Chương 158: The Family Arrives

The 13th Battalion completed all its drills by noon.

Liu Ce stepped forward again, his gaze sweeping across the entire audience.

Despite a morning of drills, the 39, 000 soldiers maintained impeccable discipline and sharp eyes.

"good!"

Liu Ce shouted, "I have seen your hard work over the past three months! Generals, you have worked hard! Soldiers, you have worked hard!"

"We will serve our lord!" the generals shouted in unison.

"Serve Youzhou!" the entire army roared in unison.

Liu Ce announced loudly again, "All the battalions performed exceptionally well in today's military review! I am very pleased! I hereby order: tonight, each person will have half a catty of meat and a liter of wine!"

"Thank you, General!" The crowd below erupted in cheers.

Liu Ce waved his hand, signaling for silence: "However! Training cannot stop! Starting tomorrow, each battalion will transition to formation training, weapons training, and live-fire exercises! Physical training and drill training will be halved, but not stopped! Three months from now, this general wants to see you capable of fighting and winning battles!"

"Yes!" the soldiers answered in unison.

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand: "Dismissed!"

Each battalion, led by its captain, withdrew in an orderly manner.

Liu Ce came down from the high platform and called Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun and other captains together.

"You guys have practiced well."

Liu Ce got straight to the point, "But the real test is yet to come. Military formation training will involve practicing various formation changes; weapons training will require proficiency in using swords, spears, bows, and crossbows; and live-fire exercises will simulate a real battlefield."

He paused, then continued, "I will have Fengxiao, Zhicai, and Wenhe develop a detailed training plan, and you will execute it accordingly. Remember, training must be strict, but you must treat your soldiers like your own children; you cannot beat or scold them without cause. If anyone cripples or deserts a soldier during training, I will hold them accountable!"

The captains responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"

Then...

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun... Liu Ce pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of each of their respective camps, and the generals were convinced.

"alright."

Liu Ce concluded, "Go back and carefully reflect on your progress. I will review your performance in three months, and I hope to see even greater improvement!"

"Yes, sir!" the generals shouted in unison.

Liu Ce gave Gao Shun, Yu Jin, and Zhang He a few more instructions, because these three were historically known for their military training skills, and he wanted to see what unique methods they had.

After giving his instructions, the generals dispersed.

Liu Ce also returned to the city with his strategists.

They continued to discuss the performance of each battalion along the way.

……

"Gao Shun's elite troops have the greatest potential," Fang Xuanling said.

Du Ruhui agreed, saying, "This man trains troops with a focus on practical results rather than grand gestures; he is a rare talent among generals."

Xun Yu added, "Huang Zhong's elite archer battalion and Zhang He's cunning battalion each have their own unique characteristics. Our lord truly has a wealth of talent under his command."

Liu Ce laughed heartily: "This is nothing, there will be even more talented people coming to join us in the future."

Guo Jia sidled up to Liu Ce, grinning, and said, "My lord, shouldn't we have a victory banquet tonight? I've done a tremendous job supervising the training of the troops for the past three months!"

Liu Ce glanced at him: "Are you someone who has worked hard and made great contributions, or someone who spends all day slacking off and drinking?"

Guo Jia protested, "Heaven and earth bear witness! I, Guo Fengxiao, have been diligent and conscientious, going to the training ground at least once a day!"

Everyone laughed.

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Alright, let's have a banquet tonight to reward everyone. But Fengxiao, you can only drink three cups, no more."

Guo Jia's face fell: "Three cups? It's better not to drink at all..."

"Then one cup."

"No, no, no, three cups it is!"

A few days later, Liu Ce was studying the "Taiping Yaoshu" in the study of Liu Mansion. He found that some of the health preservation methods in the book were quite good and he was preparing to compile them for Zhang Zhongjing's reference.

Suddenly a servant came to report: "My lord, Lu Bing requests an audience."

Liu Ce's eyes lit up: "Let him come to the study!"

Lu Bing was already in the study. Seeing Liu Ce enter, he bowed and said, "My lord, the mission is complete."

"Have you picked them all up?" Liu Ce asked.

"It's here."

Lu Bing said, "The families of Guan Yu, Lü Bu, Jia Xu, and Huang Zhong are currently settled in the governor's mansion. Zou Yu and Du Xiuniang have also been brought here and are with their families."

Liu Ce's spirits lifted: "Let's go to the governor's mansion!"

On the way, Lu Bing reported the details of what had happened.

The repatriation of their families went smoothly. Guan Yu's family was in Jie County, Lü Bu's in Wuyuan, Huang Zhong's in Nanyang, and Jia Xu's in Wuwei. The Imperial Guards, carrying Liu Ce's warrant, traveled unimpeded and safely brought everyone over.

The matter between Zou Yu and Du Xiuniang... was a bit "unexpected".

"Zou Yu was orphaned and destitute in Wuwei, Liangzhou."

Lu Bingdao said, "When our men went to fetch Jia Xu's family, they happened to run into her. At that time, Liangzhou was suppressing a rebellion... She took the initiative to ask if they could take her with them. Our men saw that she was pitiful, so they brought her back as well."

Liu Ce nodded and said, "Well done. What about Du Xiuniang?"

Lu Bing's expression was somewhat strange as he said, "Du Xiuniang is in Jinyang, Bingzhou. When our men went to fetch Lü Bu's family, they happened to encounter a man named Qin Yilu who wanted to forcibly marry her. Du Xiuniang was unwilling, but Qin Yilu had some influence, and she, a weak woman, couldn't resist."

"and then?"

"Then our men beat Qin Yilu up."

Lu Bing said it casually, "They beat her pretty badly; she'll probably be bedridden for three months. Then they brought Du Xiuniang back too."

After hearing this, Liu Ce didn't know what to say.

What on earth is going on here?! Picking up someone and then casually turning into a "hero saves the damsel in distress"? Isn't the scope of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's business a bit too broad?

But... well done!

Upon arriving at the governor's mansion, Liu Ce first sent someone to summon Guan Yu, Lü Bu, and Huang Zhong. Jia Xu, who happened to be in the mansion handling official business, was summoned directly.

Upon entering the hall, I saw a large group of people standing inside.

Guan Yu's wife, Lady Hu, was a gentle woman. She was holding the hands of two boys—the older one, Guan Ping, was seven or eight years old and had a chubby face; the younger one, Guan Xing, was three or four years old and blinked his big eyes, curiously looking around.

Lu Bu's wife, Lady Yan, was dignified. Standing beside her was a little girl, about two or three years old, with two little pigtails. This was none other than Lu Lingqi.

Huang Zhong's wife, Zhang, was a simple and honest woman who appeared to be in poor health.

Jia Xu's family includes his mother, wife, elder brother, and son.

When Jia Xu entered and saw his family, he was completely stunned.

He looked at his family, then at Liu Ce, opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word. He forced a smile that was more like a grimace.

Liu Ce strode over and first greeted the families of Guan Yu, Lü Bu, and Huang Zhong.

"Sister-in-law, you must have had a long journey!"

Liu Ce said to Madam Hu, "Yun Chang is training his troops at the drill ground. I have already sent someone to fetch him."

Madam Hu curtsied in return: "Thank you for your concern, Lord Marquis."

Liu Ce then looked at Guan Ping and Guan Xing, squatted down, and laughed, "You two lads, you're really strong! Do you want to be generals like your father when you grow up?"

Guan Ping puffed out his small chest: "Yes!"

Guan Xing blinked and said in a childish voice, "I want to too..."

Everyone laughed.

Liu Ce exchanged a few more pleasantries with Lady Yan and Lady Zhang before turning to Jia Xu.