PFC Chapter 78: Personally Selected Soldiers
Chapter 78: Personally Selected Soldiers
In this era, recruitment prioritizes physical strength.
Selection is usually conducted through methods such as lifting stone weights.
Selecting soldiers through running is a novel idea.
However, it's not too outrageous.
Wang Ziteng said, "Since Your Highness has made the decision, then so be it. By the way, Your Highness just said that you will only select the top one thousand."
"There are still 120 soldiers left, Your Highness, what do you intend to do?"
Hearing this, Xia Chengzong secretly praised Wang Ziteng for being so clever.
He immediately picked up on the subtle hint she had given him in her words.
Xia Chengzong laughed and said, "These 120 people will not be selected from the new recruits."
"Select experienced archers and junior officers directly from among the veterans, requiring them to have rich combat experience and be proficient in military formations."
"And I come from a humble background. As long as I have the ability, even a common soldier will do. I wonder if General Wang could help me with this?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Ziteng immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Your Highness, please rest assured, this matter is on my shoulders, and I guarantee Your Highness will be satisfied."
"By the way, when does Your Highness plan to select these thousand new recruits?"
Xia Chengzong said, "There's no time like the present, so why not do it today? I wonder if General Wang is free today?"
Wang Ziteng hurriedly replied, "I have time. I am at your service, Your Highness! Please wait a moment, Your Highness, and I will make the arrangements immediately."
Xia Chengzong was very satisfied with Wang Ziteng's performance.
Regardless of his abilities, Wang Ziteng is certainly a sensible person.
Soon, Prince Teng made the arrangements and first sent someone out of the city to the military camp to deliver the military orders.
He personally led Xia Chengzong out of the city and headed straight for the military camp.
When they arrived outside the military camp, five or six thousand new recruits had already assembled outside.
These new recruits all received military orders and knew that this time it was Prince Ping'an who came to select the guards for the Prince's residence.
The selection rule was to run ten miles; anyone who could finish in the top one thousand would become a guard in the Prince's Palace.
Upon hearing the news, every new recruit was eager and excited.
They decided that during the selection process, they would run like crazy and make it into the top 1,000.
Both are military service, but being a common soldier and being a guard of the royal palace are definitely different.
Who wouldn't want to be a member of the royal guard?
Not only are the benefits better, but they also have more face to show when they go back to their hometown!
Of course, there were also soldiers with towering, imposing figures who looked dejected.
A few soldiers like this possessed immense strength, and they were confident they would be selected if it came down to a contest of strength.
Unfortunately, running is their weakness, and the competition is precisely about running.
In fact, what Xia Chengzong valued more was the mobility of his soldiers.
These new recruits had already undergone a round of screening; those who were physically weak simply couldn't get in.
By selecting athletes through running, you might miss out on some strongmen.
But once you miss it, you miss it. No matter what selection method you use, it's hard to be completely fair and just.
Soon, five thousand soldiers lined up in a row.
Ten miles away, a special team of soldiers supervised and checked the numbers.
At Xia Chengzong's command, five thousand soldiers shot out like arrows released from a bow.
Five thousand soldiers, all of them were fighting with their lives on the line. They not only wanted to be in the top one thousand, but also to compete for first place!
They came from humble beginnings, and they were determined to climb the social ladder.
They tried to get to the front so that the prince would see them, hoping to gain a better chance of being born into a prominent family.
Xia Chengzong and Wang Ziteng rode their horses toward the finish line.
Neither of them actually paid any attention to the group of people running.
This is just a very ordinary selection process. So what if you run fast?
Before long, they rode their horses to the finish line.
The two dismounted and sat on the rattan chairs that the soldiers had prepared in advance, and then began to chat.
The two were testing each other in their words.
Xia Chengzong felt that Wang Ziteng was capable, knowledgeable, and ambitious, but his bottom line was very flexible, and he lacked some domineering presence.
However, most people actually have one flaw or another.
Where in this world is there a perfect person?
Wang Ziteng is a capable person, but he should not be given important responsibilities.
Of course, as a prince, he cannot get too close to military generals, as this is a serious taboo.
Of course, that doesn't mean you can't have secret affairs.
And wasn't Prince Teng secretly considering Xia Chengzong, the youngest prince of the Great Qian Dynasty?
Xia Chengzong can be described as a legendary grandson of the emperor, who achieved remarkable success in poetry, mathematics, and the study of things, and his fame spread far and wide.
However, Wang Ziteng believes that this reputation was artificially created and promoted.
He didn't believe that anyone could be such a genius.
However, today's conversation made Wang Ziteng increasingly alarmed.
This prince was erudite and insightful, and his ingenious ideas always amazed him.
What is particularly remarkable is that, despite his young age, he is calm and composed, possessing a profound level of shrewdness.
What does it mean for someone born into royalty to be the emperor's most beloved grandson?
This idea made Wang Ziteng's heart flutter.
The four major families had already shown signs of decline after the treason case.
The emperor is old, and they urgently need a new patron.
Of course, this matter is of great importance.
This is not something that can be determined in just a few words.
Moreover, this prince has not recruited them, and they don't even know if he has taken a liking to them. They still need to think things through carefully.
But at least, Wang Ziteng was tempted.
Fifteen minutes later, the first soldier crossed the finish line with a commanding lead.
Xia Chengzong glanced at him, and the next moment, the soldier staggered over.
He knelt down on the ground far away and kowtowed repeatedly.
He was tongue-tied and not good at speaking, but he was not lacking in the wisdom of a commoner.
Xia Chengzong asked with a smile, "What's your name?"
"Your Highness, my name is Wang Erxiao."
Xia Chengzong said, "You're the first one to run over here; I'll remember you!"
"Very good, you are the first to become a member of my royal guard. Stand up and move over there."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Wang Erxiao scrambled to his feet, staggered to the open space beside him, and grinned foolishly.
A short while later, the second person ran across the line.
He also stepped forward and kowtowed, but Xia Chengzong did not ask his name, only nodded slightly.
This greatly disappointed the second person!
If I had known, I should have tried my best to run in first place!
He breathed a sigh of relief, having missed out on first place and failed to let the prince know his name.
This one breath might determine his future.
But now, it's too late for regrets.
Xia Chengzong no longer paid attention to the soldiers who ran past the finish line.
Fifteen minutes later, all one thousand slots were filled.
Some disputes also arose; when the number reached one thousand, several soldiers crossed the line one after another.
They all felt that they had crossed the line first.
They all wanted to be a member of the Prince's Palace Guard, and when they argued, they even hoped to attract Xia Chengzong's attention and be chosen by him.
However, Xia Chengzong ignored this.