Chapter 8: Arrival at the Outpost

Uncle Aqi was momentarily taken aback by Zhou Xiaohu's words. Is this person really the newly appointed officer?

Is that true? What did he say? Uncle Aqi quickly asked

He turned around, sat on the threshold of the courtyard door, sighed in frustration, and said: "Oh no, the master must be angry because he saw us behaving so improperly"

He is filled with emotions, reflecting on how he has traversed to this era and unexpectedly encountered so many prominent figures of the future. The feeling of walking alongside celebrities is indeed quite pleasant

At this moment, the door of the house creaked open, and an elderly man in his fifties, wearing a dirty uniform, stepped out while rubbing his eyes.

He secretly sighed and asked the young man, "Why did you get up so early?"

Wu Shaoting said with a smile, "Is that so? In my eyes, you are just a little rascal. Could it be that you are still a soldier?"

Liang Hongkai informed Wu Shaoting that the twelve houses here constitute the rear outpost's camp, which is also the location where the soldiers under Wu Shaoting's command are stationed. He then pointed to the northeast and southeast directions of the main parade ground, indicating the positions of the three camps: the mountain-shaped outpost, the left outpost, and the right outpost. As for the last outpost, it belongs to Qian Zong Li Mingshan, and it is naturally stationed on the side of the main camp.

He said the dried radish was a bit bland. Zhou Xiaohu said this as he picked the smallest piece of dried radish from the ground and chewed it, "The dried radish hasn't changed at all, it still tastes the same as before"

"Uncle Aqi, that person didn't get angry when he left; he even picked up one of our dried radishes to eat!" said Zhou Xiaohu, somewhat dazed, not as tense as the old man.

Liang Hongkai was somewhat unaccustomed; previously, he had thought that Wu Shaoting was a rigid person, yet unexpectedly, he had changed so much all of a sudden. He quickly forced a smile and said, "Not at all, it is my honor to befriend Lord Wu. Coincidentally, I have been contemplating applying to the Military Academy recently to learn military strategy and tactics. In the future, I truly hope to seek guidance from Lord Wu."

Wu Shaoting followed Liang Hongkai to a military camp located on the eastern side of the large parade ground

Wu Shaoting smiled and said, "You will know who I am, but not today. That's enough for today; you can continue drying the radish. " After saying this, he turned to leave the courtyard, but before he left, he turned back to pick up a piece of dried radish and took a bite of it.

Is this barracks in wwwhetushu.com? What about the other soldiers? Surely you are not the only little soldier here?" Wu Shaoting said with a dismissive smile

The young boy was wearing an ordinary old jacket, which had several patches on it. His face, still bearing the marks of youth, was quite dirty, as if he hadn't washed it in a long time. If it weren't for the military boots on his feet, he would truly resemble a proper country lad.

Wu Shaoting expressed his gratitude to Liang Hongkai and allowed him to return to the Army Headquarters to attend to his own matters

Wu Shaoting smiled and said, "Is that so? Then why doesn't Uncle Qi come to sunbathe himself?"

Wu Shaoting smiled and said, "This is not a problem; I will certainly not decline any opportunity to help."

Zhou Xiaohu nodded, picked up a burlap sack from the side, and said: "I understand, Uncle Aqi, you go ahead, I will tidy these up right away"

"They are all sleeping, what time is it now?" the young man said angrily

"Huzi, who are you talking to?" the old man asked with a yawn.

Only after Liang Hongkai had left did he slowly walk into the camp. Passing through the archway, the twelve barracks of the rear post were arranged in a fan shape, most of which had a small courtyard. However, at this moment, there was not a single figure to be seen outside the entire camp. He couldn't help but feel puzzled; where were his subordinates?

I don't know; that person didn't say who he was, but he also mentioned that I would recognize him. How strange!" Zhou Xiaohu continued to squat down, using the branch in his hand to poke at the dried radishes on the ground

Sigh, it is what it is. It's not just us at the rear guard; let the new officer do as he pleases. After he sighed and finished speaking, he stood up and walked towards the hut. Just as he entered the hut, he turned back and instructed Zhou Xiaohu, "Huzi, hurry up and put away the dried radish. When the next team and the second team wake up and see this dried radish, they will definitely be clumsy. We only have these few pounds of dried radish left this month, so let's cherish it."

Upon seeing Wu Shaoting, the young man immediately stood up and asked in confusion: "Who are you? What are you doing?"

Liang Hongkai was overjoyed and repeatedly expressed his gratitude, saying: "Thank you very much, Lord Wu. I will first lead you to the outpost, my lord!"

At that moment, some sounds emerged from the courtyard of a barrack on the left, as if someone was coughing

The barracks here are quite old. The walls are mottled and in poor condition, with several areas showing traces of green moss; the tiles on the roof are missing in various places, resembling a teething infant. All the buildings are single-story, and in front of the houses stands an archway. If it were not for the large Qing dragon flags, the Green Camp military flags, and the mountain-shaped camp's flags flanking the archway, passersby might mistakenly think this is merely a small village.

Zhou Xiaohu gazed at Wu Shaoting's back, his face filled with confusion, thinking to himself that this person is indeed strange

Wu Shaoting immediately walked over, pushed open the slightly ajar courtyard gate, and saw a boy about fifteen or sixteen years old squatting in the center of the yard, using a stick in his hand to poke at a large patch of dried radishes spread out on the ground

Wu Shaoting never expected that before Liang Hongkai became famous, he was actually a minor official in the Army Headquarters

The young man snorted and straightened his chest, saying: "I am a soldier, this is the barracks of the rear outpost of the Mountain Character Camp. Unrelated individuals should leave quickly, otherwise you will face the consequences!"

The young man said: "My name is Zhou Xiaohu, and everyone in the camp calls me Huzi. By the way, you haven't told me who you are yet"

However, he is aware that the performance of the rear guard today is not coincidental, but rather reflects the broader context of the lax military discipline during the late Qing Dynasty

The young man did not conceal anything and replied, "Uncle Aqi asked me to get up early to dry the radish strips; otherwise, there will be no pickles to eat with porridge these days"

Immediately, he hurriedly ran out of the courtyard gate to look around, but he could no longer see the figure of that person

I am grateful for Brother Liang's guidance just now. I feel a sense of familiarity with Brother Liang at https://www.hetushu.com, so why not become friends? It would be great to keep in touch in the future

Today marks the day of our new officer's appointment. The person you just saw couldn't possibly be the officer, could they? The old man suddenly became a bit nervous; he was a veteran and was well aware of the saying that a new official brings three fires.

The young man scratched his head, clearly not thinking too much about it, and said: "Well, Uncle Aqi is getting old and can't get up that early. Anyway, I have nothing to do, so I might as well help out a bit."

Wu Shaoting glanced at the sky; the sun had already hung high in the air. Although it was not yet noon, the midday light was nearly at its end. He silently noted the boy's words in his heart; it turned out that these old soldiers generally did not get up until noon. This was hardly an army; it was simply lazier than a nursing home.

It's a bit bland! He mumbled to himself while chewing on the dried radish.

Wu Shaoting suddenly remembered that since no one had informed him today, he had not donned his official attire, but was merely dressed in casual clothes. He smiled faintly and asked the young boy, "Young man, can you speak Mandarin?"

Wu Shaoting perceived the innocence of the young man and asked, "What is your name?"

The young man replied somewhat irritably: "I can speak Mandarin, but I am not a little ghost!"