After finishing their run around the city, members from the three squads slowly walked back and eventually entered the same barracks together.
A single barrack housed one squad, with beds on both sides. A single large bed could accommodate eight people.
Thirty to forty soldiers gathered inside the room, chatting and hanging out. Considering it was summer, the room was filled with the mixed smell of sweat, but none of the soldiers minded. Fang Yun didn’t find it repulsive either, as he was one of them.
Listening to the soldiers’ conversations, Fang Yun gained a deeper understanding of why the general did not allow him to change his name. Apart from the fear of accidentally revealing his identity, another reason was that communication within the army was limited, and their circle of acquaintances was small.
Soldiers from the same squad often interacted with each other. A barrack had ten squads, and interactions between different squads were relatively infrequent, let alone between soldiers from different barracks.
Fang Yun deduced that soon only soldiers from his own barrack would recognize him. Information about him wouldn't easily spread to other barracks, let alone outside the army.
The military environment was competitive, but it was also a place that revered strength. Since Fang Yun had demonstrated his prowess, and since the others perceived him as a descendant of the Military Strategists, they quickly accepted him.
Neither the sergeants nor squad leaders were worried that Fang Yun might take their positions. They knew that if Fang Yun desired to hold a rank, he could easily become an officer of the ninth grade, without conflicting with their interests.
While Fang Yun was knowledgeable about military strategy, formations, and general tactics, he had never served as a soldier. Thus, he listened carefully to the soldiers' chatter, aiming to gain a deeper insight into army life. After all, small details could determine the outcome of a battle.
The soldiers discussed various topics like sea monsters, the Dragon Clan, women, training, and their superiors. Their conversations painted a vivid picture of army life, with some details critically important for understanding military strategy and leadership.
As per the routine, they should've trained after 3 o'clock, but because they had already run around the city, the three squads just continued their chat. They gathered again after dinner.
Due to the presence of Fang Yun, an impressive new recruit, the veteran soldiers were in high spirits. Fang Yun frequently asked about things he didn’t know, and the older soldiers eagerly shared their experiences. Some of their discussions even led to debates.
It wasn't until after 9 o'clock at night that people began to drift off to sleep.
The next day, at 5:30 a.m., the morning bell rang, and all the soldiers in Yuhai Prefecture began to wake up.
A group of burly men, clad only in their underwear, began their morning routine. Among them, the aura and vitality of some Child Scholars seemed even stronger than regular demon soldiers.
Soon after, the members of the three squads cheerfully headed to the dining hall of the first barrack for breakfast.
By 7 a.m., all the barracks of the naval army were empty. Thousands of soldiers lined up in long queues, running out of the camp. The practice of jogging for an hour was a military tradition, devised by a Semi-Saint specializing in training soldiers three hundred years ago.
After the jog, the twenty barracks of the naval army began training in different subjects.
In Fang Yun's barrack, training began with weapons. Fang Yun started with archery.
With the mastery of 'The Courage to Write' technique, Fang Yun’s control over his body far surpassed the other soldiers. His arrows never missed. Each one hit the bullseye. When shooting at moving targets, his precision was just as accurate as when shooting stationary ones. His archery skills were truly unparalleled.
"Sharpshooter!" The soldiers couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, and even soldiers from other squads whispered in admiration.
Though primarily an archer, a bowman always carried a knife. Fang Yun practiced knife skills for a quarter of an hour. His knife technique was average, but his strength and reflexes, enhanced by the energy infusion, surpassed all Child Scholars, drawing many cheers.
After practicing with weapons, they began formation drills. The first barrack had ten squads. Under the command of the drill instructor, they formed various formations, sometimes charging in spearhead formations, and at other times defending in circular formations. The constant changes and adaptability tested the soldiers' myriad capabilities.
Half an hour later, Fang Yun and soldiers from five other camps formed a unit to practice formation drills. The formation of three thousand men was rather complex. Soldiers often made minor mistakes, but their comrades would constantly remind them, allowing the formation to continue.
In the end, soldiers from three camps collaborated with the Presented Scholar Camp to launch an attack, which was close to a mock exercise. After each use of the wide-ranging War Poetry, the camp instructors would direct the troops.
Though it was Fang Yun's first time as a soldier, he was more familiar with the military formations and commands than these veterans. He never made a mistake. Sometimes, he even corrected the mistakes of the soldiers beside him, explaining to them how to understand the formation. Fang Yun's explanations were clear and simple, and the surrounding veterans understood immediately upon hearing.
"Truly a descendant of the Military Strategists!" Everyone was full of admiration.
No one doubted anymore that he was that exemplary scholar, Fang Yun.
After the drill ended, each squad reviewed the exercise. Some reported to Captain Shi about Fang Yun's guidance to the veterans. Captain Shi praised Fang Yun and then told everyone to have lunch.
Lunch break was lengthy. After a short nap, more and more people from Fang Yun's barrack started to gather, quickly making it a gathering place for nearly fifty men, which was rare before.
Unlike yesterday's casual chats, today many veterans asked Fang Yun questions about military formations. Fang Yun answered each one with the simplest and most straightforward language. However, there were questions even he didn't know, as he hadn't encountered many situations. He would note them down, saying he would think about them and inform the asker once he had an answer.
Some not only asked about formations but also about weapon usage and combat techniques, occasionally sparking discussions. Fang Yun also learned valuable insights.
By the end of the 3 pm break, Fang Yun had accumulated over twenty questions. Some he didn't know at all, while others required some time to ponder.
From 3 pm to 5 pm was the second round of drills. Fang Yun participated while pondering those questions.
Fang Yun noticed an issue within the army. The so-called military strategies and texts were mainly for mid-level officers. Captains and squad or team leaders would at most study some military strategies, often not fully understanding their purpose mainly because no one explained them in detail.
"I'm not very familiar with training soldiers right now. Once I have enough experience, I need to write a training manual for grassroots soldiers, explaining in the simplest terms what to do, why to do it, and the consequences of not doing so," Fang Yun thought.
He realized it wasn’t that the higher-level Military Strategists didn’t understand; they knew too much. Since various strategies were clearly written in military texts available for all to read, and more potent Military Strategist descendants could even control the formation of soldiers, they didn’t care about the thoughts of grassroots soldiers.
"There's a lack of basic military education. If military education were strengthened within the army, perhaps more military strategy experts could emerge."
During the evening break, Fang Yun went to the army's library, searching for training-related books to read. While committing them to memory, he could also form new books in the realm of rare books.
The use of military texts was extensive. For instance, in the "Ten Formations" from "Sun Bin's Art of War", once its power was unleashed, it could control the formation of a million soldiers, ensuring each soldier was in the right position, increasing the entire army's strength by twenty to thirty percent. The impact was immense.
Formations were the pinnacle of military strategy, and texts about formations were rare.
Close to midnight, Fang Yun left the library and hurried back to his barrack. Nearly fifty men from the third squad were already standing outside. Shortly after, Captain Shi appeared, leading everyone away. Finally, at the army camp's entrance, they joined with the rest from the first squad, receiving the empowering War Poetry titled "Constant Martial" bestowed by an Imperial Scholar.
Under the night, the five hundred men of the first squad left the Dinghai Army Camp. Once out of the East Secondary City, they began their patrol.
The Jade Sea Harbor on the eastern side of the city is a vital area in the Jing Kingdom. Jade Sea Prefecture is vast, and the harbor is now out of the protection range of the Holy Temple of Jade Sea Prefecture. Although the harbor is guarded by the true writings of the Great Scholar, the Great Scholar's writings do not attack the little demons from afar, so river demons and sea demons often harass the vicinity of the harbor.
Demon generals from the Demon Clan possess reasoning abilities. They weigh the pros and cons before taking action. However, the lesser demon civilians and soldiers are of low intelligence. They always think about eating humans, which gives the human race, including Fang Yun, quite a headache.
The purpose of the patrolling teams is to prevent the Demon Clan from inadvertently harming humans or detecting potential threats, as the Demon Clan has many tricks to deceive the writings of the Great Scholar within a short time.
The 500-member camp was divided into ten teams. Before they separated, the Gold Camp instructor told everyone to be alert, especially since Li Wenying had previously gone to the Yangtze River to slay demons. According to the usual pattern, the river demons would seek revenge on the Jade Sea Prefecture. Such an act of attacking the State army, not civilians, wouldn't provoke personal retaliation from Li Wenying.
The ten teams scattered, each spaced half a mile apart, ensuring that if any team ran into problems, the closest team would notice.
The seaside night is dark and silent, with occasional sounds of waves hitting the shore or washing over the beach. Regular soldiers carried torches, while the Child Scholars, with their night vision, could see everything around them clearly.
The east side of Jade Sea City faces the East Sea, and the south side faces the Yangtze River. The 500-strong patrol camp patrols the shores between the East Sea, Yangtze River, and the Jade Sea Prefecture.
On the orders of the Gold Camp instructor, everyone paid more attention to the side facing the Yangtze River, expecting revenge from the river demons, not the sea demons.
The night deepened, and after two hours, in the increasingly cold sea breeze, the alertness of the soldiers faded.
Hong Cheng, standing beside them, was no longer as stern as before. He smiled slightly and said to Fang Yun, "How are you finding the midnight patrol?"
"It's manageable."
"Have you killed any sea demons?" Hong Cheng asked.
"I've slain river demons but not sea demons. Generally, sea demons are more formidable than river demons, right?" Fang Yun asked.
"Of course. We know you're powerful, but sea demons are different. Don't get startled. When sea demons come, they usually come in groups of two to three hundred. Our three camps have a hard time dealing with them. Can you handle it?" Hong Cheng said.
Knowing that Hong Cheng was trying to provoke him, Fang Yun smiled and looked out at the East Sea, saying, "A sea demon is still a demon. There's nothing to fear. Huh? Are those the sea demons over there? No, wait!"
Everyone turned their heads to look. They saw three massive waves rise from the sea, rushing towards the shore. Each wave was higher than the last, each several dozen feet wide and tens of miles long. On the waves stood countless river demons, not sea demons.
And at the center of the mass of demons, a gigantic Flood Dragon's head emerged, its skull alone almost the size of a house.
"This is bad!" Hong Cheng and many others immediately reached for their official seals, intending to tear them as a warning.
However, an invisible force separated the inside and outside of Jade Sea City. Soon, everyone found themselves standing in Jade Sea City, but the buildings within the city were translucent.
"Mirage!" Many veteran soldiers involuntarily exclaimed, their faces turning pale.
"It's over. We're doomed! It's probably the Dragon King."
(To be continued…)