Longevity by Picking up Attributes in the Battlefield

Chapter 130: Chapter 98: Mrs. Zhao: I Never Expected to See This! Fusu, He’s Truly Fortunate to Have You!_2

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「Wei City!」

On the drill ground of the military camp, Zhao Feng stood atop the Dianjiang Platform. He was tall and straight, clad in the Battle Armor of a Deputy General with the Longquan Sword at his waist. After picking up the Attributes, his height had reached 1.8 meters. This wasn’t even his limit, as it was expected he would grow taller still. His youthful and martial appearance, combined with the murderous aura of the battlefield and the Deputy General’s Battle Armor, made Zhao Feng look all the more imposing.

Below the Dianjiang Platform, 60,000 troops stood at attention. At a single glance, the hierarchy was clear. Five Wanjiangs commanded their respective armies, having already completed the reorganization of the surrendered soldiers. Each Wanjiang’s division had now exceeded the 10,000-soldier threshold, with each one housing 13,000 troops. The extra men were all from the reorganized surrendered soldiers.

A casual glance was enough to discern the difference between the surrendered soldiers and the Sharp Warriors. The surrendered soldiers had no Battle Armor. This was the distinction between them and the army’s Sharp Warriors. To receive Battle Armor and become an armored warrior, one must first be freed from servitude. Then, they had to kill enemies and perform meritorious deeds to become true, ennobled Sharp Warriors. Only then would they be granted Battle Armor.

”Soldiers of the Wei City garrison, are you here?” Zhao Feng glanced over the troops and called out with authority.

”WIND! WIND! WIND!” all the soldiers around the drill ground roared in unison.

However, mixed into this war cry were the voices of 30,000 Han surrendered soldiers. Their shouts were weak and spiritless, as they had utterly lost their morale. Their inclusion had a considerable impact on what was once an elite army.

This scene made the few Wanjiangs who already disapproved of reorganizing the surrendered soldiers even more displeased.

But atop the Dianjiang Platform, Zhao Feng paid it no mind. As far as he was concerned, these reorganized surrendered soldiers were little more than living, walking corpses. Their homeland was lost and they had nowhere to flee. Though reorganized into the army, they were still bound by servitude. For them, there was no future, so how could they possess any will to fight?

”Enough!” Zhao Feng raised his hand, and the war cries gradually subsided.

”From this moment on, the entire army will repeat my words,” Zhao Feng declared solemnly.

The 100 trusted aides surrounding the Dianjiang Platform immediately responded in unison, ”Yes, General!”

”I, Zhao Feng, am under orders to defend Wei City,” he began, his words repeated throughout the army by his trusted aides. ”By tradition, surrendered soldiers would not be reorganized. They would be sent to the Northern Frontier to build The Great Wall, reduced to slaves building imperial highways. But now that I command this army, I am setting a precedent. I am reorganizing all of you into the army to serve Qin!”

As his aides’ voices carried his words throughout the ranks, the surrendered soldiers remained largely unmoved.

”I know,” Zhao Feng continued. ”To you, being reorganized into the army just means you’ll be used as cannon fodder. You believe you can never shed your servitude or live with dignity. But today, I have news for you. It concerns every surrendered soldier here, and all those Qin will capture in the future.”

”From this day forward, any surrendered soldier who kills one enemy for Qin will be pardoned from servitude and receive the salary of an ordinary soldier! Kill five enemies for Qin, and you will be granted a title, becoming a true Sharp Warrior of Qin and enjoying promotions based on military merit!” Zhao Feng announced loudly.

These words were again repeated by the whole army.

At this, all the surrendered soldiers who heard the news were stunned. A flame of hope ignited within those who had been numb just moments before. The thought of merely surviving one day at a time was instantly replaced by a new resolve.

Generals like Chen Tao and Zhao Tuo were stunned when they heard the announcement. Could it be that the Royal Edict has already been issued? Did the Great King actually agree to General Zhao’s proposal to reorganize the surrendered soldiers?