Chương 161: Training Guard Battalion

Cheng Yaojin chuckled and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Brothers, don't worry, I, Old Cheng, guarantee that those soldiers will be much more successful in the Mo Dao Camp than they were under your command!"

Dian Wei laughed and said, "I will personally train the soldiers of the Imperial Guard, and they will definitely become the elite of the elite!"

The generals thought to themselves: We're just afraid you guys will get too good at training and we won't be able to get you back later!

Guan Yu couldn't help but speak up, "Brother, this... drawing several hundred men from each battalion, totaling nearly four thousand. The new recruits in each battalion have only been training for three months. With this withdrawal, our combat strength..."

Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "I know you're heartbroken. But the Mo Dao Battalion and the Imperial Guard Battalion are our elite forces, and we must select the best of the best. You can fill the gaps by recruiting new soldiers. Although they're inexperienced, they can be used after three months of training. Besides, each battalion is currently over-recruited—the original authorized strength was three thousand, but you've actually recruited more than three thousand five hundred, right?"

The generals fell silent.

Indeed, everyone leaves room for maneuver when recruiting, for fear of not having enough soldiers.

Zhang Fei muttered, "Brother, you've really got a good head on the slate..."

Zhao Yun smiled wryly and said, "Since my lord has made his decision, I will obey."

Lu Bu readily agreed, "Fine, go ahead! My Flying Cavalry are all heroes anyway. Take some, train another batch!"

Liu Ce nodded in satisfaction and said, "Then it's settled. Within one hour, select the men and assemble them in the open space on the east side of the training ground. Dismissed!"

The generals dispersed with long faces, each returning to their camps to select men. The scene resembled a talent show—they couldn't bear to part with this one, nor did they want to let go of that one; after much deliberation, they found only their most prized possessions.

In the next hour, a dramatic scene of "life and death" unfolded on the training ground.

Guan Yu returned to the Loyal and Brave Camp and looked at the three thousand spirited soldiers before him. He sighed and said, "Soldiers, our lord wants to draw soldiers from various camps to form a new one. Our camp will send... more than three hundred tall soldiers and more than one hundred elite soldiers."

The soldiers below the stage looked at each other in bewilderment.

Guan Yu continued, "Soldiers who have been transferred, do not complain. Once you arrive at your new camp, train hard and do not bring shame to the Loyal and Brave Battalion!"

He personally selected the soldiers, and his heart ached with each one he chose. Those who were tall and strong were the vanguard he focused on training; those who were elite were the backbone he placed his high hopes on.

On Zhang Fei's side, while choosing men, he kept muttering, "This one won't do, this one is my personal guard... This one won't do either, this one has the best marksmanship... This one... Sigh, never mind, you'll do!"

After selecting the men, he patted the chosen soldiers on the shoulder and said, "Go to the new camp and do a good job! If anyone bullies you, come back and tell me, and I'll stand up for you!"

The soldiers were moved to tears: "General..."

Zhao Yun was relatively calm, but he was also extremely serious when choosing people, comparing them repeatedly to try to select the most suitable ones.

Lu Bu, on the other hand, had a different style. With a cold face, he quickly selected soldiers and then said coldly, "Go to the new camp and don't embarrass the Flying Cavalry. If you don't perform well, I, the general, will personally go and drag you back."

Each general displayed their unique skills, and an hour later, all three thousand tall soldiers and eight hundred elite soldiers had assembled.

Cheng Yaojin stared wide-eyed at the three thousand tall soldiers: "Good heavens! Each one of them is broad-shouldered and burly; their physiques are natural-born to wield the Mo Dao!"

He walked up to a soldier, patted the man's chest muscles, and said, "Pretty muscular! What's your name?"

The soldier straightened his back and said, "General, my name is Wang Tiezhu!"

"Great name!"

Cheng Yaojin laughed loudly, "From now on, you'll be a squad leader in the Mo Dao Battalion!"

He then looked at the eight hundred elite soldiers—these were the treasures of their respective battalions, with sharp eyes and upright postures, clearly veterans of countless battles.

Dian Wei walked up to them and said in a deep voice, "From today onwards, you are the lord's personal guards. Remember, the lives of the personal guards belong to the lord, and the lord's life belongs to you. Anyone who dares to lay a finger on the lord will have to step over your dead bodies first!"

"We swear to protect our lord to the death!" Eight hundred soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Liu Ce watched from the side, feeling quite pleased with himself: Now that the foundation for the Mo Dao Battalion and the Imperial Guard Battalion is in place, all that's left is to train them properly.

Dian Wei, with a stern face, paced back and forth in front of the eight hundred elite soldiers, his gaze sharp as lightning, making the soldiers' hearts tremble.

Liu Ce walked over and patted Dian Wei on the shoulder: "E'lai, these men are yours. Train them rigorously; I need a elite personal guard that can take on ten men each."

Dian Wei nodded emphatically and said, "Rest assured, my lord!"

Liu Ce then said to Cheng Yaojin, "Zhijie, I'm entrusting these three thousand men to you. Within three months, I want to see a Mo Dao battalion capable of cutting down cavalry. I'll give you the training methods later; you can first familiarize them with the basics."

"clear!"

Cheng Yaojin chuckled, "My lord, you can rest assured about my training of the troops. I guarantee I'll train these burly men until they're screaming in terror!"

After making these arrangements, Liu Ce ordered his generals to return to their respective camps to continue training, while he himself, along with Dian Wei and his eight hundred personal guards, went to a specially designated open space on the west side of the training ground.

Eight hundred carefully selected soldiers stood in eight neat square formations on the open ground.

Liu Ce stood at the front of the line, with Dian Wei, a man as tall as an iron tower, beside him.

His gaze swept across the entire area, and Liu Ce declared loudly, "From this day forward, you eight hundred men will be my personal guard! You will be directly under my command and that of Commander Dian Wei, and will not be subordinate to any other army!"

Eight hundred soldiers shouted in unison, "We swear to follow our lord to the death!"

The voices were perfectly synchronized.

Dian Wei stepped forward and slammed his pair of iron halberds into the ground with a muffled thud, causing the ground to tremble.

He added, "Our lord's rules are stricter than those of General Guan and General Zhang! Anyone who dares to slack off or try to cheat will have to pass through my iron halberds first!"

The soldiers' Adam's apples involuntarily bobbed as they looked at Dian Wei's pair of gleaming iron halberds.

They had all heard of this man's fearsome reputation—in the Battle of Changshe, his double halberds were like a meat grinder when he wielded them, and even the Yellow Turban Army had to give him a wide berth.

Liu Ce smiled and waved his hand, signaling Dian Wei to calm down.

He then pulled out a roll of paper from his pocket—it was a training outline he had compiled, which included modern physical fitness and drill training methods, as well as the essence of Li Shimin's military training methods.

"Select those with unparalleled courage and strength, gather them into a team, teach them formations, and train them in teamwork. In battle, they will be worth a thousand troops!"

Liu Ce unfolded the paper and pointed to the entries: "The Imperial Guard Battalion is not a group of reckless brave men, but elite warriors capable of taking on a hundred men each! Starting today, we will proceed in three steps: First, train physical fitness to solidify the foundation; second, train coordination to refine formations; third, train courage and forge loyalty!"

He first pointed to the physical training section and read aloud: "Every day at Chenshi (7-9 AM), carry 30 jin (15 kg) of weight and cross the road for 50 li (25 km). Afterwards, do 300 push-ups, 300 sit-ups, and 50 pull-ups! Dian Wei, you personally supervise this; not a single one can be missing!"