151: Chapter 151 The First Step in Turning Bandits into Soldiers: Receiving Training

Su Bai walked up to the Bandit leader, looked down at him from a height, and said:

"Ma Lie is my deputy general. In this military camp, his words are my words!"

"My soldiers—Su Bai's soldiers—rely on skill to kill enemies on the battlefield, not on their mouths!"

He scanned everyone present.

He spoke with conviction:

"Whether you were regular troops or Bandits before, once you arrive here, your past identities are wiped clean."

"I don't care how you wasted your lives before; once you are in my Local Militia Camp, you must follow my rules!"

"My training method is to peel a layer of skin off you and forge you into iron-willed men!"

"Because only by sweating more in peacetime can you shed less blood on the battlefield!"

"Do you think the claws of the Yao Race are made of mud? Do you think those man-eating beasts will reason with you?"

Su Bai's voice suddenly rose, and he roared:

"Whoever doesn't want to train, stand out now. I'll give you ten taels of silver for travel expenses, and you can get lost as soon as possible!"

"But I'll say this ugly truth upfront: if you take these ten taels of silver and leave my camp, if you ever fall into my hands again, you will be executed without mercy."

He spoke with resounding force, filled with Killing Intent.

Thousands of people were so shocked they didn't dare to breathe.

Those Bandits who originally had complaints now looked up at Su Bai, not far in front of them, and kept silent.

No one was stupid.

With the world in chaos outside, where could they go if they left this military camp?

Take ten taels of silver and feed the Yao Race?

The Bandit leader who had been kicked down gritted his teeth, scrambled up from the ground, and without another word, shouldered his sandbag and continued running.

Seeing this, the others obediently shut their mouths, gritted their teeth, and followed.

Ma Lie watched from the side, admiring Su Bai to the point of complete submission.

The General's aura was truly peerless.

A single sentence was enough to make this bunch of troublemakers fall into line.

For the next two days.

Su Bai simply ate and slept in the military camp.

He went into the field himself to guide these raw recruits through physical and drill training.

It wasn't just long-distance running with weights; there were also standing at attention, marching in step, and all sorts of training methods that left these people confused.

These training methods were simply unheard of to them.

At first, many didn't understand, thinking that boring things like standing at attention were useless.

But Su Bai didn't explain any of it.

If you don't understand, obey.

If you don't do it well, you get punished.

There are no excuses to be made.

Under his high-pressure rule, this unit, composed of remnants and a motley crew of Bandits, underwent a complete transformation in just two days.

The most obvious change was their spirit and morale.

Before, those Bandits had no proper posture when standing or sitting.

Now, as soon as they heard an order, they could immediately stand in a straight line.

Military discipline and obedience were deeply engraved into their bones by Su Bai using these modern methods.

Of course, Su Bai didn't just suppress them.

He still needed to use both the stick and the carrot.

Although the training was arduous, the food was impeccable.

They had plenty of steamed white flour buns at every meal, and every meal included large chunks of fatty meat.

For people who used to go from feast to famine, this was simply a life of luxury.

No matter how tired they were from training, once it was mealtime and they saw the basins full of braised pork, all their grievances vanished.

Su Bai even set a rule that the top ten performers in training assessments would not only receive extra silver rewards but also get to eat spirit rice.

With this, everyone's enthusiasm was completely ignited.

The military camp was bustling with activity, a scene full of vitality.

Just like that, Su Bai stayed in the military camp for two full days and nights without even returning home.

It wasn't until noon on the third day.

Su Bai, covered in sweat, was watching the soldiers practice the Formation on the training grounds.

Steward Fu from the Generals Mansion arrived at the military camp in a carriage, rushing in a panic.

"Young Master! I've finally found you!"

Steward Fu wiped the sweat from his forehead and ran up to Su Bai, panting.

"What's wrong? Did something happen at home?"

Su Bai frowned.

Steward Fu quickly waved his hands.

"No, no, everything is fine at home. It was the First Madam who sent me to find you, saying that you must return home as there is an urgent matter to discuss with you."

An urgent matter?

Su Bai felt a bit puzzled.

Zhou Qingying was a sensible woman; knowing he was busy with important matters in the military camp, she generally wouldn't send anyone to disturb him.

Unless there was really something important.

Su Bai entrusted the affairs of the military camp to Ma Lie, changed into clean clothes, and returned to the city with Steward Fu.

Along the way, Steward Fu was beaming, humming a little tune.

He seemed to be in an excellent mood.

Su Bai asked him what was going on, but the old man played coy, insisting that the Young Master would know once he arrived.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Generals Mansion.

Su Bai jumped off the carriage and was just about to walk inside when he suddenly noticed something was wrong.

The originally tall walls of the Generals Mansion.

Seemed to have extended outwards by quite a long distance.

The gate of the originally vacant mansion next door had been dismantled, and even the walls had been torn down.

He walked through the gate, filled with questions.

Zhou Qingying was in the courtyard with Lin Weiwei and the others, directing several craftsmen at work.

Seeing Su Bai return, Zhou Qingying's eyes lit up, and she quickly went to greet him, saying with a touch of playful reproach:

"Husband, you've finally returned. No matter how busy you are in the military camp, you shouldn't stop coming home. Look at you, you've lost weight these past few days."

Zhou Qingying took out a handkerchief with concern, wanting to wipe the sweat from Su Bai's forehead.

Su Bai smiled, took her hand, and pointed to the demolished wall nearby, asking:

"What's going on here? Why was the wall torn down?"

Zhou Qingying covered her mouth and chuckled, saying with a proud look:

"Husband, this is the reason I was in such a hurry to call you back."

She pointed to the vast, spacious courtyard next door and said:

"I bought the large mansion next door and had the dividing wall knocked down."

"Take a look now, doesn't our Generals Mansion look much more impressive?"

Su Bai looked in the direction she was pointing.

Goodness.

The Generals Mansion was already quite large, but now, by incorporating the five-courtyard mansion next door, the area had more than doubled.

Pavilions, towers, waterside gazebos, and gardens—it had everything.

This scale was comparable even to the Prefect's mansion.

Su Bai looked at Zhou Qingying in surprise.

"You bought it? Where did you get so much money?"

One had to know that a large mansion in this location was extremely expensive.

Zhou Qingying rolled her eyes at him and said coquettishly:

"Has Husband forgotten that you handed over the family's financial control to me? When we raided those Bandit dens earlier, we found hundreds of thousands of taels in silver alone; I only used a drop in the bucket."

"Besides, Husband's status is different from the past. You have become a disciple of the Prefect and have recruited so many troops; if the Generals Mansion were too shabby, wouldn't people laugh at us?"

Lin Weiwei also came over and said with a grin:

"Exactly, Young Master. Sister Qingying has really worn herself out for our family. Now that the properties are connected, there's more than enough room for us sisters to each have our own separate courtyard."