1940s: I supported my wife and sister-in-law by hunting.

Just as everyone was neatly tied up with hemp rope, the camp commander in charge strolled over with his hands behind his back.

The man's eyelids drooped as he glanced at the conscripted men.

"Who among you can read? Raise your hand."

The line was sparse, and no one raised their hand for a long time. They were all farmers who couldn't read a single word.

Chen Gaoshan saw this as an opportunity and immediately raised his hand.

As soon as he raised his hand, the fifteen-year-old Wang Ergou next to him timidly followed suit and raised his hand as well.

The officer looked them over.

Wang Ergou was thin, wiry, and timid; he looked like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.

Looking at Chen Gaoshan again, one can immediately see the difference.

Tall and imposing, with broad shoulders and a thick back, he stood out from the crowd of skinny, strong men.

The remaining forty or so able-bodied men were all emaciated from hunger, their bodies so weak they were swaying, like dried-out monkeys, as if a strong wind could blow them over.

The battalion commander immediately started cursing.

"Damn it, why do they keep putting these sickly people in my line of work?"

"These guys are so weak they're practically swaying. Before I can train them up and send them to the front lines, half of them will starve to death."

As he spoke, he pointed to the tall man.

"You, step forward. Everyone else is starving, but how come you're so strong? Tell me."

Chen Gaoshan stepped forward and stood up straight.

"Reporting, sir, my name is Chen Gaoshan, and I'm twenty-one years old. I was pulled in halfway through to make up the numbers; I'm not in the same batch as them."

"They're all from Songyuan. They've been traveling for a whole day and night, and they're starving."

Upon hearing this, the officer's brows furrowed immediately, and he turned to glare at the adjutant who was escorting the conscripts.

"Tell me, how much of today's new recruits' rations did you withhold?"

The adjutant was so frightened that he immediately stood at attention.

"Reporting to the battalion commander, ever since the company started taking in new recruits, I haven't dared to withhold a single ounce of grain."

The battalion commander was even angrier after hearing this and spat out a mouthful of anger.

"Damn it, why is the regimental commander so stingy? He gave me a bunch of dead meat, and it's such a waste of food."

"My men can't get a penny of profit, and I'm being told to raise the money myself and find a way to support the army."

He paced back and forth in anger, cursing and venting his frustrations.

Everyone knows the tricks involved; these days, people are being ripped off layer by layer.

The military funds and rations allocated from above were originally enough to feed the soldiers, but the higher-ups skimmed off and embezzled them layer by layer, leaving nothing by the time it reached his level. It used to be that even the platoon leader could manage to squeeze out some rice, but it's getting more and more outrageous.

To put it bluntly, "self-financing" means using local resources, going to the countryside to "grab" and "exploit" resources, and borrowing chickens, ducks, fish, meat, and grain from the local people.

He was used to this kind of thing, but it still bothered him.

Unable to make any money or accumulate any wealth, he couldn't even save enough to marry off his fourth concubine, which made him increasingly frustrated.

After venting his anger, he felt a little better.

"Alright, you've got guts, kid. You're honest. I'll remember you, you tall guy."

"I think you're clever, much better than those dull-witted fools, so I'll give you an easy job."

"Work hard and perform well. Whether you can stay and work for me in the future depends on your own fate."

Chen Gaoshan looked at his arrogant demeanor, then glanced at his collar and saw that he was just a tiny, insignificant official.

But they dared not show it on their faces, and immediately put on a grateful and apprehensive expression.

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will definitely perform well, work diligently, and strive to stay by your side to serve you."

"Hahaha! Good! I like someone like you who's shrewd and knows how to handle things."

"Those good-for-nothings who can't even fart are worthless. I wouldn't take them even if they were given to me for free. Get back to the team and get to work."

Chen Gaoshan responded and returned to the ranks, following the soldier with pockmarks who had been there before, towards the warehouse.

It seems being good-looking is quite useful.

The other able-bodied men were so hungry they were seeing stars, and they had to do heavy work and unload goods as soon as they arrived at the camp.

He got an easy and leisurely job, without having to suffer.

Upon arriving at the military supply depot, they helped distribute clothes, cloth shoes, and hats.

He wore a khaki uniform that fit him perfectly.

Chen Gaoshan straightened his hat and looked at his outfit, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

When I was a child, I dreamed of joining the army, fighting, and protecting my country.

I never imagined that my dream of serving in the military would actually come true.

The ridiculous thing is that he actually dressed up as a soldier who was robbing civilians.

It was a lucky accident; we came to the right place.

The closer a major battle is to coming, the more chaotic the morale of the troops, and the more corrupt the officers at every level, the greater the loopholes in the military camp!

Others see entering the army as suffering, as being conscripted and sent to their deaths.

His entry into the military camp was like entering a treasure trove.

First, settle in for a couple of days, figure out the camp rules, the shift change times, who controls the warehouse keys, and any loopholes in the night patrols.

When the time was right, he took everything he could carry and put into his own space.

Anyway, these people plunder the common people every day.

I'm simply returning these things to their rightful owner.

····

The Nationalist army's barracks were large, with a single large kang (heated brick bed) that could sleep thirty or forty people.

Wang Ergou was assigned to the same barracks as Chen Gaoshan. Ever since he witnessed Chen Gaoshan's audacity during the day and saw that he had been favored by his superiors, he needed to find himself a powerful backer.

When we were scrambling for a bunk, I squeezed next to Chen Gaoshan, taking advantage of the lull before the lights went out.

"Brother Gaoshan, if you ever become successful and capable, don't forget me! We're brothers who've been through thick and thin together. From now on, I'll follow you wherever you go."

Chen Gaoshan glanced at him sideways.

"It's not even a hint of anything happening yet, and you're already thinking about sucking up to someone powerful. Let me ask you, if I were to charge into battle and die one day, would you dare to follow me?"

"You actually believe all those officials' empty promises? Don't worry about anything else right now. Just being alive is the most important thing."

Wang Ergou swallowed hard. "Brother Shan, when did the officer give you the biscuits? Do you have any more? I wasn't full earlier."

"Foodie? No, all that empty promises is just hype. Now you understand?"

"Ah! Oh~,"

Life in the military is completely different. Even if you are a company commander, you can eat solid food, have big fish and meat, and drink wine with your concubine.

But these are the newly arrived soldiers.

Their three meals a day consisted of cornbread made from mixed grains and clear cabbage soup, with no oil or fat whatsoever.

With rations strictly controlled, you can barely avoid starvation; dreaming of eating your fill is just a pipe dream.

For three consecutive days, he basically figured out the layout of the camp and the changing of the guard times.

It was the middle of the night, and the thirty or forty people in the barracks were fast asleep.

Chen Gaoshan was a light sleeper. He was woken up in the middle of the night by the urge to urinate. He sat up and his mind cleared instantly.

I didn't come here to be a wronged soldier and suffer.

If you're conscripted and infiltrated into the army, you'd be at a huge loss if you didn't get some benefits out of it.

He quietly lifted the blanket, trying not to make a sound, and slipped out of the barracks.

He immediately spotted the two military trucks that had taken them into the city, parked against the wall, with two military sidecar motorcycles and a jeep next to them.

There were fixed sentry posts at all four corners of the military camp. The lights were dim, the patrols were strict, and the soldiers on guard were armed.

Chen Gaoshan remained calm and quickly hid inside the space.

When hungry, grab a couple of snacks to tide you over, put on gloves and a size too big of military boots, and patiently wait for the sentry to turn around and change shifts, with his back to the front of the vehicle.

He instantly flashed out of the space the moment the sentry's gaze shifted.

The two large trucks, two sidecar motorcycles, and one service vehicle at the base of the wall, along with the ten large metal oil drums next to them, vanished instantly and were stored in the space.

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