Chapter 198 Emergency Conscription (2/2)
Ju Shou paused for a minute, then he slapped his own face with a loud slap, confusing the onlookers.
'FOOLISH! I'm a fool! The Lord took an army of 60,000 men alone to face with 250,000 elite troops! What face I have if I can't accomplish this much. If I fail this, I don't deserve to call myself his loyal subject!'
Motivated, Ju Shou gazed at the newly recruited 30,000 men and shouted, ”It is sudden, but this city will be invaded by the Imperial forces today! If you don't want to expose your crimes to those bastards, help us protect the city! Do you want to turn a new leaf!?”
The crowd was shocked. They thought it was going to be an easy redemption program, yet it turned out that they were tricked.
”Don't worry about it. For each Imperial soldier that you kill, I will give you one tael of gold! Do you think you can earn ten gold or a hundred in your life working for those greedy merchants? I'll tell you a secret. In our payroll standard, serving as a 100-man-commander in our army, you will earn five taels of gold a month! A thousand-man-commander guaranteed 50 gold a month! For a general? Hah, it's over a hundred gold a month!”
The former mercenaries sucked in the cold breathe. They knew the value of gold too well. From their direct experiences, such a generous wage could not be found anywhere else. Most of them had an annual salary of one gold a year at the maximum, but working as a soldier for this city could potentially earn more. They did not need anyone to tell them which side was a better choice.
With the temptation of rich wage and career path, the 30,000 prisoners were willing to be tricked. The military integration went well as these men cooperated with the staff members of the army.
Ju Shou and the men got stuck at the barrack until noon. They had yet to complete their registration and their platoon assignment, but a messenger rushed in to report Ju Shou urgent news.
”Report! We've spotted a massive army coming from the north! Their flags are ”Wang” and purple ”Zhang”!”
Ju Shou bit his lower lips. His time ran out, and he had to face his fate.
”Have everyone follow me to the north wall. Don't bother with the uniform or armor. Just take bows, arrows, and a weapon of your choice.”
”Umm, sir? I don't know how to shoot a bow.” A mercenary asked in a nervous tone.
”You'll learn it on the job. Take them and go!”
…
…
North wall of Shangdang.
Zhang He was already here since the morning after he had completed the raids. He organized the troops to fortify the wall and took a short nap to rejuvenate himself. The moment he heard to scout report, he became wide awake again.
The general looked at the cloud of white dust on the horizon with a concern.
'I hope Ju Shou finished what he wants to do. Ten thousand horsemen can't possibly withstand an army of 120,000 men.'
The fists of Zhang He clenched tight. He recalled the face of Tong and the achievements he completed in the battle of Anping. The motto that Tong taught him appeared in his mind.
[Don't recklessly toss away their lives even if their sacrifices can win you a battle.]
[A third-rate general can win a fight, but he will lose most of his men in return.]
[A first-rate general will win any battle with minimum loses.]
”Through battle, a man can become a hero.”
”Through death, a hero becomes a legend.”
”My Lord doesn't want a dead hero. He wants a living legend!”
”I will be that legend! I'll be the general worthy of the Immortal King!”
Zhang He raised his morale. By motivating himself, his clouded mind became clear, and his concentration reached its peak.
He closed his eyes to recall the geographic of the terrains around this city which he scouted during the past three days. The slopes of mountains, the ground condition, and the snowed farmlands, everything he had seen around the city was picturized as maps.
If Tong could read his mind at the moment, he would have screamed in shock. The pictures that Zhang He saw in his mind were all of his memories in the past.
Zhang He was not aware of his own innate talent yet.
He had a photographic memory.
…
…
A tall muscular man on a red horse watched over Shangdang City from the mountain top over a kilometer away. His eyes glittered as he discovered something interesting. He smiled and laughed.
”What's wrong, Fengxian?” His subordinate on another red horse asked him.
The man laughed, ”I sensed an awakening of a good warrior.”