Chapter 63: Desire to End, Heart Broken, Ten Thousand Difficulties (Part 2)
As more and more people saw Zhou Wenbo's face, the laughter on the playground grew smaller and smaller. Those in the back who couldn't see also straightened their backs and stopped talking, following suit.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny?" Zhou Wenbo jumped down from the high platform: "Everyone stands together, and in the future, we will be comrades-in-arms. Once on the battlefield, we must fight to the death together. Today, you laugh because your fellow soldier fell, but tomorrow when you're injured and lying on the battlefield, will any of your comrades be willing to risk their lives to come and save you?"
As Zhou Wenbo's somewhat hoarse voice asked, everyone fell silent and lowered their heads.
At this time, the entire campus was extremely quiet, with only the whistling sound of the cold wind blowing by.
"Who is his squad leader? Step forward!" Zhou Wenbo shouted loudly.
At this time, a rather thin man standing in the front row of this team came out. He was the one who flew to the cave on the outskirts of Yichuan two days ago to deliver the recruitment message. He was also a fellow countryman of Song Tianbiao.
"What's your name?" asked Zhou Wenbo.
"Zhao Er." This man was also somewhat annoyed and ashamed at this time. He was angry that one of his subordinates, whom he didn't know well, had made him lose face in front of more than 200 people; he was also ashamed that he had followed along with the laughter and hadn't played the role of a squad leader.
"From now on, your deputy commander position is cancelled. When you help this person master all the moves I taught today, then and only then will you be reinstated to your original position. Did you hear that?"
"I heard it!" Zhao Er's face was filled with indignation, but he responded loudly and proudly.
This is really embarrassing, but fortunately, there's still a chance to make up for it.
"That's all for today, let's go have dinner!"
Zhou Wenbo finally gave the order to disperse, but unexpectedly, this group of new recruits still maintained their original stiff posture, not moving at all.
"Please go first, Lord Guo!" This time it was Song Tianbiao who spoke up. He too had rich experience in the Jianghu and knew that today was Zhou Wenbo's moment to establish his authority, so he behaved exceptionally obediently and did not bring that air of Jianghu into the training ground.
Zhou Wenbo gave him a seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling glance, causing Song Tianbiao's eyelids to twitch involuntarily.
That night Zhou Wenbo did not stay in his own commander's camp to wait for dinner, but went with the soldiers to the cafeteria converted from the barracks to eat.
The soldiers on the big campus are about to arrive, and the chefs in the cafeteria have already brought out steaming hot buns and dishes. The kitchen staff responsible for distributing utensils are also standing at the door of the dining hall waiting.
Just then, the first person to walk over was Zhao Guo Gong, dressed in military attire. The chef was so frightened that he almost dropped the bowl in his hand and knelt on the ground.
Zhou Wenbo took over the two coarse ceramic bowls from him with one hand, and supported the cook with the other. Without saying much, he went straight to the place where the rice was being served.
That night, the new recruits really lined up neatly in the formation they had just learned during the day. Even the pushing and shoving that usually occurred several times a day was nowhere to be seen. This contrast was so great that it almost made several of the drill instructors disbelieve their eyes.
Zhou Wenbo sat alone at a long table, and surprisingly no one dared to come forward to squeeze in with the commander. With this group of soldiers' simple class concept, they couldn't imagine that a dignified Duke would sit on this humble bench with them, eating this rough meal that was far from suitable for a Duke.
Zhou Wenbo did not force himself to merge with the soldiers, he knew it was a long-term process, and he had to use his own sincerity to move these simple and kind people, let them feel his heart, and bind all interests and glory to his chariot. Such an army will surely win every battle in the future and sweep everything before it.
By nightfall, Zhou Wenbo still didn't go to the new recruits' barracks to sleep with them. Not because of other reasons, but because he was after all someone who didn't need sleep, and doing so would easily cause the soldiers to be unable to fall asleep due to tension, so he returned alone to the commander's tent.
Just as Li Mutang, who had come to join the army yesterday at sunset, was about to throw his opponent over his head, Zhou Wenbo suddenly remembered this big man who had left a deep impression on him. As a result, he used today's opportunity to observe and judge Li Mutang without hesitation, and the news he got was truly an unexpected joy for Zhou Wenbo.
Top attribute: Strength. Strength value: 91
System Prompt: You have unlocked achievement 【Fierce General Arrives】.
Increases Strength by 1 when showing off achievements.
Achievement 【Ji Ji Yi Tang】 2/5 completed.
A martial arts value of up to ninety-one shocked Zhou Wenbo, this value is comparable to Xiahou Yuan and Zhou Tai in the Three Kingdoms era, even among the gathered generals of the Three Kingdoms era, he can be ranked in the top twenty. Why would such a person come alone to join the army?
Zhou Wenbo had already sensed a strong and bloody aura of war from Li Mutang's body yesterday. This middle-aged man gave people the feeling that he was a fierce general who had fought on many battlefields, not some unknown nobody. Moreover, looking at him, he was probably over 40 years old, and no matter what faction he belonged to, he would be like a sharp awl in a bag, unable to hide. So, what was his intention in coming to rely on himself?
Li Mutang
Zhou Wenbo thought carefully, could it be that this person was a remnant of the former Tang Dynasty?
The Great Tang was destroyed by Zhu Wen, the founding emperor of Later Liang, in 907 AD, only eighteen years ago. At that time, Li Mochou should have been a young and vigorous hero with exceptional martial arts skills. Judging from his extraordinary strength but lack of fame, could it be that he had stumbled upon a treasure and recruited a former Tang general?
At this point, Zhou Wenbo controlled his surging emotions. Judging from Li Mutang's performance today, he still wants to integrate into the collective and showcase his strength and abilities. In comparison, Hua Qing, who was originally considered the most promising, seemed a bit immature, while Song Tianbiao, who was relatively more impressive, was too slick and had a big gap compared to Li Mutang.
However, no matter what kind of hero or talent, Zhou Wenbo has the confidence to drive him, control him, and let the most outstanding and top-notch talents of this era come to die for himself!
This is the confidence of a historical web novel master who was born in an era of knowledge explosion and has studied the history of past dynasties for over a decade, and also because he has already obtained the truth, with the "Saintly Heir" system that can reverse heaven and change fate, giving him confidence!
Only the most ambitious and far-sighted, as well as the most self-assured monarchs will not be jealous of or suspicious of exceptionally talented individuals under their command, because they have enough confidence and control to utilize these people for their own purposes, and as long as they are alive, they can keep heroes submissive and dare not have any disloyal thoughts.
Li Mutang was unaware that, due to the existence of a system beyond his imagination, Zhou Wenbo had already discerned his hidden edge on the first day he came to join the army and even roughly inferred his origin.
No longer thinking about those things, Zhou Wenbo sat on the bed and relaxed his mind, facing upwards with a calm heart, holding his breath and concentrating his spirit. He quickly entered a state of quiet meditation. His physical and mental fatigue were dissipating at an extremely fast rate, and his throat, which had become hoarse from shouting loudly during the day, also felt refreshed, as if a force within him was slowly healing this wound.
Today is the second day of recruiting soldiers, and more than 300 people came to join the army. Duanchen and Cuihao, who have gained experience from yesterday, completed today's work smoothly with the help of many old soldiers, and also arranged various preparation services for the new batch of soldiers.
The demanding work had taken all of Zhou Wenbo's energy, yet the insomnia made him miss his loved ones and family back in Luoyang City at midnight.
With Zhou Wenbo's prestige as a national duke and his absolute authority here, he could naturally arrange for Qing'e and Hong Zhu to live in the military camp, and he himself could also leave the camp every night to comfort his longing. However, the sense of responsibility deep within him prevented him from doing so.
As a commander of an army, he must set an example for himself, so that this group of soldiers can be convinced and willing to use themselves.
Just as Zhou Wenbo was lying in bed thinking wildly, someone in the new soldier's military account was active.
After the division of troops was completed today, all new recruits received orders. One squad sleeps in a compartment, so after changing places in a hurry, the squad leaders and deputy captains of each team began to communicate with their eight subordinates, and some set up rules.
Chen Shaojun had nothing to carry, and he followed Li Mutang to their new residence. The young man who was tossed in the air by Li Mutang earlier that day, despite being severely reprimanded by his own squad leader, was easily won over by Li Mutang's subsequent conciliatory efforts and his aura of authority from having lived among people for a long time.
Li Mutang first sat on the bed, but facing the nine subordinates standing in front of him, said: "I am Li Mutang, from today I will be your superior. Since we are soldiers, when we go to the battlefield, we must fight with our lives. Without discipline and not practicing martial arts diligently, it would be a life that lets others cut off your head and hang it on their waist for reward money!"
Li Mutang's gaze was like a scorching ray, burning them, making the nine young people who had never seen bloodshed unable to resist, and could only lower their heads.
"Today, Commander Guo taught us military posture and formation. This is to teach us discipline, tell us how to respect our superiors, and strictly follow the rules! I don't care about other teams, but my team must be the best and most outstanding! Since you chose to follow me and trust me, I will train you into shape!"
The battle-hardened Li Mutang was like an eagle grasping small chickens when facing several new recruits, and this group of little soldiers was completely at his mercy.
"Stand up straight, one by one! Line up in a row, Liu as the head and Chen as the tail. Listen to my commands and follow my actions!" Since Li Mutang had made up his mind to perform well and become Zhou Wenbo's trusted aide and right-hand man, he naturally wanted to do his best in every aspect, so that when he was promoted, everyone would be convinced.
Taking advantage of the moonlight that pierced through the clouds like a thin silk veil, and splashed in the house like frost, this group of soldiers was trained by Li Mutang for as long as an hour. Li Mutang personally corrected each person's posture and movements.
He has a strong and powerful martial art, he can say that every part of his body is as familiar as the back of his hand. After watching Zhou Wenbo's demonstration once, he can remember it all in his heart and do it out perfectly without any difference, so he can also point out his subordinates very well.
