Three Kingdoms: Training an Army from Scratch

In the first year of Zhongping, the Yellow Turban Rebellion broke out.

In a minor warlord’s household in Yingchuan, the illegitimate son, Zhu Yuan, was handed thirty old and weak tenant farmers and sent to guard the western wall of the fortified estate.

His elder brother said, “These people are yours. Hold the wall and don’t let the bandits climb over.”

Zhu Yuan said nothing.

A celestial book, invisible to everyone else, was floating before his eyes.

The Recruit’s Manual: See through every soldier’s talent and limits.

The Courage-Training Manual: Turn a rabble into hardened elite troops in a hundred days.

The Selection Manual: Find the makings of a great general among the ranks.

Everyone thought those thirty men wouldn’t last even three days.

Then a defeated force of three hundred Yellow Turbans came charging at the western wall and ran into thirty long spears leveled in unison.

Passing through Yingchuan, Huangfu Song took one look at the unit and asked, “Who trained these soldiers?”

That year, Cao Cao was still serving as a Cavalry Commandant in Luoyang, and Liu Bei was still weaving mats and selling shoes in Zhuo Commandery.

And Zhu Yuan had already quietly begun training his tenth soldier.