What Does It Mean to Have Everyone Answer Your Call?

"Stop standing around! Sister-in-law Wang, Sister-in-law Li, you're in charge of registration! Xiaocui, Xiaohong, take some people and inventory the goods! Everyone else, keep order! Get moving!"

With Zhang Shoufang joining in, the scene finally became somewhat orderly.

Just then, a ragged old scavenger, hunched over, squeezed through a gap in the crowd.

He held out a worn cloth bag with trembling hands, timidly offering it to Zhang Shoufang.

"Miss..."

Zhang Shoufang hurriedly supported him. "Old man, what are you doing?"

The old man bared his gums, revealing the few yellow teeth he had left. Carefully, he opened the cloth bag. Inside was a full bag of copper coins, mixed with several pieces of broken silver.

"I... I ain't got much to offer. This is what I saved up after picking through rubbish all my life." The old man's voice was thick and hoarse. "My old woman, my son, my grandson... they're all in Wulan City, killed by those White-haired devils..."

At that, he could go no further. Two streams of hot tears slid down from his clouded eyes.

"I ain't asking for anything else. I'm only begging Brigadier General Zhang... kill a few more White-haired devils! Avenge us!"

Having said that, he moved to kneel.

Zhang Shoufang's eyes reddened, and she quickly caught him.

She accepted the heavy cloth bag and said, word by word, "Old man, rest assured. I'll personally hand this money to my younger brother. This grudge—our family, our entire Feng Army—will avenge it for you!"

Elsewhere, Gu Ruiyu had run into a difficult situation as well.

An old woman clung tightly to her, insisting on pushing a boy who looked only about ten years old in front of her.

"Madam! I beg you! Take this child in!"

"Old Madam, what are you doing? We're not recruiting soldiers here, and the child is still so young." Gu Ruiyu was somewhat helpless.

With a thump, the old woman fell to her knees and began wailing as though the sky had collapsed.

"Madam! You're a living Bodhisattva! This child's life is so bitter! His parents were killed by the White devils in Wulan City too! He's all alone now, muttering every day that he wants to kill the White devils and avenge them!"

"Please take him in! Let him stay beside Brigadier General Zhang and work as a groom. He can serve tea and water, anything! As long as he gets a bowl of food and can watch his enemies die, that's enough!"

The little boy still had tearstains on his face, but his expression was stubborn.

Imitating the old woman, he dropped heavily to his knees and kowtowed to Gu Ruiyu.

"Madam! Please take me in! My name is Gou Sheng! I can endure hardship! I want to kill the White devils and avenge my parents!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The crisp sounds of his kowtows brought silence to everyone present.

Gu Ruiyu's heart ached, and she hurried forward to help the boy up.

She looked into the boy's eyes, bloodshot and filled with hatred, and sighed.

"Good child, I'll take you in."

The old woman and the boy both froze.

"But..." Gu Ruiyu changed tack. "You're still young. Going to the battlefield now would only mean throwing your life away. There's no need to rush your revenge. Stay at the Gu Family for now. I'll find someone to teach you to read and write, and to strengthen your body. When you're grown and have the ability, go and avenge your parents openly and honorably!"

"I... I'll listen to Madam!" The boy nodded heavily.

The news of Gu Ruiyu taking in Gou Sheng spread as if it had grown wings, instantly sweeping through the entire Imperial Capital.

Only, as the story passed from mouth to mouth, it began to change flavor.

"Have you heard? The Gu Family's madam is helping Brigadier General Zhang recruit soldiers!"

"And they're recruiting personal guards! I heard that whoever signs up first will become Brigadier General Zhang's guard in the future!"

"My heavens! What are we waiting for? Hurry and send my boy to sign up!"

That completely ignited the people's enthusiasm.

The line that had originally been made up of people donating money and supplies instantly transformed into a long, eager queue of recruits.

Countless hot-blooded young men, and even some middle-aged fellows, fought tooth and nail to squeeze in, hoping to "put their names down" at the Gu Family.

The sight formed a starkly ironic contrast with the deserted Northern Prefecture regime's recruitment office not far away, where hardly a soul could be seen.

Amid the crowd, someone watched the scene and could not help sighing with emotion.

"Look at Brigadier General Zhang! What does it mean to have everyone answer your call? This is what it means!"

"Now look at that bunch of good-for-nothing drunkards and gluttons in the Northern Prefecture. They've posted notices for months, yet they can't attract even a ghost."

"Ah, if someone like Brigadier General Zhang were in charge, how could us common folk have no hope for a better life?"

Külün Front.

On the Feng Army's position, Chu Shixin wiped the mud from his face, then viciously spat out another mouthful of blood-tinged saliva.

With one hand braced against the trench's edge, he stared at the blurred positions of the White Bear Army in the distance, his chest heaving violently.

"Nothing from the brigade commander yet?" A company commander came over, his voice somewhat hoarse.

Chu Shixin shook his head, his eyes webbed with blood vessels.

"Wait."

He spoke only one word.

Yet everyone understood the weight it carried.

The brigade commander's tank unit was their surprise weapon, the sharpened blade they would drive into the heart of the White Bear Army.

For now, all these infantrymen had to do was hold the line, pinning the White Bear Army's main infantry force firmly in place and creating an opportunity for the brigade commander.

"Pass the order down."

Chu Shixin drew a deep breath and slowly pulled the Command Sword from his waist.

"Check your ammunition. Prepare for close-quarters combat."

He paused, then pointed the blade straight ahead, his tone cold and grim.

"Everyone!"

"Fix bayonets!"

"Click!"

"Click! Click!"

A crisp chorus of metal scraping rang across the position.

Every Feng Army soldier silently fixed a gleaming bayonet to his rifle, his eyes filled with grim resolve.