Free Web NovelChapter 376: Chapter 322: Iron Tiger Army! Marching Out
Chang Xin stared at the ten names on the list, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed.
"What is it? Is there a problem?" Wang Sima asked.
"My lord, there are no problems!" Chang Xin replied.
"Since there’s no problem, go and inform them. Have them prepare. They depart tomorrow at dawn." Wang Sima waved his hand. "Go on."
"Yes, sir!"
Chang Xin gave a cupped-fist salute, then turned and walked out of the wooden cabin.
Walking through the military camp, Chang Xin couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
It was normal for the soldiers of the Iron Tiger Army to go to war, of course.
But the problem was, new recruits in the Iron Tiger Army were usually sent to shorter, smaller-scale battles for their first deployment. Most were even sent to garrison the border for a time.
’But sending Xiao Mo and these ten new recruits from the Iron Tiger Army to a war of annihilation... is that really appropriate?’
’This is a war of annihilation! It could last anywhere from two or three years to as long as seven or eight. And the sheer intensity of the battlefield... can they really handle it?’
Chang Xin couldn’t make sense of it, but he knew it wasn’t his place to. He was a soldier; all he needed to do was obey orders.
Besides, not just anyone was qualified to participate in a war of annihilation.
’For them, perhaps this is a good opportunity to build a name for themselves.’
Before long, Chang Xin arrived at the barracks of the Twelve Earthly Branches.
But the barracks was empty.
Chang Xin then went to the training grounds.
Just as he’d expected.
After years of training, they would get antsy even if he wasn’t there to supervise. Training had become a part of their lives.
"Alright, stop what you’re doing! Form up!" Chang Xin shouted to them.
Hearing Master Chang’s voice, Xiao Mo and the others stopped their training, wiped the sweat from their brows, and ran over to fall into formation before him.
"You won’t be training today," Chang Xin said to the ten of them. "You’re granted one day of leave and are permitted to leave the camp. You’ll just need to go pick up your passes."
Hearing Master Chang’s words, Xiao Mo and the others were stunned. They exchanged glances, wondering if they had misheard.
"Master Chang," Xiao Mo asked, "did you just say... we get a day off?"
"That’s right."
Chang Xin nodded. freewēbnoveℓ.com
"According to Iron Tiger Army regulations, every recruit gets one day of rest before their first deployment. You can write your last will, go drinking, visit a brothel—do whatever you want, as long as you’re back in camp before sunset.
Tomorrow at dawn, you will march with the army to invade the Wei Kingdom. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear!" Xiao Mo shouted.
But everyone except Xiao Mo was still in a daze, not having processed the news.
"Are the other nine of you deaf or dumb?" Chang Xin roared. "I asked you a question! Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear!" Zhao Wei and the others finally shouted back. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
"Dismissed." Chang Xin watched them, his expression somber. "Don’t you go dying on me, boys."
After Chang Xin left, Zhao Wei and the others erupted into conversation.
They had always known this day would come, that they would eventually be sent to the battlefield.
But none of them had ever imagined it would be so soon.
However, it didn’t take long for them to accept their new reality.
Back in the barracks, Zhao Wei and the others took out paper and pens to write their last wills.
After years of literacy lessons, they were no longer the uneducated boys who could barely recognize a handful of characters. Writing a last will was well within their capabilities.
However...
A last will was essentially a final letter home.
But because it wasn’t uncommon for soldiers to train themselves to death on the practice grounds, writing letters home was normally forbidden in the camp.
Otherwise, regular correspondence would distract the soldiers, and the sudden silence if the letters stopped coming would be an even greater emotional blow to their families.
Therefore, anyone who joined the Iron Tiger Army was considered "dead" by default. If they were still alive after seven years, that was a problem for seven years in the future.
So now, as Zhao Wei and the others picked up their pens, they found themselves at a loss for what to write, even for a last will.
"What are you all writing?" Zhao Wei asked, scratching his head as he looked at Xu Yongsheng and the others.
But Xu Yongsheng and the other men just shook their heads.
Hei Daniu sighed. "I’d like to let my ma and pa know I can read and write now, but... it feels kind of pointless. By the time they see it, I’ll be dead anyway."
Yue Jiyun chewed on the end of his pen. "It just feels... strange, writing a last will for the first time. But we have to do it."
"Brother Xiao, what did you write?" asked Qu Weize, noticing that Brother Xiao had already finished his will.
Xiao Mo sealed his will. "Write the things you always wanted to say to your family but were too embarrassed to," he replied. "This will is only getting sent if we die. By the time they read it, we’ll be long gone. Don’t be afraid to be a little sentimental."
Hearing what Brother Xiao said, the others realized he had a point.
They held their pens again, carefully considering each and every word.
Soon, Zhao Wei and the others began to put pen to paper.
After everyone had finished their wills, they delivered them to a wooden cabin named "Posthumous Fame."
If Xiao Mo or any of the others were to die in battle, their will, along with their death gratuity, would be delivered to their family immediately.
If they survived, they would simply write another one before their next campaign.
After handing in their wills, the men suddenly felt a weight lift from their shoulders, as if they were free from all worldly attachments.
After all, the Iron Tiger Army’s death gratuity was substantial—more than enough for their parents to live out the rest of their days in comfort.
