After saying goodbye to Lin Momo outside the town, Shiguang and his servant Li Yong set off with a group of new recruits, carrying heavy luggage.
Although Shi Guang had changed into his usual mountain clothes, his exceptional height and demeanor still made him stand out among the other recruits in their rough and tattered clothes.
This also attracted a lot of curious glances and gossip.
Some thugs even approached and provoked him during breaks.
"Oh my, it's rare to see a rich man's son wanting to join the army just like us common folk. I hope he doesn't get too scared before he even gets to the battlefield."
As long as it wasn't too outrageous, Shi Guang ignored it and even pulled Li Yongqi back when he was about to rush up and argue with the person, preventing him from causing trouble.
After three days of traveling through wind and rain, they finally arrived at a military camp built in the wilderness.
After entering the gate, the deputy commander in charge of the team handed over the duties to the officer in charge of the new recruits and then left. The hundreds of new recruits were given a brief training session and then arranged to rest in tents in batches.
Unexpectedly, Shi Guang ended up sharing a tent with the two scoundrels.
Just as the thugs were about to continue mocking Shi Guang, a soldier suddenly came in and told Shi Guang to pack his things and come with him.
When the timeline was brought before Zhu Rui, who was dressed in military uniform, he was not surprised at all, and even smiled knowingly at him.
Although three years had passed, the boy from back then had grown into a dashing young general on the battlefield, and time still recognized him at a glance.
The shallow dimples on his face revealed his identity when he smiled.
Moreover, Shi Guang had thought about it while he was on the road, and Zhu Rui probably already knew from the messenger that he had been forcibly conscripted into the army.
That kid must be overjoyed.
It was only a matter of time before the two met.
In contrast, Zhu Rui seemed much more excited. He stepped forward and punched Shi Guang on the shoulder, complaining, "Brother Shi, why aren't you surprised at all? It makes me feel so unaccomplished!"
Reuniting with old friends brings joy and excitement.
During this conversation, time gained a deeper understanding of Zhu Rui.
Zhu Rui's father, Zhu Yingxiong, was reinstated by the court after recovering from his illness and was granted the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Second Rank, leading more than 10,000 troops to suppress the rebels in Hexi Road.
Lord Zhu, however, used the pretext of training troops to delay as much as possible. At the same time, he streamlined his troops, eliminating the old and weak veterans from the camp, and recruiting new soldiers who were capable of fighting from nearby areas.
Zhu Rui had already risen to the position of commander of a thousand men under his father's command, and then transferred Shi Guang to his own command as a commander of a hundred men.
It was like climbing to the top in one step, but time wouldn't refuse. He didn't want to climb step by step, as that would be too much of a waste of time.
Since I can't be a deserter, the only way forward is to climb up the ranks.
He had to climb the ladder so that he and his wife could be reunited as soon as possible.
However, being a centurion who was suddenly appointed by time is not an easy job.
He had a group of arrogant and fierce soldiers under his command who were not convinced by the new recruits who had joined the army at the same time.
"Why is it that this kid, who hasn't earned any military merit, has bypassed us and become a centurion!"
"Why is it that he became an officer right after they both just enlisted!"
"We're not convinced! We're not convinced!"
......
Without wasting any words, Shi Guang stood directly on the dueling platform in the training ground and shouted to the unconvinced soldiers below, "If you're not convinced, come up and fight me one-on-one. If you can beat me, I'll give you the position of centurion!"
Upon hearing this, the people in the audience became incredibly excited, rolling up their sleeves and taking off their clothes, eager to try it out.
Standing to the side, Li Yong glanced at the sea of heads below the stage and couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for the young master.
The competition attracted many onlookers, and Zhu Rui, upon hearing about it, naturally came to support his friend.
As a result, they fought from morning till afternoon, and no one could defeat Time.
This battle, which established his prestige, made Shi Guang famous in the military camp. He not only subdued a hundred warriors under his command, but also attracted a group of generals who were confident in their martial arts skills to come and challenge him to a duel.
In order to lead his troops well, Shi Guang put a lot of effort into training them.
He used the training methods he learned in the army in his previous life to train his new recruits, including strapping sandbags to their legs, morning runs, military boxing, and sparring...
They also hold a martial arts and archery competition once a month, with the winner receiving a meal of meat as a reward.
With meat hanging in front of them, the soldiers trained like they didn't care about their lives, and their progress was rapid.
In addition to physical training, Shi Guang also conducted ideological education for the soldiers, making them understand why they were fighting.
In just two months, the training began to show results. After being urgently pulled into the battlefield, they performed exceptionally well, making a name for themselves in their first battle and bringing great honor to Shiguang.
In the military camp, the soldiers and generals who had previously thought he only had the courage of a fool and were waiting to see him make a fool of himself also put away their contempt.
He thought to himself, "This guy is actually quite capable; Commander Zhu knows how to judge people."
His brothers fought bravely against the enemy, and Shi Guang, as their superior, was equally generous.
Aside from handing over the spoils of war, most of them were rewarded to his brave soldiers, which also won over a new wave of hearts.
With such a fair and just leader, how could the soldiers not serve? They fought to the death against the enemy on the battlefield.
Two years later, the number of households reached a thousand.
For two years, the couple kept in touch through letters, but they still couldn't ease the pain of longing for each other. Unfortunately, he was always away fighting alongside Zhu Rui and couldn't find the time to come home to see him.
At present, the imperial court exists in name only, and various warlords are annexing each other.
Shi Guang's superior, Zhu Yingxiong, has become the second largest power in the north, and his ambition to conquer the Central Plains is obvious.
Even her son, Zhu Rui, was arranged to marry into the Wu family, the most powerful family in the north. A month later, a grand wedding would be held in the Zhu family mansion in the prefectural city, attracting widespread attention.
Zhu Rui was the eldest son of the legitimate wife.
Although the bride was a concubine's daughter in the Wu family, she was born to General Wu's favorite concubine and was raised as a legitimate daughter.
Therefore, the wedding was quite a sensation, and various powerful groups from the north and south would send envoys to offer their congratulations and present valuable gifts.
To Shi Guang's surprise, Zhu Rui secretly sent someone to bring his wife to the prefectural city as well, and gave him a mansion to settle his family.
Because the war situation has recently entered a period of calm, Shi Guang was also transferred to the prefectural city by Zhu Rui to help prepare for the wedding.
Upon receiving this good news, he was overjoyed and rushed ten miles out of the city to fetch his wife.
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