Chapter 1191: The Mighty Xiliang Army

As soon as Chen Xi entered the military camp, the strong smell of alcohol and blood filled the air. Along with it, there were the constant sounds of battle cries and applause. Li Meng, Hu Feng, and others quickly came forward to greet him, but they didn't stop the ongoing training.

Listening to the clashing of weapons around him, Chen Xi stood on his toes to get a clearer view. He saw thousands of soldiers surrounding a group of over a hundred men locked in brutal combat.

What made Chen Xi's eyelids twitch was that these soldiers were using real weapons and wearing full armor, seriously fighting in the ring as if this was no mere training exercise.

Especially when he saw one soldier get slashed across the chest, sparks flying from his armor, only to return a cut to his opponent's arm, drawing blood. Chen Xi couldn't help but feel his face tighten. This was no ordinary training session—this was combat training at its most dangerous.

What was more shocking was that this was happening in the dead of winter. These soldiers were fighting with such intensity that steam was rising from their bodies, showing just how accustomed they were to treating such dangerous drills like casual games.

"Thrust!" one Xiliang soldier blocked his opponent's blade, slipped his own under the guard, and slashed his foe's leg.

"I can't help but think your training methods are a bit too brutal," Chen Xi remarked, watching as three soldiers were taken down by accidental blows and carried away. However, it wasn’t long before they were revived and returned to watching the fight from the sidelines.

"Hmph!" Li You sneered. "Better to bleed now than on the battlefield."

"And if you look closely, you'll see that most of the spectators are wearing leather armor, while the fighters in the ring wear full plate armor to protect their chests and backs. They avoid striking at the neck, and most injuries are to the arms or legs. This is far better than what we had in Xiliang back in the day," Li You said nonchalantly.

In the past, Li You could only conduct such training during the winter in Xiliang, and due to a lack of proper armor, soldiers had to wear ten layers of cloth for protection. Even then, many died during the drills. Winter was chosen because the cold prevented wounds from becoming infected, reducing accidental fatalities.

Chen Xi looked at Li You and suddenly thought that he must have been a devilish drill sergeant in the past. With such harsh and brutal training, it was no wonder the Xiliang soldiers were so formidable.

"It’s much better now," Li You sighed. "At least now, even though we can’t equip every soldier with full armor, we can ensure that every man has leather armor. And with medics on hand, this training has become much safer."

"No wonder Xiliang soldiers and cavalry are considered the fiercest in the world. With training like this, it’s hard not to become fierce," Chen Xi said, shaking his head. "Do they even know what fear is?"

"Better this than death. As soldiers, they get food, and as elite troops, they get meat. Even in the old days, they’d be lucky to taste meat once every three months," Li You said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Xiliang soldiers were the most poorly equipped, but also the toughest. Their strength came from experience and bloodshed. Any soldier who could survive such training would emerge as a true elite.

"When times were hard in Xiliang, battles were these men’s favorite activities. After every victory, there was meat and wine. Although some fell in battle, our chances of defeat were always low," Li You reminisced with a trace of nostalgia.

Compared to those days, life was much better now. Chen Xi could only imagine the dire circumstances in Xiliang back then. If not for those harsh times, Dong Zhuo would never have been able to raise such a powerful army in such a short time.

The battle in the ring continued for another half-hour before it ended. Afterward, the soldiers, led by their officers, saluted Li You and Chen Xi. Many soldiers, recognizing Li You, looked at him with visible excitement and admiration.

"You should take the lead here. It’s clear this is your domain," Chen Xi said, stepping back and letting Li You take center stage.

Li You gave Chen Xi a glance, then stepped onto the high platform in the camp. The soldiers, following their officers' lead, quickly arranged themselves into a sharp wedge formation, a formation that had become second nature to the Xiliang troops.

"I've already distributed your provisions," Li You began without any grand speeches, addressing the soldiers in the way they understood best. "If anyone's been shortchanged, step forward!"

No one stepped forward. Li You had always been strict about military funds. Anyone who dared to embezzle funds would face severe punishment. He had even executed a Xiliang noble family in front of their troops for such crimes. In the Xiliang army, if a soldier had proof of such embezzlement, the officer involved would be punished, and the soldier would be rewarded. As a result, embezzlement was rare, and desertions were few.

However, because their officers couldn’t skim from military funds, they were often poor when not fighting. But when they won battles, they were ruthless in taking spoils of war, often keeping half of the loot for themselves, which Li You chose to overlook.

As long as they reported at least 30-40% of the spoils, Li You turned a blind eye. This system encouraged the soldiers to fight harder since the better they performed in battle, the more spoils they would receive.

Because of this, Xiliang soldiers were eager for war. They would charge into battle without hesitation, knowing that their standard of living was directly tied to how often they fought and won.

In such conditions, this brutal training regime was seen as normal. Once soldiers became accustomed to such hardships, they no longer saw them as terrifying but as exhilarating challenges.

That was why Xiliang soldiers saw no issue with their brutal sparring, while Taishan soldiers, though only slightly weaker in battle, hesitated at the sight of such ruthless training.

"Reporting to the strategist! We’ve received all our rations, meat, wine, mantou, and fine rice, along with a substantial sum of rewards and salaries. Our conditions are far better than in past years, but receiving all this without battle makes us feel undeserving!" Hu Feng stepped forward and scratched his head as he spoke.

Previous Chapter | | Next Chapter