The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 308 It Was Worth Dying

"Aren't you afraid I'll get you into trouble?" Shi Ping turned around and teased the boy who had been following him silently.

Shi Ping is actually not that old, only nineteen years old, but years of exposure to the elements have made him more mature than his peers.

The boy was around fifteen years old, and his eyes were full of defiance.

"With your abilities, there's no need for you to waste your time trying to harm me. Since you want me to follow you, then I'll follow you. As long as I have food to eat, I'll do anything."

"Murder and arson?" Shi Ping suddenly asked.

The boy hesitated.

Are you afraid of killing people?

"I'm not afraid."

"So you're agreeing?"

"What kind of person do you want to kill?" The boy shook his head as soon as he asked the question.

"If you're so capable, why would you need me to kill someone? These days, people are worthless. There are plenty of capable people; it would never be my turn. Are you testing me?"

Spin's eyes lit up.

This kid is really smart; I'm not as smart as him at his age.

Uncle Liu once said that teenagers are different from adults.

Adults who are five, six, seven, or eight years apart, or even more than ten years apart, don't make much of a difference.

But it's different during adolescence.

Often, even if the two people are only a year apart, there can be a big difference between them, even if they are the same person.

Therefore, one should strive to learn new things and acquire skills during one's youth.

As a general once said: "If you don't work hard when you're young, you'll regret it when you're old."

"Have you ever killed someone?"

Shi Ping asked earnestly.

"Killed."

The young man said frankly, "You've been good to me, I won't hide it from you."

Shi Ping was somewhat disappointed.

A general will not recruit soldiers whose identities are unknown.

Therefore, the general never recruited from among the refugees, let alone the widowed and orphaned among them.

They are either family members or have a clean background.

Although the boy was young, his words were unsubstantiated and his origins were unknown.

Having already killed someone, it would be even more difficult to succeed, Shi Ping thought with some regret.

“All my relatives are dead. Last year, in the suburbs of Beijing, someone wanted to eat me, so I struck first and killed him.”

The boy said calmly.

Shi Ping looked surprised.

The boy made it sound easy, but Shi Ping could guess how difficult it was.

"Has it gotten to the point where people are eating each other?"

"I've heard of it, but this is the first time I've encountered it. Most people wouldn't be willing to do something so heinous."

The two disembarked and walked.

The boy answered every question and seemed very honest.

Shi Ping had learned quite a bit about the disaster situation in Shandong.

Shandong is the hometown of Confucius and Mencius, but it is also a place where the White Lotus sect flourished.

Whenever natural disasters or man-made calamities strike and the people suffer greatly, the White Lotus Sect inevitably rises up.

Unlike others who despised the White Lotus Sect, scholars disliked its ignorance.

The general, however, spoke highly of the White Lotus Sect.

Regardless of the nature of the White Lotus sect, at least it was on the side of the common people.

As for the details, they are still better than natural disasters or man-made calamities.

However, many people were also afraid of the White Lotus Sect and knew the consequences of following it.

"Gululu."

Wu Liang's stomach made a sound, but he didn't feel embarrassed at all.

"Let's find a place to eat first."

After disembarking at the dock, it was past mealtime at the barracks.

Shi Ping led Wu Liang to a noodle stall.
Wu Liang ate three large bowls in one go, while Shi Ping ate two bowls.

The two also ate a bowl of jelly.

Shi Ping didn't care about the money at all, which made Wu Liang quite envious.

After such a hearty meal, Wu Liang burped contentedly, feeling that all the long journey had been worthwhile.

When leaving the capital, Wu Liang hesitated for a moment.

Leaving the city is easy, but getting back in is difficult.

After hesitating for a while, I still chose to believe Shi Ping, and now I am completely at ease.

I haven't eaten meat in so many years. Today I've eaten my fill, and I'd be willing to die of a full stomach.

With renewed energy, he began to take a closer look at Tongzhou.

They disembarked outside the west side of the city and did not enter the city, but the area outside the city was still bustling and lively.

Along the canal, shops line both banks and vendors are constantly present.

The ships coming and going were numerous.

Many of the houses are new; in fact, half of them are new, and many others are under construction.

"I didn't expect there to be such a good place here." Wu Liang stared at it intently.

"So, are you tempted?"

Shi Ping smiled.

Wu Liang nodded vigorously. If he had known this place earlier, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to sneak into the capital.

Everyone knows that even though the capital city is strictly controlled, many beggars still manage to infiltrate it.

There weren't many beggars here, and no one cared about them; they didn't even need to go into the city.

"Begging is not a proper job. Do you think you can beg for the rest of your life? Come with me first and see if you can join the army. Our Hexi Camp is different from other places."

"it is good."

Wu Liang said readily.

He knew perfectly well how good it was to be a soldier; seeing was believing.

However, being a soldier always means having more food to eat, and since he can come here to beg on weekdays, having two ways to make a living is easier than in the capital.

It's difficult to beg in the capital, otherwise they wouldn't have resorted to robbing passersby.

That's the capital city; things can easily go wrong there.

The two walked on and soon saw the shadow of a military camp.

Tongzhou was originally a military town.

Traces of military camps can be found everywhere, but years of expansion have obscured the original foundations of the camps.

You wouldn't notice it at all if you didn't look closely.

The military camp in front of us was also rather strange.

Divided in the middle by a wooden fence, one side is a house with many business signs hanging on it, and the other side is a house with military flags hanging on it.

The two sides were clearly distinct, one side was very lively, and the other side was very quiet.

Several soldiers stood guard at the entrance, motionless under the sun.

Something interesting.

Isn't that torture?

This ration doesn't taste good. Wu Liang had just felt relieved that Shi Ping hadn't lied to him, but soon became worried again.

"Shi Ping?"

The soldiers at the gate recognized Shi Ping.

Despite his young age, Shi Ping has a long service record in the Hexi Camp.

He was also a personal guard of the general, and many people knew him.

Although they knew each other, they still checked the soldier's badge and the document.

"Who is this?"

“I found him on the road, thought he was good, so I brought him back to see if I could recruit him into the army.”

Shi Ping did not offer much explanation.

The other person has the same status as me; in fact, there are many orphans without parents these days.

Many orphans don't live more than a few years.

Shi Ping just happened to meet him, and he also found the boy very agreeable.

It's what people often call fate.

Wu Liang had thought the soldiers at the gate would be lax, but he never expected to be questioned for so long.

Shi Ping was not surprised and said a lot.

In the end, it was the barracks officer who stepped in and asked Wu Liang to stay with Shi Ping, and also asked Shi Ping to keep an eye on Wu Liang, and to decide what to do when the general returned.

The Hexi Camp has always had its own rules for recruiting soldiers.

Initially, a batch was transferred from the Beijing garrison, and then during the anti-Japanese war in the southeast, a group of friendly troops and righteous people joined them.

The Datong side absorbed some of the better-performing prisoners from the armored cavalry.

They also selected a group of respectable young men from families they knew well.

It can be said that the vast majority of soldiers in the Hexi Camp came from completely innocent backgrounds.

"You're getting bolder as you get older; you're even making your own decisions now."

The officer cursed.

The officer was originally a military officer in the Beijing garrison. He was a good person, but he lacked basic skills and couldn't keep up with the general's requirements.

The general kept people like these in the Hexi camp.

However, there were also a number of people who lacked ability and had an improper attitude, and the general spent a lot of effort kicking these people out.

In the past two years, the general has been organizing militias in the western army of Datong, and another group of people have been "eliminated" and sent to the militia.

The same sentry officer, but different units, with vastly different identities and statuses.

Those who could remain at the Hexi camp to guard it were different. Shi Ping dared not act rashly.

Although Meng Shu had a weak foundation, he was meticulous in his work, and the general still trusted him.

Wu Liang followed Shi Ping into the camp, as if a new door had been opened for him.

Is this how soldiers are?

Upon learning that the general was returning, even though there were fewer than a hundred people in the barracks, everyone perked up.

People stand in pairs, or in rows of three.

A line of people was walking when they met another line. One person raised their hand to their eyebrow, and the other person returned the gesture.

Turning around, he noticed that one of the people who had just passed by had raised his hand to Shi Ping's brow.

Shi Ping returned the same gesture. As if by prior agreement, the two remained silent and their actions were swift and decisive.

"What is this doing?"

Wu Liang asked curiously.

"This is the rule in the military. I told you that things are different here, and now you see it, what do you think?"

Shi Ping asked deliberately.

Wu Liang's eyes gleamed with excitement. "It feels good."

Upon hearing this, Shi Ping was somewhat surprised.

“You didn’t look like that when you were at the camp gate just now.”

Shi Ping could tell that Wu Liang was having second thoughts.

"I was indeed a little worried at first, but I was wrong."

Wu Liang honestly said, "The rules are so strict, yet they can still achieve this level of success. There must be something extraordinary about them that makes people willing to accept it; otherwise, it would be extremely difficult to do so."

Shi Ping was not surprised.

Initially, I did feel compassion, thinking that this person was a decent person, and even thieves have their code of honor.

After getting to know them better, I grew to like the boys around me even more.

Worried that Wu Liang might be too clever for his own good, Shi Ping emphasized this point again.

"In any case, I still maintain that we are different from other places. The military rules are extremely strict. For example, you must never bully civilians, otherwise you will be expelled from the camp, regardless of your status."

Wu Liang nodded repeatedly.

Wu Liang became increasingly interested in this military camp.

In the military, soldiers eat three meals a day.

Wu Liang sat alone in the room, which had a large communal bed, but it was quite spacious.

By the standards of an inn, such a large dormitory could easily accommodate twenty or thirty people.

The military camp was divided into rooms of twelve, or one-tenth of a room.

Each bed is separated from the others, exposing the bricks underneath.

Since the soldiers were not in the house, the bedding was neatly rolled up and arranged in a row at the head of the bed.

The other wall faces the empty training ground.

Two windows were opened in the wall.

There was a row of wooden cabinets under the window, and they were all empty.

According to Shi Ping, personal belongings such as bowls, chopsticks, teacups, and towels are kept here.

However, since everyone went to Datong, they took everything with them.

Then there were two large round tables.

Each round table has six stools, neatly arranged under the table.

A sand table hangs on the east wall.

The wooden tray was filled with sand, and there were a dozen or so thin twigs next to it.

Shi Ping said that he usually uses this to learn how to write.

Despite the house being very simple, Wu Liang always felt it was amazing.

I don't know what makes it so amazing.

The tables and chairs were made of cheap poplar and willow wood, and the bed was made of cotton quilts, which were not particularly valuable.

The bricks used for the communal sleeping quarters saved a lot of firewood during the winter when the kang (heated brick bed) was heated outside.

There was nothing of value in the house, inside or out.

It was only because of its exceptional cleanliness that it caught the eye.

As I was pondering, I heard singing coming from afar.

Wu Liang quietly approached the window and, following the direction of the window, figured the sound was coming from the kitchen.

Before Shi Ping left, he told me to wait for him in the house, and that he would bring me food back.

The songs they sang were all jumbled up and I couldn't understand what they were singing.

It felt like they were taking turns singing, but I didn't know if Shi Ping was singing.

Do we have to sing while eating?

What kind of ridiculous rules are these? Are they even necessary?

The boy was speechless.

But the differences revealed in every aspect made the boy particularly curious.

Most of the people I met were in good spirits.

So, not out of coercion, these seemingly trivial rules are actually followed by everyone.

The soldiers at the gates of the capital city also had many demands, but in reality, they were quite lazy and nobody cared.

What they cared about was getting some money from the merchants who came into the city.

Wu Liang would sit for a while, then come to the window.

at last.

Shi Ping returned, carrying a large bowl in each hand.

A porcelain bowl that looks like a small basin.

A bowl full of rice on the left, and a bowl full of vegetables on the right.

"Eat."

Shi Ping said with a smile.

The sky is big and the earth is big, and eating is the biggest thing.

With food on the table, Wu Liang didn't care about anything else and wolfed it down.

A half-grown boy can eat his father alive.

Wu Liang is at the age where he can eat the most.

That belly seemed like a bottomless pit, capable of holding an unknown amount of food.

"Hiccup~~~~~~"

Wu Liang let out a big burp. He had eaten more food today than he had in the past two weeks.

Even if they don't manage to stay, they can survive for ten days or half a month on the food and water they eat and drink today.

"Sit down for a bit, then come for a run with me later to help digest your food."

"what?"

Wu Liang was reluctant to part with it.

Not daring to refuse, after a little over half an hour, she reluctantly went for a run with Shi Ping.

As if feeling his stomach flattening, Wu Liang felt extremely distressed.

Early the next morning.

It's still dark.

"Ta-da! Ta-da! Ta-da! Ta-da!"

The sound of a gong rang out.

Shi Ping was already dressed, while Wu Liang rubbed his eyes.

"You can sleep for a while, but once you're in camp, you won't be able to sleep whenever you want unless you're on leave."

After giving his instructions, Shi Ping jogged out.

"Oh my God."

Wu Liang was speechless. How could he possibly sleep with all this noise?
I climbed down from the bunk bed and went to the window, where I could only see figures moving around on the drill ground.

The general may be coming today.

Whether the general comes or not, the barracks must maintain the strictest standards, and no one can afford to slack off.

Even Old Shi and the others followed along obediently.

This is also why Wang Xin doesn't come to the military camp often.

Being strict is right, but you also need to give people a chance to breathe.

When I'm in the military camp, the whole camp is on high alert.

It's just dawn.

Wang Xin rode his horse into the camp.

"Welcome back to camp, General!"

"Shh."

Just then, during the drill, about a hundred people on the parade ground saluted in unison.

"Keep practicing!"

Wang Xin waved his hand and led his personal guards toward his ancestral hall.

"Here!"

Everyone's spirits lifted.
The previously serious atmosphere seemed to be stimulated upon seeing the general, and suddenly became incredibly imposing.

Even Old Shi, who was usually the most cunning and sly, practiced diligently.

Anyone can feel the difference.

"This is the general?"

The boy in the window licked his lips, his face full of admiration.

If I could achieve that in my life, it would be worth dying on the battlefield.

"I must stay."

The boy clenched his fists.

(End of this chapter)