Chapter 65: Are Those Three Thousand Days Over Just Like That?

Beiping, the Commander's Tent.

Xu Da’s fingertips gently caressed a thin, confidential intelligence report—paper brought by the Brocade Guard all the way from Yingtian Prefecture.

"…Dosage of the raw elixir caused the prisoner’s appetite to surge exponentially; consuming three sheep daily, strength exceeding that of a charging ox, skin as tough as iron, impervious to ordinary swords and sabers. However, consciousness remains clouded, leaving only bestial instincts. If not fully fed, they become violent and bloodthirsty…"

Just a few brief sentences sketched out the profile of a nearly demonic monster.

A fine layer of cold sweat oozed across Xu Da’s back.

Could this thing be what that fat man had been using on his own soldiers?

This was no powerful military potion; it was unequivocally a poison that bred madmen and demons! He dared not imagine what earth-shattering devastation would ensue if Fan Tong's hundreds of men suddenly went collectively berserk on the battlefield.

The Emperor’s edict followed immediately after.

"…This medicine is potent and cannot be mass-produced, yet Fan Tong possesses unusual capabilities and should be employed accordingly. It is hereby decreed that the Vanguard Battalion be expanded to three thousand men, Fan Tong promoted to the rank of Assistant General. All required personnel, armor, and provisions shall be preferentially allocated from the Beiping treasury."

Having read it, Xu Da slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air.

He understood the Emperor’s intentions.

This was a high-stakes gamble.

A wager that the fat man could manage this ferocious beast he had raised with his own hands.

"Guard, invite General Fan here," Xu Da said, his tone devoid of any discernible emotion.

When Fan Tong stepped into the commander’s tent, his face still bore a hazy drowsiness from lack of sleep. Last night, he had conceptualized a new dish called "Golden Broth A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix." Using an old hen and pumpkin puree to simmer a rich broth, he had stuffed over a dozen quails into the belly of a plump chicken, slow-cooking it over low heat for half the night until it smelled so divine he had almost eaten the pot itself.

"Commander Xu, did you summon me?" Fan Tong yawned, rubbing his eyes.

Xu Da did not speak; he merely pushed the experimental report from the Brocade Guard across the desk toward him.

Fan Tong’s gaze swept over the lines of text. The drowsiness on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a deathly pallor.

He felt a chill race straight from the soles of his feet up to his crown.

"System! Damn your grandfather! The potency of the drug you gave me is way too fierce! Aren't you trying to frame me?" Fan Tong roared frantically in his mind.

The system's voice carried a hint of gloating amusement: [Hehe, if it weren't a bit fierce, how could we give His Majesty up there a tiny little shock?]

Fan Tong’s heart sank to the abyss. *Darn it, this isn't just a shock, you're going to get Emperor Zhu to execute me as a demon!*

Hearing this, the system offered an awkward, sheepish laugh of embarrassment!

Xu Da’s eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, staring fixedly at him as if trying to see right through him from inside and out.

"Fan Tong, how do you explain this?"

Cold sweat beaded on Fan Tong’s temples, rolling down like a broken string of pearls.

He knew that if he failed to get past this hurdle, he would likely be branded an occult sorcerer.

He forced out a smile that was uglier than crying, his voice trembling slightly: "Commander Xu, please… please listen to my explanation. This… this is precisely the undiluted raw elixir I mentioned to you earlier!"

"The ancestors of those Yellow Turban rebels couldn't control this tyrannical medicinal potency simply because they lacked the crucial technique of 'circulating vital energy to neutralize it!' Therefore, I… the stuff I gave my men was diluted a hundredfold—no, a thousandfold! It only takes a tiny fraction of its efficacy for strengthening tendons and bones, just to be used as a physical fitness tonic!"

"As long as the dosage is strictly controlled, this kind of… of mental degradation won't happen! I dare stake my head on it!"

Fan Tong spoke with absolute conviction, though his heart was shaking like a leaf.

Xu Da watched him in silence, the atmosphere inside the tent oppressively heavy, making it hard to breathe.

After a long while, Xu Da finally spoke slowly, his voice devoid of emotion: "Have a look at the Emperor’s decree as well."

Trembling, Fan Tong picked up the imperial edict. When his eyes caught the phrases "Promoted to Assistant General," "Expanded to three thousand men," and "Priority allocation of grain and provisions," his entire being went blank.

Happiness arrived too suddenly, striking like a tornado.

Yet the very next second, his face collapsed.

Three thousand men?

How much grain would they consume?

Fan Tong’s fat face wrinkled into the expression of a bitter melon, and he blurted out, "Commander Xu! This… this is impossible to live with! Three thousand mouths, I can't afford to feed them!"

His outburst instantly shattered the heavy, solemn atmosphere within the tent.

The corners of Xu Da’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.

In this world, upon receiving a promotion and an army expansion, the very first reaction of this fat man was not to kowtow and thank imperial grace, but to worry about not being able to afford feeding his soldiers.

"Whether you can afford it or not, you must feed them!" Xu Da slammed the table, his voice dropping low. "The Emperor has practically handed you the keys to the Beiping treasury. If you still can't whip a combat-ready army into shape, bring your own head to Yingtian Prefecture and explain it to the Emperor!"

Hearing this, Fan Tong’s eyes rolled around craftily.

He knew this was a monumental opportunity.

An opportunity to truly elevate his Vanguard Battalion to prominence.

He rubbed his hands together, his face plastered with a fawning smile. "Commander Xu, leading troops into battle is naturally no problem at all. It's just… I do have one small request."

"Speak."

"I would like to train all three thousand of these men as cavalry!" Fan Tong’s voice wasn't loud, but it exploded in Xu Da’s ears like a thunderclap.

Three thousand cavalry!

The soldiers' appetites were already on the verge of surpassing warhorses, and now he wanted actual horses on top of that!

Xu Da’s temples throbbed violently, and he saw stars dancing before his eyes.

He forced the words out between clenched teeth, one by one.

"Granted!"

"I also want the finest warhorses, the finest armor, and the finest weapons! And grain… you've got to give me more grain. You know how much my men eat; they can't fight on empty stomachs..." Fan Tong pushed his luck further.

Xu Da gritted his teeth and snarled, "Get out! Get the hell out of my sight right now! Three months! I want to see a tiger-and-wolf division capable of trampling the northern desert! Otherwise, I'll skin you alive!"

"You got it!"

As if granted a pardon from death, Fan Tong scrambled out of the commander’s tent in a flurry. No matter how one looked at it, his retreating figure exuded a sense of bubbling joy and slyness.

Back at the Vanguard Battalion, Fan Tong was utterly exhilarated.

Standing on the spacious drill ground, he could already envision three thousand strapping, broad-shouldered men clad in heavy armor and mounted on tall steeds, surging across the entire grassland like a black tide at his command.

What a breathtaking sight!

"Bao Nianfeng!" Fan Tong roared at the top of his lungs.

"Chief! What is it?" Bao Nianfeng lugged his massive axe as he emerged from a tent, his mouth still stuffed with half a roasted chicken.

"Go, call everyone in our camp who can read over to me! Prepare ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones! I’m going to write a recruitment notice myself!"

Soon enough, a recruitment notice capable of stirring monstrous waves throughout the entire Beiping encampment was posted on the boards.

"The Vanguard Battalion is expanding recruitment, selecting three thousand men based on merit. All those selected will receive double pay!"

The first half was quite ordinary.

However, the assessment criteria in the latter half left everyone who read it completely dumbfounded.

"First: Weight-bearing. Wearing heavy armor, run twenty li. The ones who arrive first are selected."

"Second: Endurance. After the weight-bearing run, anyone who can still stand upright and hurl curses is selected."

Many people were confused as to why cursing was a test! Those nearby quietly enlightened them with anecdotes of General Lan Yu, whispering, "Word has it that General Lan Yu likes to tear off people's trousers and..."

This notice struck the calm lake like a giant boulder.

The entire Beiping garrison was thoroughly thrown into chaos.

Countless eyes—some greedy, some envious, some disdainful—all locked onto Fan Tong’s small camp, which was destined to transform into a massive beast.

Everyone knew that the skies over Beiping were about to change.

And the mastermind behind it all, Assistant General Fan, was currently humming a cheerful little tune, personally wielding the ladle to stew a pot of fragrant, mouth-watering pheasant.

A cannibalistic ogre legion of three thousand men—just thinking about it was exhilarating!

From now on when he walked outside, wouldn't he be walking sideways?

Hah! Kokochu, my foot!