Under the whipping and scolding of the Military Governor's Office officials, these newly recruited hundreds of men were lined up in several rows on the training ground.
In front of each row, several Military Officers were responsible for the assessment.
The most important part of selecting Soldier Families was to test their strength.
This was also very reasonable.
Soldier Families always had to fight on the battlefield, and it wouldn't do if they were too weak to wield swords and spears.
In front of each row, there were several stone locks of varying weights, ranging from one hundred catties to three hundred catties.
If a man could lift a one-hundred-catty stone lock, he was considered qualified to be an auxiliary Soldier Family.
If he could lift two hundred catties, he was considered top-grade and could be selected as a regular Soldier Family.
As for the three-hundred-catty stone lock, it was generally rare for anyone to be able to lift it.
But if someone truly could lift the three-hundred-catty stone lock, according to the Military Governor's Office rules for selecting Soldier Families, not only would that person be heavily rewarded, but he could also be directly promoted to a Soldier Family Wu Zhang.
During the household division, he would also have the priority right to choose land, houses, wives, and daughters.
For farmers who toiled hard in the fields year-round, lifting a hundred-catty stone lock was not too difficult.
However, lifting a two-hundred-catty stone lock required a strong physique and a certain foundation in martial arts.
To lift a three-hundred-catty stone lock, one could only say that the person possessed natural divine strength.
In Li Yuan's row, most of the dozen or so men in front of him could only lift the one-hundred-catty stone lock.
Only three could lift the two-hundred-catty stone lock.
The Military Governor's Office officials nearby frowned, thinking that this batch of men was truly useless.
There were surprisingly so few who could become regular Soldier Families.
However, this couldn't be blamed on these men; it was a year of famine.
At this time, it was also the season when the old grain was exhausted and the new had not yet ripened.
Almost every household lacked food.
These men could only subsist on wild vegetables and rice bran daily.
They simply couldn't eat their fill.
No matter how good one's physical foundation, without food in one's stomach, it was impossible to have enough physical strength.
Fortunately, when Li Yuan left Li Family Village, his elder brother had put many coarse grain pancakes in his bundle.
He was at least able to eat his fill, which gave him a physical advantage over others.
When it was Li Yuan's turn to be assessed, he didn't even look at the one-hundred-catty stone lock.
Instead, he walked directly to the two-hundred-catty stone lock.
He gripped the handle of the stone lock with both hands and exerted force, and the stone lock was steadily lifted by him.
He even walked more than ten steps in place.
The Military Governor's Office official nearby couldn't help but smile with satisfaction upon seeing this scene.
Finally, another regular Soldier Family had been selected.
Putting down the stone lock, Li Yuan felt a bit unsatisfied.
He reached out and grabbed the three-hundred-catty stone lock nearby.
The surrounding men and officials were all stunned.
Could this young man be trying the three-hundred-catty stone lock?
Today, so far, no one had dared to challenge lifting the three-hundred-catty stone lock during the selection.
Was he trying to be the first?
They were not wrong in their thoughts.
Li Yuan stood firm in a bow stance, let out a shout, and with the force of his arms, the three-hundred-catty stone lock steadily left the ground.
Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, Li Yuan slowly lifted the stone lock over his head.
Then, he even took a few steps.
The supervising official nearby instantly showed a look of pleasant surprise.
If his team could select a Soldier Family with natural divine strength, according to the rules, there would be a reward.
This was truly a blessing from the heavens, good fortune descending.
And the Military Commandant of the Military Governor's Office, who was supervising the selection from the high platform, also looked over with surprise.
A strongman had appeared in today's selection!
This was truly a cause for celebration.
Li Yuan persevered for a while longer, then slowly put down the stone lock.
Immediately, a servant boy from the Military Commandant's side ran over and shouted to him, "You come with me; the Military Commandant wants to personally assess you."
Upon hearing that the Military Commandant of the Military Governor's Office wanted to personally assess this person, everyone around them turned their heads.
Li Yuan was not intimidated; he dusted off his clothes a few times and followed the servant boy towards the high platform of the training ground.
This Military Commandant was a tall, middle-aged man with sharp, piercing eyes.
Li Yuan walked forward, neither humble nor arrogant, and cupped his hands in a salute.
"Li Yuan of Qingyuan Village greets Elders."
The Military Commandant's eyes scanned Li Yuan back and forth, as if trying to see through the young man's background.
Because this person, from his demeanor, was quite different from the ordinary farmers who had been conscripted.
That kind of confident and spirited bearing could not be suppressed.
The Military Commandant's heart stirred, and he suddenly asked, "You, have you perhaps studied?"
Li Yuan cupped his hands and replied, "Yes, I attended a private school for a few days since childhood."
The Military Commandant nodded, suddenly understanding.
No wonder he had an extraordinary demeanor; it turned out he was someone who had studied.
In truth, Li Yuan's original self came from a poor family and had never formally studied, but the current Li Yuan was a genuine university graduate.
If measured by the standards of the Great Liang Dynasty, he could absolutely be considered well-read.
Li Yuan saying he had studied in a private school for a few days was already being very modest.
Moreover, for such a matter, no one would actually investigate, so he just said it.
The Military Commandant asked again, "I see you have considerable strength, but do you also possess other martial arts skills?"
For the Military Commandant, it was good that a Soldier Family had studied and could write, but more importantly, he had to be capable of fighting on the battlefield.
Li Yuan cupped his hands and replied, "I have practiced saber and shield, and long spear since childhood, and I also know archery."
The Military Commandant's eyes visibly brightened.
He turned and shouted to the servant boy behind him, "Go! Get him a long spear."
Before long, Li Yuan received a long spear from the servant boy.
He then performed a section of Six Harmonies Spear in front of the Military Commandant.
This spear technique was the skill of Li Yuan's original self.
This Li Yuan of Li Family Village had been incredibly strong since childhood and had loved wielding spears and staves from a young age.
At nine years old, he had practiced martial arts for a period with an old veteran in the village who had retired from the army.
That old veteran had once been an instructor who taught soldiers martial arts in the border army.
He had no children, so Li Yuan became his disciple.
The old veteran saw that he was intelligent and sensible, and Li Yuan was extremely filial to him.
So, he imparted all his skills without reservation, teaching Li Yuan the thirty-six forms of Six Harmonies Spear, as well as saber and shield and archery skills.
As soon as Li Yuan made his move, merely performing a few spear flourishes, the Military Commandant couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
This young man's spear technique was definitely guided by a master.
The long spear techniques contained no flashy, impractical moves; they were all broad and powerful techniques suitable for use on the battlefield.
Li Yuan was also young and vigorous, wielding the long spear with powerful, wind-like movements.
After practicing the long spear, the servant boy brought out a bow and arrows.
Li Yuan shot three arrows consecutively from fifty paces, all hitting the vital points of the straw target.
The Military Commandant nodded repeatedly as he watched.
In the afternoon, at the Shen hour, the Military Governor's Office completed the selection of Soldier Families.
This selection chose fifty-three regular Soldier Families and two hundred seventy auxiliary Soldier Families.
After Li Yuan lifted the three-hundred-catty stone lock, others also wanted to try, but none could lift it like Li Yuan.
Moreover, in terms of martial arts alone, Li Yuan was also the top among this group.
As expected, Li Yuan became the top-ranked individual in this selection, meaning he was the first place in the selection.
According to the regulations of the Military Governor's Office, Li Yuan was directly promoted to a Soldier Family Wu Zhang.
The Military Commandant took a dark waist token and handed it to Li Yuan.
It read: 【Xihe Fort, East Township Village Chief regular Soldier Family Wu Zhang, Li Yuan】.
From this point, Li Yuan, from an ordinary farmer, entered the military registry of Great Liang and became a Soldier Family Wu Zhang.
