The fiercest soldier of the border army

Is this really true?

Li Lang stared at the few pieces of silver ingots in his hand, his one eye wide open, his gaze fixed on them, unable to look away.

The military pay for the border troops in the Great Qian Dynasty was extremely low, a fact known to everyone.

Even a regular soldier who fights to the death for a year might only earn five taels of silver.

As for auxiliary service, it was further divided into civilian laborers and auxiliary soldiers.

The laborers were subjected to unpaid corvée labor without receiving a single penny of pay.

The auxiliary soldiers fared slightly better, receiving a fixed quota of one tael of copper coins per year. However, with layers of officials taking a cut and embezzling through the fire tax, they were left with only a few hundred copper coins each year, barely enough to make ends meet. Supporting a family was simply a pipe dream.

Why would I lie to you? There are so many eyes watching.

Tang Shun smiled faintly, "This silver is yours."

"Then I'll accept it!"

Without further hesitation, Li Lang moved with astonishing speed, stuffing all the silver into his pocket and pressing it down firmly, his face beaming with undisguised joy.

Wei Zong, who was standing nearby, immediately frowned and stepped forward, his tone tinged with resentment, "Squad leader, this is spoiling him way too much!"

"We, the squad leaders, followed you through thick and thin, risking our lives to cover your retreat, only to earn five taels of silver each. Li Lang, on the other hand, didn't achieve anything and even contradicted you in public. Why should he get so much for nothing?"

Upon hearing this, the entire squad was instantly thrown into turmoil.

Everyone's ears perked up instantly, and their hearts skipped a beat.

Be nice!

So it turns out that each of the squad leaders had five taels of silver?

This is five years' worth of pay for an ordinary auxiliary soldier! Not a penny deducted, it's all real money!

In an instant, everyone's gaze towards Tang Shun completely changed.

No wonder the team leader is so confident; he's really willing to spend money on his brothers!

Cheng Feng stepped forward casually, his voice booming, and he didn't hold back at all, "To be honest, at first, I, Old Cheng, wasn't convinced that the young captain had taken over!"

"But just for that decisiveness and sense of responsibility, I'm completely impressed!"

"In the fierce battle to cover the rear a few days ago, the squad leader personally paid out of his own pocket to distribute the silver to those of us who survived!"

"Those brothers who died in battle received their due share, not a penny less; all of it was sent back to their hometowns and their families were settled!"

Liang Enyi stepped forward at the opportune moment, speaking calmly and voicing the question that had been on everyone's mind:

"But Captain, Li Lang has done nothing of merit, and he even publicly contradicted his superiors and disrupted morale. What merit does he have to deserve the same reward as us, who risked our lives for it?"

These words instantly struck a chord with everyone on the team.

The expressions of the auxiliary soldiers changed one after another, and the envy in their eyes turned into deep jealousy in an instant.

They toiled away all year round, enduring all kinds of exploitation, and all they could save up were a few hundred broken copper coins.

Li Lang dared to speak a few truths and argue a bit, and in the blink of an eye, he took away their hard-earned wages from five years of hard work!

Unbeknownst to them, the resentment that everyone had felt towards Tang Shun was quietly transferred to Li Lang.

Li Lang, the person in question, was completely oblivious. He pocketed the silver with smug satisfaction and an arrogant expression, eager to show the whole team that he had received a great reward.

Tang Shun took in everyone's expressions and understood.

He is not a fool, nor would he blindly repay evil with kindness.

In the art of leading troops, the worst thing is for everyone to be of one mind and have no outlet for their grievances.

A team needs a target that everyone can criticize and hate.

As the team leader and the core of the team, he must not become the target of public criticism.

Then the target can only be Li Lang.

It can both demonstrate one's magnanimity and can make one speak frankly by giving generous rewards, and it can also divert internal conflicts and unite people's hearts, killing two birds with one stone.

Tang Shun stood with one hand on his hip, leaning against the flagpole, looking at the restless crowd. He spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but every word struck a chord in everyone's hearts:

"Aren't you all secretly resentful? Do you all think Li Lang doesn't deserve this windfall?"

Everyone remained silent, no one dared to speak, yet they all tacitly agreed.

"I'll tell you the truth."

Tang Shun's eyes darkened, and he dropped a bombshell that silenced the entire room:

"I gave him the silver for no other reason than that he won't live much longer; you can't take it with you when you die."

boom!

These words were like a thunderclap, sending chills down everyone's spines.

The soldiers on the field instantly held their breath, their faces turning deathly pale.

"Squad leader! What do you mean by that?!"

"We're auxiliary troops! We don't have to charge to the front lines, we don't have to be at the forefront, so why are we destined to die?"

Several wounded veterans looked on in disbelief, while the new recruits who had never been on the battlefield felt their legs go weak and their faces instantly turned pale.

Tang Shun raised his hand and pointed at the entire team, his tone cold and direct, showing no mercy whatsoever:

"Open your eyes and see for yourselves!"

"Our three squads are filled with crippled or disabled men, the old and weak, and the frail new recruits. Apart from my three squad leaders, how many of the rest of us can actually wield a knife and kill the enemy?"

"Let alone fighting on the battlefield, most of them can't even handle menial or auxiliary tasks!"

"To put it bluntly, we're just useless cowards in the military, the trash that the whole army has rejected!"

The group looked at each other, their faces filled with bitterness as they looked at their sick and frail companions. No one offered any explanation.

These are harsh words, but they are the stark truth.

"Therefore, we are the best cannon fodder."

Tang Shun's sharp eyes swept across the entire scene. "Wang Xianghong has long disliked me, and he finds our remnant army an eyesore even more."

"The lottery for garrison duty in Xiushui Town tomorrow is definitely not a matter of chance!"

"That town was reserved specifically for our third team!"

"Don't even mention the lottery being rigged. Even if I and the three squad leaders hanged ourselves right now, all of you would still be destined to die in Xiushui Town!"

The evening wind was biting, blowing through the crowd and chilling everyone to the bone.

A sense of despair instantly enveloped the entire team.

"Why?!"

The old soldier Wang Wu, leaning on his cane, instantly turned red in the eyes, his arm veins bulging, and he roared hoarsely:

"I've spent over a decade in the border army! Half my life has been spent in this military camp!"

"Last year, during the bloody battle with the Xiongnu, my Achilles tendon was severed by the barbarians' iron hooks, leaving me permanently disabled!"

"I've already fallen to this state, and Wang Xianghong still won't let me go? He wants to force me to my death?!"

"I finally understand!"

Someone roared, completely exploding: "This reorganization of the unit was clearly a deliberate act of grouping us remnants together!"

"They wiped us out in one fell swoop, saving us food supplies and pocketing our compensation money! They're utterly heartless!"

Panic, anger, and despair spread like a plague among the three teams.

Tang Shun shrugged, his tone almost indifferent:

Ultimately, money is just an external thing.

"Either way, we're heading towards certain death. What's the point of fighting over this little bit of money? Just accept your fate."

These words completely shattered everyone's last psychological defenses.

The vast drill ground was deserted, with a cold wind blowing.

The other barracks were already dark and silent, but these three teams stood alone in the cold night, as if they had been completely abandoned by the entire military camp.

"I don't want to die..."

A skinny recruit completely broke down; his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, muttering through a sob:

"I had only been married a short time when I was forcibly conscripted into the army. I didn't want to fight at all... I didn't want to die..."

"You're miserable? I'm miserable even more!"

The other person gritted their teeth, their eyes reddening with despair: "My two babies were just born!"

"If I die at the border, and my pension is withheld by the authorities, how will my wife, children, and elderly parents survive?!"

thump!

Another recruit stepped out of the ranks, knelt heavily before Tang Shun, and repeatedly kowtowed and begged:

"Squad leader! Please let me run! I really don't want to stay in that death trap, I want to go home!"

In an instant, the ranks were thrown into chaos, with cries of pain, pleas for mercy, complaints, and curses rising and falling.

Li Lang, the only one who had taken the silver, clutched the money tightly to his chest, his face pale, and remained silent, his heart pounding with panic.

Tang Shun looked down at the kneeling recruits, a cold smile playing on his lips.

The heat was just right.

"You think you can run away?"

His voice was calm, yet chilling: "Deserters in the military camp are strictly governed by law."

"If you dare to run away today, the authorities will confiscate your entire family's property tomorrow!"

"Your elderly mother, wife, and children are all to be sent to prostitutes in the camp! Your father, brothers, and relatives are all to be reduced to criminals and forced labor!"

"As for you? Without a registered household, you'll have nowhere to go, no matter where you are. If you're caught, you'll be beheaded on the spot, leaving no trace of your body!"

Every word was like a knife, piercing deep into everyone's hearts.

The kneeling recruit went limp and collapsed to the ground, his face ashen, unable to even utter a sound.

"It's over...it's completely over..."

The morale of the entire team plummeted, and despair enveloped everyone.

Just as the entire camp was in chaos and morale was crumbling.

Wei Zong stepped forward, his expression resolute, cupped his hands, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Team leader."

"The last few days were a desperate battle to cover our retreat; it was a situation with no chance of survival. You managed to lead us out unscathed."

"Since you have the ability to survive in dire straits, you must have a way to lead us through this ordeal! I, Wei Zong, believe in you!"

"I, Lao Cheng, also believe in the squad leader! Following you, I won't die, and I'll even have meat to eat!" Cheng Feng's voice was loud and clear, unwavering.

"Liang Enyi is willing to obey the squad leader's orders!"

The three men's statements acted as a reassurance, gradually restoring morale to the crumbling army.

The noisy and chaotic queue instantly fell completely silent.

Everyone suddenly came to their senses!

Yup!

They almost panicked!

Our young captain is no ordinary person!

They've managed to break through countless seemingly insurmountable obstacles!

At this moment, all the despair in everyone's eyes vanished, and they stared intently at Tang Shun, as if grasping at the last straw.

"Squad leader! We don't want to die! Please save us!"

"We'll do whatever you say! We'll do whatever you tell us to do! We just want to survive!"

No one complained about being punished to stay up all night, and no one looked down on Tang Shun for rising to power at such a young age.

Faced with life and death, all resentment, discontent, and suspicion vanish into thin air.

Living is their only obsession now.

Tang Shun's gaze swept across the entire room, taking in everyone's fear and hope, and he spoke in a deep voice:

"If you want to live, then you have no choice but to put yourself in a life-or-death situation."

"We voluntarily accepted the order to garrison Xiushui Town."

"Let's use this dead end to exchange for a glimmer of hope and a sufficient supply of military equipment!"

He paused, then spoke in a firm and resonant voice:

I don't force anyone.

"Those who are willing to risk their lives and fight for a sliver of hope with me, stand on the left."

"Those who are afraid and unwilling to go, stand on the right."

"Form lines on the spot and disband immediately!"

The words fell.

The soldiers, who had just been frantically pleading for help and desperately trying to survive, froze instantly, their excitement gone. They all stood there, stunned.

Would they willingly go to that death zone where only one chance of survival is possible?