Early Autumn Conscription Order

Zhao Cheng patted Niu Ergui on the shoulder and said, "Not enough, nowhere near enough."

Niu Ergui's bamboo-pole-like frame trembled under the force of his pat, "No, brother, iron brother, just give me a number!"

Zhao Cheng raised an eyebrow, his heroic face revealing a hint of reluctance, "That is my family heirloom; I won't sell it."

Niu Ergui grew anxious, "Don't be like that, Iron Brother. The price is negotiable, just name it."

Zhao Cheng thought for a moment, looking troubled, "This... I truly cannot bear to part with it, but you are my childhood friend after all. Unless... the price you offer is so tempting that I cannot refuse."

Niu Ergui froze. As he frowned in deep thought, Zhao Cheng had already walked away.

He gritted his teeth and stomped his feet, "If it's not enough, it's fine! I'll just save more!"

Saving money was painful because he possessed a fortune he couldn't spend, but the thought of one day being able to buy that jade ring filled him with motivation.

Zhao Cheng returned home, rinsed off by the well, and went inside to change into another coarse hemp garment.

He then pried up a floorboard under his bed and took out a jade ring.

The jade ring was round and flat with a hole in the center. Its surface was carved with cloud-and-thunder patterns; the texture was hard yet warm and moist, with an oily luster. The engraved lines were sharp and orderly, appearing simple yet solemn.

There were some wear marks on the lower inner side, likely caused by the previous owner wearing it for a long time.

Zhao Cheng watched it quietly for a long while, feeling that a jade ring of this quality shouldn't be here, much less in his hands. It was completely out of place in this room, and even this village.

"Mother said this item concerns my origins. Could it be that my cheapskate father was a nobleman who ended up here?"

"It's possible. Ordinary people wouldn't have something like this."

"But there isn't even a special mark on it. It would be a miracle if I could use this thing to identify my kin. I'll just treat it as a keepsake Mother left for me."

East of Huaiyang Village, the village head's residence.

Zhao Cheng strode inside, shouting, "Uncle! Is dinner ready yet?"

Before the words had even faded, a clattering sound erupted from the house, as if chickens were flying and dogs were jumping.

The faint, frustrated voice of his aunt could be heard complaining, "Why is this debt-collector here again?"

"Steam another pot, just steam another pot..." The dark-skinned, bearded middle-aged man shook his head helplessly as he walked out. Seeing Zhao Cheng's grinning face, he sighed again, "You've been coming a bit too often lately. Is the grain at home gone again?"

The money and grain he had earned as village head over the years had almost all been eaten by this kid. Never mind his wife, even he felt the sting of it; he grew worried the moment he saw Zhao Cheng.

"It was gone a long time ago." Zhao Cheng stepped inside, smiling at his aunt's sour expression, and brought his hands from behind his back. In them, he held a blood-stained wild rabbit, "Aunt, I brought meat."

The frustration on his aunt's face, as she covered the pots and pans, softened slightly, "At least you have a conscience."

Seeing his aunt take the rabbit into the kitchen, Zhao Cheng looked at Zhang Yu, "Uncle, I want to join the army!"

Zhang Yu glared at him immediately, "Nonsense! You're only fifteen, what army are you joining!?"

Zhao Cheng had already thought it through, "I'm tall enough and my physique is strong enough. Once I enlist, I'll be a Great Qin Elite Soldier. You help me register for the service, what's the problem?"

Zhang Yu shook his head and glared, "Impossible! Don't even think about it!"

Zhao Cheng glared back, "I can't get enough to eat here!"

The village head's eyes widened further as he hopped about, "I gave you the fields with the best irrigation, and I stew meat for you from time to time! All the money I've earned over the years has gone into your stomach, and you say you can't get enough to eat!? Where is your conscience!? Where is your virtue!?"

Zhao Cheng said, "Exactly, I can't eat my fill, and you can't save anything. If I go eat the army's rations, it's better for both of us. What's the problem?"

The village head was furious, "You really are..."

Before he could finish, a piece of bloody rabbit meat flew across the room and slapped onto Zhao Cheng's face, cutting off his angry words.

His aunt's fierce, shrill voice rang out.

"You little bastard, have you lost your mind from hunger!? We are so close to Nanyang; we fought Han just two years ago, and war could break out again at any time. You want to enlist now? Are you looking for death!? By then, your belly might be full, but you'll just be a well-fed ghost!!"

As she spoke, she slammed a large basin of rice onto the table with a bang, "Eat! Your uncle might be useless, but he won't let you starve to death. Eat! If you want to join the army, wait a few more years!"

Zhao Cheng took the meat off his face and watched his aunt bustle back into the kitchen. In the end, he didn't bring up joining the army again.

He sighed to himself. It was precisely because they had fought a few years ago that he needed to enlist immediately.

If his guess was correct, Han would soon be pressured into ceding Nanyang Commandery. Once Qin gained Nanyang, they would have sufficient conditions to immediately begin the campaign to destroy Han and march east!

If he didn't hurry now, wouldn't he miss a golden opportunity?

After the meal, he sought out Zhang Yu twice more, but was refused both times.

"The millet ripens, heads heavy and bowing low; best to harvest before the morning dew dries..."

In the blink of an eye, mid-autumn had arrived, and it was time for the autumn harvest.

The fields were a sea of gold, with plump millet ears drooping downward. The autumn breeze carried the scent of a bountiful harvest.

Taking advantage of the morning dew before it dried—when the grains were less likely to fall off—Zhao Cheng was busy harvesting the millet. He leaned over, sickle in hand, gathering the stalks with his left hand while his right hand sliced horizontally at the base. Each small bundle he cut was tied with thatch or hemp rope, ready to be dried.

[You killed a stalk of Yellow Millet and seized nine days of lifespan!]

[You have killed a stalk of Yellow Millet, seizing seven days of lifespan!]

[You have killed a stalk of Yellow Millet, seizing eight days of lifespan!]

[...]

Amidst this busy work, the ground suddenly began to tremble slightly.

Zhao Cheng straightened his back and gazed into the distance, where a long black dragon was winding its way toward them along the northern imperial road.

His heart tightened, and he hurriedly ran to higher ground to take a closer look.

As they drew nearer, he could already make out many details of the Great Qin army, and for a moment, he was inexplicably stunned, "So this is... the Great Qin Elite Soldier."

The sound of hooves rumbled like muffled thunder, black war banners embroidered with golden mysterious birds snapped and fluttered in the wind, long spears stood like a forest, and black armor glinted with a cold light as the soft clinking of plates merged into a single, continuous sound.

The cavalry at the very front rode tall horses, clad in sturdy armor and wielding sharp weapons, their bodies radiating a dense, murderous Sha Qi.

Behind them, the uniform ranks of elite troops moved like a shifting wall of steel, crushing everything in their path; the air itself was permeated with a chilling aura of slaughter, the iron-blooded scent forged from countless battles on the field.

A long while later, after the Qin army had vanished beyond the horizon, Zhao Cheng finally snapped back to his senses.

"They are heading toward Nanyang Commandery!"

Zhao Cheng realized something, "Nanyang Commandery, Nanyang Commandery..."

"The Qin State is about to take Nanyang. The destruction of Han is imminent, and the standards for wartime conscription will be relaxed. I fear it won't be long before the conscription order arrives!"

Zhao Cheng's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Sure enough, three days later, a government courier galloped into the village. Amidst the urgent clanging of a brass gong, an official wearing a black cap swung off his horse and pulled a conscription order from a bamboo tube.

"An edict from the early autumn of the sixteenth year of the King of Qin: all commoner males aged fifteen and above who have not yet been registered, bring your household records to the county court within three days for verification. Anyone who dares to conceal themselves shall be executed by waist-chopping; the village head shall be held collectively responsible! Furthermore: those who join the army shall be granted one rank of nobility; for every head severed, one shall be rewarded with one hundred mu of land and one hundred shi of grain..."