Chapter 246 Cheng Xu Reorganizes the Troops
The news of the Guyuan mutiny was quickly brought back to Gao Family Village by Gao Yiye.
Interestingly, the reaction of the Gao Family Village residents mirrored the contrast between Liang Shixian and Fang Wushang, manifesting as a clear divide between the scholars and the military men.
Upon hearing the news, San Shier, Tan Liwen, Zhao Sheng, and the others remained utterly calm. “The Guyuan rebels shouldn’t come to our Chengcheng County,” San Shier declared, “their direction of travel is completely opposite.”
Cheng Xu, however, slammed his fist onto the table with a resounding thud. “This is bad news! Padi Tu, immediately go and relay my orders: the militia is to assemble at once!”
The scholars looked bewildered. “Huh? Instructor He, your reaction... Will the rebels really come here?”
“How should I know if they’ll come?” Cheng Xu retorted, his voice sharp. “But war isn’t about drawing straight lines on a map; marching routes can change in a thousand ways. What if the imperial forces set up a checkpoint somewhere along their direct path? The rebels might be forced to take a detour. And then, after detouring and detouring, they might just end up in Chengcheng County. Have you forgotten Fan Shan Yao? He took a bizarre route, climbing towards us from the eastern slope of Zhengdong Village!”
The scholars gasped, startled. “Oh dear, that’s serious! Instructor He, please prepare quickly. Is there anything we can assist with?”
Cheng Xu, his face grim, rushed out.
Soon after, the militia had assembled.
This brought the militia’s total strength to five hundred men.
In truth, for a village of over four thousand people, a militia of five hundred was relatively small. In those times, most village militias comprised all able-bodied young men; if bandits attacked, every man would take up arms.
However, Gao Family Village did not follow this common practice.
That was because Li Daoxuan forbade it.
Li Daoxuan’s philosophy stemmed from his modern era. His core principle was ‘separation of soldiers and farmers,’ unlike the Ming Dynasty’s garrison system where soldiers tilled fields for hundreds of years, effectively turning them all into farmers.
Thus, the Gao Family Village Militia had always expanded cautiously, ensuring that the number of professional soldiers remained moderate and did not deplete the village’s male labor force.
The five hundred men stood in five small square formations, with a squad leader standing before each.
Cheng Xu had organized the militia using a structure similar to the Ming army: a squad leader for every ten men, and ten squads reporting to a company commander.
Currently, the five company commanders in Gao Family Village were all men whose names Li Daoxuan couldn’t recall. Ironically, his three ‘idiot’ generals, whom he had always held in "divine favor," held no official positions, serving instead as personal guards directly under Cheng Xu.
This arrangement wasn't hard to understand. No one in Gao Family Village protested; in fact, if the three 'idiots' had become company commanders, the villagers might have raised objections.
Cheng Xu stood before the five hundred men and roared, “From this point forward, you might face the most difficult battle of your lives. The border troops in Guyuan have mutinied! Some of them have joined the roving bandits and could, any day now, come sweeping down on us, mingled with Bu Zhan Ni’s forces. Others are heading directly for Xi’an, and they might, any day now, charge right at you!”
The men stood in stunned silence.
“Those are border troops!” Cheng Xu’s voice cracked slightly. “Border troops, damn it! Even with my own martial prowess, I can’t take on two elite border soldiers at once. How many do you think *you* can handle?”
A collective gasp rippled through the ranks. *Even Instructor He’s martial arts can’t let him take on two at once? How formidable must these border troops be? If we face them, we’ll surely...*
Gao Chuwu raised his hand. “I think I can take three!”
Zheng Daniu added, “If you can take three, then so can I.”
Padi Tu chuckled. “I can take ten!”
The men exchanged glances.
Cheng Xu rolled his eyes. “Padi Tu, go run five laps around Gao Family Fortress.”
“Huh?” Padi Tu protested. “Why only me? Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu boasted too. Why aren’t they being punished?”
“Because *only* you are boasting!” Cheng Xu snapped, furious.
Padi Tu slumped in silence.
And so, amidst a burst of laughter, Padi Tu began his run.
The training continued.
“Let me be frank,” Cheng Xu declared. “With your lousy combat abilities, even if you encounter border troops numbering half your own, it’s a dead end. If you face border troops outnumbering you, you won’t last half an incense stick’s time.”
Alarm spread across the men’s faces.
“Fortunately,” Cheng Xu continued, “we have the Heavenly Lord’s divine protection.”
The men visibly relaxed. *Right, right, Instructor He always just tries to scare us. We still have the Heavenly Lord’s divine protection!*
“But the Heavenly Lord is busy,” Cheng Xu added, his tone sharpening. “Sometimes he visits other immortals. He won’t always be there to protect you. If you don’t fight properly, you *will* die.”
Alarm once again flashed across the men’s faces.
“That’s right, I *am* messing with you,” Cheng Xu admitted. “I’m scaring you for one reason only: to protect the lives of you fools. War is no game. Every single one of you, listen carefully to my orders! You charge *only* when I shout 'Charge!' And when I, damn it, shout 'Retreat!', you *must* retreat faster than me, understand? Those who retreat faster than me are sure to survive, because my own skill at escaping is top-notch!”
“Understood!” the men roared in unison.
Cheng Xu delivered his pre-battle address, a mix of intimidation and reprimand, before finally saying, “Check your equipment.”
The militia swiftly began their equipment check.
All five hundred men were now armored, a testament to the increasing number of artisans in Gao Family Village. High wages had attracted more people to the trades, and many common folk voluntarily joined the Craftsman Well as apprentices.
Crafting armor plates wasn't difficult; they could be learned quickly.
As for cotton fabric, the significant increase in Gao Family Village’s female population had led to a substantial boost in cotton output. There was now more than enough for armor production, and even the entire village could purchase cotton fabric for clothing at very low prices.
Consequently, Gao Family Village’s production of cotton armor was much faster than before, and the armor for all five hundred men was perfectly prepared.
Gao Family Village hadn’t just produced cotton armor; they had also crafted more advanced, higher-quality gear. Cheng Xu, for instance, now wore mountain-pattern armor. This armor looked striking and offered considerable protection, suitable for both combat and ceremonial display—perfect for an “official” like him.
As for Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu, those two behemoths, their robust physiques allowed them to wear even heavier armor. So, both were clad in almost full plate armor, with iron plates encasing their entire bodies, making them look like two terrifying iron giants.
Furthermore, all five hundred men were equipped with iron-tipped spears, hand crossbows, and waist-mounted sabers; their gear was remarkably complete.
Most interestingly, The village also possessed ten peculiar devices, initially crafted by the blacksmiths as practice pieces—what Li Daoxuan considered rubbish, but the villagers regarded as formidable weapons: Three-Eyed Arquebuses.
In short, the five hundred men of the Gao Family Village Militia were armed to the teeth.
Aside from lacking horses, everything else was quite perfect.
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