"Brother Shi, are you really going to enlist in the army?"
On the couch.
Chen Sansi and Gu Xinlan snuggled together.
"Is it because of what happened to Shunzi's family?"
"Yes, but not entirely."
This was just one of the things that stimulated Chen Sansi.
He thought of Qin Feng.
He had killed Qin Xiong, and although he left no evidence, who knew if his brother would suspect him? What if he used the same methods, how would he respond then?
What's more, what if the other party didn't care about evidence and wanted to assassinate him anyway?
He didn't even know the various levels of prowess among martial artists; could he really protect his little household with just a bow?
As for peace and stability?
It ceased to exist the moment he was transported here and targeted by Qin Xiong.
He would be persecuted sooner or later without taking the initiative.
Enlisting in the army.
Not only could he learn martial arts, but he would also have a chance to gain status.
Moving up in every aspect was the only correct way to seek security in a chaotic world.
Chen Sansi spoke softly, "What, you don't want me to go?"
"You are the head of the family, it's up to you to decide what to do. I'm just afraid something might happen to you..."
Gu Xinlan said she had no objections, but her tone was filled with hidden resentment, and her almond-shaped eyes became moist, clearly worried about being left alone.
"Don't scare me with your doom and gloom, or I'll have to shut you up!"
"No, don't, mmm..."
After two hours of intense discussion, the couple reached a consensus.
Chen Sansi didn't rush to sleep but picked up a book to read.
Unknowingly, he became absorbed, and his proficiency steadily increased.
Upon reaching a certain point, he had an epiphany, finding the words on the page simple and easy to understand. Things that he previously couldn't grasp were now clear.
[Skill: Reading (Expert)]
[Progress: (0/800)]
[Utility: Witty and Clever, Spirit Refreshed, Photographic Memory]
Witty and Clever?
Unlike archery, which directly strengthened the body, the changes brought by reading couldn't be directly observed and required heartfelt experience.
Chen Sansi's most direct feeling was that he could easily comprehend what he read and retain it in his memory.
"This should be very helpful for my martial arts practice."
"But why has the requirement for advancement increased so much?"
"Moreover, the improvements this book brings me are getting slower. It looks like I need to read different books."
"It's the same with archery."
"Only the army has heavy bows."
"Enlisting is imperative!"
Closing the book, he too fell into a deep sleep.
...
The next day.
The sun rose as usual.
Chen Sansi carried cured meat and food into the city.
"Is the county under martial law?"
From a distance, he saw armored soldiers at the city gate scrutinizing people entering and leaving. He inquired and learned that the barbarian martial artist who had attempted the assassination of the County Magistrate not only evaded capture but had returned and killed the master of the Yunhe Martial Arts Hall in the south of the city.
"What a ruthless man!"
Chen Sansi was filled with emotion.
After a search and interrogation, he smoothly made his way to the market and found Old Xu.
"Since you've made up your mind, come with me."
Old Xu didn't stand on ceremony; he took the items and led out a donkey cart, taking him out of the city: "I'll take you to meet my son."
The Dasheng military households were hereditary.
If your father was part of a military household, then your family, generation after generation, would be military households.
The father would serve until he was replaced by his son, and even if there were no sons, other male relatives from the clan would take over to maintain the number of troops.
According to Old Xu, the military household registrations were numbered, and during the height of prosperity it was rare to recruit outsiders; now they wanted to recruit people, but it was very difficult to find any.
In the early stages of the nation's founding, the treatment of military households was quite good: they were issued grain pay based on the number of people in the household, they could learn martial arts for free, and they were even given winter clothes. The living standards were generally above those of the middle-class farmers.
But gradually, everything started to change.
The amount of military land somehow kept decreasing, and the soldiers' labor grew heavier and heavier.
Old Xu said that when he first enlisted, the situation was at its worse.
Many military households could barely afford to eat with just their grain pay and had to work as tenant farmers for nearby gentry or martial arts halls, and some nearly became house slaves.
With no other options, many military households simply ran away.
For a time, in the entire Liangzhou Guard, the number of deserters reached a staggering half!
It wasn't until the Chief Minister Yan Liang took office later on, spending ten years of hard work to save the situation, that he managed to keep the garrison system from collapsing to this day, though the combat strength had become very weak.
On paper, Liangzhou's frontier had twenty-nine guards and over 160,000 military household soldiers, but if there were actually over 100,000, it would be considered good...
The real main force guarding the Great Wall was under the Commander's Eight Northern Camps, the elite troops that deterred the barbarian tribes.
The Eight Camps had generous treatment but only admitted the elite; you had to make a name for yourself in the garrison before you got a chance to join the Northern Camps.
As the two chatted, they unknowingly left Po Yang County city.
West of Po Yang County city lies the Hutou Mountain Range, and to the north lies the frontier Great Wall.
Between the county city and the frontier Great Wall was where the army resided.
The garrisons stationed there were not the vast fields of tents seen on TV, but a number of villages built for living.
If there's no war, the soldiers would live ordinary lives, farming at sunrise and returning home at sunset.
The military camps between the villages served as command centers and training grounds.
"Although Po Yang County is a frontier, due to the presence of the Longhu Mountain Range making troop movement difficult, it usually does not need to directly face large forces of barbarian tribes; often it's just small bands of cavalry, which is relatively safer," Old Xu explained.
"Hmm—"
Old Xu stopped the donkey cart outside the military camp and signaled for the young man to follow him in.
"You want to enlist?"
Old Xu had a son later in life; his son was not very old, probably not yet thirty, with a short beard and an air of vibrant energy.
Learning that his father's acquaintance's son had come, he didn't ask any further and helped with the registration into the rolls.
"Military households are exempt from the grain tax every year."
"If it's just you, your monthly pay is four coins of silver, seven for those with a wife, and one tael of silver for families of five or more."
"My dad says you can hunt?"
Old Xu interjected: "Little Shi is quite exceptional; in the villages for dozens of miles outside Po Yang County, everyone knows he's a skilled hunter!"
Xu Bin nodded: "If you can't become a military soldier later, you don't need to go to the Array Soldier, you can be an archer, with a monthly pay of one tael and five coins of silver."
They proceeded to the military camp for registration and reporting in the army record book, where he also received an old set of armor, a red hat, and a secret skill book.
On the yellowed thread-bound book cover, it read "Basic Spear Technique for Soldiers" in six big characters.
After receiving his items, from this moment on, Chen Sansi was a soldier of the Great Sheng Dynasty's frontier.
The full name of his unit was the "An Ding Prefecture's Po Yang Left Army Thousand Households' Frontier Defense Unit."
"Lately, they've managed to enlist a few people," he said.
"Tomorrow, you'll formally report to the camp. The hundred-household officer will speak at the Martial Arts Arena and teach you martial arts skills."
"Remember to prepare well. Your performance when you first enlist will determine your future in the army."
"Once you become an Array Soldier, you'll never have another chance to advance."