Zhang Tie knew that, being new to the area, it was practically a pipe dream to expect a group of men who were older, stronger, had longer military service, more combat experience, and looked more like violent machines to immediately submit to him.
Should he fight these guys? Zhang Tie asked himself, then felt a headache coming on. It really was a headache. His surgical wound was still healing, and if he moved too much and tore it open, Zhang Tie didn't know how long he'd have to keep that guy down there like a mummy.
Faced with the choice between the impending opening of the door to sexual bliss and immediately making these burly fellows obedient, Zhang Tie only hesitated for two seconds before choosing the former without hesitation.
There's only one surgery, the wound is right in front of you, and you'll probably have a long time to spend with these guys, so there's no need to rush to show off. That's the wisdom of the Hua Clan: time will tell.
"On my way here, Lieutenant Fereau suggested that I spend some time getting to know everyone today. He said it would help us understand each other better and make it easier for us to get along in the future. I think Lieutenant Fereau makes a lot of sense..." As soon as Zhang Tie finished his opening remarks, many guys grinned and prepared to surround him. Those three bastards from Beckham had just suffered a bit of a loss, and when they came back, they talked about how amazing this pretty boy was. Many people didn't believe it and wanted to try it for themselves.
But Zhang Tie hadn't finished speaking.
"Lieutenant Fereau makes a good point, but I don't intend to get to know everyone this way. Just now in the battalion headquarters meeting room, Major Guderian told me that there's a rule in the Iron-Blood Battalion: always tell the truth. I think that's a good rule. Honest communication between people is better than communication with fists, so today I'd like to have an honest conversation with everyone!"
Zhang Tie smiled as he watched the burly men, who were initially hesitant to use his new way of communicating, gradually shift from eager, menacing grins to bewildered glances. "Let me reintroduce myself," he said. "My name is Zhang Tie. I'm a native of Black Flame City, fifteen years old this year, almost sixteen. I just completed my graduation trials, developing Iron-Blood Dark Force, and was then conscripted by Colonel Leibniz. Before donning this uniform, I never imagined I would one day become a soldier of the Norman Empire. My former ideal was simply to wait until after my military service, rely on my cleverness and a stroke of luck—who knows when it might fall on my head—to stay in Black Flame City, avoid being sent to a farm outside the city, find a way to make a fortune, and then find a bunch of beautiful women so I could live a life of playing with women every day and then just lazing around and waiting to die. That was my biggest wish. Even now, that thought hasn't changed!"
Several men in the crowd surrounding Zhang Tie couldn't help but laugh when they heard this. Zhang Tie's idea was actually what most men thought. Therefore, many people resonated with what Zhang Tie said.
A person who can speak the truth will be an interesting person wherever he goes. Some of those burly men already think Zhang Tie somewhat interesting, at least he's different from those pretty boys who were sent to the Iron-Blood Battalion to get some experience.
"To be honest, until halfway through my trial, I always felt that the Norman Empire was Black Flame City's enemy, and possibly the biggest enemy I would face after graduation. After the Black Flame City incident, I was terrified for a while, fearing that I would meet you on the battlefield as soon as I started my military service after graduation, and then be wiped out by you. At that time, the Norman Empire's Iron Horn Legion was described as extremely terrifying by the students. This thought persisted until the morning after the Iron Horn Legion's army appeared in Black Flame City Black Flame City. That's when I learned that the Coal and Steel Union, which I had been trying to protect, had surrendered unconditionally after only a few hours of being surrounded by you. When I heard this news, I only had one thought in my mind: I felt like I was a complete idiot and a moron. Those bastards from the Coal and Steel Union, those guys who controlled the most wealth and the strongest army in Black Flame City, didn't even dare to fight a single battle before surrendering. And I actually thought I would risk my life for such a bunch of cowards after graduation, and fight for their Black Flame City against you?"
"The shoes those guys wore cost more than my dad earned in a year of hard work. In the shops on Mingguang Street in Black Flame City, a pair of those shoes cost sixteen gold coins, while my dad could only earn twelve or thirteen gold coins a year at most. My mom and I made rice wine at home to supplement our income. We ran a rice wine shop, and we only earned a few gold coins a year from our hard work. A bowl of rice wine cost three copper coins. If the price increased by one copper coin, business would suffer, and my mom would frown with worry. Before this, the most pocket money my dad ever gave me was two days before the Survival Trial. He secretly saved up some money and gave me three silver coins two days before the Survival Trial, telling me to find a woman and say goodbye to my virginity before the Survival Trial."
At this moment, all the soldiers in front of Zhang Tie had stopped in their tracks.
"Me, a guy who can only afford to go out with the three silver coins my dad saved up, a guy who sometimes can't even afford an extra three copper coins' worth of rice wine at home, actually thinks about protecting guys who can afford more for a pair of leather shoes than my dad earns in a year? Actually thinks about risking my life to protect guys who can't even last a night against the enemy? Actually thinks about protecting guys who only think to tell you after they've sold you out? I finally understand, the biggest idiot in the world is myself!"
At this point in Zhang Tie's story, the dozens of people around him fell silent. Such a sincere story was all the more moving. When Zhang Tie recounted how his father had given him three silver coins from his own savings to find a woman before the Survival Trial, and how his family only sold a bowl of rice wine for three copper coins, those surrounding Zhang Tie simultaneously thought of their own parents. Even some people training on the nearby field gathered around to listen to Zhang Tie's story.
The entire Iron-Blood Battalion has never seen a lieutenant like this before.
"So, on the morning I learned that Black Flame City had surrendered, I suddenly realized the truth. I accepted it faster than anyone else. I didn't feel regret; I was just glad that my older brother was serving in the Black Flame City Guard. The thought that he wouldn't have to fight alongside you for those bastards made me feel very fortunate. This Andaman Alliance, this Black Flame City, is finished, so be it. There's nothing to regret; it has nothing to do with me."
"My family lives in the city, but my dad works hard every day to pay taxes, and my mom works hard too. Our rice wine business also pays taxes. My older brother enjoyed a few years of voluntary trading, but he has to serve in the military. I also have a scoundrel older brother who even became a martyr while serving. No one in my family owes Black Flame City or the Coal and Steel Union anything. For those merchants, everything in Black Flame City is built on this kind of business-like exchange. Since it's a transaction, I don't need to risk my life or shout for it. As long as my family is safe, that's enough. Becoming a citizen of the Norman Empire isn't necessarily a bad thing. The first thing I did after discovering I was a citizen of the Norman Empire was to use the Empire's Savage Trial rules in the Wild Wolf Castle, in front of thousands of people, to personally break the neck of a vicious little man who had repeatedly tried to kill me. He was a real beast. I trampled those bastards under my feet. At that moment, I felt incredibly exhilarated. I almost wanted to shout 'Long live the Norman Empire!'"
"After returning from the trial, I was immediately imprisoned in Black Flame City by a petty person. Fortunately, I had fortuitously mastered the Iron-Blood Dark Force during the trial, so I didn't die in the Black Flame City prison. It was also thanks to a scout brother from the 39th Division, whom I had saved during the trial, who actively worked to clear my name as an enemy of the Norman Empire after learning of my imprisonment. Only then did I have the opportunity to meet Colonel Leibniz. After learning of my experiences, Colonel Leibniz immediately announced my conscription upon seeing me, granting me the rank of second lieutenant according to the Norman Empire rules, and throwing me into the Iron-Blood Battalion. I didn't refuse; I was even a little secretly pleased, because it was a very cool and promising job. Besides, even if it meant risking my life, serving the emperor of the empire was far more promising than serving a few merchants. I've come to a profound understanding of this last point..."
Zhang Tie chuckled, patted his clothes, and pointed to his boots. "Second lieutenants in the Andaman Alliance don't get such good treatment. Besides, I find myself looking quite handsome in this second lieutenant uniform, and I'm almost reluctant to take it off. Also, I've heard that the Iron-Blood Battalion's benefits are higher than those of ordinary troops, so I'm here today with great enthusiasm..."
Hearing this, many people around looked at Zhang Tie with completely devoid of hostility and wariness. At this moment, no one had the desire to fight. Zhang Tie was chatting with them like a friend, telling them the truth. In their hearts, they felt that Zhang Tie was the kind of person they could trust. At least, they didn't find him annoying at all.
"I know what you're all thinking. I'm saying this simply to tell you that I'm just an ordinary person, no different from you, maybe just a little younger. My being here in this uniform is purely by chance. I didn't pull any strings, didn't flatter anyone, and have no powerful backers. I got here through my own luck and ability. I'm not here to be welcomed, nor do I intend to bring you down with my fists. There's an old Hua Clan saying: only on a long journey can you know the strength of the horse that accompanies you, and only with the passage of time can you truly see the heart of the person beside you. I don't intend to prove anything today; let time prove everything. As your platoon leader, my promise to you is that if we go to the battlefield, I will do my best to protect you and try my best to give you a chance to survive. If any of you are still unconvinced, you're welcome to come and challenge me in two days. For now, that's it!"
"Why not today?" a burly man in the third row asked, puzzled.
"Because I had a circumcision a couple of days ago, the wound hasn't healed yet. If I fight with you guys, the wound will heal even slower, which will make me unhappy. Nobody wants their penis to be wrapped up like a mummy all the time, right? Unless that person doesn't even have a penis, they wouldn't know the pain of a man having his penis cut off..."
Upon hearing this answer, the Zi Xia of the surrounding crowd dropped to the floor, while many others burst into laughter, and some particularly wicked individuals even started whistling...
In the distance, seeing that Zhang Tie hadn't actually fought with the ordinary guys in the third row as expected, but instead said something, a bunch of guys started jeering. Then, for some reason, the three guys who had fought with Zhang Tie, including Beckham, suddenly pulled down their pants, vigorously shook their genitals, and showed them off, causing everyone to burst into laughter. Amidst even louder laughter and strange shouts of "Mummy! Mummy! Mummy!", Zhang Tie actually unzipped his pants too, and a bunch of bastards yelled at the top of their lungs...
Zhang Tie didn't fight with the people in the third row; instead, they "fought it out together"...
Fereau, Guderian, and several officers from the Iron-Blood Battalion watched in bewilderment. It seemed no new lieutenant in the Iron-Blood Battalion had ever gained such rapid acceptance and recognition! What magic had Zhang Tie used?