803 Morale (1/2)

The Restoration Army stopped after reaching the halfway point of their rapid march. During their midday break, Gu Shenwei sat among a group of swordsmen of the Big Snow Mountain, drinking water and eating dried meat with them. Everyone was very quiet. From time to time, someone would look up and nod to the Dragon King when they met his eyes.

Gu Shenwei ate very quickly. After he finished, he immediately stood up, signaled Long Fanyun and the others to not follow him, and then brought only Chu Nanping with him to stroll around.

Most of the Restoration Army's recruits were from the Shule Kingdom, and although they had all heard much of the Dragon King, they had seen very little of him. Full of curiosity, their eyes followed the Dragon King all throughout his walk. When they realized that he was walking towards them, they all quickly bowed their heads and returned to eating and drinking their fill.

Gu Shenwei had noticed the soldiers of the Shule Kingdom's reaction a long time ago. So, he walked up to a small group of soldiers and said to one of them, ”What's your name?”

This soldier was very young and still had a puerile quality to his face. Upon hearing the Dragon King's question, he was badly startled. He anxiously put down his food and wiped his mouth, but then didn't know where to put his hands and ultimately turned to his companions for help. After being encouraged, he loudly stated, ”My name is Xie Dezhi. The character 'zhī' is chosen from the literary jargon, not the character 'zhì' for ambition.”

He had probably often explained his name to others, so he had also blurted it out just like usual in front of the Dragon King, which caused him to blush.

”Nice name.” Gu Shenwei suddenly found that he no longer knew how to interact with a simple man. What could he ask an ordinary soldier? Due to the lack of a conversation topic, he was just as bewildered as the other side. ”Why did you join the Restoration Army?”

This was the advantage of the polite formulas of small talk. Gu Shenwei had once hated these standardized verbal exchanges, but now he realized how useful it was to be able to open a strange door without needing a key. Of course, it seemed superfluous to those who had already opened the door of communication or were determined to keep the windows and doors closed.

”I… I don't know.” Xie Dezhi was obviously unprepared for this question. His mind had gone blank, and he almost forgot to open the 'door.' After the waves of laughter drowning out his voice died down a bit, he finally pointed at his companions and said, ”I came here with my friends.”

A bolder soldier interjected, ”As soon as the Norland people and the Golden Roc Army came, we couldn't farm anymore. It was better to join the army and drive them away so that everything can go back to normal.”

That was a good reason. But Xie Dezhi took the Dragon King's question as a task. He thought carefully for a while and decided to speak the truth. ”Everyone says that the Dragon King is blessed by God and will be the final victor. Besides, the Dragon King shares in the joys and sorrows with his men, and will also reward them handsomely.”

”Who said that?”

Simultaneously, the soldiers all turned to look at the swordsmen of Big Snow Mountain who were eating with their head lowered not far away. This group of reticent men had never hesitated to praise the Dragon King in front of outsiders.

”I will win,” Gu Shenwei said resolutely. ”Tell me, what kind of reward do you want in specific?”Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Phrases like ”gold and silver,” ”a high official position,” and ”women” all popped out one after another.

”Farmland,” several soldiers said in unison, and soon, this became the most accepted answer. They had been farmers before joining the army, and the most valuable thing in their mind was still farmland.

”I still prefer farming,” Xie Dezhi sheepishly admitted in a low voice.

”All of you will receive farmland,” Gu Shenwei replied in a rare sincere tone.

People were cheering everywhere. The Dragon King's promise quickly circulated among the soldiers, causing more and more people to gather around until officers were forced to come forward to maintain order.

Gu Shenwei simply raised his voice and asked, ”Which of you have been to war?”

Few people responded. But since Xie Dezhi had realized that the Dragon King wasn't as unapproachable as he had imagined, he was more willing to voice his thoughts. ”We all received our first sabers and spears two months ago.”

”Do you know what the most important aspect a soldier can have in war is?”

”To advance bravely,” Xie Dezhi answered right away.

”Sharp eyes and agile hands.”

”Fighting shoulder to shoulder.”

”Being tough.”

…

Gu Shenwei nodded as more and more answers emerged. When the voices died down, he said, ”These are all important, but there's one thing that you all should never forget.”

The crowd's eyes focused on the Dragon King. Gu Shenwei hadn't planned on saying these words, but it felt quite necessary now. Unlike the horsemen of the Norland, this army hadn't been fully trained or tested its mettle on the battlefield. It couldn't even compare to the tens of thousands of Dragon Army soldiers that he had left at Xiaoyao Lake.

The Restoration Army of the Shule Kingdom had more than twenty thousand men, eight thousand of whom had participated in the battle at Xiaoyao Lake. As the main force, most of the veterans had been left behind to defend the camp. The ten thousand people he was now leading were mostly new recruits, and only a small number of them were experienced swordsmen of the Big Snow Mountain.

Gu Shenwei knew little about commanding troops, but even he knew from his limited experience that new recruits were easily flustered. They couldn't even display twenty percent of their usual combat power, and sometimes couldn't even carry out the simplest tactics.

”Follow me,” Gu Shenwei said as he pointed at the nearby Red Crow Flag nearby which symbolized his army. ”And follow that flag. It's more important than anything else.”

The Dragon King's voice wasn't loud, but his words were clearly heard by the crowd; his appearance wasn't dignified enough, but his calmness was without question.

The soldiers suddenly understood the words that the swordsmen always said: ”The Dragon King is blessed by God.”