's secret accounts in the most vulgar, common tunes.

The skinny monkey, who was squatting not far away, paused for two seconds, then his eyes lit up.

Those who frequented the area under the overpass knew this tune like the back of their hand. They immediately grabbed their chopsticks, tapped their broken bowls, and started wailing along in their hoarse voices.

"Stacks of silver notes in his sleeves~"

The two soldiers next to him burst out laughing at first, and then they also started banging their bowls.

"The granaries are empty, the east wind blows."

The older soldiers, who were further away, reacted a beat slower. When they heard the words "Gu Muliao," they grinned and showed their yellow teeth. They grabbed their machetes and started hacking wildly at the wooden stake.

The soldiers' camp was never short of troublemakers who loved to watch the drama unfold.

With three or five people taking the lead, dozens of soldiers started hitting wooden stakes with machetes or smashing broken pots with stones, loudly chanting in rhythm with Lu Jing.

"The first month of the lunar calendar is the New Year!"

The deafening roar of hundreds of people not only dispelled the gloom over the soldiers' camp.

It also shattered half of Xu Youcai's three souls and seven spirits.

If this ledger is hidden, that's called having leverage over someone.

But once it's set into a catchy folk song, the tune can spread throughout the entire Northern Xuan Army in less than three days.

Two weeks later?

Even the storytellers in Beijing's teahouses can tell this story as a joke!

This is to strip Gu's advisors and those powerful families bare and display their true colors on the walls of Yanmen Pass!

"Shut up! All of you, shut up!"

Xu Youcai was so anxious that he jumped up and down, trying to rush up and cover Lu Jing's mouth, but was blocked by two veterans carrying bloodstained pig-slaughtering knives.

"Lu Jing! You inhuman mad dog!"

Xu Youcai was furious, his finger trembling as he pointed at Lu Jing.

"You're courting death! Mr. Gu will absolutely not let you get away with this!"

Lu Jing stood on the wood, snapping his fingers and grinning at Xu Youcai.

"Old Xu, hurry back and report the news. I only taught you the first half of the song. We won't see the knife before dawn tomorrow. The second half will be sung along with the Wang and Xie family genealogies!"

Xu Youcai could no longer hold on.

Knowing he couldn't handle such ruthless tactics, he turned and scrambled out of the camp.

The four guards exchanged a glance, sheathed their swords, and slunk behind to provide cover.

Watching the messenger's disheveled retreating figure, the Eighth Battalion erupted in a deafening burst of laughter.

Shen Qingqiu leaned against the tent entrance, watching the person standing on the log still shaking his leg.

He always manages to crush those high-and-mighty schemes and plots into the mud in the most unbelievable ways.

But she knew in her heart...

The price of five hundred steel knives was outrageous, and Gu Changfeng would definitely not swallow this insult easily.