"By order of the commander-in-chief, the wicked man is promoted to the rank of five hundred lords!"
"The commander has given orders..."
Before the wicked man and his men could leave the county office, a dozen or so of Meng Ao's personal guards rode off at breakneck speed, shouting repeatedly as they tried to spread the news throughout the army.
"Well, this time we're really going to be famous!" The wicked man couldn't help but grin. Looking at Erniu and the others who were standing excitedly in the county government courtyard, he said, "Let's leave the valuables at the county government for now. We still have military orders to carry out later."
Erniu and the others breathed a sigh of relief; carrying large and small bags was indeed quite tiring.
"Brothers, this is our lifeline, you'd better keep a close eye on it!" The wicked man cupped his hands to Meng Ao's personal guards and made a few jokes with a smile.
Meng Ao's guards exchanged smiles, and one of them patted his chest, replying with great bravado: "My wicked lord, rest assured, with us here, absolutely no one will dare to touch these valuables."
"Of course, the head coach is an exception!"
The wicked man laughed and nodded, then turned around with satisfaction and led Erniu and the others out of the county government office.
The moment they stepped out the gate, they sensed a completely different atmosphere. The once quiet street had become bustling, with soldiers whispering amongst themselves, their eyes filled with curiosity and respect.
"You wicked husband, you've really made it big now!" Meng Kuo happened to walk over from a distance, stepped forward and patted the wicked husband on the shoulder, his eyes full of envy.
The wicked man laughed and waved his hand, "You flatter me, Master Wubai. I was just lucky."
Seeing his humility, Meng Kuo laughed heartily and exchanged a few pleasantries before saying, "I still have matters to discuss with the commander-in-chief. Let's celebrate with a drink after the war is over."
The wicked man nodded and watched Meng Kuo leave. Only after Meng Kuo's figure had completely disappeared did he leave the county government office with Er Niu and the others.
Upon arriving in the city center, every Qin soldier who saw the wicked man shouted, "We pay our respects to the wicked lord of five hundred and congratulate the centurion on his promotion!"
"You're too kind, you're too kind!" The wicked man waved his hand repeatedly. Just then, his eyes fell upon a four- or five-meter-square platform, and he immediately stepped over.
Upon ascending the high platform, the wicked man cleared his throat, eliciting curiosity from the surrounding Qin soldiers. However, his next few words completely excited them.
"Fellow brothers, I, the wicked man, have been promoted to the rank of five hundred men thanks to the appreciation of the commander."
"Unfortunately, we are short-handed, and we have to go out of the city to carry out military orders later. Are there any brothers willing to join my ranks?"
He paused here, and seeing the soldiers around him visibly becoming excited, he immediately said in a cold voice: "Those who join my ranks will always be at the forefront of battle, and must be prepared to die with me."
"Those who are timid and afraid of battle, please think carefully!"
These words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the passion in many people's hearts. Looking at the two hundred or so Qin soldiers standing to the side, covered in wounds, some people immediately had second thoughts.
They were truly meritorious, but the mortality rate was just as high!
Of course, while some people backed out, others were extremely excited.
"Five hundred wicked lords, I am willing to serve under your command!"
"I would too!"
"Count me in."
A series of shouts rang out, and nearly a thousand soldiers stepped forward. Even more astonishingly, these thousand Qin soldiers were all veterans!
"Ah, this..." The wicked man gasped, not expecting so many people to sign up.
That wasn't all. Some soldiers who had received the news were rushing from all over the city, and even the patrolling soldiers were getting restless. If the generals hadn't quickly suppressed them, they probably wouldn't have been able to even keep up with the patrolling.
The generals could only smile wryly at this, thinking to themselves that this kid had become famous overnight and was incredibly popular!
In no time, the city center was teeming with people, so much so that even a dog couldn't move.
Although everyone was aware of the risks of following the wicked man, there were still some who understood. Take the ten new recruits who followed him, for example; not only did none of them die in battle, but each of them earned at least five or six kills as military merit.
On the other hand, they faced just as much risk of dying in battle, yet it was difficult for them to earn any military merit by killing a single enemy!
Since Shang Yang's reforms, it seemed like a smooth road to success had been given to the lower-ranking soldiers, but it was not as easy as they imagined.
"Five hundred wicked lords, we are willing to serve under your command!"
"Please, Lord Five Hundred, take us in..."
The villain on the high platform was secretly delighted. This battle not only made him a great hero, but also made him famous. Otherwise, how could he have attracted so many people to want to follow him?
The wicked man took a deep breath, solemnly clasped his hands and said, "I am grateful for your trust, but military regulations cannot be violated. I can only command five hundred soldiers, and there are only two hundred available positions."
The soldiers nodded in understanding, their eager eyes fixed on the wicked man. They knew that he was about to start selecting men!
The wicked man's eyes darted around, and he raised his hand, pointing with his fingers to select strong, healthy, and spirited soldiers from the crowd below.
Since the number of places is limited and we cannot rely on quantity, we can only try our best to select the most outstanding individuals.
Suddenly, his fingers paused, and his gaze fell on a man whose face was covered in blood. It was Tie Niu, who had gone to Kaoshan Village to recruit him into the army that day.
When Tie Niu realized that his wicked husband had discovered him, his eyes suddenly lit up with surprise and his face was full of longing.
The wicked man grinned and nodded slightly. The latter was overjoyed and raised his hands in a fist salute to express his gratitude.
Tie Niu's delighted expression made him somewhat emotional. He had once longed for the same thing, hoping that Tie Niu could bring him into the army. In just a few months, their positions had undergone a dramatic change.
Then, the wicked man pointed to several more people, and the five hundred spots were filled in this way. Those who were not selected all beat their chests and sighed, as if it were a huge loss.
"I thank you all for your trust." The wicked man bowed again solemnly, then stepped down from the platform and led his first troop toward the city gate.
The soldiers all turned aside to look, making way for the evil man and his five hundred men to pass.
"We wish our 500 lords continued success in battle!"
Hearing the unified roar behind him, the villain continued moving, but he couldn't suppress the upward curve of his lips, feeling a surge of heroic spirit in his heart.
Not only him, but even the five hundred subordinates following behind him were filled with excitement, wishing they could draw their swords and fight right now.
......
"drive...."
The wicked man rode his warhorse, his body appearing somewhat stiff. In his previous life, advanced technology had replaced warhorses with various cars, motorcycles, armored vehicles, and the like, so although he was a soldier, he had no contact with them whatsoever.
After arriving in this world, warhorses were an extremely scarce strategic resource. They had only practiced riding skills for a few days when they enlisted as new recruits, not to mention they didn't even have saddles or stirrups.
"Brothers, get familiar with it first, don't rush!" The wicked man turned to look at his equally nervous brothers behind him and said with a wry smile, "Falling off a warhorse is no joke."
"Looks like... I need to get the saddle and stirrups ready soon!"
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