Chapter 44: Ding Heng's Strong Army

  Ding Heng's hand was raised high and then gently put down. "Get up, don't lie there all the time, it's cold on the ground!" Ding Heng stretched out his warm hands to Ke Zhen.

  "You won't kill me?" Ke Zhen opened his own eyes and was stunned.

  "You've been punished enough!" Ding Heng grabbed Ke Zhen's hand and pulled him up, "I just want to make it clear through this matter what is meant by 'military orders are like mountains'. An army, if it can't enforce its commands, will absolutely not have any achievements!"

  "I also know that when Gao Yi was still the commander, his management of everyone was too lenient, and the military training was also very lax. For some of you who violated military rules, he would turn a blind eye! Ding Heng faced the crowd, paused for a moment, and said loudly, "But now Gao Yi is dead. Although I am not talented, thanks to General Meng's recommendation, I will take over Gao Yi's position. Since I am the highest commander of this army, I must eliminate all the wrong practices of Gao Yi in the past. I want to govern the army strictly, and I want to turn this army into a true iron-blooded elite force. Do you have confidence to work with me towards this goal?"

  "Have confidence!" A sparse response echoed through the crowd. Iron-blooded elite troops? An army that can't even fill their stomachs, clothe themselves, and hasn't seen a penny of military pay in years, still wants to be iron-blooded elite troops? It's laughable.

  Ding Heng, with his clever mind, naturally knew what his subordinates were thinking. He smiled faintly and said, "The army is the foundation of a country. It defends against external humiliation and maintains internal peace for its citizens. To be such a soldier is the greatest honor. We should be proud to be soldiers and have the courage and awareness to sacrifice our lives for the sake of protecting our country!"

  Although Ding Heng's words were eloquent and stirring, the soldiers' reaction was still very lukewarm. Perhaps in the eyes of these ordinary soldiers, those grand and lofty principles were far less moving than the tangible benefits right before their eyes.

  Of course, Ding Heng was also very clear about this. "Everyone, I have a few more pieces of good news to share with you all. First, our grain allowance has been settled. The National Master has promised me that from today on, all of our grain allowances will be paid out of the National Master's own pocket. The National Master said that he absolutely would not stand by and watch his brothers shed blood and sweat without getting anything in return!"

  "What? The State Preceptor said he would issue grain rations for us?" Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. The State Preceptor! Who is that? He's the pillar of the imperial court, and when the young Emperor of Great Yan is indulging in pleasures and neglecting state affairs, the country's major events rely on the State Preceptor alone to hold on.

  In the eyes of the people of Dayan, Guoshi was a gentle and kind person who never broke his promises. In Dayan, whenever people talked about Guoshi Huangfu Yan, everyone would praise him with admiration. Since Guoshi had guaranteed it, it meant that from now on, their rations would finally be settled. They would no longer be hopeless, foolish soldiers.

  Is this true? Is this true? The soldiers were all abuzz, looking incredibly excited. The National Master, the National Master actually still cares about us poor soldiers? Just as the soldiers were extremely excited, Ding Heng dropped another bombshell: "Everyone, from today on, our army will implement a system of rewarding talent and punishing evil, with clear rewards and punishments. As long as you have enough ability, as long as you have made enough contributions, you will get the rewards you deserve, you will get the position you deserve!"

  "A real man, since he is born in this world, should have some ideals and ambitions. Tell me, who among you wants to live a dull and mediocre life? Who doesn't want to be famous and respected, to bring honor to his family, and make himself admired by all?"

  The soldiers were thoroughly stirred up. Yes, who wants to live a dull and mediocre life? Pursuing power, wealth, and status is the true thought in everyone's heart. Having a prominent gate, bringing glory to ancestors, and benefiting future generations is what everyone strives for in their subconscious mind.

  "Now that the opportunity to achieve this has arrived, the national teacher's task for us is to take charge of calming the internal chaos of the Great Yan State and giving the people a peaceful living environment. As long as we eliminate the bandits that are harming the Great Yan State and bring benefits to the people, it will be a great achievement that no one can ignore, and we will surely receive rich rewards. And once the bandits are eliminated and the country is stable, we will inevitably become the great heroes in the hearts of the people. What's not to love about this situation where both fame and fortune are within our grasp?"

  The crowd was boiling, as if they had seen their own beautiful future. And to this, Ding Heng nodded in satisfaction, this is exactly what he wanted. "After the internal chaos subsides, our next goal will be the evil barbarians, and the national teacher will lead us to thoroughly eliminate this scourge on the borders of our great Yan country. The national teacher said that we are a sharp blade for the great Yan country, and he wants to use this blade to destroy any enemy who dares to threaten the survival of the great Yan country. We want all enemies to tremble before us, we want to rely on our efforts to expand the territory of the great Yan country, we want to rely on our skills to create a glorious era for the great Yan country. We are destined to make a name for ourselves, destined to be remembered in history!"

  "Let us here proclaim His Majesty's sacred wisdom, the Imperial Tutor's sacred wisdom!" Dīng Héng finally ended his speech with great fanfare.

  "Your Majesty is wise, the Imperial Tutor is wise!" The excited soldiers shouted loudly. However, Ding Heng slightly furrowed his brow, because he found that among the cheering crowd, those who called out "Imperial Tutor is wise" were clearly more numerous than those who called out "Your Majesty is wise".

  This... forget it! Ding Heng shook his head. Our Great Yan Empire, with the presence of Guoshi, is a great blessing for our empire and also a great blessing for the people. However, the only thing that's not quite right is that Your Majesty, who is still in the prime of youth, is still indulging in pleasure-seeking and doesn't want to attend to state affairs. If Your Majesty would focus your mind and strive to govern with diligence, then I ask you, who in the world would dare look down on our Great Yan Empire?

  Fiercer than the fiercest barbarians? What's that to us? Our Great Yan State is rich and populous, with a multitude of people. As long as the ruler and ministers are of one mind, and the people are united in heart and virtue, even the most ferocious barbarians can be thoroughly crushed!

  "Ke Zhen, Ke Bi Jiang, are you willing to help me?" Ding Heng's smile was like a spring breeze, giving people an extremely comfortable feeling.

  "What? Ke Bi will? Ding deputy general, no, no, Ding General, you're not joking, are you?" Ke Zhen's mouth was wide open.

  "I'm not wrong, from today on, you are General Ke! Don't rush to refuse!" Ding Heng waved his hand to stop Ke Zhen, "With your strength and past achievements, this is what you deserve. Although it's just the lowest rank of lieutenant general, it means you've already become a general from being a soldier!"

  "But..."

  "I, Ding Heng, have said it before: rewards and punishments must be clear-cut. Your contempt for military discipline is a fact."

  "He has received his due punishment. And now it's time for you to receive your due reward!"

  "I'm a general! I'm a general!" Ke Zhen grinned foolishly, his mouth agape. At this moment, he really felt like he had been hit by a pie that fell from the sky.

  "You guys, quickly tell me, am I dreaming? Quickly tell me, is it true? Otherwise, you're all staring at this!" Overjoyed, Ke Zhen stretched out his own face.

  "Old master, are you really going to hit me?" The old soldiers were stunned, they could be ordered to kill people and set fires, fight and brawl, but they wouldn't even frown. But being asked to slap their own master's face was something they didn't have the guts to do.

  "Hurry up, or I'll beat you guys!" Ke Zhen Niu's eyes rolled upwards.

  "Yes, boss!" An old soldier hesitated, finally trembling and stretching out his hand to gently pat Ke Zhen's face.

  "It hurts so much, it's really true, this isn't a dream, it's too good!" Ke Zhen burst out laughing loudly.

  "Congratulations to our great leader! Congratulations to our great leader!" Suddenly, flattery poured in.

  "Haha, haha!" Ke Zhen laughed foolishly, "Right, who hit me just now?"

  "It's... him!" All the old soldiers' fingers pointed at one person.

  "Big brother, I'm innocent! You're the one who called for this!" The accused person cried out in grievance.

  "Damn it, I told you to hit him, and you hit him so hard. Are you out of your mind?!" Ke Zhen dragged the man over without saying a word, and gave him a good beating, hitting him until he wailed in pain.

  "General Ding, Ke Zhen's ability and merits make him a deserving deputy general. But I'd like to ask, if someone in the future surpasses his abilities and achievements, wouldn't they also be qualified for office?" A voice emerged from among the soldiers.

  "You want to surpass me, what a big ambition, I, Ke, admire that. However, it's all talk and no action, fake moves. Brother, how about we practice? As long as you can defeat me, the position of deputy will be yours." Ke Zhen rolled up his sleeves.

  "I'm saying later, later, not now!" The soldier who had just spoken was flustered. Given his own build and that of his opponent, wasn't he asking for a beating?

  "Hahaha!" A burst of loud laughter.

  As for this, Ding Heng just smiled and watched from the side. After these people had made enough noise, he continued to speak, "Everyone, you also need to know that in order to achieve this great goal, with our current state, it's simply a daydream. We must strengthen our training, we must constantly go through battles to hone ourselves, to improve, and strive to become a truly formidable iron-blooded master!"

  "General Ding, through training and the baptism of fire to enhance our combat effectiveness, this is certainly the best and fastest way. But don't you think that our numbers are also too few?" At this time, Ke Zhen had already begun to take on the role of a deputy general.

  "This point, General Ke doesn't need to worry. The National Master not only gave me unlimited financial support but also gave me a special privilege, which is to recruit and train soldiers on my own." What? Can I really recruit and train soldiers on my own? This is a huge power! A general, actually has such a big power? It seems that General Ding is highly valued by the National Master, and his future prospects are boundless!"

  "Brothers, I'll say one more thing. If you can bring enough excellent soldiers to this army, you will receive a generous reward. The more soldiers you bring, the greater the reward. If you exceed twenty, I can consider making you a squad leader." Ding Heng threw out another tempting bait.

  "What? And this good thing?" The soldiers were all stunned by the one after another good news.

  "What if there are only a few people introducing, but each one is outstanding?"

  "We recruit soldiers, of course not just looking at the number. You can also attract talents for this army, which is a great achievement!" Ding Heng said with a smile. Great, that's exactly what I'm expecting!