Chapter 363: The Third Mission! (2/2)

”Me?” Sensing everyone's gazes on him, Wang Chong chuckled and replied without any hesitation, ”Do you even need to ask? Naturally, I will participate in the third mission as well.”

Those words were decisive and imposing, filled with incredible confidence that one couldn't help but respect.

Even though the Bureau of Military Personnel had mentioned that the risk from the third mission was likely to be above the second, Wang Chong shared a very different opinion.

One must know that in the previous mission, it was eighty against seven hundred!

It was highly unlikely that they would face such a huge disparity in the forces in the third mission as well. Furthermore, there shouldn't be another expert like Iron Cloak Li who would be invulnerable to swords and spears, and could reverse the flow of battle single-handedly.

As long as neither of these two situations appeared once more, Wang Chong felt that there wasn't much to worry about.

Even if the Tibetans held a slight advantage in the battle, as long as the situation wasn't as extreme as before, Wang Chong was confident that he could dominate the battlefield through his strategies.

Thus, his view differed from the Bureau of Military Personnel.

Besides, the reward offered by the Bureau of Military Personnel had caught Wang Chong's interest.

As long as the third mission was successfully cleared, the four of them would be allowed to command a force one grade more than the allowed as per their current rank after officially joining the military.

Such rewards were unusual and not many people knew of them, but they were extremely familiar to Wang Chong.

In the near future, such rewards would be commonly offered to the scions of prestigious clans. This was a plausible method by which capable scions of prestigious clans could swiftly rise through the ranks.

However, the catch was that the additional force and the burdens from their associated cost would not be carried by the royal court. The scions would have to find some way to cover the gap themselves.

From the royal court's point of view, they could skimp on their limited military personnel and resources while tapping into the connections of the prestigious clans to attract top-notch experts into the military.

On the other hand, while the prestigious clans would have to supply the experts by themselves and take care of the rations, considering the influence that most prestigious clans wielded, that shouldn't pose a problem at all.

On top of that, by deploying the clan experts into the military as well, the security of the involved scion would be assured, and the contributions made through them would be attributed back to the scion and the clan as well.

This meant that the scion could stand to be promoted more quickly than ever.

In a sense, this could potentially work far better for them than if the royal court dispatched soldiers to them.

As such, this was a policy that satisfied both the aims of the scion and the prestigious clan behind them, as well as the royal court and the empire as a whole. However, grabbing hold of this opportunity wasn't easy.

As this policy would grant significant military power to the scions and the clans behind them, in order to minimize instability in the military, the scions who were offered this deal were carefully chosen, and their numbers were limited. As such, in the near future, there would be many clans fighting for this opportunity.

Most probably, Wang Chong was in the earliest batch of those offered this initiative.

With such a godsent opportunity, how could Wang Chong possibly allow it to slip past his fingers?

”Haha, this matter is simple then. Since you have decided to participate in the third mission, how could I possibly leave myself out?” Xu Gan laughed heartily as he made his decision.

”Hehe, this is a great opportunity. Count me in as well!” The chuckling Huang Yongtu expressed his stand too.

With this, Wang Chong, Xu Gan, and Huang Yongtu turned their eyes to Bai Siling.

”Hmph, of course I'll follow you all!” Bai Siling gracefully pushed her hair to the back of her ear as she spoke calmly. ”Ever since following this fellow, I have not suffered. With the several million gold taels I have earned, probably even those uncles of mine in the clan will turn green in envy. Since you are so anxious to participate in the third mission, there must be some kind of crucial benefit that could be earned from it. Surely you won't be considering ditching me in the face of such a good deal?” Bai Siling said, as she turned a hostile gaze on Wang Chong.

”Of course not!” With a bitter smile, Wang Chong hurriedly shook his hands.

Bai Siling's words were simple, crude, and direct. However, there was indeed one thing that she was right about—rewards drive a person!

Wang Chong wouldn't have bothered participating in the third mission if there was nothing to be earned, so on this aspect... a woman's intuition was indeed fearsome!

”You need not look at me. We'll follow you whatever your decision is. For us soldiers, such a thing as rest doesn't exist until our retirement. Our only calling is to fulfill the commands relayed to us.” Seeing everyone's eyes on him, Zhang Lin hurriedly shook his hands and reassured them.

There were many things that could be deduced from how the royal court didn't offer the choice to the soldiers in the first place.

Wang Chong remained impassive to Zhang Lin's response. From his point of view, such a thing was completely natural. He had already known how the latter would respond from the start, so he didn't bother asking at all.

A hint of sympathy flashed across Bai Siling's eyes.

As comrades who had braved through life-and-death, Bai Siling didn't want to force them into danger against their will. If any of them had displayed their reluctance to carry on, she would have wanted to send them back safely.

However, Zhang Lin's words were loud and clear. The soldiers weren't entitled to make such decisions, and in the worst case scenario, it could even be considered as insubordination.

Understanding this much, Bai Siling could only sigh deeply within.

Having made their decisions, Wang Chong, Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, Bai Siling, Zhang Lin, and the forty-four remaining Great Tang cavalrymen started on their way to Longxi.

This time, they would be facing real war!