Chapter 71: Physical Training

  Physical Training

  Li Haoniu took over Yao Fangcao's roughly edited "Outline of Physical Training and Team Formation" and immediately flipped through it, becoming more and more astonished.

  "Throughout history, both at home and abroad, for all who engage in battle, physical fitness is the foundation of their combat effectiveness. Especially when weapons are at a disadvantage, the physical fitness of soldiers can make up for the lack of combat effectiveness and turn the tide."

  The Qing dynasty was externally oppressed by the military forces of various powers, mainly because its weapons were inferior and its physical quality was greatly inferior. This was also due to the fact that its nourishment and training were not as good as those of others, rather than being inherently so from birth.

  To defend against foreign invasion, soldiers must first strengthen their physical fitness and secondly strengthen their discipline. Physical fitness and discipline have always been complementary to each other. Without strict discipline, good physical fitness cannot be achieved, and without good physical fitness, it is impossible to maintain strict discipline and obey orders.

  Military physical fitness refers to the comprehensive biological ability that soldiers must possess in order to complete long-term, high-intensity and high-standard combat tasks assigned by commanders under various complex and harsh environmental conditions. It is a combination of collective strength, brainpower and psychological quality. Military physical training is a comprehensive biological training that integrates physiological, psychological and chronobiological knowledge.

  The training objectives of our village warrior team are:

  First, to make the village warriors possess strong physical strength in terms of power, endurance and speed to meet various tactical and combat requirements;

  Second, to enable the village warriors to have abundant energy to resist brain fatigue, meeting the demands of continuous combat;

  Third, to enable the village warriors to possess unyielding willpower, overcoming difficulties on the battlefield and withstanding enormous psychological pressure;

  Fourth, to make the village warriors possess high concentration to resist environmental interference, fully devoting themselves to battle without distraction;

  Fifth, to train the village warriors to have keen observation skills, rapid reaction ability and good motion coordination ability, enhancing their survival capabilities on the battlefield.

  Our work is to strive for these five points every day, strengthen military physical training every day, and build a qualified and defendable militia team.

  The following is the most basic outline of physical training I planned...

  Li Haoniu looked at him with a glance, his whole body trembling, and he kept looking up to see Yao Fan chatting and laughing with the big guys, asking about everyone's life and thoughts.

  "The master has been planning for a long time! Has been planning for a long time......"

  I, Li Haoniu, am so fortunate! I've actually been summoned by a famous master! If it's true what the master wrote, then this strong army can not only resist foreign invasion but also eliminate the domestic Qing dynasty's evil forces!...

  "Why must we practice standing and turning alone for so long? What is the point of formation training after all?"

  Li Haoniu excitedly thought, continuing to flip through it.

  "On the surface, formation is just a ceremony, but in essence it is an indispensable organizational form for all military activities and collective actions, a discipline and norm that silently infiltrates training and life."

  Throughout history, famous armies have not been able to achieve perfection without strict discipline and rules. The most rigorous formation training can strengthen the organizational capabilities of an army. In a well-regulated formation, there is a deeper purpose of governing the army with strict laws.

  Good military posture, strict military appearance, tough style of work, coordinated movements, all contain strict organizational discipline! This has an irreplaceable role in maximizing combat effectiveness and cultivating regularized strong armed forces! A team's powerful and swift execution, obedience to orders, and listening to commands, where do these qualities come from? All come from formation training!

  In a day's drill training, there are thousands of mechanical and repetitive orders, through which soldiers can strengthen their obedience and discipline by obeying commands time and time again.

  Li Haoniu understood clearly, and what he saw was convincing, both in his heart and in his words, and he surrendered completely.

  "What a great master! Seeing the subtle and knowing the grand! Pulling one hair to move the whole universe! Seeing true wisdom in the ordinary! Compared to Master Dong, I, Li Haoniu, am simply on a different level..."

  That evening, at Qingdao Kou Shi Jia Fan Dian restaurant, Yao Feng hosted a dinner party for Sun Mao Wen, Wei Guo Fu, Liu Zi Ming, with He Wan Nian as the guest of honor.

  After three rounds of wine, Yao Fang spoke up.

  "To be honest with you three brothers, this time I went to Jinan Prefecture and met the number one person in our Shandong province, Ding Baozhen, Lord Ding!"

  "Oh! Brother Yao has met Lord Ding? Does Governor Zhang have any instructions?" Sun Maowen asked in surprise.

  Yao Fan looked at Sun Mao Wen and felt he wasn't pretending.

  "Brother Yao, tell me, how did you meet Ding Junmun?" Wei Guofu asked in surprise.

  Yao Fan was somewhat taken aback by Wei Guofu's rough demeanor.

  "Brother Yao can actually meet Lord Ding! How much silver will this cost?" Liu Ziming's look of surprise was the most intense.

  Yao Fan's purpose tonight is to make a big flag with tiger skin and blow his own trumpet under the banner of Ding Baozhen.

  "Hehe, who would have thought that a humble merchant like me would be invited by Lord Ding to his residence in Junmen Alley, and get to savor the feast at Lord Ding's home? It's truly a blessing from my ancestors, a fortune that spans three lifetimes! Now that I think about it, that dish of stir-fried greens and tofu was even more delicious than any delicacy from the mountains or the sea."

  "Brother Yao, speak up! Does Lord Ding have any instructions?" Sun Maowen fawned heavily.

  "Director Ding heard that my Yao family has a strong foundation overseas and asked me to help the Machinery Bureau purchase equipment. I, Yao Fang, am so honored and capable that Director Ding entrusted me with this important military matter. I will devote myself wholeheartedly and die trying!"

  "Ah! But what about the machines for making foreign guns and ammunition?" Wei Guofu exclaimed!

  "It's just that there are also some steam engines and boilers, which are urgently needed materials for the Qing Dynasty."

  "Excellent! Excellent! Brother Yao's ability to climb up the ladder of success with the support of Governor Zhang is a blessing for us people from Jiaozhou and Qingdao. We brothers are truly delighted for you! In fact, I had seen it early on that Brother Yao was a rare talent, knowledgeable, intelligent, and virtuous. With the blessings of heaven, he would surely soar to great heights!"

  Come on! Let's have a drink for my brother here! No! No! No! Three big cups!"

  Sun Maowen excitedly stood up, his hands shaking as he poured himself a full cup, and drank it all in one gulp. Then, without caring whether Yao Feng had drunk or not, he again drank two more full cups. His face was filled with joy, looking like he himself had seen Ding Baozhen.

  Wei Guofu burst out laughing: "Brother Yao! With this task entrusted to you by General Ding, the matter of bringing glory to our ancestors is just around the corner! Don't be biased, brother, and let's have three cups of wine!"

  Then Yao Fan drank three more cups.

  Liu Ziming stood up and pulled Yao Fang's hand, with a sincere expression he squeezed his eyes and said: "Brother, after you rise to prominence and get promoted, don't forget to take care of your old brother! Come on, let's go together! I'll drink three cups, you do as you please."

  Yao Weng burst out laughing and asked He Wan Nian to take out Ding Baozhen's hand-painted signboard 'Yu Chun Shang Hao'.

  "Three brothers, please take a look, what is this?"

  Yao Fan Xian put on a show.

  "Ah! This signature... Ding Baozhen... Yun Chun Business Firm... This is Mr. Ding's calligraphic treasure!" Sun Maowen hastily came up to take a closer look and exclaimed: "I've long heard that Mr. Ding's calligraphy is like the style of Yan Zhenqing, Mei Qing, Liu Gongquan, and has its own unique flair. Today, seeing it for myself, I'm truly impressed!"

  After finishing speaking, Sun Maowen raised his cup towards Yao Fang and downed three cups in a row.

  Yao Fanzhen said, "You're really overdoing it with this flattery. First of all, I don't know if your words can even reach Ding Baozhen's ears, and even if they do, Old Ding may not buy into this. Moreover, you'll be transferred to Sichuan next year, so what's the point of all this?"

  Liu Ziming said: "Brother Yao, hurry up and engrave the sign! Hang it above the shop! Let's see which ignorant ghost dares to stir up trouble again!"

  "Oh! Is someone speaking ill of me behind my back?"

  Liu Ziming said, "Brother Yao, don't worry about it. It's just a bunch of people in the customs department whispering behind our backs. I'll definitely severely punish them tomorrow and make them know that my brother is not to be trifled with!"

  Yao Fan knew that this was roughly about the bribery and smuggling problem for himself, but since Liu Ziming was in charge of customs, why bother.

  "Brother Yao, you came to see me the other day and said that a Zhentong was donated for my family, but you didn't tell me it was awarded by Lord Ding. You're still keeping secrets from your brother, aren't you? Don't you deserve a penalty of drinking a cup of wine?" Wei Guofu laughed.

  "Haha, yes, yes, I'll drink." Yao Feng downed it in one gulp.

  Wei Guofu also smiled and accompanied him for a cup, saying: "I'm a rough man, if I have something to say, I'll say it straight. If I had known earlier that it was Lord Ding who personally awarded the position, why would I call Bai Dagu and Li Shitou over? Brother Yao, don't worry about it. The Qing government's rural militia training, according to the rules, is supposed to have Green Camp soldiers inserted. I'll instruct them two to return tomorrow, so as not to waste your brothers' money."

  "It turned out that the arrangement of these two people was not instructed by Ding Baozhen, and it was also because Ding Baozhen knew that I was mixed up with this group of people from Qingdao Port, how could he be at ease to let Wei Guofu come to monitor me." Yao Feng thought.

  "Brother, I'm a rough man and often don't think things through. In the future, just speak up if you have something on your mind. If you need any weapons, just come to my camp and take them."

  "How can this be, all the weapons are on record, if any are missing, big brother, you'll have a hard time explaining it."

  Wei Guofu, who was used to empty promises, blushed at the words: "What's the point of being on the list or not, with my brother here, can't I just give my younger brother what he needs? I have plenty of weapons there, you need them, just come and take them."

  It was probably due to drinking too much, Wei Guofu said in a low voice in front of everyone: "Brother, if you don't like that Guang Jixiu, I'll lend you some personal soldiers for protection, so you won't have to practice those village braves to guard against him. That dog thing, dared to make things difficult for my brother, deserved to be beaten!"

  Sun Maowen was shocked: "Wei brother is drunk, be careful what you say. I heard that Guo Jixiu's hands and feet were broken by someone, and he is now at home nursing his wounds, saying every day that after he recovers, he wants to take revenge. His father must have known about it by now."

  Yao Fan estimated that after such a long time, these people had more or less seen through the incident.

  "Guo Weizhong has written a letter to the Governor and Magistrate of Fan and Tai, accusing me of colluding with smugglers, not only me, but also all of you present here!"

  As soon as Yao Feng spoke these words, everyone was shocked and sobered up more than half.

  Yao Fan laughed loudly: "However, I have already used the silver coins and also have Lord Ding's clear judgment, so I'm not afraid of him playing tricks. A Jiangxi censor, really stretched his hand too far."

  Yao Fang smiled and said: "I remember that night at the Ding family banquet in Junmen Alley, I was fortunate enough to meet the five sons of the Ding family. They were indeed all talented and promising young men! The eldest son, Ding Tichang, was especially outstanding, and we had a great conversation. He even told me that he would be going to Shanxi next year as a candidate for the position of prefect."

  "I heard from Brother Ding that Lord Ding has personally gone to Lord Hu's place to clarify the facts for us. Moreover, Brother Ding also sent a letter to his good friend in Laizhou Prefecture to explain the matter. After hearing this, I immediately sent silver to Lord Hu's mansion to thank him for his fairness, so please don't worry, brothers."

  Sun Maowen listened with increasing delight and happily pulled Yao Fang's sleeve, saying: "Brother has such skills, what do we have to worry about from now on!"

  Liu Ziming and Wei Guofu were also overjoyed, repeatedly inviting Yao Fan to drink.

  That night, Sun Maowen hinted to Yao Fan that he wanted to be promoted to a higher level, but was struggling to find a way to get connected and hoped Yao Fan could help.

  Wei Guofu also said that he heard Zhou Jue'en, the Daozhang of Denglai Temple, is about to be promoted and will soon take up a real post. He hopes that Yao Fan can find him a way in and is willing to spend his own money to make connections.

  It's Liu Ziming, who expressed that he likes the job of customs inspection very much and hopes to continue doing it. Yao Fan knew that he just liked money. Probably because this position is good for making money, there was no intention of changing jobs or getting promoted.

  Yao Fan readily agreed to Sun Maowen and Wei Guofu's request, saying that he would do his best.

  As they were about to leave, Wei Guofu quietly pulled Yao Feng back and said that no matter what happened in the future, even if it meant secretly attacking and killing Guo Jixiu, he would be willing to lend a hand. These rough and sinister words made Yao Feng's hair stand on end. After all, Guo Jixiu was the son of the Jiangxi Provincial Governor, and if things really got out of hand and someone died, it would surely cause a huge stir throughout the imperial court! Even Ding Baozhen might not be able to cover it up! Yao Feng didn't dare to commit such a reckless murder.

  If it wasn't for Guo Jixiu's previous arrogant remarks, which provoked Yao Fang, Yao Fang might not have taken action to break his legs and arms. Wei Guofu is indeed a bureaucratic muddle-headed person who has been emboldened by wine!