C41. Recruiting Personal Soldiers.

C41. Recruiting Personal Soldiers.

Yuan Li wanted to call him back so badly, to lift up his robe and show him the boxer shorts he was wearing, to prove that he was indeed wearing another pair of pants underneath.

In the end, he managed to resist this impulse.

"I am not Chu Hechao, I am an adult. I am not as childish and shameless as Chu Hechao," Yuan Li convinced himself, taking a deep breath and forcing a gentle smile. "That's right, I am an adult and I shouldn't be bothered by someone like Chu Hechao, who has a hole in his head."

After repeating this to himself several times, Yuan Li finally calmed down and went back to his room with a peaceful smile to sleep.

Chu Hechao returned to his room, still thinking about the scene that had just happened.

The servants had prepared hot water for him and left the bathroom in twos and threes. Chu He Chao heard them whispering softly, "The general seems to be in a good mood."

Good mood?

Chu Hechao unknowingly raised his hand to touch his mouth and realized that he was smiling.

Surprised, he composed himself, took off his clothes, and immersed himself in the bath.

As he checked himself, Chu Hechao was astonished to find that despite Yuan Li's rough handling, he hadn't left any marks.

This move was quite interesting. Chu Hechao narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Good kid, still hiding a lot of things."

Steam filled the air, and the fatigue seeped out of his body bit by bit. With his arms resting on the bath tub, Chu Hechao's imposing figure looked relaxed, like a tiger resting. Suddenly, he opened his eyes sharply and looked towards the door.

Two beautiful women entered the room and approached him cautiously, bowing respectfully. "We pay our respects to the general."

Frowning, Chu Hechao asked, "Who are you?"

The two Yu ladies lowered their heads and said softly, "We are from the Yu family in Yizhou."

Coldly, Chu Hechao questioned, "Who sent you here?"

The two women were a little fearful and replied hesitantly, "It was Young Master Yuan who asked us to stay by the general's side. When we heard that the general was bathing, we wanted to help him wash his back."

Yuan Li.

Chu Hechao closed his eyes and the water droplets on his eyebrows showed his cold anger.

He knew what this meant.

The bump he had given Yuan Li in the river had made him uncomfortable, and so Yuan Li had thought he needed women, and had sent him two.

What a thoughtful brother-in-law.

Considering everything.

A torrent of anger rose within Chu He Chao, but he couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

Seeing his silence, the two Yu ladies exchanged glances and approached him quietly. One poured water over Chu Hechao's shoulders with a ladle, while the other gently wiped his back with a towel.

Chu Hechao closed his eyes tightly as the mist swirled around him. The steam descended along his pronounced nose and masculine jaw. The two Yu ladies blushed as they continued their task, their gazes becoming more seductive.

As their hands moved from Chu Hechao's back to his chest, he could no longer contain himself and growled, "Get out!"

Startled, the two Yu ladies paled in fear and fled.

Chu Hechao sat alone for a while, waiting for the hot water to cool down, before standing up from the water and wrapping a robe around himself, then striding out.

Yuan Li had just fallen asleep when he heard a loud knocking on the door.

He was abruptly awakened and, thinking there was an emergency, got out of bed to open the door, only to find Chu Hechao standing there, expressionless and drenched.

Yuan Li asked, "...what do you want?"

Without much energy or anger, he said, "General, what is it?"

Chu Hechao blurted out, "Are those two Yu ladies in my room the ones you sent?"

Yuan Li was puzzled, "Yes, I sent them."

A cold look crossed Chu Hechao's eyes.

Not understanding, Yuan Li looked at Chu Hechao's soaked appearance and suddenly realized something, his tone full of meaning, "General, there is no need to specially thank me for this."

"Thank you?"

Chu Hechao smirked, lacking any amusement in his eyes. "Sister-in-law, why don't you keep these two for yourself?"

This statement made Yuan Li think of Chu Mingfeng's dying instructions.

—"Just in front of Ci Ye, we have to conceal the secret of 'husband and wife not real.'"

—"I will tell him that I treat you as my real wife, and let him regard you as a close sister-in-law."

—"His temper might only give in to family members. Whether it's me or him, we can only trust our own family with the preparation of military funds."

Yuan Li lowered his eyes slowly, "Chu Mingfeng has just died, and I don't have the heart to think about that right now."

Chu Hechao didn't expect him to say this, and was taken aback. "Are you guarding Chu Mingfeng's reputation?"

Yuan Li wasn't interested in women, especially in these turbulent times. He simply wanted to strengthen himself step by step and wasn't focused on such matters.

After some thought, he realized that he wouldn't be entering into a relationship anytime soon, so he confidently nodded, "That's right."

It was only then that Chu Hechao remembered that Chu Mingfeng had indeed told him that Yuan Li was his true love.

With a furrowed brow, his eyes closed.

Sister-in-law.

He couldn't describe his feelings. After a while, Chu Hechao opened his eyes, calmly asking, "So, will you send these two Yu ladies to me?"

Hearing something amiss in his tone, Yuan Li questioned, "Don't you like them?"

Chu Hechao sneered directly, unsure if he was laughing at Yuan Li's presumptuousness or at his own image. "If you don't want to keep them for yourself, why would you think I would?"

"Sister-in-law," Chu Hechao said, "Not all men are willing to accept any woman."

"Or is it that in your eyes, Chu Hechao is just a man obsessed with women?"

Yuan Li opened his mouth, but couldn't come up with a defense, especially under Chu Hechao's cold gaze.

Chu Hechao was right; Yuan Li had made a mistake in assuming.

He himself wasn't willing to accept women that others sent him, but he had thought that Chu Hechao, being a man of this era, would have the best outcome with the women placed in his care.

He had never asked if Chu Hechao was willing.

His actions, how were they any different from someone trying to give women to him?

Realizing his mistake, Yuan Li hesitated, "I'm sorry."

Chu Hechao's anger faltered, "What?"

Seeing Yuan Li's sincere apology in his eyes, Chu Hechao could feel the genuine remorse. It filled him so much that it extinguished any remaining anger within him.

"It was my fault for sending them to you without asking first," Yuan Li expressed regret. "I won't do it again in the future."

After a long pause, Chu Hechao finally turned his head slightly, his rigid profile facing Yuan Li. "Hmm."

He said, "I'm not mad at you."

Yuan Li smiled softly, his gentle and clear demeanor visible in the night.

A gust of cold wind blew, Yuan Li looked at the water stains on Chu He Chao's clothes and asked, "Why did you come wearing wet clothes?"

Before he could finish, he realized, "Did those two Yu ladies go to your room?"

Chu Hechao didn't feel like explaining, just responding with a simple "Hmm."

After a moment of hesitation, Yuan Li opened the door, "If you don't want to go back, then come rest here for the night. It's windy outside, you might catch a cold."

It had been a long time since they had spoken so amicably. By the time Chu Hechao realized what was happening, he was already inside Yuan Li's room.

There was only one candle lit on the table in the room.

Yuan Li sat on the edge of the bed, "General, do you still plan to sleep on the chair?"

Chu Hechao looked at the bed, which was larger than the one in the camp, easily accommodating two people. Given the circumstances, Chu Hechao would choose the bed, so he sat down on the bed and said, "I'll squeeze in here with you."

Yuan Li took off his shoes and moved to the inner side of the bed. Chu Hechao also got on the bed, lying on the outer side.

He made a request, "Don't move around in the middle of the night, don't grind your teeth, and don't snore."

Yuan Li asked, "I don't have these habits, do you move around, grind your teeth, or snore?"

Chu He Chao looked at him and replied, unsure if he believed it, "I don't."

Alright then.

After a while, Yuan Li woke up from the glare of the candle, reluctantly nudging Chu Hechao beside him and asking him to extinguish the candle.

"General, can you put out the candle?"

Some people can't sleep with even a hint of light while sleeping. Yuan Li was one of those people.

Chu Hechao got out of bed to blow out the candle, almost bumping into the foot of the bed on his way back.

Yuan Li couldn't help but chuckle, then quickly covered his mouth.

Chu Hechao: "..."

Pretending not to have heard, Chu Hechao laid down on the bed and closed his eyes.

Yuan Li yawned, feeling really tired, and before he knew it, his eyelids gradually closed.

The next morning, Chu Hechao woke up first, and when he opened his eyes, his pupils constricted.

He was holding Yuan Li tightly, their faces less than a fist's distance apart.

Chu Hechao jumped out of bed, almost falling off in the process.

Then he saw Yuan Li's eyelids fluttering.

Quickly pretending to be asleep, Chu Hechao lay stiffly in his own spot.

Yuan Li, needing to go to the restroom, carefully maneuvered past Chu Hechao to the bedpost to relieve himself.

When he returned, Chu Hechao was also awake, leaning against the bed post with a lazy look in his eyes, a hint of exhaustion evident.

Yuan Li greeted him, "Awake?"

Chu Hechao lazily responded.

After washing up, the two went outside to exercise before returning for breakfast.

Yuan Li asked, "General, what are your plans for those two Yu ladies?"

"Assign them to the lower ranks," Chu Hechao said indifferently, "I won't keep them in my backyard."

Yuan Li thought of assigning them tasks within Prince Chu's residence, as they were skilled in needlework. Once there was cotton available, they could lead other women in textile work.

"There's no need for them to trouble themselves with this. They have their own duties to fulfill within the Prince Chu Estate"

Not caring much, Chu Hechao said, "That's your responsibility."

After breakfast, Chu Hechao went to attend to military matters.

When he returned, he coincidentally saw Yuan Li training the cavalry.

Spotting Chu Hechao, Yuan Li quickly called him over, expressing his intention to select cavalry from his army.

As they discussed official matters, Chu Hechao became serious. He didn't immediately agree, saying, "I need to see the results of the training you have conducted."

Yuan Li readily agreed and had two hundred soldiers run a lap for Chu Hechao on the spot.

Chu Hechao's eyes were fixed on the stirrups, he wasn't like Liu Jixin, needing to try them out to understand their function. His eyes sparkled as he rapped his fingers on his waist sword, after a while saying, "Can we equip the cavalry in my army with these stirrups?"

With a knowing smile, Yuan Li said, "Then, could you agree to my personnel choices?"

Chu Hechao asked, "How many people do you want to choose?"

With only six hundred horses available at the moment, Yuan Li intended to gather a thousand strong cavalry, coughing, "No, eight hundreds. And give me four hundred more horses, what do you think, General?"

Chu Hechao repeated, "Four hundred more horses?"

Eager to outsmart Chu Hechao and obtain four hundred more horses from him, Yuan Li grinned teasingly, "General, with all the horses you've acquired from the Baimi people, can't you muster up four hundred more horses?"

"The Baimi people is made up of common folk gathering together, even if there are other forces behind them, they are poor and transparent. The cavalry is pitifully few, the entire Shanggu district's Baimi people can't even gather four hundred live horses."

Changing the subject, Chu Hechao said, "You have contributed in this battle, and have settled the injured soldiers. Even though the court may reward you, I cannot do nothing. I was already thinking about giving you something, and since you want people and horses, I will provide everything you require."

Having given his instructions, Chu Hechao turned to Yuan Li, "If you wish to train the cavalry, the horses must be healthy and strong. The batch we recently acquired isn't good enough, you'll need to select four hundred horses from the horse camp."

Yuan Li was taken aback by Chu Hechao's swift decision, realizing why so many people were wholeheartedly loyal to him. Chu Hechao, though frugal and impoverished himself, was generous with his subordinates.

While he wouldn't overlook a single coin in the mud, he was quite lavish in his rewards to others. He was willing to provide opportunities for his subordinates to succeed and wouldn't steal their merits.

His ability to humble himself, live with his subordinates, and lead boldly on the battlefield was a testament to the charismatic leadership qualities that inspired loyalty.

Yuan Li couldn't help but smile, "Thank you, General."

"No need," Chu Hechao said, "You deserve it."

He lowered his voice, gazing deeply into Yuan Li's eyes, "You can trust me, Yuan Li. I remember everything you do. Whether it's herbs, ice, fine salt, or these stirrups now, I know the value of these things. I don't have anything valuable to thank you with at the moment, but anything you want, as long as I can do it, I won't shortchange you."

Yuan Li understood that Chu Hechao was speaking to him not as a brother-in-law, but as a high-ranking general.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Yuan Li nodded, "I will remember these words, General."

*

In the afternoon, at the training ground.

Yuan Li, with high prestige among the soldiers, attracted many eager participants. As Yuan Li arrived with Liu Jixin and others, they saw a bustling crowd gathered.

Yang Zhongfa, Han Jin, and He Lang also came to watch the excitement. They knew more than they let on, and upon seeing the crowd, Yang Zhongfa smiled wryly and said, "Young Master Yuan, do you know how many people have come this time?"

Curiously, Yuan Li asked, "How many?"

"Ten thousand people!" Yang Zhongfa held up a finger. "That's half of the total! Young Master Yuan's prestige in the army, I can see it now."

He Lang also exclaimed, "Do you know how our soldiers privately thank Young Master Yuan?"

Half-jokingly, he added, "They practically worship Young Master Yuan like a living god."

Yuan Li could only shake his head at their remarks, "Stop teasing me."

In reality, it wasn't a joke. Only responsible for the welfare of disabled soldiers, Yuan's actions were enough to earn the soldiers' admiration and gratitude.

Furthermore, Yuan Li recruited cavalry soldiers, and the treatment for cavalry versus infantry was significantly different. With the opportunity to become a cavalry soldier, who wouldn't want to try?

Although ten thousand people came, Yuan Li would only select eight hundred. His selection criteria were extremely strict. Firstly, he did not want anyone with a tainted background.

In order to foster unity within the army, it was necessary to cultivate a sense of honor among the soldiers. Yuan Li would never choose anyone who had committed offenses and faced military punishment.

Secondly, he did not want smooth-talking individuals with low moral character. Thirdly, he required individuals to meet certain height and physique standards.

Yuan Li aimed to develop elite cavalry soldiers, and he had stringent physical requirements. Liu Jixin and others were selected based on these criteria, and only a few out of a hundred met the requirements.

Yang Zhongfa, astonished, remarked, "Young Master Yuan, aren't you being too strict? Are you recruiting cavalry soldiers or officers?"

Yuan shook his head, "Sir Yang, I am strict because I only need eight hundred people. With the conditions set, I must select the best eight hundred from a pool of ten thousand."

Not just Yang Zhongfa, but also the soldiers awaiting selection, were nervous.

"Gong Bin, the selection process is so strict."

A few soldiers huddled together, whispering, their faces filled with anxiety. Gong Bin, a tall soldier standing in their midst, watched the ongoing selection process with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Yes," Gong Bin replied, "I saw our squadron leader go up, but he didn't pass."

"What? The squadron leader wasn't selected?"

Other soldiers felt more despondent, sighing, "If the squadron leader couldn't make it, then we definitely won't either."

Gong Bin disagreed. If selection was based solely on rank, Young Master Yuan could have directly chosen officers from among the military officials.

Why else were they there?

Encouraging his comrades, he said, "Don't you all want to become Young Master Yuan's personal guards? The opportunity is here, don't give up without even trying."

"But if even our leaders weren't selected, how can we be chosen?"

Before Gong Bin could respond, someone called, "Next."

Initially dejected, the brothers straightened up, looking determined as they stepped forward one by one.

Gong Bin could only laugh and shake his head, realizing that despite their outward reservations, each of them hoped to be chosen.

Eventually, it was Gong Bin's turn.

Standing in front of Liu Jixin, Gong Bin felt his heart racing as he stood tall and met the officer's gaze.

Liu Jixin assessed Gong Bin's appearance and stature and was pleased, "What's your name?"

Gong Bin answered strongly, "Gong Bin, a native of Jixian, Youzhou."

Looking at his file, Liu Jixin noted, "You're a sergeant?"

Gong Bin affirmed loudly, "Yes!"

Liu Jixin nodded, "Go spar with that person."

As Gong Bin turned, he saw that person was Wu Kai.

Throughout the selection process, Yuan Li was present. Many promising candidates were found among the ten thousand, and by sunset, eight hundred were chosen.

Yuan Li immediately ordered these eight hundred to leave the camp and join his own troop.

That night, Yuan Li promoted them to sergeant, sergeant-major, and centurion.

After appointing these new officers, Yuan Li told the soldiers, "The positions of sergeant, sergeant-major, and centurion are not permanent. At the end of each month, I will conduct evaluations, and if you perform well, anyone can become a new officer."

Upon hearing this, the appointed soldiers felt a sense of urgency. They vowed to do well every month and not be left behind.

As for the common soldiers, they were excited and motivated.

Yuan Li did not appoint a captain as leader but assigned Wu Kai and Wang Er to each lead five hundred men.

They were surprised to be entrusted with such responsibility and immediately expressed their gratitude, promising not to disappoint Yuan Li's trust.

Apart from them, Wu Kai and Wang Er also recommended a few other skilled individuals. Two individuals, Gong Bin from Jixian and Lu Hui from Liangzhou, caught Yuan Li's attention.

These two showed exceptional martial prowess, and Wu Kai and Wang Er believed they were worth employing.

Apart from appointing the management, Yuan Li also did not overlook the establishment of military laws.

The military laws he established were equally strict, prohibiting pillaging civilians, unauthorized actions, absolute obedience to discipline, death for those who acted recklessly or retreated, and so on.

Upon seeing these military laws, many of the eight hundred chosen soldiers felt regret.

Yuan Li had a reputation for kindness and generosity in the army, and they did not expect the usually benevolent Young Master Yuan to set such harsh military laws.

Yuan Li watched their reactions calmly and said, "You are all the cream of the crop, selected from ten thousand soldiers. In my eyes, you are exceptional talents capable of facing ten men."

His praise made many feel embarrassed, and they looked at Yuan Li with a mix of excitement and embarrassment.

Yuan Li continued, "I know some of you may feel apprehensive about the military laws I have set and may have complaints. If anyone wishes to leave, I will not stop you. You can leave now."

There was a stir among the crowd.

Yuan Li paused and continued, "However, anyone who fears such military laws and feels afraid is not the type of person I want. If you can't handle this, what else can you handle? Would you desert on the battlefield? In that case, I would prefer you to leave now!"

His words caused those with second thoughts to feel ashamed and lower their heads.

Yuan Li stated, "If you want to leave, leave now. This is your only chance!"

The soldiers looked at each other, and while some contemplated leaving, none dared to be the first. After a moment of hesitation, all the soldiers stayed, none choosing to leave.

Yuan Li applauded them and said, "You are all heroes! I guarantee that as long as I have food to eat, you will never go hungry. As long as I have breath, I will take care of you and your families! Bring in the food!"

With his command, servants brought out a spread of delicious dishes, including roasted meat and stew. A large roast lamb and pig were placed in the center, captivating the soldiers' attention.

The aroma of the food caused everyone to salivate.

Yuan Li instructed Wu Kai and Wang Er to distribute the meat to the centurions, who then distributed it to the sergeants, and so on until every soldier had meat in hand.

Some soldiers had never tasted meat in their lives and couldn't resist devouring it once they received it.

After the meal, the soldiers had forgotten about the strict military laws, feeling fortunate that they had stayed and not left.

This mood reached its peak when Yuan Li mentioned that there would be a meat meal every three days, sparking even more excitement among the soldiers.