Chapter 4

When the moon rose above the branches, a sudden storm indeed came.

Fortunately, when the wooden house was built, a hearth was left inside, so the two of them lived and cooked in the wooden house. A pot of "chicken stewed with mushrooms" was simmering, and rabbit skewers were slowly roasting by the hearth.

The rain outside beat against the wooden house, inevitably seeping through the gaps in the wood, but the hearth kept the cold at bay, making the whole house feel very comfortable.

Wang Dashan was tearing at a chicken leg and drinking chicken soup, his eyes waiting for the rabbit meat to be cooked, looking completely at the peak of life, extremely content.

Wang Qi, however, was slightly silent at this moment, then said, "Uncle Dashan, a few days ago, when you went to relieve yourself, the old village chief from the foot of the mountain came by."

Wang Dashan paused for a moment, then said somewhat discontentedly, "Why bring up that old thing... He rarely comes to look for me, and he left without waiting for me to show up. It must be nothing good!"

But Wang Qi continued, "The old village chief said that a general has come to our Langya Prefecture to recruit soldiers, wanting to recruit more strong and agile young men who are good at mountain climbing and traversing the mountains of Langya Prefecture for training."

"He reported me."

Wang Dashan's face turned ashen instantly, then he slammed his hand on the stone stool by the hearth, causing the stone to crack, looking very frightening.

"That old thing, actually harming us like this!"

It looked as if he was about to rush back to the village and kill the old village chief on the spot.

Wang Qi quickly held him back and said loudly, "Let me finish what I have to say."

"Actually, according to the old village chief, this is a good thing!"

"Sending someone's children to war to die, how can that be a good thing?" Wang Dashan remained irritable.

Wang Qi continued, pressing his shoulder, "That's because the recruiting general said he is only the first batch, aiming to recruit soldiers suitable for mountain warfare to fight the southern bandits."

"But after he selects them, the next batch will directly take one person from every five households, for the pre-war recruitment to fight the northern nomads!"

Wang Dashan was stunned and said, "Is this a nationwide recruitment? It has only been ten years since the last nationwide recruitment, and the people have not yet recovered... How can the emperor... the emperor..."

He couldn't continue, looking somewhat panicked and at a loss.

Although he appeared crude in the past, the insight shown in this one sentence was far beyond that of a hunter from a remote village.

Wang Qi listened and then said, "You know my situation. I am said to be your adopted son, but in reality, I am an orphan you adopted, and legally I cannot inherit the family lineage... So in my situation, if I encounter a large-scale recruitment, I will definitely be one of the first to be chosen."

"So, Uncle Dashan, do you want me to go fight the nomads in the north or to suppress the bandits in the south?"

Wang Dashan was speechless for a moment, feeling as if life had beaten him down.

He gritted his teeth and said, "If it comes to that, I'll take you into the mountains! My only wish in life is to protect you and keep you safe."

Wang Qi shook his head repeatedly, "Uncle Dashan, if we become refugees, it will only harm the village chief's family, and I don't want to see them suffer because of me... Besides, I don't want to spend the rest of my life in these mountains."

Wang Dashan seemed to resign himself, sighing helplessly, "Your father also had this kind of benevolent flaw..."

Wang Qi interrupted, "Let's not talk about him."

His memories of his biological father only lasted until he was six years old, but even in those six years, the number of times they actually met could be counted on one hand.

So his feelings for his biological father were almost non-existent, and his overly mature mind certainly didn't harbor any special attachment.

Therefore, if that person died, so be it.

Wang Dashan also knew his adopted son's temperament, so he stopped talking about the past.

He was silent for a while before saying, "In that case, participating in this recruitment is indeed the best choice for you."

"Going to the north to fight the nomads is too hard and too dangerous. The battlefield is too large, and human life is too cheap there."

"However, fighting in the southern forests doesn't require as many people, and with fewer people, the supplies and rations can be better."

Wang Dashan's analysis was surprisingly logical and clear.

Wang Qi, with a look of disdain, said, "I know, I know, and going north not only means a long journey, but also that you will be sent directly to the battlefield after half a year of training."

"But the village chief said that the general who came to recruit this time doesn't seem eager to fight the mountain bandits. Instead, he plans to train the soldiers for a year before officially starting the campaign, and the treatment is also quite good."

Wang Qi was recounting the information he had gathered from the old village chief.

But Wang Dashan suddenly had a glint in his eye and asked, "Did he say how many people will be recruited and what types of soldiers?"

Wang Qi nodded, as this information was posted during the recruitment, so he said, "A total of 3,000 soldiers will be recruited, including 800 shield and sword soldiers in two units, 1,600 spear soldiers in four units, and 600 archers in three units."

Wang Dashan listened and gave a rather sophisticated evaluation, "Standard."

Then he added, "Since this is to deal with the mountain bandits, 3,000 soldiers are about right... But I have one thing to warn you..."

Wang Qi listened attentively, not interrupting.

"Your identity is special, and although I have covered for you in many ways, you must still remember not to draw attention to yourself and cause trouble. This way, you might be safer in the army."

Wang Qi nodded... He wasn't just a hot-blooded young man; he could listen to such mature and prudent advice.

"This frontline combat is too dangerous. I want you to try to join the 600 archers but not stand out too much... I believe that won't be difficult for you."

Wang Qi nodded again but then asked, "Why?"

Wang Dashan rubbed Wang Qi's head and said with a sense of accomplishment, "Because archers are valuable and receive the best treatment!"

Wang Qi was somewhat stunned.

Then his adoptive father said earnestly, "Although archers are valuable, they don't often get to show off, and promotions depend on seniority... Do you understand?"

With this explanation, Wang Qi finally understood... In battle, a group of people shooting arrows, who would know which arrow killed the enemy when it comes to claiming military merit?

This seemed to suggest that it would be very difficult and unfair for archers to earn promotions.

But in return, archers receive the best protection, positioned at the back of the formation... As long as there isn't a major defeat, they are absolutely safe and secure.

Wang Qi, enlightened, looked at Wang Dashan with a gaze of admiration... This old man was truly a seasoned veteran who knew how to survive.