Selection

Gao Yuan stepped onto the Command Platform and scanned the surroundings, feeling quite satisfied; they were all robust young men.

Without giving a long-winded speech or using clichés, Gao Yuan simply issued two orders.

"Stand in a military posture according to the training requirements for one and a half watches. Those who fail will be eliminated;"

"In the afternoon, lift Stone Locks. Those who can lift them over their heads ten times will pass. Finally, run ten li around the camp."

After thinking for a moment, Gao Yuan added,

"Regardless of whether you pass or not, everyone gets a chicken tonight. No one shall be treated poorly."

"Understood!"

The Personal Guards quickly ran to convey Gao Yuan's requirements.

With soldiers from the First Division giving a demonstration, over three thousand people began the first step of the elimination round: standing in a military posture.

Soon, those who had just been questioning Gao Yuan shut their mouths.

Gao Yuan personally led a group of Personal Guards, each carrying a bamboo whip, patrolling through the ranks. When they saw an improper posture, they would first deliver a lash before sternly shouting to correct the mistake.

The soldiers of the City Defense Forces were fine; they had received military posture training before, just not for this long.

The young able-bodied commoners who had volunteered had never learned it before, and many of them cried out in pain after being whipped.

After half a watch, everyone had adapted, and their military postures gradually began to look decent.

After another fifteen minutes, some began to lose their strength and started to wobble. Some gritted their teeth and held on, while others couldn't take it and raised their hands to request withdrawal.

Gao Yuan did not reproach those who withdrew and let them all go to the side to rest.

Once the first person fell, a second and third soon followed. Just after one watch, over three hundred people had already withdrawn.

Most of them were commoners, which satisfied Gao Yuan; at least it showed that the daily training of the City Defense Forces was effective.

However, Liu Rengui and Huo Jun felt like they were sitting on pins and needles.

These two didn't expect that some of the soldiers under their command would be even worse than the untrained commoners. Their faces felt hot, as if they had been slapped.

The one-and-a-half-watch military posture session ultimately eliminated over five hundred people, including more than a hundred soldiers from the City Defense Forces.

These soldiers looked at the ordinary commoners still standing in the ranks and felt the disdainful gazes of their comrades. They were all dejected, so ashamed and resentful that they wished they could dig a hole and crawl into it.

Gao Yuan walked up to these soldiers, stared at them for a while, and then spoke.

"The fact that you feel ashamed means you can still be saved. Go back and train hard. Don't try to be lazy or play tricks. Do you understand?"

These soldiers all struggled to stand back up and shouted in unison,

"We understand! Thank you for your guidance, County Duke."

"Alright, chicken soup has been prepared for you at noon. One chicken per person. After you've eaten your fill, return to your posts early."

"Understood!"

Hearing there was chicken soup, these eliminated men all showed expressions of pleasant surprise and lined up to head toward the kitchen.

As for those who stayed, their treatment wasn't as good; they still had to continue the selection.

Each person had a bowl of rice soaked in chicken soup and two pieces of chicken. After eating and resting briefly, they had to start the next part of the training.

Lifting a fifty-jin Stone Lock over the head required significant strength. Gao Yuan had personally tried it before; with his B-rank strength and endurance, he had only managed fifty-three repetitions before his strength was exhausted.

Soon, people were eliminated. There was no helping it; insufficient strength was simply insufficient. This wasn't something that willpower alone could overcome.

These people were treated better than the first group. Upon withdrawing, each received a chicken and ten jin of rice to take home.

By the time all three thousand-plus people had finished testing, the sun was already in the west. Only over two thousand remained in the camp waiting for the final assessment.

Ancient elites had to fight in full armor, so poor physical fitness was definitely not an option. Thus, running laps was naturally an essential assessment item.

Gao Yuan, long corrupted by TV dramas, began to act like a menace. He led his Personal Guards, carrying large iron megaphones, and started blathering in front of these people.

"Don't bother holding on. Wouldn't it be better to go back and live a good life?"

"You, yes you. I see your calves are about to cramp. Just quit already."

"That guy there, stop running. I can see you're about to faint if you keep going."

Under the repeated interference of the group, some people truly broke down. Some slumped directly onto the ground, looking up at their comrades who were still persevering with a face full of despair.

A few others were so exhausted by Gao Yuan's sonic attack that they fainted on the spot.

Several Physicians who had been prepared long ago rushed over and, after some effort, finally revived them.

Gao Yuan also breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn't be funny if a selection process resulted in fatalities.

Although in feudal dynasties, especially in chaotic times, human life was as cheap as grass, Gao Yuan was, after all, a modern person who had transmigrated. He still found it a bit hard to get past his conscience.

After all, casualties caused by war might be excusable, but having casualties during a selection was a bit too much.

People continued to collapse as they couldn't hold on anymore. After being checked by the Physicians and confirmed to be fine, they were carried off the field on stretchers.

This made Gao Yuan realize: should he form a team of military medics? They didn't need high-level medical skills, but they should at least know how to stop bleeding and bandage wounds.

Because elite soldiers had armor for protection, the probability of dying instantly was not high. Many losses occurred because of excessive blood loss or death from wound infections.

"I'll look into selecting some people for training later."

Having made a decision in his heart, he turned his gaze back to the training field.

Ten li is five kilometers. For many running enthusiasts in later generations, this would take less than an hour.

But don't forget, these soldiers had stood in military posture for so long, hadn't eaten enough for lunch, and had gone through strength tests; they were already exhausted.

Coupled with a group of people constantly blathering in their ears to disturb their minds, this seemingly simplest test actually eliminated the most people.

In the end, there were over 1,500 City Defense Forces soldiers and over 500 commoners remaining, totaling less than 2,100 people.

These people all had decent physical fitness, and Gao Yuan wanted to keep them all. Unfortunately, there were only two thousand martial souls.

"System, can you be flexible and give me a few dozen more slots?"

"No!"

The System's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion, making Gao Yuan unable to stop himself from grumbling in his heart.

Liu Rengui, standing nearby, spoke up.

"My Lord, the City Defense Forces have had over 1,500 people taken away, which is a reduction of more than ten percent. How about leaving these few dozen slightly weaker ones to This humble general?"

This immediately solved Gao Yuan's problem. He nodded decisively.

"Alright, go pick them. Let the remaining two thousand eat and drink well tonight, take a medicinal bath, and I'll formally arrange them tomorrow."

"Understood!"

Liu Rengui went down and picked sixty-three commoners. After asking for their opinions, he took them away.

Gao Yuan did not return that night and stayed in the military camp.

Ever since he had experienced the pleasures of the flesh, Gao Yuan had grown used to sleeping every night with soft jade and warm fragrance in his arms. Sleeping alone now felt a bit unusual.

Thinking of the plump and warm bodies of Zheng Wan and Song Yao, Gao Yuan silently used the S-rank Soldier martial soul Cards on the system panel.

"Host is using S-rank Permanent Soldier Martial Soul Cards x2000. Randomizing..."

"Host is using Wei Wu Zu martial soul Cards x2000. Possessing targets according to the Host's will."

That night, screams and cries of pain echoed throughout the camp. Listening to these screams, Gao Yuan finally entered his dreams with hope and satisfaction.