Chapter Eighteen: The Tenth Journey (Seeking Collection)

  Coming out of Wang Xiao's office, Wang Yuze's mood couldn't calm down for a long time. He could finally join the army and return to his familiar military life. Only this time, it was no longer just about survival, but about controlling his own power. Also, to protect his family and country, and let China rise.

  Until he returned to his own courtyard, Wang Yuez's mood was still very excited. He was secretly guessing which troops Wang Xiao would send him to? The first division of Panzhihua? The second division of Chongqing? Or the second brigade of Luzhou? Just now, he heard that Wang Xiao meant that the Sichuan Army had already been preparing for war. Once they went to war with the Qing court, the second division stationed in Chongqing would inevitably be the main battlefield. At that time, a large number of troops would gather here and fight against the Qing army. In addition, it seems that western Sichuan now has the intention of annexing Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. In this way, both the first division and the second brigade will have the opportunity to be used. Therefore, Wang Yuez believed that whether it was the first division, the second division or the second brigade, he would all have the opportunity to make achievements. It's just that I don't know which troops I will be sent to specifically.

  As for Wang Yuezhe's own character, he hoped to go to the Second Division. After all, the Second Division had been confronting the Qing army's elite troops for many years and had more opportunities to fight. The Qing court at this time was even weaker due to the rise of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the rise of Sichuan. However, the status of Han officials in the Qing court also increased significantly. Many of the governors were Han officials. Among them, the most famous ones were Li Hongzhang, the Governor-General of Zhili and Minister of Beiyang, and Zhang Zhidong, the Governor-General of Huguang. The 200,000-strong new army, the elite troops of the Qing army, was controlled by these two men. Among them, Zhang Zhidong had an army of 100,000 men, stationed in Hubei to resist the threat from Sichuan.

  "General, you seem to be in high spirits today!" Wang Wei said with a smile after pouring a cup of tea for Wang Yuze when they returned to the study.

  "Yes! Ah Wei, I'm about to join the army. Are you staying at the General's mansion or coming with me?" Wang Yuze asked, looking at Wang Wei. He and Wang Wei had grown up together since childhood, and although they were not brothers, their relationship was even closer than that of brothers.

  "General, of course I'll go with you to the army!" Wang Wei replied immediately without hesitation. In his mind, the most important thing was to help and protect Wang Yuze, which seemed like a mission for him to survive.

  "Haha, great! We two brothers will join the army together this time and make a name for ourselves!" Wang Yuze said with a heroic spirit.

  "General, which unit are we going to? Is it the Training Division? The Training Division is the most powerful army in the whole military. Even an ordinary soldier from the Training Division can be a squad leader in other units!" Wang Wei exclaimed excitedly.

  "The instructors have been stationed in Chengdu for years and can't even get a fight, where are we going to go? In my opinion! It's not the first division, the second division, it's just the second brigade!" Wang Yuzhang said with a smile.

  "That's okay, anyway I'll go wherever Xiao Shuai goes!" Wang Wei didn't think much about it. Although he was also a graduate of the Army Academy and had excellent grades. But he seemed to have never thought about his own future at all, everything was for Wang Yuze.

  In the following days, Wang Yuze spent most of his time accompanying his wives. After all, it was just after their wedding and he would be joining the army soon. Once he joined the army, he might only be able to return during holidays. Although Wang Yuze's heart ached with reluctance, for the sake of his grand ambitions, he could only temporarily put aside his love for his wives.

  Wang Yuze's wives also realized this and cherished the time they spent together. One thing that made Wang Yuze very happy was that although he had three wives, they didn't seem to have any signs of palace fighting, at least not in front of him. This made him extremely happy. After all, if his home wasn't peaceful, how could he go out and fight for a living?

  A week later, Wang Xiao summoned Wang Yuze. Wang Yuze knew that it must be about his enlistment in the army being settled.

  "Father, have you made arrangements? Which unit will I be assigned to?" Wang Ruoze asked as soon as he saw Wang Xiao. He had been anxiously waiting for this news for days.

  "Hmm! I've discussed it with your father-in-law, Deputy Chief of Staff Cai and President Chiang. We've finally decided to let you graduate early from the Military Academy and formally grant you the rank of Lieutenant. As for the troops? We plan to send you to the 10th Brigade!" Wang Xiao said.

  "What? The Tenth Corps?" Wang Yuezhe was greatly shocked. This was completely different from what he had expected!

  "What's wrong? Don't you want to go?" Wang Xiao frowned. Wang Yuze's behavior made him somewhat dissatisfied. Earlier, when Wang Yuze asked to join the army, he was very pleased and thought that Wang Yuze had really grown up after getting married. But now, Wang Yuze was being picky about his unit, which disappointed him.

  "Father, I'm not unwilling to go. However, didn't you and several uncles from the Servants' Room discuss going to war with the Qing court last time? I think that if I go to the Second Division, there might be more opportunities to go onto the battlefield!" Wang Yuze immediately spoke out his thoughts. He definitely didn't want to lose big because of this matter and have Wang Xiao form an opinion about him.

  "The idea of you wanting to go to war is commendable, but don't be too ambitious. Although we are currently preparing for war, fighting is a very complicated matter and it's not something that can be done overnight. The area where the 10th Brigade is stationed has harsh conditions, but it can also temper people. I hope you can get some good training there. I hope you won't become a deserter!" Wang Xiao looked at Wang Yuze and said seriously. After listening to Wang Yuze's explanation, his previous dissatisfaction had dissipated."

  "Yes, Father. I absolutely won't disappoint you!" Wang Ze said firmly. From the gaze of Wang Xiao, he felt that kind of eagerness for his son to succeed. He secretly vowed that he would definitely persevere and do even better.

  "Alright, you go and prepare. A week later, get ready to enter the army with this year's graduates from the Military Academy. Wang Wei will also be going with you!" said Wang Xiao.

  "Yes, Father, I'll go first!" Wang Ze nodded and left Wang Xiao's office.

  After Wang Yuezhe left, Wang Quan walked into Wang Xiao's office.

  "Master, isn't it a bit too harsh to send the young master to Changdu? If he's going to join the army, sending him to be a drill instructor would also work. Moreover, becoming a drill instructor will have even greater prospects!" Wang Quan said.

  "Alas! I also wish so! If he were in Chengdu, at least I could still see him often. But if he goes to Changdu, it's likely that we won't be able to meet for a year or two. However, for his future, I have no choice but to do this!" Wang Xiao sighed.

  "The tenth day of travel, Changdu area, the environment is extremely harsh. However, even so, I am sure that I can persist! " Wang Yuze said quietly to himself as he walked along the road, muttering to himself all the way. Although it was a bit different from what he had expected, he didn't get discouraged. In his past life, as a member of a certain unit in the Chengdu Military Region, he was also very familiar with the high-altitude areas. He had traveled back and forth on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway several times. Only this time, it was just a simple highway that had been repaired to enter the highlands, and the road conditions were more rugged than in his previous life. However, fortunately, there were no cars or tanks now, only horses and walking, which was not unacceptable."

  "Ai Wei, go and get me the materials of the 10th Brigade, I want to take a good look!" Wang Yuze immediately said to Wang Wei after returning to his study.

  "Alright, General. But why are you looking at the files of the 10th Brigade? Are we going to join the 10th Brigade this time?" Wang Wei asked in shock.

  "That's right, it's the tenth battalion. However, although the environment is harsh, we can still hold on!" Wang Yuze said affirmatively. "Awei, if you don't want to go, I can go talk to Father about it!"

  "General, don't underestimate people. If you can persevere, what can't I?" Wang Wei said somewhat discontentedly.