Chapter 900: Reunion with an Old FriendTranslator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
This was a clash between modern and old thought. Lu Shu knew the consequences of the lack of hygiene. He had asked whether Li Heitan and the rest often fell sick. Li Heitan said that some people had died of an illness. He did not even know the exact cause of their death.
Lu Shu and the rest had met many strong creatures in the forest. Lu Shu had even seen a Rank Two creature. This was what he was often worried about. There was a high concentration of magical energy here, but this did not mean that the only ones who benefited were humans.
Lu Shu realized that even the leeches in the dark pools of water could cut the skin of a Rank Three Pract.i.tioner. What about parasites? They had definitely mutated as well.
He had caught a leech to experiment with. The leech only died after being submerged in water for a minute. Thus, Lu Shu required the soldiers to boil water for 2 minutes before drinking it.
Thankfully, the river at the foot of the mountain was very clear and was exposed to water. Bodies of water that could reach such a state often did not have parasites. On the other hand, bodies of water with leeches meant that it was not suitable for drinking. Even if the water was boiled, there were still many impurities.
What Lu Shu wanted to do now was to instill his basic knowledge in the soldiers of the Wei Wu Army. He did not care whether they were happy with this or not. He had the final say.
These rough men had never cared about this. During their march, Lu Shu could see fleas and lice in their hair. He was very disgusted.
To resolve the issue of cleanliness, Lu Shu even asked Li Heitan to take out a few boxes of soap for them to use.
When they were by the river, the soldiers softly said, “Does the Great Lord hate us? We have to be naked and allow others to inspect us. How humiliating.”
“The Great Lord keeps staring at us. He forces us to strip naked and bathe as well. Could it be…” Someone was absolutely terrified.
“I am not a slave with a seal on my b.u.t.tocks…” Someone uttered in shock.
When Liu Qianzhi heard this, he glared at them. “Do as the Great Lord says. No nonsense!”
When Lu Shu heard what they had said, his mouth twitched. He finally understood why Zhang Weiyu’s tone had been so weird! It was all because he did not have enough knowledge back then!
At first, the soldiers felt that bathing everyday was very awkward. But after they persevered for seven days, they felt… very comfortable!
In the past, even if they had bathed, fleas and lice would jump on them when they returned to the campsite. They were used to the itchiness.
After the campsite focused on hygiene in particular, everyone felt extremely refreshed. It was as if their spirits lifted significantly.
Someone had asked whether the Great Lord hated them. But after seven days, they honestly hated how they were seven days ago.
Lu Shu sighed. He had to start from the very beginning to correct these soldiers from the Wei Wu Army. They were all very careless. If he wanted the army to have renewed combat power, he had to adjust their habits and discipline.
The first step in achieving hygiene had produced results. Gradually, the houses started to take shape, and crops were planted in the fields.
Although Lu Shu felt slightly tired, he felt very accomplished.
They had obtained wood from the trees they had cut down in the forest. There was an abundance of wood. Furthermore, Pract.i.tioners were the ones transporting the materials. It was very convenient.
Lu Shu looked at Liu Qianzhi and the rest. They seemed very familiar with building barracks. He was curious. “You are very skilled.”
“In the past, we were the least liked soldiers in the Wei Wu Army. Thus, we did all the difficult labour, like building barracks.” Liu Qianzhi smiled. “I was a.s.sistant commander and I led work like this.”
Lu Shu nodded his head. Indeed, these people were very skilled in such work. But the problem was, how would he equip them with combat power?
To be honest, in terms of pure power, they were not much weaker than that of the Qing Sai Army. Armies were all like this. Those who were more particular about cooperated combat and motivation were stronger overall. But these people were lacking these.
If the Black Feather Army really came, it would be good if the Wei Wu Army could defend themselves, right?
Lu Shu was slightly annoyed. If Zhong Yutang were here, things would be much better. Even if these soldiers were trained like new soldiers, they would be able to produce results in half a year. It was a pity that Lu Shu had never done this in the past. Even when he was a teacher, he only taught individual combat.
He could teach these slaves swordplay, but he did not have the approval of the Hall of Swords. Lu Shu would not keep the way of the Dao to himself. He wanted to pa.s.s the knowledge on to others with a clear conscience.
There was a suitable environment for the soldiers of the Wei Wu Army, but he could not train here…
He would put them aside for now. He would think about other things when the house and the fields had been fully constructed. Now, Lu Shu had to train.
He accidentally discovered that the magical energy in the limestone caves was present in a higher concentration compared to Azure Dragon Village. He might as well stay in the limestone cave and train his swordplay alone everyday and increase his power.
After half a month, Lu Shu heaved a sigh of relief. His swordplay had reached Rank Four. With the sword energy, he could even kill a Rank Three!
At that moment, Li Heitan shouted from the outside the limestone cave, “Great Lord! We captured a suspicious person!”
Lu Shu was dumbfounded. This place was uninhabited, right? How did they manage to capture someone? Could it be a spy from the Black Feather Army?
He walked out of the limestone cave. When the soldiers from the Wei Wu Army saw their Great Lord walk out of the limestone cave, they would consciously salute in respect. This was not out of force or because of a requirement that Lu Shu had proposed. During this period, Lu Shu had been impartial in handling affairs. He did not embezzle their grains. Although they did not eat particularly well everyday, they did not have to go on empty stomachs.
In this chaotic world, there was nothing more valuable than a ruler who was willing to understand and sympathize with their subordinates. It was as if the soldiers had understood grat.i.tude better than an ordinary person.
But now, this was limited to respect and exerting themselves. Lu Shu felt that if he truly wanted to bring them into battle, this group of people were guaranteed to run faster than mutated rabbits!
Lu Shu followed Li Heitan up the mountain slope. “What happened?”
“It seems as if over 50 ordinary people have come here from the north to escape.” Li Heitan thought about it and said, “But Great Lord, you should verify it. They are very hungry, but very strange. They did not want to drink the water we gave them…”
Lu Shu furrowed his eyebrows. If they were only ordinary people, it would be best for them to stay here. If these people left and spread the news, the Black Feather Army might find out that the Wei Wu Army was still in the mountains.
But when Lu Shu saw the group of people, he was dumbfounded. Li Heitan said, “If you have anything to say, tell it to our commander and Great Lord!”
When he saw Lu Shu, he was dumbfounded as well. “We haven’t met for only a short while, but you’ve become commander and Great Lord… what kind of nonsensical t.i.tle is that…”
Lu Shu was happy. “Zhang Weiyu, weren’t you hiding in the cave? Why have you come here?”
When Zhang Weiyu thought about this, he was annoyed. “The Black Feather Army is for real this time. Luckily, we sensed that something was wrong early. If not, we might have died.”
Suddenly, Zhang Weiyu looked at Lu Shu, then looked at the group of people who respected Lu Shu. Two months ago, he was a slave who had escaped. How did he suddenly become the commander of so many people?
Lu Shu seemed to understand what he was thinking. “Before I left, didn’t you suggest that I join the Wei Wu Army?”
“Then?”
“Then I incorporated the Wei Wu Army into my own forces,” said Lu Shu.
“From Zhang Weiyu’s distress, +666!”