Chapter 10: Selecting Soldiers (Part 6)

  Li Zhen answered Qi Shan's question and soon left the central army account with Wu Qigong. He did not follow Wu Qigong back to the camp, but went alone to Huang Shi Hai's camp.

  He had previously discussed with Huang Shi-hai the issue of forming a dagger special force, but did not select soldiers.

  Next is the selection of soldiers.

  Li Zhen arrived outside the camp, and the four soldiers standing guard straightened their bodies to greet Li Zhen spiritedly. It wasn't until Li Zhen walked in with big strides that the four soldiers relaxed. Li Zhen entered the main tent, and Huang Shi Hai hurriedly stood up from his seat to offer it to Li Zhen. After Li Zhen sat down, he asked: "Shi Hai, how is the selection of soldiers going?"

  Huang Shi Hai nodded and said: "I'll report back to Your Excellency, everything has been arranged."

  After a pause, Huang Shi Hai continued: "Sir, the soldiers in the army are all brave and fearless, not afraid of death, hardship or fatigue. They can all join the Dagger Special Forces."

  Deep down, Huang Shi Hai is still proud.

  Huang Shi-hai thought that the soldiers under his command were excellent and hoped that all of them could participate.

  Li Zhen shook his head and said firmly, "Shi Hai, I've told you before that the Sharp Blade Special Forces are not just about having brute strength and knowing some martial arts. There's a lot to learn and many things to pay attention to. Alright, gather all 928 soldiers in the army who can fight on the drill ground below, I'll personally select the soldiers."

  "Yes, I will go and pass on the order."

  Huang Shi Hai sighed inwardly and turned to leave.

  Two men, one in front and one behind, came out of the camp, Li Zhen standing on the platform waiting. Less than a minute later, all 928 soldiers from the camp who could go to battle gathered together, standing neatly under the platform.

  Huang Shi Hai and Huang Hu stood at the forefront with their heads held high and chests out, full of spirit.

  Li Zhen ordered: "Huang Shi Hai, Huang Hu, stand aside, don't stand with the other soldiers." Huang Hu and Huang Shi Hai received the order and immediately withdrew to stand aside and watch.

  The two were military commanders and did not need to participate in the selection.

  Li Zhen took a deep breath and said loudly: "First, I'll say one rule. When I'm speaking, no whispering to each other, no private conversations. Whoever disobeys will leave immediately. Those who don't want to follow the rules, stand up now!" Li Zhen paused for a moment, his eyes scanning all the soldiers, and asked loudly: "Is there anyone who doesn't obey?"

  "No!"

  The soldiers opened their throats and shouted loudly.

  Li Zhen nodded in satisfaction and said loudly, "No one leaves, good. You all know that I'm going to select soldiers to form the Sharp Blade Special Forces, but the first condition for selection is a shaved head, everyone will be shaved bald. Those who are unwilling to shave their heads, stand up, those who are willing, stay behind. I'll give you one minute to consider, and after one minute, we'll proceed to the next round of selection."

  The first condition was that Li Zhen would shave his head.

  Imagine when engaging in close combat, being caught by the hair and completely finished. No matter how strong the martial arts are, it's impossible to break free from having one's hair pulled. Moreover, shaving one's head can also be equipped with a wig, which can also cope with officials, and the impact is not great.

  The soldier under the stage looks at me, I look at him, and we both think it's very strange.

  Huang Hu stretched out his hand and rubbed his smooth head, grinning from ear to ear.

  Huang Shi Hai furrowed his brow, feeling a bit absurd in his heart. However, he had already submitted to Li Zhen and wouldn't go back on his word or dare to interfere with Li Zhen's actions, so he could only wait quietly. A moment later, only two-thirds of the soldiers remained below the platform, with over 600 people left behind.

  Li Zhen said: "You can stay, I'm very happy, and I hope you can persist until the end."

  Li Zhen paused for a moment, then shouted loudly: "Those who have smoked opium, step forward!"

  More than 600 soldiers stood still, with no one stepping forward.

  Li Zhen did not believe that there was not a single one, and said in a cold voice: "I reiterate once again, soldiers who have smoked opium or morphine, step forward. If you stay inside and are found out later, you will definitely be expelled from the military camp. Now stand up, and you can still stay in the camp, still go to the battlefield to fight the enemy, I hope you consider carefully, do not pretend, do not challenge my bottom line."

  Li Zhen's words spread and the soldiers began to waver.

  At the same time, some soldiers looked at Huang Shi-hai standing not far away, hoping that Huang Shi-hai could stand up and speak. Huang Shi-hai and Huang Hu stood silently, making all the soldiers know they couldn't get through.

  Even if you muddle through now, your true nature will eventually be exposed.

  Gradually, one or two disheartened soldiers walked out of the ranks, and then people quit one after another. With the pioneers, the psychological pressure on the following soldiers was not so great, and they all walked out voluntarily to stand with the soldiers who had previously quit. This round left about 120 soldiers, leaving nearly 500.

  Li Zhen continued: "You 500 people are basically qualified, but you still face a problem. Next, you will read books and recognize characters, recite texts like children, and memorize lessons like children."

  In an instant, the soldiers under the stage let out a burst of astonished cries.

  "Oh no, I still have to read books! How terrifying!"

  "I'm just an uneducated roughneck, I don't even recognize big characters, how can I read books?"

  "No, can't read books, can't read."

  ……

  Under the stage, it was noisy and chaotic, like a vegetable market. Most of the soldiers' faces showed surprise. In this era, most scholars were studying for imperial examinations and thinking about being on the golden list. The majority of soldiers who enlisted were ordinary civilians who had never read books before, so suddenly asking them to read was unthinkable.

  What's more, many soldiers deep down think they can't read books and don't believe in themselves.

  Li Zhen looked at the noisy and chaotic scene, sighed in his heart.

  It is impossible for bookworms to become soldiers, but most soldiers are illiterate. Li Zhen wants to build an elite special forces team, requiring soldiers to be literate and have sufficient martial arts skills. A slightly easier approach would be to teach soldiers to read and gradually become versatile in both literature and martial arts. The journey may be long, but it's not impossible.

  Huang Shi Hai stood by, shaking his head gently.

  Huang Hu was secretly delighted and hoped Li Zhen would change his mind and stop reading books.

  "Quiet!"

  Suddenly, Li Zhen let out a loud shout.

  In an instant, the five hundred soldiers under the stage all closed their mouths and did not speak.

  Li Zhen continued: "I know many of you are illiterate and haven't read books. But as long as you have perseverance, determination, and ideas, nothing can stop you. How to choose? It's up to yourselves. I'll also give you a minute to think about it. Those who want to study will stay, and those who don't will leave automatically."

  "Alas, I'm really not cut out for studying. No way, it's just not going to work." A middle-aged man shook his head and walked out of the line, heading towards another group nearby.

  Right behind, more and more soldiers came out one after another.

  Li Zhen's mouth twitched slightly, and he felt a bit tense. He had overestimated these soldiers, not every soldier was willing to stay and learn to read and write. Most of the soldiers were ordinary people who couldn't read or write, and their minds had been instilled with the idea that they couldn't read books, so one by one they dropped out.

  More than five hundred men, in the end only one hundred and twenty-three soldiers were left.

  The gap was so large that Li Zhen was also surprised.

  Huang Shi Hai was not surprised because he had anticipated the situation in front of him. Especially since there were still over 120 soldiers left, it was already quite good.

  Li Zhenzhen raised his spirits and said loudly: "All the soldiers who stayed behind will be registered and become the first batch of soldiers in the Sharp Blade Special Forces. I believe you won't regret today's decision, because you have chosen a path of strength."

  Then Li Zhen handed over the matter to Huang Shi Hai for handling.

  Registered and started preparing for training soldiers.

  PS: The sixth update of ten updates