[Wuxia] The List of Beauties of the Jiangshan [Complete] - 25

Chapter Eight: Persuading Zhao Bai

"Ah Yu, is Madam still grieving?"

Seeing Yang Yu emerge from Madam Anguo's room, Ye Feng, Hua Yi, Liu Yan, Li Yin, and the other women quickly approached her and asked.

"The General's death has been a huge blow to Senior Sister. If this continues... Sigh! Ah Feng, think of something."

Yang Yu sighed, her pretty face filled with anxiety. It was clear that she was also physically and mentally exhausted from accompanying Madam Anguo. During

the time before receiving news of Li Fei's death at Madam Anguo's residence, with Madam Anguo's occasional encouragement and matchmaking, coupled with Ye Feng and Yang Yu's already deep affection, their way of addressing each other had changed. They no longer addressed each other with the slightly formal "Young Master Ye" or "Madam Yang," but instead with the more intimate "Ah Yu" and "Ah Feng."

Liu Yan shook her head and said, "It's useless to say anything now. Only time will slowly erode everything." Ye Feng and she exchanged a glance, both feeling a pang of sympathy. Weren't they the same? The only way to heal wounds is through the passage of time.

Yang Yu glanced at Ye Feng and said, "Feng, you look like something's wrong."

Ye Feng nodded and said, "Yes, Yu, tomorrow, Sister Yi, A Yin, and I should return to Jade Moon City."

Due to the critical situation at the front, the Winter Cold Kingdom had deployed hundreds of thousands of troops on the north bank of the Great Moon River, causing the Great Moon King great anxiety. Therefore, the Great Moon King issued an edict ordering all prefectures and counties to organize troops to defend the king, and also encouraged the people of various regions to form militias and train to serve the country. He felt more at ease now that the more troops he had gathered around the capital.

Li Yin was the commander of the Jade Moon Prefecture's troops, so naturally she was eager to return to command the army. Ye Feng was the instructor of the Jade Moon Prefecture's army, so naturally he also held a public office. Moreover, he had discussed this in detail with Liu Yan and others these past few days, and they all believed that this was a good opportunity to expand their power.

Ye Feng's Demonic Cult has over 100,000 followers across the Great Moon Kingdom, and more than 13,000 followers at its Jade Moon branch. If they could form an army, or even a militia, it would greatly strengthen Ye Feng's power. Moreover, war is the best way to hone one's skills.

Yang Yu said sadly, "You all have to go back..." Looking around at Hua Yi, Liu Yan, and the other women, her eyes showed reluctance. The more time Yang Yu spent with Hua Yi and Liu Yan, the more she liked them. However, given Lady Anguo's current condition, she naturally couldn't go to Jade Moon City with Ye Feng and the others; she had to stay in Golden Moon City to accompany and care for Lady Anguo.

Ye Feng had considered inviting Lady Anguo to join them at Jade Moon City for a change of scenery. But then he thought it impossible. Firstly, Li Fei's spirit land was in Golden Moon City, and Lady Anguo had a very deep relationship with Li Fei, so she certainly wouldn't leave. Secondly, she enjoyed considerable prestige among the people; if she left Golden Moon City now, it would inevitably lead to gossip, with people saying she was abandoning the country in its time of crisis and deserting the battlefield. Moreover, Lady Anguo was a woman of loyalty, filial piety, and integrity; it was impossible for her to leave the people of Jinyue City at this time.

However, Lady Anguo had always been extremely kind to Ye Feng, and for her to leave at this time, when she was already heartbroken, Ye Feng didn't know what to say. He sighed to Hua Yi, Liu Yan, and the others, "How should we tell Lady Anguo?"

At that moment, the door creaked open, and Lady Anguo appeared in the doorway. She said softly, "Xiao Feng, you should all return to Yuyue Manor first. The country is in peril now; you can't waste your time here with me. I'm fine."

Ye Feng and the others saw that she had become much more haggard in just a few days, and they couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

Ye Feng hesitated, "Madam, you...?" Madam Anguo forced a smile, "I'm fine, Xiao Feng, don't worry. Ayu is here to keep me company."

Ye Feng nodded and sighed, "Madam, please accept my condolences."

Madam Anguo nodded, "I've come to terms with it. The dead are gone, and the living must live on. I'll be alright, you don't need to worry."

Ye Feng felt slightly relieved, "It's good that Madam thinks this way." He tentatively asked, "Madam, could you come back to Jade Moon City with us...?"

Madam Anguo resolutely replied, "With the enemy pressing in, I will not leave Jade Moon City at this time. No matter how difficult it is, I will stay with the people of Jade Moon City."

Ye Feng sighed, knowing that Madam Anguo's mind was made up, and there was no point in saying anything more. Madam Anguo's actions were admirable. At present, many wealthy and powerful families in Jade Moon City had already fled to places like Yue Nan Prefecture further south, or moved their businesses out of the Jade Moon City area. Only she was determined to stay. She was a woman who was not inferior to men. Those men who fled should be ashamed.

The

next morning, Ye Feng, Hua Yi, and others bid a reluctant farewell to Lady Anguo and Yang Yu. Lady Anguo and Yang Yu escorted them to the city gates.

Ye Feng gazed at the two beautiful women and said, "Ayu, Madam, please take care."

Yang Yu looked at Ye Feng for a moment and nodded deeply. Lady Anguo said, "Little Feng, you too, be careful on your journey!"

Ye Feng nodded and departed with Hua Yi and the others. The night before their departure, he naturally went to say goodbye to the Queen. Although reluctant, he left. Before leaving, he also bid farewell to the Crown Prince and others.

Because of the grief over Li Fei's affair, coupled with the tense situation, Ye Feng had temporarily lost interest in Zhao Xiu. Moreover, with Han Meixue far away in the north, he could not do anything for the time being. Therefore, Ye Feng accomplished very little of the goals he had set before coming to Jin Yue City.

On February 29th, 1607 (lunar calendar), Ye Feng, along with Hua Yi, Liu Yan, Yang Yu, Li Yin, Lin Su, Ru Qing, Yang Yi and other women, Sun Yanggu, Li Huan, Zhang Ning, and a group of members of the Demonic Sect, plus an escort army of about a thousand men from Jade Moon City, returned to Jade Moon City.

They retraced their route from Jade Moon City to Golden Moon City.

Along the way, Ye Feng was constantly planning how to organize a militia upon their return. He also discussed this matter in detail with Liu Yan, Li Yin, Liu Mingzhi, and the elders of the Demonic Sect.

Since his prestige within the Jade Moon Prefecture army was not yet established, it wasn't the right time for him to lead the army there. However, he did have over 13,000 members of the Demonic Sect in Jade Moon Prefecture, a formidable force. He even considered transferring some of the Demonic Sect's followers from other regions to Jade Moon Prefecture.

However, Liu Yan was right; transferring his vast Demonic Sect followers from various locations to Jade Moon Prefecture would certainly arouse the court's vigilance and suspicion. It's not the right time yet; let them stay where they are and continue developing their strength. However, now that the war has begun, the mahjong and tobacco businesses seem to need some adjustments to prevent the whole country from becoming obsessed with these vices and indulging in a life of debauchery.

Li Yin is quite right. Although the members of the Demonic Cult are all fanatical religious figures with undeniable martial prowess, and many of them are highly skilled, warfare is about discipline and teamwork, not individual martial arts prowess. The Demonic Cult members are all from the martial arts world, with strong martial arts habits, and old habits die hard. I don't want a rabble; I'll need to train them with strict military discipline.

Although I am highly skilled in martial arts, I'm not good at training troops. Fortunately, Liu Yan and Li Yin can help me. Li Yin was born in another world and has long been involved in military affairs, so she naturally understands the situation of armies in that world. Liu Yan is a former Chinese special agent and is extremely skilled in military strategy. With their help, I can save a lot of effort.

Through his conversations with Li Yin and Liu Yan, Ye Feng understood that quality over quantity is the key to a successful army. He only needed to select five thousand strong men from the Jade Moon Prefecture's demonic sect members, train them, and have them join the loyalist forces under the Jade Moon Prefecture's militia. The remaining members could be either incorporated into the reserve force or engaged in other activities, training while engaging in various production tasks.

However, another problem remained. Although many high-ranking members of his demonic sect knew that the sect had formed an alliance with Li Huiwei and Li Yin, his members, apart from himself, refused to submit to the official leadership of the Jade Moon Prefecture. They would only obey his command. Ye Feng was ambitious and planned to build an army completely different from those in this world

.

On this day, the group arrived at Xinfu Prefecture, which was under the jurisdiction of Yuyue Prefecture. The journey from Jinyue City to Xinfu City was relatively short, as the terrain was mostly flat and the roads were easy to travel.

Upon arriving in Xinfu City, Ye Feng and his companions naturally went to see Zhao Bai and Sun Mei.

The prefect of Xinfu, Li Shang, had already received word that the martial arts champion and Yuyue Prefecture Commander Li Yin were passing through his new prefecture. As before, he warmly welcomed Ye Feng, Li Yin, and their party outside the city. Ye Feng and Li Yin politely declined his invitation to a banquet and, along with Hua Yi and the other women, headed towards Sun Mei's residence.

Along the way, they noticed a stark contrast to the peaceful and prosperous scene they had witnessed previously. Everywhere were refugees fleeing from the five northern prefectures, a sight that saddened them greatly. Li Yin gritted her teeth and cursed Dong Han the Hu pig, filled with hatred.

The group quickly arrived at Sun Mei's elegant courtyard in the south of Xinfu City. Sun Mei and Zhao Bai joyfully greeted Ye Feng and the others.

Zhao Bai and Sun Mei were the same as before, but Sun Mei's belly was more prominent, indicating she was almost three months pregnant. Upon seeing Ye Feng, Sun Mei smiled radiantly, a fleeting joy on her bright face before returning to calm.

The group settled in the hall. Ye Feng first spoke of the grand celebrations for the Queen's birthday, and then the discussion turned to the current war. The death of Li Fei brought deep sorrow to everyone. Li Fei was a pillar of the Great Yue Kingdom, and his death had instilled a sense of impending doom in the people.

Zhao Bai recounted the large influx of refugees from the Five Directions and Five Prefectures into Xinfu Prefecture in recent days, bringing various pieces of bad news and causing constant fear among the people. Because Xinfu Prefecture bordered Kaiyuan Prefecture across the Jade Moon River, it was frequently harassed and pillaged by cavalry from the Winter Cold Kingdom. Although Dong Yinqiu strictly forbade the Donghan Kingdom's army from burning, killing, and looting in various places, her strict orders only applied to the Donghan Kingdom's army under her command. Kaiyuan Prefecture was under the jurisdiction of the Donggu army, and his soldiers had always paid lip service to this order. Donggu turned a blind eye, neither interfering nor even condoning it.

For their own safety, the people of the outskirts of Xinfu Prefecture flocked to the city, bringing various problems such as security and survival, causing headaches for Li Shang, the prefect of Xinfu Prefecture. Zhao Bai's business was also getting increasingly difficult; with war and chaos, who would want to buy furniture?

Actually, compared to the other nine prefectures of Dayue Kingdom, Yuyue Prefecture had the most advantageous geographical location. To the north, bordering Kaiyuan Prefecture, lay the Yuyuan Mountains, where the Yuyue and Kaiyuan Mountains intersected, high mountains and dense forests almost impossible to traverse.

To the west, bordering Chunshui and Qiuyun Kingdoms, lay the treacherous Yuyue Mountains, and since both countries were vassal states of Dayue Kingdom, there were no security issues.

The southern part of Yuyue Prefecture borders Yanmeng Kingdom, a hilly area with relatively flat terrain. However, Yanmeng Kingdom has maintained friendly relations with Dayue Kingdom for centuries, so there are no security concerns. The southern part borders Liuzhi Kingdom, a vassal state of Yanmeng Kingdom, a mountainous region, making communication difficult, let alone military action. Furthermore, Liuzhi Kingdom is small and weak; Yuyue Prefecture is already grateful if it doesn't bother them, let alone dare to harass Yuyue Prefecture.

To the east, apart from Xinfu Prefecture, which has many plains and lakes, the area gradually extends southward to Yanmeng Kingdom, consisting mainly of high mountains and forests. This makes Yuyue Prefecture appear like a secluded territory, an independent little kingdom. Its advantageous geographical environment has allowed the people of Yuyue Prefecture to enjoy peace for many years.

To advance into Yuyue Prefecture, one must follow the Yuyue River, the road from Yuyue City to Xinfu City. The road is difficult to traverse; simply setting up a few checkpoints at treacherous points along the mountain path can easily stop countless armies. This, of course, also makes communication between Yuyue Prefecture and the outside world inconvenient.

As for the geographical location of Xinfu Prefecture, it is located northeast of Yuyue Prefecture.

The Yuyue River, originating from the Yuyue Mountains and flowing past the outskirts of Yuyue City, converges with the Dayue River, which originates from the Yuyuan Mountains, about a hundred miles away when it reaches Xinfu Prefecture. The area between the two rivers forms a region with many rivers and lakes, making military movement difficult; only cavalry can move freely. It serves as a buffer zone between Kaiyuan Prefecture and Yuyue Prefecture.

Xinfu City is located south of the Yuyue River, while the north bank of the Yuyue River belongs to Kaiyuan Prefecture.

Of all the areas in Yuyue Prefecture, only Xinfu Prefecture is flat and lacks natural defenses. Fortunately, Xinfu City has high walls and thick fortifications, and the wide Yuyue River protects it to the north, so it is generally safe. However, the frequent harassment by cavalry from the Donghan Kingdom makes the prefect of Xinfu Prefecture tremble with fear, and he sends envoys to Yuyue City every day to request Li Huiwei to send more troops to assist in the defense.

Hearing Zhao Bai's story, Ye Feng's heart stirred. He said to Zhao Bai, "Brother, didn't you want to serve the country wholeheartedly? Now is an opportunity. Besides, in times of war, it's impossible to do business peacefully. After returning to Jade Moon City, I want to form a local militia to defend the country. In addition, Xinfu City is becoming increasingly unsafe. Brother, you are very skilled. Why don't you come back to Jade Moon City with me to form a militia? Besides, Sister Mei, Sister Yi, and Sister Ru will have company."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Bai was quite tempted. He was currently idle and bored. Before the war, besides taking care of Sun Mei, although he mostly entrusted his business to his stewards, he could still visit the city often. Now, business was difficult, and Xinfu City might be destroyed by war one day. He didn't care about himself, but for Sun Mei's safety, it was better to return to Jade Moon City. "

Hua Yi, Ru Qing, Liu Yan, and the other women readily agreed with Ye Feng's words and joined in the persuasion.

Finally, Zhao Bai was swayed and agreed. He then asked Sun Mei's opinion, and Sun Mei, glancing at Ye Feng, also agreed.

Zhao Bai then took care of some matters, and three days later, Zhao Bai and Sun Mei returned to Jade Moon City with Ye Feng's group.

Chapter Nine: The Militia Regiment

. Seven days later at noon, Ye Feng, Hua Yi, Li Yin, and their group returned to Jade Moon City. Li Huiwei personally came out of the city to welcome Ye Feng, Li Yin, and the others.

During the luncheon, everyone talked about their experiences in Jade Moon City, with Li Yin speaking animatedly. However, when the current situation was discussed, everyone's brows furrowed with worry." The death of Li Fei, in particular, caused widespread sorrow. Like those in Jin Yue City, the people of Yu Yue City wept bitterly upon hearing the news of Li Fei's tragic demise, grieving the loss of a renowned general and worrying about the current situation in the Great Yue Kingdom.

After the luncheon, Ye Feng instructed Li Huan, Sun Yanggu, and others to escort Hua Yi and the other women back to Tingyu Courtyard to rest. Sun Mei also went to Tingyu Courtyard with Hua Yi and the others for a chat. Now that she was pregnant, she naturally had to be careful.

Ye Feng, Liu Yan, Zhao Bai, and Li Yin stayed at Li Huiwei's residence to discuss the formation of a militia. On the way back to Yu Yue City, Ye Feng had already revealed his identity as the leader of the Demonic Sect to Zhao Bai. Zhao Bai, upon hearing this… Naturally, he was shocked, but due to his deep brotherly bond with Ye Feng, he could only accept this reality.

Because the Great Yue King had issued several orders to come to the aid of the capital, and because Li Huiwei's Jade Moon Army and the Divine Feather Army stationed around Golden Moon City were among the two most powerful armies in the five southern prefectures of Great Yue, the Great Yue King's order to Li Huiwei to come to the aid of the capital was also issued very urgently. Li Huiwei had quickly assembled his troops, and in at most a month, he would lead them to Golden Moon City.

Jade Moon Prefecture had approximately 100,000 regular troops. During the previous incident in Spring Water Kingdom, 30,000 were sent there. Recently, Li Huiwei had recalled 20,000, leaving only 10,000 stationed in Spring Water Kingdom to guard against Orchid Kingdom. This time… Li Huiwei prepared to send 60,000 elite troops to Jin Yue City to defend the emperor.

When the topic of Ye Feng's militia training came up, Li Huiwei was very supportive. He knew that Ye Feng's demonic sect in Yu Yue Prefecture was powerful and had a large number of followers, making it an outstanding force. He hoped this force could serve Yu Yue Prefecture. He also knew that the demonic sect members would not obey the government's orders at present; they would only obey Ye Feng. However, Li Huiwei was now on the same side as Ye Feng, so he was not worried and expressed his full support for Ye Feng.

Thus, Ye Feng began to build his own army, which would later sweep across the continent, and the most ferocious "Ye Family Army" in the world was born!

※※※

In the afternoon, Ye Feng issued an order, commanding over ten thousand members of the Jade Moon Prefecture branch of the Demonic Sect to assemble on the outskirts of Jade Moon City. He planned to select four to five thousand men to form a militia to support the emperor.

The Demonic Sect had long awaited this day. After the order was issued, both elders and ordinary members were overjoyed. Finally, they could openly form their own armed force. For hundreds of years, the Demonic Sect had been waiting for this day.

Just seven days later, most of the Demonic Sect members in Jade Moon Prefecture had gathered around Jade Moon City, awaiting Ye Feng's next instructions.

At the same time, Ye Feng also publicly announced the organization of the militia in Jade Moon City, calling on the people of Jade Moon Prefecture to contribute to the country, offering money and manpower as they wished. The people of Jade Moon City were already aware of the current war situation. Seeing that the martial arts champion of the Great Moon Kingdom had personally organized a militia to serve the country, and with his wife, the highly respected Teacher Hua Yi, also joining the campaign, powerful families like the Qing and Zhao Bai families of Jade Moon City expressed their support. Scholars, who held Ye Feng in high regard due to his recent invention of the imperial examination system, also readily offered their support. The enthusiasm was palpable; some contributed manpower, others money.

Ye Feng readily accepted the money, but as for manpower, he had enough of his own Demonic Cult followers. Moreover, these followers were loyal to him and possessed considerable martial prowess, far surpassing the ordinary citizens of Jade Moon City. Of course, to maintain secrecy, he openly recruited from across Jade Moon City, only including Demonic Cult members in the recruitment drive. Since the Demonic Cult members in Jade Moon City all maintained their own ordinary citizen identities, the process proceeded smoothly. Soon, a sufficient number of militia members were selected.

Li Huiwei publicly expressed his support and appreciation for Ye Feng, and allocated a military camp on the outskirts of Yuyue City to Ye Feng as a training ground.

To avoid suspicion, the organization of the civilian militia naturally could not be the same as that of the Great Yue army. Ye Feng wasn't very knowledgeable about military organization and training, but Li Yin and Liu Yan were very familiar with it.

Li Yin suggested that the militia learn from the Great Yue army's organization, using a ten-by-ten system, and she would help with its formation. Liu Yan, however, had her own opinion. Coming from the original world, she naturally understood Chinese history and the organization of the modern People's Liberation Army, and suggested a three-by-three system.

After discussion, both Ye Feng and Liu Yan agreed that the ten-by-ten system was indeed the best organization for the era of cold weapons. Countless historical facts proved that this method best utilized the combat effectiveness of the troops and was the most convenient for command. The three-by-three system was a product of the era of firearms, because firearms were extremely powerful, and their effectiveness had largely replaced the role of manpower. But in the era of cold weapons, combat power still required the cooperation of manpower.

From a management perspective, an effective leadership range for one person is seven people, but in armies using cold weapons, a ten-person unit was generally used for ease of command. Of course, modern military organization, accumulated over thousands of years, naturally has its merits.

Finally, Ye Feng and Liu Yan decided on a completely new organizational system. Ten people formed a squad, with one squad leader and one deputy squad leader. Five squads formed a platoon, with one platoon leader and one deputy platoon leader. Five platoons formed a company, with one company commander and one deputy company commander. A cook squad was added to form a complete company.

The entire company was divided into three companies, with Ye Feng appointing himself battalion commander and Zhang Ning of the Jade Moon branch of the Demonic Cult as deputy battalion commander. The leaders, core members, and elites of the Jade Moon branch of the Demonic Cult were appointed as company commanders, platoon leaders, and squad leaders.

A guard platoon was also formed, staffed by Tiger Guards, with Liu Mingzhi as platoon leader, responsible for protecting Ye Feng, Liu Yan, the central army, and the commander's tent. A staff department was established, with Zhao Bai and others as staff officers, and Liu Yan as chief of staff. A military law department was established, headed by a single military judge, appointed from among the elders of the Demonic Cult, specifically the Right Elder of the "Cold Light" department, who was recently appointed to oversee punishments. The Right Elder was renowned for his impartiality and incorruptibility; his position as military judge was expected to keep those who violated

military discipline in check. He was to be in charge of Ye Feng. A logistics company was also established to handle military supplies, along with a reconnaissance platoon and an intelligence department.

The Demonic Cult itself was a well-organized entity, essentially an independent kingdom. Within the cult, there were "Cold Night," responsible for kidnapping, extortion, assassination, and other espionage; "Black Star," responsible for tracking and combat; "Cold Light," responsible for punishments, containing various horrifying tortures specifically designed for members who betrayed or violated cult rules; and "Clear Eyes," responsible for espionage and intelligence gathering, maintaining records of the backgrounds, appearances, sects, special skills, and hobbies of all famous figures in the world.

Each of these departments also had a group of elites transferred to the intelligence department. The remaining elders and independent members were responsible for rear affairs, including finances, provisions, and the continued operation of the Demonic Sect across various regions.

The militia was finally organized, totaling over four thousand men. Naturally, every member of the Demonic Sect vied to join the militia; those selected were overjoyed, while those who weren't sighed with disappointment.

Ye Feng pondered the name of the militia for a long time, tracing it through Chinese history, and finally settled on "Begging for Life Army." The name originated from Ran Min, a Han Chinese hero during the Five Barbarian Invasions, and Ye Feng used it again. Currently, the Yue people were facing a life-or-death crisis due to the rampant presence of barbarian tribes, making the name particularly meaningful. Ye Feng had originally considered using "Ye Family Army," but decided it wasn't appropriate now and would be considered later. Everyone found the name strange, except for Liu Yan, who understood Chinese history; she smiled slightly and said nothing.

Regarding the doubts about the "Begging for Life Army" organization, Ye Feng simply attributed it to avoiding any appearance of impropriety with the Yue army.

Regarding discipline, Ye Feng and Liu Yan, referencing the discipline of Yue Fei's army, Qi Jiguang's army, and the modern People's Liberation Army, established nine military regulations:

1. Obey all orders; disobedience will result in execution! If ordered to advance, advance even if facing mountains of knives and seas of fire; if ordered to retreat, retreat even if facing mountains of gold and silver.

2. In battle, advance bravely. If the entire squad retreats, the squad leader will be executed. If the squad leader dies and the entire squad retreats, the entire squad will be executed. If the squad leader dies in battle, the deputy squad leader automatically takes over; if the deputy squad leader dies, a veteran automatically takes over, until only one soldier remains.

3. Do not take even a needle or a piece of clothing from the people; disobedience will result in execution!

4. All spoils must be turned over to the public; disobedience will result in execution!

5. Harassing women is strictly prohibited; disobedience will result in execution!

6. Fairness must be maintained when trading with the people; violators will be severely punished with 50 lashes! 7. Negotiating

with the people will result

in lashes! 8. Damaging the property of the people requires compensation at cost; disobedience will result in 50 lashes!

9. Officers are strictly prohibited from embezzling military pay! Arbitrary punishment and corporal punishment of soldiers, regardless of who is involved or whether they are guilty or not, will be decided by the Military Law Department, and violators will be severely punished!

The aim is to forge an army that is "the people's own army!" and a completely different image from the army of this world.

Ye Feng's regiment training camp is right next to Li Yin's barracks, and the soldiers often come to check on it when they have free time. Upon hearing about the military discipline established by Ye Feng and Liu Yan, everyone was astonished; the discipline was incredibly strict. However, the soldiers secretly envied Article Nine, as corporal punishment of soldiers by officers was a very serious problem in the Great Yue Kingdom's army, and

the withholding of soldiers' pay was also commonplace. Even Li Yin was surprised and asked Ye Feng if the military regulations were too harsh. She also disapproved of Ye Feng's regulations regarding the attitude towards civilians. In any country on the continent, soldiers have always treated civilians with condescension, and the arbitrary robbing of civilians' property was rampant, let alone a friendly attitude.

Ye Feng and Liu Yan insisted on this point. They knew that the fighting power of any powerful army in history stemmed from strict military discipline. Their idols, the national heroes Yue Fei and Qi Jiguang, also had extremely strict military regulations. Historical records state that Yue Fei's army: "Any soldier who took even a single strand of hemp from the people to bind straw would be immediately beheaded as a warning. If the people opened their doors to let the soldiers in at night, none dared to enter… They were known as: 'We would rather freeze to death than dismantle a house, we would rather starve to death than plunder…'" Their formidable fighting power came from strict military discipline and rigorous training.

(Note: In recent years, some shameless bastards have claimed that Yue Fei was not a national hero, even calling him a criminal who resisted the reunification of the motherland. I only say one thing: You are a beast! Your family has been slaves for generations! History is history; how can it be changed? History must be viewed within its historical context; how can it be viewed with modern eyes?)

If that's the case, then hundreds of years later, when the Japanese become China's 57th ethnic group, will Wang Jingwei become a national hero for promoting national reunification, while the anti-Japanese heroes of that time will become criminals for defying national reunification? Will the victims of the Nanjing Massacre become those who are out of touch with reality? Will some shameless bastards then proudly post online: "In 1941, the Chinese army attacked Pearl Harbor, causing the American troops to flee in terror; it swept through Southeast Asia, forcing tens of thousands of American and British troops to surrender; it even established the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere,

enjoying a period of glory!" Humans cannot be so shameless!

※※※

The relationship between the people and the army is like that of fish and water. Without the support of the people, the army is like a fish out of water, unable to survive. Therefore, a harmonious relationship with the people is essential. The people of Yuyue Prefecture felt a strange yet warm feeling upon hearing Ye Feng's Beggars' Army's regulations; never before in mainland history had an armed force treated the people so well. The scholars also praised it highly. Immediately, the establishment of military regulations alone earned the Beggars' Army immense popularity among the people.

Next came the issue of pay. After discussion between Ye Feng and Liu Yan, it was stipulated that each soldier in the militia would receive 10 taels of silver per month, with officers receiving more. Silver in the Great Yue Kingdom was becoming increasingly valuable, and 10 taels a month would allow the soldiers to live comfortably.

Furthermore, it was stipulated that after battle, soldiers would receive generous rewards and spoils based on their achievements, ensuring a clear system of rewards and punishments. If a soldier unfortunately died in battle, his family would receive a monthly pension of 10 taels of silver for 20 years. This system ensured that merit was rewarded and demerit punished, relieving soldiers of worries about their families' livelihoods, naturally motivating everyone to fight bravely.

Among the reasons why agricultural societies often had lower combat effectiveness than nomadic societies, the soldiers' fear of leaving their families without support after their death was a significant factor. In agricultural societies, soldiers were often the main breadwinners, and their deaths left their families without a means of livelihood. Although the members of the Demonic Cult are somewhat special, they are still ordinary people with families and loved ones. They worry about their families' livelihoods after their deaths. Moreover, their initial pay when joining the cult was meager, relying solely on religious fervor. Now, these concerns are gone, and they are solely focused on killing enemies and achieving merit.

Furthermore, after discussing with Liu Yan, Ye Feng plans to build a Martyrs' Heroes' Park, stipulating that any soldier who dies in battle will be buried there, and every year all soldiers in the militia will pay their respects to the martyrs, thus enhancing their sense of honor.

This greatly impressed Li Yin's soldiers. In the Great Yue Kingdom or other countries, every civilian is required to serve in the military, receiving only a meager monthly salary, and upon death, they are simply buried wherever they are found, leaving their wives, children, and elderly unattended. Furthermore, soldiers in the Great Yue Kingdom do not have a high social status. Ye Feng's actions greatly surprised and envied them.

Ye Feng's approach can be considered the first of its kind on the entire continent, significantly boosting his reputation.

Next came the issue of uniforms. Ye Feng believed that a handsome and masculine military uniform was a crucial way to boost morale and maintain fighting spirit, especially among young people. Furthermore, the current uniforms of the Great Yue Kingdom were unattractive and failed to clearly represent the hierarchical relationships between soldiers, creating difficulties for command.

Therefore, Ye Feng personally designed new uniforms and boots, along with new helmets. To further emphasize rank and facilitate command, he also designed shoulder insignia. For example, in the first platoon, a soldier's shoulder insignia had one dark blue horizontal bar, while the platoon leader's had two. The platoon leader's had three horizontal bars, and the company commander's had four. The commander himself wore a golden five-pointed star. This clearly defined the ranks.

As the militia soldiers marched through Jade Moon City, their handsome and masculine uniforms attracted considerable attention, especially from young people. Even many young women looked on at the militia soldiers, making the militia brothers stand even taller and prouder.

Not only were Li Yin's soldiers envious, but even Li Yin herself was tempted! Li Huiwei also came to Ye Feng's camp, looking around thoughtfully.

Of course, both military pay and uniforms cost money, but fortunately, the people of Yu Yue Prefecture donated a lot of money, and the Demonic Sect had become powerful and wealthy in recent years, so spending this money was no problem for Ye Feng.

With that settled, the next issue was training and equipment!

Chapter Ten: Cruel Training

Although the Demonic Sect members were all fanatical religious zealots, their individual combat strength was undeniable, but on the battlefield, individual strength was useless; what was needed was teamwork. Moreover, although the Demonic Sect members had group martial arts training in their branch altars, that was completely different from the battlefield.

To be fair, on the battlefield, it was hard to say whether the Demonic Sect members would win against the ordinary Great Yue Kingdom army, let alone the fierce Winter Cold Kingdom army.

Ye Feng lacked experience in military training, but Liu Yan, a Chinese special agent, possessed extensive expertise in this area. Therefore, she was entrusted with the crucial task of training the Beggars' Army.

Li Yin also offered Ye Feng and Liu Yan numerous suggestions, emphasizing that a soldier's running ability was a vital aspect of combat effectiveness—a view shared by both Liu Yan and Li Yin.

Not only did Li Yin frequently train her troops by having them run around Jade Moon City to build stamina, but Chinese armies throughout history also regularly conducted various long-distance running training exercises. The *Mozi* (a classic Chinese text) records: "In ancient times, King Helü of Wu trained his troops for seven years, then had them run three hundred li (approximately 150 kilometers) fully armed and armored before setting up camp." This seven-year training program enabled the Wu army to run three hundred li (approximately 105 kilometers) before encamping, a distance equivalent to 105 kilometers in modern terms. This was remarkable.

Therefore, Liu Yan combined the training methods of this otherworldly army, ancient Chinese armies, and modern military techniques to create a detailed training program known as the *Training Notes*.

The training content in the entire "Training Manual" was detailed, unique, brutal, and ruthless, pushing the limits of human endurance. Even Li Yin found it terrifying. At the same time, she found it extremely practical. While the Great Yue Kingdom army also had some training regulations and content, none were as detailed and clear as Liu Yan's "Training Manual."

For example, in training soldiers' running ability, each soldier had to run dozens of kilometers every morning carrying tens of kilograms of weight, followed by one hundred sets of push-ups before eating breakfast; those who hadn't completed the task were not allowed to eat. Everyone understood the weighted long-distance running, but what were push-ups and what was their purpose? Not only did ordinary militia soldiers and Yu Yue Prefecture soldiers not understand, but even Li Yin didn't.

Ye Feng understood; indeed, long-distance running and push-ups were excellent methods for improving physical fitness, commonly used in modern armies. Liu Yan explained it to Li Yin and the soldiers, who both understood and didn't. But regardless, Liu Yan's orders had to be obeyed. This was the first rule of military regulations: obey all orders, or face execution! Soldiers must absolutely obey their officers' orders.

After breakfast, the morning consisted of various drills, combat, marching and camping, horseback archery, and other training. Here, Liu Yan introduced a modern military marching formation different from that of this world. Li Yin and the soldiers of Yu Yue Prefecture watched the militia train with some curiosity. When Li Yin saw how the Qi Huo Army used these different formations to train, making it easy and convenient to maintain uniformity, command, and create an imposing array of troops, she couldn't help but ponder.

In the afternoon, the morning's training was repeated. Evenings were for exchanging training experiences and learning from each other, with occasional emergency assemblies and nighttime combat drills to improve the soldiers' nighttime reaction and combat capabilities.

Finally, each month, the Qi Huo Army held various live-fire exercises between each company to assess the monthly training effectiveness.

※※※

In addition to these ordinary training exercises, the "Training Notes" also includes various brutal field training exercises, such as passing through fire barriers, climbing aerial cableways, and training in leech-infested swamps. For example, climbing aerial cableways and training in leech-infested swamps are designed to cultivate soldiers' survival skills and willpower in harsh environments.

Climbing the aerial cableway involved tying a rope high in the air above a valley, with jagged, sharp rocks below. Without strong willpower or physical strength, a fall was almost certain death. Training in the swamp was an even greater test of the soldiers' will. The muddy swamp was teeming with leeches and reeked of decay, with the constant danger of being swallowed by the mud. Only with unwavering willpower and exceptional physical strength could they escape.

Furthermore, the "Training Manual" included training in winter, such as washing themselves naked in the snow, all designed to cultivate their strong will.

These brutal training methods left the soldiers of Jade Moon Prefecture speechless. Jade Moon Prefecture hadn't seen war for a century, and their soldiers were usually lazy and undisciplined in their training; they had never undergone such rigorous training.

However, with Liu Yan's high-risk training, it would be difficult not to forge an iron-willed, steely army.

Of course, Liu Yan personally led all these training sessions, taking the lead herself, leaving everyone speechless and full of admiration. They never imagined this beautiful and quiet girl was so capable. Moreover, Liu Yan had strict orders: even high-ranking military figures like Ye Feng, Zhao Bai, and the Right Elder had to participate in the training. Those who disobeyed would be severely punished with 100 lashes the first time and beheaded the second time, showing no mercy. Although Ye Feng would take revenge on her in bed at night when he was in pain, he had to do it in front of outsiders.

Therefore, by the end of the training, Ye Feng, Zhao Bai, and the others were all completely exhausted.

When Hua Yi and the other women heard about this, they were all astonished; this Liu Yan was truly amazing.

※※※

Liu Yan believed that an army without knowledge was a foolish army. Therefore, she stipulated that all soldiers and officers in the Beggars' Army, whether soldiers or officers, had to gather at night to study her "Training Manual" and learn to read and write, as well as other knowledge. Hua Yi volunteered to teach the soldiers every night. Inspired by Hua Yi, many teachers also came to the Beggars' Army camp to impart knowledge to the soldiers.

The Beggars' Army soldiers were already loyal to Ye Feng, believing him to be the hope for the revival of the Demonic Sect. Now, not only were they well-treated in the army, but they were also able to learn to read and write, which made them extremely happy. Many of them learned their own names for the first time, and their joy

was so great that Ye Feng was happy for them too. Scholars held a high status in the Great Yue Kingdom, while soldiers were considered uncivilized and uncouth. When news of the Beggars' Army's literacy spread, some gossip inevitably arose. However, since the highly respected Teacher Hua from Jade Moon City was personally instructing them, and Ye Feng was highly regarded by the scholars of the Great Yue Kingdom, many scholars immediately stood up to refute the rumors. They argued that the sages had spoken of education for all, and that the Beggars' Army soldiers were loyal and brave patriots, so learning was only natural. Soon, the gossip faded away.

To strengthen the army's cohesion, Liu Yan also intensified the training of the lower-ranking officers of the Beggars' Army.

Liu Yan understood that in Chinese history, and even in the present history of the Great Yue Kingdom, large-scale routs were common in armies. Often, an army would scatter after suffering only a few casualties. The current Winter Yue War was a prime example. Even Li Fei, hailed as the Great Yue Kingdom's foremost general, saw his army crumble after his death. This was due to a lack of cohesion among the lower-ranking officers; the officers, though willing, were powerless to stop the rout.

Indeed, in the Great Yue Kingdom, soldiers joined the army merely for conscription or to earn a wage. In times of war, they even conscripted men from all over to fill the ranks. Such an army, lacking fighting power, was bound to rout.

Therefore, Liu Yan vigorously trained his lower-ranking officers, instilling in them principles of "propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame," cultivating their sense of honor, and establishing strict military regulations to ensure cohesion and fighting capacity. As long as there was one officer and one veteran in the army, the ranks would not collapse and would fight to the last man.

However, she encountered a problem here. The Beggars' Army was composed entirely of members of the Demonic Cult. Although these members were all from the Great Yue Kingdom, under the influence of their religion, they had no loyalty to the Great Yue Kingdom's ruler; they were only loyal to the cult leader, Ye Feng.

The Beggars' Army could be said to have been created by Ye Feng himself, and it was completely different from the other armies of the Great Yue Kingdom. The soldiers of the Great Yue Kingdom were all trained by the imperial court. When war broke out, generals were dispatched to lead the troops into battle, and after the war, military power was returned. The Beggars' Army was different. Its soldiers were all composed of members of the Demonic Cult, and in reality, "the soldiers belonged to their generals." From soldiers to officers, no one commanded beyond their rank; authority was unified, and there was a strong personal subordinate relationship. It would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, for the imperial court, including Li Huiwei or Li Yin, to mobilize them. All of them would be absolutely obedient to Ye Feng alone.

Therefore, Liu Yan's efforts to instill loyalty to the court in the Beggars' Army soldiers would be useless. Moreover, Liu Yan understood Ye Feng's thoughts; therefore, after discussing it with him, she stopped teaching the ideology of loyalty to the court and only emphasized the soldiers' loyalty to Ye Feng, teaching them the Confucian principles of "propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame" to ensure their loyalty to Ye Feng alone.

However, Ye Feng also considered a problem: although the members of the Demonic Cult were loyal to him alone, they lacked a sense of national identity. What would he do with the Demonic Cult after he succeeded? The Demonic Cult had contributed greatly to the establishment of the Great Yue Kingdom, but because of its later rise to power and its threat to the Great Yue Kingdom's political security, it was banned. Would he ultimately suffer the same fate?

After discussing this issue with Liu Yan, she remained silent in thought. Ye Feng wondered if he was overthinking things. This was indeed a potential problem for the future.

※※※

Soon, more than three months passed, and the Beggars' Army had undergone a complete transformation.

By this time, Li Huiwei had already led 60,000 elite troops from the Jade Moon Prefecture to Golden Moon City. With loyalist armies continuously arriving from various places towards the Golden Moon City area of the Dayue River, and with Dong Yinqiu's army remaining inactive, the Dayue King's heart was somewhat at ease.

At this time, Li Yin was in full charge of the military and political affairs of the Jade Moon Prefecture. Regarding the Beggars' Army's weapons and equipment, Ye Feng originally wanted to ask Li Yin if she could provide some, but Li Yin chuckled and said that his Demonic Sect was so wealthy that it didn't need her to provide anything; the Demonic Sect should solve the problem of weapons and equipment themselves. Ye Feng was so angry that he tormented her several times in bed that night.

Looking at the thousands of weapons taken from the Demonic Sect's inventory, Liu Yan remained silent, then asked Yun Sanren, who was in charge of logistics, with a slightly embarrassed expression, "Why are they all just ordinary iron weapons? There aren't even many steel swords?" Yun Sanren's

usually loud voice was slightly embarrassed: "Chief of Staff, iron weapons are valuable and difficult to forge, and steel products are even rarer. Our Divine Sect is powerful and wealthy, so we equip each person with a weapon made of refined iron. Steel swords are only available to those at the level of leader or above. Other smaller gangs sometimes don't even have weapons made of refined iron."

Zhao Bai said, "Indeed, even in the Great Yue Army, only officers of the rank of colonel are qualified to use steel weapons!"

Ye Feng asked doubtfully, "I..." "The Great Yue Kingdom is so short of steel. Are other countries in the same situation? Like the Winter Cold Kingdom?"

He replied, "The Great Yue Kingdom is the wealthiest country on the continent, possessing the most advanced weapon-making technology. Only the Great Yue Kingdom currently possesses steel weapons; the Winter Cold Kingdom and other countries do not yet have steel products."

He explained, "My lord, as the saying goes, 'steel is forged through repeated tempering.' Good iron and steel are extremely difficult to refine. To produce good steel, wrought iron must first be refined, then pig iron is incorporated into the wrought iron, and it must be forged nearly a hundred times before it becomes steel. Each skilled blacksmith can produce at most a little over a pound of steel per day. Even then, the steel produced may not be suitable for forging weapons; only high-quality steel can be used to forge military swords."

“Besides, the best blacksmiths in the Great Yue Kingdom are all serving in the army. Our Divine Sect is powerful enough to own its own weapons smelting workshop. And the fact that we can forge some high-quality steel knives is already quite impressive.”

Ye Feng and Liu Yan exchanged a glance upon hearing this, both deeply moved. Coming from the modern world, they naturally possessed their own faster and better steel-making methods, different from those of this world.

Liu Yan smiled and said, “Speaking of steelmaking, I do have a method that can produce large quantities of good steel.”

Both Yi Shiqing and Zhao Bai were greatly surprised: "What, a large quantity... of high-quality steel?"

"Can steel be directly smelted...?"

Chapter Eleven: Refining Refined Steel

"What? Sister Yan, you can directly refine iron ore into refined steel?"

In Li Yin's residence, upon hearing Liu Yan's words, Li Yin was greatly surprised and stood up. Lu Tianming, Yang Jun, and the others beside Li Yin also looked at Liu Yan in astonishment.

"That's right!" Liu Yan smiled and said, "Of course, many conditions need to be met, which requires Sister Yin's help to resolve."

Li Yin looked at Liu Yan in surprise, her pretty eyes darting around. Although what Liu Yan said was very surprising, Li Yin had always admired Liu Yan very much. From the first time she met her, she had a feeling of respect and fear towards Liu Yan, especially after Liu Yan's training of the Beggars' Army in the past few months, which made her look at her with new eyes and feel inferior. Liu Yan and Ye Feng both possessed a unique and captivating temperament and ability.

As a military commander, Li Yin was naturally very concerned about her army's equipment. If steel could replace iron, the army's combat power would immediately increase several levels. However, she had been to the military's smelting plant before and witnessed the difficulty of smelting steel. It required countless hammerings and forgings to become steel; how could iron and stone be directly turned into refined steel?

Seeing Li Yin still hesitating, Ye Feng reached out and patted her, saying, "Alright, Yin, don't hesitate any longer. Don't you know your sister Yan's abilities?" Although Ye Feng and Liu Yan were both from the original world and had seen modern steelmaking methods, Ye Feng hadn't paid attention to them before. Therefore, when it came to the crucial moment, he both understood and didn't understand those steelmaking methods. Fortunately, as a special agent, Liu Yan had to learn these skills, so Ye Feng let Liu Yan handle everything!

Li Yin playfully scolded Ye Feng, "You're so annoying!" Seeing Liu Yan's determined expression, and believing in Liu Yan's abilities, Li Yin quickly made a decision after a few glances and asked, "Sister Yan, what help do you need?" She then quickly added, "Let me make this clear beforehand: if we can quickly and mass-produce refined steel, then..."

Liu Yan smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits." Li Yin was relieved.

Liu Yan then explained that she needed Li Yin's help with the supply of iron ore, coal, and aluminum ore. She knew that the reason why iron ore couldn't be directly smelted into steel in ancient China and even in the present-day Great Yue Kingdom was mainly due to the inability to raise the temperature. To raise the temperature, coking coal and refractory bricks were necessary.

Currently in the Great Yue Kingdom, iron and coal mines were government monopolies. As for aluminum ore, the Great Yue Kingdom was currently unfamiliar with it, but it was an excellent material for making refractory bricks.

Li Yin understood some of what she was saying, but she still said, "Don't worry, Sister Yan, I will fully cooperate with you."

First

, Li Yin gave the order that all the craftsmen and blacksmiths in the official smelting workshop of Yu Yue Prefecture be placed under Liu Yan's management. Although Ye Feng's Demonic Sect also had blacksmiths, they couldn't compare to the official ones.

Liu Yan then led a group of craftsmen, and using her expertise, they first found aluminum ore not far from Yu Yue City. Yu Yue Prefecture was rich in various mineral resources, with abundant reserves of iron, coal, aluminum, copper, and other minerals, so finding aluminum ore wasn't difficult. Ye Feng also accompanied Liu Yan; although he couldn't help, it was good to observe. The Beggars' Army's training was now on track, and neither he nor Liu Yan needed to be present every day; the officers could lead the soldiers' training themselves.

Liu Yan ordered the blacksmiths to crush some of the mined aluminum ore into fine powder, mix it with clay, and make brick blanks. Then, she had the brick kiln workers fire a batch of refractory bricks. The craftsmen all looked at her with suspicion, not understanding the purpose of these bricks.

Liu Yan understood perfectly well that these were high-alumina refractory bricks, essential for smelting iron into steel.

Next, Liu Yan retrieved some high-quality coal from the mine, set up a large kiln, and refined the coal into coke—all necessary raw materials for steelmaking!

Seven days had passed since then. During this time, the craftsmen had learned from outsiders that Lady Liu Yan was about to employ a peculiar steelmaking method, supposedly capable of directly refining iron ore into high-quality steel. The craftsmen were astonished and generally disbelieving. Directly refining iron ore into high-quality steel? Was that even possible? Was she joking?

In the Great Yue Kingdom, refining iron ore into high-quality steel required two processes.

The first process was to refine the iron ore into pig iron or wrought iron. Then comes the process of using the forging technique or pouring pig iron, repeatedly folding and forging the iron block to remove impurities. Only after hundreds of forgings can it become steel. Imagine the effort required!

To directly smelt iron ore into refined steel? Even Sun Laoliu, the most famous blacksmith in Yuyue Prefecture and the head craftsman of the Yuyue Smelting Plant, with decades of experience, had never heard of such a method. One day, Sun Laoliu secretly asked Liu Yan if there truly was a way to directly smelt iron ore into refined steel.

Liu Yan simply smiled and said, "You'll understand when the time comes."

Well, we servants don't understand the affairs of the adults. If Lady Liu Yan says we'll understand when the time comes, then we'll understand. Anyway, working for Lady Liu Yan is much more lucrative, three times the previous rate. Moreover, Lady Liu Yan is kind and gentle, speaking to them with a pleasant tone. The craftsmen all secretly admire this amiable, beautiful, and valiant woman.

Moreover, they had all privately met Ye Feng's Beggars' Army, and heard that it was trained by this Lord Liu Yan. Everyone was astonished; it was nothing like a civilian militia! Even the elite troops of Yu Yue Prefecture probably didn't possess such sharpness and killing intent. This Lord Liu Yan was no ordinary man.

※※※

After completing the production of refractory bricks and coke, the formal steelmaking process began.

This time, Liu Yan utilized all the hundreds of craftsmen from the Yu Yue Prefecture smelting workshop to begin constructing the steelmaking plant.

First, a site was selected. After several days of searching, Liu Yan chose a site near a small river outside Yu Yue City, near a town called Yu Xi. The river was swift, suitable for a steelmaking site.

Liu Yan planned to use a vertical shaft furnace for iron smelting and an open-hearth furnace for steelmaking!

Vertical shaft furnace iron smelting was a very efficient method; the material was loaded at the top, and air was blown in from below, fully utilizing heat energy during combustion to effectively produce high-quality iron. Open-hearth steelmaking, on the other hand, can utilize large quantities of scrap steel, ordinary pig iron, and wrought iron, with less stringent requirements on iron composition, producing a high yield of steel with consistent quality. It is an excellent steelmaking method. The only drawback is the longer smelting time.

Liu Yan then designed blueprints for a blast furnace for ironmaking and an open-hearth furnace for steelmaking. When the finished product was completed, the blast furnace had a diameter of two meters and a height of nearly ten meters, with a circular shape and was entirely made of iron plates. The construction of this blast furnace alone required thousands of kilograms of high-quality iron and involved all the craftsmen of the Jade Moon Prefecture Smelting Plant, taking nearly ten days to complete.

Such a costly project could not have been completed by Ye Feng's Demonic Sect alone without Li Yin's support. Li Yin frequently visited the site during this period, showing her anticipation for the early production of refined steel.

Hua Yi, Ru Qing, Yang Yi, and the other women also often came to visit, their eyes filled with curiosity. Only Liu Yan remained confident and methodical in her work.

After the blast furnace was completed, Liu Yan ordered it to be erected. She then instructed the craftsmen to build a foot-thick refractory wall inside, complete with various entrances and exits. Next to it, she ordered the craftsmen to build an open-hearth furnace, also lined with refractory bricks, containing important components such as a smelting chamber.

Both the blast furnace and the open-hearth furnace had towering chimneys, and Liu Yan utilized water power for blast ventilation, smoke extraction, and cooling of the molten iron. She also designed specialized waterwheels for this purpose. Not far from the blast furnace and open-hearth furnace, Liu Yan

also designed a coke oven to produce the coke needed at any time.

Finally, a month later, all the equipment was ready, and steelmaking could begin.

That day, the blast furnace was ignited. Ye Feng, Li Yin, and others attended a brief celebration.

Then, Liu Yan calmly instructed the craftsmen to fill the blast furnace with alternating layers of coke and iron ore. With a ignition signal, thick smoke billowed from the chimney.

There was nothing more for Liu Yan to do; the foreman of the Jade Moon Smelting Plant, Sun Laoliu, and others were all veteran blacksmiths with decades of experience, so observing the heat was a piece of cake for them.

The next afternoon, the molten iron was produced. As the craftsmen opened the furnace door, the molten iron gushed out, yielding over 7,000 jin of high-quality iron in just one batch. After the molten iron cooled, Sun Laoliu trembled as he picked up an iron ingot, muttering, "My God, this iron alone is equivalent to three forges of steel! This…this is unbelievable…" The other blacksmiths were also stunned; it was truly unbelievable. They usually struggled to forge even a small amount of good steel, and the ordinary iron Liu Yan mentioned was already considered second or third-grade steel, the result of their hard work over many days.

Li Yin arrived as soon as she heard the news. Seeing the iron ingot Sun Laoliu present to her with trembling hands, her beautiful eyes widened. Familiar with weapons, she excitedly exclaimed, "Sister Yan, you really forged good steel! This is unbelievable! Even the swords my officers use are made of this material!"

Sun Laoliu replied, "Sir, Lady Liu Yan said this is just ordinary iron; the good steel hasn't even started yet."

"What?" Li Yin was shocked. This wasn't good steel? She looked at Liu Yan, who smiled and nodded, "Yes, Sister Yin, refining the steel will take several more days. Right now, this is just ordinary iron."

Li Yin nearly fainted.

Next, Liu Yan ordered the pig iron to be pushed into the open-hearth furnace, separating it from the coke into two layers, and then ordered the fire to be lit and smelted. The craftsmen, who already revered her like a deity, obeyed without question.

After several days of intense firing, five days later, Liu Yan ordered the furnace to be opened and the steel released.

Hua Yi, Ru Qing, and the other women came to see what was happening, along with many elders of the Demonic Sect. They had long heard that Liu Yan could directly smelt iron into refined steel, but hadn't believed it before. However, when news of Liu Yan's successful iron smelting reached their ears a few days ago, they were astonished and had no choice but to believe it. Now that they heard that high-quality steel was about to be produced, they naturally wanted to see it for themselves.

Hua Yi and the other women were seeing the blast furnaces and open-hearth furnaces designed and built by Liu Yan for the first time, and they were all amazed. Li Yin was naturally present, and Ye Feng, who had been accompanying Liu Yan, was also happy, knowing that success was in sight.

At Liu Yan's command, several craftsmen lifted the gate sealing the taphole, and immediately a stream of molten steel gushed out, flowing down the refractory brick trough into the casting tank below, creating an intense heat wave. Then Liu Yan ordered the water to be released. Instantly, steam filled the air, accompanied by a hissing sound. After the molten steel cooled, high-quality steel ingots appeared before everyone's eyes. Thousands upon thousands of catties of refined steel had been produced.

Sun Laoliu and the others were speechless. They could only hammer out a few catties of steel each day through countless hammering and forging, yet Liu Yan had directly smelted pig iron into refined steel in just a few days. This… The eyes of everyone looking at Liu Yan were filled with awe.

The elders of the Demonic Sect were dumbfounded. Was it really possible to directly smelt pig iron into refined steel? They truly didn't know what to say. Then they thought, if weapons forged from this high-quality steel could be used to equip the Beggar Army and the Demonic Sect… The elders were already drooling.

After a long while, Sun Laoliu finally picked up a small steel ingot and tapped it repeatedly, muttering, "Ten-forged steel! This is ten-forged steel! Even the steel used for divine weapons is no better than this!"

Li Yin, her eyes wide, took the steel ingot respectfully handed to her by Sun Laoliu, shook her head, and thought, "Sister Yan is truly incredible. She really forged refined steel. She and Feng Lang are both shrouded in mystery."

Moreover, she had just heard Sun Laoliu mention ten-forged steel and divine weapons, and thought, "With such refined steel, my Jade Moon Army can dominate the world!"

She turned to Liu Yan with a beaming smile and said, "Sister Yan, you've worked hard." Liu Yan simply smiled faintly.

Although Hua Yi and the other women didn't understand the significance of directly forging pig iron into refined steel, they understood that if the Great Yue army could use weapons and equipment made from this refined steel, it would greatly enhance the army's combat power and give them a greater chance of defeating the Winter Cold Kingdom. They were also overjoyed and surrounded Liu Yan to congratulate her.

Ye Feng, standing to the side, said, "Ayin, now you believe in your sister Yan's abilities, right?" Li Yin repeatedly replied, "I believe it, I believe it."

Li Yin then smiled at Sun Laoliu and said, "Pass down the order: all the craftsmen are given a day off today, each will be rewarded with two taels of silver and 20 jars of fine wine."

Upon hearing this, the craftsmen cheered again.

※※※

Next, they used this refined steel to forge various weapons.

Needless to say, these weapons forged from refined steel were snow-white and gleaming, cutting through iron like mud, easily severing the weapons originally used by the Beggar Army and the Jade Moon Army, and were extremely popular with the soldiers and officers.

The soldiers who had not yet been equipped with weapons made of refined steel were naturally all looking forward to using these weapons as soon as possible.

Now, Liu Yan didn't need to worry much about the steel mill. Sun Laoliu and the others were all veteran craftsmen, and they understood many things after just one explanation, so Liu Yan didn't need to worry about them. At the same time, Ye Feng also brought the blacksmiths from the Demonic Sect's smelting department to the steel mill, so that they could also learn this advanced steelmaking technology.

Given the importance of the steel plant, Li Yin deployed a large force nearby to protect this key steelmaking site. After

the elite troops were trained in Chapter Twelve

, things gradually fell into place. Accompanied by Li Yin, Ye Feng and Liu Yan inspected the Jade Moon Weaponry Factory. Liu Yan suggested that the craftsmen work in two shifts, one working one day and the other resting one day, a good balance between work and rest.

She also proposed a modern assembly line production method.

For example, in weapon production, some craftsmen could make rough weapon blanks, some could hammer and forge them, some could quench them, and the last batch could polish, finish, and coat them with grease for preservation, thus greatly improving work efficiency.

Li Yin naturally followed her advice. Sun Laoliu and the others also readily agreed with her.

※※※

Regarding how to fight the powerful Winterfrost Kingdom army in the future, Liu Yan, Ye Feng, Zhao Bai, and others discussed and came up with their own ideas.

Develop mounted archery? This route was immediately ruled out by Liu Yan. Not only was the Great Yue Kingdom lacking horses, but the Jade Moon Prefecture had even fewer; money couldn't buy them. Even if they developed a cavalry now, they would be far from matching the people of the Winter Cold Kingdom, who lived their entire lives on horseback. The Winter Cold Kingdom's archery and horsemanship were unparalleled; developing a cavalry would only be using their weakness against their strength. Even with horses, they would only improve their mobility; they would still have to dismount in battle.

In the era of cold weapons, cavalry was characterized by high mobility and great impact. In comparison, infantry seemed vulnerable. The Winter Cold Kingdom also relied primarily on cavalry. How could they deal with the Winter Cold Kingdom's formidable cavalry? Liu Yan recalled the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, where the Shu Han army, lacking horses in the south, relied mainly on infantry and had no true cavalry. The Wei Kingdom, on the other hand, possessed a powerful cavalry.

Zhuge Liang extensively used the crossbow, a weapon that terrified cavalry, making it an effective weapon against the Wei cavalry. His army was also equipped with a type of chariot called the "side-box cart," used for transporting provisions and supplies. Once the enemy cavalry attacked, they quickly surrounded the chariots with these vehicles, forming a dense chariot formation. Then, they scattered large quantities of "horse-stabbing spikes" around the perimeter of the formation. These spikes were made of metal with four corners; their remarkable feature was that whenever they landed, one corner would always face upwards. After deploying the spikes, the Shu infantry, armed with spears, crouched in the gaps between every two chariots, while crossbowmen stood behind them, drawing their crossbows and awaiting the arrival of the enemy cavalry.

When enemy cavalry were two or three hundred meters away from the Shu army, entering the range of the crossbows, the crossbowmen would begin their first volley of concentrated fire. They generally only fired at the warhorses, as they were larger targets and more accurate. From the first volley until the enemy cavalry reached them, the crossbowmen could fire three volleys. This would leave few enemy cavalry remaining. The chariot formation could also block most of the enemy's arrows. If the remaining enemy cavalry charged, it could withstand the impact of the horses and protect the infantry within the chariot formation. Zhuge Liang often used this tactic to defeat the Wei cavalry.

Lacking cavalry, their own army had to rely on this approach to develop its fighting strength.

Liu Yan also recalled the hook-and-sickle spear formation used by Yue Fei, which had decisively defeated the Jin army, leaving the supposedly impenetrable linked-armor cavalry completely decimated. It was indeed a powerful weapon against cavalry, easily hooking and killing the horses of the Donghan people.

Of course, hook-and-sickle spearmen require immense courage. Faced with countless cavalrymen charging in amidst thunderous hooves and billowing dust, how many could calmly use their spears to hook horses and stab men? However, his own Beggars' Army soldiers, under his rigorous training, are fearless. A portion of them can be selected for this role.

Furthermore, he can first use powerful crossbows to shoot down some cavalry; the fallen cavalry will then hinder the rest. Even if the remaining cavalry charge forward, their momentum will be diminished, making them much easier for the hook-and-sickle spearmen to deal with. Sun Yanggu's hook-and-sickle spear is very similar to the one used by Yue Fei; large-scale imitations can be made. Additionally

, the Tang army's Mo Dao formation during the High Tang period was also a powerful weapon against the cavalry of the Winter Cold Kingdom. Infantry generally use two main weapons against cavalry: spears and Mo Dao. However, spears are only used for defense and are not good for offense. The hook-and-sickle spears currently planned for use are also mainly for defense, while the Mo Dao is a completely offensive weapon. It is 3 meters long, wide and thick, with blades on both sides, and extremely sharp, capable of striking fear into the hearts of the people of Donghan Kingdom.

Moreover, the Mo Dao formation does not require strict formation. Soldiers gathered together can certainly exert tremendous power, advancing "like a wall, invincible." A single slash can cleave an enemy horse in two. Even if the formation is scattered, it is still powerful and extremely ferocious.

At present, the Dayue Kingdom does not have Mo Dao, but Liu Yan is a Chinese special agent familiar with various weapons in Chinese history. He can naturally make them, and with the fine steel of the Yuyue Prefecture, they can strike fear into the hearts of all.

Liu Yan was also quite interested in the Mandarin Duck Formation invented by Qi Jiguang. Qi Jiguang, based on the mountainous terrain of the southeastern coastal region, which made long-distance maneuvering difficult, and the Japanese pirates' expertise in ambush, charge, and close combat, created the famous Mandarin Duck Formation. It consisted of 12 men per team: the captain at the front, two behind wielding rattan shields, two wielding wolf-tooth rakes, four carrying spears, two serving as halberd and rocket launcher, and the last man as a cook. This formation combined long and short weapons, offering both offensive and defensive capabilities, and adapting to the enemy and terrain, repeatedly defeating the Japanese pirates.

The terrain of the five prefectures south of the Great Yue River was also mountainous, with many rivers and lakes, similar to Qi Jiguang's situation. She could select a company there to try out this Mandarin Duck Formation.

With this in mind, Liu Yan had an idea. First, weapons such as hook-and-sickle spears, long-handled swords, and horse-clawed spears began to be produced in large quantities. Training for the Mandarin Duck Formation also began.

Now that Jade Moon Prefecture possesses refined steel, the time is ripe to manufacture powerful crossbows and armor. Liu Yan had considered making firearms, but the technology is far from mature; they can't even produce seamless steel pipes. Furthermore, of the three main ingredients in gunpowder—sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal—Jade Moon Prefecture hasn't yet found sulfur and saltpeter; they'll consider that later.

As for powerful bows, the Great Moon Kingdom already possesses a powerful bow called the Divine Arm Bow, which is essentially a crossbow equipped with a mechanism that allows one person to fire it. It has a range of over 370 meters and can penetrate heavy armor. It's deployed along the borders of the Winter Cold Kingdom, and has always instilled fear in its people. However, the Divine Arm Bow is expensive and slow to produce, resulting in extremely low annual production, far from meeting the demand.

Liu Yan designed a blueprint and said to Sun Laoliu, "This is a device called a steam engine. It can move a thousand-pound steel block and is a powerful tool for forging steel knives, strong bow arrows, and plate steel armor. It's also extremely fast! Go and make it."

Sun Laoliu took the blueprint in astonishment. He had long admired Liu Yan immensely and naturally promised not to fail her. Considering that the armor would need grinding and polishing after completion, requiring tools such as lathes and milling machines, Liu Yan designed blueprints for these devices as well and gave them to Sun Laoliu.

Soon, the first steam press in the history of the Great Yue Kingdom, along with rudimentary manual foot-operated lathes and milling machines, were completed. Now that Yu Yue Prefecture had high-quality steel, making these devices was not difficult.

Under Liu Yan's personal guidance, Sun Laoliu and others operated the stamping mold, slowly lifting it. With a clang, the steel ingot immediately flattened, taking on the rudimentary shape of steel armor. After two or three more presses, a piece of fine steel plate armor appeared before everyone's eyes. After grinding and polishing, a set of fine steel armor was completed, a hundred times faster than handmade.

All the craftsmen were astonished. When Li Yin arrived and saw this, she was speechless with surprise. Ye Feng also secretly admired her. Although he and Liu Yan were both from the modern era, he simply didn't understand this kind of thing.

Soon, fine steel armor and various weapons were produced in a steady stream. Since Liu Yan was an officer in the Beggars' Army, these superior equipment were first issued to the Beggars' Army, making the soldiers of Yuyue Prefecture extremely envious.

※※※

In the Great Yue Kingdom, the Divine Arm Bow with a range of 370 meters was extremely complex and expensive to make. The ordinary bow with a range of 150 meters was also not simple to make, requiring a great deal of manpower and resources.

Generally, it takes two years to make a bow. There are six materials for a bow: wood, horn, sinew, glue, silk, and lacquer. The selection and production of these six materials must be carried out in different seasons: horn is made in spring, sinew is harvested in summer, the other materials are joined together in autumn, and the bow body is finalized and its exterior repaired in winter. The bowstring is then attached the following spring, and the bow must be stored for another year before it can be used. It's quite troublesome.

Liu Yan's steel crossbow, although its design is also quite complex, has no time or material limitations and can be made at any time.

Liu Yan quickly designed the blueprints and had Sun Laoliu and others make the actual crossbows.

There are two types of steel crossbows: one is a large steel crossbow, mainly used for city defense. It is slightly larger, with a range of up to 500 meters, which can be operated by a single soldier, requiring leg strength, and has astonishing power.

The other is a common small steel crossbow, lightweight and compact, which soldiers can carry. It has an internal mechanism, which ordinary soldiers can easily draw with both hands, and has a range of 200 meters, superior to any ordinary bow and arrow on the continent.

Based on the principle of modern bullet rotating fins, Liu Yan designed a four-sided rotating arrowhead, creating a featherless arrow that could be used on both large and small steel crossbows, further simplifying the use of fletching materials.

Upon seeing this, Li Yin was not only shocked but also immediately recognized the advantages of the steel crossbow, urging the craftsmen to produce more.

Liu Yan instructed the craftsmen to follow a step-by-step process when making crossbows, such as having some craftsmen make the crossbow arms and others make the crossbow mechanism, each part numbered and bearing the name of the maker. This ensured secrecy and made it easier to find the cause of any malfunctions.

※※※

It was now August, and the weather was hot.

That evening, Ye Feng, Li Yin, Liu Yan, Zhao Bai, and some officers of the Beggars' Army enthusiastically tested their steel crossbows on the parade ground.

Everyone was captivated by them. Each crossbow was exquisitely crafted, with tightly fitted and smooth steel parts that were incredibly flexible, polished to a smooth, glossy finish. Gently stroking the smooth wooden arm of the crossbow, Li Yin inwardly exclaimed in admiration, "Sister Yan is truly amazing!"

Taking the featherless steel arrow handed to her by her subordinate, Li Yin also sighed inwardly. The entire arrow gleamed, its design exquisite. The four-sided arrowhead, forged from fine steel, was incredibly sharp, with four deep, semi-circular blood grooves carved into its four edges. If an enemy was struck by the arrow and not pulled out in time, the four blood grooves on the arrowhead would cause them to bleed out rapidly—truly vicious. The arrowhead was fitted with a round, hardwood shaft, evenly polished smooth throughout. Each arrow was like a fine work of art.

Because Liu Yan invented the steam engine, molds, lathes, and other tools, arrowheads and other items could be mass-produced, eliminating any logistical concerns.

However…

looking at the featherless steel arrow in her hand, Li Yin still harbored a secret doubt. Although Sister Yan had mentioned it, wouldn't an arrow without feathers be unstable and deviate from its target? She glanced around; Zhao Bai and many of the Beggar Army officers shared the same thought. Although Liu Yan had explained the principle of the featherless steel arrow to Li Yin when she designed it, Li Yin didn't understand it at all. She'd never heard of anything like the central axis principle or linear rotation. Only Ye Feng understood, secretly amused.

Never mind, let's try it!

Li Yin picked up her crossbow, aimed at the target, and fired an arrow. The featherless steel arrow accurately hit its target with tremendous force! Judging by its appearance, even armor within a hundred paces couldn't stop it. Li Yin was both surprised and delighted. What a fine weapon!

Looking around, she saw that Zhao Bai and the other Beggar Army officers had also hit their targets. Now everyone understood why the featherless steel arrows didn't have fletching, and they finally grasped the unimaginable principle of the central axis that Lord Liu Yan had explained to them earlier. They discovered that since Liu Yan began training the Beggars' Army, one incredible thing after another had happened, leaving them breathless.

Moreover, these featherless steel arrows didn't have to worry about wind direction; they could accurately hit wherever they aimed—truly ingenious! Soon, everyone was captivated, clutching their steel crossbows tightly. The soldiers nearby also watched the officers' crossbows with longing, secretly hoping to use them soon.

***

Soon, the small steel crossbows were widely equipped by the Beggars' Army and the Jade Moon Prefecture soldiers. Steel crossbows were more stable and easier to use than bows and arrows, requiring less training; a crossbowman's accuracy would far surpass that of a well-trained archer. With enough practice, it wouldn't be difficult for each soldier to master the skill of hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces.

Soon, the hook-and-sickle spear squad and the long-handled sword squad were also established within the Beggars' Army.

After undergoing Liu Yan's grueling training and equipped with superior weaponry, the Beggars' Army soldiers were now unstoppable. The hook-and-sickle spear team and the long-handled sword team, in particular, were handpicked from each company, each tall, burly, and fiercely brave – the cream of the crop.

He Mengyi, the former leader of the Jade Moon branch of the Demonic Sect, personally served as the captain of the long-handled sword team. His imposing physique and booming voice made him the perfect choice.

Besides the wall-like advance tactics taught by Liu Yan, Ye Feng also personally taught the long-handled sword team the most powerful move of his Dragon Tiger Sword Technique. This single move involved a straight downward slash, cleaving everything in two – an astonishingly powerful strike.

During practice, on the drill ground, the long-handled sword team soldiers relentlessly advanced, hundreds of three-meter-long, wide, and thick long-handled swords continuously slashing downwards, their formation impeccable, their blades flashing, determined to split everything in their path in two. The Jade Moon Prefecture soldiers watching nearby were filled with dread.

After reviewing the documents, Li Yin was secretly alarmed. The intelligent Li Yin could see that the Mo Dao (陌刀) team was the natural enemy of the Winter Cold Kingdom's cavalry, possessing an extremely heavy killing intent. Once faced with the Mo Dao team, no one would dare to face them a second time. The Hook and Sickle Spear team was also a powerful weapon against the Winter Cold Kingdom. She had no further thoughts beyond admiring Liu Yan.

Finally, under Liu Yan's personal training, Ye Feng's Beggar Army's training and equipment were successfully completed.

Each soldier in the Beggar Army had a set of armor and shield, a steel sword, and a steel crossbow. The Hook and Sickle Spear and Mo Dao team soldiers naturally also had a hook and sickle spear and a Mo Dao each. The soldiers of the Third Company training the Mandarin Duck Formation also had their own matching weapons. Everyone was armed to the teeth.

This was nothing like a local militia; even the most elite warriors of the Great Yue Kingdom were far superior.

※※※

That day, at Ye Feng's suggestion and with Li Yin's consent, the fully armed Beggar Army soldiers held a military parade at the Yu Yue Prefecture barracks' main training ground. The parade was open to all sectors of Yu Yue Prefecture.

The news spread, and naturally, everyone flocked to watch. Not only the upper echelons of Yuyue Prefecture, but tens of thousands of ordinary people also came. The Yuyue Prefecture military camp's drill ground was enormous, capable of holding 100,000 people, so it didn't feel crowded at all.

Besides the Yuyue Prefecture soldiers, this was the first time the people of Yuyue Prefecture had seen the complete image of the Beggars' Army. Previously, they had only seen the Beggars' Army soldiers in the city after they had removed their armor

and swords, and only thought they were disciplined, never disturbed the people, and were kind, fair in business, and very willing to help the people, making them very likable. Now, seeing the fully armed Beggars' Army soldiers, with their bright flags and strict commands, their solemnity and killing intent were chilling!

It was August, and the weather was hot, but the Beggars' Army soldiers, from officers to soldiers, stood motionless under the scorching sun before the parade began. Their strict discipline and self-obedience were awe-inspiring.

After the parade began, the Beggars' Army advanced in the standard marching formation taught by Liu Yan, their ranks magnificent. The soldiers' steel swords, crossbows, and armor, combined with their dashing uniforms, were exhilarating.

Their various battle formations and tactics, their excellent training, and their skillful maneuvering earned enthusiastic applause from the audience. Even the soldiers of Yuyue Prefecture secretly sighed, feeling inferior.

Next came the hook-and-sickle spear formation; anyone with basic military knowledge could see this was an effective weapon against cavalry. The audience was both surprised and delighted, cheering loudly.

Finally, the tall, burly, and valiant Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) warriors demonstrated their skills. Hundreds of Mo Dao, each three meters long and thick, swept through like a wall, their formation orderly and their killing intent palpable, leaving the people of Yuyue Prefecture trembling with fear. Such a ferocious weaponry and battle formation existed in the world!

They had one thought: no army in the world could rival this civilian militia called the Beggars' Army!

[Last edited by cctv-2011 on 12-6 02:12]

URL 1:http://localhost:909/htmlBlog/11007.html

URL 2:/Blog.aspx?id=11007&aspx=1

Previous Page : [Wuxia] The List of Peerless Beauties of the Jiangshan [Complete] - 26

Next Page : [Wuxia] The List of Peerless Beauties of the Land [Complete] - 1

增加

comment Open a new window to view comments

Contact Information

[Wuxia] The List of Beauties of the Jiangshan [Complete] - 25

comment Open a new window to view comments