Chapter 7: Conscription

  Spring warms up and flowers bloom, all things revive.

  As the saying goes, a year's plan is made in spring. At this time, it is the busy farming season. In previous years, around this time, it was the spring planting season, which was the busiest time for farmers.

  But this year was different, a heavy snowfall not only delayed the spring plowing but also suddenly heightened tensions throughout the entire northern region.

  To the west of Western Qin was the Tangut Empire established by the Party item Qiang people. After the Tanguts experienced a period of extreme prosperity, they also began to decline. Emperor Renzong of Western Xia had been in power for 31 years, and his mother was a Han Chinese woman from the Cao family. Under her influence, he revered Confucianism and Buddhism, and could be considered a wise ruler. However, since Western Xia was founded by military force, its army was originally one of the most elite forces in the world. By the time of Emperor Renzong's reign, however, the martial spirit had gradually weakened. Although the territory continued to expand, the trend of emphasizing literature over military affairs had begun, affecting the military and causing combat effectiveness to weaken. The empire had become defensive-minded and no longer had the bold and ambitious spirit it had when Western Xia was first founded by Emperor Jingzong of Western Xia.

  During the reign of Emperor Renzong, first there was a rebellion by Xiao Heda, the military governor of Xiazhou, which was later put down by Ren Dejing. This was followed by famine and earthquakes, with grain prices rising to 100 times their normal value, causing great hardship among the people. Then there were uprisings by the Tangut tribes in Weizhou, Jingzhou, Dingzhou and other places, who attacked cities and towns, creating a huge disturbance. Although they were eventually put down by Ren Dejing, the military governor of Dingzhou, the Western Xia suffered greatly as a result. This also led to the rise of the powerful minister Ren Dejing, who later became too powerful to control and demanded that the country be divided. With the help of the Jin dynasty, he was eventually defeated, but the consequences for Western Xia were disastrous.

  Now Renzong focuses on internal affairs and no longer wages war, the power of Western Xia gradually recovers.

  After the heavy snow, the northern regions were filled with starving refugees. Even if it was Renzong or Rende, at this time, they would have no choice but to raise arms and head south to Xiqin to demand some population and food to make up for their losses.

  The Western Jin Dynasty was even more so, originally considering the southeast as its own pasture, and it had been accustomed to taking what it wanted. At this time, it was still early spring, but it had already mobilized an army of over 200,000 men to launch a fierce attack on Tongguan Pass.

  The Western Qin is a place of four battles, the 800-mile Qin River has nurtured the most powerful and daring pre-Qin army in history. Now, the Western Qin is surrounded by enemies on all sides, and it cannot afford to be lax for a moment. After years of continuous war, it has formed one of the strongest armies among the Han people, and it is not something to be trifled with. Raising the entire country's troops, they have repelled the invading enemy, and as a result, the northern land that had been peaceful for five years suddenly erupted in flames.

  。。。。。。。。。。。。。

  If Zhao Shi knew this information, he would be extremely surprised. Although he didn't know much about history, he still knew that Jin and Western Xia were countries that only appeared during the Northern and Southern Song dynasties. However, history had played a not-so-small joke on them. At this time, neither the Northern nor Southern Song existed, but the nomadic tribes in the north still rose as scheduled according to historical records. Although history deviated from its original track, it wasn't all bad. The Jin and Western Xia occupied vast lands in the north, but the Han people weren't completely powerless either. For example, Xi Qin occupied the west of Western Xia, while the Jurchen people were to the east, firmly occupying the Guanzhong region. After years of war, not only did they not become impoverished, but they grew stronger with each battle, and had already begun to gain counterattacking power.

  Although these are still relatively distant for Zhao Shi, when the war broke out, the peaceful life of the villagers in Zhaojia Village was affected.

  On this day, as soon as the sky brightened, the village was already bustling with people, all because a military inspector had come from the county. He called himself a military inspector, but in reality he was just a small military leader under the jurisdiction of the Qin Fengxi Road Team Training Commissioner. However, he was accompanied by County Magistrate Lord, and for these villagers who had rarely seen officials in their lifetime, this military leader was perhaps enough to make them feel the majesty of the authorities.

  The county's instructor stood in an open space in the village, facing all the villagers, and loudly read out: "By order of the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route Military Training Office, foreign barbarians have invaded our borders, killed our soldiers, kidnapped our civilians, destroyed our homes, and left nothing but scorched earth wherever they passed. All citizens of Western Qin are filled with indignation...". After a string of eloquent words, he changed his tone, "As the saying goes, 'can there be intact eggs under a overturned nest?' In this extraordinary time, all military and civilians in Western Qin should contribute to the country's efforts. Specifically, we are recruiting adult males from Zhaojia Village to join the Grain Protection Army. Once the war is over and the northern barbarians retreat...the imperial court will surely reward them heavily..."

  Zhao Shi heard this in the crowd, and his heart already understood that his peaceful life was about to end. All adult men in Zhaojia Village? What concept is that? Except for the elderly, women, and children, all men are being recruited. Not to mention that Zhaojia Village is a remote mountain village with a population of less than 200 people. Such villages are also being mobilized, it can be seen that West Qin has already reached the point of national mobilization. He doesn't know if ancient wars were always like this, but if in modern times, war had reached such an extent, it could absolutely be considered as having reached the brink of national subjugation.

  However, so far Zhao Shi still hasn't figured out where he has arrived, ancient China? Parallel time and space? Or another planet in a distant galaxy? But these didn't stop him from making the most basic judgment. At this moment, after a year of living an easy life, Zhao Shi suddenly woke up to realize that this world wasn't much better than the modern-day Middle East.

  However, before Zhao Shi could think deeply, the county magistrate had already called Zhao Lao San to one side and whispered a few words. Zhao Lao San's body bent down like a dried eggplant and didn't come up again. He listened while nodding his head and bowing, smiling all over his face as he agreed to something. Although Zhao Lao San was already in his fifties, standing in front of the county magistrate who was less than half his age, he seemed as obedient as a filial son or grandson. However, later on, when Zhao Lao San glanced around and his gaze stopped on Zhao Shi's body, a look of difficulty appeared on his face. When he turned back, he had already put on a smiling face and leaned in to explain for half the day. The county magistrate's face, which was originally smiling, suddenly looked unpleasant, but more so, it was incredulous.

  The village boy ran to Zhao Shi's face, he was three years older than Zhao Shi, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he hastily called out: "Shi Tou Ge."

  It's not strange that since Zhao Shi returned from hunting alone and brought back a bear, the young men in the village immediately found their leader. Whenever they met, they would greet him with "Shi Ge" (Brother Shi). Even the adults in the village changed their impression of him from being the second son of the Wan family's crazy devil to Village Head Zhao Xiao's hunting boy. The villagers' way of thinking is very simple and straightforward. In their opinion, a man who can provide for his family is a real man, and Zhao Shi is not only that but also a kind-hearted person in their eyes. The over 20 kilograms of bear meat he brought back was no joke, it's the taste of warmth and love that they felt when eating it. Therefore, after this winter, 12-year-old Zhao Shi is no longer seen as an ignorant young boy by the villagers, but as a strong and capable man who can make a name for himself.

  In the eyes of those young children, who were not very old at that time and were full of passion, it was even more unthinkable. Which hero from ancient times to the present wasn't skilled in subduing dragons and tigers since childhood? But after all, this was just a legend heard from adults' mouths, how could it be as convincing as Zhao Shi's living example? They immediately regarded Zhao Shi as a god and worshipped him. In almost no time at all, a group of young boys with gloomy faces appeared in the village. The adults were puzzled and asked questions before they understood that these young boys had all learned from Zhao Shi's ways, leaving people unable to help but laugh and cry.

  This little fellow named Zhuāngzi is the most enthusiastic one inside, he just hid not far away and listened to the conversation between County Magistrate and Village Head, he still can't tell whether being a soldier and eating rations is good or bad, but Village Head kept pushing it away, he understood anyway. Village Head Zhao Lao San is one of the most prestigious people in the village, since he doesn't want Zhao Shi to go, then that must be right, as soon as he thought of this, he ran out and told Zhao Shi to run quickly.

  Why should he join the army? The instinctive revulsion made Zhao Shi immediately turn around and leave. A grown man's definition should be sixteen years old, what reason did he have to let himself become a soldier? Zhao Shi pondered, unknowingly already walking into his home.

  "The county lieutenant heard that there was a bear-hunting hero in the village, oh... The rumor is somewhat false, and it's estimated that he didn't even investigate the household registration before reporting to the team leader... Now they're calling your name... The conscription order has been issued, and it's another position as a squad leader..." Zhao Lao San hurried over and informed Zhao Shi of this with a hesitant tone.

  "My child isn't going anywhere, Third Uncle. Don't try to persuade us in front of my widowed mother and me. My child is only twelve years old, have all the men in the county died out? Why do you want my child to go, but not your own tiger-like son? Are you bullying us because we're a widow and orphan? If my husband were here, would you dare treat us like this?"

  King's wife, who had finally understood the meaning of the conversation, immediately turned against him. Having endured this unbearable winter, King's wife had undoubtedly placed all her hopes for the future on her son. Upon hearing that her young son was to be sent to join the army, she became frantic and scolded Zhao Lao San until his face turned bright red. He stuttered as he tried to explain: "N...no...it's not my idea, Auntie...listen...listen to me...this is...this is not my decision...it's from the county..."

  "I won't listen, whoever's idea it was to get him to come find me, I don't believe it. There's no justice in this world anymore. My husband just died and now they're coming after my child? If he dares to show up...I'll fight him to the end..."

  A mother's love has always been selfless and great, and is not weakened by external factors such as region, time and space, power, wealth, etc. Zhao Shi has always believed that there are no cruel parents, only heartless children, which has a lot to do with his experiences in his previous life. At this moment, he even felt some emotional ups and downs in his heart.

  "King, when are we leaving? Are we setting out immediately? And... those... enemies, how far have they reached? How close are they to here? What can we do if we go? Is it just transporting grain or are we going onto the battlefield?"

  A string of questions left Zhao Lao San speechless, he was just a village head elected by everyone, usually didn't take care of anything, only when the county came to respond, and told everyone about the things handed over from the county government. His power wasn't even half that of a modern village chief, how could he know so much? At this time, he had only one thought in his mind: this kid is not simple, at such a young age, he hunted a bear back without saying anything, and spoke and acted with clear logic, without any impulsive behavior of youth. It seems that Zhao Jia Village really has to produce a talented person.

  Zhao Shi looked at his expression and already knew that he had asked a few stupid questions, "Then... do you know if we can come back after the battle is over?"