Enlisting in the Army

"Shi Ge'er, are you really going to enlist?"

On the sickbed.

Chen Sanshi and Gu Xinlan were nestled together.

"Is it because of Shunzi's family matter?"

"Yes, and no."

This was only one of the things that had spurred Chen Sanshi.

He thought of Qin Feng.

He had killed Qin Xiong, and although there was no evidence left behind, who knew if his brother would suspect him? Would he also resort to such methods? How would he deal with that then?

Or, what if the other party didn't care about evidence and just wanted to kill him, what could he do?

He didn't even know the cultivation realms of martial artists. Could a single bow truly protect his small family?

As for stability?

From the moment he transmigrated and was targeted by Qin Xiong, it no longer existed.

Even if he didn't strike first, he would be found and persecuted.

Enlist in the army.

Not only could he learn martial arts, but he also had a chance to gain status.

Moving up, in all aspects, was the only correct way to seek stability in chaotic times.

Chen Sanshi said softly, "What, you don't want me to go?"

"You are the head of the family, you decide what you want to do. I'm just afraid something might happen to you..."

Gu Xinlan said she had no objections, but her tone was filled with a hint of resentment, and her apricot eyes became watery, clearly worried about being left alone.

"Jinx, say that again and I'll shut you up!"

"Don't, mmm..."

After a heated discussion lasting two hours, the couple reached an agreement.

Chen Sanshi didn't rush to sleep. He picked up a book and started reading.

Unconsciously, he became completely immersed, his proficiency increasing steadily.

After reaching a certain point, he suddenly had an epiphany. Looking at the words on the page, they seemed simple and easy to understand. Things he couldn't comprehend before were now clear.

Skill: Reading (Proficient)

Progress: (0/800)

Effects: Seven Orifices Exquisite, Spirit Revitalized, Eidetic Memory

Seven Orifices Exquisite?

Unlike archery, which directly strengthened the body, the changes brought by reading couldn't be seen directly and required careful observation.

Chen Sanshi's most direct feeling was that he could easily understand the content while reading and integrate it into his memory.

"This should be of great help to my martial arts practice."

"It's just that the advancement requirements have increased so much?"

"And the improvement from just this book is getting slower and slower. It looks like I need to read more different books."

"Archery is the same."

"Heavy bows are only available in the army."

"Enlisting in the army is imperative!"

He closed the book and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

The sun rose as usual.

Chen Sanshi entered the city with cured meat and grain.

"Is the county town under martial law?"

From afar, he saw armored soldiers at the city gate searching everyone entering and exiting. He found out that the barbarian martial artist who had previously assassinated the County Magistrate had not only escaped but had also snuck back and killed the master of the Yunhe Martial Arts School in the south of the city.

"What a ruthless person!"

Chen Sanshi exclaimed.

After being searched and questioned, he successfully reached the market and found Old Xu.

"Since you've made up your mind, come with me."

Old Xu didn't stand on ceremony. After accepting the items, he brought out a donkey cart and took him out of the city. "I'll take you to see my son."

The Great Sheng military men system was hereditary.

If your father was a military men, then your family had been military mens for generations.

Fathers finished their service and their sons took over. Even if there were no sons, other male relatives from the clan would be found to supplement them, thereby maintaining the army's numbers.

According to Old Xu, the military men registration was fixed. During its peak, outsiders were rarely recruited. Now, even though they wanted to recruit people, it was very difficult to find any.

In the early days of the founding of the Great Sheng Dynasty, the treatment of military mens was very good. They received rations based on the number of people in the family, could learn martial arts for free, and were given winter clothes in the winter. Their living standards were generally above those of middle peasants.

But slowly, everything changed.

The amount of military land inexplicably decreased, and the labor service for the soldiers became heavier.

Old Xu said that the situation was most severe when he first joined the army.

Many military mens could not afford to eat on their rations alone and had to become tenant farmers for nearby gentry or martial arts schools. Some even almost became domestic slaves.

With no way out, many military mens simply fled.

For a time, the entire Liangzhou Garrison had an astonishing half of its personnel desert!

It wasn't until Grand Secretary of the Cabinet Yan Liang took office and spent ten years of effort to turn the tide that the Garrison System was able to survive to this day, though its combat effectiveness was very low.

The Liangzhou border nominally had twenty-nine garrisons and over 160,000 military men soldiers, but in reality, having over 100,000 would be considered good...

The real main force guarding the Great Wall was the eight Zhenbei Camps under the Supervisor, which were the elite forces that deterred the barbarians.

The eight camps had generous benefits, but they only recruited elites. Only by making a name for oneself in the garrison first could one have a chance to join the Zhenbei Camps.

As the two chatted, they unknowingly left Poyang County Town.

West of Poyang County Town is the Tiger Head Mountain Range, and to the north is the Border Great Wall.

Between the county town and the Border Great Wall is where the army is stationed.

Garrisons were not the vast expanses of tents seen in movies, but rather villages built for residence.

If there was no war, the soldiers lived ordinary lives, farming at sunrise and returning home at sunset.

The military camps between the villages served as command centers and training grounds.

"Although Poyang County is a border area, because the Dragon Tiger Mountain Range makes troop movements difficult, we generally don't have to face large barbarian forces directly. It's usually small groups of cavalry, so it's relatively safe."

"Whoa—"

Old Xu stopped the donkey cart outside the military camp and motioned for the young man to follow him in.

"You want to join the army?"

Old Xu was a late-in-life father. His son was not old, about thirty years old, with a short beard and full of spirit.

Upon learning that he was an acquaintance of his father, he didn't ask many questions and helped register him.

"Military households are exempt from grain tax annually."

"If you are alone, your monthly salary is four qian of silver. If you have a wife, it's seven qian. If you have five or more people, it's one tael of silver."

"My father said you're good at hunting?"

Old Xu quickly interjected, "Little Stone is amazing! The villages within dozens of miles outside Poyang County Town all know he's a skilled hunter now!"

Xu Bin nodded, "If you can't become a Warrior Recruit later, you don't have to be an Infantryman. You can be an Archer, and your monthly salary will be one tael and five qian of silver."

Regardless of the dynasty, archers were always absolute elites. How could their status be below that of Warrior Recruits?

Upon arriving at the military camp, he was responsible for managing the military register and was issued a set of old armor, a red bamboo hat, and a martial arts manual.

The cover of the yellowed, thread-bound booklet had the words "Basic Soldier Spear Technique" written on it.

After receiving his items, from this moment on, Chen Sanshi was a border soldier of the Great Sheng Dynasty.

The full name of his unit was the "An Ding Prefecture Border Defense Vanguard Poyang Left Army Thousand Household."

"Recently, we've recruited some people sporadically."

"Tomorrow, you will officially report to the camp, and the Hundred Household Commander will give a speech in the training ground and teach you martial arts."

"Remember to prepare well. Your initial performance after joining the army will determine your future in the military for your entire life."

"Once you become an Infantryman, you will never have another chance to advance."