The Army Arrives

Preston thought for a while before he understood the meaning of Kang De's words.

Humans fear death, but what they fear most is not death itself, but the thought of dying while others live on.

For the families of the soldiers and militiamen in this unit, their husbands or children were destined to go to the battlefield. So when Hong San said he would recruit more young men, it could even be considered good news for these families.

Why should my family members have to go to the battlefield to risk their lives, while your family members can stay at home?

If we let these family members help persuade and conscript young men from other families, they will definitely work very hard and may even become the main force, saving us a lot of trouble.

Because everyone has selfish desires, the people are not worried about scarcity but about inequality.

The officer who had figured it out looked horrified and glanced at Kang De with a strange look in his eyes.

He seemed to have never met such a ruthless person in his life, one who could immediately devise such a vicious and incisive plan and then speak of it so casually, especially one so young.

Good heavens, if he lived another twenty years, how vicious would he be?

The officer smiled wryly, "This method... should be very useful, but I dare not use it."

Kang De said calmly, "Why wouldn't you dare use it?"

Preston shook his head and said, "I'm afraid that once this precedent is set in motion... things will get chaotic."

Kang De pointed to the other side of the street. "Isn't this place doing the same thing? The old and the women are all going to the battlefield. Since this force is going to such lengths, are the people of Valentan supposed to be an exception?"

Preston was immediately displeased. "Is Mr. Dong Zhuo mocking my brother? He has done everything he could, without any selfish motives, and is willing to bear and shoulder everything..."

He then sighed, "Why am I telling you all this? Actions speak louder than words, Mr. Dong Zhuo. We will make everyone understand."

After the officer finished speaking, his enthusiasm waned, and he reluctantly added a few more words, "In that case, I'll take my leave. This squad will stay here. If needed, just let us know... Mr. Dong Zhuo, the elven army is approaching. Everyone must sacrifice for this city. Only in this way can we earn a living. As for insults or hatred, we must first survive before we can consider anything else, right?"

He nodded to Kang De and said, "I look forward to fighting alongside you."

After saying goodbye, Preston rode away.

"He's probably gone to find his older brother and report the method I provided. Honest kid, I just casually blew on it, look how scared he is."

Kang De joked, then turned to look at Hong San, who was looking at him with great concern.

"What are you looking at?"

Kang De retorted, "I'm not a psychopath, and I can't be bothered with these kinds of social experiments. Do you think I want to see the ugliness of human nature and derive pleasure from it? I find it too offensive."

Hong San finally breathed a sigh of relief.

And he showed a smile that was relatively normal from this morning until now.

But... he was too happy too soon.

Not long after, the sound of cursing came from the other side of the street. When the two went over to take a look, they found some shrewish women and old men pointing at the sky and cursing the earth, cursing some people for being selfish and unwilling to contribute to the safety of everyone, only willing to cower like turtles. Upon asking, they found out that they were indeed the families of the patrolling guards and the leader's personal guards.

Kang De sneered, Hong San was furious. He asked a second question, only to find that the leaders knew nothing about it. Indeed, given their current level and vision, they would not have thought of such a move.

In other words, these family members felt it was unfair and spontaneously organized their own actions, wanting other people's family members to go to the battlefield with their own...

Kang De and Hong San stared at each other in astonishment. Even with Kang De's broad knowledge and Hong San's worldly wisdom, neither of them had expected this... The absurdity of the world could not be greater than this.

In the end, all they could do was order the leaders to be careful and not let it escalate into a bloodshed, because people would go crazy if they saw blood.

After numerous ups and downs, and amidst tears and fear, the 800 able-bodied men were finally barely assembled. As for the remaining 800 reserves, women and the elderly had to be drawn from them...

Although Kang De shouted loudly, after walking around the streets, he shook his head and said, "This won't do. If we do it again, something really bad will happen. Not only will these people cause trouble, but those who have already joined the ranks will definitely cause trouble too. Let's stop here, at least not today. Let's stop."

Hong San first breathed a sigh of relief, then said worriedly, "What about the mayor...?"

"I gave him an idea. If he could pull it off, he could recruit far more soldiers than these eight hundred old and weak men. If he then continued to shout about equality for all and that everyone should fight for the city, his argument would fall apart—conscripting the elderly and women when the able-bodied men haven't all died out is simply a joke."

Kang De said, "The reason is with us, and more importantly, I can reason with him, and he must listen—our demands are reasonable and have weight."

Hearing Kang De's words, Hong San breathed a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "They should all thank you, sir. It's so good to have you here."

Kang De rolled his eyes. "Thanks? Was it any help?"

Hong San's smile froze, then he sighed silently.

In any case, the team has finally been assembled.

After lunch, in the afternoon, the mayor sent someone to urge them to leave. Eight hundred conscripted militiamen, organized and fully armed, lined up haphazardly and, led by Hong San, left the neighborhood and headed to the west city wall, ready to take up their combat posts and conduct a preliminary familiarization drill.

The mayor knew that this unit had only fought in field battles and was not a regular army, and had no experience in defending the city, so he also dispatched a small team of experienced veterans to provide guidance and command.

Eight hundred men were responsible for guarding a section of the city wall on the west side, about one or two hundred meters long.

"Listen carefully, you'll be divided into groups of five, each with a group leader. Each group leader will have a wooden plaque; the pattern on the plaque will match the pattern on the crenellations of the city wall. That's where your group is responsible!"

The captain of the veteran unit was clad in heavy armor, had a scarred face, a fierce expression, and a booming voice.

Moreover, they possess almost all the common traits shared by veteran soldiers.

Using foul language.

"You bunch of bastards, your job is to follow orders! When you're told to hide, you'd better lie down and keep your shields up, and try to stay alive as long as possible!"

"Cooperate with those around you! If the elves charge, use your spears and daggers to stab and hack! If the elves throw grappling hooks, pry them open! If the elves raise their ladders, push them down with your companions! We only ask that you do what you can, and do it with all your might! The magic will be blocked by the walls and the mage ranks! The elven vanguard will be handled by the professionals. You just need to do one stupid thing!"

"Draw your bows, shoot! You're far inferior to Pointy Ears in archery, but that's alright, just shoot! We might die today, so let's put all the strength we've used to shoot women and men for the next few decades into this day! Shoot where the elves are!"

"Throw stones! Slam them down! Remember this: the Earth God is the deadliest bastard in all siege battles! He bestowed countless stones upon Goth precisely so that today he could smash the elves' heads!"

"His Majesty the God of Vulcan is the second deadliest bastard..."

Kang De watched as a small group of veterans kicked and patted each soldier on the shoulder, imparting battlefield knowledge while spewing profanities. He shook his head. Looking down from here, the city of Valentan was built on a plain, with no natural defenses. The city was surrounded by low buildings of various sizes, mostly farmhouses.

At this moment, some people outside are still rushing to harvest their crops, while many more have already fled into the city or gone their separate ways. War is imminent, pressing down like a dark cloud.

"You lot! Yes! I'm talking about you lot! You're the leaders of this bunch of bastards, aren't you?"

The scarred old soldier strode over, spitting as he roared, "A bunch of shitty leaders, too..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Kang De turned to look at him, his eyes indifferent and cold.

The scarred old soldier didn't finish his sentence.

These guys may speak rudely, but they're ultimately trying their best to impart their knowledge and skills. I've heard this kind of thing is popular in the army, saying that suppressing the new recruits' self-esteem and personality is the key to better obedience and cooperation... But you can criticize them all you want, but don't even think about trying to play these games with them.

"Hey, if there's anything we need to be aware of, just say it. You're doing your duty to be open and honest. If I don't listen and die on the battlefield, it's none of your business."

Kang De said, "But one thing, watch your mouth. You know how to speak properly, right? If not, I'll teach you."

The old soldier stared at him for a moment, then said, "Why would someone like you be the leader of this bunch of bastards? Do they even deserve it? I suggest you go see the mayor. You have..."

Before he could finish speaking, a startled cry suddenly came from the nearby city wall, "Look!"

Then, a deep, resonant bugle call suddenly rang out.

The veteran captain's expression changed drastically. He strode towards the battlements and peered into the distance. Kang De had already taken out his binoculars and looked out. He saw dust billowing as a troop of cavalry rode war deer, galloping towards them.

Fear spread, and someone shouted, "The elves are coming!"

The eight hundred militiamen of the Heaven and Earth Society also stirred. The veterans shouted and cursed at them to calm down, but how could they calm down? At the critical moment, Hong San roared, "Quiet down!"

The voice, imbued with inner strength, carried far.

"This is just a troop of elven cavalry. Are they coming to attack the city? The mage ranks aren't in position, and the buildings outside the city haven't been leveled. How can the army form a square formation?"

Hong San said sternly, "Even if the elves want to attack the city, they will have to wait a while. Instead of panicking here, we should think about what the officers taught us, and then, survive!"

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PS1: Second update, 3000 words. Ah, the group chat exploded, probably because it was reported... I'll wait for a new group, lay low for a few days, and then we'll talk again.