The Condition of Everyone

"This is just the beginning! As long as you follow me, I promise you'll have meat with every meal in the future, not just drink soup with a few oil droplets!" Jaxon was also stirred up by the enthusiasm of the crowd.

"Yes, follow the captain and we'll have meat to eat!" Ox was the first to respond.

"Yeah, from now on, we'll always follow the captain," Zheng Xiaoliu said.

"Captain, whatever you say goes. From now on, we'll all listen to you," the other squad members echoed.

Just from a promise that had yet to be fulfilled, Jaxon's image grew even more imposing in the eyes of the group, and his status became even more solid.

Originally, Jaxon had just said it casually, but seeing the sincere, eager eyes of everyone, he suddenly felt that he should keep his promise and not disappoint their expectations.

The group smiled as they gathered around, eating steamed buns. Jaxon took this opportunity to learn more about everyone's situation.

As Jaxon had expected, Ox and the others had poor family conditions, or rather, very poor ones. Many times, they only had enough food to get by, and they often went hungry, let alone eating meat.

It was no wonder that after just a sip of the meat broth, they were all so excited, almost ready to fight for Jaxon right then and there.

Ox's physique was quite robust, and Jaxon had originally thought his family conditions were good, given how strong he was. However, it turned out that this was not the case.

Ox was an orphan, raised on food from other families. He had always had a huge appetite, which had placed a significant burden on the village's people. After all, they weren't rich. When Ox was ten, he started working at a blacksmith's shop in the town, doing manual labor for no pay, just three meals a day.

At first, the blacksmith thought he was getting a good deal, but who knew that Ox's appetite was so large, growing bigger as he aged. He could eat three bowls of rice in one sitting. Eventually, the blacksmith's family could no longer tolerate it and started giving him worse food, often leftovers, and they rarely gave him anything greasy or rich.

Ox realized that if this continued, he might be kicked out. At that point, survival would be a problem. Just then, the imperial court called for recruits, and Ox took the opportunity to return to the village, asking the village head for a spot in the army.

The village head had no objections. After all, no one in the village wanted to serve in the army. It was a tough job with little pay, bad food, and plenty of dangers. Ox's voluntary request was welcomed.

And that's how Ox ended up here.

Zheng Xiaoliu's situation wasn't much better. He had seven siblings, and he was the sixth, which is how he got his name. His family was extremely poor. His older brother and sister had both died of hunger, and two other brothers, now adults, couldn't get married because the family couldn't afford the bride price. His only remaining sister had been sent to work as a servant in a wealthy family, and though she could survive, she didn't earn much.

Zheng Xiaoliu, who was fairly clever, realized he needed to find a way out. Otherwise, not only would he probably starve, but he'd never be able to marry, and he still had younger siblings to take care of.

At that point, Zheng Xiaoliu decided to join the army. There was no hope for the regular army because that required connections, but joining a ragtag army was still a good option. It meant food, pay, and accommodation. If he saved a bit, he could even send money back to his family. Plus, by leaving home, it would lessen the burden on his parents.

So, Zheng Xiaoliu came here too.

As for the other squad members, each had their own story. Some came willingly, while others were forced to join, but none of them came from wealthy families. If they had money, they wouldn't be in a ragtag army like this.

Hearing their stories, Jaxon couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Jaxon had already been in this world for a while, but most of his time had been spent in Hermit Village. This was his first time leaving the village, and he had originally thought that other places in this world were like the people of Hermit Village, living happily and abundantly. However, he didn't expect the world to be so much more brutal than he imagined.

Though Hermit Village wasn't large, the people there lived comfortably. Each family had its own farmland, enough to meet their needs, and they raised some poultry for meat. They also had a forest nearby with wild animals and fruits, so food was never a problem. The people of Hermit Village didn't even consider utilizing the rich resources of the mountain behind the village because they already had enough to live on.

Jaxon had once thought that people in other parts of the world also lived peacefully and tranquilly, just like in Hermit Village. But now, he realized how wrong he was.

In other parts of the world, especially among the lower class, life was very harsh. They struggled to get by.

This made Jaxon more alert.

Although Ox had said that the current imperial rule was stable and there was no immediate danger, Jaxon knew that if conditions worsened, if people couldn't survive anymore, chaos would break out. At that point, dangerous situations would be everywhere, and having more freedom would be impossible. People would be required to serve in the army all the time.

"No, I need to make a great achievement before any major changes happen, and then I can get out of the military," Jaxon thought to himself.

However, earning an achievement wasn't easy, especially when they were just a ragtag army. It would be even harder to win merit, and to be exempt from military service, the accomplishment would need to be substantial.

"After the training period ends, we'll start transporting supplies to the front lines. I'll have to find an opportunity, even if it means taking risks. I'll have to try," Jaxon decided in his heart.

Risk didn't scare Jaxon, after all, he wasn't from this world. Even if he died, it didn't matter. In a few seconds, he'd be back. What worried him most was the possibility of not finding an opportunity to make a real achievement. That would be the most frustrating.