First Military Station

The Longxi region of the Great Qian Empire was divided into three prefectures: Que Prefecture, Ding Prefecture, and Bing Prefecture.

The three prefectures formed a strategic triangle, guarding the western border and facing the enemy from the Qiang tribes.

For years, the Qiang barbarians had repeatedly invaded, committing atrocities of burning, killing, and looting. If not for the Longxi region serving as a buffer, the heartland of Qian would have been engulfed in war long ago. But this also meant hardship for the people of Longxi, who suffered year after year from the ravages of war.

Luo Yu was from Que Prefecture, so he naturally joined the Que Prefecture border army. After parting with his parents, he rushed to the recruitment point in Que Prefecture, which was also a key border defense point:

Yunyang Pass.

The vast square was packed with over a hundred people, their voices creating a cacophony that made Luo Yu's eardrums buzz.

These were new recruits from various places. According to Luo Yu's understanding, most of them were forcibly conscripted able-bodied men and prisoners released from jail. People like him who volunteered to join the army were actually rare.

Several hundred people stood in a crowd wearing tattered clothes. Government clerks were distributing military uniforms and weapons, the scene quite casual.

"This is yours, take it."

A military uniform with a "Qian" character embroidered on the chest and weapons were shoved into his arms. Luo Yu felt a headache looking at the rusty curved sword - its quality was far inferior to the long swords in the Eastern Defense General's residence. And the uniform, without even a scrap of armor, was just a thicker piece of cloth.

"Quiet down!"

"Shut your mouths, damn it! What's all this noise about!"

A middle-aged man in military attire stood at the front of the parade ground, his belly so large his armor barely fit. But his angry shouts quickly silenced the parade ground.

The middle-aged general cleared his throat, his nose pointing to the sky:

"From today on, you are members of the Que Prefecture border army! The Qiang army is pressing at our borders, constantly harassing, trying to break through our Great Qian border passes!

To protect our parents and fellow villagers, to protect our wives and children, we must…"

The guy gave an impassioned speech, but the reaction was lukewarm. Many people were staring blankly or chatting.

"What's the point of all this talk? Let's eat, I'm hungry."

A burly man in front turned and smiled at Luo Yu: "Brother Yu, are you hungry?"

Luo Yu glared at him:

"I'm not hungry! Eat eat eat, all you think about is eating!"

Meng Hu, the first person Luo Yu met after arriving at Yunyang Pass, lived up to his name with a tiger-like build, but he had an enormous appetite, thinking about food from morning till night.

They became acquainted in a simple way - signing up for the army one after the other, Meng Hu couldn't read, so Luo Yu wrote his name for him, and in return, Meng Hu gave him half a pancake as thanks.

"Alright, that's all I need to say!"

The middle-aged general finally finished his long speech and took out a register:

"Now you will be assigned to various forts along the front lines, becoming garrison soldiers. I hope you will bravely fight the enemy and defend our country!"

"Damn it, I thought we'd be guarding Yunyang Pass, but we're going to a fort!"

"We're doomed!"

The new recruits all looked miserable, even Luo Yu was stunned.

A fort was a military outpost built in the wilderness outside the pass, controlling strategic points to warn of enemy movements and slow down the Qiang cavalry.

Put another way, these forts were even further west than Yunyang Pass, constantly exposed to the Qiang cavalry's line of sight, extremely dangerous!

Luo Yu wasn't afraid, but he was shocked that these new recruits were being sent to the front lines without any training or familiarity with military orders. Wasn't this just sending them to their deaths?

"Liu Ermazi, Erdaogou Fort!"

"Zhang Badan, Sanhe Fort!"

"May heaven protect us, don't assign us to the front lines!"

"Right, just put us somewhere out of the way, don't let us run into those Qiang barbarians!"

The surrounding people were praying. There were over a dozen forts of various sizes outside Yunyang Pass - some on the flanks, some on the front lines. The closer to the front, the more dangerous it was. No one wanted to be sent to die at the most forward fort.

Names were called out one by one from the general's mouth, like a judgment, largely determining the fate of the new recruits.

"Luo Yu, Jiming Fort!"

"Meng Hu, Jiming Fort!"

"Jiming Fort?"

Finally hearing his name, Luo Yu, who wasn't familiar with the border situation, asked blankly:

"Where is this?"

The people around him looked at him with pity and compassion:

"One of the three most forward forts."

…

Yellow sand rolled, cold winds howled.

Luo Yu leaned on his shovel in a corner, resting, sweat pouring down his face. Looking around, this was his first military station:

Jiming Fort.

It was actually a small fortress made of wooden boards and sandstone, nestled among rolling dunes, not much larger than a landlord's estate.

The fort walls were about two zhang high, far less imposing than Yunyang Pass, but sufficient to withstand Qiang cavalry.

A few old bows and crossbows were mounted on the wall, weapons were scattered everywhere, and two rows of wooden houses served as the soldiers' quarters. The environment was harsh, with a faint stench in the air.

In three days since arriving at Jiming Fort, he had roughly figured out the situation. Including the dozen new recruits, there were sixty soldiers in total. The company commander was named Wang Shuang, and the deputy was Zhang Gui.

"Damn it, I'm exhausted."

Meng Hu plopped onto the ground, his hands already blistered.

"Take a break, you won't die from doing less."

Recently, Qiang scouts had been reconnoitering around the fort, indicating that the main Qiang force might arrive at any time. So Jiming Fort was rushing to reinforce the walls, and the new recruits hadn't had a moment's rest since their arrival.

Compared to the other anxious new recruits, Luo Yu was actually looking forward to the Qiang soldiers coming soon.

How could he earn military merit without Qiang soldiers? And without military merit, how could he fulfill his five-year promise?

Meng Hu's gaze accidentally fell on Luo Yu's arm and he was surprised:

"Brother Yu, you have such a solid build, I never would have guessed."

Luo Yu looked thin, but lifting his shirt revealed muscle lines, quite solid.

"Hehe, lots of farm work, it built me up."

Luo Yu laughed it off. In this world, there was no high martial arts, no qi gong, just physical strength.

So he followed that special memory to strengthen his body, maintaining exercise, mastering a set of combat techniques. Ordinary three to five people couldn't even get close to him.

Otherwise, how would he have had the confidence to join the army at the border?

"New recruits, all of you stand up, stand up!"

A cold voice rang out. Deputy Zhang Gui walked onto the wall with his hands behind his back. The dozen new recruits quickly formed a line. Zhang Gui usually cursed and beat the soldiers, often with whippings, so the new recruits were afraid of him.

Zhang Gui said coldly:

"Look at you, standing crookedly - what kind of posture is that? Straighten up!

Listen up, Qiang scouts have been reconnoitering near the fort multiple times in the past two days. The company commander has ordered Sergeant Wu Mazi to lead a team out of the fort to kill them - five veterans and five new recruits.

I've already chosen the veterans. Which new recruits want to go?"

Hearing this, the new recruits all lowered their heads, afraid of making eye contact with Zhang Gui.

They were already unlucky to be assigned to the most forward Jiming Fort. Hiding behind the walls gave some sense of security - who would dare to go out and fight the Qiang soldiers?

All the border civilians of Longxi knew that the Qiang people were skilled with bows and horses, with formidable combat power. What good would they be against a group of untrained new recruits?

"Look at your pitiful faces!"

Zhang Gui mocked them:

"You're all standing men, why are you so cowardly?"

"I'll go!"

A powerful voice suddenly rang out. Everyone was stunned to see Luo Yu speaking up.

The guy was crazy, wasn't he? Actually volunteering to fight the enemy.

"Hey, there's actually a real man."

Zhang Gui was also somewhat surprised. The seventeen-year-old face looked too young in his eyes. He stared intently at Luo Yu's eyes:

"Aren't you afraid?"

Luo Yu replied calmly:

"Would being afraid help?"

"Well said, being afraid wouldn't help."

Zhang Gui looked at Luo Yu with interest, then pointed out a few more people, waving his hand:

"Get ready to go. Wu Mazi, take them out to see some blood - new recruits become veterans that way."