Chương 700: Leadership Assessment

Liu Ce dusted off his hands with chalk dust and concluded:

"I've talked to you all this time, but I haven't talked about any profound military strategies. It's all just practical advice about leading troops. Military strategy is static, but people are dynamic. No matter how well it's written in books, if you don't lead troops to practice and fight on the battlefield, it's all just theoretical talk."

Remember this: the first priority for a general isn't being a good fighter yourself, but being able to lead and guide men. If you can get your soldiers to trust you, obey you, and be willing to fight to the death for you, you've already won half the battle. The rest depends on yourselves honing your skills in the barracks and fighting on the battlefield. The more battles you fight, the more losses you suffer, the more you'll naturally understand.

After he finished speaking, there was a few seconds of silence, followed by thunderous applause.

The first to stand up was Cheng Chumo. The young man's face still flushed slightly from the earlier teasing, but he gave a perfectly respectful military salute, his voice ringing out clearly:

"The principal's words have enlightened me! I used to think that mastering martial arts was enough, but today I realize that the art of leading troops is far more profound than any martial art!"

"Alright, alright, stop with the formalities," Liu Ce said with a smile, waving his hand.

"That's all for today's class. Go back and write a reflection, titled 'If I Had a Thousand People,' clearly stating how you plan to lead them, including their eating, drinking, toileting, marching, camping, rewards, punishments, and discipline. I'll be checking next time, and those who write perfunctorily will have to run twenty laps around the drill ground."

"Ah..." A chorus of groans erupted from below, but no one was actually complaining. Their eyes were shining, as if they had found a treasure, and some had already started writing outlines in their notebooks.

Even after Liu Ce had walked a long way out of the military academy, the discussion inside was still in full swing... Some people were arguing about whether managing a thousand people was difficult, some were saying whether Wu Qi was good at leading troops or winning people's hearts, and others were already thinking about how to write their own reflections. The argument was getting heated.

The wind whipped up the fallen leaves at the doorway, swirling them across the training ground.

The young faces in the military academy have lost some of their arrogance and gained more of a weighty seriousness.

Zhou Chang followed behind Liu Ce and said sincerely, "Your Majesty's lesson was more effective than them studying military books for half a year. Just now, I saw several students write the words 'military morale' on their palms."

"Just listening to lectures is useless; you have to practice." Liu Ce looked at the figures on the training ground and said calmly, "What you learn from books is never enough; you have to put them to the test to see what they're really made of."

..................

One month later, at the end of September.

Liu Ce returned to the Royal Military Academy, but this time he wasn't there to give a lecture; he was there to cause trouble.

All of the more than one hundred students from the command academy were brought to the parade ground, where they stood in a dense, dark mass.

As the autumn wind blew, their military uniforms fluttered in the wind. Each soldier stood tall and proud, waiting for the principal to speak, their eyes filled with both anticipation and nervousness.

Liu Ce stood on the high platform, glanced around at the crowd below, and got straight to the point:

"You all attended last month's class. You all submitted your reflections, and each one was more beautiful than the last. You all seem like once-in-a-century potential generals. Some wrote about 'sharing weal and woe with the soldiers,' while others wrote about 'clear distinction between rewards and punishments, and a combination of kindness and severity.' They even used idioms quite fluently."

Some people below were secretly laughing, while others were a little embarrassed... When I wrote my reflections last time, many people did exaggerate a bit, as if they wanted to portray themselves as the reincarnation of Wei Qing.

"But just being a good writer isn't enough," Liu Ce said, changing his tone.

"To test your true abilities, I have specially arranged a leadership assessment."

The room fell silent instantly; everyone pricked up their ears and even held their breath.

"All students of the Command Academy, take the train to Zhuozhou immediately. Once you arrive in Zhuozhou, the officers there will assign each of you a thousand new recruits... They are all newly enlisted, untrained, and know nothing, like blank slates. Some of them can't even tell left from right."

Your mission: Lead these one thousand new recruits on foot from Zhuozhou back to Luoyang. The entire journey is over 800 kilometers, and you have three months to complete it.

On the march, you can collect your rations of food from the local military granary every time you pass through a prefecture or county. There will be supervising officers along the way who will record your every move, and they will also record who tries to cheat or who gets special treatment.

Anyone who can lead a full 1, 000 new recruits to Luoyang without losing a single one, and maintains strict military discipline, will be considered to have excellent performance. Anyone who can lead more than 800 new recruits to Luoyang will be considered to have passed the assessment. The military academy will provide them with intensive training and a substantial reward.

If someone gets lost, the group falls apart, the total number of participants drops below 800, or the time limit is exceeded, it's considered a failure. The student either has to go back and retake the course, graduating only when they pass, or choose a new major.

These words immediately caused an uproar, with buzzing discussions rising and falling like a hornet's nest.

"A thousand new recruits? Walking 800 kilometers?"

"My God, this is too difficult! The recruits don't know anything, won't they run halfway through the journey? Some can't even tie their shoelaces!"

"Three months? That's thirty or forty miles a day! How can new recruits handle that? We can barely manage on our own!"

Some were so excited they were rubbing their hands together, like Cheng Chumo, who clenched his fists, eager to try, already planning how to blend in with the new recruits on the way...

Some people frowned and pondered, like Fang Yi'ai, who was already calculating the distance and supplies in his mind, muttering to himself...

Some people turned pale, their legs cramped, and they wished they could drop out of school right then and there.

After discussing it for a while, Liu Ce asked loudly:

"What? Scared?"

"Don't be afraid!" the crowd shouted in unison, their voices so powerful that the flags on the playground swayed.

"Are you confident you can complete the task?"

"Yes!!!" The voice was deafening. Young and vigorous, neither of them would admit defeat, and they shouted until their faces were red and their necks were thick.

"Alright!" Liu Ce nodded.

"I'll give you half a day to pack your things. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning. Remember, once we reach Zhuozhou, you will be the commanders. The lives of a thousand men will be in your hands. Whether you're a dragon or a worm, we'll see on the road."

"Yes, sir!"

After the dismissal, the students scattered and went back to their dormitories to pack their things. Some ran back to pack their luggage, while others sought advice from others. The entire military academy was in complete chaos.

The third prince, Liu Yao, and the fourth prince, Liu Yong, walked together.

Liu Yao was rubbing his hands together, looking excited, and walking with a brisk pace.

"Fourth brother, how about we have a competition? Let's see who can get to Luoyang first!"

Liu Yong said slowly, "Speed is useless; everyone has to be present. Losing even one person means you don't win. Father Emperor said he wants a complete team, not just speed."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they're all there!" Liu Yao patted his chest.

"I plan to travel a bit more in the first few days to get there early, to give them a taste of their own medicine and show them what decisive action really means."

Liu Yong frowned: "The new recruits are not in good shape, and they are prone to collapsing if they walk too fast. I plan to walk thirty li a day, gradually increasing the distance. Step by step is the best approach."

"You're just too cautious," Liu Yao said, pursing his lips.

"In war, you have to act swiftly and decisively; hesitation leads to defeat!"

They each had their own ideas, and neither could convince the other. In the end, they snorted and went their separate ways.

On the other side, Cheng Chumo chatted with Qin Huaidao: "My dad said that to lead an army, you have to be one with the brothers, eat and live together, then they'll fight you to the death. When I arrived, I ate and slept with the new recruits. If anyone disobeyed me, I'd fight them one-on-one. Once they were convinced, they'd obey!"

Qin Huaidao shook his head with a smile: "Fighting alone won't do; there also needs to be rules. Without rules, there can be no order. How long can one-on-one duels last?"

"Of course, rules are necessary! But before rules can be established, you must first gain people's respect!" Cheng Chumo declared emphatically.

..................