There Is Nothing Ugly About Sincerity

Chapter 14

"Huh?"

Li Dingguo and the others had just left the small classroom and walked along the antique, exquisitely crafted corridor for a while when he discovered in surprise that not far away, another dozen or so soldiers were following two elderly scholars out of a large building at an unhurried pace.

He looked through the building's open doors and discovered, to his surprise, that it too had been arranged as a small classroom!

As expected, these dozen or so soldiers had likely been sent by Zhang Xianzhong, just like Li Dingguo and the others, to receive an education!

Eight Great Kings is truly something else!

He had actually thought things through so thoroughly? He was clearly planning to cultivate useful talent in earnest!

He could not help praising him inwardly. After giving it some thought, he soon understood. That makes sense. If he was going to lead the rebel army around on campaigns and into battle in the future, how could his trusted subordinates not even recognize characters or do basic arithmetic?

Still, it really was hard on those soldiers Zhang Xianzhong had chosen.

Unlike us young teenagers, their ways of thinking have already become fixed. Their ability to start learning from scratch is probably rather worrying.

But they cannot all be dismissed with one stroke. A few talented people might emerge among them.

Li Dingguo was no fool. Naturally, he understood the greatest flaw of rebel armies like Zhang Xianzhong's: they lacked enough capable people to employ.

In courts like that of the Great Ming Dynasty, nearly all educated people came from among those with vested interests.

Born irreconcilably opposed to rebel armies, how could they possibly come to join one?

Only those from poor scholarly families who had been driven into a corner might consider it.

But the rebel armies of today were nothing more than a disorderly rabble, liable to be wiped out by government troops at any moment. Even educated people with nowhere left to turn did not dare come and join them.

There was no other reason.

They feared death.

"Hahaha..."

The rebel soldiers passing by the sixteen youths all laughed awkwardly.

Though neither side spoke, the soldiers had presumably recalled the headache-inducing lessons they had just endured and felt embarrassed and ashamed.

There was no need to ask. For these battle-hardened soldiers who had been selected, only now beginning to study was undoubtedly making things difficult for them.

Yet this was a death order issued by Eight Great Kings, and they had no choice but to obey.

After all, these soldiers were the barely passable trusted subordinates Zhang Xianzhong had picked, like selecting a general from among dwarfs, from three hundred Veteran Camp soldiers.

The efficiency of such compulsory learning naturally could not compare remotely to that of gifted youths like Li Dingguo and the others.

One side studied diligently of its own accord, while the other was forced to learn. Their ability to absorb knowledge was also worlds apart, so the results naturally could not be mentioned in the same breath.

For grown soldiers like them, what interested them most was holding women in their arms, drinking wine from great bowls, devouring meat by the mouthful, and dividing money by the scale.

Other than Li Dingguo, these gifted orphan youths were all baffled by the soldiers' awkward laughter, but none dared discuss it noisily.

Their current lives had not come easily. They did not want to lose them lightly through their own recklessness.

Before long, everyone arrived before a row of rather nice side rooms.

The two soldiers leading them quickly assigned each youth his own quarters according to Zhang Xianzhong's instructions.

Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi exchanged a glance, then entered a side room one after the other. They found it clean and tidy. Even the beds were two large ones set side by side, with two desks between them.

Two oil lamps had already been lit inside, casting a bright glow over the room.

"Li Dingguo, let's go bathe first."

Ai Nengqi, who appeared just as precocious, looked around the room's furnishings in surprise. Seeing two sets of new clothes, shoes, and socks laid out on the beds, delight flashed in his eyes as he eagerly said to Li Dingguo.

This side room was quite large, over two zhang in both length and width. It had probably once housed the Household Guards of some wealthy family.

Ordinary outsiders would never have had such fine quarters.

Now that Zhang Xianzhong had captured a county town and acquired many vacant residences belonging to wealthy families, he naturally would not begrudge using these empty mansions to house these gifted orphan youths.

But regardless, Zhang Xianzhong had done all he could. His efforts to train orphan youths like Li Dingguo were utterly sincere.

For that alone, even Li Dingguo felt fairly grateful to Zhang Xianzhong.

If even he felt that way, there was no need to mention those gifted youths who had been chosen for dedicated training.

"Alright!"

As soon as Ai Nengqi finished speaking, Li Dingguo nodded and agreed.

The two soldiers who had brought them here earlier had already explained where the bathhouse was: at the end of the corridor to the right of these side rooms.

The latrine was there as well. Several pairs of lit lanterns along the way provided guidance and illumination, making life here quite convenient.

Soon, the two of them each took the washing supplies, new clothes, shoes, and socks placed before and on their beds, then eagerly left the room and strode toward the bathhouse.

Along the way, they saw the other dozen or so youths doing the same.

About half an hour later, Li Dingguo, refreshed from head to toe after washing up, returned to the side room with Ai Nengqi amid laughter and conversation.

Heaven knew how long it had been since the original owner of this body had last bathed.

In any case, both Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi had been covered in a layer of grime. They changed three whole buckets of water and used nearly an entire bar of soap before they were finally clean!

What delighted them even more was that the new clothes, shoes, and socks they had just put on were of excellent quality. Their style resembled the fitted martial outfits Zhang Xianzhong wore, and they fit perfectly.

Clearly, they had been carefully selected for them as though custom-tailored.

The black fitted outfits, brand-new military boots, and socks rivaled similar items Li Dingguo had worn in his previous life in both quality and comfort.

This feels so good!

Even Li Dingguo could not help feeling considerable gratitude toward Zhang Xianzhong.

Ai Nengqi needed no mention. Judging by his current high spirits, if Zhang Xianzhong gave the word, he would probably seize a broadsword and charge forward to hack people down without the slightest hesitation!

No matter who the enemy was!

This was using true sincerity to earn true sincerity in return.

Whatever else could be said about Eight Great Kings, he was genuinely good to these gifted youths now.

Though this was only possible because supplies were currently abundant, without Zhang Xianzhong, Li Dingguo and the others would still have been beggar orphans who ate one meal without knowing where the next would come from, their mornings insecure and their evenings uncertain.

After quite a while, Li Dingguo lay quietly on his bed, letting his thoughts wander. Listening to Ai Nengqi still chattering excitedly on the bed beside him, he gradually fell into a deep sleep...