Section 15 Military Discipline and Training

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  After this training outline was handed over to the team, Sun Congzhou, Kang Daxuan, and Zuo Zhenyuan were all stunned for half a day. This is several times stronger than the training intensity of other troops in the entire regiment. They couldn't help but be surprised, and at the same time, they admired that this little rascal really had something in his brain, and he was able to reorganize the 8th Regiment, eliminate redundant personnel, rectify military discipline, and come up with such a frightening training outline in such a short period of time. The three men began discussing it in Sun Congzhou's office.

  "Is that so? Can this kid learn these things at the Army Middle School? As far as I know, the Army Middle School doesn't have such things, does it? Even the Martial Arts Hall may not have them all. Where did he get them from?" Left Zhenyuan asked, holding his teacup and looking at Sun Congzhou and Kang Daxuan.

  Sun Chongzhou sat behind his large office desk, in a chair covered with deerskin, leaning back and laughing: "This kid completely changed after he woke up from the fall. His brain must have been thoroughly opened up, this is his mother's... He even asked me for 40 war horses and told me to hurry up and give him next month's full ration of grain and military pay. Said he needs to take people into the mountains for training, must have war horses to complete his 'plan'. Made it seem like I already approved it."

  "The war horse and fodder aren't the problem, but what I don't understand is where that kid got such a large sum of money from? He gave 8,400 yuan to settle twenty-one old brothers, and just like that, ten thousand yuan was spent. His father and uncle didn't leave him any money, did they?" Kang Daxuan said on the side, somewhat puzzled: "The Linglong Tower is a wealthy household, but in the past when Er Li Zi (Sun Congli) was stationed there, he only received 15,000 yuan in offerings at most. If this kid also took the offerings to give to those old brothers, then he wouldn't have any money left over either. Doesn't he know to leave some for himself?"

  In the Beiyang Army, such bribery had long been an open secret. Therefore, any high-ranking official, whether in the military or local government, would not ask too many questions about bribes from local wealthy families, landlords and merchants.

  Zuo Zhenyuan took over Kang Daxuan's words: "That kid told me before he left that he wanted to turn the 8th company into an elite company. He also said that in the future, he would use 'First battle with me, use me to win' as his motto for leading troops. At the time, I thought he was a bit arrogant, but now it seems that if he continues to work hard like this, without even needing to enter autumn, the 8th company can really become the most powerful combat company."

  "He's really bringing us good soldiers, but the things he wants, take a closer look at what's on that list." Sun Congzhou sat up, although he was very pleased with Liu Mingjiu's performance, but the things Liu Mingjiu asked him for also made him quite troubled: "Don't you see what's on that list? Piglets, rice seeds, wheat seeds, millet seeds, soybean seeds... where am I supposed to get these from? And he even wants me to give him a heavy machine gun, a mortar, and a light machine gun. The most outrageous thing is that he actually asked me to provide him with enough ammunition for another battle against the Western Liangzi bandits for training purposes."

  "Haha, Captain, this kid's mother has also taken you for a big shot, and now she's coming to you." Kang Daxian said with a loud laugh.

  Sun stood up from Zhou's station, and with a punch to Kang Daxuan's chest: "You dare to be so arrogant? You don't worry about things not being used, you don't care about transportation, are you here to watch the show?"

  Sun Congzhou joined the Yi Army three years earlier than Kang Daxian, and when Kang Daxian and Zuo Zhenyuan first entered the Yi Army, they were all under his command. For twenty years, these people have been tied together, so although they are now high-ranking officials, they still often privately act like children, playing and joking around.

  Zuo Zhenyuan also punched Kang Daxuan's back and said, "As for the seeds and piglets, he wants to take them away to try out some kind of self-sufficient production team. I can go to the market or find those wealthy households in town to get it for him. But this ammunition business, damn it! Six thousand rounds of heavy machine gun bullets, eight thousand rounds of light machine gun bullets, and one hundred and fifty-five mortar shells per month? Does he think our regiment is General Jiang's guard team? I've given him everything, what about the others?"

  "Alright, let the 'ghostly slippery' one he sent over come in. We'll only give him seeds and piglets. Mother earth, I made a mistake by approving this, isn't that just asking for trouble? Sun Zongzhou finally made his decision, and the other two nodded in agreement."

  The deputy officer went to the team department with Liu Mingjiu's order, and Wu Tongjin was called into Sun Congzhou's room. Sun Congzhou looked at Wu Tongjin and opened his mouth: "Go back and tell that little rabbit, guns and cannons are not available for your regiment now, seeds and piglets will be given to you, war horses I can take out 30 matches, also let you bring them back together. In the future, let that kid think carefully before asking, damn it, treating me like a wealthy family?"

  Wu Tongjin didn't dare say anything, he wasn't as close to the team leader as Liu Mingjiu was. After all, Liu Mingjiu was the one who had saved Sun Congzhou's life, and Wu Tongjin was just a friend of his father's. So he just nodded in agreement and followed Zuo Zhenyuan out of Sun Congzhou's office. In two days' time, Zuo Zhenyuan brought the team's quartermaster and Wu Tongjin to buy and extort enough grain and piglets for Liu Mingjiu, and even sent a platoon from the guard company to escort Wu Tongjin back to Lingjintang.

  Liu Mingjiu also thought that he would not be given guns and cannons. The entire 18th regiment had only eight heavy machine guns, sixteen mortars, and light machine guns were allocated to each company with only one gun per company. After seeing Wu Tongjin return, he didn't say much. He just let Xue Zhisheng, the cook squad leader who was good at cooking and farming, follow Wu Tongjin to store the goods. Before Wu Tongjin went to the county town, Liu Mingjiu had already commanded the whole company to build pigpens, a large bathhouse, and a large toilet in the camp area, and renovated and expanded the original canteen and warehouse that could only accommodate 60 or 70 people for meals. So after Wu Tongjin returned, the pigs were also driven into the pigpen. To transform the facilities of the camp area, Liu Mingjiu spent more than 4,000 yuan, and finally saw the appearance of the 8th company's previous life unit. The townspeople were also amazed that the 8th company not only built brick houses for the officers and soldiers to live in but also rebuilt the warehouses, canteens, toilets, bathhouses, armories, ammunition depots, stables, and pigpens into brick structures, which were even better than many ordinary people's homes in the town.

  The seeds were sown, and half a month later, the townspeople saw another strange scene. The soldiers of the 8th Company had transformed the 80 mu of so-called wasteland allocated to them into fertile fields along the riverbank using horse-drawn plows before sowing, and dug irrigation canals. Afterwards, all the soldiers in the company took off their shirts on the day of the spring awakening and started working in the fields with hoes, led by Liu Mingjiu, who was also shirtless. The people of this era had never seen a farming army before, and for a time, Liu Mingjiu's words "take action yourself, be well-fed and warmly clothed" spread throughout Jianchang and Chaoyang.

  The common people soon understood that the Eighth Company wanted to reduce the military tax burden on the local area, and many peasants voluntarily joined in the planting of the military fields. Those who sent water and dry rations often appeared at the edge of the military fields, but the officers and soldiers of the Eighth Company refused to accept anything. The common people were puzzled, and after repeated inquiries from the officers and soldiers of the Eighth Company, Wu Tong took the initiative to set up several large signs at the gate of the military camp and the edge of the military fields, publicly posting the "Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention".

  The Three Main Rules of Discipline are: First, all actions must be carried out under orders, and in unity we can achieve victory! Second, do not take even a needle or thread from the masses; the people will support and love us. Third, all spoils of war must be handed over to the public treasury, and we must strive to lighten the burden on the common people.

  The Three Main Rules of Discipline we must abide by, and the Eight Points for Attention we must not forget! First, speak politely and with courtesy, respect the masses and do not show arrogance. Second, when buying or selling, prices must be fair; no exploitation is allowed. Third, return borrowed items promptly and in good condition. Fourth, if something is damaged, compensate the owner fairly and fully.

  Fifth, do not beat or scold people; eliminate the warlord mentality. Sixth, take care of the crops and property of the masses; be mindful of this during military operations. Seventh, do not flirt with women; eradicate the habits of a hoodlum. Eighth, do not mistreat prisoners of war; no beating, scolding, or searching of their belongings is allowed.

  Everyone must consciously abide by these rules and supervise each other to prevent any violations. The Eight Points for Attention of the 8th Company must be remembered clearly; the soldiers of the 8th Company love the people everywhere.

  Defend the country and forever advance; the people will support and welcome us.

  An old scholar stood under the sign at the entrance of the military camp, reading out these new regulations. The civilians nearby listened intently, and suddenly erupted into thunderous applause. After all, many of the new recruits in the 8th Company were from this very town, so soon many soldiers' parents rushed to their children's side during work hours, all saying the same thing: "Tell your son to follow Commander Liu well."

  Whether it was the Qing army or the Green Standard Army, and now the Yi Army, all these civilians had seen were some lawless and tyrannical "military officers" who bullied and oppressed the people. When had they ever seen a superior officer who demanded such things of his subordinates? Not to mention seeing one, they hadn't even heard of it before. So the whole town quickly set off a wave of enthusiasm for the army.

  Liu Mingjiu plagiarized something from his own troops in the future, and although he gained the support and admiration of the people, he began to encounter resistance in both the military and political circles. You don't want to be greedy, okay? But then you openly put these things out for the people to see, aren't you clearly saying that those other people are corrupt officials, a troop that exploits the people? So first, someone reported it to the regimental commander, who suppressed it, and had Sun Zongzhou "delay, withhold, and strangle" the logistics supply of the 8th company. Then, County Magistrate Deng Zhisheng secretly met with the 68 large households and merchants of Lingtang Tower, and reached an agreement that no one would provide financial assistance to the 8th company. You don't want your troops to take from the people? Well, then start with yourself, Liu Mingjiu.