My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 91 Gaining the Trust of the Danyang Soldier (First Update, Seeking First Subscription! 16)

Looking at the fierce eyes of the soldiers before him, Liu Feng was certain that this time, no one would obey his orders like before.

If the same thing happened again, these soldiers would surely swarm forward, vying to serve and get the reward.

Liu Feng saw this and was very satisfied. Under the eager gazes of his soldiers, he raised his hand towards Tian Dan and the others in the distance, living up to their expectations.

Upon seeing the wave, Tian Dan and the others indeed rushed over with another cart.

Upon seeing this, the soldiers from Danyang became so excited that they began to scramble for the front row, forcing the officers to step forward again to maintain order.

Unfortunately, there was no silk, no millet, and no copper coins or gold ingots on the carriage this time.

There were only four pork carcasses on the cart, weighing about 30 kilograms, with a bucket of pork bones and offal next to them.

"This is my first time at the camp, so I should treat everyone to a meal."

Liu Feng pointed at the cart and shouted, "But besides the money and grain I just gave Niu Erleng, all I have left are these few big fat pigs."

"The training ahead will definitely be tough, but not everyone will get to eat meat at night."

"Because there's only so much meat!"

"Does everyone remember what I just said?"

"Those who have rendered meritorious service will be rewarded!"

"The best of you three will eat meat! The next best will gnaw on bones and eat offal! The worst will only get millet!"

After announcing the rules, Liu Feng shouted at the end, "Those who make contributions will be rewarded, and the best trainees will eat meat! Do you all understand?!"

"I understand!"

Led by the officers, the soldiers on the drill ground shouted in unison, "Those who perform well will be rewarded, and those who train the best will eat meat!"

"good!"

Liu Feng nodded in satisfaction.

Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren looked at each other from a distance, watching as the morale of the Danyang soldiers transformed from lifeless to high-spirited, all thanks to Liu Feng's transformation in just half an hour.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren would never have believed it; they would have thought it was just some shameless sycophant boasting and flattery.

But now, it seems that the two of them are the ones who are being called "villains".

Thinking that they would have to go back to report to Liu Bei that night, the two of them began to worry about how to explain Liu Feng's actions to Liu Bei.

Next, Liu Feng divided the thousand-strong force into three square formations, each consisting of three sections, and then trained them in standing posture.

Standing posture is actually quite physically and mentally taxing, and the physical condition of people in the Eastern Han Dynasty was far inferior to that of people in later generations.

Although they are hardworking and resilient, their physical condition is really not good; their apparent strength is more like a burning of vitality.

Being able to eat my fill with pickled vegetables and millet is already a great blessing. It's common for me to go hungry and only eat two meals every three days. With this kind of nutritional intake, the upper limit has long been locked.

If you think about it carefully, the military generals of the Three Kingdoms period were mostly from humble backgrounds, with the worst being wandering knights-errant.

The fundamental reason is that these people have had meat to eat since they were young, or have been able to get meat to eat.
Therefore, Liu Feng broke down the entire training into modules based on half-hour intervals, with the specific training content being standing at attention and marching.

These soldiers are all veterans with some combat experience and close-quarters combat skills. Their biggest weaknesses are discipline and morale.

Liu Feng only has a little over a month. If he wants to achieve results in such a short time, he can only start by making up for his weaknesses.

Ironically, the weaknesses of Danyang soldiers are the easiest areas to improve.

For the next half hour, Liu Feng would have the soldiers sit down to rest and drink tea with salt.

They even prepared a small pot of sugar water, just in case.

Sure enough, after about an hour and a half of training, the first person collapsed from exhaustion.

Tian Dan and the others quickly stepped forward, pulled the exhausted person out of the line, put them aside, and then fed them sugar water.

A doctor was also present to check on the situation.

Although Liu Feng felt that this kind of doctor was not very useful, he was still very trustworthy for people of that era.

In that case, these doctors become useful, since placebos do have a real therapeutic effect.

At the beginning, the soldiers in Danyang had high morale and were tempted by the promise of meat for dinner, which helped them persevere.

However, as more and more people became exhausted, morale inevitably plummeted, and the monotonous standing and walking postures were indeed difficult for these soldiers to understand.

At this moment, however, Liu Feng stood at the very front, advancing and retreating alongside these soldiers.

We trained together and rested together.

This also silenced all the discontented people from voicing their grievances.

The training session continued until evening, when the sun had already begun to set.

The pork had already been sent to the kitchen for cooking, and it wasn't anything fancy. With so many people eating, the only option was the simplest and most convenient method: boiling. However, this time there was plenty of salt, and a lot of cabbage was added, making it a truly worthy treat.

Inside the training ground, the results of the competition among the three units of soldiers have been announced.

Surprisingly, Cao Meng's unit won the championship, followed by Xu Sheng's unit, while Pan Zhang's unit came in last place.

The differences between the three units were not significant, which might have caused some dissatisfaction among the soldiers.

The one who announced the result was Liu Feng, who had spent the entire afternoon training with them.

At the same time, Liu Feng explained in detail the reasons for the judgment when announcing the result, which convinced the soldiers of Danyang.

Liu Feng's judgment was based on the proportion of people who were exhausted, the marching formation of the troops, the condition of the soldiers who persevered to the end, and some individual bonus points.

Liu Feng explained each item to the soldiers in simple, straightforward language.

For example, why is the scoring based on the number of people who are exhausted? Because all soldiers should be a whole, they are comrades, brothers, and fellow soldiers. If a brother in your own family is in trouble, can others stand idly by?
Obviously it can't be done.

So, when fighting abroad, once the army collapses and the battle is lost, can everyone stand aside?

Obviously not!
Therefore, helping your comrades is helping yourself.

We should treat our fellow countrymen as brothers and care for them in the same way.

Only when everyone is of one mind can we win every battle.

In just one day, Liu Feng had already established his authority as a comrade-in-arms in the hearts of these Danyang soldiers, and was also trying his best to instill in them the concepts of unity, friendship, discipline, and obedience.

Although this authority is still in its infancy and extremely unstable, it is a good start.

"It seems the young master won't need us today."

Fu Shiren patted his bottom, stood up, and looked at Xiahou Bo.

Seeing that the Danyang soldiers in the training ground were about to have their meal, and that their young master should be returning to his residence, they decided to escort him along the way.

Xiahou Bo stroked his chin, still pondering Liu Feng's training methods: "Ren, where did you learn these training methods from, young master? I've never heard of them before, but when I watch you train, it seems very methodical, not just haphazard."

Fu Shiren shook his head: "I don't know either. We can't just stand here like this and let the enemy die, can we? In the end, we'll still have to resort to knives and guns."

After thinking for a moment, Xiahou Bo slowly nodded: "That's right, Ren, you're right. There will always be a time when we'll be of use."

Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren were originally prepared to leave the training ground with Liu Feng.

Unexpectedly, Liu Feng did something that was beyond their imagination.

Liu Feng actually personally divided the meat for the victorious Cao Meng, and also distributed the offal and cabbage stewed with big bones to Xu Sheng's troops.

Finally, he actually went to Pan Zhang's troops who had lost the training, found a group of people to sit down, and ate millet rice with the soldiers around him.

"Eat up, everyone! Aren't you hungry?"

While chewing the millet in his mouth, Liu Feng called to the soldiers around him to eat together: "Gentlemen, although there is no meat today, there is plenty of millet. Don't be shy, eat as much as you like."

Seeing Liu Feng eating millet with gusto, the soldiers around him felt a little embarrassed.

One of the bolder ones asked Liu Feng, "Young Master, why did you come here to eat? I mean, even if you wanted to stay for dinner, why didn't you go over there? At least there's meat there."

Liu Feng raised his head, looked at the soldier, and asked, "What's your name?" "My name is Wang Gui!"

The soldier had a scar on his face, clearly from being slashed by a long sword.

In the Eastern Han Dynasty, to survive such an injury clearly shows that Wang Gui was very resilient and quite lucky.

Wang Gui's question instantly silenced the area around Liu Feng.

In fact, it wasn't just Wang Gui; almost all the soldiers were curious about this question, but none of them were as bold as Wang Gui in asking Liu Feng directly.

“Wang Gui, as I said at noon, from this day forward, I will be the ruler of all the rulers. If you all win, I will be credited; if you all lose, I will be blamed.”

Liu Feng earnestly explained to Wang Gui and the Danyang soldiers who were eavesdropping around him, "Although you lost today, you did your best, and you are not without a chance of winning. If you work harder tomorrow, you can win."

"However, we have lost today after all. You are my subordinates. Since you have lost, I, as your superior, must be held accountable. I shall be punished along with you all!"

Liu Feng's answer shocked the soldiers. When had they ever seen such a nobleman as Liu Feng, who was willing to share their joys and sorrows?
Not to mention that Liu Feng not only did not complain about their loss, but also encouraged them to keep up the good work and strive for victory. He even shared the punishment and hardship with them, which made the Danyang soldiers feel as if they were in a dream.

The conversation between Liu Feng and Wang Gui gradually spread, reaching not only Xu Sheng's troops who were gnawing on bones and eating offal, but also Cao Meng's troops who were eating meat.

These people were no different from the Danyang soldiers around Liu Feng, and naturally, they shared the same thoughts.

For a moment, the training ground fell silent, and even the meat in Cao Meng's hands seemed to lose its appeal.

If these soldiers were given a choice at this moment, it's hard to say how many would choose to continue eating meat, or how many would choose to go and eat millet with Liu Feng.

Liu Feng seemed to sense these emotions. He stood up and shouted to the other two groups, "Gentlemen, you are the victors today. You should enjoy the fruits of victory and rewards. How can you be so dejected!"

"You have won today and should eat meat, but you may not be able to win tomorrow. You must persevere. Tomorrow, I will share the meat with the victors!"

"Here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone grinned and loudly echoed Liu Feng's words.

That night, Liu Feng did not return to his residence but spent the night in the military camp.

The soldiers of Danyang were greatly encouraged and gradually gained Liu Feng's trust.

When Liu Feng ordered Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren to stay overnight for military use, they were dumbfounded, as they had not received such an order.

Fortunately, Liu Feng issued a new order, instructing the two of them to return to the governor's mansion to report back.

Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren hurriedly returned to their residence, and were immediately summoned by Liu Bei. The latter had already instructed the gatekeepers to announce their arrival and receive them upon their return.

Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren felt a bitter taste in their mouths, and they didn't know how to report to Liu Bei when they met him later.

Is all we can do to report that we sat outside the training ground all afternoon, watching our young master Liu Feng lead the Danyang soldiers into battle formation?
Unlike later generations, this era also had actions similar to standing at attention, but these actions were more of an adjunct to practicing battle formations than a systematic training method.

Therefore, Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren misunderstood Liu Feng's military posture as a formation drill.

Soon, the two met Liu Bei.

At this moment, Big Ear Brother was having a meal with his two half-brothers.

Upon seeing Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren, Liu Bei put down his chopsticks and eagerly inquired, "Haoran, Junyi, you two are finally back. Sit down and tell me in detail what Feng'er did at the training ground today!"

Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren had no choice but to tell the truth.

After all, Liu Bei had studied under famous teachers, followed great Confucian scholars, and read classic texts.

Xiahou Bo and the other man had barely finished speaking when Liu Bei laughed.

"Brother, what are you laughing at? Has my nephew done something extraordinary again?"

When Zhang Fei saw his elder brother laughing so happily, he knew it must be his nephew who made him so proud.

"My dear brother, you flatter me. It's just a story about hanging gold on a tree."

Guan Yu also laughed. As soon as he heard "standing a log with gold hanging above it," he knew what his good nephew's purpose was. He couldn't help but praise Liu Bei, "To think it's 'standing a log with gold hanging above it,' Feng'er is truly learned and talented, a precocious child."

"Eldest brother, second brother, what does this mean?"

Zhang Fei's eyes widened, his clear gaze revealing intense curiosity.

Liu Bei stroked his beard smugly, explaining the story of "standing a tree and hanging gold" to his third brother, as well as Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren, who were still unaware of the story.

"Feng'er's actions are likely aimed at gaining the trust of the Danyang soldiers."

The second master stroked his magnificent beard and nodded repeatedly: "Excellent, this is a very good move. To gain people's trust, one must first establish credibility. Those who gain people's trust will be successful in everything they do."

The Zuo Zhuan states: "Trust is the treasure of the state and the protection of the people."

"Today's events clearly demonstrate that Feng'er has grasped the essence of Zuo Zhuan. Brother, congratulations!"

The second master's praise made Liu Bei feel as if he had drunk sweet rain, and he was intoxicated with joy.

"Second brother, you flatter me, you flatter me."

Liu Bei's eyes were practically overflowing with pride, but he deliberately put on a stern face and waved his hand, saying, "If the boy hears such praise, he might really think he's capable. We can't let him get too arrogant."

Guan Yu smiled bitterly to himself. His elder brother usually kept his emotions hidden, but how could he become so frivolous as soon as his beloved nephew was mentioned?

However, Guan Yu was quite satisfied with Liu Feng.

In fact, from the time Liu Bei became the Chancellor of Pingyuan, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's status became significantly different from others, and even Jian Yong could no longer keep up with this group.

It was from this moment that Guan Yu and Zhang Fei truly distinguished themselves from the Yuan Cong and became members of Liu Bei's clan.

Yes, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were no longer considered loyal followers; they had become Liu Bei's own brothers and true members of the imperial clan.

This is precisely why the Yuan Cong faction completely declined; Jian Yong and Zhao Yun alone could not have supported such a large faction. In particular, the historical Zhao Yun can only be considered half a Yuan Cong, because he arrived late and left for seven years in between.

Fu Shiren later harbored resentment towards Guan Yu partly because Guan Yu successfully shifted his mindset and interests entirely to that of a member of the imperial clan, completely abandoning his kinship with the Yuan Cong faction.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei were all veteran generals, and naturally each had their own methods for leading troops.

Even Zhang Fei, who was assigned to Danyang, had already absorbed most of the troops by this time, which was Liu Bei's greatest fortune.

He rose from humble beginnings, yet he managed to gather two powerful and loyal advisors around him.

But now it seems that Liu Feng is actually surpassing his master.

Urged on by Liu Bei, Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren continued to recount the events of that time.

As Xiahou Bo and Zhang Fei continued to speak, the eyes of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei grew larger and brighter.

Liu Bei and Guan Yu understood the brilliance and effectiveness of Liu Feng's tactics, while Zhang Fei, the Third Uncle, simply appreciated his large eyes and the pure clarity within them.

However, no one could understand the equality that Liu Feng was trying so hard to promote, even if it was just a very crude and simple system of equal rewards and punishments.

After all, suddenly promoting equality in this era is too surreal. Liu Feng only wanted to make initial efforts to reconcile and narrow the gap between officers and soldiers.

After all, officers and soldiers must work together to unleash greater combat effectiveness.

The reason why the army of later generations was able to sweep away a century of humiliation, fight against a coalition of seventeen nations, and achieve the world's best integration of officers and soldiers is also a very important first reason.

Even in this day and age, the reason why a general's personal guards are far more effective than ordinary soldiers is because they are bound to their generals from personal freedom to the future. This can be seen as a unique form of officer-soldier integration.

When Liu Bei heard that Liu Feng was spending the night in the military camp instead of returning to his residence, he smiled, his face full of affection.

"Is that kid not coming back tonight?"

"Yes, the young master said that as the commander-in-chief, he should naturally spend the night in the military camp."

Liu Bei, displaying the demeanor of a military ruffian, laughed and cursed, "You little brat, how dare you presume to call yourself commander? What a show of military might!"

"Alright, you two have worked hard. Go and rest now. You can continue to the training ground tomorrow. If anything happens, please report to me immediately."

Xiahou Bo and Fu Shiren bowed to Liu Bei and then took their leave.

Liu Bei looked at Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with a hint of smugness.

The latter felt a jolt in his heart, as if some familiar scene was about to reappear.

"My two brothers, having children is truly unfortunate. Please listen to what your elder brother has to say..."

Thank you all for your support! Here's a big update today! Two chapters totaling 10,000 words! There will be an extra chapter at 5 PM!
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(End of this chapter)