The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"Mother, my family is also starving, could you..." No sooner had Nen Niang and the others left than Da Shu's wife, Xiu Gu, knelt before her parents-in-law.

"Oh! Xiugu, get up! Mother knows what you're going to say, Dashu, come in!" The old lady sighed and called her son inside.

"Take a liter of cornmeal to your father-in-law's family. Never mind, they have a lot of people, so just take two liters!" the old lady said helplessly.

"Thank you, Mother! Thank you, Mother!" Xiugu kowtowed repeatedly with joy.

"You two! You must be grateful for your sister and brother-in-law's kindness, never forget it!"

"I know, mother!"

Ge Dashu washed his face and changed into the old clothes his sister had brought with him and his wife. Although they had a few patches, they were clean and much better than their own clothes.

The couple carried a bundle out the door. Before they left, the old lady gave them two steamed buns, saying that their in-laws should try them.

. . . . . .

The next morning, Zhang Tieniu, carrying Shitou, left his reluctant relatives with great ambition and strode towards the county town.

Upon arriving in the county town, we met a few companions. Without much conversation, we simply nodded to each other. We then boarded the pre-arranged carriage and headed towards Linqing.

Shen Lian was inspecting military uniforms in the warehouse at the moment. Thanks to Lord Yuan, several workshops specializing in making military uniforms were established during his military training in Tianjin.

Shen Lian placed an order for 40,000 sets, and the first batch of 15,000 training uniforms was finally completed.

It was made entirely of thick cotton cloth, with extra thickness at the knees and elbows. And, as Shen Lian had instructed, it was dyed a grass green.

Shen Lian picked it up and looked at it, and was quite satisfied. "Hurry up and distribute them! We're about to start intensive training. Add another order, make another 30,000 sets of these training uniforms! The soldiers can't just wear one set, they'll wear out quickly if they train every day."

"Yes, sir!" Dong Shaohua replied, bowing. He had now been transferred to Shen Lian's side to manage military affairs.

That evening, Zhang Tieniu and his comrades received their new military uniforms and cloth shoes. Looking at their brand-new clothes, they were all beaming with joy. However, they were immediately herded into the bathhouse by the instructors.

After a quick wash, everyone changed into their new military uniforms. Back in the dormitory, under the instructors' guidance, they nervously began learning how to tie leg wraps.

It was just dawn, barely breaking. A sharp whistle rang out. The drill instructor, wielding a baton, entered and roughly dragged a group of people out of bed.

I have ten minutes to wash up, and then I eat breakfast.

The mess hall had already prepared fragrant hot porridge and steamed buns. Each person received two steamed buns, a bowl of porridge, and a small dish of pickled vegetables. Military regulations stipulated that no food could be wasted and all food had to be eaten.

Of course, most of these soldiers came from poor backgrounds, and they never dared to dream of having such a breakfast before. No one would waste food.

They had a 20-minute breakfast break, followed by a 10-minute rest. Next, they began their formation training.

These guys originally thought they would learn combat skills, but they didn't expect it to be just standing at attention. They felt it was too easy, and many of them were even joking around.

Unfortunately, after a while, no one could laugh anymore. Under the instructor's demonstration, everyone straightened their backs, pulled in their stomachs, and pressed their hands tightly against their trouser seams. Before long, some couldn't take it anymore. It felt like ants were crawling all over their bodies, and large beads of sweat poured from their foreheads.

"Soldiers should look like soldiers: walk like the wind, sit like a bell, and stand like a pine tree. Today, I'll teach you what it means to stand like a pine tree," the instructor shouted, holding a military baton.

Although he didn't understand why Lord Shen was so strict, he had to obey orders. These soldiers would still be trained and led by them; who wouldn't want to lead an obedient and elite force?

After only ten minutes, Shi Tou couldn't stand anymore. He was always restless and had never experienced anything like this before. He felt a numbness and itchiness in his legs and couldn't help but secretly reach out and scratch them.

"Smack!" The instructor slammed the stick into the stone's leg, the pain almost making him cry out.

"Don't move! Even if an ant crawls on your face, you can't move an inch!" the instructor shouted at the rock, spitting all over his face. He could only endure it and dared not move.

"Lord Shen needs elite troops! To train the best troops in the world, you need the best soldiers in the world. Anyone who's a coward, a coward! Anyone who can't even stand at the simplest military posture, get out here!"

"Return your resettlement allowance and military pay, take off this uniform and get back home. Plenty of people are waiting to get in!"

"To tell you the truth, this is just the first hurdle. The tougher and more tiring training is yet to come. It'll be too late to regret it then! Hehe!" The instructor kept shouting as he walked around.

Seeing that not a single soldier raised their hand to leave, he couldn't help but feel a little pleased.

He didn't even consider that anyone would dare to quit. They'd already spent almost all their resettlement allowance and military pay; what would they have to give back? The hopes of their entire family rested on them; they'd finally been selected, and they couldn't leave even if it meant death.

Just when the soldiers were standing on the verge of collapse and about to give up, they finally heard a whistle!

"Alright! Ten-minute break!" After the instructor finished speaking, many people sat down on the ground.

"Brother Tie Niu, standing at attention like this is so uncomfortable. My thighs feel numb!" Shi Tou said in a low voice.

"Grit your teeth and hang in there. You don't want to be sent back, do you? Think about your grandma. It's just standing for a bit! What's the big deal? Just move around and stretch your legs."

Zhang Tieniu also felt very uncomfortable, but he gritted his teeth and persevered. What's a little military posture compared to pulling a boat? It's much easier than what he used to do, right?

Shen Lian rode his horse to inspect the various military camps. He was very satisfied that the instructors everywhere had implemented his training methods well and no one had gone easy on him.

During this time, under the guidance of Shen Xiaohu and the others, he has learned to ride a horse, but he still doesn't dare to run fast.

After a morning of standing at attention, the soldiers were exhausted and on the verge of death. Finally, it was over.

"Take a half-hour break for lunch!" the instructor said, and then dismissed the group.

"Finally, it's over. I'm exhausted! That damn judge was watching me the whole time, and he hit me twice with his stick. I'm still in pain," Stone said in a low voice.

Zhang Tieniu glanced at the instructor in the distance; "Just shut up! Be careful the instructor hears you. Serves you right for moving around!"

"Brother Tie Niu, what's the point of standing on these wooden stakes? We're soldiers here to fight, not to practice marksmanship, so why are we practicing on these wooden stakes?" Shi Tou said, shaking his head.

"Doesn't Lord Shen know better than you or me what we should practice? What nonsense are you spouting! Shut your mouth from now on and stop talking nonsense," Zhang Tieniu scolded.

"Where is this place? A military camp! How dare you question your instructor? You're asking for trouble!"

Seeing how serious Tie Niu was, Shi Tou quickly shut his mouth.

"Hurry back and wash up, you're all sweaty! Dinner's about to start, and I'm starving."

"I'm hungry too! I thought I'd had such a good breakfast, but I'm hungry again so soon!"

The two walked towards the dormitory together!