Chapter 18: Devoted Loyalty and Patriotism

  Under the cheers and encouragement of the new army soldiers, the four brigade commanders of the new army were finally decided. The eight deputy captains were also quickly selected, and three right-wing guards were eliminated due to insufficient strength and bad luck. They reluctantly stood among the soldier troops, watching the four brigade commanders receive their armor with envy and discontent in their eyes.

  To distinguish from the school lieutenant, the four traveling generals wore black bright armor, which was not as luxurious and majestic as the silver bright armor, but also looked solemn and dignified, with a strong wind. The eight team leaders and eight deputy team leaders also received black bright armor, but the style and decoration were different, making it easy to distinguish between levels.

  At this time, Xie Zichong had already vacated a separate barracks and camp for the new army in Jiaoye Fang. Chen Yingliang ordered the soldiers of the new army to return to their barracks to gather their personal belongings, and within a limited time, they all moved into the new camp before he gave the order to disperse. It was also at this time that more than 400 new army soldiers discovered something big: the Right Guard had suddenly organized them into an independent military unit, and suddenly assigned Chen Yingliang as their superior officer. What was the purpose of this? What did they plan to do? Not a single person had explained anything to them until now.

  There were soldiers who timidly asked Chen Yingliang about this matter, Chen Yingliang shook his head and refused to answer immediately, only instructing: "Don't ask too much, wait until you move into the new barracks, I will naturally explain it to you. Go and pack your belongings, remember, there is only one hour, those who have not finished moving by then will be severely punished according to military law."

  With a belly full of questions, the more than 400 new soldiers hurried back to their camp to pack up and bid farewell. The weapons, equipment, and supplies that Chen Yingliang needed were also delivered to the new barracks. Chen Yingliang walked up to Pei Hongce and bowed, saying: "Uncle, please forgive me. From now on, I will be living in the new barracks, and for the time being, I won't be able to attend to you personally. Please excuse my disrespect."

  Looking at Chen Yingliang, who was paying respects in front of him, Pei Hongce suddenly had an inexplicable feeling, as if this distant nephew he had just recognized a few days ago would leave him forever. He also vaguely felt that the space around him was too small, so small that it couldn't accommodate this ambitious distant nephew at all. After sighing quietly, Pei Hongce nodded and said: "Don't worry about your uncle here, do well, if there's anything you need your uncle to help with, just come find your uncle and speak up, your uncle will do his best."

  Chen Yingliang knelt down on both knees to Pei Hongce, who helped him take the first step, and solemnly knocked his head. Then, without saying a word, he took big strides towards the new military camp. Looking at the back of his distant nephew leaving, Pei Hongce couldn't help but feel more melancholy in his heart, and he couldn't help but secretly sigh again, muttering to himself: "Worthy nephew, I hope you can give the imperial court a surprise, and also hope you can give me a surprise."

  Chen Yingliang walked into the rather cramped new military camp, also changing into a suit of silver bright armor and wearing a white robe. The heavy bright armor worn on his body made Chen Yingliang, who had been malnourished for two consecutive years, somewhat inconvenient to move around, but Chen Yingliang still stood upright, just like Fan Zigai, who was nearly seventy years old and still patrolled the city walls with a straight back.

  Fan Zigai's handwritten military flag was also sent to the new military camp, Chen Yingliang did not rush to hang the flag, but only arranged for the laborers in the camp to move a incense table, put it under the main flagpole of the camp, lit incense and offered the military flag, then Chen Yingliang stood beside the incense table, waiting for the arrival of the new army officers.

  Guo Feng and Chen Zhihong arrived at the new military camp with their meager luggage, and immediately went to pay respects to Chen Yingliang. Chen Yingliang had them temporarily put down their luggage and wait together for the arrival of the new military officers. Guo Feng and Chen Zhihong didn't say a word and followed orders.

  Four traveling generals and sixteen deputy captains also came in a hurry, bringing many new soldiers familiar with them. When entering the camp, the new soldiers all received brand-new Sui army leather armor and a white robe. Chen Yingliang ordered the traveling generals and captains to command the soldiers to change into new armor and robes on the spot, and then assemble in front of him.

  Because they saw Chen Yingliang's words and deeds with their own eyes, and also because they had not been completely corrupted by the old soldiers, all 422 new military officers arrived at the new military camp on time, changed into new armor and uniforms as required, and lined up in front of Chen Yingliang as required. They curiously and nervously waited for Chen Yingliang's speech, and also waited for Chen Yingliang to announce the answer, why this army was formed? What is the purpose of forming this army? Fan Zigai sent Lu Chuzhen, leading some imperial guards, standing silently on the side, quietly monitoring Chen Yingliang's every move.

  By the way, Fan Ziguai sent Lu Chu to assist Chen Yingliang in building a new army. In addition to helping Chen Yingliang solve some necessary problems, there was another move that was to monitor Chen Yingliang's actions and had the power to disband this army at any time, dismiss or even arrest Chen Yingliang.

  As the sun sets, 422 new soldiers stood in formation, their eyes fixed on Chen Yingliang, who wore a white robe and silver armor. Chen Yingliang took a sip of water, cleared his throat, and began his first public speech since arriving in this era: "Soldiers, some of you may know me or have seen me before, but most of you probably don't recognize me or haven't met me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Yingliang, and I am the Zanchishi of the Li Guo Gong Pei Da's Zanbuzheng Shu. I am also the favored one of Dongdu Liushou Fan Zigai Fan and You Wuguan Huangfu Wu Yi Huangfu Jiangjun. And now, I am your temporary commander. You can call me Chen Jishi."

  "Some of you may not know what a record keeper is or what they do. Let me introduce it briefly, a record keeper is not an official, but a minor officer who assists Lord Pei in handling official documents and has no rank, and even the salary is paid by Lord Pei himself, without receiving a single penny or grain of rice from the court."

  "Brothers, aren't you curious?" Chen Yingliang suddenly raised his voice and asked: "Since I'm just a minor official who's not much better than you, why can I stand here today? Why can I command you? Why did Master Fan and General Huangfu, those high-ranking officials of the imperial court, hand you over to me for command? And why did they allow me to appoint captains and battalion commanders, and issue you fine armor? Soldiers, don't you want to know the reason? Answer me."

  "Think." Many of the new soldiers opened their mouths to answer and were also filled with curiosity about this reason.

  "Because of my efforts!" Chen Yingliang said loudly: "Because I worked hard, worked hard to help Pei Daren participate in military strategy, and put forward many good ideas to resist and eliminate the Yang Inverse Thief Army outside the city. I almost helped the imperial army shoot dead Yang Xuan's rebel thief, and got the recognition of Fan Daren and Huangfu General, so they gave me this opportunity to let me command and train you, turn you into an elite team, turn you into a team that is invincible in battle! This is the return on my efforts, the payback for my hard work, allowing me to gain this opportunity to gallop on the battlefield and serve the country!"

  Looking at the whispering new soldiers, Chen Yingliang said loudly: "Soldiers, be quiet for a moment, you will have a chance to speak, but listen to me first."

  When the low murmurs of the new soldiers had subsided, Chen Yingliang spoke out loud again: "Soldiers, up to now, my greatest wish is to serve the country, galloping on the battlefield to build merit for the country, not betraying what I have learned in my life. Through hard work, I got the first opportunity to fulfill my wish! I am very pleased and also very curious, wondering what your wishes are? What is your greatest wish?"

  The new soldiers looked at each other in confusion, none of them understanding why Chen Yingliang would ask this question. Chen Yingliang naturally wouldn't explain, he simply pointed to one of the new soldiers in front of him and ordered: "You, step forward, loudly tell me, loudly tell everyone present, what is your greatest wish?"

  The newly enlisted soldier who was called out stepped forward, but was so nervous that he didn't dare to speak. Chen Yingliang encouraged him: "Don't be afraid, just tell the truth, even if you say something wrong, I won't blame you. Tell me, what is your greatest wish?"

  "I... I... I..." The new soldier seemed to have caught Lu Chu's stuttering habit, and after a long time of hesitation, he finally mustered up the courage to say: "I want to buy thirty mu of the best paddy fields, plant rice, and eat white rice until I'm full."

  "Why don't you buy it then?" Chen Yingliang asked very seriously.

  "I have no money." The soldier lowered his head, then raised it again and said seriously in a loud voice: "I've been saving money all the time. At home, I even don't dare to wear shoes, just to save money for buying shoes, preparing to buy good paddy fields in the future."

  "Great ambition!" Chen Yingliang nodded vigorously, then turned to the other new army officers and asked loudly: "Is there anyone among you who wants to buy dozens of acres of good water fields, plant rice and wheat, and eat white rice and buns every day? Who has such a wish? Step forward!

  "I, I, I also want to." Countless new soldiers stood up and said in a rush.

  "Alright, I understand." Chen Yingliang patted the shoulder of the soldier in front of him and ordered: "Return to your units, all of you return to your units."

  The new soldiers returned to their posts, and Chen Yingliang turned to Guo Feng and Chen Zhihong beside him and said: "Guo Lieutenant, Chen Lieutenant, remember what you said earlier? You wanted to be lieutenants in order to marry a wife. So tell me, what kind of wife do you want to marry? Or rather, who do you want to marry?"

  "I want to marry a beautiful wife, the more beautiful the better." Guo Feng said with a grin: "I haven't thought about who to marry yet, as long as she's beautiful, I'll be satisfied if I like her when I see her."

  "Chen Xiao-wei, how about you?" Chen Ying-liang asked Chen Zhi-hong with a smile, "You were so brave when you wanted to be a Xiao-wei during the day, but now you're too afraid to speak up when I ask who you want to marry? You're already scared before even getting married, what's going to happen in the future? Are you not even going to dare enter the bridal chamber?"

  Amidst the thunderous laughter, Chen Zhihong's face turned bright red with embarrassment as he loudly declared: "I want to marry Feng Jie!"

  Chen Yingliang's smile solidified on his face, and he unconsciously began to admire the courage and taste of this family. Chen Zhihong, however, became even more courageous and said loudly: "I want to tell you, Chen Zhishi, I want to marry our village's Feng Jie, she is only three days older than me, so I call her Feng Jie. We grew up together, and I promised to marry her. But her family looks down on me because I'm poor, they don't think I'm good enough for Feng Jie!"

  Chen Yingliang nodded, and suddenly asked: "Commander Chen, if you really become a commander and return to your village as a commander, will Feng Jie's family agree to marry Feng Jie to you?"

  "Her family will definitely agree!" Chen Zhihong hastily nodded and said loudly: "When I become a school lieutenant, I'll have military pay. With military pay, I can buy a house and land, and it's prestigious. Her family will definitely agree to marry her to me."

  "Alright, then you'd better work hard." Chen Yingliang nodded and said loudly: "I can now tell you clearly, and also tell Officer Guo, as long as you all work hard, don't let me down, don't let Lord Pei and General Huangfu down, you will definitely become real officers, marry beautiful wives, and marry Feng Jie! Tell me, are you willing to work hard?"

  "Agreed!" Chen Zhihong and Guo Feng replied in unison, their faces still stern and solemn.

  Chen Yingliang nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the new army and asked loudly: "Is there anyone among you who wants to marry a beautiful wife like Guo Jun and Chen Jun? Come out and tell me!"

  "I want to! I want to! I want to!" Almost all of the new soldiers stood up and answered loudly.

  "Great!" Chen Yingliang nodded vigorously and asked, "Is there anyone among you who wants to be an official or a general? To hold high office, ride fine horses, live in big and beautiful houses, and take revenge on those who have bullied you?"

  "We will! We will! We will!" all the new soldiers answered loudly.

  "Alright, fall in, listen to me continue." Chen Yingliang instructed.

  The new soldiers reassembled, their formation even more orderly than before. Once everyone had quieted down, Chen Yingliang spoke out in a loud voice: "A big house, a beautiful mansion, marrying a beautiful wife, having lots and lots of money, becoming an official or a general - these are things that everyone wants. You want them, I want them too. But now I can tell you clearly, these things, you're not worthy of possessing yet, and it'll be very hard for you to get them in this lifetime."

  The atmosphere was depressed, and all the new soldiers also understood that Chen Yingliang's words were a big truth. In their situation, it was indeed unlikely to get these things.

  "But——!" Chen Yingliang suddenly drew out his voice and said loudly: "But it's not necessarily impossible! If you want these things, you may have the opportunity to get them! At least, I know how you can do it, you can get these things! I can tell you now, how you can get these things!"

  All the new soldiers pricked up their ears and listened intently, and Chen Yingliang did not disappoint them. He said loudly: "Do you know? Our great Sui's Rongguo Gong, Youyi Wei Da Jiangjun, Lai Hu Er Lai Zhu Guo, he was poorer and more bitter than you! He was an orphan from a young age, with no father or mother, raised by his stepmother! But now, the concubines he marries are all palace maids given to him by the Emperor, holding the highest position under heaven, commanding thousands of horses and men!"

  "There is also our Great General Zhang Xun of the imperial guards, he and you are all from a military background, now with his achievements, he has been granted the title of Duke of Qi Commandery, and just one reward from the Emperor was 1,000 bolts of colored silk!"

  "Brothers, don't you want to know how they got these? Tell me, do you want to?"

  "Present!" More than 400 new army officers replied in unison.

  "Alright, I'll tell you, they were able to get these, the answer is four words." Chen Yingliang shouted loudly: "These four words are, loyalty and patriotism!"

  "Loyalty and devotion to the country?" More than 400 new army officers repeated these four words, with some even saying them out loud.

  "That's right, loyalty to the country is rewarded!" Chen Yingliang said loudly: "General Zhongyuan was able to become a general from an orphan because he was loyal to the emperor and the Great Sui Dynasty, fighting for his life and killing enemies. The Emperor gave him the reward he deserved! General Zhang Xu was able to become a pillar of the court from an ordinary soldier like you, with great merit and honor, also because he was loyal to the country, fighting for the Great Sui Dynasty, suppressing the bandits in Shandong, and eliminating Yang Guang's rebellion. The Emperor gave him his reward!"

  "It's me, I'm a living example for you all!" Chen Yingliang pointed to himself and said in an even louder voice: "Seven days ago, seven days ago, I, Chen Yingliang, a seventeen-year-old young man, rode a mediocre horse, carrying a horizontal knife, came to the East Capital City to join the army. Because of my age, I was not accepted by the Right Wuwei Army. But in just seven short days, I can stand in front of you, commanding 422 soldiers from two teams. Why? It's also because I am willing to dedicate myself to the country, to fight for the emperor, to pacify the rebels, and to kill the thieves for the Great Sui!"

  "Braves, are you willing to follow me in killing the rebels and being loyal to our country?!" Chen Yingliang roared: "Answer me, are you willing or not?!"

  "Agreed!" Four hundred and twenty-two new military officers replied in unison, shouting in rhythm, "Agreed! Agreed! Agreed!"

  "I know that among you, there must be many people who are afraid of the rebel army outside the city, fearing they are not their match." Chen Yingliang said loudly: "But I want to tell you, the rebel Yang Xuangan's mob, are just a group of ordinary civilians transporting military rations, a group of ordinary boatmen rowing oars, compared to you right-wing guards, they are far inferior! Why should you be afraid of them? Why be afraid of a group of ordinary civilians and boatmen who are not even as good as you? Do they have an extra hand or an extra foot?"

  "Brothers, now the opportunity is in front of you, take out your courage and strength, and join me to kill the enemy and quell the rebellion, be loyal to the country! With our own hands, create a beautiful future for ourselves! I can't guarantee that all of you will come back alive from the battlefield, but what I can guarantee is that as long as you come back alive, you will definitely stand out, marry a good wife and live a good life! Soldiers, are you willing to join me in killing the enemy, quelling the rebellion, and being loyal to the country?!"

  "Agreed! Agreed!" The new army officers were all infected by Chen Yingliang's speech, hot-blooded and shouting in unison, "Chen's room, we are willing to fight the enemy with you, we are willing to follow you!"

  "Whoever is willing, shout with me!" Chen Yingliang raised his arm and roared: "Kill the rebels and traitors! Loyalty to the country!"

  "Kill the rebels and pacify the bandits! Loyalty to the country!" Countless new army officers raised their arms and shouted loudly.

  "Kill the rebels and pacify the bandits! Devoted loyalty to the country!" Chen Yingliang shouted again with a loud voice.

  "Kill the rebels and pacify the bandits! Loyalty to the country!" The new army officers and soldiers raised their arms in unison, shouting loudly, "Kill the rebels and pacify the bandits! Loyalty to the country! Kill the rebels and pacify the bandits! Loyalty to the country! Kill the rebels and pacify the bandits! Loyalty to the country——!"

  In the midst of a loud and clear shout, Chen Yingliang knelt down on both knees in front of the incense table with the military flag, solemnly knocked three times, then picked up the flag, and with the help of Guo Feng and Chen Zhihong, unfolded it, revealing the four large characters written by Fan Zigai on the flag: " Loyalty to the Country". He shouted loudly: "Soldiers, these four words are loyalty to the country! Our military flag is this loyalty to the country flag! From now on, I and you will form a team called the Reporting National Army! Report... kill the enemy and pacify the rebellion! Loyalty to the country——!"

  "Report, kill rebels and bandits! Loyalty to the country!" Four hundred and twenty-two reporters shouted in unison.

  "Warriors, now it's time to raise the military flag! Before we raise the flag, I want to teach you a song - our army anthem! Once you all learn this anthem, we'll raise the flag amidst the singing of the anthem! Warriors, sing with me!"

  "Wolf smoke rises, gazing north at the rivers and mountains"

  The dragon rises, the horse neighs loudly, and the sword's energy is like frost.

  My heart is like the boundless waters of the Yellow River

  For thousands of years, who can resist each other?

  With hatred and desire, the long sword points to how many loyal hands and feet, and devoted souls are buried in a foreign land.

  Die a hundred times for the sake of one's country

  Sighing in despair, speechless, with tears of blood filling my eyes

  Horses' hooves head south, people gaze north

  A man in the north gazes out at the green and yellow grass as dust flies about

  I am willing to defend our territory and reclaim our lost lands

  The majestic Great Sui will make all nations surrender

  Come celebrate!

  The military song is loud and clear, the loud and clear military song echoes in the camp of the Reporting Army again and again. In the majestic sound of the military song, 422 soldiers stand upright. In the camp of the Reporting Army, the great flag of loyalty to the country slowly rises. Lu Chu, who was sent by Fan Zige, is filled with hot tears. Although Lu Chu had not understood before, after Fan Zige's secret conversation with Chen Yingliang, why he would joke about his reputation and let Chen Yingliang, a young man who had never been on the battlefield, build a new army. But now, Lu Chu understands everything.

  Outside the camp of the Reporting National Army, countless Youwuwei officers and men peeked out to observe the situation inside the Reporting National Army camp. Fan Zigai, who had brought a group of Dongdu's civil and military officials to visit, was choked with sobs, wiping away tears as he muttered: "I, after all, did not misjudge this person."

  On the city gate tower of Shangchun Gate, looking out at the continuously loud military songs coming from the Baoguo Military Camp, Pei Hongce seemed to be thinking deeply and said in a low voice: "I've taken a liking to this nephew, it's like picking up a treasure."