Everyone is Happy

## Chapter 17: Everyone is Happy

Dingbian City, three hundred meters east of the county office, is the temporary military camp for the Rebel Army.

On the west side of the main training ground within the large camp, a row of tables and chairs served as the Rebel Army's recruitment station. It was bustling with people and very lively.

Because the Rebel Army was not short on food, gold, silver, or copper coins at the moment, after capturing the county town and raising the recruitment banner, countless common people and displaced persons who could no longer survive flocked to them!

Since human wave tactics were ineffective in this high-martial world, and a large portion of the money and food couldn't be taken away when the Rebel Army eventually retreated and fled...

Instead of letting these precious provisions be burned to the ground later, it was better to find ways to use them up and quickly expand the Rebel Army.

He didn't know how other Rebel Army leaders operated, but this was exactly what Zhang Xianzhong was doing.

However, in this wondrous vast world, joining the Rebel Army wasn't that simple.

Even the various Rebel Armies in the three northwestern provinces of the Great Ming Dynasty, which were basically composed of rabble, didn't just accept anyone.

Tests were required for abilities like strength, archery, swordsmanship, horsemanship, and literacy. Only the outstanding individuals chosen from these tests would be absorbed into the Rebel Army.

Of course, you only needed to meet the standard in one of these tests; you didn't need to be proficient in all of them.

If the standards for joining the Rebel Army were too strict, it would be impossible for the Rebel Army to rapidly expand its strength, which wasn't practical.

"Your name is Sun Kewang?"

"You were originally from the border army?"

"You're from the Mizhi area?"

Zhang Xianzhong hurried to the recruitment station by the main training ground of the temporary military camp. After a brief inquiry with Ma Yuanli, he looked with some curiosity at the burly man who had just been called before him and asked.

As a master of the Fourth Layer of Martial Dao in the Qi Refining Realm, he could clearly sense the imposing aura on the other person, which was not inferior to his own.

This Sun Kewang looked to be around thirty years old, with a weather-beaten face and determined eyes. He didn't look like a spy from the official army.

In reality, the court was currently facing severe internal and external troubles. It was impossible for a master of the Fourth Layer of Martial Dao, capable of leading a large army, to infiltrate Zhang Xianzhong's newly rebellious Rebel Army as an undercover agent or something similar.

It was simply unrealistic.

Given the court's current style, there wouldn't be such complex calculations specifically aimed at his family's newly formed rabble.

"Yes, Great King!"

Sun Kewang stepped forward, gave Zhang Xianzhong a military salute, and respectfully said, "When the Great King captured this county town, I happened to be inside."

"Now that I have seen the Great King's way of doing things, which is vastly different from other Rebel Armies, it is clear that you possess great ambitions."

"I, Sun Kewang, am not very talented, but I consider myself someone who knows a little about military and political affairs. I have specifically come here to recommend myself!"

"I, Sun Kewang, am willing to be the Great King's vanguard! At the same time, I wish to acknowledge the Great King as my adoptive father!"

Good heavens, this fellow was silent at first, but when he spoke, it was earth-shattering!

He was even a few years older than the Eight Great Kings, Zhang Xianzhong!

He actually wanted to acknowledge Zhang Xianzhong as his adoptive father?

Clearly, this Sun Kewang had great ambitions.

After all, only by cutting off his own retreat could he gain Zhang Xianzhong's trust and be quickly given important roles!

In this era, acknowledging an adoptive father and taking in an adoptive son wasn't just talk.

Once you acknowledged an adoptive father, if you ever defied or betrayed the other party in the future, your reputation would become utterly ruined!

When the Rebel Army grew and became stronger, did you think you could lead a force away later, start your own faction, or defect to someone else?

At that time, no other Rebel Army leader would dare to accept someone with such a flawed character.

To successfully rebel or become a king, reputation in this era was even more important than one's own life.

Once your reputation was ruined, no matter how capable you were, no talented people would come to join you. Instead, the soldiers under your command would also become disloyal, and it wouldn't be long before you gradually descended into the abyss.

"Ah..."

Zhang Xianzhong was also stunned by Sun Kewang's decisiveness!

But his composure was extremely deep, and he naturally knew this was an excellent opportunity.

The other party was betting that he would succeed in the future. Sun Kewang would naturally rise with the tide, and it wouldn't be impossible to be granted titles and high positions at that time.

But Zhang Xianzhong wasn't afraid that this ambitious and highly status-conscious Sun Kewang would betray him in the future or anything like that.

It was the same old saying: once the other party acknowledged him as his adoptive father, and it was widely announced to all the soldiers, all of his future retreat paths would be cut off. He would have no choice but to wholeheartedly follow him to the end!

That way, the other party's future achievements would be deeply bound to his own, with no chance of going back on his word.

Just like the court now, those who passed the imperial examinations and became top scholars or Jinshi, once they acknowledged their mentor, everything they had thereafter would be tied to their mentor. They would prosper together and share in both fortune and misfortune.

"Good!"

Zhang Xianzhong was also someone who could make decisions and let go. He immediately agreed decisively, "Then, I will accept you as my adoptive son!"

"From now on, you shall be called Zhang Kewang."

He helped Sun Kewang, who was kneeling before him, to his feet and then began the necessary step of adopting an adoptive son: bestowing a surname.

In this chaotic era, adopting an adoptive son didn't need to be as complicated as in previous dynasties. Everything could be simplified. As long as there were witnesses present and it was widely announced, it was sufficient.

With so many Rebel Army officers and soldiers present, it served as a witness.

"Zhang Kewang pays his respects to his adoptive father!"

Having achieved his heart's desire, Sun Kewang was overjoyed and prostrated himself again!

"Good, good, good!"

His luck had turned; today he had actually taken in a fierce general in the Qi Refining Realm, who could be called skilled in both civil and military matters, as his adoptive son. Zhang Xianzhong happily said "good" repeatedly.

"Issue an order! Today we will feast the entire army. Let everyone know that our Rebel Army now has another Young General!"

The addition of a usable Fourth Layer of Martial Dao fierce general was enough to elevate the fighting strength of Zhang Xianzhong's Rebel Army by a level.

This Sun Kewang, at first glance, was clearly not someone who was all show and no substance; he possessed true skill.

Of course, this would require at least two major battles to verify.

Once his performance was outstanding, Zhang Xianzhong would not be stingy and would certainly let him command his own army.

This was, so far, the second Qi Refining Realm expert capable of holding his own in this newly formed Rebel Army.

To quickly sever any other thoughts Sun Kewang might have, Zhang Xianzhong immediately ordered a feast for the entire army and widely publicized the event to solidify their father-son relationship.

Naturally, as long as Sun Kewang wasn't foolish, he would understand that this was a great opportunity extremely beneficial to him.

From now on, he would become the second-in-command of the Rebel Army, below only one person and above everyone else.

Once the ambitious Eight Great Kings succeeded in the future, he would truly prosper.

Endless glory and wealth would be easily attainable, a certainty.

Anyway, he had no family now, was alone, and now that he had an adoptive father, it was no big deal.

Speaking of which, he also had confidence that with his own abilities, which he considered no weaker than anyone else's, he would definitely help Zhang Xianzhong's Rebel Army quickly open up the situation and at least dominate a region, right?

Sun Kewang was skilled in both civil and military matters, but before, his talents had nowhere to be used.

Now that he had made up his mind to follow Zhang Xianzhong and rise up in rebellion, he refused to believe they couldn't overthrow the utterly corrupt Great Ming Dynasty!

For a time, both Sun Kewang and Zhang Xianzhong had achieved their heart's desires and were overjoyed.