Chapter 51: Children Standing at Attention

“Whether you’re useless isn’t up to you to decide—it’s up to me. Ajie, go and set him down. I’ll give you all a chance to prove you’re not worthless.”

The man was released, and though he was clearly disgruntled, he saluted Cai Cong and asked, “How do we prove ourselves, then? Should we go and bring back a tiger’s head?”

“Oh, spare me! There are over a thousand of you—do you really think you could take down that many tigers? There aren’t enough tigers around Chang’an for each of you. I’m not here to make things impossible for you. Did you notice the stance I’m holding?”

“It’s almost noon now. If you can maintain this posture without moving until sunset, you can barely count yourselves as not useless. If you can’t do it, pack up and get out. I want men who can defeat the Black Armored Army—there’s no place here for weaklings.”

That’s right: Cai Cong had assumed a military parade stance. For someone without proper training, holding a military posture for five hours was indeed a severe challenge.

“What’s so hard about that? I could stand here until tomorrow, no problem,” a short, wiry man said nonchalantly. Standing still—what’s the big deal?

Cai Cong smiled, a wicked glint in his eye. He planned to pay special attention to this braggart. “Fine, you’re quite brave. I’ll tell you what: if you can hold out an hour past sunset, I’ll promote you to squad leader. The same goes for the rest of you. Now, everyone, stand as I do.”

After demonstrating, Cai Cong grinned. Some tightened every muscle in their bodies; it wouldn’t be long before they regretted it.

“Ajie, take ten men and patrol among them. Anyone who moves is out. Laojiu, for the sake of everyone’s welfare, I’ll ask you and a few others to prepare a meal.”

Laojiu chuckled and said it was no trouble. His greatest talent was cooking; unless Cai Cong himself cooked, no one in all of Great Tang could outdo him.

Anyone who’s stood at attention knows that the beginning is the easiest. Everyone looked quite comfortable, some even casting contemptuous glances at Cai Cong. When the delicious aroma of food wafted over, their annoyance only grew—being an officer certainly had its perks.

After half an hour, they finally understood what hardship meant. It felt as if insects were crawling all over them, itching everywhere. That was bad enough, but now Xu Jie and his fellow veterans finally had a chance to mess with the newcomers.

Some would whisper temptingly, “If you’re itchy, just scratch—it feels so good.” Others would stand right in front of you, scratching themselves with exaggerated satisfaction, coming up with all sorts of ways to tempt you into moving.

The smart ones closed their eyes to ignore the provocations, but those with weaker willpower began to sway and finally cried out that they couldn’t take it, scratching furiously at their itches.

At such moments, Xu Jie and the others would say coldly, “You’re out. From now on, you lose your chance to be part of the greatest army under heaven. Go over there and eat.”

“At the start, you all looked so disdainful. Why do you look so pained now?” Cai Cong called out. “Look to your left—that’s the finest food and wine from the Taibai Pavilion in Chang’an. If you choose to give up, you can eat and drink your fill, living as a failure. But the glory of defeating the Black Armored Army will have nothing to do with you. If anyone wants to quit, step out now—there’s no shame in it.”

No one responded. They all gritted their teeth and endured. An hour had passed, and it felt as if heavy stones were tied to each of their feet. Everyone closed their eyes and hung on, terrified of opening their eyes and seeing Xu Jie and his men provocatively kicking their legs or drinking sweet juice in front of them.

By the second hour, another dozen or so gave up, choosing to leave in tears and eat the now-cold food, their hearts as chilled as their bowls, surprised at their own weakness.

By then, their bodies had gone numb; all that was left was sheer willpower. Yet many didn’t fall at the start, but just before the finish line. One by one, they drifted over to the food, so ashamed they could not meet their comrades’ eyes.

“Look—the sun will set in a quarter of an hour. This is the final stretch. If you make it, I can assure you, you will be the pride of Great Tang. No one will blame those who can’t endure. So many of you have made it farther than I expected,” Cai Cong shouted.

Indeed, it surpassed his expectations. He’d thought he’d be lucky if five hundred lasted; instead, over eight hundred endured.

“If you don’t want to compete for squad leader, you can move now—the time is up. Don’t sit down, but you may sip some water and walk about slowly.”

At last, Cai Cong said what everyone longed to hear. Some collapsed to the ground, fainting. Xu Jie quickly had them moved aside and given water. The rest sipped sweet juice as they limped around the training ground. Only ten still stood at the front, pale, lips dry, but their eyes resolute.

While others ate, these ten could only swallow their dry spit, not daring to move. When Cai Cong finally announced the time was up, they smiled, but still stood motionless. Their feet were so numb that lifting them would send them tumbling, and for the sake of their dignity, they dared not move.

Cai Cong didn’t laugh at them. He simply had them carried to the medics to restore their blood flow. When they could walk again, he called for assembly.

The over one hundred eliminated men, ashamed, stood at the back with their bags already packed.

“You all made it—you’re outstanding. From tomorrow, you’ll undergo hellish torment. Then you’ll see that today’s standing drill was child’s play.

“The ten who lasted to the end, each of you choose your teams. You have the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn. Each team will have a hundred men: squads of five, fifty in a company. The company and squad leaders will be chosen by you ten as battalion leaders. Begin.”

Cai Cong watched the spectacle below as though enjoying a show. The men vied for members, pulling and arguing with each other. The time flew by, and in the end, only two teams managed a full roster of one hundred; the rest were short by varying amounts.

“It’s clear you two are well-liked—your teams are full. The rest, tell me why you didn’t fill your ranks? There should be at least six full teams! Any team without a hundred men will go without breakfast tomorrow. Now, explain yourselves!”

Cai Cong’s furious roar belied his small stature; he radiated a volcanic force that made all avert their eyes.

“Please, sir, give those brothers another chance—I wanted to save them some spots,” the short, wiry man blurted as he knelt in panic. His name was Gan Xinda, and many of the eliminated were his fellow villagers. The other battalion leaders knelt as well, and soon all the men were on their knees, a sea of black heads.

“Since you’ve pleaded for them, I’ll grant you this favor. But know this: every day, your training will be ranked, and those at the bottom will be punished—by squad, company, and battalion. Are you sure you want to accept them? They might drag you down and make you the worst team. If anyone in your team fails to complete training, the whole team will be punished. Are you still willing to take them?”

“We beg your permission, sir—we have no complaints!” The roar of over eight hundred men shook the heavens, while the hundred-odd eliminated wept like newborns, clutching their bags.

“Very well. From left to right, you are teams one through ten. Teams three to ten, you have the time of one cup of tea to complete your rosters.”

When all was finally sorted, Cai Cong, unhurried, asked, “Today, I taught you one thing, and it wasn’t perseverance. Can anyone tell me what it was?”

Some answered ‘hard work,’ others ‘confidence’—a jumble of replies, none hitting the mark. Cai Cong waved for silence, and the training ground quieted at once.

“All that is utter nonsense. Today, I wanted to teach you one lesson: on the battlefield, the only ones who can shield you from blades and arrows are your comrades. If you had abandoned those hundred men tonight, I’d have petitioned His Majesty to send you home tomorrow.

“If you lack ability, you can learn; if you lack strength, you can train. That’s what I’m here for. But if you abandon your brothers, you can get out—I have no place for the heartless and disloyal.”

“We ask to be punished, sir. Tomorrow, we’ll go without breakfast like the other teams.” The men of the first and second teams knelt in unison, their shame heavy in their voices.