I looked at the 300 exceptionally fierce Beiwei soldiers in front of me, each carrying a knife, and smiled wryly. I walked up to Xu Delong and said with a forced smile, "Team Leader Xu..." Xu Delong clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Hero Xiao!"
Sweat beaded on my forehead. "Just call me Qiangzi," I said tentatively. "Now that we're here, let's forget about our past lives. I'm no hero, no god, just an ordinary citizen. You're soldiers, so we should be united as one family."
Xu Delong smiled at me and said, "No problem."
Damn, why is this guy so wooden? I originally thought their goal was for me to send them back to the Song Dynasty, but now that I see it, they didn't show any disappointment after they found out I wasn't a god.
I said, my voice trembling with fear, "Could you hand over the knife to me for safekeeping before we change clothes...?" I knew that soldiers would cherish their weapons and even develop totem worship, so getting them to disarm was sometimes more difficult than killing them.
However, after hearing this, Xu Delong turned around and shouted, "Attention everyone, pass the knife to your right hand—release it!"
With a thud, 300 long swords were neatly stacked at everyone's feet. I so wanted to shout, "Comrades, you've worked hard!"
I opened a box, took out a set of clothes and shoes, gave a simple demonstration of how to put them on, and then said to Xu Delong, "Please have Team Leader Xu pack your weapons and the clothes you took off back into the box where the new clothes were originally. Find a few strong people to carry them, because we still have a long way to go after we change our clothes."
Xu Delong directed several soldiers to distribute the clothes, and then these men stripped naked in the street to change into their new clothes. I noticed that all of them had numerous scars on their bodies. They didn't seem to have any particular reaction after seeing "Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty." Although most soldiers at that time were illiterate, there was no reason why they wouldn't recognize these four characters. It's the same principle as the soldiers of the Steel Seventh Company needing to know "Never Abandon, Never Give Up."
The clothes and weapons that had been taken off were quickly packed into boxes, and even the unopened boxes were carried by designated personnel. This was truly a highly efficient and well-trained unit; the entire process took less than a minute, and not a single person uttered a sound.
Because they all had long hair, they were still wearing their headscarves. Seeing that everything was ready, I said to Xu Delong, "Brothers, you've come all this way, do you want to rest for a bit? We're going to run a 30-kilometer trail run." Xu Delong smiled and said, "Let's go."
I pushed up the old-fashioned bicycle I'd borrowed from Grandpa Zhao, and said rather embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, I have to ride this. I can't compare to you guys..."
Then we started our forced march. At first, I was worried that some people wouldn't be able to keep up and that I was riding too slowly, but then I realized that no matter how hard I pedaled, they didn't seem to care. Because there were people sleeping in earthquake shelters in the open areas, I mostly chose to take deserted paths. Eventually, my stamina finally gave out, and after picking up my tent and riding for a while longer—I just couldn't pedal anymore.
Xu Delong sent two soldiers to push me from behind and keep running. I never thought I could do something so shameful. I remember when we were in school, we ran cross-country races while the teachers rode bicycles. Sometimes, if someone really couldn't run anymore, the teacher would carry them for a while. If it were a girl, it wouldn't be so bad, but if a boy did this, he would lose all face.
I was quite uncomfortable on the bicycle. It wouldn't be right not to pedal at all, but if I pedaled a few times, I wouldn't get the air pumped up. So I pedaled a few times and then did a few empty spins to make myself look busy. Even though it was a small road, cars occasionally sped past us, and there were flashing neon lights and various brightly lit signs on both sides. Just by looking at them, you could tell these weirdos were incredibly strange, yet not a single one asked a question. The Yue Family Army's strict discipline was truly well-deserved. I think I should find some time to give them a systematic introduction to this world, and maybe even bring Qin Shi Huang and his entourage. I can't let them misunderstand that this earthquake had anything to do with my farts. Actually, after living together for so long, whether I'm a god or not is no longer important to Qin Shi Huang and his entourage. They've enjoyed everything they could, and now that I'm rich, besides sending Xiang Yu back to Gaixia, I can satisfy their every whim. What's the difference between this and the life of a god?
At the tollbooth ahead, a police car with its lights flashing was parked on the side of the road. Two policemen were leaning against the car, smoking. They seemed to be doing nothing, just part of the government's emergency preparedness measures for this special period. When I saw them, they saw us too.
It was too late to turn back now. I slowed down and said to Xu Delong, "We can't offend the people in front. Just do as I say." Xu Delong gave the instructions.
As the two policemen saw several hundred people in labor camp uniforms approaching, they instinctively put their hands on their guns. They only breathed a slight sigh of relief when they saw me; perhaps the very familiar scene of me riding a bicycle made them feel a sense of familiarity. But one of the older policemen still asked me warily, "What are you doing?"
I stomped one foot on the ground and said in a friendly but cryptic tone, "Telling you would be troublesome."
A young policeman nearby whispered, "Are they special forces on a mission?"
I said to him approvingly, "You're quite clever, kid. Which unit are you from?" Before he could answer, I loudly commanded 300, "Attention!"
The moment I shouted those words, sweat broke out on my forehead. I didn't even know if they understood the specific meaning of the order. Xu Delong reacted quickly; he put his hands behind his back and stood with his legs naturally apart. The soldiers behind him followed suit in a flash, their movements so synchronized it was almost like a programmed script, but there was one thing wrong: the posture was supposed to be at ease!
Feeling guilty, I turned around and, sure enough, saw the old policeman asking in confusion, "What unit are you from? Why are you dressed like that..." He suddenly realized and said, "Isn't that your special uniform?"
I smiled mysteriously and did not answer.
Actually, aside from the lack of a number on their chests, what Officer 300 wore was a genuine prison uniform; it's just that their headbands looked very stylish. In movies, those wearing helmets are usually regular soldiers; those wearing simple cloth hats are special forces; and those with their heads covered are definitely high-budget killing machines trained by the state. Of course, this varies depending on the combat environment, but why would ordinary police officers think that much? Besides, Officer 300 genuinely possessed exceptional military skills; the aura they exuded was something prison inmates could never have.
Seeing that the two policemen had fainted, I pressed my advantage, saying, "You've worked hard, but we still have a long way to go. Goodbye." Then I ordered 300, "Run—go!"
Upon hearing the word "run," Xu Delong snapped to attention. But when he heard "walk," he froze, and could only run stiffly. The rest of the 299 followed him and set off.
After 300 had run ahead for a while, I smiled at the two policemen, got on my bicycle, and caught up with them. I overheard the young policeman say with great admiration, "Look at that unit, they even use reversed passwords to confuse the enemy. They must be from the Fifth Category Unit. I wish I could get in there."
Everyone can testify that I never claimed to be from the military. After that, when Yucai Martial Arts School opened, people could see that the clothes were just school uniforms, so I would have a strong case in case of a lawsuit!
After passing the tollbooth, we weren't far from our destination. When the soldiers stepped onto the grassland, they seemed quite cheerful; it seemed they didn't really like the city. Professional soldiers, after all, should be content with the mundane, finding joy in simple meals. I really admire their character, because if they had come here for leisure, let alone going to bars, even a bowl of noodles would cost over 1000 yuan. Would you like some pickled vegetables? Would you add an extra fried egg? A large population inevitably leads to a decline in the quality of life; family planning is such a wonderful national policy…
When I pointed out several dilapidated houses to them, Xu Delong waved his hand and shouted, "Take cover!" Without saying a word, all 300 people crawled into the bushes. Xu Delong pulled me down onto my back, and the bicycle landed on top of me.
After I explained that this would be their place of refuge and that they would be setting up camp on that open space tonight, Xu Delong firmly rejected my suggestion, believing that it was too exposed.
Actually, nobody watches this, so what's the big deal about exposing a little?
Finally, they set up camp in a spot overlooking the open space. I'd never actually used that tent before, but the soldiers were really good at it. Xu Delong stroked the green military-style tent with satisfaction and said, "Sturdy! And waterproof too, and fireproof for a short time—did you make all of this?"
I was furious that he wouldn't listen to me. I felt that if Yue Fei were here, he would definitely humbly accept my opinions, even if he didn't agree with them in his heart. After all, I'm a landlord and have lived here for over twenty years. It seems there really is a difference between generals and soldiers in terms of political strategy.
After setting up the tents, I realized my legs were as weak as a curtain. Trying to ride back in this state would be a sure way to collapse. The 300 people set up 61 tents, one of which was for storing the boxes. I discussed with Xu Delong about sleeping in that tent for the night. Xu Delong laughed and said, "You go ahead and sleep."
Three hundred people, setting up tents and getting into bed took less than five minutes. Aside from the sounds of fabric being spread out and tent legs being slapped, not a single person spoke. It was a little eerie. Now even I could tell these people were hiding something, or had some ulterior motive. This silence couldn't conceal the signs of an impending eruption. What the hell are they trying to do?
I need to buy some chewing gum tomorrow. If I keep holding it in, I'll get bad breath.
Out of habit, they assigned two people to keep watch. I said I was exhausted from running and should go to sleep, but they completely ignored me. While I was indeed sweating, I was the only one like that; the two on guard duty happened to be the same two who pushed me, and they were probably secretly looking down on me.
After lying down for a while, my stomach started growling. That's when I remembered they'd been running around with me all night without food or water. This was definitely my fault as their owner, but not one of them complained. I felt even worse. That's why they say deaf-mute children are more pitiful. The Yue Family Army's motto was "Rather freeze to death than dismantle a house, rather starve to death than loot." If I didn't care about them, I wonder if they would cross that moral line…
We went to sleep when the sky was already turning light, and I was woken up by their noise before 8 a.m. Stepping out of the tent, I saw 300 people, each holding a morning glory, bent over collecting dew from the grass to drink. Two soldiers were cleaning up a pile of dead rabbits, and someone had already started a fire and set up a grill. Xu Delong, seeing I was awake, pointed to a row of morning glories at the foot of my tent and said, "Those were prepared for you."
I looked down and saw that a long row of morning glories were filled with collected dew, enough for a thin person to take a bath. How long would it take?
With tears welling up in my eyes, I said, "Keep this for making tea. If you want to drink your fill—" I pointed to a few dilapidated houses in the distance and said, "There's running water there."
Chapter 41 How can I obtain thousands of spacious houses?
I led them to the dilapidated house, ran inside and turned on the water pipe, then quietly walked out and said to them, "Be careful when you go in, this house could collapse at any time." I was going to tell them not to make a lot of noise, but I didn't.
Xu Delong stood at the doorway, looked at the cracks in the roof and walls that were letting in light, frowned, and said, "I think we should just tear it down."
I asked him, "Did you use cement to build houses back then?"
"What is that?"
"Never mind what it is, this wall is very sturdy, no one can push it down!"
Xu Delong chuckled, "Give it a try—it was us who pushed down the city gates when we attacked Jiankang." With that, Xu Delong divided his men into three groups, each positioned to hold down one of the three sides of the house. At his command, over 100 men exerted their strength together. The house, like a spoiled little girl, twisted its shoulders and groaned, but it wouldn't collapse. Xu Delong waved his hand, and another 100 men took turns unleashing flying kicks. Two rows of kicks sent the wall crashing inward with a deafening roar and billowing dust. Finally, the 300 men had bullied it to its knees.