Chapter 54 Free to Come and Go

When Liu Li and Saheli rendezvoused at a training ground within the city, both of their respective groups had expanded tenfold, numbering over four hundred recruits.

Over at the training ground, fires were already blazing beneath massive cauldrons filled with boiling white rice.

The rice grains had been fully hulled, gleaming white as they tumbled and churned in the rolling, steaming water. The sight made the mouths of the youths water instantly, stirring a restless murmur through the crowd.

Liu Li and Saheli exchanged a glance with the veterans from the Liu Family Camp, and the rest of the veterans immediately understood what needed to be done.

One by one, they drew wooden staves from the tents and began marshaling the orphans into neat formations.

Whenever someone struggled to grasp the commands, the youths of the Liu Family Camp would patiently guide them. Even if a recruit failed to learn the first time, they would painstakingly teach them a second and third time.

However, unlike the first attempt, the lesson before the second round invariably began with a few heavy, resounding whacks from a wooden staff before explanations resumed.

During this process, Pan Jun also took several blows. The burning sensation across his backside was far from pleasant, but it served to sharpen his focus considerably.

After roughly half an hour, the youths finally grasped their respective positions, and very few were standing out of place anymore.

These boys were the offspring of the Danyang soldiers; accustomed to banding together since childhood, many of their games during the Eastern Han era naturally revolved around military simulations.

This was precisely why the youths adapted to the formations so swiftly.

Once the formations were set, the veterans of the Liu Family Camp stood along the perimeter, grasping their wooden staves, staring down the newly arrived recruits with fierce, predatory intensity.

The new recruits had no choice but to remain standing. The veterans had made it abundantly clear earlier: anyone who moved without orders or broke the formation would be dragged out and given ten heavy strikes with the plank.

Fortunately, the veterans of the Liu Family Camp did not slack off. Instead, they remained standing right alongside the recruits outside the ranks.

Even the two leaders, Liu Li and Saheli, were no exception, stationing themselves firmly at the very front of the formation.

After standing for about half an hour, when many within the ranks were beginning to reach their physical limits, Liu Li and Saheli exchanged a nod.

It was just about right. These youths had weak foundations, and it would spell trouble if anyone collapsed from exhaustion.

"Listen up for orders!"

Liu Li shouted toward the formation, "No one is to move around! Sit down right where you are standing!"

Hearing this command, the new recruits felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted. Even Pan Jun, whose physical stamina was comparatively better, was reaching his breaking point and hurriedly sat down.

Once seated, the exhaustion in their bodies did not dissipate immediately; instead, a gnawing wave of hunger surged upward, impossible to suppress.

At that moment, the veterans of the Liu Family Camp began distributing bowls to the new recruits in the formation.

"One bowl of porridge per person! Top-quality rice porridge!"

While handing out bowls to the front row, Saheli shouted at the top of his lungs, "Remember! The grain you are eating was granted by the Young Master, and the grain distributed to your families was likewise granted by the Young Master. From this day forward, your very lives belong to the Young Master! Those who are willing to stay will be brothers, and everyone will have enough to eat. Those who are unwilling may finish their white porridge and leave. You won't have to return the grain given to you—consider it an act of charity from the Young Master."

"You can start considering your choice while you drink your porridge."

"The Young Master has declared that starting today, within seven days, any of you are free to leave, and the grain given to you will not be reclaimed."

"However, the time is strictly limited to seven days!"

"Within seven days, you may quit."

"Yet if anyone wishes to leave after those seven days have passed, it shall be treated as the crime of desertion!"

"When that time comes, execution shall be immediate with no pardon!"

"You may begin giving this serious thought. Make sure you weigh it carefully, for once a decision is made, there will be no turning back."

Amidst Saheli's resounding shouts, the veterans of the Liu Family Camp ladled hot porridge ladle by ladle into the bowls of the youths.

The portions were uniform for everyone, a balanced mix of broth and grains. The rice had been cooked until thoroughly tender, and the rich broth carried a deep, comforting aroma of grain with a faint, subtle sweetness.

Unable to wait for the porridge to cool, the youths eagerly slurped it down. They frequently cried out in pain as the scalding liquid burned their tongues, yet none of them could bear to put their bowls down.

Soon enough, the hot porridge was completely devoured, and even the bottoms of the bowls were licked clean multiple times.

Liu Li and Saheli did not rush them, merely waiting for the youths to reach their verdicts.

Pan Jun sat motionless with his bowl in hand. He had already made up his mind. With only his younger brothers and sisters left at home, had it not been for Liu Feng's generosity in gifting their family a stone of grain earlier, at least one or two of them would have starved to death by now.

The Young Master was the son of the Governor, while he himself was merely the whelp of a poor soldier. What could anyone possibly want to take from someone like him?

Having eaten the Young Master's food, drunk the Young Master's porridge, and accepted the Young Master's grain, if he didn't risk his life for him, even his deceased father beneath the earth would never forgive him.

Not to mention, if he left now, what would they do when the food ran out again in a dozen days or so?

Go begging for charity all over again?

Pan Jun lacked the shamelessness for that.

Sitting on either side of Pan Jun were familiar faces. One was nicknamed Monkey, possessing a sharp, pointed face and a pair of remarkably lively eyes, while the other was called Gou Sheng, who looked somewhat dull-witted and possessed an honest, simple air about him.

These two were on very close terms with Pan Jun, acting as his childhood friends, with Pan Jun acting as their de facto leader.

"Big Brother Jun, what's your take? Are we staying or not?"

Monkey talked a lot and asked on behalf of Gou Sheng as well.

Pan Jun glanced at the two of them. "I intend to stay. Back in the day, our fathers sold their labor and risked their lives for food and coin; we're merely doing it all over again."

Monkey nodded in agreement, chiming in, "That's true enough. Besides, I reckon the new Governor's son is far more generous than the old Governor."

Gou Sheng suddenly piped up as well, "And he's kinder-hearted than the old Governor, too."

Monkey chuckled playfully. "Heh, look at you, Gou Sheng, sucking up to the Young Master when he isn't even here to hear it."

Gou Sheng grew somewhat flustered; he had spoken straight from the heart and had no intention of flattering anyone.

Pan Jun cast a sideways glance at the veterans of the Liu Family Camp stationed outside and advised his companions, "All right, since we've all decided to stay, behave yourselves and don't stir up trouble. Watch out or you'll taste the plank."

Upon hearing this, Monkey and Gou Sheng quickly turned their heads to look outward, only to find that several veterans of the Liu Family Camp were indeed fixing their gaze upon them.

The pair instantly straightened up, not daring to act up again.

Liu Li and Saheli were in no rush. This aligned precisely with Liu Feng's prior instructions: do not force anyone; only those who genuinely wished to stay were worth cultivating.

Those who wanted to leave should be allowed to go.

Opportunity came at a price, and not everyone was worthy of receiving it.

The new recruits had finished their hot porridge, and the initial warmth fading from their bodies left a chill in the air.

A sharp-featured youth, bearing a striking resemblance to Monkey, raised his hand. "If we quit right now, do we really not have to return the grain?"

Saheli glanced at him and nodded. "That's right, you don't have to return it."

Hearing that they genuinely didn't have to give the grain back, quite a few individuals felt their resolve waver.

Ever since entering the camp, they had been subjected to grueling standing drills and beaten with staves for moving, causing doubts to brew heavily in many hearts.

The moment Saheli's words fell, a youth stood up and tentatively began walking toward the edge of the camp.