Chapter 5 Spring Dawn (Part 2)

  Following the small soldier in charge of settling new recruits, Wang Xun walked while looking around. He had to admit that Feng Changqing's military management was very well-organized. Just a few days after taking over the Fei Long Forbidden Army, the entire military camp had completely eliminated its former luxurious and lazy atmosphere. Row upon row of brick-and-wood structures were swept clean from inside out. The weeds and horse dung on the ground were swept away, all the potholes were filled with three-mix soil and flattened again with stones. It looked smooth and tidy, no less than the streets in Chang'an City.

  A few months ago, when Wang Xun passed by here, the clothes that were drying everywhere had also been taken away, replaced by different flags. In front of the first room door of each row of houses, a flagpole was erected, and on top of the flagpole, there was a triangular flag indicating which unit the building belonged to, fluttering in the wind. On the surface of the flag, words such as "Left One Certain Team", "Right Two Certain Team", "Middle Three Certain Team" were written, so that people could tell at a glance which household the owner belonged to.

  After walking for about half a stick of incense, the special barracks for new recruits finally arrived. The little soldier who led the way pointed to the first room on the left side of a house with his hand and said in a low voice: "Sir, you can live here. This room is spacious and has better ventilation than other houses!"

  "Let me stay here?" Wang Xuan looked at the triangular flag on top of the door with the words "New Seventh Travel Second Team" and hesitated.

  The little soldier who led the way was asked by him, and after thinking for a moment, he replied cautiously, "Sir, with the waist card of Zheng Ba Ping's deputy captain, it should be enough to serve as a traveling rate. However, the Fei Long Forbidden Guard has always had more officials than soldiers, and just now, Lord Zhou didn't explicitly state what position you would take, so I can only temporarily inconvenience you to stay in the team leader's house for one night, and wait for your actual appointment to come down before making adjustments!"

  He kept calling him "sir", making Wang Xuan's scalp feel numb, and his hands and feet almost had nowhere to put. It wasn't until the other person finished speaking that he finally let out a long sigh of relief, smiling as he explained: "I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was, I'm new here, so I probably can't be the team leader!"

  The little soldier who led the way shook his head, apparently unable to give Wang Xun any answer. Seeing the other's expression was not like deliberately teasing himself,

  Wang Xuan had no choice but to take down his luggage from the horse's back, shoulder it, and slowly walk towards the house.

  The little soldier who led the team didn't say a word, silently taking down the other luggage from behind the saddle and carrying it into the house, putting it away in a clean place. Then he bowed to Wang Xun with his fists, ready to return and report back.

  "Take this money and buy your brother a drink!" Wang Xun still had the habit of carrying some copper coins in his pocket, which he had developed from frequenting wine shops in Chang'an City. He rummaged through his clothes and pulled out a small string of about 40 copper coins, handing them to the young soldier.

  "No, no, no!" The little soldier who led the way was so frightened that his face turned pale. He waved his hand and retreated in big strides. "Sir, don't harm me. General Feng is very strict. Take money, behead!"

  "Beheaded?" Wang Xun was stunned again, and after careful consideration, he suddenly realized that the other party was referring to military law. For just a few copper coins? If according to this rule, I'm afraid not a single official in the capital would have their head still on their neck!

  That little soldier knew that Wang Jun had no ill intentions, looked around and quickly put the copper coins back, "I'm leaving. Be careful, sir. Our Anxi Army's rules are not like those outside!"

  "Are you a man of the Anxi Army?" Wang Xun's mind was full of confusion and had nowhere to dissipate, having finally caught someone who could speak with him for a few words, how could he bear to let go easily? He stepped forward, grasping the leather strap on the other person's arm, and asked in a low voice.

  "Ah! Yes!" Xiaobing's brief response proved that Wang Xuan's judgment of people was really not good.

  "With you, with you..." Being with someone who is not good at speaking, Wang Xuan's mouth also became clumsy. After humming for a long time, he finally asked, "Then you should be an officer helping General Feng train the Fei Long Imperial Guards, why are you still wearing this..."

  "I'm just a low-ranking officer, recently promoted to a scattered post. Nowadays, I'm only in charge of helping Lord Zhou settle the new recruits and haven't been assigned any actual duties." The little soldier looked at the badge sewn on his left shoulder, which indicated he was a ninth-grade spearman, and responded with a hint of embarrassment.

  Seeing the other person so tense, Wang Xuan suddenly felt that he had been too rash. He quickly cupped his hands and said in a low voice: "I don't understand these things, big brother, don't blame me for speaking out of turn!"

  "It's nothing, it's nothing!" The little soldier smiled slightly, revealing a few white teeth.

  "Haven't had a chance to ask your esteemed surname yet?" Wang Xun thought for a moment and continued to try to get closer to the other person.

  "My surname is Su. I'm Su Shenxing! That's all." The little soldier's answer was very simple, and he refused to say anything more than what Wang Xun had asked.

  "Your words are cautious, indeed fitting for your name." Wang Xuan muttered to himself, putting on a harmless smile, and continued to exchange pleasantries with the other party, "Brother Su must have returned to the capital with General Feng to present the captives? I watched you guys being praised in public when you were parading through the streets. I was so envious that my eyes were wide with wonder, never thought I'd get to talk to heroes like you up close today!"

  "No, no, I don't dare!" Su Shenxing's hair stood on end as he waved his hand and backed away. "I, I have to go. Zhou, Lord Zhou is still waiting for me to return and report the order!"

  Having said that, he no longer paid attention to Wang Zhong's words and ran away quickly.

  "Actually scared one away!" Wang Xuan anxiously scratched his head. Without Su Shen, he didn't know who to turn to for answers to the doubts in his mind. After looking around for a moment, he noticed that there was someone moving about in the dormitory opposite where new recruits lived, and his heart skipped a beat with joy. He quickly put on a smile and walked towards them.

  "Get back!" A head immediately popped out of the opposite window and shouted loudly at Wang Xuan. "If you want to get beaten, climb up the flagpole yourself, don't come over and harm us!"

  "What's wrong with you?" Wang Xun hesitated and stopped in his tracks.

  "Hey, newcomer! Take a look at the stone tablet at the entrance. It's right in the middle of the road, yeah, that one!" The unfamiliar face at the window quickly noticed Wang Xuan's confusion and pointed to the straight path connecting the various buildings, smiling as he reminded him.

  Wang Xun followed the direction of his opponent's finger and indeed saw a huge stone monument. The monument was obviously newly engraved, with thick ink marks on the characters. Wang Xun hastily walked several steps to approach the monument, widened his eyes and carefully read it. On the monument, in extremely concise language, was written: "If you hear the drum but do not advance, if you hear the gong but do not stop, if the flag is raised but does not rise, if the flag is pressed down but does not fall, this is called a rebellious army, and those who commit it will be beheaded. If you are called by name but do not respond, if you are summoned at the appointed time but do not arrive, if you violate the military law and change the formation, this is called a slow army, and those who commit it will be beheaded. If you transmit the night watch signal but do not report, if you are lazy and do not take action, if you disobey orders and do not follow the rules, this is called a lax army, and those who commit it will be beheaded. If you speak many words of complaint, if you become angry with your commander, if you do not listen to instructions and are difficult to control, this is called a chaotic army, and those who commit it will be beheaded. If you shout loudly and laugh, if you despise the rules and regulations, if you rush into the military camp, this is called a light army, and those who commit it will be beheaded...

  There are seventeen articles, fifty-four beheadings. Wang Xuan's neck was cold sweat after reading it. Fortunately, under the bloody military rules, there is a small note that reads: "New recruits are trained, and those who are ignorant are punished with 50 military sticks for the first offense. For repeated offenses, the punishment will be doubled. Those who commit three offenses without reform will be beheaded without pardon!"

  "Oh heavens!" Wang Xuan let out a silent scream in his heart, finally understanding why the people in the opposite building wouldn't let him pass to chat earlier. Loud laughter and scornful words, disregarding the ban, if caught by patrolling officers, no one could escape these fifty unjust lashes!

  He was now regretting why he didn't think it through before coming to the military. Just then, several people walked quickly from a distance. The one in front was that officer with a huge scar on his face. Seeing Wang Xuan, he waved at him from afar, "Vice Captain Wang, please wait a minute. I have a few words to tell you!"

  Wang Xuan, still in a state of shock, instinctively stood up straight and cupped his hands together in respect. "Please speak, sir! I am all ears!"

  Seeing him like this, the scar-faced officer smiled triumphantly, "Heh heh heh, scared you, didn't I? I just knew that Su Shenxing guy might scare you, so I rushed over. Don't be afraid, these military rules are strict, but General Feng is a good boss, as long as you're not intentionally offending him, he won't let anyone bully you on purpose!"

  Upon hearing these words, Wang Xun's heart finally dropped a few more inches into his stomach. He cupped his hands together and smiled, saying: "Thank you, sir. May I ask what instructions you have for me?"

  "Come on, let's go! We'll talk as we walk!" The officer with the scarred face smiled and walked towards Wang Xun's house, introducing himself along the way. "My surname is Zhou, I'm a captain in the new recruit camp. You can call me Old Zhou or, like them, Zhou Lao Hu!"

  "I dare not, I have seen Lord Zhou before!" Having just dealt with the thrifty Su Shenxing, Wang Xun was extremely unaccustomed to Zhou Dou's enthusiasm, and he replied in a low voice with great courtesy.

  Zhou Duwei shook his head and didn't dwell on the title, "The new recruit camp is short of officers, since you are an eighth-rank Xuanjie, you can take charge of a team. Su Shenxing may not speak, but the accommodation he arranged for you is just right. This new recruit camp's seventh regiment second team will be handed over to you to lead..."

  "Absolutely not!" Before Zhou Dounan could finish speaking, Wang Xun hastily interrupted, "This subordinate has just arrived and is still in the dark. Sir, please don't assign this team to me, otherwise, I will definitely make a fool of myself! Before coming here, I have already spoken with General Feng and am willing to start from being a small soldier. Please, Zhou sir, withdraw your order!"

  "Do you really only want to be a small soldier?" Zhou Duwei was stunned, the scars on his face jumping up and down with his eyelids.

  "Yes, I am willing to start from a small soldier!" Wang Xuan was frightened by the other's ferocious appearance and his heart was chilled, but he forced himself to be brave, his eyes not blinking or avoiding.

  Staring at Wang Xuan for a long time, Zhou Douwei didn't see any signs of pretence, smiled and slowly withdrew his sharp gaze. "You want to be a small soldier, but I can't let you act recklessly according to your temper. It's not a big deal if you get into trouble occasionally, I'll assign two deputies for you, discuss everything with them, and ensure you won't cause any problems. Zhao Deputy Commander, Li Deputy Commander, from today on, the two of you will be the deputy commanders of the new Seventh Army Second Team. Within two months, whether it's the new recruits or the Imperial Guards who came for retraining, I want to see them transformed!"

  "Yes!" The two officers who had been following Zhou Doujun stepped forward half a step, clasped their fists and acknowledged the order.

  "Shut up..." Zhou Dou still wanted to make more excuses, but was stared down by Zhou Douwei and swallowed his words. "Less nonsense, if you don't understand something, ask your deputy. You were personally selected by General Feng, so don't embarrass him. Otherwise, the brothers will not let you off."

  I just wanted to hide in the military camp for a few days, I didn't think about getting promoted or ennobled! Wang Xuan smiled bitterly in his heart, but had no choice but to learn from the two deputy captains earlier and salute with his fists "Yes! Subordinate obeys the command of General Du!"

  "Is that all right?" Zhou Doulie's face changed faster than flipping a book, from thunderstorm to sunny sky in an instant. "What else do you need? Just tell me directly. I'm Zhou Lao Hu, and I won't make things difficult for my own brothers!"

  Note 1: The military system of the Tang Dynasty followed the old example of the Sui Dynasty. Every 800 to 1200 people set up a折冲府, with the leader being the 折冲都尉. Under him were two 果毅都尉, one 长史, one 兵曹, one 别将 and six 校尉. Three hundred soldiers formed a 团, led by a 校尉; one hundred people formed a 旅, with a 旅率 in charge; fifty people formed a 队, with a 队正 in charge; ten people formed a 火, with a 火长 in charge.