North of Jiuyuan City.

As sunset approached, a hundred-strong detachment of Bingzhou soldiers arrived near a small town located beside an official road.

The officer in charge looked at the instructor beside him, then pointed to the town ahead and said with a smile, "Sir, it's getting late. How about we rest in that town for the night?"

The instructor nodded, then said with a serious expression, "Now is the time for marching, and you are in charge of everything. However... once the soldiers enter the town, they must not do anything to disturb the people!"

"Haha~, sir, you're overthinking it. That small town is full of our relatives. How could we disturb our own family?"

Seeing the instructor's worried expression, the officer in charge couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh? So you all come from that small town?" the instructor asked with a curious expression.

The officer shook his head: "No, it's just that I did a few small things, and they treated me like family..."

Looking at the peaceful and tranquil town ahead, the officer couldn't help but smile happily as he spoke.

"I see....!"

The instructor suddenly realized what was happening and said no more.

Before long, the team entered the town.

"Wow! The Han army is here!!"

"Welcome, Han army!"

The sudden appearance of this group did not cause panic among the town's residents; instead, it was welcomed by the local elders and villagers.

Since Liu Hong proposed the concept of "sons of soldiers" last year, the soldiers of the You, Bing, and Liang armies have responded to the emperor's call and, in addition to their daily training, have often organized soldiers to go to villages and towns to help people repair houses or do some farm work.

Therefore, the border people now treat the Han soldiers like family, and they all take the initiative to bring their own food to the soldiers.

However, they strictly followed the military orders and the instructors' instructions. Although they accepted the food from the people, they also contributed money accordingly.

"Everyone assemble and listen to the instructor's lecture!"

After dinner, with a loud shout from the officer, all the soldiers stopped what they were doing and ran toward an open space.

In this era, both soldiers and civilians held scholars in high esteem. After spending a few days together, the soldiers also grew to like and respect their instructor, who ate, drank, and lived with them.

Soon, the soldiers were assembled, and not a single one was absent.

Meeting the respectful gazes of the soldiers, the instructor also revealed a kind smile.

Nodding to the group of soldiers, the instructor said loudly, "Today we will not talk about Marquis of Champion, nor about Ban Dingyuan, but about the greatness of soldiers..."

His Majesty once said: "Soldiers are great. It is thanks to the protection of soldiers that we have peace in the country and tranquility for the people..."

Then, following the lesson plan compiled by Liu Hong and Xi Zhicai, the instructor explained in detail to the soldiers present the soldiers' duty of protecting the country.

It clearly points out the significance of soldiers' existence and who they fight for.

The purpose of serving in the military is to earn a living and secure a position for one's family and children; the responsibility is to protect one's territory and defend one's country.

Purpose and responsibility are not contradictory.

The instructor's insightful yet simple explanations and lavish praise stirred the blood of the soldiers present, purifying their souls and imbuing each of them with a newfound resolve and a sense of responsibility.

As night fell, the soldiers lay on the beds prepared by the people, their minds filled with the instructors' explanations of responsibility and the greatness of soldiers, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The next day, as the rooster crowed and the sun rose, people left their homes and headed to the fields.

The soldiers yawned as they began to put on their armor, preparing to head to the fields to tally the harvest and begin collecting taxes.

"Boom!!"

Just as the soldiers assembled, a faint rumble of hooves came from the north of the town, causing the soldiers' expressions to change.

"Quick! Grab your weapons and follow me...!"

The officer immediately roared and led his hundred soldiers toward the north of the town, with the instructor following closely behind.

Just outside the town, the soldiers saw a cloud of dust rising from the end of the official road, obscuring the sky.

"Form ranks!!"

With a shout from the officer, a hundred soldiers set up their crossbows and took up their spears, forming four rows in the middle of the road with crossbows in front and spears behind.

The villagers who were harvesting wheat in the surrounding fields also gathered in panic behind the soldiers.

"Where did these cavalrymen come from...?"

Seeing the cavalry column vaguely appearing in the dust, the instructor approached the officer with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

The officer shook his head: "I don't know, but... no smoke signals were set off at the Great Wall, so it's probably not a force from beyond the Great Wall!"

Despite saying that, the officer gripped his weapon tightly with a tense expression, because in the distance, the column behind the dust cloud was very long, and judging by the number of people, it was almost ten thousand.

The officer then looked at the instructor and said in a deep voice, "Sir, you should take the people away from here first. We'll stay here and observe the situation!"

"good!!"

Without hesitation, the instructor shouted loudly and led the people towards the town.

As the thunderous sound of hooves grew closer, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble, and the officers and the hundred soldiers grew increasingly tense.

Before long, the cavalry on the official road was only five miles away from the town, and a familiar banner was fluttering in the wind at the front of the column.

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