Chapter 370 Eat enough is the last word
The next morning, the loud sound of a horn broke the silence and Ergouzi woke up from his sweet dream.
Touching the thick quilt on my body, I couldn't help feeling a little dazed.
After a long while, he heaved a long sigh of relief: "It's not a dream."
"Wake up! You won't have breakfast if you don't get up!"
Came the guard's vicious voice.
Er Gouzi felt particularly friendly.
Stern rebukes are so pleasant to the ear.
He quickly woke up Ma Zi beside him, and the two of them hurriedly got up and followed the crowd to the playground.
On the playground, the soldiers had already lined up in neat rows, their postures straight as pine trees, their armor flashing a cold light in the morning light.
The bandits stood there sparsely, with sleepy eyes, and a bit of confusion and panic.
The officers moved back and forth among them, shouting and reorganizing the troops. After a while, the troops finally took shape.
"Listen carefully. From today on, you are no longer bandits. If you want to live and eat meat, you must be obedient, work hard, and train well!" A stern-faced officer shouted loudly, his voice like a bell, making everyone's ears buzz.
"You have two years, after which you will be free. Of course, if you behave well, you can also restore your civilian status in advance."
"If you have some ability, you may be able to follow us and eat the military rations."
As the officers spoke, a rich aroma of meat wafted over from afar.
“You can eat as much meat as you want.”
When Er Gouzi heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.
The training began immediately, and the first item was running.
The bandits were usually lax, so they ran in a crooked manner and were out of breath after just a few steps.
But the soldiers were merciless. They swung the whips in their hands in the air, making crisp sounds and hitting the ground beside them, splashing up dust, which scared everyone and made them run forward for their lives.
Er Gouzi gritted his teeth and said silently in his heart: "For a better life, I can't fall behind!"
Although Ma Zi was not feeling well, he forced himself to keep up when he saw Er Gouzi's determined back.
After running, it’s queue training time.
"Turn left! Turn right!"
The officers' commands continued, and the bandits were in a panic, bumping into each other from time to time, causing bursts of laughter.
Er Gouzi's face flushed, his heart filled with shame. He carefully observed the instructors' movements, trying hard to imitate them, striving to imitate every posture correctly.
Ma Zi also put away his usual playful smile and devoted himself fully to training.
The sun was rising higher, the scorching sun was baking the earth, and everyone was already sweating profusely.
The training was finally paused and the soldiers took them to the cafeteria.
Today's meal is still rich, with white rice, fresh vegetables, and a few fragrant ribs.
Ergouzi and Mazi held their bowls and ate voraciously, feeling more and more grateful for this "prison life".
In the afternoon, what awaits them is no longer training, but farm work.
Although there was sufficient food, Zang Bajun was not one to live off the land.
Fight wherever you can, rob wherever you can, and produce wherever you can.
Although the soil in the mountains is not fertile, some good fields can be cultivated. Even the poor land can be used to grow sorghum and other crops.
As the days passed, the bandits gradually transformed through the arduous training.
Their skin became dark and shiny, their muscles became firm and strong, and the cunning and ferocity of the past faded from their eyes, replaced by determination and courage.
Er Gouzi became the best among the crowd. Not only did he improve his martial arts, he also often helped other bandits correct their movements and explained the key points, which won him the appreciation of the officers.
However, not everyone could adapt to this huge change. Some bandits, accustomed to the free and unrestrained life in the mountains, could not stand the daily high-intensity training and strict discipline, and wanted to find a chance to escape.
However, the camp was already full of sentries, and before they could run far, they were discovered by patrolling soldiers, and after a chase, they were all captured.
After being in the small dark room for a few days, these people became completely obedient.
On the top of the mountain, Zang Ba quietly watched the lively scenes in the prisoner camps and nodded slightly.
You have Zhang Liangji, I have a wall ladder.
In terms of charm, he is indeed no match for Yuan Shu.
He neither has the charm of the other party's domineering aura that can attract the bandits to surrender, nor does he have any tricks that can make the bandits willing to serve him.
But Zang Ba knew the bandits well and knew his own advantages.
For bandits, having plenty of food and eating well is enough.
If you can’t compete with charm and eloquence, can you compete with money and food?
As long as there is enough money and food, and provided with food and shelter, even a wolf can be tamed into a dog, so what can a mere bandit do?
Tian Ze has always been instilling in them an idea, that is, never fight the enemy fairly, and always maximize your own advantages.
What can be solved with money and food should be solved with money and food, and what can be covered with firepower should be covered with firepower.
Zang Ba agreed with this theory the most.
Under Tian Ze's command, Gan Ning's troops were the richest, and Zang Ba's troops had the best food.
The crying child gets the milk, and the brave child gets the milk until he is full.
Although Zang Ba has caused a lot of trouble, he is the best at playing the victim with Tian Ze.
It's not easy to cross mountains and rivers, and the soldiers under my command have suffered so much, so it's no big deal to compensate them with some better food.
Tian Ze was always amused and confused by this outburst, but he had no choice but to spoil her.
Because Zang Ba's advantages are indeed unique, and the army under his command is also one of the most promising troops under Tian Ze.
Especially now that Zang Ba is bearing enormous pressure alone and is holding back all parties, Tian Ze gives him almost his wholehearted support.
All of Zang Ba's requests were met.
If it weren't for the consideration of convenient storage, the meat transported by Tian Ze would probably be more than the food.
With such good food, Zang Ba naturally had to prepare one.
The delicious meat is in front of you. No matter how charming you are, what can you do? The lowest level of bandits just want to eat!
Most of those leaders who had enough meat to eat had committed serious crimes and had long been cleared out by Zang Ba.
The bandits with relatively clean hands won't get much meat to eat, so they'll naturally be attracted.
Although he was in a good situation hiding in the mountains without worrying about money and food, Zang Ba knew that one should be prepared for danger in times of peace, and the current peace was only temporary.
It won’t be long before the area around Mount Tai becomes a battlefield again.
So he has already started preparing.
Snatching people from Yuan Shu is an extremely important part.
These bandits all have some martial arts skills and although they have many bad habits, Zang Ba is confident that he can deal with them.
If they can be subdued, they will be a force that cannot be underestimated.
When the war starts in the future, a lot of pressure will be reduced.
Looking at the countless bandits in training in the camp, Xu Shu's eyes narrowed slightly: "Xuan Gao, although it is indeed beneficial to absorb these bandits, you still need to consider the issue of food and grass."
The amount of food and fodder for an army of nearly 100,000 is no small amount.
In order to ensure its logistics, Tianze has spent a lot of manpower and material resources on transportation. Especially now that winter has arrived, the transportation pressure has doubled.
Adding these more people now will put too much pressure on the rear.
(End of this chapter)
