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  ———

  Liu Feng, when he was about to lead his troops to rush to Lushan, took the opportunity to ask Xu Shu to transfer Ma Su to assist him.

  Although the Ma family is not a prominent family in Jingzhou, the reputation of several brothers of the Ma family has been spread outside. However, since Ma Chao was still young, Xu Shu only knew that there was such a person, but did not know how his talent was. Since Liu Feng spoke up and asked for someone, and it wasn't an important figure who couldn't leave office, Xu Shu agreed immediately.

  Although the Western Expedition to Lu Shan was, as expected, just a feint that would not engage with the enemy, Liu Feng was planning to take advantage of this opportunity to train a loyal and elite army. The size of this army did not have to be large, but it had to be precise, most importantly, it had to absolutely obey him, and when necessary, they would sacrifice their lives for him, and would not hesitate to risk everything.

  Leading an army, especially training elite troops, is not as simple as just standing in formation and shouting slogans. Like learning military strategy, it requires a systematic and scientific process. As for how to lead an army and train soldiers, Liu Feng was actually only a beginner.

  So he needs Ma Chao, not only can he take the opportunity to bring him under his command, but also let him help himself practice soldiers, and also through practicing soldiers to test the young Ma Chao's true ability, it can be said that one stone three birds.

  Although Liu Feng was the eldest son of the Liu family, with a high status and position, his actual military rank was only that of a Duwei. Therefore, the position he could offer to Ma Chao was only that of a Jun Sima, one level lower than himself. However, from Ma Chao's elated mood, it can be seen that he was quite satisfied with this appointment.

  "Great General, are you merely training soldiers or training elite troops?" Ma Chao spoke as his gaze swept back and forth across the five hundred soldiers like he was selecting vegetables.

  "Of course it's an elite soldier." Liu Feng replied very succinctly.

  Ma Chao turned his head, looked straight at Liu Feng and slightly bowed: "General coming under my command is naturally an honor for me. However, if General wants me to help train a crack troop, then everything must be done according to my methods."

  Ma Su is seeking power.

  That cold and calm face showed a spirit of confidence, listening to his tone, it seemed that he had already made up his mind. Liu Feng then said: "As long as we can train these people into elite soldiers, everything will be easy."

  Having obtained Liu Feng's consent, Ma Sui's face gained a few more points of confidence. He raised his head, pointed at the 500 nervous soldiers with one hand, and snorted disdainfully: "If I were to say so, half of these 500 people can be sent packing directly."

  Ma Chao waved his brush and reduced the 500 men to 255. Liu Feng was somewhat perplexed: "These 500 men are all elite troops under Zi De's command, they can be considered as the best warriors in Jiangxia, why do you want to reduce them by half?"

  "I dare to speak bluntly, Master Liu's understanding of military training and discipline is fundamentally flawed. The so-called elite troops under his command are, in my opinion, not much stronger than the private guards of a wealthy family. Otherwise, the absurd mutiny at Beiyuan would not have occurred." Ma Su was indeed straightforward and unreserved in his criticism of Liu Qi.

  Ma Chao's words were reasonable, and Liu Feng thought that this time on Mount Lu's expedition, the task was just to make a show of force. The effect of 500 people and 200 people was actually not much different. At most, they could set up more fake flags and pitch some fake camps. If Ma Chao could really help him train a team of 200 elite soldiers, then even if it were 5,000 people, he would be willing to cut them down.

  At this point, Liu Feng said with relish: "Good, just follow, think about how many people to brush and how many people to brush, but I'm very curious about this brushing method."

  Ma Su's gaze swept across the five hundred soldiers on the school grounds once again, and a cold smile rose to his lips.

  Actually, the 500 soldiers selected by Liu Qi were basically over seven feet tall and had a strong physique. From the outside, they looked better than ordinary people. However, according to Ma Chao's understanding, these were only the primary physical conditions for becoming an ordinary soldier, and to achieve the physical quality of elite soldiers, strict screening was still needed.

  Ma Chao's first test was simple, which was to let them control the crossbow. Not an ordinary small crossbow, but a hard crossbow with a string force of twelve stones, and under the condition of wearing armor, wearing an iron helmet, and carrying a short sword at the waist.

  In the area of Jingzhou, where waterways are dense and terrain is complex, crossbows played a huge role, especially in naval battles. In most cases, the outcome of battles was decided before close combat even began, during the long-range exchanges of crossbow fire. Therefore, ordinary soldiers often needed to be familiar with crossbows, let alone elite troops.

  However, this time the assessment, Ma Chao only examined their physical fitness, so he only required them to be able to open a hard bow under load, without asking for their shooting accuracy.

  Ma Chao was right after all. Being tall and strong doesn't necessarily mean having great strength, and after one round of testing, more than a hundred people were unable to draw the crossbow string.

  "Those over a hundred people who couldn't even draw their crossbows can roll up their bedding and get out of here now." Ma Chao, standing like a clothes rack with his hands on his hips, coldly laughed as he shouted at those panting soldiers.

  The soldiers had not expected that this round of testing was to eliminate the unqualified, and in fact these soldiers were originally unwilling to be under Liu Feng's command. Now, as soon as they heard that they had been kicked out, those who originally felt ashamed for being unqualified suddenly became excited and cheerful. On the other hand, more than 400 qualified ones cried out in regret, thinking that if they had known earlier, they should have pretended to be unable to draw their bows just now.

  One hundred unqualified people left the team with joy, and some bold guys even turned back to make a sarcastic face at those who were "unlucky" to stay.

  Seeing this situation, Liu Feng's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he stood by silently, his heart filled with worry: This won't do, these guys are used to being pampered and spoiled, they can't wait to go back to Liu Qi. With this kind of assessment method, I'm afraid not a single one will pass the next round.

  Liu Feng was about to remind him, but Ma Si loudly said in a high-pitched voice, "Young Master Liu, these one hundred people who were eliminated are obviously just a bunch of useless people, not worthy of being elite soldiers. Would you please inform Young Master Zi De later and suggest that we don't let these one hundred or so people return to the Imperial Guard camp, but instead directly assign them to an ordinary camp?"

  The armor and clothing of the Imperial Guard were of the finest quality, their food and accommodations were extremely luxurious, and their families also received exemptions from corvée labor and other preferential treatment. The welfare they enjoyed was far superior to that of ordinary troops. Those hundred men had originally been congratulating themselves on their own incompetence, but now, upon hearing Ma Su's words, they all suddenly became stupid with fear.

  "This kid is indeed capable."

  Liu Feng let out a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "No problem, I will definitely tell Zi De about it."

  The disdainful gaze watched the hundred dejected and disheartened losers leave the school grounds, and Marquis Mu's eyes returned to the remaining four hundred people. At this moment, they were secretly rejoicing in their hearts, thinking that serving under this young master Liu was still a good deal, despite having to worry about being scolded or punished. Compared to losing the various privileges and benefits of being part of the Imperial Guard, it was worth it. The group of people thus lifted their spirits and prepared for the next test.

  However, when they heard about the content of Ma Chao's second assessment, they all gasped in unison.

  "Everyone put on armor and hold spears, carry three days' worth of rations, rush to the dock five miles west of the city, and those who fall behind will be eliminated without exception!"

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