Chapter 114

After all the units had been reorganized, Huo Jilin walked down the line, inspecting each battalion, and ordered the company commanders to report their numbers—including the absent commanders, Cloud Cavalry Commandants, company commanders, and their names and counts.

For units without company commanders, the next rank down reported; for those who couldn't report, their subordinates reported in turn.

Many unit leaders knew how many men they had, but they couldn't possibly remember the names of all those cavalry lieutenants—who would bother remembering the names of such minor officers? They only needed to remember their superiors' names.

Why was this Huo Jilin demanding this kind of roll call?

Didn't he see how few company commanders had shown up?

The Third Battalion had neither its company commander nor even its commander present!

Could Huo Jilin be doing this deliberately?

Or was he just someone from the countryside who didn't understand basic social graces?

But these men only dared to grumble inwardly. After all, Huo Jilin was the Commissioner personally appointed by the Emperor. Weren't they here today precisely because they lacked backing and feared provoking Huo Jilin's wrath?

One of them stole a glance at Huo Jilin's expression, expecting to see mockery or anger, but Huo Jilin's face remained indifferent, saying nothing—as if he merely wanted the data.

Yet the more indifferent he was, the more embarrassed and furious those who couldn't name their soldiers became. And they couldn't even complain afterward—there was nothing to complain about. This move of Huo Jilin's was truly infuriating.

Ten thousand men, two guard units, ten battalions, a hundred squads—Huo Jilin walked through all of them completely, recording every piece of data. He looked at each person, matching names to faces. He insisted on exact figures.

So by the time the roll call was finished, a whole two hours had passed. The sun had risen to mid-sky. In early winter, that bit of sunlight brought no warmth, yet the soldiers standing stiffly at attention had a thin sheen of sweat on their backs.

They no longer underestimated Huo Jilin the way they had at first. This great general was too young, and he'd been brought in from outside—initially none of them thought much of him. Though they still didn't know how skilled he was in martial arts, this single move was enough to make their palms sweat.

Especially since he hadn't smiled once from start to finish—no smiles, and no anger either. His ability to hide his emotions at such a young age marked him as ruthless.

So when they heard the words "Formation complete. Morning training begins. Each battalion commander leads the drills," they felt as if they'd been granted a reprieve, and threw themselves into training wholeheartedly.

Apart from his meticulous roll call at the start, Huo Jilin merely watched the rest of the training from the side. He didn't interfere with or change any training routines.

Actually, they'd known Huo Jilin would take office today. General Wei had told them to train well and not embarrass themselves.

And they had certainly embarrassed themselves today.

For all these reasons, their training today was far more vigorous than usual. They covered many drills—horseback archery, sword and staff combat, wrestling, and more.

When they were dismissed at dusk, Huo Jilin offered no praise.

He wrapped up as simply as he'd opened that morning.

"Alright, training ends here for today. We'll continue tomorrow. Each guard's cavalry lieutenants should coordinate with their superiors on night security."

After speaking, Huo Jilin mounted his horse and rode off with his personal guards.

He left without hesitation, riding straight out of the capital camp.

He galloped off in a cloud of dust—an excellent rider, clearly eager to get home.

Zhao He muttered: "Wonder why he's in such a hurry to get home?"

Zhou Yu said nonchalantly: "Going home to see his wife, of course."

Another young nobleman traveling with them snorted: "What wife? All he has at home is a husband from a village."

Zhao He leaned over: "Really, just a husband?"

Zhao Yu nodded: "Of course. My father had it all looked into."

Zhao Yu's father was an imperial censor at court.

Zhao He clicked his tongue: "It's all for show, then. He acted all serious all day as if it meant something."

"Exactly. I was wondering—didn't we train well? We worked so hard, I nearly threw my back out," Zhao Yu said.

"He's putting on airs. He's from Dongling County. Can those soldiers from Dongling even compare to us?"

"Compare? Not a chance! We're the capital camp! The Nanjing camp might give us a run for our money, but those local garrison troops? Impossible. They go home and farm when they're off duty—they wield swords like hoes. How could they possibly match us?"

Zhao He said bluntly.

He'd felt humiliated today too. If it came to hand-to-hand combat, archery, or horseback riding, he'd never come up short—he'd loved those things since childhood and aspired to be a great general.

He'd been in the capital camp for three years, resisting family pressure to marry, hoping to one day see battle. He felt he'd formed brotherly bonds with his soldiers, and he showed up for riding and archery training whenever he could. He considered himself far better than wastrels like Zhao Yu—more than worthy of being a general. But today's roll call had slapped him across the face, leaving him burning with shame.

A great general should be bold and unrestrained, treating his soldiers like brothers. But Huo Jilin was the complete opposite. How could someone so cold and heartless become a great general?!

It was a slap in his face.

Zhou Yu's anger was also roused. He agreed: "He's just putting on a show. With that cold demeanor, he probably thinks his few soldiers are crack troops. One day we'll see what real skill he has!"

Zhao Yu added: "Right. He made us look like fools today. Sooner or later we'll see him make a fool of himself!"

After the young nobles finished complaining, they noticed it was already dark. If they didn't leave soon, they'd need lanterns to get home!

"Let's go. The commander-in-chief's already left. Why are we still here working so hard?" Zhao Yu said.

Zhou Yu yawned: "I'm not coming tomorrow. I made a fool of myself today, and I can't name those names tomorrow anyway."

Zhao He gritted his teeth: "I'll come. I want to see what he's really made of!"

Huo Jilin had no idea that in a single day, he'd incurred the resentment of the capital's noble sons in the camp.

Those noble sons were annoyed with him, and he was equally annoyed with them.

Wastrels were a dime a dozen. He too had come from a wealthy family, but he was a strict person by nature—strict with others, and strict with himself.

During those three years in the military, though he'd gone to pad his résumé, he'd performed far better than most, and had joined a special forces unit.

He'd already gone easy on these people today. If he were his old self, they'd all have been dismissed from their posts.

As he'd told Chen Jue that day, this time around he wouldn't be so demanding.

As long as he was at this capital camp, he would simply do his part.

Let these wastrels be.

He spurred his horse toward home, wanting to see Chen Jue as soon as possible. He wondered how Chen Jue had fared at the palace today.

Li Jun and the others riding alongside chatted as they galloped: "Did you see their faces? Ha! Green as grass. The capital camp isn't all that great!"

"Right, their level is nothing special. I'd actually come hoping to learn a thing or two—well, they're no better than us! And they call themselves the capital camp!"

"Our general should give them a taste of their own medicine. They tried to intimidate him at first—serves them right!"

"Once we get in there, we'll show them what we're made of!"

Today, the Jing Camp had gotten a real taste of how formidable Huo Jilin's training methods were.

They still couldn't wrap their heads around why Huo Jilin had done what he did today. Only Li Jun and the others who'd followed Huo Jilin for a year in Dongling County knew this was just his style.

His strength was never in his words, but in the actual training itself.

Strict discipline and clear rewards and punishments were a must, but rigorous training and clear commands were the real core of Huo Jilin's military drills.

Having followed Huo Jilin for a year, they knew how demanding he was when it came to work.

"Commissioner, when can we get into the camp?"

They'd already reached the Marquis of Beiping's residence. After dismounting, Li Jun asked Huo Jilin.

"Once we're in, we'll push these soldiers in their training. Within a month, we'll show the Right Camp what we're made of, make General Wei look at us with new respect, and make them regret trying to intimidate you, General."

"Exactly. The fact that so few officers showed up today must've been that General Wei's doing," added Xiao Rui.

At that, Li Jun remembered the soldiers who hadn't shown up and said angrily, "Right, it must be him!"

Huo Jilin shook his head in the darkness. "It's not him."

Even if Wei Yan wanted to intimidate him, he wouldn't do it by having those soldiers skip out. Wei Yan, an old general with a stubborn, quirky temper, wouldn't stoop to such schemes.

This was the reality of the Jing Camp. The Daliang Dynasty had been around for three generations, over seventy years. Most feudal dynasties lasted about a century, and by the halfway point, corruption was usually rampant.

The Daliang Dynasty was no exception. The Jing Camp was just as corrupt as the imperial court.

Huo Jilin's expression turned cold. This was the era they'd ended up in.

"Enough of this. Get some rest," Huo Jilin said to Li Jun and the others as they reached the residence.

Li Jun said to him, "Commissioner, bring the little master out so I can see him. I've missed him all day."

Huo Jilin glanced at him. Stealing his lines, huh?

Even so, Huo Jilin walked toward the main hall.

The Marquis's residence had more rules. The living quarters past the main hall were off-limits to Li Jun and the others.

So they waited in the corridor.

The moment Huo Jilin stepped into the main hall, he heard Huo Yu's laughter.

His laugh was contagious. Chen Jue had once said it sounded like a hen laying an egg. Lately, having seen Li Jun a lot, he'd picked up his hearty, thigh-slapping laugh.

A little kid laughing like that was just adorable.

So at the sound of his laughter, Huo Jilin sped up.

Standing at the doorway, he heard Chen Jue's voice. Sure enough, Chen Jue, sitting on the couch, was leaning over to look at Huo Yu's wide-open mouth, saying, "Xiaoyu, laughing like that, I can see your little uvula."

Huo Yu thought he was being praised and kept up his exaggerated laughter for a few more seconds. With only eight tiny teeth, opening his mouth that wide showed all the way to the back of his throat. No wonder Chen Jue said that.

Huo Jilin watched from the doorway. Huo Yu loved to laugh, and at this age, he was at that hilarious stage of trying to imitate dogs, cats, and adults but not quite pulling it off. Chen Jue smiled more because of him.

He was smiling now. The hall was brightly lit, and the area where Huo Yu played was especially well-lit, since he liked taking things apart.

So Chen Jue's smile, though subtle, was clearly tender—warmer than the light itself.

Huo Jilin smiled along with him. The harsh chill of the whole day seemed to melt away. This was what home meant.

Steward Su had already spotted him, so Huo Jilin called out to the two who were happily playing:

"Chen Jue, Xiaoyu, I'm back."

Huo Yu turned his head, saw him, dropped his toy right away, and crawled backward off the couch. Steward Su stood nearby, ready to catch him, but he didn't need any help.

Huo Yu was a year and two months old and had gotten really good at crawling. Chen Jue usually let him do it on his own. He only picked him up when he couldn't reach something.

Sure enough, Huo Yu climbed down from the couch without a hitch and ran toward Huo Jilin: "...Da... da... back."

Though he couldn't talk well yet, he ran fast, scurrying over. Huo Jilin bent down, picked him up, and lifted him high. Huo Yu giggled. This time, the hen-like laugh was real, not put on.

Steward Su stepped forward: "Master, you're back."

From "Young Master" to "Master," Steward Su had made the switch smoothly. Huo Jilin wasn't used to it but had no choice. He just nodded: "Mm, I'm back. We'll eat soon. Huo Yu, come on, I'll take you to see your Uncle Li."

Huo Yu laughed the moment he saw Li Jun—that big, hearty laugh. The exaggerated laughter was tiring, and after laughing, Huo Yu coughed a few times. That was overdoing it.

Huo Jilin glanced at Li Jun, who rubbed his nose, looking embarrassed. He clasped his hands in salute to Chen Jue and led the other brothers back to the side courtyard for dinner and rest.

Huo Jilin and Chen Jue also had their meal. Three meals a day—they'd kept that schedule since their time in Pingshan Village. Now that they were settled here, their household had gone back to three meals a day.

Huo Yu ate more than three times a day. He had three main meals, but in between, he had snacks and milk.

He was at an active age and got hungry fast.

After dinner, Chen Jue gave him some boiled pear water. It was early winter, to ward off colds and coughs. Fortunately, he was in good health.

Huo Jilin played with him for a bit, then let Steward Su take over.

He and Chen Jue caught each other up on their daily affairs.

Chen Jue summarized the key points of his visit to the palace. The domestic squabbles in the harem were tied to the politics of the court.

Huo Jilin straightened the brush on the table and said, "So the emperor still hasn't picked a crown prince."

There was Prince Jing, born to Empress Liu, and Prince Cheng, born to Consort Liang.

According to Great Liang tradition, the eldest son succeeded. Prince Jing was not only the eldest son but also the legitimate one.

Though the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate wasn't as big a deal in this era as in later TV dramas, the imperial bloodline still mattered.

Orthodox succession was the cornerstone of Confucian Zhu Xi's philosophy.

The current emperor had been adopted by Empress Dowager Liang. Empress Dowager Qin was the emperor's birth mother, granted the title after he took the throne. During the Late Emperor's reign, she'd only been a consort.

According to Great Liang tradition, upon taking the throne, the emperor was supposed to appoint a crown prince, no matter how many years that prince would serve. It was meant to stabilize the Eastern Palace.

The current emperor had been crown prince for thirty years. He'd become crown prince after being adopted by the two empresses.

The current emperor, Emperor Liangzong, had three sons, four daughters, and one gē'er. With a legitimate eldest son, he should've appointed Prince Jing as crown prince the moment he took the throne.

But because of Grand Tutor Liang, Prince Cheng, born to Consort Liang, was also a strong contender for the crown prince.

Grand Tutor Liang controlled the Great Liang court. Though he hadn't explicitly stated his support for Prince Cheng, his followers had all quietly picked up on his intentions.

This was also why the crown prince had yet to be appointed.

As long as the crown prince remained unappointed, the court and the harem would remain unsettled.

Chen Jue only had to mention Empress Liu's grandson for Huo Jilin to immediately understand what she was wary of.

She wouldn't trust the Huo family so quickly.

Huo Jilin didn't mind either. What did it matter if the emperor trusted him somewhat? An emperor who couldn't wield power wasn't really showing him trust—more like using him as a target.

He knew all this, so seeing through it was enough; there was no need to take it too seriously.

He smiled at Chen Jue and said, "No need for you to see patients. Rest up properly for a few days—you'll be busy again soon."

The pharmaceutical factory in the capital was definitely going to be established. "Chen's Pharmaceutical" had already become an Imperial Merchant, obligated not only to pay taxes to the court but likely to give the emperor a cut as well.

Chen Jue smiled too. "I know. I've already written to Qingzhu and the others, inviting them to the capital for the New Year. We'll discuss everything then."

With the palace matters settled, Chen Jue asked about Huo Jilin's situation at the military camp. Though he wasn't keen on court affairs, he knew they were already in this whirlpool, so they had to face it together.

Huo Jilin told him about the day's events, including General Wei strolling with his hands clasped behind his back and fewer than half the officers showing up.

Chen Jue clicked his tongue lightly. "Seems like another den of vipers."

Huo Jilin chuckled. "Where in the capital isn't murky or deep?"

Chen Jue looked at him. If Huo Jilin could still laugh, then nothing would stump him. So Chen Jue said, "General Huo is magnanimous. I'm sure with your past abilities, you'll surely straighten out military affairs, purge the ranks, stand ready, and build a disciplined army."

Huo Jilin stared at him. "I feel like you're being sarcastic. Gloating over my misfortune."

Chen Jue spread his hands. "Absolutely not. I'm being sincere. Use the same tactics you used when you took over Zhonghai Hospital back then, haha."

They both laughed at that.

Being able to bring up those days meant they were truly behind them.

Huo Jilin smiled too.

He glanced at the night outside. This world wasn't his past life, and the Zhonghai Hospital days felt so distant now.

He looked back at the man before him. Thank goodness Chen Jue was here.

Otherwise, how lonely would he be here?

Chen Jue finally turned serious and said, "This place is different from before. You need to be careful—don't meet force with force."

Huo Jilin smiled at him. "I know. I ran straight home after work today. Home's always better than work." He paused, then added, "I have the two of you now. I'll be careful in everything."

Chen Jue held his hand and nodded, just as he'd thought earlier that day. The world they were in had changed, and they now had people to care about and protect.

At night, Huo Yu still slept with them. He was already a bit clever now, refusing to sleep in the adjoining room with his wet nurse no matter what. Even when his eyes were heavy with sleep, he insisted on coming to them.

Steward Su carried him in, and Huo Yu rubbed his eyes while reaching out toward the two of them.