News that a great battle was about to begin swept through the entire Northern Frontier Camp overnight like a biting cold wind.
The training atmosphere, which had still been somewhat peaceful a moment before, was instantly replaced by a tense, murderous, and iron-clad aura. The sharpening of weapons by the soldiers and the shouting of officers mobilizing troops rose and fell across every corner of the camp.
An oppressive weight hung thick in the air, reminiscent of a storm about to break over the city.
Early in the morning, when Wei Zhe led his squad through their routine morning run, the figure of Shi Meng appeared upon the drill ground.
His expression was more solemn than ever before.
"Everyone, form up!"
Shi Meng's voice exploded beside the ears of every single recruit like a thunderclap.
Several thousand recruits quickly assembled in dead silence, each of them sensing the faint smell of war amidst this unusual atmosphere.
"Yesterday, the High General issued an order!" Shi Meng's gaze swept across the entire assembly like a blazing torch. "The Xunyu are on the verge of encroaching upon our borders, and our Northern Frontier army shall set out for the front line this very day! The New Recruit Camp is disbanded ahead of schedule! From this moment on, you shall be formally incorporated into the major combat camps of the Northern Frontier as replacement soldiers!"
As soon as these words fell, a stifled commotion immediately rippled through the crowd.
The moment before, they had still been recruits under the protection of their instructors; the next moment, they were forced to face the legendary, vicious Xunyu cavalry. This massive transformation in status caused fear and unease to surface upon many youthful faces.
"Silence!" Shi Meng roared, suppressing all discussion.
"As soldiers of Great Qin, protecting our homes and country, and returning with our corpses wrapped in horse hides, has always been our destiny! Those who fear death may get out right now!"
No one moved.
They might be afraid, but the martial spirit and honor belonging to the men of Great Qin did not allow them to retreat.
Shi Meng nodded in satisfaction. He took a scroll of rosters from his bosom and began to read the assignment list.
"Wang Ergou, Third Battalion, Second Company, Sixth Squad!"
"Li Si, Fifth Battalion, First Company, Third Squad!"
Name after name was called out, and recruit after recruit stepped out of the ranks, led away by the officers of their respective units. The sorrow of parting and fear of the unknown spread through the crowd.
Soon, the majority of the recruits had been assigned, leaving behind only Wei Zhe's squad, along with Qian Hu and a few other veteran squad leaders with the soldiers under their command.
"Wei Zhe!" Shi Meng called out his name.
"Present!"
"Because of your outstanding performance in the New Recruit Camp, possessing both valor and resourcefulness, you are specially promoted to the rank of squad leader by the High General's special permission!"
Shi Meng's voice was resonant and clear.
"Starting from today, you shall command two squads, a total of twenty brothers, assigned to the Vanguard Camp and under my personal command!"
Squad Leader!
This appointment dropped like a massive boulder onto the surface of a calm lake.
All the surrounding soldiers who had yet to leave, whether recruits or veterans, cast looks of shock and envy toward Wei Zhe.
Enlisted for less than ten days, jumping two ranks straight from an ordinary recruit, and directly promoted to squad leader commanding twenty men! In the army of Great Qin, this was an unprecedented and extraordinary promotion!
Ding, the second part of the quest "Making a Name in the Military" is complete.
Successfully promoted to squad leader. Rewards: 500 tempering points, Mystic Rank Martial Skill Wind Piercing Spear Technique.
The system's prompt sounded in Wei Zhe's mind, making his heart grow warm.
He stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and spoke in a clanging, powerful voice, "Your subordinate Wei Zhe thanks the General for the promotion! I shall certainly not fail the General's high expectations, and I swear to kill the enemy to the death in loyal service to Great Qin!"
"Good!" Shi Meng strode forward, personally helping him up, and handed a bronze tiger tally representing the identity of a squad leader into his hands.
"Qian Hu!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Qian Hu hurriedly stepped out of the ranks.
"Starting from today, your squad is assigned under Wei Zhe's command. You shall serve as the deputy squad leader to assist Wei Zhe. Do you have any objections?" Shi Meng asked.
Qian Hu glanced at Wei Zhe, then looked at Shi Meng's unquestionable gaze. In the end, he lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Your subordinate obeys the order!"
Although he still felt somewhat unreconciled in his heart, military orders were like mountains. Furthermore, Wei Zhe's strength and demeanor truly left him unable to utter a single dissenting word.
Thus, Wei Zhe's command now consisted of the recruit squad led by Hu Lei and the veteran squad led by Qian Hu, totaling twenty-one men—a force combining new blood with veterans and possessing considerable combat capability, now taking its initial shape.
"Congratulations, Squad Leader!"
"Mighty is the Squad Leader!"
Hu Lei and the others crowded around in excitement. Meanwhile, the veteran soldiers under Qian Hu's command watched their new superior—who was far younger than them—with complex expressions.
Wei Zhe ignored everyone's reactions; his mind was entirely consumed by the rewards he had just obtained.
Five hundred tempering points and a Mystic Rank spear technique!
This was undoubtedly his greatest trump card before stepping onto the battlefield!
That night, inside the independent squad leader's tent assigned to him, Wei Zhe dismissed everyone.
He impatiently opened the system.
"Learn Wind Piercing Spear Technique!"
In an instant, countless insights regarding spear techniques surged into his mind. Unlike the broad and sweeping long halberd, the Wind Piercing Spear Technique emphasized the word "fast." Its moves were agile and ferocious, with the spear thrusting forth like a dragon, specializing in attacking the gaps and flaws of the enemy's armor. It was a top-tier battlefield skill for slaughter!
"Allocate tempering points!"
He looked at that massive sum of five hundred points, and bold pride welled up within his heart.
"Add 150 to strength, 200 to agility, and 150 to constitution!"
He wanted to elevate his speed and explosive power to an entirely new height!
A surging warm current coursed through his body. This strengthening was far more intense than any previous instance. Wei Zhe could even hear the faint, explosive crackling sounds emitted by his bones, and his muscle lines grew smoother and more filled with explosive power.
When everything subsided, he slowly opened his eyes, a sharp flash vanishing in a blur.
Character: Wei Zhe Realm: First Order Martial Apprentice (Initial Mastery) Strength: 45 Agility: 45 Constitution: 47 Tempering Points: 0 Mastered Skills: [Forging]: Hundred Battle Saber (Novice 15/100), Fish Scale Armor (Novice 0/100) [Martial Skills]: Thousand Refinement Force (Novice 1/100), Wind Piercing Spear Technique (Novice 0/100)
"A First Order Martial Apprentice..." Wei Zhe muttered to himself. He could sense that the stream of Qi in his Dantian had expanded manifold and could already be called "inner force," slowly flowing through his meridians and bringing a continuous source of strength.
He had truly stepped into the extraordinary threshold of this world at last!
Right at that moment, urgent horn blasts rang out from outside the tent.
"Wuu—wuu—wuu—"
The desolate and urgent horn was the signal for the entire army to assemble!
Wei Zhe abruptly stood up, grabbed the long halberd beside him that he had personally modified, and strode out of the tent.
Outside the tent, torches blazed brightly and figures milled about. The soldiers of the entire Vanguard Camp were rapidly assembling.
"Squad Leader!" Hu Lei and Qian Hu were already waiting outside the tent with the troops.
Wei Zhe looked at the twenty faces before him—some youthful, some weather-beaten, but all carrying a trace of tension. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Brothers, the moment to repay our country has arrived!"
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