Chapter 126: Amateur Remarks

"Boss, you're back!"

At that moment, Niu Da's voice rang out from a distance. Xu Mo looked up and saw the three Niu brothers walking toward him, each carrying a bundle of bamboo on their shoulders.

Xu Mo immediately walked over to meet them and said with a smile, "You've cut quite a lot of bamboo."

Niu Da asked, "Boss, what do you think of these? Are they suitable?"

Xu Mo nodded. "They look good. The thickness is just right; they should make excellent bamboo spears."

The three brothers were delighted to hear this and began to chime in, describing the great effort they had taken to find bamboo of the right size. On the way down the mountain, Xu Mo asked about the recruitment for the delivery team.

Niu Da laughed as soon as he heard the question. "Boss, not long after you and Miss Ning left, we had already recruited all thirty people!"

Niu Da explained that because the delivery team offered triple the usual wages, once the news spread among the village men, everyone from seventy-year-old elders to teenagers of thirteen or fourteen had come to apply. In the end, Niu Da had selected the thirty based on their physical fitness and age. Those who were not chosen had been very disappointed, and it had taken quite a while for Niu Da and Xu Tieshu to explain things before the crowd slowly dispersed.

"Boss, I've already told them to gather at the open space in the center of the village at 5:00 AM tomorrow to begin spear training," Niu Da said.

Xu Mo immediately nodded. "Good!"

Before long, the harvested bamboo was stacked in the open area outside the Xu residence. A rough calculation suggested there were about two hundred stalks. Looking at the pile, Xu Mo said, "Niu Da, I have another favor to ask. Please find some people tomorrow morning to sharpen half of these into spears; I will pay for the labor."

Niu Da was puzzled. "Boss, shouldn't the bamboo be soaked in tung oil first? Why make them directly?"

Xu Mo replied, "It takes at least half a month for bamboo to be thoroughly soaked in tung oil. We can't wait that long to start practicing, can we? So, we'll make half into spears first, and let the other half soak. By the time the non-oiled spears wear out, the new batch should be ready to replace them."

"Understood, Boss," Niu Da replied with a nod.

***

The night passed without incident.

At the first light of dawn the next day, several villagers appeared outside the Xu residence, all carrying knives. It was clear without asking that these were the people Niu Da had summoned to craft the spears.

After Xu Mo used his Zi-Hong dagger to craft a sample spear, he handed the task over to Chen Miaoyi and Xu Hui. As for himself, he headed to the village’s central square; he was far more concerned with the delivery team's spear training than the production of the weapons.

Xu Mo arrived at the square exactly at 5:00 AM. The three Niu brothers had almost finished organizing the team. Seeing Xu Mo approach, Niu Da immediately said, "Boss, everyone is here. Would you like to see if my selections are up to standard?"

Xu Mo took a brief look, then nodded and said loudly, "Not bad! Everyone looks energized! Listen up: I will have Aunt Wu and the others stew extra meat at noon. As long as you train hard, you will be able to eat meat every day!"

Hearing this, the villagers in the square broke into cheers.

In truth, Xu Mo was not entirely satisfied with the overall state of the villagers. It wasn't just that they varied in height and age; the main issue was that they were thin and frail, with more than half looking malnourished. He had decided on the spot that they needed more meat to improve their nutrition; otherwise, they wouldn't even have the stamina for training, let alone the strength to deal with bandits.

The new recruits, combined with the original members, totaled over forty people. Since the sharpened spears weren't ready, they had to make do with unsharpened bamboo poles of equal length. However, as soon as the bamboo was distributed, Xu Mo felt a headache coming on.

The scene was in total chaos. Villagers were chatting, laughing, and messing around, completely disregarding Niu Da’s commands. Even though the three Niu brothers tried their best to maintain order—even resorting to shouting and scolding—a few unruly individuals were still goofing off in secret. Furthermore, many elderly people, women, and children had gathered around the perimeter to watch the spectacle. The mischievous children kept running into the ranks, darting between the men and playing as if it were a game.

Xu Mo finally lost his patience. He jumped onto a large rock beside the square and shouted to the onlookers, "Listen carefully! If any child continues to disrupt the training, not only will our workshop stop purchasing plant ash from your families, but if anyone from those families works in the workshop, I will fire them immediately!"

The onlookers were instantly cowed. They hurried to grab their children and dragged them far away, fearing they might be the next target of Xu Mo's discipline. Soon, the order at the site improved significantly.

Next, Xu Mo set out to enforce discipline within the delivery team. He made an example of two young villagers who had been whispering and giggling; despite repeated warnings, they refused to stop, and Xu Mo dismissed them from the team on the spot.

The moment Niu Er and Niu San escorted the two out of the ranks, they were filled with regret. This was a job with triple the pay and meat every day—a position many in the village were dying to have. The two dismissed villagers quickly sought out the village chief to plead their case, but Xu Mo remained cold and impartial, firmly refusing to let them back into the team.

The village chief was helpless and had to send the two away. From that moment on, everyone finally realized that Xu Mo was not playing around; he was serious!

From then on, the discipline of the delivery team underwent a qualitative change. No one spoke or joked around; everyone became earnest and focused.

Niu Da had learned some spear techniques during his time as a soldier. While he wasn't a master, he was more than capable of teaching these men. Niu Da stood in front of the team and said loudly, "First, watch me perform a set of spear techniques. Remember as much as you can. If you can't, it doesn't matter; I will teach you move by move in a moment!"

With that, Niu Da used a bamboo pole as a spear, demonstrating a fierce set of techniques. Niu Er and Niu San, always proud of their older brother, clapped and cheered throughout. The team members, influenced by the atmosphere, soon joined in the cheering as well.

Xu Mo watched everything, frowning inwardly. *Why does this look like a street performance?* he thought.

When Niu Da finished the set, he looked proud and high-spirited, his expression and gaze filled with absolute confidence.

"Alright, from now on, everyone follow me and practice move by move," Niu Da announced loudly.

Just as Niu Da was instructing everyone to form ranks, Xu Mo stepped in and stopped them.

"Niu Da, time is tight. If we break down the entire set of spear techniques and teach them move by move, wouldn't that be too slow?" Xu Mo asked.

Niu Da looked puzzled and frowned slightly. "Boss, what do you mean?"

Xu Mo said, "Could we start by teaching just two simple movements: the thrust and the retrieval? As long as everyone’s movements and rhythm are synchronized, and every thrust is made with full force, our combat effectiveness will improve significantly in a short time!"

Niu Da did not agree with Xu Mo's view, though out of respect for his status as the boss, he spoke more politely.

"Has the boss ever practiced spear techniques before?" Niu Da asked.

Xu Mo shook his head. "No, I haven't."

Niu Da smiled slightly. "So the boss has never practiced spear fighting. No wonder you would say such an amateur thing..."