After several days of selection and elimination, more than 6,000 people were eliminated, which really blinded the eyes of Cao Youwen and others.
"All soldiers over forty years old will be eliminated after passing the test. Those who fail to meet the standards will be eliminated! Each of the soldiers who were eliminated will receive fifty guan and return to their hometown to farm the fields! Your Majesty's grace, there are frequent wars on the two routes in Lizhou, so we will exempt the two routes and three Pay taxes every year, rest and recuperate!”
Zhang Zhongxia shouted loudly on the stage, and everyone below heard it clearly.
The noisy veterans suddenly became quiet. A severance package of 50 yuan can ensure that they have enough food and clothing for more than a year. The imperial government's exemption from taxes for three years can also give them a guarantee for farming.
Exorbitant levies and miscellaneous taxes are more fierce than tigers. Now, you can return to your hometown to work in the fields safely.
"General, this villain has no land a long time ago. Three years of tax exemption is useless!"
A veteran shouted loudly.
"Those who are landless are registered here, and it is verified by the military that they are allowed to farm in Hanzhong. Those who are willing to continue to join the army for farming will still be registered in the military, and farming in Hanzhong will still need to comply with military orders!"
Zhang Zhongxia's words made the retired soldiers nod.
It seems that the court has already made arrangements for re-employment after retirement.
"General, the villain is not convinced! The villain can still draw a bow and ride a horse to kill. You can't drive the villain away!"
"Yes! The villain is still strong, and he is skilled in bow and horse. He is no worse than those young boys!"
There were many monsters in the sea, and immediately some veterans who were dissatisfied with their age shouted loudly.
"If you are capable, you will know after passing the assessment! Cavalry is given priority!"
Zhang Zhongxia shouted loudly, and the veterans left happily. Seeing that they kept walking, they seemed to have the courage to be honest.
Cao Youwen on the stage saw this and smiled slightly.
The people of the frontier fortress are strong, and many soldiers are natural archers and can endure hardships. If these people are willing to stay, he has no objection.
"General, I am not forty years old. If you are willing to go home and farm the fields, can you get 50 coins?"
Another soldier plucked up the courage and asked loudly.
"Anyone who doesn't want to join the army can stand up and receive 50 yuan!"
The melons that are forced are not sweet, and Cao Youwen will not force anyone who is not willing to fight against the enemy.
"However, don't say I didn't remind you. The emperor founded the Jinling Martial Arts Lecture Hall and rectified the border troops. Life as a soldier will be much easier. Next, there will be recruitment of troops on Lizhou West Road. Once you retire, it will be too late to regret!"
Cao Youwen's words made many sergeants silent and undecided for a moment.
Recruiting new soldiers, they all saw that the military camp today seemed different from before.
On the infantry training ground, Zhang Zhongxia waved his hand, and the officers from the martial arts hall pushed up several artillery pieces and also carried a basket of thunderbolts.
"Some brothers will definitely ask me, after fighting for so many years, what else is there to train for? You all have your eyes wide open, and I will tell you why."
"let's start."
Zhang Zhongxia nodded, and while the soldiers looked at him in surprise, the officers became busy one after another.
Soon, all the wooden targets were set up, and all the soldiers looked at the officers curiously.
Even the old-school frontier generals such as Cheng Xin and Ma Zhong stared at the firearms on the ground in confusion.
I have long heard that firearms are sharp. Today I will see how powerful this firearm is.
"This is called Sky-shaking Thunder. Like gunpowder, it was created by the Emperor himself. Today you will see how powerful this is!"
Zhang Zhongxia sneered, and Cheng Xinxin couldn't help but be startled. I saw an officer unscrewing the screw iron cover, opening the ignition switch, igniting the wire, and the match rope burning. As the soldiers watched, the officer ran forward and threw the thunderbolt in his hand toward the target in front of him. Got out.
The sky-shattering thunder flew out in a parabola and landed around the target. A thunderous explosion sounded, smoke filled the air, and smoke and dust flew up.
Cheng Xinzhen's ears buzzed, and Zhang Zhongxia shouted loudly.
"Brothers, everyone go over and take a look!"
These guys will definitely be scared to death like the first time they saw a firearm explode.
Cheng Xin and the sergeants went over to check and saw that several targets were torn apart, and many broken iron pieces on the surrounding trees were deeply embedded in the trees.
Cheng Xin and others looked at each other in confusion. If it fell among the crowd, even if it was covered in iron armor, it would probably be a bloody mess.
"Artillery, prepare!"
Soon, the officers loaded the ammunition and fired the gun wires.
"Peng!"
The sound of artillery sounded, smoke filled the air, iron pellets roared out, and the wooden targets were shattered and completely lost their appearance.
"This... this must be... four hundred steps!"
The soldiers looked at the wooden target with shock in their eyes.
If there was this guy, wouldn't those nomadic cavalry have anything to fear?
"Peng!"
There was another cannon blast, and the iron ball screamed and flew out, fell to the ground, ran rampant, bounced and impacted, and the small trees on the school field were damaged.
Zhang Zhongxia shouted loudly among the horrified eyes of the soldiers in the field.
"Brothers, now you know why you need to practice firearms, right?"
"knew!"
Many soldiers shouted together.
Isn't this obvious? The military must be practicing firearms.
"With firearms, brothers no longer have to worry about the opponent's cavalry. When the time comes, the artillery and thunder can definitely kill the opponent. It will no longer be like before. If you win, you can't catch up, if you lose, you can't run away!"
Zhang Zhongxia's words spoke to the hearts of the officers and soldiers on the school field.
"but……"
Zhang Zhongxia raised his voice and his expression became serious.
"However, in the end of the war, infantry still has to end the battle. In addition to firearms, stabbing skills and basic sword skills, brothers also need to practice. There is a saying that sweat more in peacetime and bleed less in war. Everyone understands ?"
"clear!"
The answers were sparse and the voices were not loud.
"I can not hear!"
Zhang Zhongxia shouted loudly.
"clear!"
"louder please!"
Zhang Zhongxia looked ugly and roared loudly.
"clear!"
Finally, the voices of the soldiers were overwhelming and resounded throughout the entire camp.
Cao Youwen, who was watching Zhang Zhongxia's training from the sidelines, nodded with satisfaction.
This fellow student is indeed a talent.
The Lizhou West Road cleanup team is on track, and the Lizhou East Road in Yujie should be similar.
Invasions from other places and rebellions by officers and soldiers have repeatedly poisoned Shukou. In addition to training troops, the next step is to repair the city and consolidate the fortress.
"A few cannons can resist cavalry, isn't it a joke?"
After walking some distance away, Cheng Xin sneered, somewhat disapprovingly.
"General, it looks quite scary."
Ma Zhong said sincerely from the side.
He is now guarding Qifang Pass, and Cheng Xin is guarding Xianren Pass. Cheng Xin is his direct superior, so he can't help but be polite and considerate of gains and losses.
"It's hard to operate the artillery. In my opinion, it's more reliable to have swords, guns and crossbows in your hands!"
Cheng Xin shook his head, glanced at the infantry screening, and walked over.
On the other side of the infantry, there was a walking and staying assessment. After half a day, silence returned to the teaching field.
Excluding those over 40 years old, those who are unwilling to join the army, and those who are just like others, there are only less than 10,000 people left in the 16,000-strong team.
While Cao Youwen shook his head, he thought to himself that the situation on Lizhou East Road in Yu Jie would be similar.
It seems that there are only about 20,000 soldiers on both sides of Lizhou. The border areas are in ruins and the defenses are ineffective.
No wonder the emperor asked him to train new soldiers. Once a war breaks out, how can only 20,000 people with such a long border resist the enemy's attack?
Lizhou West Road has 30,000, Lizhou East Road has 30,000, and Lizhou Camp has 40,000 to 50,000. It seems that he still has a long way to go.
"Brothers, from today on, you are the officers and soldiers of Lizhou West Road. Starting from next year, there may be a big war! If you don't practice your skills well, you will have no choice but to be on the battlefield. If you harm yourself, you will also harm others!”
Cao Youwen walked to the high platform and shouted loudly to the tens of thousands of people on the teaching field.
"Don't think that what kind of soldiers you are, how many battles you have participated in, that's all in the past, don't mention it again! Start training from today, brothers, you must train well, because it is related to your salary and your family's Life!"
Cao Youwen's face was calm, but he was full of energy and was a little hoarse.
"General, how should we arrange the training of these soldiers?"
Wang Shixin asked curiously first.
"General, this is just military training. Why do you still care about the lives of your brothers and their families?"
Ma Zhong didn't know whether it was out of curiosity or intentional, but he loudly asked what the sergeants were thinking.
"That's a good question, General Wang! Let me answer his question first. No matter how you trained before, from now on, you will train once a day and take one day off every seven days. Of course, holidays are excluded."
Cao Youwen smiled slightly, and the hearts of all the troops were trembling.
In the past, it was only four or five days in a month at most, but now there are more than twenty extra days in a month, which is really life-threatening!
"General, how about the salary? It won't be in arrears, right?"
A sergeant continued to boldly ask loudly.
"The salary will remain the same as before. The training and assessment will begin in three months. Those who succeed in the assessment will be the real soldiers. They will receive 6 coins per month. Remember, it is 6 coins! And I promise that starting from today, There is no arrears in the army, and no one will be given a penny less!”
Cao Youwen's words made the hearts of many soldiers below jump.
In the past, the salary, which was only 4 guan per month, was often in arrears and was deducted by the superiors. Now as long as the training is qualified, the salary will be doubled. For these poor ordinary sergeants, this is a huge improvement and encouragement.
"Brothers, the emperor loves his soldiers as much as his sons. He knows that you serve the country through life and death, and he can't bear to see you bleed and shed tears! The emperor said that as long as the brothers fight bravely, they will be awarded land based on their merits, and each of them will receive 20 acres of land. Starting from Zhongtian, the more military achievements you have, the more fields you will be awarded!"
What Cao You heard once again blinded the sergeants.
Land grant, at least 20 acres of middle land! This is earth-shattering, enough to change a family's life.
You know, many of them don’t have 20 acres of farmland in total.
"The Jiangwu Hall in Sichuan has just been established. Those who have outstanding training and military exploits can choose to go to the Jiangwu Hall to study. They will be promoted faster and have more opportunities for promotion in the future!"
The voice heard by Cao You was like thunder, and all the soldiers pricked up their ears and listened carefully.
"I have said so much, but it boils down to one sentence, practice well and fight well. No matter whether you are dead or alive, the court will not treat you badly. Whether you believe it or not, you will know it later!"
Cao Youwen waved his hand and brought out boxes of coins and silk cloth.
"It will be the winter solstice and the end of the New Year soon, and today we will give out silver rewards. In accordance with His Majesty's decree, each person will be rewarded with five pieces of silk and ten strings of money this year. Brothers, celebrate the New Year happily!"
After a brief silence, the troops roared with thunderous cheers of "Long live", and everyone was smiling.
The emperor really loved soldiers. He knew what the soldiers lacked, so he made up for it.
The soldiers cheered for joy, shouting "Long Live the Mountain". Cheng Xin saw this and his heart dropped.
This is both a reward and a pie painter. Who will still be of the same mind as him in the future?
