Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law

Time waits for no one.

Initially, Chen Mo chose to join the Celestial Master Army simply to have them in the forefront, so the Court wouldn't notice him, and to prevent the Celestial Master Army from looting him.

But now it seems that the Celestial Master Army is not a good place to be in either.

How long has it been, and already this series of troublesome events occurred.

Distancing myself is only a matter of time.

After thinking about how to solve the issue with Yuan Youchun, Chen Mo called Sun Meng, along with Wei Qing who had previously pledged allegiance, to perfect the organization of the army.

Unexpectedly, Wei Qing actually knew Sun Meng, but Sun Meng didn't recognize Wei Qing.

Back when Sun Meng served as a Centurion in the Qingzhou Army, Wei Qing was just an ordinary soldier, while Sun Meng was Wei Qing's superior's superior.

Seeing now that Sun Meng had become the Commander of the Personal Guard for the County Magistrate, Wei Qing felt an even stronger sense of belonging here.

Previously, there were only group leaders and team leaders.

Thirty people made up a group, and three groups made a team.

With numbers increasing now, Chen Mo planned to set up several squadrons, with three small teams forming a squadron, led by a Martial Artist as Squadron Leader.

Additionally, establish positions for Deputy Group Leader and Group Leader in groups, and Squad Commander and Deputy Team Leader in teams, with one person per role; the Squadron Leader would have no deputy.

This way, it would be easier to promote subordinates, providing both financial incentives and positional advancements, thus enhancing the combat effectiveness and enthusiasm of the lower-tier soldiers.

The archers, shield soldiers, axe bearers for breaking shields, and flag bearers in each small team need to be clearly defined.

Moreover, Chen Mo planned to rename the Defense Army to Divine Martial Guard, with the same structure as the Divine Brave Guard.

Currently, there is no logistics team, and Chen Mo intended to select and reallocate several hundred of the elderly and weak from the Divine Brave and Divine Martial Guards to form a logistics team, making them personnel outside the two armies' main structure.

They would not go to the battlefield but would be responsible for setting up military farms, farming during idle times, managing, maintaining, and using military materials, and commanding villagers in work.

In wartime, they would handle the requisition of civilians and transportation of supplies.

Yes, cooking or caring for livestock would also be their tasks.

Wei Qing also suggested setting up a Supervision Team, feeling deeply about this need.

The Qingzhou Army's swift defeat was not just due to Impatiens having insiders in the Celestial Master Army, but more so because they were intimidated by the massive momentum of the Celestial Master Army; once the frontline soldiers started to flee, it quickly impacted the entire army.

Yet even so, in this great battle, the Qingzhou Army still managed to kill nine Commanders of the Celestial Master Army, indicating that the Celestial Master Army's strength was not that great.

The purpose of the Supervision Team would be to prevent the front line's collapse from affecting the entire army; once on the battlefield, if anyone retreats during an advance, the Supervision Team would promptly step forward to execute them, thereby deterring the soldiers.

There are also Signal Soldiers, Scout Cavalry...

The formalization of the army structure is so complicated.

If not properly implemented, chaos would ensue, with no dedicated personnel for setting up camp, cooking, or even temporarily appointing someone to high places for sentinel duty, which is extremely crude.

Sun Meng then suggested that Chen Mo issue Military Tokens, stating that without them, no one below could mobilize troops, and departments should not meddle in each other's affairs indiscriminately.

Sun Meng had long noticed this issue but did not mention it because it was arranged by Chen Mo at the time.

Now, since Chen Mo asked him to bring it up, he did.

Take Wang Ping, for example; he was just a clerk in the Household Department, yet he could command the Divine Brave Guard to do tasks.

If manpower was indeed insufficient, they could report it and, upon approval, inform the squadron or team leader of the Divine Brave Guard, letting them handle the deployment and coordination of personnel.

The number should not exceed twenty people; otherwise, a Military Token or a direct order from Chen Mo would be needed.

After that, it's about troop training.

Currently, the Divine Brave Guard has a training ground, and so does the Divine Martial Guard.

The over one thousand war prisoners trained by Gao Yuming also have one, along with the village's reserve force.

This is overly complicated, and since those being trained are not under a single trainer, future integration would be troublesome.

According to Sun Meng's suggestion, transfer the over one thousand war prisoners that Gao Yuming trained directly to the reserve force for centralized training.

The outstanding soldiers would be assimilated into the Divine Brave Guard, and the lesser ones into the Divine Martial Guard.

And henceforth, any newly recruited soldiers or assimilated war prisoners should be uniformly trained by the reserve force before being incorporated into the Divine Brave and Divine Martial Guards.

After listening, Chen Mo felt somewhat overwhelmed.

In the future, besides handling military affairs, during times of leisure, he should also learn more about military, geographical, and logistics knowledge, as these are crucial for a competent Commander-in-Chief.

If he doesn't understand something, he should seek advice from others or discuss it with everyone.

After perfecting the military organization and composition, there was also the consideration of the army formations during large-scale operations.

Sun Meng proposed a formation known as the Yanyue Array.

The various military formations were semicircular, with the entire army set up in an arc like a crescent moon, an asymmetrical formation with the Grand General's formation usually at the concave bottom of the crescent.

In battle, it focuses on attacking the flanks, using solid crescent wheels to resist the enemy, while the concave part of the crescent seems vulnerable but is treacherously dangerous.

However, this array requires the Grand General's formation to possess significant battle strength and is suitable for those with strong soldiers and courageous generals.

This formation had established the fame of the Qingzhou Army's elite prowess.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo immediately entrusted the responsibility of the military formation to Sun Meng.

But Sun Meng replied, "I was just a flag holder in the Yanyue Array back then, not the one arranging the formation, and I only know the basics. I am afraid I will disappoint the County Magistrate's expectations."

Chen Mo: "..."

Why didn't you say so earlier, making him happy for nothing?

Sun Meng glanced at Wei Qing and then said, "Though I only know a little, Miss Xia definitely knows it.

Lady Xia is the most talented woman in Qingzhou, while Miss Xia enjoys studying military books. The Yanyue Array, being the formation of the Qingzhou Army, Miss Xia must have surely read about it in the array books."

As the magistrate's daughter, Xia Zhining naturally had the opportunity to come into contact with the Yanyue Array.

Wei Qing was stunned when he learned the two daughters of Prefect Xia were in Chen Mo's hands.

As someone from the Qingzhou Army, who didn't know that the Xia sisters were the most stunning women in Qingzhou? It was said that after the Celestial Master Army breached Nanyang, they even dug three feet deep to find these two women.

Unexpectedly, the two women were actually in Pingting County.

Wei Qing said, "County Magistrate, Prefect Xia held great prestige in the Qingzhou Army. Moreover, when the Northern Land suffered a severe drought, it was Prefect Xia who personally resolved the court's reduction of grain supplies to the Qingzhou Army. This time, with Nanyang fallen, Prefect Xia's sacrifice for his country was truly moving.

If the remaining Qingzhou Army knew that Prefect Xia's daughters were in your hands, they would undoubtedly come to pledge allegiance."

Of course, Wei Qing did not know that the two women had a grudge against Chen Mo. The premise of his words was in the context of Chen Mo having subdued the two women, thus allowing him to recruit the remaining Qingzhou Army under the Xia family's banner.

Chen Mo: "…"

He was aware that the Xia sisters were certainly useful.

But he hadn't expected he could use them to command the remaining Qingzhou Army.

In this case, under no circumstances could he let them leave.

"The matter of the Xia sisters being with me, please keep it confidential. For now, I do not wish others to know."

Currently, Chen Mo didn't have the strength to possess the two women. If the Celestial Master Army were to learn the women were in his hands, it would not just be Yang Minggui coming to demand them, but the leader of the Celestial Master Army himself.

After the discussion, Chen Mo contemplated how to obtain the Yanyue Array knowledge from Xia Zhining.

After all, he had not fully conquered the opposition. If he were to directly demand it, the other party would certainly not comply.

However, forcibly taking it would not only make people resent him, but if Xia Zhining were to tamper with the Yanyue Array and give him a fake one, it would lead to a major incident during the army's practice.

Upon careful consideration, Chen Mo decided to proceed gradually.

After all, he wasn't just interested in the Yanyue Array; he was also eyeing the cultivation techniques and martial arts of the two women.

As daughters of the magistrate, what they learned was definitely superior to those of noble families in small counties.

Arriving in the backyard of the county government office, Chen Mo found Liu Ze practicing with a blade.

Since Liu Ze could get out of bed, he had resumed his duty as the two women's guard, showing loyalty.

However, he couldn't stop Chen Mo.

Seeing Chen Mo, a flicker of fear instinctively passed through Liu Ze's eyes.

After all, he had been struck down by Chen Mo in just a few moves before, lying in bed for over half a month.

"I'm also a blade practitioner. Shall we spar?" Chen Mo drew his Tang Blade and said.

Liu Ze, frightened, stepped back two steps: "No... don't come closer."

Evidently, in front of Chen Mo, he had already lost the will to fight.

"You look quite old but haven't started a family. It's quite pitiable. Let me have someone find you a suitable match and get you married." Seeing Liu Ze dared not fight, Chen Mo sheathed his Tang Blade and switched the topic.

"No need... mind your own business." Liu Ze said.

"It's decided then. I'll arrange it for you soon." Chen Mo was not just talking. If Liu Ze got married, it would be easier to control him.

At that moment, Chunhong hurried over from the kitchen, holding a bowl of hot soup in her hands.

"Chunhong, what are you carrying?" Chen Mo walked toward Chunhong, ignoring Liu Ze.

"Ginger soup." Chunhong whispered, "Miss Xia is having her period."

Chen Mo nodded and said, "Let me take it. You may leave."

"Yes." Chunhong acknowledged.

Chen Mo carried the hot soup and headed straight to the side room.

...

Meanwhile, in Xia Lin.

Thousands of civilians were chiseling giant stones on a stone mountain.

After being chiseled, the stones had to be turned into smooth blocks.

Because these were materials for constructing the Celestial King Hall.

The conscripted civilian laborers received no wages.

The Celestial Master Army only provided two meals.

Of course, it wasn't regular meals, just two servings of thin porridge.

The work was intense and the food was scarce, so soon some could not endure it. But just as they attempted to slack off, the Celestial Master Army soldiers overseeing the work whipped them.

The overseers showed no mercy, and a single whip could knock down those with weaker constitutions.

In the city's most luxurious mansion, Yang Minggui looked at the Celestial King Hall model set up before him, already showing anticipation.

Beside him stood a middle-aged man dressed in plain clothes, wearing a blue kerchief, with a scholarly appearance but a shadow of darkness between his brows. Stroking his beard, he smiled and said, "Once the Celestial King Hall is built, we can harness the Earth Vein Qi of all Xia Lin for the commander's use."

"By then, when I step into the Upper Three Grades, I will certainly swear brotherhood with the military advisor and share riches and honor." Yang Minggui spoke solemnly.

"Commander, you're too kind. It's my duty to assist."

As the middle-aged man finished speaking, a Celestial Master Army recruit rushed in anxiously, saying, "Commander, an urgent message from the Celestial Master."