Chapter 19 Training Private Soldiers (Part 1)

  Although Wang Xu is only 13 years old now, his voice has not matured yet and may not be able to sing out that kind of grand momentum. However, the majestic melody and passionate lyrics are sung with a tender childlike voice, which gives an even more shocking feeling.

  Upon hearing his young son's words, the hot blood that had been buried deep within Wang Yan's heart began to boil. As he listened to Wang Xu's song, he became so excited that his eyes widened. When the song was finished, he suddenly stood up and loudly praised: "Good lyrics, good melody! What a great spirit!"

  After finishing, he stared at Wang Xu with his eyes tightly closed, took a deep breath, and nodded in relief. "Since you have such ambition, as your father, I will no longer be soft-hearted, and I must fully support you. Speak, how many soldiers do you need?"

  Seeing his father finally agree, Wang Xu's heart finally felt at ease. After a brief calculation, he quickly asked: "I don't know if it is possible to undertake three thousand troops without affecting the family's livelihood?"

  When Wang Xu heard this, Wang Yan's eyes widened in surprise and he burst out laughing: "What are you talking about? Three thousand cavalry can't be supported? You're underestimating your father too much! Even if you want all of them to be mounted archers, your father can still satisfy you. The horse trade is also within the scope of your father's business."

  But right away, Wang Yan's tone changed, and his face showed concern. "Money isn't a big problem, but now that the world is at peace, suddenly supporting so many soldiers may raise suspicions from all sides! If we're reported for intending to rebel, things will get troublesome!"

  When Wang Ye heard the first half of Wang Xu's words, he was delighted to know that his family had so much money and it seemed effortless to support three thousand people. However, the latter part of the conversation made him fall silent, thinking about how the wealthy families in the late Han Dynasty all had large private armies, but not considering that this was a result of Emperor Ling of Han encouraging local wealthy families and aristocrats to gather righteous men to quickly suppress the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Before this, there were certain limits, except for extremely remote places. Thinking about these things also made him worried.

  Seeing Wang Xu's disappointed expression, Wang Yan sank for a long time before hesitantly saying: "Alright! I'll first discuss with your uncle and father to see if we can recruit these guards in the name of the three of us, and then hide our military strength properly. Besides, the newly appointed Taishou of Shanyang, Yuan Yi, who was transferred from Chang'an, is a member of the Yuan family. The Yuan family has a good relationship with our Wang family, so as long as it's not too excessive, there shouldn't be any problem."

  Upon hearing that there was a way to resolve the issue, Wang Xu's face lit up with joy. But immediately afterwards, he suddenly recalled his father's words and stared in shock, his mouth agape. "The Yuans and we are old acquaintances?"

  Seeing Wang Xu's stunned expression, Wang Yan smiled and replied: "That's natural, your great-grandfather Wang Gong, grandfather Wang Chang both held high positions as one of the Three Dukes, while the Yuan family also had four generations of Three Dukes, serving in the same dynasty, and having many interactions, so their relationship was naturally very deep."

  Actually, Wang Yan particularly enjoyed his son asking him questions. As Wang Xu grew older day by day, he gradually discovered that the talent Wang Xu showed, whether in literature or military strategy, was gradually surpassing his own. This made him, as a father, feel somewhat downhearted - after all, his son was only 13 years old!

  It's natural for a father to feel happy when his son becomes successful, but no middle-aged father who is in his prime can help feeling a sense of loss and melancholy when he sees his young son surpass him by far. This makes him feel that he has lost the dignity as a father to shield his son from wind and rain, and also makes him lose too early the joy of nurturing his son's growth.

  But Wang Xu still can't feel these things now, he just thinks that after messing around for half a day, he and Yuan Shao are still old friends. If one day they face each other on the battlefield, I don't know if they will scold each other to this point. But let's talk about it later, since the big thing has been solved, he has completely put his mind at ease.

  Then, Wang Yan hastily left to find Wang Hao and Wang Qian. Seeing his father's excited appearance, Wang Xu was also deeply moved. Thinking of the love from his parents and two aunts since birth, Wang Xu couldn't help but secretly vow that in the chaotic world ahead, even if it meant death, he would definitely let them live in peace and repay this nurturing kindness!

  But he himself was not idle, facing the increasingly close war. Wang Xu and Xu Shu, who knew the situation was urgent, worked even harder to hone their martial arts skills. There was only one problem that made Wang Xu very worried, that is his body. Although because of practicing martial arts from a young age, at 13 years old he had already surpassed his peers by far. But for a general, it was still a bit too short.

  It was Xu Shu who, because girls develop earlier than boys, ended up being a bit taller, which made Wang Xuzhong extremely depressed.

  On the other hand, Wang Hao and Wang Qian also highly approved of what Wang Xu proposed. After all, they were not foolish people and were very familiar with current events, so as long as they were given a slight hint, they could naturally understand the pros and cons. Moreover, they were also very aware of Wang Xu's talent and had high hopes for this talented young man from the Wang family. Of course, their good fraternal relationship with Wang Yan was also a reason.

  So they strongly supported the recruitment of soldiers and sent people to recruit everywhere.

  Under the efforts of the three, the quota of 3,000 people was met in just three months. Wang Yan also specially allocated a large manor outside the city to accommodate this batch of soldiers and assigned five talented guests under his command to manage and train them on a daily basis.

  The county governor and the local magistrate had also made arrangements, and the actual number of guards was also hidden from outsiders, so everything went smoothly.

  Wang Xu often goes there every day, and he is very concerned about the warriors who will accompany him in the future. These people also listen to Wang Xu's words, but at first, they are only constrained by his identity as a young master. After all, it is generally impossible for a group of adults to truly obey a 13-year-old child from the bottom of their hearts.

  However, after Wang Xu single-handedly defeated twenty strong and carefully selected guards and emerged victorious, no one in the entire camp dared to question him again. Moreover, Wang Xu also paid attention to communicating with them emotionally, and even trained and chatted with them during his free time, exchanging martial arts skills. Many of those who applied to become guards were extremely poor and had a hard life, and Wang Xu's equal treatment regardless of wealth or status quickly earned their heartfelt support.

  Wang Xu truly didn't have any intention of looking down on them in his heart. As a person from the later generations, his thoughts were much more open-minded. Which person has a natural distinction between nobility and inferiority? In his heart, he actually felt quite apologetic towards these people.

  After all, they were already miserable people under the decadent rule of the late Han Dynasty, and now they had to be dragged onto a battlefield where life and death were uncertain, so Wang Xu naturally felt some remorse.

  But this is how it is in this era, if they don't follow their own kind, it's hard for them to survive. At least I won't mistreat them!