Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 413 - 245 Training Soldiers and Prisoners at the Steps_2

Chapter 413: Chapter 245 Training Soldiers and Prisoners at the Steps_2

If Zhao Haiping were to start from scratch, building a strong army might take ages to achieve.

Thinking of this, Zhao Haiping chose not to be stubborn and directly activated the function to summon heroic spirits.

With a thought, the image of General Deng Yuanjing appeared on the card.

Subsequently, the energy around the card began to drain rapidly. It was as if, through the vast rivers of history, the spirit of General Deng Yuanjing was summoned to this place!

Moments later, Zhao Haiping realized that General Deng Yuanjing had already appeared before him.

At this moment, General Deng was in his prime, after defeating the southern bandits and repelling the barbarian troops from the north.

There was no need to explain the current situation because the summoned heroic spirits were not the actual historical figures themselves, but rather a collection of these individuals’ knowledge, naturally capable of serving as a functional tool.

However, despite being a tool, they were heroes from Huaxia’s history and deserved due respect.

Zhao Haiping respectfully asked, "General Deng, what should I pay attention to when training troops?"

This question was very broad, and Zhao Haiping somewhat regretted it after asking.

But it has to be said, the function to summon heroic spirits was quite impressive—as if it embodied the famous maxim: There are no bad questions, only bad answers.

In front of a true master of military strategy like General Deng Yuanjing, such a vague question from Zhao Haiping received a very enlightening answer.

"Priority must be given to training generals, with training troops being secondary.

"To train generals is to cure the root; there has never been a case where the root is in disarray, yet the branches are well-ordered."

These few lines were not difficult to understand.

To train troops, one must first train generals. Here, ’generals’ did not only refer to the top commanders, but also included officers at all levels within the army.

After all, whether in the era of cold weapons or that of firearms, the entire army is a vast entity. Be it for routine training or future military campaigns, to ensure that orders are efficiently transmitted and morale is maintained, officers at each level essentially act as extensions of the general himself.

If these individuals were problematic, then all efforts in training would be in vain.

Zhao Haiping’s eyes lit up, feeling that the spirit summoning function was quite valuable.

Indeed, General Deng’s words were somewhat vague and sounded like common truths that anyone could think of.

But the key to doing things well often lies hidden within these very truths.

Many may understand a certain principle, but how important is this particular principle? How does it prioritize against other principles? And if two principles conflict, which should be preferred?

This is the difference between the gifted and the mediocre.

Zhao Haiping asked again, "Then, General Deng, where should I start when training a general?"

General Deng’s response was just as natural: "The method of organizing troops is the foundation of building an army.

"First, select soldiers to sift through and find officers, then with those officers, choose soldiers, after which the method of organizing troops can be set."

The so-called method of organizing troops was essentially about how to build an army.

Although General Deng’s words were mostly infused with the characteristics of his era, concise and obscure, thanks to the features of the game "Dark Sand," Zhao Haiping was able to grasp their meaning clearly.

General Deng didn’t just speak broadly; he also meticulously outlined the steps and details.

Zhao Haiping listened intently and memorized the technical points.

According to General Deng, to establish a mighty army, one must start at the grassroots level by selecting ordinary soldiers.

One should not pick the slick and cunning from large cities, nor those born with martial arts skills and the habits of outlaws.

As for those with extensive combat experience, their selection required caution—knowledgeable soldiers who knew when to seek advantage and avoid harm. If they had merits, they could be considered, but others could only be seen as secondary.

The most preferred soldiers, however, were the honest folk from the countryside—preferably with dark, rugged skin, tall and strong physique, a hard life, solid muscles, and the earthy complexion from years of labor.

For soldiers, individual martial skills were not important. What mattered was whether their physique was robust, whether they were obedient and honest, and whether they would comply with orders—a critical aspect.

After selecting enough basic soldiers, one could further screen for officers at various levels.

Of course, as a general, there was no need to select officers at every level, just those who were directly commanded.

For instance, one would only select the chief sergeants under their command, who would then each select their sentry officers; these sentry officers would then choose their banner leaders...

Following such a tiered selection process, the major framework of the entire troop would be formed.

The advantage of this selection was that it fostered mutual understanding between different ranks, and it was easier to develop a sense of cohesion and collective honor.

Once the major framework was established, routine training could commence.

For example, practicing the tactics of various weapons, drilling in formation, conducting ideological education, and so on.

These were the finer details and not immediately Zhao Haiping’s concern.

After the lecture, Zhao Haiping felt he had gained invaluable insights.

No wonder he was General Deng!

One must know that although Deng Yuanjing and Han Fuyue were both eternal legendary commanders and top-tier in troop training, when it came to military theory, General Deng was still slightly superior.

General Deng’s military wisdom represented the pinnacle of the era of cold weapons. Having read his works, one could basically learn how to build an army from scratch.