Chapter 1 The Beginning
As the imperial examinations were held across the Great Wei in full swing, the selection for the special forces corps also commenced. Over five hundred elite cavalrymen, chosen from the entire territory of the Great Wei, began a new round of selection.
Here were those from Tongli, Qingzhou, Yanzhou, Xuzhou, Jizhou, Xiliang, Jiangdong, and even the most valiant warriors under Lü Bu, sent from the Kingdom of Yamatai! Each and every one of them was full of ambition, eager to be among the hundred who would ultimately remain...
However...
The first round of selection was like a bucket of cold water doused upon everyone. The instructor for this round of selection was the General of Cavalry, Xiahou Yuan... Xiahou Yuan's "five hundred in three days, one thousand in six days" divine speed filled every soldier of the Great Wei with immense admiration. This time, the selection grounds were in the wilderness.
Regarding this, every man was exhilarated, for wilderness survival was the most primitive call of nature to a man's innate disposition. Xiahou Yuan, clad in the red and black military uniform of the Great Wei, his armor blindingly brilliant under the sun, exuded valor and dominance.
"According to the Emperor's decree, the selection for the special forces corps begins with this general. Only those who pass this general's scrutiny will be qualified for the next stage! Of course, this general believes that most of you will not make it to the end. Being screened out by this general’s stage can be considered an early escape from suffering."
With those words, Xiahou Yuan briefly lectured the soldiers on wilderness survival, an unavoidable hurdle for the special forces corps. "Five hundred in three days, one thousand in six days..." People said Xiahou Yuan's Swift Division ran faster than rabbits, but who knew that behind the Swift Division's rapid march was the inability to rely on food supplies, and extensive forced marches in the wild... Wilderness survival was paramount.
On the first day...
Xiahou Yuan imparted a series of knowledge to these young armored soldiers, such as surveying terrain, finding water sources, and identifying edible wild vegetables! How to climb, make fire, rescue, signal, treat illnesses, identify poisons, pitch tents, observe celestial phenomena, and discern the climate? How to prevent frostbite, solve hunger, hunt wild beasts, determine direction, and ensure safety?
After explaining all this, Xiahou Yuan asked the soldiers: "What is the ultimate purpose of safety?"
Many soldiers answered, but Xiahou Yuan was not satisfied. He explained, "The ultimate purpose of safety is to ensure your own survival!"
After the theoretical explanations on the first day, these over five hundred armored soldiers set off with their equipment. The theme of wilderness survival—the training—had finally begun.
Not far away...
Lu Yu, Sima Yi, and Yang Xiu also witnessed this special training. Lu Yu mused, "The special forces corps is to be deployed behind enemy lines in Bashu five years from now. In enemy territory, they will lack supplies and have no source of food, so surviving in the wilderness will be inevitable. Do not underestimate these young armored soldiers who seem to listen absentmindedly now; treating illnesses, identifying poisons, preventing frostbite, solving hunger, and hunting wild beasts... these are no less challenging than fighting on the battlefield!"
As Lu Yu's words left his lips... Sima Yi and Yang Xiu expressed their admiration repeatedly. Sima Yi said, "His Majesty is so busy, yet he personally observes the selection of the special forces corps, which is enough to prove that His Majesty places great importance on this corps!" Yang Xiu's eyes gleamed with insight, and he smiled, saying, "To catch the leader is to catch the thief; His Majesty is aiming for a decisive blow!"
In fact, the entire selection was divided into twelve stages. Xiahou Yuan was the first. Following him were Cao Ren, skilled in defense; Ying Chun, skilled in cavalry coordination; Zhang Liao, skilled in surprise attacks and victory; and twelve generals in total, including Yu Jin, Xu Huang, Ma Chao, Zhou Yu, and Gongsun Huang. Only by passing all twelve stages would one be eligible to join this special forces corps. If fewer than a hundred passed, then only those who passed would be accepted, prioritizing quality over quantity!
The instructors for the special forces corps were thirty-seven of the Great Wei's most outstanding generals, teaching comprehensively from all fields. If the Dragon Swift Camp was the Emperor's direct subordinate corps, then this special forces corps would be the elite among the elite of the Emperor's direct subordinate corps.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say that I don't know if I should speak!" Sima Yi clasped his hands.
"Zhongda, speak your mind freely."
"With so many generals selecting, if in the end, no one stands out, then this special forces corps..." Sima Yi did not finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear... this selection across twelve dimensions was somewhat harsh!
"We shall wait and see!" Lu Yu had confidence in the Great Wei's soldiers, especially the Dragon Swift Camp. This was a corps that had fought its way out of the Grim Reaper's scythe.
"It's possible that the number of those who remain at the end might even exceed one hundred!" Lu Yu said with a smile.
As they spoke, the training of the five hundred elite soldiers had officially begun.
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Xiliang, Tianshui Commandery.
A grand residence was suddenly disturbed by an urgent knocking. Before the steward of the residence could open the door, with a bang, the mansion's gate was kicked open. Zhong Yao, along with his retinue of guards, swords drawn, strode in. The servants in the residence panicked, quickly shouting, "Master... Master... the soldiers... the soldiers have broken in!"
This family was indeed wealthy; the entire compound was larger than the former Wei King's mansion. From the main gate to the inner chambers, one had to pass through a covered walkway two hundred paces long. But at this moment... a stern frown, a murderous aura revealed. The "master" of this place was clearly flustered. He seemed to understand something very quickly and, with a group of confidants, headed for the back door.
Who would have thought...
As the back door was pushed open, a whoosh was heard... a silver spear stood before him with a sound of breaking through the air. Other than the Xiliang County Princess Ma Yunlu, who else could be guarding the door?
"County... County Princess, why... why have you brought people to search my home?" Clearly, the owner of this mansion knew Ma Yunlu... However, from Ma Yunlu's "disappointed but not beyond hope" gaze, it could be seen that their relationship was not close.
"His Majesty promotes the 'Tanding Rum' policy, yet you, you have concealed seventy percent of your land and paid several times less in land taxes! His Majesty abolished the head tax, yet you still collect it privately. You have great courage!"
"It's a lie, a lie!" The master of this place immediately knelt, crying out his innocence. "County Princess, you are now His Majesty's concubine, but... but you cannot speak carelessly. This is... this is slandering my reputation!"
"Oh... is that so?" Ma Yunlu produced a bamboo slip from somewhere and slapped it heavily onto the middle-aged man's face. "You still know that this young lady is His Majesty's concubine. If we are both concubines, but Xiliang is so severely deceiving and hiding the truth, where do you place me?"
The middle-aged man quickly picked up the bamboo slip. The content of the slip was none other than his account books from years of concealing land, privately collecting head taxes, and collecting tribute in various forms for his hidden wealth. But... these account books were clearly... clearly hidden in...
The middle-aged man instinctively turned back. To avoid suspicion, he had clearly hidden them in the room of his most favored concubine, but... when he turned back, his concubine was nowhere to be seen.
"Are you looking for her?" Ma Yunlu's voice sounded at the opportune moment. And who else would appear beside Ma Yunlu but this concubine... This concubine was originally from the Que Gate, and this time... she was executing a task that lasted for three months.
The concubine, with her lips pursed, said softly, "Master, I apologize... from beginning to end, I have only been loyal to His Majesty!"
This one sentence... was like the last straw that broke the middle-aged man's back. With a thud, the man knelt. Ma Yunlu calmly tossed a rope to him, "Now, this County Princess gives you two choices. Hang yourself from this back door beam. His Majesty is benevolent; perhaps he will leave your family a way out. The second choice..."
Before Ma Yunlu could finish speaking... the man seemed to have made up his mind. "I... I have disgraced the County Princess. I... I will die!" With that, he put the hemp rope around the beam and, stepping on a stool... put his neck in the noose.
"Wuuahh... wuuahh..." With a piercing cry, another tragic scene unfolded. At this moment... Zhong Yao, leading the guards from the main gate, arrived at this place and saw the hanged criminal, saw Ma Yunlu... He immediately clasped his hands, "This humble subject greets the Noble Consort!"
"It is all thanks to the Noble Consort's evidence that this villain could be exposed!"
"You may handle it from here!" Ma Yunlu's words were as light as clouds; she was accustomed to similar actions. Zhong Yao clasped his hands... This was already the seventh time he had cooperated with Ma Yunlu, and most of these actions involved local powerful families concealing land. Regarding this, Zhong Yao and Ma Yunlu were unfazed... And precisely because of their overt and covert cooperation, many local powerful families in Xiliang paid large amounts of land tax... and returned large sums of head tax money to the people! The abolition of the head tax and the implementation of 'Tanding Rum' were successfully carried out in the land of Xiliang.
As Ma Yunlu left with the women from the Que Gate... many of the guards behind Zhong Yao whispered among themselves.
"In other dynasties, the Emperor's concubines reside in the harem, but our Great Wei is different; the Emperor's concubines are out and about, punishing corrupt officials! This is the so-called new era, new atmosphere..."
"However, it is truly satisfying to strike at these powerful landlords!"
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The third day of the ninth month, at the hour of Mao in the morning. Xiahou Yuan, leading over five hundred elite armored soldiers, departed from Luoyang. The troop exited Hulao Pass, and the sun had just risen from the east. The morning breeze was gentle, the sky was azure blue, a perfect day for outdoor living. They marched until sunset, resting only to eat dry rations and drink water. Only when night fell, by a river, did Xiahou Yuan order the soldiers to stop and find a place to set up camp.
All the soldiers heard the command and collapsed on the ground, completely exhausted. Who would have thought... Xiahou Yuan issued another command: "Tents must be set up within half an hour." The armored soldiers had to get up from the ground, forcing themselves to regain their spirits...
Those soldiers not accustomed to living in the wild cried out, "This kind of training? Are they letting us live?"
The half-month wilderness survival test, from the initial exhaustion and awkwardness to later revelry and adaptation, the painful process in between was indescribable. Their feet were worn out, their clothes torn, they fell ill, they were poisoned—they encountered all the precautions Xiahou Yuan had mentioned, and also unexpected events he hadn't. The most critical issue was the lack of food. All the dry rations they brought to the camp were confiscated by Xiahou Yuan and would only be returned to them on the day of their return journey.
Amidst the soldiers' complaints and curses, Xiahou Yuan roared, "Cease your beast-like howls! With that energy, find something to eat yourselves!" Many armored soldiers made pained faces. A young boy, the youngest, whispered, "Stop shouting, lest you attract wolves."
Xiahou Yuan continued to lecture: "This is wilderness survival training, not comfort training! There are still thirteen... not a grain of rice, not a shred of meat. If you can't find anything to eat, you'll starve to death!"
After just over ten days, of the five hundred soldiers in the corps, more than twenty could not withstand the pressure. The remaining armored soldiers, with little more than the clothes on their backs, lived a life akin to primitive humans. Everyone's face was covered in black soot, their backs hunched as they blew on embers, sitting on the ground, desperately rubbing wooden sticks with their hands to make fire; because it was a dense forest, for survival, they had to cooperate to hunt... closing one eye, aiming at birds with colorful feathers on trees to shoot them; even... bare-chested, aiming at foxes and throwing javelins; jumping into the water naked to catch fish; mending clothes, washing, and caring for sick comrades.
This was still not the worst. One day, upon returning from a hunt... having finally hunted several deer, they planned to roast them for breakfast the next morning... Amidst the howls of wolves and barks of dogs in the wilderness, the soldiers finally fell asleep. In the middle of the night, a fire suddenly broke out, and gongs sounded in unison. According to training regulations, all soldiers had to escape as quickly as possible. But... many still had their minds on those deer and were reluctant to leave them—every soldier who escaped from the fire held some deer meat in their hands... or other hunted items. However, for every soldier who escaped from the fire holding prey, Xiahou Yuan's two slaps awaited them. A soldier holding a "dead fawn" that he had hunted the night before and was reluctant to eat, as soon as he emerged from the fire and before he could steady himself... Xiahou Yuan snatched the fawn from him and threw it directly into the fire, accompanied by two fierce slaps!
Every armored soldier felt a stinging pain on their faces... yet they all held their heads high, standing stubbornly. Xiahou Yuan roared, "You've lost your lives! And you're still thinking about food! Are your lives less important than those? Everyone who carried something while escaping, slap yourselves fifty times! Those who don't want to slap themselves will be immediately eliminated!"
A frenzy of slapping sounds, "pa, pa," echoed through the ranks. Xiahou Yuan shouted, "Slap harder! Slap hard! So you won't forget!" The sound of slapping became louder, and cries of sorrow gradually emerged. Xiahou Yuan rushed forward and kicked one of the students down, "Coward! Why are you crying so much! When I led the Swift Division on five hundred in three days, one thousand in six days, I encountered countless things more dangerous than this fire! Those who coveted a mouthful of food have all turned into dry bones!"
All of them... their faces felt hot from the slapping, their facial numbness so great they couldn't feel themselves slapping themselves. They would never forget the lesson of this night; nothing mattered but life! Xiahou Yuan's curses continued: "All of you, stand up! Stand up! If this were a real battlefield, only those who were about to die... would be qualified to cry. And you, you are not qualified!" These words, like cold knives, sliced into each armored soldier. And this... was the strictness Lu Yu demanded of Xiahou Yuan... ten times stricter than his Swift Division's "strictness"!
Meanwhile... on a nearby embankment... escorted by a group of Dragon Swift armored soldiers, Yang Xiu and Sima Yi witnessed this great fire. Lu Yu had departed, and the two of them, on his behalf, were responsible for keeping a close watch on this "Special Corps." At this moment, Sima Yi looked at the time it took for an incense stick to burn, then sighed, "Only that youngest soldier, he was the first to escape from the fire, not carrying any food!"
With Sima Yi's reminder, Yang Xiu also turned his gaze towards that young soldier. Amidst the countless slapping sounds, he alone was not slapped!
"I remember, he is from Ji County, Tianshui Commandery, named Jiang Wei. He is the youngest among these five hundred armored soldiers! His Majesty specifically mentioned that we should pay special attention to this person!"
"He is a talent!"
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