Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 812: Military Camp (Part 2)

Jiang Shaohua never hides behind euphemisms; she says directly, "Military drills have their own procedures and regulations, follow the usual rules."

"This time, I intend to let my Personal Guard Camp participate as well. I ask the Left General for some guidance."

The Left General raised an eyebrow: "Are you referring to the Nanyang Guard Camp?"

Jiang Shaohua nodded: "Precisely."

Since ascending the throne, she has transferred many personnel from the Personal Guard Camp into the palace. However, most of the guards still remain in the Personal Guard Camp. Moreover, recruitment and training have never ceased over the years. The current strength of the Nanyang Guard Camp is known only to a few, outsiders are unaware.

Nevertheless, one thing is very clear. The Empress’s true trump card is this Personal Guard.

The Left General was unfazed and readily agreed: "Fine, I’ve long heard Commander Liu excels at training troops, it’ll be a good opportunity for a friendly match."

The Liu Hengchang mentioned by the Left General was the very man who once led troops to break the Rouran Army Camp. As for fierce generals like Qin Zhan Meng Dashan, they are not uncommon to the Left General. The military is never short of brave warriors. It is those like Liu Hengchang, who are well-versed in military strategy and skilled in training troops, that are rare talents.

Jiang Shaohua smiled lightly: "The day I decided to inspect the military camp, I sent a message to Nanyang. They have already set out, and calculating the journey, they should reach the Capital City in a maximum of five to six days."

The Left General, not lacking in wits, smiled and said: "How many people are coming from the Personal Guard Camp? If the Imperial Army’s Divine Power Camp and Brave Camp can’t accommodate them, I can allocate space for part of them."

"All of them." Jiang Shaohua casually remarked: "The total strength is around thirty thousand."

The Left General’s eyebrows jumped a few times, and he inhaled sharply.

Thirty thousand guards?

These are well-known elite troops, capable of taking on ten times their number!

For comparison, he himself has about five hundred personal guards. On the battlefield, these five hundred guards follow him closely, ensuring his safety. When no one else can be used, these five hundred guards can charge and defeat the enemy.

Such loyal guards are, of course, as valuable as can be found. However, the court has strict regulations concerning the maintenance of personal guards by military generals; as Marquis Wei Yuan and Great General, he is allowed only five hundred guards.

As the former Nanyang County Princess, according to court regulations, the Empress was also only supposed to have five hundred guards. But the fact is, the number of guards has long tripled.

Five years ago, the Empress led her personal guard into the palace during a coup, annihilating rebels with fierce determination, her heroic presence deeply etched in the hearts of ministers. The Left General’s respect for the Empress is largely due to witnessing firsthand how she slayed enemies.

That battle saw heavy casualties among the Empress’s personal guards. The Personal Guard Camp initially dispatched a thousand troops to the Capital City, followed by the Empress intermittently summoning more guards. It seemed the empress had an inexhaustible supply of personal guards.

Just how many people are in the Nanyang Guard Camp?

The generals have privately discussed this topic. The Left General has also privately speculated; maintaining personal guards is vastly different from ordinary soldiers. A personal guard’s annual pay is several times that of an ordinary soldier, and each guard has a horse, which is an expensive upkeep. For the Nanyang Prince Mansion to maintain ten thousand guards would be quite a feat.

Thirty thousand?

Thirty thousand!

How can there be so many!

How can there be so many!

How can they afford so many!

Looking at the utterly shocked expression on the face of the Left General, Jiang Shaohua smiled gradually: "I have ordered the Ministry of War to select a location, then sent craftsmen from the Ministry of Industry to fence it and set up some tents. When the Personal Guard Camp arrives, there will be accommodations. No need for the Left General to worry."

Well, a military camp has even been set up.

It seems the Emperor intends to have the Personal Guard Camp permanently stationed in the Capital City. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

From now on, there will be one more military unit stationed in the Capital City.

The Empress’s arrangements leave no room for ministers to doubt or dissent. The Left General did not say more, just nodded: "Indeed."

...

That night, the Left General tossed and turned in his tent, unable to sleep.

The Empress under the pretense of a military drill, is openly bringing the Personal Guard Camp into the Capital City as a stationed elite force.

Such elite troops, loyal and skilled in both mounted and foot combat, even if they don’t equate to Qin Hu Meng Sanbao, are skills hard to find in the military.

Having such thirty thousand elite soldiers, how can this not be concerning?

The Empress spent five years reorganizing the civil servants, and now she’s proceeding to reorganize the Da Liang army.

The military generals of Da Liang are going to be unsettled as well.

The Left General barely slept all night and was startled awake early next morning by the fifth-hour drumbeats.

His personal soldier rushed into the tent, urgently whispering: "Great General, the Emperor is already up and has gone to the mess hall."

The Left General steadied his mind and glared at his soldier: "Why panic. The food in the military camp has improved compared to previous years. If the Emperor wants to look, just let him look."

His personal soldier received a scolding, looking embarrassed: "Yes. I momentarily lost my mind. It wasn’t like the previous years when army funds were withheld, and the troops weren’t even fed enough!"

Though the Left General spoke openly, he acted swiftly, ready in moments, striding towards the mess hall.

His personal soldier followed, silently complaining. The General speaks with a tough authority but fears the Emperor.

In the mess hall, the cooks had opened dozens of large pots, cooking porridge. Nearby, dozens of large steamers held steaming barley buns. There were also a dozen large bamboo baskets, each filled with pickled vegetables.

To the soldiers in the camp, this was a filling and economical meal.

The Empress, dressed in martial attire, took a glance around the mess hall, under the cautious eyes of cooks, and smiled: "Today’s breakfast is good."

Seeing the Left General hurrying in, he also silently sighed a relief and joined in: "I instructed that since morning drills are a must, breakfast must be filling. Porridge should be thick, and barley buns should be hearty."

"In the camp, meat is served once every three days. There will be meat for lunch today, and the Emperor can witness it personally."

Jiang Shaohua smiled: "Not just witness, I want to eat breakfast and lunch with the soldiers."

In the camp, the Empress never puts on airs; she eats with the soldiers and drills with them. The Left General was initially shocked last year but is now accustomed; he replied with a smile: "I will accompany the Emperor."

Jiang Shaohua nodded gladly.

During breakfast, the Left General was once again amazed at the Empress’s appetite. He, a big man, could not eat half as much as the Empress!

After breakfast, the soldiers commenced their drills. The first task was to line up and start running.