mesbooks Chapter 93 Ye Feng Commands the Troops
Chapter 93 Ye Feng Commands the Troops
Three days later, the selection process for the new army was completed.
The adjutant walked into Ye Feng's office carrying a thick roster.
The cover of the roster read "List of Jiangcheng New Army Members" in large, neat characters, the ink still wet.
Ye Feng took it and flipped through the pages one by one.
"Two thousand men, all at least at the mid-stage of the second tier." The adjutant stood ramrod straight, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.
"Among them, there are 1,300 second-tier martial artists, 630 third-tier martial artists, and 70 fourth-tier martial artists. There are five peak fourth-tier martial artists."
Ye Feng nodded.
This number was better than he had expected. Especially those five peak fourth-tier martial artists.
In the past, any one of these five people could have been a force to be reckoned with in Jiangcheng.
"How are the experienced mentors for the new recruits doing?"
The adjutant opened another document.
"The military sent 780 men, and the Night Watch sent 220 men, for a total of 1,000 men."
"The team leaders are all veterans with more than three years of experience. They have fought against beast tides, defended fortresses, and ventured deep into the southern mountains. They have rich practical experience."
"But their martial arts levels are quite different." The adjutant's tone was somewhat hesitant.
"Most of these thousand people are at the early stage of the second rank, there are only seventy-eight people at the third rank, and only seven people at the fourth rank."
"Letting them lead those mid-tier or even tier-three recruits, I'm afraid they won't be able to control them."
"Whether you can suppress it or not doesn't depend on your rank." Ye Feng put down the roster.
"It's about experience. Those new recruits are lone wolves, scions of powerful families; they might not be bad at one-on-one combat."
"But when it comes to teamwork and experience in killing alien beasts, ten of them tied together are no match for one veteran."
"What we need is not a group of individual soldiers who can fight, but an army that can fight."
The adjutant nodded thoughtfully.
Ye Feng stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the reconstruction of Jiangcheng was in full swing, and the people had emerged from the shadow of the great war.
With the people's hearts at ease and morale high, it's time for the new army to make its debut.
"Pass down the notice: tomorrow morning, at Jiangcheng Square, at the Great Military Parade Ground, a troop review will be held."
……
The next day, at Jiangcheng Square.
Jiangcheng Square is located directly in front of the City Lord's Mansion, covering an area of several tens of acres, with the ground paved with bluish-gray stone slabs.
This place is usually a gathering place for people and a venue for festivals, but today it is packed with people.
Three thousand people, in three square formations, were neatly arranged in the square.
The veterans' contingent, numbering one thousand, stood on the far left.
They wore military uniforms, with gleaming swords at their waists, and their faces bore the roughness and determination honed by wind and sand.
There was no whispering or looking around.
A thousand people stood there, motionless, exuding an imposing aura.
The new army contingent consisted of two thousand people, standing in the middle and on the right.
Their equipment was far superior to that of the veterans.
Brand new military uniforms, gleaming battle swords.
But their posture was completely different. Some people tilted their heads, some crossed their arms, some kept shifting their feet, and some were secretly talking to the people next to them.
Two thousand people stood together, uneven and loosely arranged, like a group of casual travelers at a market.
The difference is visible to the naked eye.
Ye Feng stood on the command platform, looking down at the three thousand men.
His gaze lingered on the veterans' formation for a moment.
A thousand people, completely still.
The military spirit of Jiangcheng remains intact; the powerful families have fallen, but the hearts of the people have returned.
He nodded to himself, then turned his gaze to the new army formation.
"We still haven't practiced enough," he said casually.
The adjutant stood behind him and explained.
"We've organized training for them these past few days, but... the results haven't been very good."
"Many of those new recruits are from wealthy families, used to being undisciplined and not very obedient. The instructors we hired can't control them."
Ye Feng did not blame the adjutant.
It's not that the instructors are bad, it's that the new recruits need to be disciplined.
Veterans are forged in battle, and new recruits are proven through standing up; the principle is the same.
Ye Feng took a step forward and stood on the edge of the command platform.
He didn't speak, didn't give a lecture, and didn't preach any grand principles.
He simply stood there and then released his vital energy.
At that moment, the air in the entire Jiangcheng Square seemed to freeze.
Six hundred thousand points of Qi and Blood surged out of Ye Feng's body like a tidal wave, forming an invisible pressure that swept over the formation.
The oppressive aura was also directed at the veterans, but they gritted their teeth and endured it.
As for the new army.
The new recruits in the front row felt their knees buckle, unable to withstand the oppressive aura, and stumbled backward, bumping into the people behind them.
The people behind couldn't stand either and were knocked off balance.
The entire new army formation collapsed like dominoes, retreating piece by piece from front to back.
Some people were pale, some were sweating, and some were trembling.
The two-thousand-person formation retreated more than ten steps before barely managing to stabilize itself.
Below the reviewing stand, a commotion erupted.
"What kind of aura is this?"
"My legs are fucking weak!"
"What level is Major Ye at? Sixth rank? Seventh rank? That's terrifying..."
The new recruits whispered amongst themselves, still shaken.
Ye Feng withdrew his aura, his voice not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Look at you all. And look at those veterans."
He pointed to the veterans' formation on the left.
A thousand people, completely still.
They were not overwhelmed by the imposing manner, nor did they take a single step back.
Some people didn't even change their expression.
It's as if they've seen too many scenes like this before, and they've become used to it.
"Look at the difference." Ye Feng's voice turned cold.
"You think you're strong? You think you're good at fighting? In the eyes of a veteran, you're just a bunch of immature brats."
No one speaks.
The new army contingent of two thousand men was completely silent.
The scions of noble families lowered their heads, and the lone wolf warriors clenched their fists; no one dared to refute them.
Because what Ye Feng said was true.
Most of them had never fought against a beast tide, never defended a fortress, and never risked their lives against alien beasts.
They thought that killing a few monsters made them warriors, but standing in front of the veterans, they realized they were far from it.
After the initial show of force, Ye Feng got down to business.
"Dong Sheng Squad! Zhao Laosou Squad! Step forward!"
Seven people walked out from the side of the command platform.
Dong Sheng, A Rui, Lao Lie, Zhao Laoda, Hong Gu, Lao Ma, and A Kun.
The seven people marched in unison, their momentum unstoppable, a stark contrast to their appearance three days ago.
After three days of seclusion, I was completely transformed.
Dongsheng walked at the very front.
He exuded powerful blood energy fluctuations, firmly establishing himself as a late-stage fifth-tier cultivator.
Three days ago he was worried about whether he could keep the crowd in check, but now he doesn't have to worry anymore.
At the late stage of the fifth rank, apart from Ye Feng, Cao Keyuan, Director Zhou, and Old Zhang, there was no one stronger than him in the entire Jiangcheng.
Arui and the old hunter followed behind Dongsheng, one on the left and one on the right.
Arui was at the peak of the third rank, and in three days he rushed to the early stage of the fifth rank.
His foundation wasn't particularly solid, but his cultivation at the early stage of the fifth rank was genuine.
Old Hunter is also at the early stage of the fifth rank, and his breakthrough is more stable than Ari's.
Zhao Laoda walked on the other side, at the early stage of the fifth rank.
He was a hunter by trade, with ruthless knife skills and rich combat experience.
Hong Gu, Lao Ma, and A Kun walked at the very back, all at the peak of the fourth rank.
Although all three were at the peak of the fourth rank, their temperaments were completely different.
Eight people stood on the command platform, seven people stood on the command platform, and they were full of imposing presence.