Chapter 471 – Where Are the Talents? (Part Two)
Wei Ci tightly clasped the hot water pot in his arms, the continuous warmth seeping into his body and dispelling the lingering chill.
After a few light coughs, he suddenly said, “By chance, I have a friend nearby. I’ll ask for his opinion later.”
“Oh? That friend is in Xiangyang?”
Qi Guanrang’s eyes brightened; if someone just like Wei Ci arrived now, his workload would be greatly reduced.
With a smile, Wei Ci replied, “Xi Heng is also in Xiangyang with me.”
Considering Zhang Ping’s obsession with mechanisms and his laid-back approach to governance, he was quite similar to their lord’s temperament.
Qi Guanrang raised an eyebrow and gave Wei Ci a meaningful look—Bro, nicely done!
“Ah-choo—”
With the fluff floating around, Zhang Ping’s nose got tickled, and he couldn’t help but sneeze.
Zhang Ping steadied the hot water pot and tightened his clothes, surrounded by a pile of neatly chopped wood.
“The waterwheel—something seems off—what part is wrong, or is it a structural issue?”
Zhang Ping nimbly disassembled the assembled waterwheel, and after a moment, he realized the hot water pot in his arms had cooled down. It was worth getting up to change the water. He opened the door and discovered that outside, the sky had dimmed.
Had he actually wasted an entire afternoon?
Rubbing his stomach, he felt a bit hungry.
Taking some money, Zhang Ping bundled up his cloak and braved the wind and snow to buy food.
Wei Ci had eaten all three meals at the county governor’s office, while Zhang Ping and Dian Yin could only figure things out on their own.
They couldn’t cook, so they might as well go to nearby eateries to buy food.
“After the New Year, the eateries might be closed… It looks like I have to buy a girl who can cook and do laundry…”
Zhang Ping, being a craftsman, had somewhat poor self-care abilities.
Thinking about it felt a bit oddly lonely.
Little did he know, a much more tragic future awaited him.
As the saying goes, “Two flowers bloom, each representing its own branch.”
Dian Yin and a group of bandit brothers, relying on their skills, were successfully recruited into the military camp.
They initially thought good days were about to come, and they could settle down smoothly in Xiangyang County.
Unexpectedly, they were hit with winter training. Before dawn, they had to gear up and prepare for morning training, running uphill and downhill with weights in the freezing winter. It was said this was just the basics; once they adapted, training loads would increase.
Dian Yin, being a huge guy, stood out in the crowd, and with his excellent performance, he quickly caught people’s attention.
The one who noticed him wasn’t anyone else but Jiang Pengji, who Qi Guanrang had just mocked for slacking off.
Dressed in a thin robe, she exposed a fair wrist and slender ankles. The viewers in the live stream felt cold for her, but she appeared unfazed, arms crossed, following Li Yun to inspect the newly recruited soldiers.
“That tall guy is pretty good; he has potential.”
Seeing that she was referring to Dian Yin, Li Yun nodded in approval.
“The training volume is quite heavy. Many complain and throw tantrums; only a few can keep their composure. He’s one of them.” When discussing serious matters, Li Yun was always solemn and steady, showing no signs of being a foolish naive, “Should our lord call him over for an evaluation?”
Leading troops in battle was the duty of military generals; presently, only Meng Hunyun, Luo Yue, and Li Yun could qualify as such among them.
Jiang Pengji was barely considered one, but her subordinates were unwilling to let her lead from the front.
They still had sufficient manpower for now, but as their territory expanded and the frontlines elongated, this number would be insufficient.
Preparing ahead and scouting suitable candidates or cultivating talents was very crucial.
Popping a wild grass root in her mouth, Jiang Pengji appeared quite nonchalant.
“No need, let’s observe a bit longer.”
Li Yun nodded, and the two continued to stand at the hillside, watching the new recruits’ performance.
After a while, the squad leader training the new recruits finally called for a break, and hundreds of soldiers collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath. Even with the chilling winds, they felt as if they were in a furnace, sweating profusely.
Dian Yin stood there for a moment, catching his breath before finally settling down like the others to rest.
His action, combined with his height, made him very conspicuous among the group of new recruits.
Jiang Pengji watched him with a hint of approval, paying more attention to him.
“He really is decent.”
The squad leaders for training were selected from the ranks, treating all new recruits equally. However, those who performed well would naturally receive a bit more favoritism and attention.
Who wouldn’t like a recruit who listened earnestly and paid attention to training details like Dian Yin?
Due to this favoritism, when it was time for the new recruits to eat, Dian Yin found an egg in his food, and his plain porridge was topped with a ladle of meat gravy—a smell that made him ravenous just from the aroma.
Ignoring the envious or jealous gazes from others, he dove in eagerly, not minding that the porridge was still hot.
After finishing the whole bowl, the warm porridge settled nicely in his belly, radiating a cozy warmth throughout his body.
Just as he was about to return the bowl, he caught wind of a conversation among other new recruits that touched on a sensitive nerve.
“Did you hear? There are women here…”
One recruit whispered to the one beside him, and though they were speaking softly, everyone around could hear.
“Woman?” That person showed skepticism, then scoffed, “Even if there are, it’s only for the upper ranks to enjoy…”
There are no women in military camps; if there was a girl, she was usually there to serve the soldiers.
During the day, they did the laundry and cooking; at night, they entertained.
Dian Yin felt rage boiling in him, unable to believe such vile habits existed in the county.
With a fierce expression, he directed his glare at the two. “Is what you’re saying true?”
The two recruits looked up at his fierce expression and burst into laughter, mistaking him for someone who wanted a woman.
“Of course it’s true! The county is recruiting female soldiers; this is something everyone in the county knows. Who would want to get involved…”
Jiang Pengji, with her keen hearing, caught wind of the commotion and couldn’t help but frown slightly.
Last time, they had decided to recruit five to six hundred female soldiers, but in the end, only a bit over a hundred accepted, and they were mostly small and weak girls, many of whom were forcibly brought over by their grandfathers or other relatives after losing their parents.
When they came for registration, they cried uncontrollably, a reluctant look that deeply irritated Jiang Pengji.
Her female soldier camp was not a trash dump, and she wouldn’t accept any trash soldiers at all.
Now, seeing the root cause, she concluded, “I wonder if they misunderstood something,” Jiang Pengji mused, gripping her chin, a cold smile on her lips as she turned to Li Yun, “Do these idiots think I’m forming a female camp just to cater to their physical pleasures and release their animalistic urges? Tsk tsk!”
Li Yun wisely chose to remain silent.
He had just learned that the female camp had been misinterpreted as a brothel.
