Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Inside the Nanshan training ground in Yuxi, Shen Lang watched the Nanzhao soldiers training and his brows furrowed into a deep frown.

These thousands of people were all newly conscripted civilians who had not undergone systematic or large-scale military training.

Whether it was formation or weapon combat, it could be described as a complete mess.

However, what is noteworthy is that these newly enlisted soldiers are in no way inferior in terms of morale to the five thousand elite soldiers brought from Nanjing, and are even comparable to the Imperial Guards they brought with them.

At least, it's not as bad as I thought.

"Commander, how do you think the soldiers are training? Would you like some pointers?"

Beside him, a deputy general named Li Guozhong asked cautiously.

"Lieutenant General Li, how long will it take you to train a qualified army to go to the battlefield?"

"Reporting to the Commander, if we want to train them to be like the garrison soldiers, with my abilities, it will probably take three or four years."

But the key is still to see blood; after all, soldiers who haven't seen blood are just recruits.

Shen Lang strongly agreed with Li Guozhong's view on this point.

He knew a fundamental truth: soldiers who have not experienced the test of real combat, no matter how rigorous their training, can never become true warriors.

In this era of constant change and conflict between nations, war has become commonplace.

Only those who have been through countless battles and witnessed life and death can remain calm and courageous on the battlefield and deal with all kinds of complex situations.

These experiences cannot be replaced by book knowledge or regular training.

Therefore, soldiers who have never experienced the baptism of war need more training and growth to become a truly powerful army.

Ultimately, the same applies to the new army he himself built.

"It's too slow. Time waits for no one. We have to find another way."

Shen Lang simply didn't have enough time to allow these temporarily conscripted civilians sufficient time to undergo systematic military training.

"Pass on my order: assemble the entire force. I have something to say."

"Yes!"

Upon hearing the order, Li Guozhong immediately raised his hand and shouted, "Stop training! Assemble! Heed the Commander's instructions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers on the training ground began to gather in twos and threes, standing haphazardly together.

After they finally gathered together, Shen Lang finally spoke.

"The war is urgent. Since you have answered the call to come, you must not want yourselves and your families to become slaves of the Luchuan people and be slaughtered at will."

As you've probably heard, just a few days ago, another small town in Yuxi was ravaged by the Luchuan soldiers, leaving the town in ruins with not a single survivor.

The bastards from Luchuan looted all the town's property and killed all the men who resisted.

He raped and abused countless women, even a thirteen-year-old girl who hadn't yet reached marriageable age!

Upon hearing this, the soldiers' eyes gradually turned bloodshot.

Many people clenched their fists, their expressions filled with indignation and hatred.

"These beasts are so brazenly burning, killing, and looting on the land of our Great Chu!"

Such arrogant behavior deserves the price to be paid.

What should we do? Kick them out?

No! We will march on their land and punish them for everything they have done on our land.

They must repay us tenfold, a hundredfold! For every one of our Nanzhao border people killed by Luchuan, they must pay the price with two hundred lives.

Why? Because the people and soldiers of our Chu state are more civilized and superior to them!

Civilization cannot yield to barbarism. Only by unleashing a powerful fist and giving a real response will they know what fear is!

Now, I, the Empress of Great Chu, personally appointing you the Pacification Commissioner of Nanzhao and the Temporary Commander of the Nanzhao Garrison, give you this opportunity for revenge.

Bring the flames of war to their land, enslave their wives and children, burn down their homes, and unleash the savagery of humanity upon those beasts.

Everything you did in Luchuan was legal and reasonable, as long as you didn't point your weapons at your comrades.

If you're willing to follow orders, then you can do whatever you want.

This is a privilege granted to you by the Great Chu Dynasty, and it is also the clarion call for the Great Chu army and people to launch a counterattack against the invaders!

Soldiers, are you looking forward to this day?

Storm into the capital of Luchuan, seize their wealth, women, and territory! Avenge our people!

"Charge into the capital, seize money, seize land, seize women—"

"Charge into the capital, seize money, seize land, seize women—"

"Charge into the capital, seize money, seize land, seize women—"

Instantly, the atmosphere on the training ground was ignited, and a deafening roar erupted.

Shen Lang, however, remained remarkably calm, completely unaffected by the heightened enthusiasm.

Under this most rudimentary theory of revenge, these civilians will soon be transformed into a ruthless and ferocious army.

After being baptized in blood and tasting the benefits of war, they are destined never to return to a peaceful life of farming, and will only constantly crave the impact of war.

Later, with the advent of industrialization, the conservative strategic thinking of the Chu state towards foreign affairs was bound to change, leading it to embark on a path of large-scale external expansion.

This is an era of great competition; those who remain stagnant and complacent will only be gradually replaced by a civilization that is ambitious and enterprising.

Seeing that the atmosphere had reached its peak, Shen Lang immediately pressed his advantage: "Alright, from this moment on, I, the commander, hereby announce the change of the drill ground rules."

Weapon training was entirely switched to long spears, and only one spear technique was practiced: thrusting!

Shen Lang snatched a five-meter-long spear from a guard, then held it level, pressed the butt of the spear against his chest, and thrust it forward with all his might.

Suddenly, the air seemed to be torn apart, emitting a sharp hiss, leaving Li Guozhong dumbfounded.

"The training you'll receive is very simple: it consists of three things: thrusting, forming formations, and advancing!"

"Seven days. I'm only giving you seven days. After seven days, I, the commander, will lead you to attack the Luchuan army and achieve final victory!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a boy suddenly raised his hand.

"Young Marshal (a common term used by lower-ranking soldiers in Nanzhao to refer to young commanders), you only practice this one move. What if the enemy attacks with swords and spears?"

"Then it depends on whether your gun is faster or your opponent's knife is faster. In close combat, there are no tricks. It's all about skill and courage!"

If you win, you live; if you lose, you only have one life left. There are absolutely no other options.

"What if the enemy launches a surprise attack from the flanks?"

"Don't get distracted by your left and right flanks; entrust them to your trustworthy comrades!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in shock.

Even Li Guozhong found it unbelievable.

This is tantamount to completely abandoning defense and going all out on offense – a reckless, all-out attack strategy!

Won't doing this cause the army to collapse?

Thinking of this, Li Guozhong couldn't help but swallow. When he looked at Shen Lang again, he realized that the young man in front of him was frighteningly calm.

In his eyes, human life seemed to be nothing more than a cold, hard number.

"Alright, all instructors, follow my instructions and begin the drills again!"

Seven days from now, regardless of the progress of the training, everyone must set off for the Yuxi front!

Whether you survive on the battlefield or not will depend entirely on your performance in these seven days of training.

After saying that, Shen Lang walked directly down from the command platform and headed outside.

Li Guozhong quickly followed.

Once outside the drill ground, Shen Lang turned to him and said, "Deputy General Li, you should know where these newly recruited laborers and their families live, right?"

Li Guozhong: "Naturally, these new recruits are all from good families. They were recruited by me, one by one, under the instructions of Prefect Mu."

Shen Lang: "War is imminent. Let's bring these families to settle in the Dianzhou military camp area to prevent them from being robbed and disturbed by the Luchuan soldiers."

"The last general takes orders."

Li Guozhong didn't think too much about it. He just thought that Shen Langren was a pretty good person and that he had wrongly accused him of being a cold-blooded beast.

Little did he know that Shen Lang intended to centrally manage the families of these soldiers, using them as hostages to prevent new recruits from deserting on the battlefield.

He wouldn't easily believe that a few inspiring words from him could instantly instill an aura of dominance and quickly make a group of recently conscripted civilians willing to obey and risk their lives.

War is not child's play. As the commander-in-chief, you must eliminate all unfavorable factors from your surroundings.