The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror-Chapter 392 - 173: Times Have Changed (Please Subscribe)

The day before the Ancestor Worship Festival, Xu Qing went up to Qixia Mountain, originally the site of Black Wind Village ruled by King Lin.

Li Gongpu was also there.

Since there was a possibility of danger, Xu Qing wouldn’t hide it from his uncle. After all, the troops under him were nominally led by Li Gongpu.

There was no unauthorized troop movement, as Xu Qing had already procured the necessary permissions beforehand.

Li Gongpu had a thousand men under him; Xu Qing only transferred five hundred soldiers over. These five hundred soldiers were unimaginable even to other external commanders.

In reality, a typical commander often has less than thirty percent of the full troop strength under them.

During inspections, they temporarily hire extras to pass the official reviews, even borrowing uniforms from peers.

The extras in Jiangning Prefecture are paid less than those in Yingtian Prefecture, but still quite higher than many State Prefectures. All because Jiangning Prefecture is becoming more and more prosperous.

However, the most expensive extras are still those from the Capital Camp in the Capital. Thus, some nobles’ children in the Capital Camp would use their house servants and tenants to fill in the numbers during inspections, coupled with subsidies from above, they wouldn’t even need to pay, effectively earning a tidy sum of extra money.

But the five hundred men Xu Qing brought were obviously not mere extras.

Naturally, Gu Wuji and Ren Tianyou also brought their sect members and followers.

Previously, Gu Wuji saw his disciples, in terms of neatness and aura, were nowhere close to the members of the Giant Whale Gang, feeling somewhat iron-hearted.

Besides, the men under Gang Leader Ren had seen their fair share of bloodshed and possessed a menacing air.

Gu Wuji felt somewhat inferior.

Now seeing this troop led by Xu Qing, it was even more shocking.

The combat effectiveness of this troop of Official Army couldn’t be assessed yet, but their strict discipline was no joke.

Well, this discipline was exactly what Xu Qing mainly focused on.

Li Gongpu, when idle, would train the soldiers. Moreover, Xu Qing had specifically sought advice from Meng Yuxuan.

Maintaining strict discipline sounds easy, but it’s actually one of the hardest parts of military training.

Because sufficient provisions are essential, along with continuous good food and drink, relentless training, and emphasis on discipline. All these tasks are tedious, but fortunately, Li Gongpu was responsible enough to ensure a well-disciplined troop.

Furthermore, these soldiers were all peasants who had lost their land in the process of replacing rice cultivation with mulberry.

To address this problem, Xu Qing specifically proposed a recruitment system to the Grand Secretary.

In fact, many places were already implementing this, Xu Qing was just going with the flow.

A good Reform process often involves many policies not emerging out of nowhere but because problems already exist and someone has tried to solve them. Then, seeing this trend, the court picks the right moment to act on it.

And to go with the flow, the premise is to be solid yourself, not letting any random wind tilt your foundation.

Therefore, a bad Reform process results when enemies infiltrate the Reform Faction, posing as disciples of the Reform leaders, idealizing him, and distorting his teachings!

Gu Wuji and Ren Tianyou, not being professionals in military training, realized that after a few battles, appropriate attentiveness to casualties could quickly transform these troops into elite forces.

Moreover, with seasoned soldiers mentoring the new, after a period of growth, it turns into a snowball effect, rapidly expanding.

Historically, many local rulers played the game this way.

Thus, those who raise armies do so mostly within their own local areas, as it simplifies recruitment and allows for stealthy, early growth.

Once you are in a foreign land, not to mention a few hundred or thousand people’s food and fodder expenses, even a few dozen people training daily is visible to others, unable to be concealed, and easily invites trouble.

Moreover, Xu Qing plays at a higher level, using the Court’s structure to train his own soldiers.

All procedures are legitimate, without a single flaw to pick.

In fact, Xu Qing’s setup pales in comparison to those Military Generals at the Nine Borders.

And those Tusi granted official seals by the court are even more independent, hardly different from ancient local rulers.

Xu Qing discussed battle plans with Li Gongpu, Ren Tianyou, Gu Wuji, and others, and tonight, as is customary before deploying troops, a feast is provided.

Before climbing the mountain, he specifically chose a recently deceased ox and bought sheep, as well as pigs and various kinds of fruits and vegetables. Rewarding the army before a battle to boost morale is essential.

Such generosity as Xu Qing’s is rare.

Because in Xu Qing’s eyes, these soldiers, though currently serving as troops, could potentially be trained as military officers if he were to raise a vast force in the future.

Generously rewarding these men would facilitate expanding his power later.

After all, as living beings, it is not the case that they would be absolutely loyal just because they serve under him.

Only by letting them know that they would be better off following Xu Qing, with prospects of promotion, wealth, and women, would they truly be dedicated.

Even if they harbored doubts in their hearts, their bodies would sincerely refuse to betray.

Even many practical ideas of the Recovery Society don’t compare to the tangible results shown by Xu Qing. Following Xu Qing guarantees promotion and wealth.

This is the core competitive strength of the Recovery Society.

As for having a slogan, it is a must.

Having a slogan shows there is a bottom line, a sense of rules.

When all are robbers and bandits, one using a slogan of enforcing heavenly justice and another only knowing murder and plunder—even if their actions are the same—the backlash against them won’t be the same.

Compared to the Luo Sect, Xu Qing’s philosophy is naturally more advanced.

The Luo Sect and its branches only preach "the eternal mother of emptiness, homeland of void." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

It sounds profound, but the meaning is: brothers, do not fear death, for after you die, you can go to the homeland of void.

In Xu Qing’s actions, not to mention always leading his brothers forward, they also get to eat meat, which is a tangible benefit. Being able to eat meat for the people of this era is almost like living in the homeland of void, so why wait to die to go there?