The Ascension of Ghosts

Time flies, and more than half a month has passed in a blink of an eye. Lu Sheng was powerless in the first few days, and Xie Rong was merciless, always beating him to pieces. He couldn't survive this month of practice like Shura's hell.

Lu Sheng suffered a lot, but gained a lot. He only felt that his strength was getting stronger day by day. Xie Rong's lightning-fast moves were gradually able to distinguish clearly and resist one or two. After a few more days, he finally got a little The power to fight back.

But he didn't dare to be complacent at all, he couldn't beat Yao Ye at the beginning, but now he couldn't beat Gui Ye, a mere evil sect from the Western Regions, how could he dare to be complacent?He lost his mentor, and now it is rare to have expert guidance, so naturally he cherishes the opportunity very much.The one-month deadline was approaching, and Lu Sheng anxiously asked Xie Rong, what is the worry about his life?Xie Rongcai said: "Within two months, the Zhenxi Army will attack Shuyu City."

Shuyu City was originally another territory of the Jin Dynasty. It was more than two hundred miles away from the Protectorate of the Western Regions. They used to be horns of each other and joined forces to defend the Central Plains.However, 16 years ago, it was occupied by the Xianbei people. During the 16 years, the two former emperors launched three attacks, but they all returned in defeat.Now that the young emperor is in power, the rooster watches the morning, and the internal struggles are endless. All the officials in the court are too busy to take care of themselves, so they can't take care of a defense city of a foreign country.

Now that the army is being raised again, it is natural that King Pengcheng's handwriting is behind it. Lu Sheng naturally understood, and asked with a frown, "Could it be...that you discovered the whereabouts of Jingyezong?"

Xie Rong was writing a letter in the study at that time, and upon hearing the words, she had to put the pen on the red sandalwood pen that was sprinkled with gold in the black and carved into a sleeping deer, and then said: "Baoyang, you know it well. Don't let the news out, if the enemy's vigilance is aroused, I'm afraid that countless soldiers will die."

Lu Sheng's heart shuddered, and he naturally nodded.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the Protectorate of the Western Regions entered into a bitter summer, the sun was high and the heat was scorching hot. But at this time, the imperial court sent 500 recruits, [-] of whom were handed over to Lu Sheng for training.Most of these recruits were born and raised in the Central Plains, and suddenly they were in the scorching heat of the barren land, and it was inevitable that they would be afraid and hide away.Seeing that the trainer was a handsome, fair and kind young man, they all felt a little contemptuous. Unexpectedly, on the first day, Lu Sheng ordered everyone to carry their luggage and march forty miles under the scorching sun.

When the order was issued, the whole camp was in an uproar, and several people shouted angrily, saying that Lu Sheng was deliberately trying to torture everyone.

Lu Sheng raised his eyebrows and smiled, and replied: "That's right, you will enter the military camp soon, so you will naturally have to suffer more."

Some people in the ranks even said angrily: "If Lu Sima can't do it himself, if Lu Sima is carrying more than [-] catties of luggage and armor, and marching for [-] miles under the scorching sun, why should he oppress the soldiers!"

Actually someone really agreed.

According to the rules, those who make noise in the army should each receive twenty military sticks.These people are not afraid of punishment, openly risked and resisted, either to deceive his youth, or someone ordered him.Lu Sheng's heart was on fire, but his face sank like water, and he smiled coldly, "In that case, so what if I can do it?"

Although Lu Sheng has been working hard for more than a month, he may be born with a different physique than others. He has been exposed to the hot sun every day, but he has not darkened much. His skin is only as white as jade and turned into a light brown wheat color. Come on, it can still be called white.Therefore, all the soldiers only regarded him as a frail scholar and entered the barracks, and it was inevitable that they would feel a little bit unhappy.

Hearing his outrageous words at this time, I was a little bit astonished, there were those who comforted them, and those who couldn't bear it, but there were still some people who hoped to see him fall to the ground midway, losing their face.

Lu Sheng didn't care what everyone thought, but ordered his adjutant to prepare a full set of armor and luggage. As a marching commander, his armor was thicker and more comprehensive than ordinary soldiers, and naturally it was a few kilograms heavier. Putting on the huge luggage rucksack, standing in front of the recruits, he shouted: "The whole army obeys the order, and the march is limited to two hours. Those who exceed the time limit will be fined with ten army sticks, and those who exceed the time limit will be fined with twenty army sticks. Thirty army sticks will be fined for those who exceed one moment, and so on. Let's go!"

Five hundred soldiers responded with a bang, and rushed out of the gate stepping on the yellow sand all over the ground.

For the first ten miles, there were still people waiting to see a good show. After another ten miles, due to the scorching sun, everyone was sweating profusely, and the luggage on their backs was as heavy as a mountain, and their legs could not stand upright. Weary in the scorching heat.

No. 30 miles away, some recruits had fallen to the ground, lying on the side of the road in the salix forest, panting, Lu Sheng only ordered them to take care of each other, and the speed of moving forward did not slow down at all.

When they reached the No. 40 mile road, only Lu Sheng and another tall and burly sergeant were at the forefront.It's just that the two of them were full of heat and had no time to talk. Lu Sheng just glanced at him admiringly. This man looks like a typical Central Plains person, with a square appearance and a calm demeanor. He used to help his colleagues and help them. He is quite a leader. potential.Lu Sheng secretly remembered it in his heart.

When he arrived at the military camp at the destination, Lu Sheng put his backpack away, then stood at the gate of the military camp, and ordered the guards in the camp to start the timer.

Recruits stumbled in one after another, but no one dared to say anything more. One was tired and hot, and the other was looking at Lu Sheng with a little more admiration in his eyes.

As soon as the two hours came, Lu Sheng ordered the two small schools to record one by one, and there were more than forty people who received military sticks.The sergeant who yelled the loudest before departure actually served as a small captain, but now he was the last one to arrive at the barracks. He was half an hour late, two quarters of an hour, and he had to accumulate five fines. Ten army sticks.The man refused to accept it, and when he was taken down, he yelled: "I am Feng Yuangang, the nephew of the governor of Jiangzhou, a mere Sima An dares to punish me!"

Lu Sheng only said: "Military orders are like mountains, you should be punished if you are late. Pull him down."

The junior officer at the side said in a low voice: "Lu Sima, if you go down with the fifty army sticks, you may be seriously injured. Now the battalion is short of people..."

Lu Sheng smiled and said, "It makes sense."

He stopped the two sergeants who were dragging Feng Yuangang, and Feng Yuangang immediately became arrogant, but before he could say the words "you are wise", Lu Sheng said again: "Today, you will be punished with [-] military sticks and rested. Two days later, the remaining twenty army sticks will be fined."

Adding punishment to the injury, it would be better to finish the matter in one go. The soldiers on both sides naturally couldn't understand Feng Yuangang's arrogance, so they lowered their heads to hold back their laughter and remained silent. Feng Yuangang was startled and angry, but he was still dragged down , but after a long time, the sound of howling and howling came.

Lu Sheng didn't care about this little commotion, and ordered the recruits to disperse to rest and refresh. Suddenly, a group of young people scattered like birds and beasts, rushing to the river bend to wash off their sweaty smell.Only then did he turn to look at the young sergeant who arrived with him. The man was carefully packing his bags in front of the camp. Seeing Lu Sheng approaching, he got up and saluted, "I met Lu Sima."

Lu Sheng then asked his name, and the young man replied solemnly, "My name is Guo Qian, whose name is Boqing, from Shanyang, and my family is... a military household."

Lu Sheng was stunned for a moment, then laughed again, and said: "I see that you have a lot of rules for leading people in the march, so it turns out that your family has profound knowledge."

The young man smiled bitterly and said, "Sima Lu is absurd."

Lu Sheng said sternly: "Guo Qian, you don't have to be overly self-effacing. With your talents, it's no problem to make achievements. Don't let down the family tradition of serving in the army for generations. The Marquis of Anguo, Marquis of Zhenguo, and Pinguo of the Great Jin Dynasty Hou, which one is not the meritorious service that was killed on horseback."

Guo Qian looked straight into Lu Sheng's eyes, and the self-mockery on his face dissipated without a trace, his eyes became brighter, and he clasped his fists and said, "Thank you Lu Sima for your advice!"

Lu Sheng gave a few more words of encouragement. Seeing that it was getting late, he rode his horse back to Xie's Mansion—now it is called Lu Mansion.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Ruodie Ruoqing and the girls frowning and covering their noses. He also knew that he was covered in sweat after running around all day, so he went to the backyard to wash and change clothes, and soaked in the hot spring again. Dragging his sore body to find Xie Rong.

Xie Rong came back later than him. When he came back, he saw Lu Sheng sitting shirtless in front of the charcoal stove roasting a leg of lamb.The leg of lamb has been carefully marinated with more than ten kinds of spices, put on the iron braze, and it is sizzling with oil, and when it drips on the charcoal fire, it exudes an appetizing meaty aroma.Seeing him come back, Lu Sheng hurriedly took a short knife and cut a few pieces of perfectly grilled tender meat, put them on a white porcelain plate for Xie Rong, and said with a smile, "Ah Rong is back, come and taste the barbecue."

Xie Rong was also polite, sitting next to Lu Sheng, sharing a plate with him. The leg of lamb was a half-year-old lamb. The meat was tender and moderately fat. Among the meat, the mouth is so delicious and smooth that it seems to melt in the throat.

Lu Sheng was so hungry after a tiring day, he didn't have time to talk to Xie Rong, he sipped yoghurt wine and grilled mutton, and when he was full, he felt exhausted and sang happily.

It was rare for Xie Rong to see him in high spirits, but she smiled and said nothing, ordered people to remove the charcoal stove banquet, and brought warm and cold herbal tea, even melons and fruits were not allowed, and asked Lu Sheng to drink tea to quench the fire.The Artemisia annua and Prunella vulgaris used to make the herbal tea were specially sent by Lu Yuan and his wife to relieve the heat and steam, lest Lu Sheng would be far away from his hometown and would not be acclimatized.

Then he asked, "Why are you so happy?"

Lu Sheng then talked about Mr. Lin Lin and Xie Rong who practiced today, and then snorted coldly: "Frog in the well, I look down on you. When my teacher coached me, I was asked to march a hundred miles a day. What is a mere forty miles? I will call again tomorrow." They run forty miles, and after running for four or five days, add another twenty miles. Sooner or later, they will also add a hundred miles.”

Xie Rong then raised her hand and touched the top of his head, said with a smile: "Baoyang, I don't know how many people understand that you have worked so hard."

Regardless of fighting formations, these recruits are first forced to practice their foot strength, so that they can march without getting tired. Whether they are chasing the enemy or relocating, they can seize the opportunity.No matter how bad it is, if you escape when you are defeated, you will have a few more chances to escape.It's just that in the army, it is a very taboo thing to say that you are defeated before a battle. Naturally, Lu Sheng couldn't say it clearly, but between his actions and deeds, he was very considerate for these 500 people. Xie Rong treated this kind young man A little more pity.

Lu Sheng coughed, then brought up Guo Qianlai again.

Guo Qian was born in a military household, and before Lu Sheng, he had never been in contact with a military household.

The people of the Great Jin Dynasty were divided into three, six, and nine classes. The upper class was naturally the relatives of the emperor and noble families, such as Xie Rong and Sima Yu; Craftsmen, gold, silver, salt households, Pangmin and other households.However, there are still many people whose identities are "low mouths", such as farm households, tenant households, military households, slaves and so on.

Lu Sheng was born in the Habayashi Guard where good families gather, so he was inevitably moved with compassion. Seeing Guo Qian's low self-esteem and restraint, he encouraged him a few words.Talking to Xie Rong now, I can't help sighing: "I think that Guo Qian has the style of a general, and he is a talented person. If he is limited to his birth, he can only be a junior sergeant. It's a pity."

Xie Rong's face darkened, and she frowned and asked, "How dare you compare Anguo, Zhenguo, and Pinguo with him?"

Lu Sheng only felt that his question was very harsh, so he frowned and replied, "Do princes and generals have kindness? Why can't they be compared?"

Xie Rong said: "If you want to have stability in the army, you must ensure that all the troops take care of their own lives, and that the subordinates should be rewarded and punished clearly. In the future, don't waste any more words and train your troops in peace of mind to prepare for a big battle."

Lu Sheng couldn't help sneering: "I almost forgot, Mr. Xie is also from the Marquis Mansion, do you think that the mere pariah expects thousands of households and offends you?"

Xie Rong turned cold when she heard this, but before he could say anything, Lu Sheng stood up and strode out.

The two broke up unhappy, but Xie Rong couldn't laugh or cry.

Xu Shi pampered him too much in the past, and this kid unexpectedly lost his temper.