Chapter 29: The Rabble

Xiao Zhan stood atop the high command platform, his brow furrowed as he surveyed the rabble gathered below.

"Is this the Great Ming's imperial guard? A pack of the frail, the sick, and the decrepit!" Xiao Zhan’s voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly across the entire training field.

The moment these words were uttered, an uproar erupted below.

"Who is this punk? How dare he talk to us like that?"
"Who cares who he is! He's too arrogant!"
"Exactly! When have we, the men of the Capital Garrison, ever taken such insults?"

Zhang Wei and the other officers looked livid, but intimidated by Xiao Zhan’s fierce reputation, none dared to speak up.

Xiao Zhan watched the commotion with cold eyes, not moving to stop them. Only when their chatter had died down did he speak again.

"I know many of you are unconvinced. That is fine. I did not come here today to reason with you."

"I only need three thousand men!"

"My criteria for selection are simple!" He paused, his voice suddenly rising. "First, I do not want obedient little boys! I want troublemakers! I want the most insubordinate, troublesome ruffians and scoundrels in the entire Capital Garrison!"

"Second, I do not want useless trash who coast on family connections! I want the hard-bitten types who have killed men in underground fighting pits, dared to cheat at gambling dens, or had the guts to steal a woman from a general in a brothel!"

"Third!" Xiao Zhan’s gaze swept across the crowd, filled with a chilling madness. "I want wolves, not sheep! I want beasts who would dare plunge a blade into a comrade’s chest and snatch a head on the battlefield!"

"Anyone who fits any of the above, step forward now!"

The moment he finished, the field fell into a deathly silence! Everyone was stunned by such shocking selection criteria. Was this recruiting soldiers? This was recruiting bandits!

Zhang Wei, Qin Cang, and the others were dumbfounded, completely unable to grasp what Xiao Zhan was planning.

In the midst of this eerie silence, a burly soldier with a face full of gristle and a build like an ox hesitated for a moment, then became the first to step forward. Soon after, a second, then a third... Roughly a few hundred men sauntered out from the ranks, looking disheveled and fierce—clearly not men to be trifled with.

Xiao Zhan looked at these few hundred men and shook his head in disappointment.

"Only this many? It seems the spirit of the Capital Garrison has long been ground to dust."

He suddenly turned to Zhao Tieniu, the leader of his personal guards, and said, "Tieniu, tell them what kind of treatment they will receive if they enter my camp."

Zhao Tieniu stepped forward, drew a deep breath, and bellowed like a temple bell, "By order of my Young Master! All who are chosen for the New Army will receive a monthly pay of ten taels of silver! Meat at every meal! Those who perform exceptionally will have the chance to use the 'Thunder God Cannon' personally crafted by the Young Master. Achieving glory, earning ranks, and securing your family's future is just around the corner!"

"Boom!"

These words struck like a massive boulder into a calm lake; the entire training field instantly boiled over!

"Ten taels of silver! Meat at every meal!"

For a common soldier, these conditions were nothing short of a fantasy! A normal soldier in the Capital Garrison would work himself to the bone for a mere one or two taels a month, and even that was often skimmed by superiors—if half reached their own pockets, they were lucky. As for meat, that was a luxury reserved only for major holidays. Now, just by stepping forward, they could have ten times the pay and eat meat every day?

"Clatter—"

The soldiers who had been hesitating could no longer hold back. In an instant, thousands surged out from the ranks, scrambling to get ahead, terrified of being left behind. Human greed and desire were laid bare in that moment.

The "troublemakers" who had stepped out earlier watched their swarming comrades with sneers of disdain.

On the platform, Zhang Wei’s face turned green. What was Xiao Zhan doing? Openly poaching his men right in front of him with money! It was an absolute humiliation, yet he dared not even let out a whimper.

Xiao Zhan watched the sudden surge of the crowd with an expressionless face. He did not want greedy men; he wanted wolves who would sell their lives for gold!

"Very good, it seems everyone is very enthusiastic." Xiao Zhan’s voice rang out again. "However, I said I only need three thousand men. If you want those ten taels of silver and meat every day, you must show me some real skill!"

He clapped his hands. His personal guards immediately brought out rows of strange training equipment from large crates: heavy stone locks, sandbags of various shapes, and rows of horizontal bars at different heights.

"Everyone, listen to my command!" Xiao Zhan’s voice turned severe. "Carry twenty catties of weight and run ten laps around this field! The first three thousand to finish stay! The rest, get back to your original units!"

"What?!"

"Run ten laps with weight? That must be twenty miles!"

"Are you joking? That will kill people!"

The soldiers below erupted again. They were used to going through the motions in training; when had they ever endured such hardship?

"Those who are unwilling can get the hell out right now!" Xiao Zhan’s voice was cold and ruthless. "I do not feed trash here! Ten taels of silver is not so easy to earn!"

Within the crowd, the burly man with the gristly face who had stepped out first suddenly spoke up in a gruff voice: "What’s the point of just running laps? We soldiers value the skill in our hands! My name is Wang Ba, and I’ve never lost a fight in the Capital Garrison! If you can beat me, I’ll acknowledge you as my boss—never mind ten laps, I’ll run a hundred!"

"That’s right! Let’s fight!"
"Win against Wang Ba, and we’ll follow you!"

Wang Ba clearly held great prestige among the ruffians of the Capital Garrison; his words immediately drew a chorus of support.

In the distance, watching this scene, a smirk of schadenfreude curled on Qin Cang’s lips. He knew Wang Ba—born with immense strength and having survived several years on the battlefield, he was the recognized powerhouse of the Capital Garrison. This soft-skinned pretty boy, Xiao Zhan, was likely about to be punched to death.

"You want to fight me?" Xiao Zhan looked at Wang Ba below the platform, a playful smile on his face.

"What? Scared?" Wang Ba sneered.

"Fine, I will give you this chance." Xiao Zhan actually leaped down from the platform, landing lightly in front of Wang Ba.

He took off his outer robe, revealing a sleek black martial outfit underneath, and crooked a finger at Wang Ba.

"Come on then. Don't say I'm bullying you. I'll give you three moves."

"You're courting death!" Wang Ba roared in fury, feeling utterly humiliated. He let out a bellow, his fist—the size of a cooking pot—tearing through the air with a vicious wind as he smashed it toward Xiao Zhan’s face!

The punch was heavy and powerful; if it landed, an ordinary man’s skull would surely be shattered!

Everyone held their breath.

Yet, Xiao Zhan neither dodged nor retreated. Just as the fist was about to strike him, his body tilted at an uncanny angle, narrowly avoiding the blow. At the same time, his right hand transformed from a palm into a blade, flashing like lightning to strike precisely at the joint of Wang Ba’s wrist!