Peace Order
Chapter 517 - 25: The Hero Raises His Arm, Bright is the Sky and Sun_2

Chapter 517: Chapter 25: The Hero Raises His Arm, Bright is the Sky and Sun_2

He had been a soldier.

Even in the border troops, meat was only available every three days, and it was just a few pieces.

Such meat should have been for the young general, and he just hoped there’d be some marbling today. Thinking of this, his mood brightened as he walked over, holding his bowl and ladling a big serving of rice—not very refined, but plentiful enough to fill him up.

As he was considering what vegetables to eat today, a large spoonful of meat landed in his bowl.

Fan Qing froze. He saw the young man on the other side lifting his spoon and said, "Not enough?"

Then he added a second heaping spoonful and said,

"If it’s not enough, just say so and eat up, then go rest over there."

"Next!"

Fan Qing was still dazed even after he walked away. He tasted the rice, and then devoured a piece of meat, quick and messy. The meat was delicious, and the flavor was exquisite. He swallowed it almost instinctively but paused momentarily.

Suddenly recalling the humiliation his family faced at home, how they lost their fields and were almost starved to death after his leg was broken, his nose tingled with emotion. He wolfed down the food, yet tears started rolling down uncontrollably.

He ground his teeth, muttering under his breath.

Eating aggressively.

Li Guanyi nodded, scooped some of the remaining food for himself, and sat down to eat with them. After the meal and training, he brought over two thousand sets of clean and neatly pressed clothing, all quite thick and heavy. Li Guanyi gathered everyone and said,

"Without armor, wear these sturdy clothes and insert a metal plate in the vital spots."

"It’s makeshift but it will do."

"Everyone, go get your share."

Pang Shuiyun didn’t understand the young man’s strange ideas. Instead of focusing on training the troops, he was doing this. But he finished all the tasks with great diligence, even surpassing Li Guanyi’s expectations.

Fan Qing was the first to go over, silent.

The clothing felt slightly stiff in his hands, not the finest fabric but solid enough.

Much better than the rags he was wearing.

He immediately threw away his torn strips of cloth and put on the new clothes, including the leg bindings and wrist guards. Then he moved forward, picked up a knife, a piece of cloth, and some medicinal herbs. Though Fan Qing did not understand the purpose, he took them.

This was Pang Shuiyun leading people to empty several cloth shops in the city.

Of course, they had to pay for it. The silver coins from Changfeng Building were rapidly depleting.

Li Guanyi raised the piece of cloth in his hand and tied it around his left arm, and said, "Gentlemen, normally we should have waist cards, but we don’t right now, so make do..." Fan Qing looked at the piece of cloth—it wasn’t large, about three fingers wide, and a vivid red like fire.

He fastened the cloth strip on his left arm.

Then, turning to the side, he saw men dressed in similar attire standing upright.

The red cloth strips on their left arms started to flutter, like flames in the air.

Fan Qing felt something growing inside him, not sure why, he thought back to the conversation he had with the young man—

Aren’t we just a band of thieves?

Of course not!

A blaze seemed to ignite in his heart, burning uncomfortably.

Pang Shuiyun watched this army and felt momentarily lost in thought. While they could hardly be considered elite, their spirits had greatly improved from before, calm and collected, armed with weapons, moving uniformly.

Even Yuwen Tianxian, the Grandmaster of Ying Country, could no longer call them a rabble.

Li Guanyi’s capabilities were limited, but after confirming the geographical map, he had a strategic plan in mind. No matter what, the soldiers here lacked armor, and their martial arts were weak, with most only having rudimentary martial skills.

Pang Shuiyun reported the day’s intelligence to Li Guanyi.

Morale in the mountains had settled.

Yuwen Tianxian had moved within a two-hundred-li radius and had begun building siege engines.

Zhenbei City remained unresponsive.

And the people in the region knew about these developments, creating a surge of public sentiment. The general of Zhenbei City declared that the occupiers of this mountain were bandits, rebels led by Li Guan, while Yuwen Tianxian was Ying Country’s reinforcing army, coming to help Chen Country suppress the rebels, in an effort to calm the people.

Furthermore, all soldiers were learning the military regulations required by Li Guanyi.

Pang Shuiyun sighed, "Military regulations... I’ve only heard of military orders before."

Li Guanyi used a brush to meticulously copy the geographical map he had recorded, as the silver-haired girl beside him ground ink for him. Li Guanyi said, "A teacher told me about it, Mr. Pang you can just think of it as my rambling."

Pang Shuiyun replied, "We have no need for these at the moment."

Li Guanyi looked up and said, "We will need them eventually; when the time comes, we’ll discuss it, isn’t that right? Anyway, all actions must follow command; do not take anything from the civilians; all confiscated items must be publicized, and no looting is allowed. These three are fundamental."

"Additionally, for those going down the mountain for supplies, there are eight requirements."

"Speak kindly, trade fairly, return what you borrow, compensate for any damages."

"Do not hit or curse at people, do not harm the civilians’ crops, do not harass women, and if we take prisoners later on, do not mistreat them."

Pang Shuiyun responded gently, "A grand, rightful path; I understand."

Li Guanyi nodded, looking at the map he had drawn, and asked, "Elder Pang, what do you think are our chances of victory?"

Pang Shuiyun said, "The Military School speaks of four forms of strength: skillful use of hands and feet, weapon proficiency, accumulation of stratagems, and the advantage in offence and defence. Young Master, your strategy is strong, but there is too little time. A direct confrontation is nearly impossible."

"From my perspective, Yuwen Tianxian has three thousand five hundred soldiers, among which five hundred cavalry are frontline elites, veterans of many battles. The remaining three thousand are second-line troops. However, even these second-liners are martial practitioners with Inner Qi."