nucmednet Chapter 739 Principal
Chapter 739 Principal
As the principal of the Ma'ao Army Officer School and the Bofu Naval Officer School, Liu Ye, as Liang Xiaoming said, did indeed want to build this place into the "Whampoa Military Academy" of the 17th century. His goal was that the junior officers who graduated from here would be professional officers with qualified military skills, far superior to those officers in the imperial army who rose to power through bribery, and also superior to those officers from bandit groups and Qing army who came from unorthodox backgrounds in terms of tactical concepts.
Perhaps these trainees, who were once poor people, were not as adept at interpersonal relationships as the Ming generals, nor as experienced in actual combat as the Qing generals and bandit leaders. However, their certain level of cultural education, relatively professional military skills, and command system that was close to that of a modern army could ensure that the Qionghai Navy, this huge war machine, could operate with far greater efficiency than its opponents and make fewer mistakes.
Liu Ye firmly believes that advanced weaponry is only a basic condition for winning a war; the most crucial factor is people. His goal in sparing no effort to build military academies to train officers is to cultivate a sufficient number of middle and lower-ranking officers.
Xiang Yu and the others were quickly forced into a tense training rhythm by the instructors. They were woken up before dawn, and the morning was physical training class, the afternoon was tactics class, and the evening was intensive study of basic literacy and arithmetic. The next day, the tactics class was replaced by weapons operation. This cycle repeated, and they were exhausted like dogs every day.
Some people raised their questions to the instructors: "We are all going to become officers, so why do we have to run and use equipment like parallel bars and horizontal bars every day to toughen up our bodies? Besides, not everyone wants to be an artilleryman, so why does everyone have to learn how to operate several types of artillery?"
Instructors Zhu Jinhu and Lan Lin replied simply: "Junior officers are the frontline commanders, not officials enjoying a life of leisure. They must ensure they have ample physical strength and not fall before the soldiers during high-intensity marches and battles. Infantry learn the operation of artillery mainly to familiarize themselves with the performance of these heavy weapons so that they can ensure coordinated infantry and artillery operations in battle. They cannot fight separately; it is a major taboo in combat for different branches of the armed forces to be disconnected from each other."
As batches of reserve soldiers arrived in Lingao, the number of cadets at the Ma'ao Army Officer Academy also increased, filling the dormitories to capacity. The instructors told the cadets who arrived earlier: there were limited officer positions, and an elimination system was in place. Getting into the military academy was not a guarantee of success; those who ranked at the bottom would definitely be eliminated.
This approach fueled the competitive spirit of Xiang Yu and his peers. Aside from the expectation that becoming an official would bring honor to their families, these farm boys felt a profound shame at being outshone by their comrades and forced to return to the ranks of common soldiers. Thus, the rivalry between new and veteran cadets became a unique feature of the military academy.
A month later, a major piece of news spread among the students: the school's principal, General Liu Ye, the highest leader of the Qionghai Navy, was coming to inspect the school and deliver an important speech.
On a bright and sunny morning, Liu Ye, the Marquis of Pingnan of the Ming Dynasty, Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, Grand General, Left Commander-in-Chief, and Commander-in-Chief of Qionghai Town, arrived at the Ma Niao Military Academy, surrounded by Shi Ying and others. He ascended the cement platform amidst the attention of thousands of students.
Xiang Yu curiously observed this man in his early thirties in the crowd: he looked refined and had a cheerful face, completely different from the image of a pot-bellied official in operas, and also different from the image of a burly and strong military general in his imagination. Yet this was the man who could command the wind and rain, and single-handedly created the invincible Qionghai Army, allowing millions of poor people like him to live a good life that they never dared to dream of before.
Shi Ying, as the vice principal of the Ma'ao Military Academy, spoke first: "Gentlemen, it is something you should be proud of that you were able to stand out from tens of thousands of people and come to the Ma'ao Military Academy, and it is an honor for you to be received by the general! Now, everyone stand up and welcome the general to give his speech!"
After about a month of intensive training, all the trainees had made the concept of obeying orders subconscious. They didn't need to think at all. Upon hearing this, thousands of people stood up in unison, creating a rather spectacular scene.
Instructors Zhu Jinhu and others shouted in unison, "Salute!"
A thousand cadets raised their right hands and gave a standard military salute. These military etiquettes were modeled after those of later armies, concise and powerful, and much more pleasing to the eye than the cumbersome etiquette of the old-style armies of this time and space.
Liu Ye returned the salute, then gestured for him to sit down, saying, "Please sit down."
After the students were seated, Liu Ye slowly surveyed the room before getting to the point: "Dear students, I am here today not because of the long list of official titles bestowed upon me by the imperial court, but as your principal. All graduates of this military academy, including you, are my students. From now on, you may address me as Principal! No matter how my titles and official positions may change in the future, my status as principal will never change!"
This novel opening statement captivated everyone's attention. Feudal society had no concept of human rights; the various social classes of the Ming Dynasty were clearly defined, and the army was particularly rigidly hierarchical. Aside from trusted subordinates, whether ordinary soldiers or low-ranking officers, they had no standing before high-ranking generals, let alone their commanders. Being driven and enslaved was a minor matter; arbitrary punishment and even massacres were commonplace. For a high-ranking marquis to utter such words was something no one had ever heard of before.
The cadets became excited. They had originally joined the Qionghai Navy for military pay, and besides, they had no other choice. They just wanted to make a name for themselves and live a good life. They never expected to gain any respect in the military, not even the possibility of becoming junior officers. They never imagined that they would be able to address such an important figure as teacher and student. They couldn't help but whisper among themselves, exchanging their excitement and joy.
Xiang Yu's heart pounded, and he had only one thought: Scholars always say that a scholar will die for one who understands him. We used to be nothing but lowly peasants, and those gentry and scholars would never have given us a second glance. Now that a great man like the Marquis is willing to lower himself for us and allow us to live a good life, it's worth it to risk our lives for him!
Liu Ye patiently waited for the trainees to calm down before continuing, "Perhaps when you first joined the Qionghai Army, it wasn't entirely voluntary. Even if you joined voluntarily, it was probably just for the thrill of military service. People are driven by self-interest, which is understandable. However, as Vice Principal Shi said, since you were able to stand out from tens of thousands of people and are all outstanding individuals, are you really willing to spend your lives in mediocrity?"
The trainees fell silent, unsure how to respond. In the Ming Dynasty, scholars were valued more than soldiers—a fact they could not change. Could joining the army really allow them to rise from humble beginnings to high positions like scholars, instantly becoming superior to others?