Becoming a god by following the natural order and seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune.

Chapter 2 I Can Talk Too

After leaving the tent, Chen Sheng walked straight towards a brightly lit auxiliary tent. Two guards in front of the tent immediately raised their hands to stop him, scrutinizing him with sharp eyes.

"Chen Sheng of the Sixth Section has urgent business to discuss with Commander Wu. Please inform him." Chen Sheng clasped his hands in a polite manner.

"Come right in."

Before the guards could respond, a strong voice came from inside the tent. The two guards dared not delay and quickly lifted the tent flap, letting out a wave of heat mixed with the smell of leather and charcoal.

Chen Shengmai stepped inside, his gaze instantly locking onto the man at the head of the table. The man was wearing a bearskin cloak, was burly, with a square face and a wide mouth. Judging by his appearance alone, he did not seem like a greedy person, but appearances can be deceiving.

"Your subordinate Chen Sheng greets Commander Wu."

Wu Kuangzheng was engrossed in processing documents when he heard the sound. He glanced at Chen Sheng and casually asked:

"What brings you to see me so late at night?"

"Commander, I wish to vie for the position of your deputy commander." Chen Sheng got straight to the point, without beating around the bush.

Wu Kuang paused, looked up again, and carefully examined Chen Sheng from head to toe. A playful smile appeared on his lips: "If you want to compete for the position of deputy commander, you need to at least open your mind and establish your foundation."

I remember you didn't pay to learn the physical training methods used in camp, did you?

"I studied at a martial arts school in my early years, and recently I was fortunate enough to achieve enlightenment and establish a foundation."

"Putting aside our strength, it's a pity you're a step too late. I've already had a pretty good talk with Wang Yi, and besides, he's very supportive of me."

Wu Kuang spoke in a flat tone, deliberately emphasizing the words "the talks are almost over" and "support".

The discussion is almost over, but nothing is finalized yet.

Chen understood his meaning and immediately replied, "My lord, I can also speak. My support for you is no less than anyone else's."

"Ha ha……"

Wu Kuang smiled without saying a word, simply looking at him.

Chen Sheng continued, "Sir, everything has a price. I wonder how much Wang Yi is offering?"

Wu Kuang originally intended to hold up five fingers, but seeing Chen Sheng's posture, he changed his gesture in mid-air:
Wang Yi paid seventy taels of silver.

Chen Sheng said no more, and directly took out a gold ingot from his sleeve and placed it in front of Wu Kuang without making a sound.

Under the lamplight, the gold ingot shimmered. Wu Kuang paused, picked up the ingot, and weighed it in his hand, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He truly hadn't expected this unassuming soldier to be so generous.

He had some recollection of Chen Sheng; he was a veteran who had been forcibly conscripted into the camp and had endured nearly four months of hardship without making a name for himself.

Strangely, almost everyone who was initially in his team changed, but he was the only one who survived unscathed, which made Wu Kuang a little curious about him. But after observing him, he felt that this person did not seem to have any great ambitions and only hoped to return home after the war ended, so he stopped paying attention to him.

Unexpectedly, I misjudged him.

Weighing the heavy gold ingot in his hand, Wu Kuang quickly estimated its value—at least ninety taels of silver. It seems this kid has been "saving up" quite a bit of wealth these past few months of suppressing the rebellion.

Wu Kuang pondered for a moment, then tapped the table with his finger and pointed to the corner of the tent: "See those stone locks? Pick the one you can handle the most and lift it up for me to see."

Chen Sheng glanced around and saw stone locks of varying sizes scattered about. Among them, the three-hundred-pound stone lock showed obvious signs of being moved. He immediately realized that it was Wang Yi's doing.

Without further ado, he walked straight to the 500-pound stone lock. He bent his knees slightly, reached out, gripped the lock handle tightly with both arms, and with a sudden shout, lifted the massive stone lock steadily above his head!
He stood firm like a pine tree for more than ten breaths without turning red in the face or panting.

Upon seeing this, Wu Kuang was finally moved.

Five hundred pounds of arm strength!
This is far superior to Wang Yi's! Moreover, judging from Chen Sheng's effortless demeanor, he clearly still has plenty of energy left.

"Alright, put it down." Wu Kuang's tone softened considerably.

With a "thud," the stone lock landed steadily with a dull thud. Chen Sheng, his breathing steady, returned to his desk, his posture respectful. As for the gold ingot, it had long since been hidden away by Wu Kuang.

"With such strength, I, the commander, cannot afford to bury such talent..." Wu Kuang stroked his beard, carefully examining Chen Sheng.

"Thank you for your guidance, Commander!" Chen Sheng immediately clasped his hands in a salute.

"Hmm, go down first. I will make arrangements after reporting to the captain."

"Yes."

Just then, a rough voice suddenly came from outside the tent:

"Brother Wu, are you in your tent? I have something to discuss with you!"

"Commander Huang, please come in," Wu Kuang announced loudly.

"Commander, then I shall take my leave." Chen Sheng bowed tactfully.

"Go."

Chen Sheng turned and left the tent, just in time to meet the two men who were entering. He recognized one of them as Commander Huang from another team, accompanied by a burly young man who bore a striking resemblance to him.

The three men's eyes met for a moment, then Chen Sheng bowed to Commander Huang and stepped out from behind the curtain.

Inside the tent, after exchanging a few pleasantries with Commander Huang, Wu Kuang got straight to the point:

"Brother Huang, what brings you here so late at night?"

Commander Huang was a straightforward man and said frankly, "Brother Wu, let's not beat around the bush. Now that the rebellion has been quelled, the higher-ups have made arrangements. Some people will be stationed in various counties, while others will be transferred to the border."

It's fine for Huang to go to the border to fight, but we Huang brothers can't all go; we have to leave a lineage for the family. Therefore, I would like to ask Brother Wu to take care of my younger brother and appoint him as a deputy commander under your command, so that we can be transferred back to the rear together.”

"Well..." Wu Kuang looked troubled. "It's not that I'm heartless, it's just that the candidate for the deputy commander under my command has already been preliminarily decided."

Commander Huang knew Wu Kuang's character well, so he didn't waste any words and calmly placed a gold ingot on the table: "Brother Wu, you only need to give up one of your two deputy commander positions."

Wu Kuang stared at the gold ingot, remaining silent.

"Brother Wu, you must help me this time. Commander Nie is aware of this as well," Commander Huang added.

"Trying to intimidate me with your rank, Captain?" Wu Kuang raised an eyebrow.

"Brother Wu, you misunderstand. I had no such intention. It was just that the Captain was understanding of my family's situation."

Wu Kuang chuckled a few times, quickly weighing the options in his mind. He had originally planned to give Wang Yi and Chen Sheng each a spot, but unexpectedly Huang Ren appeared out of nowhere, and it seemed that he had even received the tacit approval of the captain.

This forced him to abandon one of them.

He made the decision almost instantly.

Who told Wang Yi to offer the lowest price? Wu Kuang has always been a man of principle.

“Very well, since Brother Huang has spoken, and the Captain is aware of this matter, how can I refuse? Keep it, and I will inform the Captain tomorrow.” Wu Kuang said, putting the gold ingot into his pocket.

Commander Huang's face immediately broke into a smile, and he patted the young man beside him:

"Ah Ren, you should thank Commander Wu for his guidance!"

The young man bowed immediately, his face beaming with joy: "Your subordinate, Huang Ren, thanks you for your guidance, Commander!"

“Perfect timing,” Wu Kuang said, as if remembering something, and reluctantly took out a small cloth bag from the side and tossed it to Huang Ren.

"Now that you have taken his place, you should return this silver to Wang Yi, the squad leader of the Sixth Squad, and tell him that this matter is over."

Despite his greed, his principle was: either he would take money for doing things, or he would not take a penny if he failed to do so.

"Yes! I understand!"

Huang Ren took the money bag and knew in his heart who he had squeezed out.

(End of this chapter)