novelSusiti Chapter 17 Marshal Wang Lun
Chapter 17 Marshal Wang Lun
After the saltpeter mine was robbed and taken up the mountain, Wang Lun was also listless.
He was constantly thinking about how to prevent the Jingkang Incident from happening.
After thinking about it all night, I finally regained my energy and spirit.
The Jingkang Incident occurred because the Song Dynasty was no match for the Jin Dynasty. So, if that's the case, then let the Song Dynasty have the strength to defeat the Jin Dynasty.
Although he is now a bandit, he is also a bandit of the Song Dynasty.
Whoever defeats the Jurchens will not have suffered the Jingkang Incident.
Therefore, the most urgent task is to develop and grow stronger.
The next day, after waking up, Wang Lun ate a quick breakfast, changed into a set of tight-fitting clothes, and took Zhao Si to Zuo Village.
Inside the left stronghold, Lin Chong was already leading his men in martial arts practice.
The current practice is with a gun, without any extra moves, just four actions: thrusting, smashing, sweeping, and picking.
Without saying a word, Wang Lun joined the team and listened attentively to Lin Chong's explanation.
Lin Chong was taken aback and asked, "Chief, what's going on?"
Holding a wooden stick, Wang Lun shouted, "Only by mastering martial arts can we protect ourselves and our families. Brothers, my martial arts skills are rudimentary, and I will always need your protection on the battlefield, so I need to train even more."
These words greatly excited the hundreds of henchmen.
"From today onwards, I, Wang Lun, will also train every day, rain or shine. We have a renowned coach like Coach Lin, so everyone should pay attention."
The henchmen then became even more serious.
Lin Chong was overjoyed, never expecting Wang Lun to motivate everyone's training enthusiasm in this way.
He patiently explained, "There are many marksmanship techniques, and most of them are highly varied, but on the battlefield, we don't need those fancy moves at all. We only need to thrust, smash, sweep, and flick. Once we master these four moves, we'll be invincible."
Wang Lun nodded secretly. Lin Chong was right. No matter how fancy the moves were, they were useless on the battlefield.
The simplest moves are often the most effective.
He practiced under the scorching sun with hundreds of his henchmen following Lin Chong, but soon he was exhausted and his throat was hoarse from shouting.
With each move, everyone shouts "Ha!" to build momentum.
Seeing that Wang Lun was clearly exhausted, Lin Chong told everyone to rest.
Wang Lun collapsed to the ground, muttering, "It's much tougher than military training before."
Wait, military training!
He suddenly got excited and suggested that Lin Chong be trained using 21st-century methods.
Just then, Lin Chong brought over some water and said, "Chief, you have no interest in martial arts, so why have you suddenly come to train with everyone?"
Wang Lun took a big gulp of water and then said, "Brother, if I don't have martial arts skills, I can't protect myself. Although you can protect me, you can't guarantee that you will always be by my side."
Lin Chong nodded and said, "Even so, Chief, you don't need to train with everyone. I can teach you martial arts privately."
Wang Lun was even more delighted. Lin Chong was a master of his generation, and his skills with spear and staff were unmatched. With his instruction, it would no longer be difficult for him to become a master himself.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "But I still want to train with my brothers. Not only that, but when there are more leaders in the future, we also need to train them in formations and the coordination of the soldiers. We can't just fight like a bunch of bandits."
Lin Chong nodded. Wang Lun wanted to train his henchmen into real soldiers, and he had no objection to that. Without a good army, they would just be a disorganized mob, and how could they possibly defeat the imperial army? How could he possibly kill Gao Qiu?
"I have a training method that I'll write down for you later. You can promote it in the village, and the training effect will be better than it is now."
Seeing Lin Chong nod, Wang Lun continued, "We can't just call ourselves Liangshan Army; we need to come up with a name."
Every soldier and his troops naturally needs a name.
Wang Lun pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he said, "How about calling it the Flying Tiger Army? Xin Qiji used that name to create his army back then."
Who is Xin Qiji?
"Xin Qiji was a great hero, but Instructor Lin may not have heard of him."
Wang Lun felt a pang of regret; he had unknowingly let slip that Xin Qiji hadn't even been born yet, but Lin Chong would probably never meet Xin Qiji in his lifetime.
Lin Chong didn't think much of it and nodded, saying, "Flying Tiger Army, excellent. It's a very imposing name. We've already gained the upper hand in terms of momentum before the battle even starts."
Under Lin Chong's tutelage, Wang Lun began to learn martial arts. Although practicing martial arts sounds simple, it is very difficult in practice. By dusk, Wang Lun could no longer lift his arms.
Practicing martial arts is very taxing, so he eats a lot for dinner, especially meat. Wang Lun wolfs down his food and can never get enough.
The group of leaders were stunned by Wang Lun's eating habits.
Wasn't he always quite refined?
Only Wu Yong's heart stirred, and seeing Wang Lun's face flushed red from the sun, he asked, "Is the chieftain practicing martial arts?"
Wang Lun didn't even look up, and mumbled, "Yes."
The saying goes, "The poor study literature, the rich practice martial arts." Practicing martial arts requires a lot of physical exertion, so one naturally needs to eat more.
The best way to boost physical strength is to eat meat.
Meat was expensive in the Song Dynasty, especially beef. The Song court protected draft cattle and severely punished anyone who slaughtered them indiscriminately. However, the common people still needed to eat beef, so they had to slaughter cattle secretly.
This is what makes beef more expensive.
For an ordinary family to support one martial arts practitioner, they would need to support two or three scholars.
As Wang Lun ate, he understood why he had noticed in his previous readings that great heroes always ordered three catties of cooked beef as soon as they entered a restaurant.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Wang Lun finally wiped his hands and announced, "I plan to name our brothers in the main stronghold of Liangshan the Flying Tiger Army. From now on, we will be the Flying Tiger Army, not a bunch of bandits."
He paused, fearing that people might misunderstand that Wang Lun wanted to be recruited by the imperial court, and explained, "Although we are called the Flying Tiger Army, we don't serve the imperial court. We, the Flying Tiger Army, only serve ourselves and our homeland."
He surveyed the crowd: "If the Song Dynasty harms our homes, we will fight. If the Liao people from the north attack, we will fight. If the Jin people plunder our families, we will fight."
The leaders cheered, and Chao Gai praised, "The chieftain has great insight. Renaming it the Flying Tiger Army will naturally require military management, which will greatly enhance our combat effectiveness."
Wang Lun nodded and said, "That's true, but I don't plan to apply for the Song Dynasty's military system."
The leaders were taken aback. If they didn't take the Song Dynasty as an example, were they supposed to take the Liao Dynasty as an example?
Wang Lun explained, "I want to establish the positions of marshal, general, and deputy general in the Flying Tiger Army to simplify the official positions of the Song Dynasty. However, our current forces, including the captured soldiers from Jizhou a few days ago, number only about a thousand. Let's follow the structure I proposed and establish one marshal position, which I will hold."
Amidst everyone's astonishment, no one offered a rebuttal.
Military power must be firmly held in one's own hands.
"We will appoint two generals, each leading a unit. Chao Gai will initially serve as a general, and as the units expand, we will reward them according to their merits. The other leaders will be given individual positions each time we fight a battle."
He looked at Lin Chong: "The entire army will have a separate position for Chief Instructor, which will still be held by Instructor Lin."
The leaders were somewhat bewildered, but they all clasped their hands in greeting.