Chen Sanshi watched Shan Yuanzhi walk away with a satisfied look and couldn't help feeling secretly pleased.
'Talk about luck—falling asleep and someone brings a pillow.'
According to the medical texts, every stage of martial cultivation had its own specific kind of tonic most suited for strengthening progress.
The Thousand-Household Division already had basic tonics tailored for those who'd reached mastery in tempering bone.
But if Prefect Ji Guangxian's secret formula was valuable enough to impress even the nobles in the capital, then it was no ordinary concoction.
And since he didn't have to pay for it, why turn it down?
Even if he refused, Ji Guangxian wouldn't just let the matter rest.
This way, he could get free medicine while also buying time to continue improving his cultivation—two birds with one stone!
"This Shan Yuanzhi is already at the beginner stage of tempering organs," Chen Sanshi muttered to himself. "To deal with him, I'll need at least perfection in tempering bone and mastery in Archery before I can stand a real chance."
The pressure weighed on him.
Having just broken through himself, he decided to check on his men's training before going back to cultivate.
Recently, Wu Da had entered the beginner stage of tempering blood—his talent was average, but his temper was volatile.
Zhuang Yi was also close to breaking through.
Overall, though, their progress was still far too slow.
He'd need at least a few men reaching the bone-tempering stage before they could become a proper fighting force.
As he passed the stables, he noticed the area was particularly lively.
In the wide open field, about two hundred soldiers were drilling in cavalry formations.
If they ever planned to strike at the steppe tribes, horses were indispensable.
For this, Xiang Tingchun had put in quite a bit of effort recently.
He had squeezed silver from the martial halls, begged mounts from the provincial military command, and secured support from the Ministry of War. Somehow, he had actually managed to gather nearly three hundred warhorses.
Of course, all the horses had been allocated to the old veterans and trusted men within the Thousand-Household Division.
Luo Dongquan, Feng Yong, and Zhao Kang—these three had each converted their squads into cavalry units.
…
Past the stables lay another large training ground for group drills.
[Skill: Commanding Troops (Beginner)]
[Progress: 133/500]
[Effect: Backbone of the Army]
After half a month of grinding, the progress bar had barely moved.
Chen Sanshi didn't approach immediately. He stayed back, quietly observing.
Before long, he saw Xu Wencai's face flushed red with anger as a group of men jeered at him.
"Old man, you can't even do stance training properly, and you think you can command us? Get lost!"
Wu Da was leading the heckling, grinning as the others laughed.
"I heard about you already—spent your life studying and still never passed the county exam!"
"Useless scholar! You've got hands and feet, yet you still lived off your mother!"
"Seriously, why did Hundred-Household Chen even keep you around?"
"…"
"You… you all—"
Xu Wencai didn't argue. He just gripped a rolled-up military manual tightly and pointed it at the scar-faced Wu Da. "This is a military order! Commander Chen himself instructed me to train you in formation drills! Are you defying a direct order?!"
"Wu Da, stop it."
Zhao Qiao stepped forward. "If Commander Chen ordered it, then we follow it."
After spending time in the camp, most of them had unconsciously become more disciplined. They now addressed Chen Sanshi properly as "Commander" or "Hundred-Household Chen." None dared call him by name anymore.
"Don't try to scare me!"
Wu Da shoved Xu Wencai hard, sending the old scholar sprawling into the dirt. "You sycophant—you must've tricked Commander Chen into trusting you!"
Bang!
A heavy thud cracked through the air as a long staff smashed across Wu Da's legs.
He howled in pain and dropped to his knees.
"Who?!"
He glared up furiously—only to see the familiar willow-leaf spear gleaming before him. His heart sank. "M-Milord Chen… you're here?"
"Wu Da."
Chen Sanshi's expression was cold. "Do you really think you're impressive just because you're the first to temper blood in your squad?"
"M-My lord, I… I didn't mean anything by it."
Wu Da's face twisted with fear.
"No?" Chen Sanshi narrowed his eyes. "Then what the hell were you doing just now?"
No wonder his Commanding Troops skill was advancing so slowly—whenever he wasn't around, this lot just did as they pleased.
He might listen to orders himself, but the men he appointed to manage things didn't always obey.
That wouldn't do.
The army was an institution. Without someone to help maintain order, how could he possibly handle everything alone?
Last time, the Zhao Jin incident had taught them what military discipline meant.
Today, he was going to make them understand another truth—military orders are absolute.
"My lord."
Wu Da swallowed nervously and pointed at the old scholar. "He doesn't know a thing! How can you let him teach us formations?"
"Whether he understands formations or not—is that for you to decide, or for me to decide?"
Chen Sanshi's tone was cold and deliberate. "Wu Da, I'll give you two choices. One—apologize and accept punishment. Two—pack up and go home to hunt."
"My lord, please don't send me away!"
Wu Da panicked immediately, his arrogance collapsing. "I'll apologize! I'll accept punishment!"
"Zhu Tong! Drag him out. Twenty lashes."
Chen Sanshi gave the order without hesitation.
Among everyone, Zhu Tong was the one who followed his commands most faithfully.
He also wasn't fond of Xu Wencai, but if Chen Sanshi said the scholar was to lead formation training, he wouldn't question it.
"Understood!"
Without a word of complaint, Zhu Tong signaled two men to drag Wu Da away for punishment.
"As for the rest who joined in just now—same thing. Either take the punishment or get out!"
Chen Sanshi's voice was calm but firm. "Listen carefully. From now on, whoever I appoint to a position, you'll follow my orders. If anyone disagrees, you can come report directly to me. But if you stir up trouble in private, I'll make sure you regret it."
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone responded at once, nodding quickly.
They all had the same thought.
They knew Wu Da was one of the earliest to follow Hundred-Household Chen, hunting by his side back in the day. Yet even he wasn't spared punishment when he stepped out of line.
That kind of fairness made them respect him even more.
"Xu Wencai, Zhao Qiao—come with me."
Chen Sanshi led them to a quiet spot out of sight. He took out a small piece of silver and handed it to Zhao Qiao. "Uncle Zhao, buy some wound medicine for Wu Da later. Don't tell him it came from me. He needs to remember this lesson."
"Got it."
Zhao Qiao took the silver and nodded. "He really had it coming. He's been acting wild these days."
"My lord."
Xu Wencai's eyes grew misty with gratitude. "Thank you for standing up for me."
"If anything like this happens again, come straight to me."
Chen Sanshi patted his shoulder. "But let me make one thing clear—if they follow your orders properly and you still fail to train them right, then you'll end up as a labor hand at best."
"Understood, my lord!"
Xu Wencai swore earnestly. "As long as they listen to me, there won't be any problem."
"Good. Go on, then."
Chen Sanshi waved him off.
He wasn't a harsh man by nature, but he understood one truth—showing mercy in command or in finance always led to ruin.
An army without iron discipline could never become a true force.
Back in ancient times, Xiao He had chased down Han Xin under the moonlight.
When Liu Bang suddenly entrusted the unknown Han Xin with full military authority, it was an incredibly risky move.
So Chen Sanshi knew he had to instill respect and obedience toward command early on.
Of course, that also meant his own judgment had to be right.
Whether Xu Wencai turned out useful or not—he'd soon find out.
"Old Chen!"
Hundred-Household Xiong approached, his booming voice cutting through the noise. "Let's go. The Thousand-Household has a mission for us."
In the central command tent, a sand table had been set up, freshly carved and detailed. Behind the main seat hung a large strategic map.
Except for Feng Yong, who was currently inspecting the Great Wall garrisons, all eight Hundred-Household Officers of the division were gathered.
"Everyone's here," said Xiang Tingchun, clearly in high spirits. "Here's the situation—after discussions with the Ministry of War, the campaign is set for the end of the third month, right before April.
"By then, the Anding Prefecture Garrison will dispatch 1,000 men to reinforce the border, and they've promised another 500 to assist directly.
"Add to that 200 disciples from the martial halls.
"That gives our Thousand-Household Division a total of about 1,600 effective troops."
He pointed to a spot on the map marked with small carved markers.
"The Xi River tribe has around 2,000 warriors, but their bone-tempering fighters are far fewer than ours. Their smaller branches lack proper formation training. Plus, they haven't attacked the border for six years, so they're likely out of practice."
He smiled slightly. "That means our odds of victory are high.
"But war is never a game. The intel we have is two years old.
"Before we finalize the strategy, I'll need three scout teams—Night Patrols—to infiltrate enemy territory and verify the information."
Night Patrols—essentially elite scouts.
But unlike ordinary scouts, they went deep into enemy lands alone, where discovery almost always meant death.
"Assign this task to Thousand-Household Luo."
Xiang Tingchun pointed at the Xi River's location on the sand table. "I expect full reports within one month."