Chapter Fifty-Four: Morale in the Army

[Thanks to Sister Rose Ruoxi for the generous reward~]

At the same time, Liu Sheng suddenly noticed a volley of arrows raining down from behind him, though he couldn’t tell exactly when they had been launched.

Although these were all fake arrows with broken tips, dulled and wrapped in cloth, the sight of each arrowhead dusted with white ash falling still drew sighs from the infantry behind Liu Sheng.

“This exercise is quite good,” Zhu Cilang said with narrowed eyes as he observed the drills on both sides, nodding slightly.

By now, some sharp-eyed soldiers had already spotted Zhu Cilang’s arrival.

Before long, Liu Sheng and Liu Zhen hurried over. Even Liu Quan, the artillery captain operating a cannon from a distance, came rushing over, sweat pouring down his face.

“Everyone has worked hard in training,” Zhu Cilang offered words of encouragement.

The three soldiers all straightened their backs in unison. “Diligent training is a soldier’s duty.”

Zhu Cilang nodded and looked at Liu Sheng. “You lost the exercise. Are you disheartened?”

Liu Sheng shook his head. “My lord, to say I’m not disheartened would be a lie. But we fight again and again. When it really comes to battle, our infantry will not lose to them!”

Zhu Cilang smiled approvingly. “That's the spirit.”

Then he turned to Liu Zhen and encouraged him, “You won this exercise, so you will be rewarded. Besides your own stakes, I have a reward as well. Chang Zhilang!”

“My lord, I am here!” Chang Zhilang stepped forward promptly.

Zhu Cilang smiled and said, “In the name of the Ministry of Revenue’s Linqing Tax Office, draft a commendation order. This order will establish a Hall of Merit within the tax office, exhibiting all past achievements and heroes. Today’s commendation will be the first to be issued!”

“I obey, my lord!” Chang Zhilang accepted the order with enthusiasm.

After a brief pause and slight contemplation, he announced, “By order of the Ministry of Revenue’s Linqing Tax Office: Cavalry Captain Liu Zhen and his brave warriors of the Linqing Camp have trained diligently and won the exercise with valor and loyalty. This commendation is hereby granted. Upon submission of the warriors’ names by his unit, their honors shall be displayed at the Tax Office’s main hall. So ordered!”

“Thank you, my lord, for the commendation! We pledge to serve and fight to the death for you!” Liu Zhen's body trembled as he shouted with even greater fervor than before. The cavalrymen behind him roared in unison.

Liu Sheng, who had just lost, took a deep breath and addressed his soldiers beside him: “Brothers, one exercise means nothing. When we go to war, we’ll make a great achievement!”

“Yes!” the infantrymen shouted back emphatically.

Watching this scene, Zhu Cilang’s eyes sharpened as he clenched his fist tightly, as if an immense power surged within him—power born of the soldiers’ loyalty and fighting spirit.

In truth, Liu Sheng was the very same one Zhu Cilang had brought out from the capital garrison. Initially, Liu Sheng had been a troublemaker in the Divine Pivot Battalion. After being taken out by Zhu Cilang, he remained restless. However, after months of rigorous training under Fu Rugui in the countryside near the capital, and another two weeks under Zhu Cilang’s command here, combined with Zhu Cilang’s stirring speeches about the cause they were fighting for, Liu Sheng’s pride gradually tempered and he began to take on the true demeanor of a soldier.

Moreover, coming from a military family, Liu Sheng naturally excelled. Whether it was personal martial skill, understanding military orders, or responding to officers’ questions, he consistently outshone others.

The new recruits themselves were only about a dozen veteran guards assigned to maintain the training flags, without any officer ranks. Though Liu Sheng had started as a common soldier, Zhu Cilang quickly promoted him step by step—from flag bearer to chief flag bearer, and finally to captain.

As for Liu Zhen, the cavalry captain, he was a seasoned soldier and a well-known fighter in the right flank of the Martial Camp. Not only was he brave and fierce in battle, but he was also experienced and sharp-eyed.

However, Liu Zhen was impulsive and loyal to a fault. His battlefield kills often ended with celebrations involving wine and women or resolving disputes on behalf of his comrades, stirring up trouble that eventually cost him honors but spared him from execution under military law.

During the Linqing Camp’s early days, Liu Zhen had no opportunity to make such mistakes. Recognizing his abilities and reputation, Zhu Cilang steadily promoted him to captain, placing him in charge of the cavalry on the right flank.

Now, after Zhu Cilang’s generous commendation, Liu Zhen felt a deep resolve to die for one who understood him.

As for Liu Quan, purely a technical soldier, he spent his time quietly operating the flintlock muskets and red-coated cannons, rarely interacting with others.

Yet Zhu Cilang treated Liu Quan even better than the other two.

“Captain Liu, how is the artillery training progressing?” Zhu Cilang asked kindly, smiling at him.

Gone was the timid demeanor Liu Quan had shown in the capital garrison. Though still somewhat taciturn, his eyes brightened when Zhu Cilang mentioned his specialty.

“My lord’s trust is great,” Liu Quan said eagerly. “Now that we have ample gunpowder and cannonballs, no need to be so sparing—we can fire daily. The more we fire, the more skilled our gunners become, and training proceeds smoothly. Also, the Mr. Li Jun you brought in is truly formidable!”

He raised his thumb enthusiastically. “With Mr. Li Jun’s help, our cannons have only exploded once. Plus, the flintlocks and red-coated cannons we have now are well-maintained and familiar to us. No one worries about explosions anymore. Without that fear, we train harder and our accuracy has improved by thirty percent over before. The only issue is that when my lord asked me to keep records, I only managed to write about a third because I can’t read or write well yet.”

Zhu Cilang smiled often as he listened. When he heard Liu Quan admit his illiteracy, his expression grew serious.

“Captain Liu, learning artillery isn’t easy, but that doesn’t mean you’re foolish. Study reading and writing diligently, seek guidance from Mr. Li Jun, and write down all the key points and standards for artillery operation. These will become artillery regulations to be issued later on. This is a matter of writing history and establishing your legacy. Your names will be remembered for generations!”

Hearing this, Liu Quan was stunned. Not only him, but even Chang Zhilang beside him exclaimed in surprise.

In their culture, the idea of writing history and leaving a legacy was almost a sacred mission. To have one’s words and thoughts passed down through the ages was a form of spiritual immortality.

This was true in later times and especially so during the Ming Dynasty.

After all, publishing a book in this era was no small feat. Even Chang Zhilang himself found it difficult to write a book. And Liu Quan was merely a gunner!

After Zhu Cilang finished speaking, a hush fell over the scene. Only Liu Quan trembled with excitement. As a gunner leader with broad experience, he well understood the allure and power of leaving behind a written legacy.

He whispered incredulously, voice shaking, “My lord, even a lowly soldier like me can write books and leave a name for posterity?”