Royal Gold Medal County Magistrate

"Trained?" Li Yuanzhao frowned, "It's impossible to achieve this level in just two months. Even with our training regimen of drills every other day, we can't reach this degree."

"That's because we added extra meals." As he spoke, Fang Zheng called Zhou Tie over with a wave of his hand, asking, "What did they eat yesterday?"

Zhou Tie glanced at Li Yuanzhao cautiously before replying, "Braised crucian carp, braised carp, clear stewed carp..."

"Damn it! Why is it all fish?"

"Well... there's a lake in the eastern suburbs. Yesterday, it was hot, so I took them to relax and catch fish in the lake. Afterwards, we found a lot more in their dorms. Those grandsons aren't focusing on training and are even trying to raise fish." Zhou Tie smacked his lips, seemingly savoring the taste of fish, "Maybe the water isn't good, the fish in the lake are particularly fishy. Zhang Biao, who usually fights for food, didn't even touch it yesterday."

Fang Zheng felt a bit disgusted seeing Zhou Tie lick his lips: "What about the day before yesterday?"

"The day before yesterday, we had stir-fried pork belly, snake soup, and mutton fat hot pot..."

"Hold on!" Li Yuanzhao glanced sideways at Fang Zheng, questioning, "Where did all that meat come from? Aren't you supposed to be eating stewed vegetables and steamed buns?"

"Of course not. Your Highness, you were the one who said we should train separately. I got the money for these meals myself from the Ministry of Revenue," Fang Zheng said with a smile, "I don't understand military strategy, but I know how to handle logistics."

"Damn it! What's the point of even playing then!" Li Yuanzhao slammed his horsewhip on the ground.

Originally, he had planned to teach Lao Fang a lesson after two months of training, but this guy secretly nourished the soldiers.

Considering that large-scale combat wasn't necessary, the Imperial Guards he trained only underwent basic training.

Only simple circular formations and square formations. Although they could follow orders without question, seeing the muscular militiamen on the opposite side made him lose confidence.

They follow orders without question, and their formation is even better than ours! They should be able to take on two or three at once in a fight, and their morale probably can't be matched either.

Fang Zheng saw through his thoughts and approached him with a cheeky smile: "Didn't Your Highness want to slap my face? When do you want to compete?"

"I'm not competing anymore! That's too shameless! How can you play like that!" Li Yuanzhao exclaimed indignantly, "I suffered because of a wealth of experience!"

"But Lao Fang, don't get too cocky. The people I trained aren't well-nourished enough right now and are useless for major tasks. But when it comes to real fighting with real weapons, the people you trained might not be so useful."

Fang Zheng nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, they're far behind! If Your Highness wants to train, you can come and test them yourself."

Li Yuanzhao's anger came and went quickly.

He scanned the crowd with his small eyes and suddenly smiled again, pulling Fang Zheng aside: "Lao Fang, I have some news for you. Do you want to hear it?"

"I want to hear it!"

"Then lend me your soldiers for a while. I want to see how you trained them. I can tell you've definitely hidden some tricks. I underestimated your equipment. Although the nutrition has caught up, the training methods must match. Increasing the amount of conventional training will definitely injure many people. I want to learn too."

Fang Zheng gave him an admiring look. He also envied Li Yuanzhao's personality at times. When he encountered something he was interested in, he could enthusiastically learn even after being hit hard.

If it were him, he would probably have given up long ago.

Fang Zheng shook his head and said pretentiously: "Choose the good and follow it. Your Highness has the qualities of a sage. Your Highness can ask them directly if you have any questions."

Li Yuanzhao immediately beamed.

"That's great! Then I'll tell you, the Emperor has been paying close attention to your training here. Last night, when I went to pay my respects, I heard the Emperor say he was going to arrange a surprise attack to test the quality of your recruits."

"I heard that Guo Tianyang even volunteered to have the Eastern Depot clash with the Imperial Guards. As for the specific time and place, I don't know. Be prepared."

"Oh, that's really big news. His Majesty actually likes to stage surprise attacks," Fang Zheng said with some surprise.

"Hehe, you don't understand. The Emperor used to practice surprise attacks on military camps when he trained soldiers."

Fang Zheng nodded.

If it's a surprise attack, it shouldn't be in the short term. At least, it will wait until the Imperial Guards have completed their formal training and returned to their respective garrison units.

Then there's still time to prepare. I didn't expect that old fox Guo wants to earn some face back.

"Then I'll thank Your Highness. I'll go back and have them prepare well. You're busy, I have some other things to do."

Li Yuanzhao nodded, then ran excitedly to the front of the formation to observe the Imperial Guard training.

Seeing him leave, Fang Zheng said to Zhou Tie again: "How's Meng Puyu's training been lately?"

Zhou Tie shook his head: "Very average, not very good at enduring hardship. But that guy is fair-skinned and tender, so he's quite popular. Lian Gui has been training him a lot lately."

"He's a bit clever and likes to be lazy. If we hadn't given him extra training, he probably wouldn't have kept up with the other soldiers. Heh, I guess that kid has been cursing us behind our backs a lot."

"Well, get his physique up and that's good enough. Go get him, I want to talk to him alone. Also, help me prepare some..."

......

Inside the barracks, Meng Puyu sat uneasily on a chair.

This room is specially used by the instructors for guidance. Only those who have seriously violated the rules can enter. Since entering the Eastern Suburbs Training Ground, he has never been in this room.

After waiting for a long time, the door was pushed open.

Fang Zheng walked in with a smile, with a few letters under his arm, pulled out a chair and sat opposite Meng Puyu.

Meng Puyu stood up abruptly, then knelt on the ground, and said loudly: "Greetings, Commander!"

Fang Zheng raised his hand: "Get up, Little Meng, it's just a normal conversation, don't be too nervous, sit down."

Seeing him so amiable, Meng Puyu also showed a flattering smile, carefully placing his butt on the chair.

Fang Zheng maintained a kind smile and said softly: "Little Meng, how do you feel about living here recently?"

"Good! Very good! Especially being able to see Master Fang often, my heart feels so warm," Meng Puyu seized the opportunity to start flattering him.

A little clever, not very honest, needs some psychological suppression.

Fang Zheng quickly labeled him in his mind.

"Is the training hard?"

"Not hard! Being able to share hardships with my brothers, I enjoy it!"

Fang Zheng chuckled softly, then slowly got up and walked to Meng Puyu, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Meng Puyu immediately became nervous, his muscles tensing.

That instructor named Lian Gui always "gropes" himself on weekdays, wouldn't this Master Fang be that kind of person too?

What if he is? Should I submit or not... Thinking about it, Meng Puyu's forehead began to sweat slightly.

"Little Meng, what do you think of the Imperial Guards, and why did you want to join the Imperial Guards in the first place?"

Meng Puyu straightened his chest and said loudly: "Being able to join the Imperial Guards is a great honor for me. My father has taught me since I was a child to be a loyal and patriotic person! I have never been good at reading since I was a child, but I have learned a little. Now that I have the opportunity to serve the country, I will definitely do my best!"

Fang Zheng patted him on the shoulder and said: "Well said, your father is a man of noble character, which reminds me of my father. My father gave me an axe on my birthday. At that time, there was a cherry orchard at home. I was young and ignorant. I picked up the axe and chopped down my father's favorite cherry tree. He was furious when he found out, but when I took the initiative to stand up and admit my mistake, his reaction was beyond my expectations. Do you know what happened?"

Meng Puyu was at a loss, and the wild thoughts in his heart suddenly disappeared.

"Uh... Master Fang, I'm stupid."