Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Such scum must not be allowed to stay in Baoding Town!

Not only him, but everyone else as well, were fired!

Liu Ye said coldly, "I originally wanted to use you guys to see if I could train you well. But look at this Lord Xi. Can he still be considered a soldier? He has completely disgraced the military! From tomorrow on, all those who arrive after noon will be suspended. I will file a petition to transfer you all. There will be no more useless people left in Baoding Town!"

Luo Zili and Ke Yu, standing by, were horrified and quickly advised, "Sir, this cannot be done! This cannot be done! The officers being tortured here already account for nearly half of our army. If all of them are transferred, Baoding Town will be paralyzed! Sir, you can remove two or three of them from their posts as appropriate. This will serve as a warning to others, while also maintaining the discipline within the army..."

"no need!"

Liu Ye replied in a cold voice, "My Lords, I believe in leading troops with a strong sense of duty. From now on, anyone who wants to stay in Baoding Town should leave as soon as possible. Staying here will only bring bad luck. Without this group of people, Baoding Town will not fall apart!"

Having said this, Liu Ye pulled out a stack of documents from his bag and sneered, "Without them, this army will naturally appoint new people to take their place. Without Zhang the butcher, we still won't be eating mixed-hair pigs!"

Luo Zili and Ke Yu understood immediately. It seemed that the general was well prepared. Today was a trap. On the one hand, it would give soldiers at all levels a severe warning. On the other hand, through replacement, some of his confidants would be placed in various important positions. It was a good move that killed two birds with one stone!

Liu Ye snorted coldly, "The Emperor has granted me the power to act at my own discretion. I only have one year to transform Baoding Town into an elite force. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. I don't have the time to waste on nonsense! From now on, all officers and soldiers will be demoted and the capable promoted. Even if you're just a new recruit, as long as you're capable and impress me, I can directly promote you to the position of captain or even captain. The only condition is that you demonstrate your abilities and work hard for me! Today, I'm announcing the first commission! Zuo Baogui!"

Zuo Baogui was startled and quickly knelt on the ground, answering, "I am your humble servant!"

Liu Ye shouted, "I hereby dismiss Xi Dingkang, the commander of the Left Wing Second Battalion, from his position and place him on leave to observe his future performance. I appoint Zuo Baogui, the captain of the Left Wing Second Battalion, as the new commander, responsible for all military affairs of the Left Wing Second Battalion!"

Zuo Baogui was shocked. He had actually gone from a small captain to a captain so quickly! You know, the lowest rank of a captain is a captain of a guard. Most of them are guerrilla generals or garrison generals. Some are even directly held by lieutenant generals. He was a full three levels lower than a captain!

However, Zuo Baogui soon realized that this was his chance, a chance to truly stand out. As long as he did a good job, this young general would definitely give him a high position!

"Thank you for your appreciation, sir. I promise to lead a battalion of troops for you, even if it means sacrificing my life!"

Zuo Baogui knelt down again and shouted loudly.

Liu Ye nodded and replied, "Zuo Baogui, I admire your sharpness and righteousness. However, when it comes to leading troops, I'm afraid you're still a little bit behind. Work hard. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I hope that within the next three to five years, the title of General or Deputy General of Baoding Town will be replaced by yours! Don't let me down!"

The lieutenants and captains around were drooling with envy. Damn, Zuo Baogui just mentioned a word just now, and the general directly gave Zuo Baogui the position of captain. This was too easy to come by. All the captains present here earned their positions through military merits, blood and sweat. But this is not enough, they also need to prepare a lot of money to feed their immediate superiors!

Zuo Baogui's ancestors must be very happy that he was promoted to captain so quickly, reaching the top in one step!

Zuo Baogui's eyes were red with excitement, and he fought hard to hold back his tears. In the entire town of Baoding, he was arguably the captain most ostracized by his peers. He had earned this position step by step. If he hadn't been so unwilling to flatter his superiors, he would have definitely reached the rank of captain by now. How difficult it was for him to persevere until now! Today, the general had actually told him explicitly that he was being appointed captain not because of his talent, but because of his integrity!

Hearing this, I would have no regrets even if I died!

"General, based on your words, even if Zuo Baogui dies immediately, it will be worth it!"

Liu Ye laughed and said, "Death? That's still too early. Guan Ting, just do your job in Baoding Town. I promise you that in the future, you will be very successful. When you treat your superiors and subordinates sincerely, this is a matter of time. God sees what you do, isn't it? And you, as long as you can be like Guan Ting, not greedy or robbing, upright, and put all your thoughts on military affairs, I promise that each of you will have a bright future. If you want to scheme and play tricks, don't blame me for making you die ugly!"

"twitter!"

Everyone stood up hurriedly. "Although this general is young, he is really not easy to deal with. We must be more careful in dealing with him in the future," everyone answered in unison.

"Captain Luo!"

Liu Ye shouted.

Luo Zili quickly stood up and replied, "General, what are your instructions?"

"Bring the roster and accounts of the army to my room today. I need to familiarize myself with the situation in Baoding Town. You've been here all day, so go back and rest early. Tomorrow, we'll continue the training as usual. Tell the brothers to cheer up. Now that you've joined the army, don't just waste your time. If you end up wasting your life, don't you think you've wasted your whole life?"

Luo Zili quickly replied, "Yes!"

In the evening, Luo Zili entered Liu Ye's room carrying a stack of rosters and accounts, with Zuo Baogui and Gao Qi standing on both sides.

Liu Ye picked up the roster and briefly flipped through it. Baoding Town's eight battalions were led by eight captains, including one guard from the General's Mansion. According to the staffing quota, there should be 4,200 men. But a quick thought would reveal that there couldn't be that many. If all the quotas were filled, where would they be collecting the empty salaries? With each layer peeled back, even Liu Ye had no idea how many troops Baoding Town could currently possess.