If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

Chapter 15 The Old, Weak, and Disabled Staff

When Xu Qingshan came out of the Hundred Household Office, he had an extra wooden token for receiving grain.

Twenty catties of brown rice and half a bag of coarse salt.

The gifts weren't many, but for the small courtyard now, they were a very substantial reward.

Although Blackstone Fortress is a terrible place, at least Chen Baihu's words just now meant that the grain could actually be collected.

Of course, whether or not they can receive it successfully is another matter entirely.

Fortunately, Xiao Qi personally arranged for someone to take him to the granary. When the granary manager saw the wooden sign, his expression was not good, especially when he saw Xu Qingshan himself; his expression was more like he had swallowed half a fly.

News of Xu Qingshan beheading the barbarian last night has already spread.

Liu Sandao was unhappy, and naturally, his men weren't very enthusiastic either.

The granary manager dawdled, took a tattered cloth bag, and poured coarse rice into it.

Xu Qingshan stood by and watched.

Halfway through pouring, the manager wanted to stop.

Xu Qingshan smiled.

"Twenty catties."

The manager frowned. "That's enough."

Xu Qingshan said, "No, I'm poor, I can't do anything even a little bit less."

The manager's face darkened. "Xu Qingshan, don't go too far."

Xu Qingshan pointed to the wooden sign.

"It was awarded by Commander Chen. If you think Commander Chen is being unreasonable, you can go and talk to him."

Manager: "..."

Of course he didn't dare, and in the end he could only add a few more spoonfuls with a dark expression.

Xu Qingshan was finally satisfied.

The same goes for coarse salt; the manager wanted to give less of it.

Xu Qingshan stood by and watched, not saying a word, but his eyes seemed to be waiting for the other party to make a mistake.

The manager felt uncomfortable being stared at, and in the end, he could only make up the difference by adding half a bag of coarse salt.

Xu Qingshan carried the grain and salt back home, in a good mood.

These days, being able to squeeze food out of others is a skill in itself.

When Zhao Lihua returned to the courtyard, her eyes lit up when she saw the bag of brown rice.

"So many?"

Xu Qingshan put down the grain bag.

"Not much, but enough to last a few days."

Shen Qinghe immediately took a piece of wood to record the transaction.

As Xu Qingshan watched her write, he suddenly felt that this dilapidated courtyard finally felt a bit like a home.

Despite his family's strong family traditions, low walls, and dilapidated door, there was still a group of people outside who wanted to kill him.

But it's not a big problem. It's normal for conditions to be a little tough in the early stages of starting a business.

Xiao Hongluan looked at him.

"Corporal?"

Xu Qingshan nodded.

"Just promoted."

Zhao Lihua asked in a low voice, "Is a squad leader a very high-ranking official?"

The people in the room all looked at her at the same time.

Xu Qingshan was silent for a moment, then said, "Very large."

Zhao Lihua's eyes lit up.

Xu Qingshan continued, "He can probably manage four people."

Zhao Lihua: "..."

What a waste of your time.

Liu Ruyan chuckled softly.

"Liu Sandao said he'd pick someone for you?"

Xu Qingshan hummed in agreement.

"I'll pick it up tomorrow."

Liu Ruyan said, "He won't give you a good person."

Xu Qingshan said, "I know."

Liu Sandao now wishes he were dead.

In this situation, it's no wonder he's unlikely to be able to effectively allocate troops to his men.

They are either old and weak, sick and disabled, or troublemakers.

In short, it won't make him comfortable.

Xu Qingshan didn't pay much attention to it.

He might not get the best soldiers, but he might still be able to use the worst ones.

………………

Early the next morning.

Xu Qingshan took the barbarian scimitar to the training ground.

The training ground wasn't large; it was just a patch of snow inside the fort that had been trampled hard, and when the wind blew, it was covered in ice shards.

Liu Sandao was already waiting there, with four people standing behind him.

Xu Qingshan knew at a glance that Liu Sandao was indeed a man of his word.

When I told him to pick the most suitable one, he actually picked four "most suitable" ones.

The first one was a veteran in his forties.

He had a stubble beard, a slightly hunched back, and a noticeable old injury on his left leg. When standing, his center of gravity was always shifted to the right.

The second one was as skinny as a monkey.

He wasn't tall, and his eyes darted around; he didn't look like an honest person at all.

The third one is quite strong.

He has broad shoulders and thick arms, but his eyes are a bit dull. Standing there, he looks like a wooden stake that doesn't understand why it's standing there.

The fourth smallest.

He looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, with a childish face. His military uniform was a size too big, and his nose was red from the cold. He was holding a short spear in his hand, as if it could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

After reading it, Xu Qingshan had only one thought in his mind.

Good heavens, the old, the weak, the sick, the disabled, and the young—no one is missing.

Liu Sandao wore a cold smile.

"Sergeant Xu, I've picked out the men for you; they're all top-notch."

Xu Qingshan glanced at him.

"Did Liu Juntou feel any remorse when he said that?"

Liu Sandao's face darkened.

One of the soldiers nearby couldn't help but chuckle.

Liu Sandao suddenly turned around, and the man immediately shut up.

Liu Sandao said coldly, "Xu Qingshan, don't be ungrateful. You've just been promoted to squad leader, you're lucky to have been assigned any men. These four are all veterans with plenty of experience."

Xu Qingshan nodded.

"I can tell, one has experience with legs, one has experience with running, one has experience with eating, and one has experience with enduring the cold."

The expressions on the faces of all four people changed.

The skinny, monkey-like soldier couldn't help but ask, "Who are you talking about?"

Xu Qingshan looked at him.

Did I say anything to you?

The skinny monkey was immediately speechless; he couldn't say anything, nor could he remain silent.

Liu Sandao sneered, "What? Not satisfied?"

Xu Qingshan said, "Satisfied."

Liu Sandao was taken aback. He had been waiting for Xu Qingshan to get angry, so that he could use military orders to pressure Xu Qingshan if he dared to refuse.

But this kid doesn't follow the rules.

Xu Qingshan looked at the four people and said, "From now on, they belong to me?"

Liu Sandao said, "It's yours."

Xu Qingshan then asked, "Does it matter to me whether they live or die?"

Liu Sandao's eyes flickered.

"certainly."

Xu Qingshan nodded.

"That's fine then."

Liu Sandao suddenly had a bad feeling; this kid agreed too quickly.

It happened so fast that he felt like he wasn't tricking Xu Qingshan, but rather giving Xu Qingshan something.

But looking at those four people again, Liu Sandao felt a little more at ease.

What can these four people accomplish?

No matter how eloquent Xu Qingshan is, he can't turn trash into elite soldiers.

Liu Sandao sneered, "Take him away. Starting tomorrow, your squad will also be on the patrol roster."

Xu Qingshan asked, "Which area are we patrolling?"

Liu Sandao said, "I will tell you when the time comes."

Xu Qingshan smiled.

Got it, the real pitfalls are yet to come.

He didn't ask any further questions, but simply turned to look at the four people.

"Walk."

The four people looked at each other but didn't move.

The skinny monkey spoke first.

"Sergeant Xu, although we are now under your command, there are some things we need to clarify first."

Xu Qingshan looked at him.

"explain."

The skinny monkey chuckled.

"We're not very capable, we can't even fight barbarians. If you're expecting us to risk our lives for you, you've come to the wrong people."

Xu Qingshan nodded.

"Is there anything else?"

The skinny monkey was stunned for a moment.

"what?"

Xu Qingshan said, "Let's finish it all at once, so as not to waste time on the way."

The skinny monkey looked rather unwell.

The lame old soldier said, "We just want to make a living. If we can avoid going to the front lines, we won't. If we can avoid leaving the city, we won't. If you insist on leading us to our deaths, we won't do it."

These words were so direct that several soldiers nearby burst into laughter.

Xu Qingshan didn't laugh; he looked at the old soldier.

"What's your name?"

The veteran said, "Zhou Laoqi."

"What did you do before?"

"Defend the wall."

"How many years have you held out?"

"Seven years."

Xu Qingshan's eyes flickered.

To survive seven years in Blackrock Fortress is a feat in itself.

Even if he's lame, he's still more useful than a bunch of new recruits.

He then looked at the skinny monkey.