The fiercest soldier of the border army

"What? Squad leader... squad leader, to Xiushui Town?"

"I'm not mistaken, am I?"

The soldiers were once again in uproar.

They begged for ages just to avoid this hell on earth, and Tang Shun actually took them there on his own initiative.

Tang Shun smiled slightly, offering no explanation, and simply watched.

But the three squad leaders already understood what he meant.

"I'll go for it, it's better than staying here and waiting to die." Liang Enyi shouted and was the first to stand to Tang Shun's left.

"I'm going too! I've already given my life to the team leader!"

Cheng Feng shouted loudly and followed closely behind.

"Of course, I'll be there too."

Wei Zong was not willing to fall behind.

The crowd stirred slightly, but no one left immediately.

I'll say it again.

Tang Shun's voice was not loud, but every word was clear: "Those who want to go, stand on the left; those who don't plan to go, stand on the right."

"Don't stay put, get moving!"

"The one on the left is a brother, and the one on the right is not an enemy."

"It's entirely voluntary."

After a moment of silence, people began to move to the left.

"Damn it, let's fight!"

A gaunt soldier gritted his teeth and surged to the left.

One has two.

Soon, one... two... three.

There are 27 people standing on the left.

Nine people on the right hunched over, heads bowed, and remained silent.

Surprisingly, Li Lang was among them.

He clutched the silver fragments to his chest tightly, his face expressionless. He crossed his arms and ignored Tang Shun and the others.

Cheng Feng's eyes immediately reddened, and he took a step forward, ready to rush over: "You bastard, you took the money and you still dare to stand there? Taking the team leader's money for nothing? You deserter!"

Tang Shun raised his hand to stop him, his voice turning cold: "Cheng Feng, come back."

Cheng Feng, his neck stiff and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, finally took a half step back.

Tang Shun looked at Li Lang, neither scolding nor forcing him, and simply said, "I said, it's entirely voluntary."

Li Lang's lips moved, but he didn't respond.

Tang Shun turned to look at the people on his left who were willing to follow.

There were a total of 27 people, including him and the squad leader.

Of the fifteen able-bodied men, there was one squad leader, three platoon leaders, two with missing fingers, two with back injuries, and one lame.

Surprisingly, they were three people in their seventies.

Tang Shun was somewhat surprised, "The three of you..."

"Captain, the three of us are too old to lift knives anymore, but we still want to fight alongside you."

The septuagenarian soldier, his back hunched and his voice hoarse, said, "Logically speaking, we should retire."

"But we offended that guy surnamed Wang before, and he won't give us the An family silver or let us return it, so there's no point in keeping it."

Tang Shun was somewhat moved, "You have fought for the Great Qian Dynasty your whole lives, and now you are old and frail, filled with resentment, yet your bodies are in such a state..."

"If you survive, I will personally provide you with resettlement funds so you can go back and enjoy your old age in peace!"

The three old men exchanged glances, slapped their thighs, and exclaimed, "With the squad leader's words, it's all worth it, even if we're old bones!"

Tang Shun nodded without saying much.

"Those who are willing to come with me are all here."

"Now, you don't need to stand anymore, go back and rest. I'm going to find that guy surnamed Wang and get what belongs to us."

He didn't say another word and turned to leave.

Cheng Feng, Wei Zong, and Liang Enyi took care of the remaining people and returned to the barracks.

The nine people stood there, seemingly abandoned and at a loss.

Outside Wang Xianghong's office, charcoal still burned in a brazier, and the smell of alcohol wafted far and wide.

When Tang Shun pushed open the door, it was bustling inside.

The three teams were sitting around a table, and Zhu Hang was also there.

They were drinking when Tang Shun entered, and they were all stunned for a moment.

Wang Xianghong sat in the main seat, his face slightly flushed, clearly having already drunk several rounds.

He squinted at Tang Shun: "What brings you here?"

Tang Shun walked to the table, glanced at it, and saw four slips of paper on it.

The entire sign reads "Xiushui Town".

Zhu Hang reacted quickly, hurriedly sweeping the four slips of paper into his pocket.

Tang Shun smirked and pulled out an empty chair to sit down: "You didn't invite me to the drinking party? I'm a squad leader of the third squad, Captain Wang, for goodness' sake. You're too petty."

No one at the table uttered a sound, but their expressions were all filled with displeasure.

Wang Xianghong's face darkened: "Your team is so slow to assemble, and the fact that the whole team has been punished is already a lenient approach. Now you still have the nerve to come begging for drinks?"

"I'm not here to ask for wine." Tang Shun leaned forward, placing his hand on the table. "I'm here to tell you that you don't need to draw lots."

"Xiushui Town, I'm going."

Wang Xianghong was taken aback: "What did you say?"

"I said, I don't need to draw lots." Tang Shun stared at him. "You wrote down four 'Xiushui Town' names. No matter which one I draw, I have to go."

"Why bother with this? I'll just agree directly, saving you the trouble."

The teams exchanged glances, a somewhat awkward silence settling in.

They secretly plotted all night, discussing how to get Tang Shun to lead a bunch of good-for-nothings to Xiushui Town the next day without being discovered.

Wang Xianghong's eyes flickered, then he sneered, "You're quite clever, knowing you can't avoid it, you just accept the order willingly? To save face?"

Tang Shun chuckled, "It's not for the sake of appearances, it's to make two requests."

"First, the three teams stationed in Xiushui Town are considered combat units, not auxiliary units."

"The weapons, armor, bows and crossbows, provisions, and pay that were due were all provided in full."

"Impossible!" Before the words were even finished, Wang Quanhu, the captain of the second squad, slammed his fist on the table and denied it. "Auxiliary soldiers are auxiliary soldiers. They were auxiliary soldiers before. It's impossible for them to become combat soldiers when they come to your unit."

Tang Shun glanced at him, his eyes bloodshot from the alcohol.

"I'm only taking twenty-six people with me, twenty-seven including myself. The rest are yours to keep."

"These people must be soldiers."

Tang Shun's voice was casual as he pointed, "Oh right, add Zhu Hang, that makes twenty-eight."

Zhu Hang felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Do you think that just because we went to Xiushui Town, our school will be at your mercy? That you can then negotiate terms?"

Wang Xianghong picked up his wine glass and downed it in one gulp, then slammed it heavily on the table. "What a joke!"

Tang Shun remained calm, as radiant as a torch, and said, "That's alright. At worst, I'll just have to go through the trouble of making a trip to the Commander's Mansion tonight."

"Find Commander Shi and ask him personally whether the Third Team is organized as auxiliary or combat troops."

Wang Xianghong gripped his wine glass tightly, remaining silent.

Several teams looked grim, all glaring at Tang Shun.

Tang Shun disagreed.

It would be foolish not to use a relationship.

Everyone knew he was one of Shi Hanshan's men, and no one doubted that he could enter the Commander's Mansion.

Tang Shun continued speaking to himself:

"The second condition."

"We killed twenty-one Xiongnu barbarians, and all the warhorses, scimitars, and armor we captured will be exchanged for a reward."

"Ten taels for killing one person, fifteen taels for a horse, two taels for a knife, three taels for a bow, and eight taels for light armor."

"Including the compensation for the deaths of the previous brothers, you have to give me seven hundred taels."

"Bullshit!" Wang Xianghong slammed his fist on the table. "The spoils have already been used to appoint you as a squad leader. Besides, the silver is distributed by the school itself; who gave you the right to bargain?"

"Tang Shun, you're the first squad leader to dare make two demands. Do you really think this school won't dare to use military law against you?"

Whether it was the effects of the alcohol or the surge of anger, Wang Xianghong's face was flushed and his expression was ferocious.

Most people would probably be really afraid.

But Tang Shun glanced at him and noticed that Wang Xianghong's pupils were still focused, clearly indicating that he was not drunk.

"Then forget it. We won't go to Xiushui Town. You can arrange for someone else."

Tang Shun stood up, his tone calm, as if he were having a casual conversation, "I will have Commander Shi take me to the military governor's residence tonight."

"The captain used the compensation money meant for the fallen comrades to treat the squad leader to drinks."

"Several teams are plotting to send auxiliary teams to guard the perilous Xiushui Town."

"Have them investigate which auxiliary personnel and which combat soldiers should be assigned to School C."

Wang Xianghong's pupils contracted sharply as he stared intently at Tang Shun.

This Tang Hanzi knows everything.

Lay all the dirty deeds out on the table.

Without considering any reason or emotion, and without going through any roundabout ways.

Instead, he was forced into a corner with no way out...