Chương 703: Assessment Concluded, Awards Ceremony

The supervising officer reminded him, "Student Fang, even when leading troops, you have to consider human relationships."

Fang Yi'ai pushed up his glasses and said seriously, "According to the data, this injury will not affect the march, but taking a vehicle will take up transport capacity and slow down the overall speed."

The supervising officer was both amused and exasperated.

When they finally arrived in Luoyang, there were 990 people.

Only ten soldiers ran, the data was incredibly accurate, and the formation was very orderly. However, the soldiers were all listless and showed only awe towards their commander, not affection. They would walk around him as they passed by.

Fang Yi'ai looked at the data and was quite satisfied: "Two fewer runs than I estimated, not bad."

The supervising officer wrote in his evaluation: "Skilled in calculation and with strong overall planning ability, suitable for managing logistics and serving as a staff officer; lacks interpersonal skills and is not quite fit to be a leader, still needs further training."

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

Compared to them, those pampered young masters were much worse off.

There was a man named Li Wei, the son of an earl. He was used to a life of luxury and couldn't bear this hardship.

When he set off, he brought two bodyguards, a cook, and several suitcases full of food, drink, and other necessities, including a folding bed.

He didn't walk himself, but rode in a carriage, leisurely strolling at the front of the procession, occasionally lifting the curtain to urge them on; the soldiers huffed and puffed behind him, but he didn't even look at them, as if he were on a tour.

The food was different too: the soldiers ate coarse rice and pickled vegetables, while he ate stewed meat and drank wine in the carriage. The aroma wafted far and wide, making the soldiers' mouths water.

On the first day, many people felt resentful and started discussing it.

The next day, Li Wei complained that the group was moving too slowly and urged them to hurry. After walking more than 40 li, the new recruits were exhausted and complained endlessly. More than 20 of them ran away that night.

Li Wei didn't care: "Let them run. There are a thousand people in the group. It doesn't matter if a few run away."

As a result, the more they ran, the more people there were. Halfway through, less than 600 of the 1, 000 people remained.

To make matters worse, he couldn't manage the supplies. When they ran out of food halfway through the journey, he ordered the soldiers to eat half the usual amount, while he himself still had meat at every meal, and even complained that the meat wasn't tender enough.

The soldiers were furious. That night, most of them ran away, and some even smashed his carriage and threw his luggage all over the ground.

By the time the supervising officer discovered it, Li Wei only had a few dozen soldiers left. The formation had completely disintegrated, and even the flag had been lost.

He returned to Luoyang in disgrace, failing the assessment and too ashamed to even face his father.

There were two or three others like him, all pampered young masters who had never experienced hardship and didn't know how to manage others. Some of them fell apart after a third of them left, some simply ran back to Luoyang on their own, and some couldn't even remember all the names of the new recruits.

He became a laughing stock in this assessment, and his name circulated in the military academy for several graduating classes.

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

More than eighty days later, teams began to arrive one after another on the official road outside Luoyang.

The first group to arrive were Liu Yao and Cheng Chumo. Although not all the people had arrived, the team was still intact, their spirits were high, and the military flag was still flying.

A few days later, when Liu Yong arrived with his entire team, even Liu Ce went to see them in person.

A thousand new recruits, tanned and muscular, marched into the city in neat rows, their steps synchronized and their slogans resounding. They were completely different from the scrawny, unruly men they had been when they first set out, and many had even grown taller.

Liu Ce stood atop the city wall, looking down at the ranks below, and nodded.

"The fourth one is good; he's got potential."

A few days later, another batch arrived one after another. Some had eight or nine hundred people left, while others had five or six hundred. The ranks were uneven, and some flags were even torn.

One week later, the assessment was completely over.

Of the more than 300 trainees, only three arrived with a complete team, with no missing members and no disruption of discipline; more than 30 people arrived with 800 or 900 people, which was considered passing; the rest either had scattered teams or had less than half of their members remaining, and all of them failed.

The third prince Liu Yao, the fourth prince Liu Yong, as well as Cheng Chumo, Qin Huaidao, Fang Yi'ai... these second-generation officials were all above average. Among them, Liu Yong was perfect, and even the supervising officer could not find fault with him.

......

A high platform was erected on the parade ground of the Royal Military Academy.

Colorful flags fluttered in the wind, and below stood all the trainees, along with the returning recruits, a dense, dark mass. Even the parents watched from the outside.

"The results of the assessment are all known," Liu Ce said bluntly.

"Three people were excellent, thirty-seven people passed, and the rest failed."

There was complete silence below; not even a cough could be heard.

"I know some people are dissatisfied, saying the new recruits are too difficult to manage, the journey is too long, and they were unlucky enough to encounter rain," Liu Ce sneered.

"Once you're on the battlefield, the enemy won't care about your luck or whether you're lucky or not, they won't wait for you to be ready before they attack. You can't even properly train a thousand new recruits, yet you dream of becoming a general? You dream of commanding thousands of troops? Dream on!"

Those who fail, go back and retake the course next year. If you still fail, don't stay at the command academy; go to the grassroots level as a private, starting as a squad leader. Come back when you're skilled at leading troops.

The students who failed all lowered their heads, their faces burning, but no one dared to argue back; some even clenched their fists.

"Three outstanding individuals, step forward."

The three people took a step forward, stood up straight, and cast long shadows in the sunlight.

Liu Ce personally awarded them medals, with the words "Superior Command" engraved on the front and "Year 13 of Shenwu" in smaller characters below.

As Liu Ce walked up to Liu Yong, he patted him on the shoulder:

"All personnel arrived, military discipline was strict, and logistics were reliable. Well done, they didn't let me down."

"This humble general has only done what he was supposed to do," Liu Yong bowed, neither arrogant nor impatient.

Walking up to Liu Yao, Liu Ce smiled: "At first, thirteen ran away, but they caught up later, and none of them were missing. It's never too late to correct your mistakes. To know your mistakes and correct them is the greatest virtue."

Liu Yao blushed: "This humble general was too reckless at the beginning, I won't do it again. I'll learn from my mistakes."

"Being reckless is not a bad thing; it's just youthful vigor," Liu Ce said.

"You only learn to appreciate the pain after you've fallen. A general who has never fallen is not a good general."

When awarding the medal to Cheng Chumo, Liu Ce joked, "I heard you gamble with the soldiers?"

Cheng Chumo's face instantly turned red, and he scratched his head: "I... I only played two rounds, and then they wouldn't let me anymore."

Liu Ce said sternly, "To lead an army, you must be on par with your soldiers, but you can't be without discipline. A combination of kindness and strictness is the right way. You did well this time; you've improved."

Cheng Chumo shouted, "This subordinate remembers! I will never do it again!"

When giving the order to Fang Yi'ai, Liu Ce said, "Your accounting is very accurate, and you're a master of logistics coordination. But leading troops isn't about accounting, and people aren't just numbers; it's about building genuine relationships. Go back and think carefully about how to get people willing to follow you."

Fang Yi'ai adjusted his glasses, seemingly lost in thought: "The students understand. Data is static, but people are dynamic."

After presenting the awards, Liu Ce took a step back and addressed all the trainees in a loud voice:

"This test isn't meant to stump you, but to make you understand... being a general isn't easy. It's not enough to just be skilled in martial arts or memorize military strategies. You need to be able to manage people, provide meals, treat illnesses, and handle trivial matters. You need to earn the soldiers' trust, respect, and willingness to risk their lives for you. It's easy to talk about strategy on paper, but difficult to lead troops in real combat."