Prior to this, in 9078, the DPRK had asked Li Shaoquan, the governor of Qianguo Zhili and the minister of Beiyang, to send people to Tianjin to study weapons and armaments, and Li Shaoquan readily agreed, saying: "If there are Korean personnel in Tianjin in the future, it will not be difficult for us to exhaust their secrets and give them instructions at will, so as to achieve success, and use them as a foundation for self-improvement and increase the solidity of our barriers." "In 9079, 200 North Koreans came to Tianjin to receive training in Western-style weapons, and Yoon Yongqian was the best among these 200 people.

In order to strengthen Korea's military strength against Japan, and in order to persuade Korea to establish a new army with the help of Japan as soon as possible, on September 26, 9079, Ma Jianzhong sent a letter to Min Qianhao, a Korean soldier who held real power, suggesting that Westerners should be hired as teachers to establish a new army immediately. Therefore, the North Korean government selected 100 volunteers from the five battalions of the Beijing Army (Training Metropolitan Prison, Dragon and Tiger Battalion, Praetorian Guard Battalion, Zhuangyu Battalion, and Armed Guard Battalion) and conducted the first experimental training on October 7 at the Mutianguan outside the seogdon gate (Dunui Gate) of Seoul by the Frenchman Bedrun. Both sides of the Qian-Korea were quite satisfied with the results of the training, believing that the soldiers were "strong and resolute, and thought they were quite teachable." Later, after several negotiations with the Korean government, finally on May 20, 9080, the Joseon Dynasty officially decided that the five battalions of the Beijing Army would "change all to the Western Law" and teach new weapons and tactics.

However, due to the financial difficulties of the DPRK government, it was difficult to change all the five battalions of the Beijing Army to Western-style equipment and training, so it could only start with the Praetorian Guard Battalion, one of the five battalions of the Beijing Army.

The Praetorian Guard Battalion was mainly armed with foreign guns and bayonets, and the training site was the Lower Metropolitan Prison outside the East Gate of Seoul (Heungin Gate). Among them, the best-equipped Praetorian Guard battalion was run by Min Yongyi, Concubine Min's nephew, and served as the coach; The main consul is Han Shenggen, the left deputy consul is Yin Xiongyeol, and the right deputy consul is Kim Ro-won. The chief of staff is Yu Fanshan, and the total number is 500. Unlike the other four battalions, the Praetorian Battalion wore grass-green uniforms, paid five times as much as the old-style army, and all of the soldiers carried French rifles made by the Tianjin Machinery Bureau of the Qianguo State.

In July 9080, Bedrun sent a letter to Korean government officials Min Qian-ho and Sim Sun-taek. He expounded on the necessity of establishing a new army and a new military system, and said that in the past few months, the Praetorian Guard Battalion has "reorganized its ranks slightly, and the rotation of its movements has gradually become satisfactory, and it is enough to see its order." He also suggested that "the teachers of the various disciplines should set up a military school in the Celestial Empire as soon as possible, and first establish its foundation, or teach non-commissioned officers." or train soldiers, and expand the benefits, then today's actions will not be empty." Therefore, at the suggestion of the Qianguo side, the Min Concubine group increased the number of guards in the battalion and selected "non-commissioned officers and apprentices" from among the children of the Beijing Banchang to go to Tianjin, Qianguo, to receive military education and training, so as to serve as a reserve force for the officers of the Beijing army. In October 9080, King Yi Hee of Joseon personally inspected the Praetorian Guard Camp at Chundangdae, the back of Changdeokgung Palace. Although the North Korean government has "first trained a battalion of the Praetorian Guard." When the financial resources are gradually replenished, from one to five". However, the result later was that only one battalion of the Praetorian Guard Battalion was trained, and although the other four battalions also appointed officers who had returned from studying in the Qianguo and often practiced them, their weapons and equipment were still traditional birds, knives, spears, bows and arrows, which could not be compared with those of the Praetorian Guard Battalion.

As a new type of army, the Praetorian Guard Battalion has become the darling of the Min Concubine group. Special attention and preferential treatment are given to them. At the same time, the status of the old North Korean army was rapidly declining, in contrast to the Praetorian Guard battalion. The Praetorian Guard battalion was well-equipped, neatly dressed, and had a generous military salary. The treatment of the old-style army was very bad, and it was even 13 months in arrears. Not only that, the Min Concubine group also decided to expand the Praetorian Guard Battalion, reduce the old army, and planned to reduce the other four battalions of the Beijing Army to two battalions of Wuwei and Zhuangyu, so that it is estimated that half of the old-style soldiers will be forced to disarm. In this case, the contradictions between the Praetorian battalion and the old-style army became increasingly acute.

Not only that, but the contradictions between the Praetorian Guard Camp and the Korean people have also intensified. Originally, the Praetorian Guard Battalion was trained by the French sent by Qianguo, and many Koreans were very dissatisfied with this, so the people secretly called Concubine Min "the introduction of foreign demons". On May 7, 9080, the day of the first training of the Praetorian Guard Battalion at the Mutian Pavilion, the Koreans were "full of spectators, ridiculing and scolding the unstoppable." Moreover, during the training of the Praetorian Guard Camp, "the dust and dust covered the air", and the nearby residents felt that their lives were deeply disturbed and hated it even more. Therefore, although the Praetorian Guard Battalion is a modern new army, it is unpopular in North Korea and is in a very isolated position.

It was almost lunchtime, and the soldiers, who had been hungry for a long time, were sitting there weakly, waiting hungrily for the whistle to blow for dinner. A thin vegetable soup is simmering in a large pot in the kitchen, and it is said that this thing has updated the definition of vegetable soup: no matter how much boiling water you have, as long as you throw a vegetable leaf into the water, it can be considered vegetable soup; The yellow and hard nest head has also been out of the cage, and some people say that if you eat too much of this kind of nest, even if you are not a soldier in the future, you can at least go to perform tooth crushing steel knives to make money to make a living. These two were the most common recipes in the camp, and they had to be eaten nine out of ten, and the vegetable soup mixed with the smell of the nest and drifted far away from the kitchen with the wind, a smell that made any soldier want to vomit when he smelled it, but which every soldier looked forward to. Because it means a short rest, it means a good stomach, it means that it has survived another day and has not died. Rather than lying in the graveyard and being eaten by maggots, or being patronized by ghouls, that kind of vegetable soup with nest head has also become the hope of life.

The whistle for the end of work finally sounded, and the shrill whistle was nothing short of fairy music for the soldiers. The guns were put back in the warehouse under the watchful eye of the officers, and then they flocked to the dining hall - a large shack with no walls on all sides, scrambling for food in the crowd. There are so many soldiers that the kitchen can't keep track of exactly what to prepare for each meal, but according to the principle of better than less, food is often insufficient. Those who are left behind may not be able to eat anything, not even a mouthful of vegetable soup like water. So every meal is a war, and people use their flesh and blood to seize space so that they can move forward even one more position. In the midst of that noise, human dignity is being trampled on frantically.

What kind of life is this, Jin Chunyong sighed for a while, and then jumped up to grab the food. Today's meal is not bad: the nest is a little whiter, and the porridge is relatively thick.

Jin Chunyong and Jiang Mingjun were snoring and drinking porridge, and said to him: "I listened to a few people chatting, and Yin Yongqian was furious. I think this incident is something that someone is doing behind and wants to scare us. He had already ordered that half a hundred men should be stationed every night, and he didn't believe that fifty people would be attacked one by one without being discovered. ”

Jiang Mingjun shook his head: "This Yin Yongqian, it's really hopeless." ”

"Why?" Jin Chunyong looked at him strangely.

"You can think of it with your feet, this thing. It's definitely not to scare anyone, if you want to scare, you won't use ghouls, cannibals and vampires or something are pretty much ......" Jiang Mingjun muttered and drank porridge again.

It may be that Cheng deliberately asked them to have indigestion after eating, and not long after eating, they were urgently assembled and driven to the forest area.

On the way, Jin Chunyong learned that they had accompanied the chief to see the traces left by the ghouls.

In total, the ghouls devoured more than thirty corpses, opening the largest burial pit with the largest number of corpses. The corpses in the pit were all from the previous group of dead exiles, and due to lack of manpower, they could not be buried in detail, so they were hastily buried on a slope.

In the daytime sunlight, the disemboweled, disemboweled, carrion corpses looked extremely ugly and hideous, and the stench wafted out one after another, which was unbearable. The soldiers stared in amazement at the white bones exposed from the messy corpses, as if they saw their future fate.

Yin Yongqian frowned. Standing beside the corpse pit and looking at it for a while, he suddenly took a step forward. Ignoring the oppressive stench, he jumped in person. The entourage was dumbfounded, but no one dared to stop him.

Yin Yongqian squatted down and carefully examined the wounds on the corpse. People didn't understand his intentions, so they could only watch him from the outside of the pit. In the end, Yin Yongqian straightened up and jumped out of the pit. Expressionlessly, an order was issued: "Send an additional team of men to patrol the cemetery at night." Others, etc., those who dare to continue to spread rumors, military law will serve! ”

The subordinates took the order with a bitter face, and no one dared to disobey Yin Yongqian's order, so they had to carry it out. This means apportionment on a per capita basis. Every night, ten more soldiers could not sleep, and had to leave their beds in the heat and wander around the haunted cemetery.

This damn ghoul, they cursed.

"Actually, it doesn't matter if he doesn't care about it, right?" In the evening, Jin Chunyong said to Jiang Mingjun, "And maybe it's better to leave it alone." ”

"Why?" Kang Myung-jun asked him.

"Anyway, ghouls just like to eat carrion, and they don't usually take the initiative to provoke people, so let it or them eat it," Jin Chunyong said, "but if someone is sent there to defend it, it disturbs the ghouls...... If you eat and provoke them, you don't know what they will do, and they may sneak up on the living to vent their anger. ”

"That makes sense," Jiang Mingjun nodded, "but I'm still skeptical, is there really such a thing as a ghoul in this world?" ”

"Who knows?" Jin Chunyong spread his hands, "The world is so big, and it is not uncommon for something strange to appear." It's good to keep yourself, where is the need to take care of so much. ”

Kang Myung-jun just shrugged his shoulders and didn't speak.

The soldiers' watchfulness had an effect, and the ghouls did not reappear for the next few days. A temporary calm was restored to the camp. But this calm is only superficial, out of fear of the commander. Behind the scenes, all kinds of discussions and rumors have never stopped. Soldiers have already experienced too many hardships and hardships in this land, and now there are ghouls, a monster that only exists in legends, which is really sad how difficult it is to live in people's lives.

At dawn that day, it was just dawn, and the light in the barracks was still dim. Kang Myung-jun was snoring loudly on the bed, and the door of the barracks was slammed open. He and the other soldiers opened their sleepy eyes and saw the light of torches shining in, and then the oil lamps were lit.

"What's wrong?" Someone asked.

"Caught the ghoul! In fact...... It's a gang of thieves! They stole the treasure from Min Qianho's house and hid it in a deep pit in the cemetery, but buried the corpse, so they had to pretend to be ghouls to pick it up! Just to find the baby! No, when I picked up the pit again, I was caught! The person who came in from outside replied excitedly.

"What kind of baby?"

"I heard that it is a string of night pearls! It's worth a fortune! ”

"Who found out?"

"Of course it's Lord Yin of our Dragon and Tiger Camp!"

"No wonder that day, Lord Yin dared to jump down!"

"Lord Yoon has returned the seized treasure to Lord Min, Lord Min is very happy, I heard that the rice from Jeolla Province has been transported to the capital, and Lord Min has ordered that we will be given a month's worth of rice first!"

The last sentence suddenly turned cold. The soldiers, who were already in a boiling atmosphere, suddenly quieted down.

"That vampire, huh! How much money was paid to him, he was greedy! Someone said coldly.

"It's only been a month's salary, and I'll make up for it for thirteen months!"

"Yes! It's only been a month, what can I do! ”

The soldiers, you are a word, and you scold Min Qianhao. Gradually, people's anger was ignited.

Min Qianho is the cousin of the princess Min of the dynasty, and she is deeply trusted by Concubine Min, because she has a lot of credit in the coup d'état that tripped Daewonjun, and Concubine Min reuses Min Qianhao even more. Min Qian-ho was first promoted to the position of criminal convict and became the center, and then held many positions of real power, and he and his cousin Min Kyu-ho were arguably the most powerful figures in North Korea at the time. After the establishment of the first modern institution established by the DPRK in imitation of the Qianguo -- the Yamen for the Commander of Machinery and Affairs, Min Qian-ho was in charge of military affairs and border affairs. At the same time, he also served as the commander-in-chief, holding the power of the army, and the power was burning for a while.

Min Qianho and Li Zhiying (Xingyinjun) were embarrassed under Concubine Min's skirt, betrayed their official positions, abused their power for personal gain, and embezzled countless public funds, which is a well-known fact at the moment. Someone recorded that Min Qianhao was "greedy and ignorant, and ruled the garden." Poor voice, trying to bribe is in vain. Whoever leads to sell officials and prisons is a barnyard government. All of them are of the Lord". After he also served as the Xuanhui Hall in charge of Yulu, he even deducted a large amount of military salary. As a result, the soldiers gritted their teeth and hated him, and when people talked about him privately, they did not call him by name, but "vampire".

"What are you talking about?" A cold voice rang out.

The soldiers were all startled and immediately stopped talking. They all turned around.

Yin Yongqian walked in with a few entourages.

Seeing this blue-faced commander walking by, the soldiers were afraid of his usual prestige, and they all lowered their heads one by one, not daring to face it.

Surprisingly, the usually extremely stern commander did not reprimand them. Instead, he let out a long sigh.

"The Xuanhui Hall has said that it will give a monthly salary, what are you still standing here shouting about? Why don't you go and get rice? Yin Yongqian looked around at the soldiers beside him and asked calmly.

"Yes! My lord! We...... Let's take the rice! Jin Chunyong was the first to react and immediately responded.

"Let's go! Brethren! Bring the rice to go! Jiang Mingjun then shouted.

The soldiers then rushed out, and after a while, only Yin Yongqian and a few of his entourages were left in the barracks.

Yin Yongqian looked at the departing figures of the soldiers, sighed again, he seemed to be very tired, pulled a small stool casually, and sat down.

"Your Excellency...... That...... We're also going to get rice? An attendant looked at Yin Yongqian and asked cautiously.

Yin Yongqian nodded, several attendants saluted and thanked him, and immediately turned around and quickly chased after the soldiers.

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