Chapter 40: Gathering One's Mind

  "Yan brothers! What were you doing when you were in the border army?" After the summary meeting, Xiao Tianjian called Yan Chongxi alone to a quiet place to talk and asked him.

  Yan Chongxi's face showed a hint of shame, and after a pause, he replied: "I think that when I was in Guyuan Town as a soldier, my family had been military households for generations. However, by the time it got to me, the military household system had already collapsed. As the eldest son, I could only be a soldier. Later on, I did achieve some military merit and rose to the rank of General Flag, but after not receiving any salary for half a year, we went to demand payment from the officials, and as a result, they did issue some pay, but I became a thorn in the side of the officials. My superior, the Qianzong, wanted to find an excuse to get rid of me, but fortunately, I had something come up and managed to avoid disaster. However, my family was harmed, and my poor sister was even victimized before she died. Later on, in a fit of rage, I secretly killed two of the Qianzong's housemen who participated in harming my family, and then I was pursued by the Qianzong's men and had to flee here."

  I barely escaped here all by myself, with nothing to eat or drink, almost starving to death on the side of the road. Just as I was thinking of finding something to do, I ran into someone surnamed Sha and got pulled in by them. To survive, I followed that person surnamed Sha. Originally, I thought if I just acted like a stick, I'd be fine, relying on my skills, I could at least mix with the leaders. But the person surnamed Sha didn't trust me, only letting me do some odd jobs!

  He knew very well what I was doing, but he didn't trust me. He wouldn't even give me a knife, just a broken stick. He was afraid I would run away and made me stay in the village to do chores all day, with someone watching me. Later, I saw that this Sha guy wasn't a good person, so I didn't ask for anything else. I thought about finding an opportunity to leave, but before I could, I ran into Zhang Dashan. At first glance, I knew Sha was going to lose big time. So, I didn't make a move. Originally, I wanted to take advantage of the situation and run away, but I couldn't find the chance. When I saw Sha's defeat, I threw down my weapon and surrendered! Luckily, Zhang Dashan ordered his brothers not to kill us. If not, that day I would have fought to the death and made Zhang Dashan lose a few men!

  After listening to Yan Chongxi's words, Xiao Tianjian let out a long sigh. There are indeed many people in this world who have suffered hardships, and it can be said that everyone has their own book of bitter experiences. People like Yan Chongxi should not be few even among the officials and soldiers. At the same time, he also felt that he had gained an advantage this time, picking up a ready-made bargain, getting such a capable subordinate who used to be a soldier, and his heart couldn't help but feel some secret joy.

  "So, Brother Yan, do you have any plans for the future? Don't mind telling me! If you're willing to leave and do something big, I won't stop you either! I'll send some money and grain with you, and let you go!" Xiao Tianjian said to Yan Chongxi with a bit of reluctance, planning to use the tactic of "luring him in" to test him.

  Yan Chongxi looked at Xiao Tianjian with a surprised expression, his eyes flashing for a moment before revealing a grateful look. He sighed and knelt down on the ground, saying: "Thank you so much for your kindness! I, Yan Mou, have taken note of it! This world is ruled by the strong, but where can I, Yan Mou, go? Originally, I wanted to head to Henan, but since I've met you, Xiao Tianjian, and you've treated me with such kindness, how could I just leave like that? Forget it! Wherever I go, it's all just a mess. I, Yan Mou, don't want to run away anymore! I'll follow you, Xiao Tianjian!"

  To be honest, after meeting Zhang Panzi this time, Zhang Panzi was quite surprising to Xiao. I didn't expect Zhang Panzi to be so powerful. As a mediocre person who has been a soldier for a few days and seen some blood, I will ask Zhang Panzi to take care of me more in the future!

  Xiao Tianjian secretly let out a sigh of relief, thinking that this tactic of deliberately letting someone go was actually quite good. Fortunately, he had noticed the difference between Yan Zhongxi and others today, giving him an opportunity to speak up and discover such a talented person. Otherwise, who knows when this guy would have left without a word? That would be a huge loss for him!

  Of course, later generations have never heard of the name Yan Chongxi, presumably this person did not achieve anything in history. However, in such a chaotic world, how many people can make a name for themselves? I don't even know what kind of situation I will end up in in the future, anyway, everyone's path ahead is dark, let's take it one step at a time! Looking at his current situation, taking Yan Chongxi as a subordinate is also very necessary.

  Talent! Not necessarily a gold will shine, it depends on someone to discover it. Yan Chongxi is obviously a capable person. If the stupid Sha had utilized him well at the beginning, with just this experienced person, casually training his subordinates and commanding them in battle, he would have been able to cause trouble for Sha's family without much difficulty! Fortunately, Sha was an idiot, otherwise, his path as a bandit might have ended in Guchuang.

  "Good! Brother Yan! Having your help is a blessing for me, Xiao Tianjian! Heaven doesn't allow us to live easily, so we'll create our own path! However, I have something to say beforehand: I'm a man who values fairness. Although I know you're talented, you've just arrived at my place and haven't achieved anything yet. You're new here, and I won't immediately put you in a position of power. If you want to stand out, it'll depend on your own abilities! Are you willing to start from scratch, Brother Yan?" Xiao Tianjian said, offering his hand to help Yan Chongxi up.

  Yan Chongxi was slightly disappointed, he had thought that by pledging his loyalty to Xiao Tianjian, he would be immediately reused, but unexpectedly Xiao Tianjian still wanted him to start from the lowest level. This result made him somewhat disappointed, however, he wasn't someone who couldn't think things through. Thinking about those followers who had been with Xiao Tianjian through thick and thin, if he were to directly make him a leader as soon as he arrived, it's likely that these people wouldn't be convinced. And Xiao Tianjian clearly was a fair person, not seeming like the kind of person with a bad temper, otherwise he wouldn't have given him the opportunity to choose whether to stay or leave. Since he thought he had the ability, why not start from the bottom?

  "Thank you, Panzhanzi, for speaking the truth. Since you've said so, I, Yan Chongxi, am not a coward either. I'll rely on my own abilities to make a name for myself! If I'm not capable, then Panzhanzi has given me face, and I won't be able to hold it up! I'm willing to start from scratch with Panzhanzi!" Yan Chongxi said loudly with a clenched fist after coming to this realization.

  "Haha...... Refreshing! I, Xiao Mou, have high hopes for you, Yan brothers! Go for it!" Xiao Tianjian burst out laughing immediately.

  Three more updates, another ten thousand words update, isn't it powerful? Isn't it powerful? Smash the vote and collect!

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