Chapter 005: Enlistment

Chun Ni took out a piece of cake, tore off a large half, and handed it to Zheng Yong. She glanced at Zheng Yong, as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately could not bring herself to do so

"What!" The camp commander was furious, raising his whip as if to strike, but then paused in mid-air and slowly lowered it: "You have quite the audacity. This pass allows travel throughout the territory; are you openly mocking the general?"

"Chun Ni, are there usually any Easterners' troops here?" Zheng Yong asked after taking a bite of the pancake

"What are we going to do, what are we going to do?" Ma Dashan was clearly frightened, constantly sighing: "Is the Ma family easy to offend? If Young Master Ma finds out, are we still going to live our lives?"

"Sir, I would like to enlist!" Zheng Yong said as he approached the officer.

The officers nearby erupted in lewd laughter, their eyes constantly casting glances at Chun Ni. Having never encountered such a situation, Chun Ni could only fearfully retreat behind Zheng Yong.

I am not; I have no connection with the Japanese at all. Zheng Yong smiled at Chun Ni and said, "Moreover, sooner or later, I will... with those Japanese..."

"Young man, we cannot stay here for long," Sun Bo said with a furrowed brow. "Although you have scared Ma Bingzhan away for now, the Ma family holds considerable influence, and it seems they have a relative who holds an official position in the city."

Report, sir, I will shoot. Within one hundred and fifty paces, I cannot guarantee a perfect hit, but I am confident of a success rate of ninety percent. I wonder if this can be considered a skill

Just after passing through the gate where the soldiers were inspecting, an officer shouted: "Come on, everyone, join the army! Once you enlist, you'll have plenty of money!"

Zheng Yong let out a sound of "oh" and did not say anything further

"No wonder." The company commander nodded and said, "Alright, I will take this soldier. Go register."

"What are you panicking about?" Sun Bo appeared to be quite calm: "I heard that the general's army is recruiting soldiers in the city. Young man, go to the city; as long as you get your hands on the military rations, the Ma family won't dare to touch you. So, Ni, get ready; as soon as it gets dark, you will accompany him to the city."

The company commander, holding the riding whip, walked up to Zheng Yong, looked at him for a few moments, and asked, "What is your name?"

Throughout the journey, neither he nor Chun Ni spoke a word, and the road seemed particularly long. After walking for more than two hours, they finally caught sight of the county town. However, by this time, it was completely dark, and the city gates had long been closed. The two found a dilapidated temple to make do for the night.

Zheng Yongzheng wanted to speak, but Ma Dashan, in a flustered manner, kept looking outside while repeatedly stamping his feet and saying: "What else is there to say, what else is there to say, let's hurry and leave"

"Zheng Yongge, will you come back in the future?" Chun Ni asked cautiously

Oh? What a bold claim. The camp commander laughed and said to the several officers, "Give him a gun; I want to see if his marksmanship is really as good as he claims!"

"Report, Commander, Zheng Yong!" Zheng Yong stood at attention, his back straight, and said.

"Oh, you actually came by yourself." The officer glanced at Zheng Yong a few times, then his gaze fell on Chun Ni, and he leered, saying, "Your wife is indeed quite lovely. Are you really willing to leave such a beautiful wife at home? With such a beautiful wife left alone, aren't you afraid of getting a green hat?"

The company commander furrowed his brow and scrutinized him from head to toe, asking, "Have you served in the military before?"

What are you laughing at

He kept waving the ticket in his hand, but very few people glanced at it, hurrying past him.

With that sound, the several officers quickly ceased their laughter and hurriedly stood up. The officer who had first teased Chun Ni loudly said: "Report to the camp commander, we are currently giving a lecture to someone who wants to enlist."

"I didn't expect you to be someone who knows how to be grateful and repay kindness." The company commander nodded frequently as he listened. After Zheng Yong finished speaking, he patted his pocket and said, "I have silver dollars, but they are not given out casually. What skills do you have to take them from me?"

Upon saying this, he ceased to continue, yet he could distinctly hear Chun Ni let out a long sigh

I do not know. Zheng Yong forced a smile; he truly did not know what would happen in the future, nor did he know if he would live to see the day of victory in the War of Resistance. Everything here was simply too unfamiliar to him.

There are none; this is the territory of Zhang Dashuai. Usually, there are only some Easterners around, and I have never seen any soldiers here. Chun Ni shook her head: "The Eastern soldiers are only in Maxian, which is upstream of the river where we rescued you."

"Report to the officer, Zheng Yong does not dare to mock the general, he only wishes to repay the life-saving grace!" Zheng Yong was not afraid and recounted in detail how he fell into the water and how he was rescued by the Ma family. However, he concealed the fact that he had been shot.

"Go to sleep, sleep a little earlier," said Zheng Yonghe as he fell to the ground. He did not dare to open his eyes to look at Chun Ni, but he knew that at this moment, Chun Ni must be watching him...

On the second day, when the sky brightened, the two finally entered the county town. At the city gate, several officers were recruiting soldiers. A platform was placed there, on which lay stacks of tickets. However, very few people paid attention to these tickets, as they had depreciated significantly and were essentially worthless.

... ...

"Young man, we shall meet again if fate allows. I still stand by my words, you will surely achieve great things in the future." As the sun was setting, Sun Bo gently patted Zheng Yong and cast a meaningful glance at Chun Ni beside him: "Remember, there is still a Ma family's hut here..."

Chun Ni silently nodded, glanced at Zheng Yong, and then quietly walked back into the room

"Report, sir, there is none! However, my father served in the military and spent several years in President Yuan's army. After the president's death, my father laid down his arms and returned to farming. At home, the family rules were quite strict, all trained according to military discipline!" Zheng Yong recited the carefully prepared statement without any pause.

Just as the company commander was about to leave, Zheng Yong suddenly exclaimed, "Commander, I do not want a voucher; I want cash!"

"Uncle, Sun Bo, your life-saving grace to me, Zheng Yong, I will surely repay you in the future as long as I do not die!" Zheng Yong deeply bowed to them and then strode out...