MLMD -Chapter 168 Grand Review at the Drill Ground (Part 2)

As he looked at the soldiers standing in formation below the platform, Lu Xiangsheng’s face instantly turned solemn. Behind him, Yang Guozhu, Commander-in-Chief of Xuan-Da, Tang Tong of Xuanhua, Wang Pu of Datong, as well as a crowd of deputy commanders, brigadiers, and staff officers, all showed looks of shock. Some even began whispering among themselves.

Only now did they finally understand why Yue Yang had dared to claim in his battle report that he had beheaded more than two thousand enemies.

Lu Xiangsheng’s eyes gradually lit up as he stared at the ranks below. Stroking the short beard beneath his chin, he took a long moment before uttering two words:

“Fine soldiers!”

Not only Lu Xiangsheng and the generals—even Xu Dingchen and the civil officials, who knew nothing of military affairs, could clearly see the difference when they compared these troops with their own bodyguards.

The soldiers on the field were all clad in iron armor. Unlike the Ming army’s usual practice of painting armor red, their armor had not been painted at all. It was entirely gray-black metal, polished until it gleamed. The veteran commanders could tell at a glance that this was fine steel, providing protection from head to toe. Such a suit of armor would cost no less than a hundred taels of silver.

No wonder people said that Yue Yang was not only good at making money, but also extremely generous—just look at what his soldiers were wearing.

All the soldiers were young and strong, brimming with vigor. Every one of them stood straight as a spear, eyes fixed forward, yet with an air of calm confidence. With just that alone, they already outclassed the personal troops and retainers brought by the Xuan-Da commanders.

The generals now fully understood: these were no ordinary garrison troops. This was a battle-hardened elite force.

The Art of War says:

“Swift as the wind,
steady as the forest,
fierce as fire in attack,
immovable as a mountain in defense.
Elusive as shadow,
striking like thunder.”

Even though no one had yet seen them fight, the mere fact that they had stood motionless for dozens of minutes—without a single man shifting—was enough to completely overshadow the personal guards brought by the other commanders.

Lu Xiangsheng, the most famous general of the late Ming, understood soldiers better than anyone. Though Yue Yang used training methods from a later age, the principles were the same.

These simple standing postures represented long, brutal training. And every one of these soldiers was powerfully built. Though they stood still, the pride on their faces was unmistakable—the pride of men who had survived real battlefields.

It was precisely this fierce confidence that moved Lu Xiangsheng and the other generals.

By this stage of the Ming dynasty, aside from a few famous armies, most troops were already worthless. Lu Xiangsheng had spent decades in the military and had seen too many units filled with blank, lifeless faces—armies of the old, the weak, and the sick, more like beggars than soldiers.

Yet the moment he saw these men, he knew without a doubt: these were first-rate elite troops.

Lu Xiangsheng nodded in satisfaction. But when he noticed there were fewer than two thousand men on the drill ground, he frowned. He had heard that Yue Yang commanded seven or eight thousand troops—so where were the rest?

Turning to Yue Yang, he asked, “Commander Yue, are all your troops present?”

“Of course not,” Yue Yang replied with a slight smile.

“These are only the small force left behind to guard Wuli Fort. Most of my men are still out on exercises—they should be arriving shortly. Look… here they come.”

Clatter—clatter—clatter…

A new wave of marching footsteps came from outside—heavier and denser than before.
It was like a herd of giant beasts charging forward, making the ground tremble.

The faces on the platform changed.

Sure enough, moments later, wave after wave of soldiers poured in from several directions of the parade ground.

Each unit was led by an officer in identical armor—the only difference being the red cloak flowing from the officer’s back.

The synchronized footsteps felt as though they were pounding straight into everyone’s hearts.

At a glance, Lu Xiangsheng could tell that these newly arrived troops were no inferior to the first group. There were about three thousand of them. Together with the first group, over four thousand soldiers now stood on the field.

“This Yue Yang can actually afford to maintain so many troops… extraordinary,” the Xuan-Da generals thought, now looking at him with new respect. On the frontier, strength was everything. Even though Yue Yang was only a roaming general, possessing this level of power meant he already had the standing to be their equal.

At this moment, Chen Xinjia asked curiously, “Commander Yue, are all of your troops here now?”

Yue Yang answered solemnly, “No, sir. Several thousand more are guarding Yingzhou Prefecture and cannot leave their posts. I hope the lords will understand.”

“What? You still have several thousand more?”

Even Lu Xiangsheng was shocked. Four or five thousand elite soldiers already amazed him—yet Yue Yang still had another force he hadn’t brought.

“How many troops do you have in total?” Lu Xiangsheng asked gravely.

“Not many. Just eight thousand,” Yue Yang replied honestly.

Eight thousand!

Everyone was stunned.

Eight thousand elite troops meant that this small roaming general of northern Shanxi already rivaled veteran commanders like Yang Guozhu and Tang Tong.

“So the balance of power in Shanxi is about to change…”

With money, grain, and soldiers all in hand, Yue Yang was someone no one could afford to offend lightly.

For frontier generals, merit was judged by eight things—grain, fortifications, training, weapons, farming, salt, horses, and suppressing rebels. Yue Yang excelled in nearly all of them.

For a moment, the platform fell into silence.

Chen Xinjia finally laughed. “Commander Yue truly is a pillar of the empire. Since the troops are assembled, would you be willing to have them perform a drill for us, so we may broaden our horizons?”

This was somewhat of a challenge. Anyone who knew soldiers could already see how elite Yue Yang’s men were, yet Chen still insisted on a demonstration.

Lu Xiangsheng frowned slightly.

Sensing this, Chen Xinjia quickly smiled at Lu Xiangsheng. “Don’t misunderstand. Though I am now only an inspecting censor, I once served in the Ministry of War. Seeing such troops stirred my old instincts. I hope Lord Lu will forgive my boldness.”

Yue Yang had no reason to refuse.

He stepped forward, bowed deeply to Lu Xiangsheng, then strode to the edge of the platform and shouted:

“All troops!”

“Attention!”

Clatter!

Over four thousand soldiers snapped their left feet back and stood ramrod straight.

“Fix bayonets!”

Shua!

In one unified motion, every soldier drew a triangular bayonet from his waist and attached it to his musket. A crisp chorus of click-clack echoed across the field.

“Shoulder arms!”

Clatter!

A chilling flash of cold steel swept across the parade ground as the musketeers raised their weapons in perfect unison. Like a forest of iron, a deadly aura spread through the drill ground.