Chapter 322 The Iron Tiger Army! Marching Off! (4000 words, transitional chapter)
Chang Xin looked at the ten people on the list, his brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed.
"What? Is there a problem?" Wang Sima asked.
"My lord, there is no problem!" Chang Xin replied.
“Since there are no problems, then go and talk to them properly, tell them to prepare well, and depart at dawn tomorrow.” Wang Sima waved his hand. “Go.”
"yes!"
Chang Xin clasped his hands in a salute, then turned and walked out of the wooden house.
Walking through the military camp, Chang Xin still felt something was off.
It is normal for the soldiers of the Iron Tiger Army to go to the battlefield.
The problem is that the first time the new recruits of the Iron Tiger Army go to the battlefield, it is usually a battle that is relatively short in duration and small in scale. Most of them will even go to the border to guard the frontier for a period of time.
But is it really appropriate to send Xiao Mo and his ten Iron Tiger Army rookies to this war of annihilation?
This is a war of annihilation, which will last from two or three years to seven or eight years. Moreover, is the intensity of the battlefield something they can accept?
Chang Xin couldn't understand it, but he also knew that he didn't need to think about it anymore. He was a soldier, and all he needed to do was obey military orders.
Moreover, not everyone is qualified to participate in a war to destroy a nation.
This could also be a good opportunity for them to make a name for themselves.
Not long after, Chang Xin arrived at the dormitory of the Twelfth Earthly Branch.
The dormitory was completely empty.
Chang Xin went to the training ground again.
As expected.
After several years of training, they feel an itch to train even when I'm not around; training has become a habit in their lives.
"Stop right there, everyone, get together," Chang Xin shouted to the group.
Upon hearing Master Chang's voice, Xiao Mo and the others stopped training, wiped their sweat, and lined up in front of Master Chang.
"You don't need to train today. You're allowed a day off and you can leave the barracks. Just go and get your badges later," Chang Xin said to Xiao Mo and the other ten.
Hearing Master Chang's words, Xiao Mo and the others were stunned for a moment. They looked at each other, wondering if they had misheard.
"Master Chang, you just said we can rest?" Xiao Mo asked.
"That's right."
Chang Xin nodded.
"According to the rules of the Iron Tiger Army, every new recruit has a day of rest before their first expedition. You can write your will, go drinking, or go to brothels, as long as you return to the camp before sunset."
Tomorrow at dawn, you will all depart with the army to defend the country. Do you understand?
"Listen carefully," Xiao Mo shouted.
But apart from Xiao Mo, no one else reacted and was still in a daze.
"Are the other nine of you deaf or mute? I'm asking you, did you hear me?" Chang Xin roared.
"Understood!" Zhao Wei and the others responded loudly.
"Dismissed." Chang Xin looked at them with deep eyes. "Boys, don't die."
After Chang Xin left, Zhao Wei and the others started discussing it amongst themselves.
They knew that one day they would have to go to the battlefield.
But they never expected that this day would come so soon.
However, they soon accepted this reality.
Back in their dormitory, Zhao Wei and the others took out paper and pens to write their wills.
After years of learning to read and write, they are no longer the teenagers who couldn't recognize many characters a few years ago; writing a will is more than enough for them.
But...
A will is a document that tells your family what to do; it's like writing a letter to your family.
However, because people often die during training in the military camp, writing letters is not allowed in the military camp on ordinary days.
Otherwise, if soldiers frequently contact their families with letters, they will definitely be distracted, and if their families do not receive any more letters one day, the emotional blow to their loved ones will be even greater.
Therefore, when ordinary people come to the Iron Tiger Army, they are assumed to be "dead." If they are alive seven years later, that is a matter for seven years later.
Therefore, when Zhao Wei and the others picked up their pens, even to write their wills, they were at a loss for what to write to their families.
"What are you writing?" Zhao Wei scratched his head and asked Xu Yongsheng and the others.
However, Xu Yongsheng and the others also shook their heads.
Hei Da Niu sighed and said, "I do want my parents to know that I can read and write now, but I feel like it's useless to say it. Even if my parents see it, I'll be dead."
Yue Jiyun also bit his pen: "I feel quite awkward writing a will for the first time, but I can't not write it."
"Brother Xiao, what did you write?" Qu Weize finished writing his will shortly after meeting Brother Xiao.
Xiao Mo sealed the will and replied, "Write down the things you usually want to say to your family but are too embarrassed to say. Anyway, this will will only be sent out after we die. By the time your family sees it, we will already be gone. Don't be afraid of being sentimental."
Listening to what Brother Xiao said, everyone felt that there was indeed some truth to it.
They continued to hold their pens, carefully considering each word.
Before long, Zhao Wei and others began to write.
After everyone had finished writing their wills, they were sent to a wooden house called "Posthumous Name".
If Xiao Mo and the others die in battle, their wills, along with their compensation, will be sent to their families immediately.
If I don't die, I'll write it again for the next expedition.
After handing over their suicide notes, the group suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if they had no worries at all.
After all, the pensions for the Iron Tiger Army soldiers were quite substantial, enough for their parents to live out the rest of their lives.
"Brothers, let's go, let's go to the capital for a stroll." Su Lei said excitedly to the group, "We've been in the capital for so long, staying in the military camp, and we've never been to the city before."
"That's true. We've got some money now, so we should go to the capital and have some fun. Otherwise, we'll die before we have another chance."
"agree!"
"You bunch of country bumpkins," Ma Jinpeng chuckled. "Come on, let me show you around!"
Everyone chimed in with their own thoughts, expressing their anticipation for the capital, and then all turned to look at Xiao Mo.
"Why are you all staring at me? If you want to go, then go ahead," Xiao Mo said with a smile.
"Let's go! To the capital!"
Soon, they received their badges and left the military camp.
When Zhao Wei and his group entered the capital and saw its prosperity, they were momentarily stunned, and then visibly became excited.
"Holy crap, this road is several times wider than the one in my hometown!"
"Damn! It's so lively, there are so many people."
"What should we do? They all seem so sophisticated. Will they be able to tell we're from the countryside?"
"Don't be so pathetic. We're from the Iron Tiger Army, so we're practically half-registered residents of the capital, okay? Don't just stand here like idiots." Ma Jinpeng straightened his clothes and led his brothers to explore the capital.
Along the way, Hei Da Niu and his companions exclaimed in various ways, feeling that the little girls in the capital were all fairer than those back home.
Li Dadan felt that the dough for Huangdu steamed buns was more delicate than that of his hometown.
Xu Yongsheng felt that any girl in a brothel in the capital was prettier than the girls in his own city.
Xu Yongsheng even beat his chest in frustration, thinking to himself, what kind of vulgar girls did he used to sleep with in the county town?
The girls in the brothels of this capital city are no better in terms of temperament, looks, and figure than those in the brothels of my hometown.
I love the capital!
Looking at everything in the capital that was both strange and familiar, Xiao Mo felt a mix of emotions.
It has been two and a half years since I last returned to the capital.
Unconsciously, Xiao Mo looked in the direction of the Xiao residence.
"Brothers, how about we go to a brothel for some wine and women? We're rich now, and if we don't go this time, we might never have the chance again."
Xu Yongsheng suggested choosing a brothel to visit.
Upon hearing this, Hei Da Niu and Li Da Dan neither agreed nor refused. Their dark faces flushed slightly, showing a mixture of anticipation and embarrassment.
Apart from Xiao Mo, Zhao Wei, and the sons of the two officials, everyone else appeared embarrassed but secretly wanted to go.
After all, I'm still a novice.
I don't want to die on the battlefield, we're all just greenhorns.
"You guys go ahead, I won't go," Xiao Mo said with a smile.
"Brother Xiao, are you really not going?" Xu Yongsheng asked, somewhat surprised.
It's normal that Brother Xiao didn't understand when he was still young and hadn't even grown up yet.
But now Brother Xiao is already of marriageable age, and according to Qin law, he is old enough to get married.
Could it be that Brother Xiao has lost interest in women because he's always hanging out with us men?
"I'm really not going." Xiao Mo shook his head. "Remember to finish early. I'm going to wander around the city first. If you're still not out by the time the sun sets, I'll kick you out of bed."
"this"
Xiao Mo's absence caused some hesitation among the crowd.
"Alright, if you're going, then go. Stop being so wishy-washy."
Xiao Mo patted Black Bull on the shoulder and turned to walk forward.
When Xiao Mo had walked less than a hundred feet, he could faintly hear the sound of running behind him.
"Big brother, wait for our big brother!"
Xiao Mo turned around and saw Xu Yongsheng and the others running over.
Xiao Mo asked curiously, "Didn't you go to a brothel?"
Xu Yongsheng said with a smile, "We did go in, but the madam saw that we were country bumpkins and looked at us disrespectfully, so I thought we shouldn't go in."
“I think it’s more important to find a good wife. I’d rather not go to a brothel,” said Black Bull.
Li Dadan nodded: "Me too!"
"Listen to their excuses," Chen Wang rubbed his nose. "Actually, we felt that it wouldn't be very interesting for just the few of us to go without you here, so we came out."
"You guys," Xiao Mo said with a smile, "Alright, let's go get some braised beef, a few braised pork knuckles, and some drinks. I know a pretty good little shop, if the owner hasn't run away yet."
"Let's go, let's go, big brother, lead the way," Zhao Wei and the others responded.
Before long, Xiao Mo led everyone to a shop on a street next to the Xiao residence.
They drank and ate meat together, watching the people coming and going on the street, and talked about how they would definitely buy a house in the capital, get a wife, have a chubby baby, and live a comfortable life.
Listening to their words, Xiao Mo just smiled and said nothing, but remembered everything. Then he quietly looked at the Xiao residence, which was only one street away from him.
"Eh? Brother Xiao? If I remember correctly, the Xiao residence is on the next street, right?" Ma Jinpeng asked curiously. "Brother Xiao, you rarely get to come out, and you're leaving for war tomorrow. Don't you want to go see your mother?"
Ma Jinpeng's words resonated with the others, and they all looked at Xiao Mo, surprised that the Xiao residence was so close to them.
"No." Xiao Mo shook his head. "The Iron Tiger Army will definitely go on campaign when they are on leave. Once I go back, my mother will definitely be able to guess that I am going to war. Why should I add to her worries?"
"."
The others were speechless for a moment, and they all felt that what Brother Xiao said made sense.
Since it will only cause my mother more worry, why bother going?
But if I don't go, I'm afraid I won't even get to see it one last time.
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Come on, brother, let's have a drink!" Zhao Wei raised his glass. "We will surely return victorious from this expedition!"
"Victory is certain!"
Everyone gathered their thoughts, raised their glasses and clinked them together, the wine swirling in the glass.
But in reality, no one knew whether they would come back alive.
Meanwhile, in the courtyard of the Xiao residence, the maid Cui Cui was serving the Fifth Madam Zhou Ruoxi.
Zhou Ruoxi is knitting shoes.
Suddenly, Zhou Ruoxi seemed to sense something and raised her head, looking in one direction.
"Madam, what's wrong?" Cui Cui asked curiously.
"It's nothing," Zhou Ruoxi blinked. "I just suddenly miss Mo'er a little."
“Madam, you didn’t just ‘suddenly think of him,’ you think about him every day,” Cui Cui sighed. “But don’t worry, Madam. I heard that he’s doing very well in the army. And now, two and a half of the seven years have passed. In another four and a half years, he will not only be able to leave the Iron Tiger Army, but he may even become an official.”
Zhou Ruoxi simply smiled, glancing down at the shoes in her arms: "When Mo'er returns, he will be twenty years old. I wonder if these shoes I'm making now are too big or too small."
"Madam, when the young master returns, it won't be a matter of shoe size anymore; it will be time for him to discuss marriage."
Cui Cui covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
"I think Her Highness the Princess is quite nice."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhou Ruoxi gently patted her head. "How could Her Highness the Princess possibly take a fancy to our boy? However, if it really comes to that, it would indeed be time to find Mo'er a good family."
Before we knew it, the sun was about to set.
Before nightfall, Xiao Mo and the others rushed back to the military camp.
The next day, before dawn, a bugle sounded, and Xiao Mo opened his eyes, knowing that the Iron Tiger Army was about to set off.
Xiao Mo and the others immediately headed to the largest training ground in the center of the military camp.
At this time, the other thousand Iron Tiger Army soldiers also arrived one after another.
Everyone stood straight in the line, silent, staring ahead, and the entire training ground was filled with a chilling and bloodthirsty atmosphere.
Soon, a general walked up to the high platform in front of everyone.
He surveyed the crowd, his authoritative voice resounding throughout the entire operation:
"Iron Tiger Army!"
"Let's march!"
My fever finally broke today. I haven't been writing very well these past two days. Tomorrow, while I keep updating, I need to organize the outline and start stockpiling drafts! Once I have a lot of drafts, I can update more regularly and with more peace of mind.
(End of this chapter)
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