On the fifth day of June in the twenty-fourth year of Tai'an, more than 600 soldiers were lining up inside the Changding Gate of the West City.
Standing on the gate tower, Xu Hong looked extremely serious, which made the hundreds of households following him extremely uneasy.
Turning around, Xu Hong said with great dissatisfaction: "The formation is still too slow. The prince will come over to see you soon. How do you want me to explain?"
Some of the hundreds of households behind Xu Hong were promoted from Wang Cheng and Duan Hong, and some were promoted from the Guards Department. Their composition was completely disrupted by Zhao Yanxun.
The hundreds of households who had been promoted from the Guards Department didn't say much after hearing Xu Hong's words, but the people from the Soldiers and Horses Department had other opinions.
"Sir Qianhu, only half of the sergeants below are veterans. The rest were recruited and joined the army less than half a month ago. The speed of assembly... is already considered fast!"
Xu Hong suddenly turned around and stared at Baihu who spoke. He said in a special tone: "You can just muddle through, right? If you muddle along, go home and take the baby!"
Xu Hong's aura was fully activated, and he directly suppressed the hundreds of households in front of him.
Seeing that everyone no longer had any objections, Xu Hong put away his anger and said: "Everyone, this is not a peaceful season. We don't have much time. It won't be long before we have to go out of the city to fight monsters!"
"If you continue to practice like before, you will die if you leave the city!"
After getting angry, Xu Hong reasoned with his men. After all, he had to rely on these people to do things for him.
"Your Majesty has the heart to overcome all difficulties. You are now in the position of a hundred households, which shows that Your Majesty has trust in you!"
"You must not let the prince down!"
This is the level of Xu Hong, who moved with emotion and reason, and eliminated the resistance in the hearts of several hundred households.
Turning around, Xu Hong looked down at the barbican and said in a deep voice: "Continue the drill, you go down and lead the team yourself!"
"As you command!"
After the hundreds of households left, Xu Hong's expression returned to normal.
After several hundred households were in place, they led their men to disband, then returned to their respective stations, waiting for the next emergency gathering.
The soldiers returned to their posts. There were garrisons guarding the city walls and guards guarding the city gates. Each department in the army performed its duties.
Just at this moment, a eunuch walked up the city wall and quietly came behind Xu Hong.
"Xu Qianhu!"
This voice was too familiar to Xu Hong. Xu Hong quickly turned around, and sure enough, the person standing behind him was Huo An.
"I've met my father-in-law!"
Although he was already a member of a thousand households, Xu Hong, who was "relegated" to Zhao Yanxun, could only be more respectful to the general manager next to him.
What puzzled Xu Hong at this moment was why Huo An appeared here.
"I wonder what my father-in-law is here for?"
"Xu Qianhu, the prince has arrived!"
Xu Hong was so excited that he immediately went to the city wall to greet him. At the same time, he secretly cursed his subordinates for being dull and didn't even get the slightest news.
Of course, this also shows from the side that Zhao Yanxun has better control over the army below than his official Qianhu.
This made Xu Hong realize more deeply that his power comes from the palace, and if he wants to control power, he must be loyal to Zhao Yanxun.
Seeing that Xu Hong was about to go down to greet him, Huo An stopped him and said: "Xu Qianhu, just practice your troops and horses. Your Majesty is just watching!"
After being slightly startled, Xu Hong quickly nodded in agreement, and at the same time understood Zhao Yanxun's purpose. This was a surprise inspection.
"Come here, beat the drum!" Xu Hong shouted to the soldiers not far away.
His order was immediately implemented. The soldiers who were still on their way back to their posts were slightly stunned after hearing the rally drum.
This is too anxious. I haven't returned to my job yet... This is what most people think.
"Hurry up... line up in Wengcheng!" Hundreds of households shouted loudly.
The sudden sound of drumming made the soldiers scattered everywhere panic, and this also exposed their true level.
Standing on the city wall, looking at the soldiers arriving one after another below, Zhao Yanxun had no expression on his face.
But at this moment, Xu Hong, who was standing behind him, looked particularly ugly.
The time it took to assemble and line up this time was much worse than the time just now, which can be described as terrible.
"Xu Hong, the first thing to do when leading an army is to enforce orders and prohibitions!"
"But look at these people below. Most of them move casually and have no sense of tension... You Qianhu are incompetent for your job!"
After hearing this, Xu Hong immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, I am incompetent. Please punish me!"
Zhao Yanxun did not look at him, but said calmly: "Time is in a hurry, I can't blame you entirely!"
We can't blame him entirely, which means that he, Xu Hong, still has some responsibility.
"I will strictly enforce military discipline in the future and never let the prince down!" Xu Hong raised his head and said.
Only then did Zhao Yanxun glance at him and said, "Tell your subordinates that the job in the palace is not so easy!"
"Next time this king comes again, if you are still so lax, you and your men should go home and take care of your children!"
Although Zhao Yanxun's tone was calm, his words were so serious that Xu Hong did not dare to take them lightly.
"I accept your order!"
"Get up!"
After saying this, Zhao Yanxun turned around and walked under the city wall, and the troops in the barbican city had also been assembled.
After carefully sending Zhao Yanxun away, Xu Hong felt a little relieved, but in an instant his face turned black with anger.
"Call a few hundred households to come over!" Xu Hong said in a cold tone.
After a while, several hundred households were brought over, and everyone looked uneasy.
"Did you know that the prince came just now!"
"I know... I know!" one of the hundred households replied.
"I just said that you will lead the troops in person for training. Is this the result of your leadership?" This sentence can be said to be shouted by Xu Hong.
"In front of the prince, I have been completely embarrassed by you!"
All the households lowered their heads. They understood Xu Hong's anger very well, so they also felt very ashamed.
"Sir, you are guilty of underestimating your position, please punish me!" one of the hundred households knelt down and said.
Then the other hundred households also apologized, and Xu Hong was the only one standing in the gatehouse lobby.
"I said this to the prince just now, but the prince did not punish me!"
"But the prince said, if the situation is still the same next time, you and I will have no choice but to resign from office and apologize!"
These words made the hearts of everyone present tremble. If they were dismissed from office, according to the current system, the family would only be able to live at the subsistence level.
"I won't punish you either. After all, beating you with dozens of military sticks is of no use..."
"But I hope that from now on, you will use the strictest means to train your soldiers... and strive to train this army into shape as quickly as possible!"
"It's not just gathering, but also military formation coordination, marching and fighting... these all need to be practiced!"
Having said this, Xu Hong helped everyone kneeling up one by one and said at the same time: "Our performance is very poor this time, so we will train hard and strive to impress the prince next time!"
"I am willing to work together with you!"
After that, everyone said: "I am willing to work together with you, sir!"
At this moment, Xu Hong felt that his control over his subordinates had deepened, which was an unexpected surprise for him.
"Okay, in the words of scholars, our brothers will know our shame and then be brave!" Xu Hong said with a smile.
