From bone collectors to the supreme ruler of humanity

Chapter 51 Grand Military Drill

The twilight in Zhenbei City was even deeper than in Qingzhou.

Once the torches on the city wall went out, most of the street was plunged into darkness, with only a few oil lamps still lit inside the military government office.

Lin Yan finished signing the last grain allocation order and put down his pen.

The deputy commander's duties were much more trivial than when he was the chieftain of Iron Coffin Cliff.

The supply depot was in charge of transporting one-third of the grain and fodder in the northern border, and the documents delivered to them every day could pile up to half a foot high.

Fortunately, Wang Tiezhu was an expert at managing the warehouse, and although Ma Laoli was slick, he never made mistakes in the accounts.

"Deputy Commander Lin."

A voice came from the doorway.

Lin Yan looked up.

Ye Qingxue, dressed in a blue robe and with a long sword at her waist, was standing at the door watching him.

"Captain Ye," Lin Yan stood up, "coming so late..."

"I have something to tell you." Ye Qingxue walked in, sat down at the table, and placed her sword on it. "The grand military exercise is scheduled for the seventh day of next month."

Lin Yan's brows twitched slightly.

He knew about the large-scale military exercises.

The Zhenbei Army holds a competition every three years, where each battalion is brought out to compete, and military rations and defense zones are redistributed based on the rankings.

Those who rank higher get to eat good food and guard their land well, while those who rank lower can only eat cornbread and live in hardship.

The supply battalion did not participate in military exercises in the past.

They were in logistics, not combat, and by convention they were just watching from the sidelines.

"The supply battalion will also participate this year," Ye Qingxue said. "That's what Governor Cao wants."

Lin Yan remained silent.

"Commander Cao wants to test you." Ye Qingxue looked into his eyes. "After Wu Baichuan fell, many people in the military government are watching how the supply battalion turned out in your hands. Martial arts exercises are the best touchstone."

"Then let's give it a try," Lin Yan said.

Don't rush to agree.

Ye Qingxue lowered her voice and said, "I received information that several of the other battalion commanders have close ties with Wu Baichuan. Hu Tai, the commander of the Vanguard Battalion, and Fang Dahai, the commander of the Left Vanguard Battalion, are both old comrades of Wu Baichuan from the border army. Even if you report Wu Baichuan to the military government, they won't dare to say anything to your face, but they'll remember it."

Lin Yan leaned back in his chair.

"On the training ground, swords and spears have no eyes."

Ye Qingxue said, "If they want to do something shady and cripple a few of your men, what can you do about it?"

"no way."

"Then why don't you—"

"So, you'll just give up if there's no other way?"

Lin Yan interrupted her, "The Mountain Battalion's supply battalion was only recently assembled this year. They didn't participate in the military exercises before because nobody treated them as soldiers. Now, Governor Cao is giving them a chance. I can't refuse this opportunity for them."

Ye Qingxue remained silent for a while.

"There's one more thing." She pulled a folded piece of paper from her sleeve and placed it on the table. "This is a message from the Northern Military Headquarters."

The banquet began.

The paper contained only one line of small print: "Manager Lu of the Crown Prince's Office, involved in the Yongfeng Company's resale of military rations, has been escorted back to the capital. His confession states that there are other hidden details regarding the Black Wind Ridge token."

"Manager Lu is from the Crown Prince's palace," Ye Qingxue said. "He's Wu Baichuan's supplier for reselling military rations. Now that he's been brought back to the capital, what he's revealed has implicated you."

"The token." Lin Yan tapped his finger on the paper. "The Crown Prince's Palace is still looking for that token."

"What happened to the items that came with the token?"

"They should be looking for it too," Ye Qingxue said. "We don't know what Steward Lu revealed. But since the Crown Prince is still pursuing it, it means they haven't found the token or the other item."

Lin Yan folded the paper and handed it back to her.

"I see."

Ye Qingxue didn't answer. "What do you plan to do?"

"Practice martial arts." Lin Yan stood up. "Finish the martial arts demonstration first. The people from the Eastern Palace will have to wait until after the demonstration. Right now, the most important thing is to prevent the supply battalion from being trampled to death on the martial arts field."

Ye Qingxue picked up her sword and stood up, then stopped at the door. "Lin Yan, the Crown Prince's targeting of you isn't necessarily just because of the token."

Lin Yan looked up at her.

Ye Qingxue did not turn around. "My mother was evacuated from Qingzhou in the East Palace's mule cart."

She pushed open the door and went out.

Lin Yan stood inside the room, and the oil lamp flickered.

He suddenly remembered what Ye Qingxue had said in the noodle shop, "My mother took me in a mule cart and followed the evacuees south."

The mule cart of the Eastern Palace.

"Could it be that the Crown Prince's targeting is because of my relationship with Ye Qingxue?"

He rubbed his temples and stopped thinking about it.

The next morning, Lin Yan summoned everyone from the supply battalion to the drill ground.

Xiong Kuo, Sun Dayong, Zhang Dabiao, Lao Zhou, and the newly recruited soldiers, totaling about 120 people, are only a small squad compared to the 500-strong Vanguard Battalion.

"On the seventh day of next month, the entire army will hold a grand military exercise." Lin Yan stood at the front of the formation. "The supply battalion will participate this year."

A commotion broke out in the queue.

"Commander-in-Chief, aren't we in logistics?" Sun Dayong scratched his head. "Military drills are for combat soldiers. What can we do up there?"

"I'll get beaten up," Lin Yan said.

Sun Dayong was taken aback.

"The Vanguard Battalion and the Left Vanguard Battalion are both regular troops who have fought tough battles. They are better equipped, have been trained longer, and have more men than us. If we go in with conventional tactics, we will just be beaten."

No one spoke in the queue.

"Therefore, we can't play the conventional way."

Lin Yan drew his sword and drew a few circles on the muddy ground. "Most of you are not familiar with the tactics of the regular army. Even if you learn them on the spot, you won't be able to catch up with those who have been training for three years in half a month. But you know other things."

He used the tip of his knife to draw lines between the circles.

"Xiong Kuo knows the military swordsmanship, Sun Dayong knows the scout footwork, Zhang Dabiao has worked as a guard at Qingfengxiang and knows how to block people, and Lao Zhou has fought in the border army and knows how to use veteran soldiers."

He drew a few more arrows. "I've seen the battle formation of the Northern Barbarians at Qipanling. They are few in number, but their formation is loose, with groups of three to five people, weaving in and out to attack the flanks. When regular troops encounter this kind of fighting, their formation breaks down and they can't regroup."

Xiong Kuo narrowed his eyes. "You mean—"

"Combine the skirmish formations of the northern barbarians with the movement patterns of scouts."

Lin Yan's blade traced lines rapidly across the muddy ground. "Three people per group, two groups per team, used for both offense and defense. When advancing and retreating, follow the combined attack techniques of my Swift Body Palm. After one round of attacks, immediately disperse and let another group take over. Don't engage the regular army head-on, fight around them."

Sun Dayong stared at it for a long time, then asked, "What kind of formation is this?"

"The Eight Trigrams Formation," Lin Yan said.

It actually has nothing to do with gossip; it's just that the movement route looks like a Bagua diagram. But having a name is better than nothing.

"Is half a month enough for training?" Xiong Kuo asked.

"It has to be enough, even if it's not enough." Lin Yan sheathed his sword. "From today onwards, train for six hours every day. Once you've mastered it, show those regular troops on the training ground that the supply battalion isn't made of clay."

Training began that afternoon.

Lin Yan divided the 120 people into 40 groups of three.

Of the three, one is the main attacker, one is the main defender, and one is the support. The two groups are paired up to form a team, with one team attacking and the other retreating, taking turns to cover each other.

The first three days were simply unwatchable.

Sun Dayong's group of scouts were fast runners, but they forgot their formation as they ran, and the trio scattered like a pile of sand.