Even emperors have it tough, so don't be too picky about the entries.

"kill!"

"Hey!"

"kill!"

Outside Taiyuan, the seat of the Hedong government, dust filled the drill ground.

Wang Yuanji stood shirtless in the middle of the drill ground.

His muscular body was soaked with sweat and glistened in the sunlight.

"General, quench your thirst."

A soldier nearby hurriedly handed him a bowl of water.

Drinking alcohol was forbidden in the army, and Wang Yuanji set an example by not touching a drop of alcohol.

Looking at the general's strong physique and full beard, the soldier felt a surge of heat in his heart and couldn't help but swallow a few mouthfuls of saliva.

There's no way around it, with her round face and full beard, Lin Xinru on Chunxi Road.

Wang Yuanji drank it all in one gulp and felt refreshed all over, with his fatigue reduced.

"Good water!"

He threw the bowl behind him and walked back to the soldiers.

Starting his daily drumming drills before dawn, rain or shine, has become an ingrained habit for him.

He was extremely strict in training his troops.

No complaining, no taking leave, and absolutely no saying "I can't do it."

The reason why the Hedong Army became the most elite force in the Great Yan Dynasty was not because of its large number of soldiers, but because of Wang Yuanji.

At this moment, thousands of new recruits stood in neat rows on the training ground, wielding broadswords and hacking and slashing.

They were all covered in sweat, and the undergarments inside their armor were so wet they could be wrung out.

Wang Yuanji strode through the ranks, his tiger-like eyes wide open, his roar like thunder:

"Slow! Too slow! Your swords are even a fraction slower than yesterday's, which means you'll die three quarters of an hour earlier than others on the battlefield tomorrow."

"It doesn't matter if you die, but your wives will be defiled, and your compensation will benefit other men."

"Be tough on yourself today, and you'll survive on the battlefield tomorrow!"

He walked up to a young soldier who was practicing slashing and snatched the knife from his hand.

"A knife must be used like this to kill the enemy. What kind of battle are you fighting like a woman? Why don't you go back and learn embroidery?"

He personally demonstrated, the blade slicing through the air, quickly becoming a blur.

"Did you see that clearly? The knife must be sharp, and your heart must be ruthless!"

"Remember this, everyone: if you sweat a little more today, you'll bleed a little less tomorrow."

"Rest, everyone, assume horse stance!"

Thousands of soldiers simultaneously assumed a horse stance, their movements perfectly synchronized.

Wang Yuanji moved among the soldiers, personally correcting the posture of each one.

"Remember this feeling: your legs are shaking, your back is aching, your blood is burning—that's what it feels like to be alive!"

The Hedong Army was gradually forged through his harsh and somewhat perverse torture.

Just then, a fast horse galloped in from outside the training ground.

The messenger tumbled and scrambled off his horse, then knelt before Wang Yuanji.

"General! Liaocheng! Liaocheng has fallen!"

Wang Yuanji was adjusting a new recruit's shoulder when he heard this and paused in his movements.

He then slowly straightened up, wiped his forehead with a towel, and burst into laughter:

"Lost Liaocheng? Are you out of your mind? You can lose anywhere in the world, but you won't lose Liaocheng."

"General Hong has followed me for almost twenty years and defended Liaocheng for seven years. Those brats of Chen Shao, who haven't even grown their hair yet, can take Liaocheng? What a joke! If you dare to give false military reports again, I'll chop off your head and use it as a football!"

The messenger was sweating profusely.

"General, it's absolutely true! Liaocheng has indeed fallen, and... and General Hong has already surrendered."

"How is that possible!" Wang Yuanji roared in anger.

If others don't understand General Hong, how could he not understand him?

Otherwise, why would he be placed in such an important position?

General Hong's character is, of course...

"General, General Hong has not only surrendered, but he has also changed into the official robes of the Great Yan Dynasty and is currently using the Emperor's edict to persuade others to surrender..."

"What?"

Wang Yuanji's smile froze on his face; those words were like a heavy punch to the top of his head.

No way... a veteran with 20 years of guaranteed quality, surrendering so completely?

His hand, gripping the handkerchief, instantly bulged with veins, and he gritted his teeth, snarling:

"That old man, has he gone mad?"

The messenger knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head, and added another sentence:

"General, Liaocheng has also been lost."

Wang Yuanji was taken aback again, then waved his hand, his tone more impatient than before.

"Stop talking nonsense."

"Liaocheng? You dare say Liaocheng is lost?"

"I can understand losing Liaocheng; Hong Qianyi is old and soft-hearted. But who is defending Liaocheng? Liu Siyuan!"

"Liu Siyuan is my most beloved general. He's skilled in both literature and military strategy, seemingly rough but actually meticulous, and especially adept at defending cities. Liaocheng lost? Hahaha, say it again, what happened to Liaocheng?"

The messenger buried his head in the ground.

"Liaocheng was not only lost, but also... was defeated by only 800 men... General Liu Siyuan was killed in his tent, and his head is now hanging on the city wall of Liaocheng."

Wang Yuanji was a burly, muscular man, weighing at least 200 jin (approximately 100 kg), yet this large man was unable to utter a sound despite his open mouth.

A sharp pain shot through his chest, followed by a sweet taste in his throat, and then he spit out a mouthful of blood.

Thousands of soldiers on the drill ground remained in a horse stance, no one daring to move or utter a sound.

Because everyone knows that the ancestral tomb of the military commander is located near Liaocheng.

Only the strong winds fluttered the flags, emitting a mournful wail.

......

A valley about ten miles from the main camp.

The area was surrounded by fences and filled with soldiers.

Inside the fence, small animals such as sheep, rabbits, and roe deer are kept.

It's less of a hunting ground and more of a giant cage.

This is where the eldest prince, Chen Jing, now known as the Prince of Hedong, resides.

Chen Jing was ambitious and had lofty aspirations.

After being misled by Chen Shao, he was full of ambition when he first arrived.

He wished he could immediately behead Wang Yuanji, seize his power, and sleep with his wife.

But God doesn't fulfill people's wishes.

Or perhaps it's a case of having too much ambition and too little ability.

He was invited to this hunting ground without even entering the second gate of the governor's mansion.

Wang Yuanji assigned a large number of people to serve him and monitor him, but he was not allowed to see the outside world.

It's ostensibly for protection, but in reality it's imprisonment.

Chen Jing initially threw a tantrum, smashing things, cursing, and even trying to escape by climbing over the wall...

Finally, they even resorted to hunger strikes.

Unfortunately, he couldn't handle it on his own.

So, as time went on, he stopped making a fuss.

The little flame in my heart was gradually extinguished by the cool breeze in the valley, until only ashes remained.

These days, the things I do most every day are shoot a few sheep and herd a few wild boars.

At this moment, he was skinning the animal, bleeding it, setting up a fire, and grilling it himself.

Skilled craftsmanship.

The aroma of roasted meat filled the entire valley.

"Your Highness, this roasted mutton is absolutely delicious."

The soldiers next to him had long been familiar with him, and one of them was holding a leg of lamb in both hands, gnawing on it with his mouth full of oil.

"To tell you the truth, in my more than ten years of military service, the best roast lamb I've ever eaten was roasted by Your Highness."

"Even more authentic than the Northern Barbarians!"