Chapter 28: It's better to act than to speak

  That night, neither Sun Xiao nor Cao Tiancheng slept well, nor did the sixty or so lucky ones who were not punished and returned to their dormitory sleep well, because they didn't know if this newly appointed soldier Cao would play another trick like before. On the other hand, the thirty or so big-headed soldiers who were punished ran thirty laps until they were panting like dogs, and as soon as they lay down on their beds, they started snoring loudly in no time.

  However, this time Gao Yuan didn't mess around again. It was a quiet night, but just after the rooster had crowed for the first time, Gao Yuan stood outside, fully dressed and shouted in a loud voice, "Everyone assemble!"

  Like being stung by a horsefly, more than 100 big soldiers in the dormitory suddenly jumped up from their beds and rushed out one after another amidst loud counting.

  This time, everyone arrived on time, and Gao Yuan only counted seventy or eighty people. He was very satisfied with this speed. Human potential is limitless; it just depends on whether you push him to a certain extent. If you don't push him to that point, you'll never know how good he can be.

  Gao Yuan didn't know what kind of quality the soldiers in this world had, but the army in front of him was really too bad, and it was bad in all aspects. He planned to use three months to change the appearance of this army, not expecting them to have great combat effectiveness at once, at least making them look like a real army, with military discipline in every move they made. Subconsciously, he used his previous life's standards for judging soldiers to demand from his subordinates.

  Moreover, his own subordinates were too weak and needed to be strengthened, which was also the reason why Gao Yuan had to eat three meals a day. First of all, they had to eat their fill and get enough nutrition before anything else could be discussed. He Lanxiong and his two followers' robust physique made Gao Yuan very envious, and the fact that his own side of over a dozen people was defeated by just four men also reminded him from another angle how weak these soldiers were.

  Only if their bodies were stronger and had the corresponding physical strength could they possibly carry out their next military training plan. With their current physique, it's estimated that by the end of the day, the soldiers would inevitably injure themselves in batches. Can't rush, take it slow, after all, I have plenty of time.

  "Tian Cheng, arrange someone to make breakfast." Gaoyuan glanced at Cao Tiancheng, who was at the head of the team, and instructed, "You go help too!"

  Cao Tiānchéng hastily pointed to two people, and the three of them walked out of the formation, heading towards the kitchen at the edge of the military camp. The others were not given any orders, so they could only stand there stiffly.

  Sun Xiao thought Gao Yuan was going to lecture again, but unexpectedly, after telling Cao Tiancheng to take people to cook, he just stood there with his mouth pursed, like a spear, without saying a word. He didn't speak or move, and all the others could only stand still, over a hundred pairs of eyes staring at Gao Yuan in confusion, not knowing what he was going to do.

  What to do is naturally known. This is called standing at attention, maintaining an upright posture, standing still and motionless, looking simple but actually a very demanding task, testing one's physical strength, patience and willpower. In modern times, the first test for all new recruits after enlistment is standing at attention.

  Gaoyuan put on a brand new military uniform today, standing in front of all the soldiers, one word is not as good as one action, he wants to set an example for all the soldiers, and only by doing so can these soldiers be convinced.

  Time passed minute by minute, and the sky had slowly brightened up. The soldiers who didn't feel anything before were already somewhat unable to hold on, with someone occasionally quietly shifting their feet or exercising their hands and feet. But no matter where you stood, as long as there was a slight movement, the high and severe gaze would sweep over, immediately stunning these people back into place.

  Most people think that by blending in with the crowd and making slight movements, they won't be noticed, but little do they know that in this neatly arranged crowd, anyone who makes a slight unusual movement is like a 100-watt spotlight in the dark, standing out as much as possible; it's not just limited to a hundred people, even among a thousand people, he can still be easily picked out.

  Under the gaze of the superior, no one dares to make a slight move, yesterday night, those people ran thirty laps, a lesson from the past, how can we repeat the same mistake?

  In the queue, people who were slightly weaker physically were already drenched in sweat. They had never thought that standing like this would make them look like this. Even Sun Xiao felt a bit unbearable at this time, with two legs as heavy as lead, looking up at something far away, yet still as motionless as when they started. Sun Xiao was standing at the very front of the queue, closest to Gaoyuan, and could see him most clearly. From the beginning until now, Gaoyuan's body hadn't moved a single bit except for his eyeballs moving around.

  The aroma of steamed buns had already wafted from the kitchen, and Gao Yuan mentally calculated the time, roughly an hour had passed. He was still quite satisfied with the performance of these soldiers, although they were weak, they could still endure hardship, which was the most important thing. It was also possible that people in this era had a resilience far surpassing his own from his original era. Seeing that many people in the team already had their eyes glazed over, gritting their teeth tightly, it was clear they were forcing themselves to hold on. Gao Yuan knew the timing was almost right, and he couldn't expect them to swallow a big mouthful at once.

  "Dismissed, get ready for dinner!" Gao Yuan finally spoke up, and as he did, he heard a collective sigh of relief from the crowd. One person's sigh wouldn't have been noticeable, but with over a hundred people letting out a breath at the same time, it was quite loud. Then, Gao Yuan saw that more than a hundred people almost simultaneously collapsed to the ground, sitting down and rubbing their legs nonstop, including Sun Xiao.

  He let out a low laugh and shook his head, walking towards the kitchen in big strides. Freshly steamed white buns were emitting hot air, while the vegetable soup in the large pot was spreading a mouth-watering aroma. Two soldiers temporarily acting as cooks were scooping the soup into large buckets while casting sympathetic glances at their comrades standing in the center of the field. What good luck they had!

  Gao Yuan walked past, carrying a large bucket in one hand, and strode to the center of the field, where he set down the bucket with a clang. Cao Tiancheng had both arms wrapped around a bamboo steamer basket, from which wafted the aroma of white mantou buns. Two other soldiers were approaching, carrying five large ceramic bowls between them.

  "Attention! Fall in!" Captain Gao yelled loudly.

  With a loud noise, all the soldiers stood up, although their legs were still numb and weak, but the fragrant steamed buns and vegetable soup were still attractive enough, every pair of eyes stared fixedly at the food in front of them, and even the sound of swallowing saliva could be heard.

  "Sun Xiao come to help!" Gao Yuan said, "Others, follow the queue, one by one, come to receive food, no cutting in line, no pushing, no talking. Whoever disobeys, forget about eating!"

  Sun Xiao took a step forward and stood beside Gao Yuan, with Cao Tiancheng each holding a large ladle. The soldiers came over in formation, first taking the clean bowls and chopsticks from the two soldier-cooks, then walking to Sun Xiao and Cao Tiancheng's side, where they were given soup, and finally walking to Gao Yuan's side, where he personally handed them each a steamed bun.

  "Thanks, Cao!" Yan Haibo was the first to come over, taking the steamed bun from him. He straightened up and said loudly.

  With Yan Haibo leading the way, every soldier who received a mantou afterwards would loudly say "Thank you, Soldier Cao".

  Yan Haibo is a thoughtful person, on the one hand, he was sending steamed buns, while on the other hand, he was watching the young man standing next to him, who was wolfing down his food. The young man wasn't very old, probably around Yan's age, but he seemed like a thoughtful person. If he performed well in training later on, it might be worth considering promoting him. Right now, both Cao Tiancheng and Sun Xiao were lacking in thoughtfulness. Cao Tiancheng didn't seem to have much of a mind, while Sun Xiao appeared somewhat dull-witted. Both of them were the type of people who just worked hard with their heads down, but their minds weren't very nimble.

  Cao Tiānchéng brought over a bowl of vegetable soup and handed it to Gāo Yuǎn, "Military Advisor!"

  Gao Yuan nodded slightly, picked up a steamed bun and said, "Sun Xiao, Cao Tiancheng, you two come over here."

  Holding a bowl of vegetable soup and a steamed bun, Gaoyuan walked to the side, squatted on the ground, eating while asking the two people, "Are today's things all arranged?"

  Gao Yuan and Sun Xiao had to squat down as well, otherwise they would be standing above Gao Yuan while talking to him. The three of them squatted together, Cao Tiancheng said: "Everything has been arranged, after dinner you can start working. I've divided the people into teams, one team will go up the mountain to cut grass, and when they return, they'll repair the roof. Another team will tamp the earth and mend the walls, there are a few people in the team who know some carpentry skills, so let them fix the doors and windows. Each team will be led by a team leader."

  "Hmm, where are you, Sun Xiao?"

  "Bing Cao, most people have been arranged by Old Cao, there are not many people left on my side, today I will let them do one thing, which is to take out all the weapons in the team and re-grind them, they must be made to be like new ones." Sun Xiao said.

  "Alright, that's about it for today. You guys have arranged things quite well. By the way, I wanted to ask, yesterday I saw a few bows and arrows, does our team have a specialized archer?"

  "There are, a total of five people!" Sun Xiao said: "The military officer must know that it is really difficult to cultivate a qualified archer. Our team has only five people."

  "I know, just like that. I saw the bowstring has softened and is basically useless. You take some time to go to the county armory, ask them for some strings, and re-tighten it. Some weapons are no longer usable, so bring them along to exchange."

  "Yes, I understand!"

  Gao Yuan said while eating and drinking, "Today's matter will be handled by you, I have other things to attend to."

  "Understood, Adjutant!"

  Looking at the distant figure turning back to his own room, Sun Xiao and Cao Tiancheng exchanged a glance, simultaneously sighing and shaking their heads, their carefree days were now farther away from them.

  "It's not bad, at least following Gao Bing Cao, I don't have to worry about food or clothes. By the way, Old Cao, you must hurry up and get the new military uniform back, this one I'm wearing is already worn out and can barely cover my ugliness." Sun Xiao said.