One hundred and sixty-three: Class Assignment

Zhang Xuan looked at the people assembled before him, who remained completely unresponsive. He roared, enunciating every single word, "Is what I just said really that hard to understand? Because this is the first time, I will say it again. Let every single one of you remember the following words well, carve them into your hearts. From this moment on, I am going to train you to the standards of an elite soldier. As a soldier, your primary requirements are discipline and organization: obey orders, shout 'report' when you have an issue, and never act on your own accord! Do you understand?"

"Understood!" A few scattered, feeble voices served as Zhang Xuan's reply.

Hearing this, Zhang Xuan let out a cold sneer. "I know you haven't eaten yet and are feeling weak, but going forward, you might find yourselves without food quite often. I'm really not exaggerating here. I suddenly find myself worried that you'll turn out to be cowards and deserters when the time comes! Can't you speak up? Put some energy into it! What is this? Now that the wooden cabins are built, you're all this feeble? No one rested today, did they? Speak up louder!" With that, Zhang Xuan turned slightly and cupped a hand to his ear.

"Un-der-stood!" everyone shouted at the top of their lungs.

"That's more like it, at least you look the part now. Next, everyone listen up, form four lines, six people per line. The females will form their own separate lines and stand at the very front of each column. The males will line up in order of height, from shortest to tallest, standing behind the females. Big Brother, Second Brother, and Tiger Brother, you will stand at the very front of each column later. Everyone, move! We are starting the count now: one, two, three..."

By the time Zhang Xuan reached ninety-four, the twenty-odd people had finally managed to form up. "Not easy at all. Just forming a simple line made me count into the nineties. Impressive! I actually thought it would take until a dozen or so for you to get in formation. Was I overestimating you all? There are only twenty-seven of you!" Zhang Xuan swept his cold gaze over everyone present, and every single person lowered their head.

"Very well, remember your positions. I hope next time I won't have to count into the nineties for you to form up! Big Brother, Second Brother, and Tiger Brother, remember the people behind you. You will serve as the squad leaders for your respective columns, and you are responsible for them. As for this remaining column, I'm sorry, but I will be leading it myself. Squad leaders will be in charge of your squad's daily training. In other words, aside from group training, your squad's training will be overseen by your squad leader. How you train is up to you to figure out. Of course, these squad leaders are not permanent. Every thirty days, we will hold an assessment on the training subjects covered during that period, and the squad that places first will take over as squad leader for the next thirty days. Simple enough, right? Clear? During training, if anyone fails to complete their quota, then I am sorry, but the entire squad suffers collective punishment. As squad leaders, the pressure on you will be immense. Oh, and one more thing: during the thirty-day assessments, there will be competitions between squads. The results of these competitions will determine the food rations and daily chores for the next thirty days. Before I dismiss you, let me say one last thing: once midnight passes tonight, training could begin at any moment, so don't fall asleep too soundly. Dismissed! Those in my column, follow me."

Just as Zhang Xuan's voice trailed off, Yang Zaixing shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xiao Xuanzi, what do you mean by determining next month's food and chores?"

"It's very simple. Starting the next thirty days, the food rations will be divided into three tiers. The squad that places first gets the first tier, and the bottom two squads get the third tier. I am still discussing the specifics with Master's wife and the others, but once the next thirty days arrive, you'll find out. As for the chores, the squads that rank higher will do less work. It's as simple as that! Any other questions?"

"If someone fails to complete their training quota and the whole squad gets punished, what exactly is the punishment?" Yuwen Chengdu also asked.

"Any kind of punishment is possible—skipping a day's meal, extra training sessions, and so on, which will be decided on the day. I assume everyone will be able to complete their training, though! And don't worry, I won't suddenly hit you with heavy workloads; it will definitely be progressive. Oh right, Big Brother, Second Brother, Tiger Brother, the three of you will train wearing leg weights. As for whether you take them off during the assessments, you can decide that for yourselves."

"Fine!" Yang Zaixing turned around to look at the kids behind him and shouted, "Little runts, train hard, don't fall behind! I will hold you to strict standards. After we eat, gather here to start some simple training. I'm going to drill you thoroughly, and remember to take first place in the next assessment. Got it?"

"Big Brother, you're getting into character way too fast! Even a tornado isn't as fast as you!"

"I don't know what kind of wind a tornado is, but I heard it loud and clear just now. Xiao Xuanzi, you told the people in your column to follow you—don't think I don't know what you're plotting. You're definitely taking them aside to feed them extra, and I can't fall behind! Yuwen, Tiger Brother, let's get our drills started right away. Next assessment, let's make Xiao Xuanzi's squad finish dead last!" Yang Zaixing said, wearing an expression that suggested he had seen right through Zhang Xuan. "By the way, the assessment content won't be entirely up to you to decide, right? That would be too unfair to us!"

"Rest assured, the subjects tested during the assessment will definitely be the ones everyone trains on uniformly. Furthermore, the assessment topics will be discussed with you in advance and only announced after the discussion. It will be completely fair, open, and just! You can finally put that heavy stone in your heart to rest."

"Fine! While your character isn't worth much in my book, I'll trust you this once!" Following that, Yuwen Chengdu and Yang Hu each instructed their respective columns to assemble and begin training after meals, as no one wanted to end up in last place.