Chapter 164: Zhao Er (1)
Chapter 164: Zhao Er (1)
September 25, 2017
Many thanks to 'Book of My Love'【Wasteland of Scavenging】, 'yunqingai', 'Fortune Teller', 'Lonely Wanderer', 'Young Master Wei', 'kass Void', and 'Little Seal of the Mingjiao' for their generous rewards!
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After Lu Hai Kong recruited another 500 new members for the Flame Battalion, he entrusted the task of training these young recruits to Zhao Lun.
As the mountain camp expanded, despite having Wang Jun, a competent overseer, he was still just one man. He couldn't be everywhere at once, and there were many matters that required Lu Hai Kong's personal attention.
Moreover, with Lu Hai Kong taking over the training of the Second Battalion, his workload increased significantly. Thus, he had to delegate some responsibilities for the Flame Battalion, and Zhao Lun, being readily available, was the perfect candidate to shoulder some of the burdens.
Just as Lu Hai Kong was about to commence training the Second Battalion, Wang Jun approached him.
"The funds for the Wang Family's transaction are ready. The deal is set for tomorrow. Who should I send to deliver the goods?"
Lu Hai Kong furrowed his brows at the mention of the Wang Family.
This family, which had never been shy about exploiting him, left him with a poor impression and an even worse feeling.
Although he had already resigned himself to being taken advantage of once more, the reality of the situation still stung.
"Send Wang Chao. Also, have him take half of the Third Battalion's troops. And tell Wang Ti to be cautious. It's best to be wary of the Wang Family's ill intentions and approach this transaction with care."
After much deliberation, Lu Hai Kong ultimately chose Wang Chao, one of the first to follow him.
To be honest, Wang Chao and Ma Han were among the earliest to join Lu Hai Kong, and he held high expectations for them. However, despite his biased nurturing, which brought their strength beyond sixty points, these two were not the most promising individuals.
Their strength was merely passable, and their talents were even more ordinary. In comparison, Wang Chao, though mediocre, displayed commendable effort. Lu Hai Kong often saw him drenched in sweat on the camp's training grounds.
For this diligent subordinate, Lu Hai Kong hoped to provide more opportunities for growth, expecting him to become a late bloomer.
Ideally, Li Xiong would have been the best choice for this task, but he was swamped with work. Currently, two individuals in Lu Hai Kong's camp were the busiest: Wang Jun, who had grown noticeably thinner, and Li Xiong.
Li Xiong's talents were impressive, and he excelled in both internal and external affairs. Lu Hai Kong heavily relied on him for negotiations with the Xianbei Tribe to ransom the Han people, as well as for the gold mine operations. Now that spring had arrived, Lu Hai Kong also needed him to re-establish contact with the original supplier of the Dark Wind Fort.
With various responsibilities weighing on Li Xiong, Lu Hai Kong felt guilty about burdening him further. Moreover, Li Xiong was currently overseeing the final stages of the gold mine project, with even Dian Wei assigned to protect him. It was clear that Li Xiong couldn't spare the time for this transaction.
"Hold on. Slow down a bit with the celebration preparations. Let's focus on expanding the mountain camp first. Once the transaction with the Wang Family is complete, we can have Wang Chao, Li Xiong, and the others return for the celebration. It's a rare occasion, and we shouldn't exclude them."
Lu Hai Kong contemplated using this celebration as an opportunity to reward his loyal followers and foster unity among the camp's lower ranks.
Wang Ti and Li Xiong weren't the only ones who had left; there was another who was unlikely to return by the time of the celebration.
After Wang Jun stepped down, Lu HaiKong went straight towards the Second Battalion's direction.
The Second Battalion's camp was located behind the mountain fort, where a new barracks and a training ground had been constructed.
However, this barracks was purely for soldiers' residence, and the training ground was just a leveled-out plaza for training, without any additional attributes.
The Second Battalion had been established for over a month, and during this time, it had hardly been properly trained. Although Lu HaiKong had assigned Wang Chao and Ma Han to take turns training the Second Battalion, both had their primary duties, and their time at the Second Battalion was limited. Thus, the Second Battalion had little to do on regular days, and no one supervised them.
Under these circumstances, the Second Battalion's soldiers couldn't help but feel emotional. After all, they were indigenous NPCs, not as simple as data NPCs. They felt neglected and believed they were being left to fend for themselves without any importance.
Many soldiers in the Second Battalion became disheartened and gave up on themselves. After all, they didn't have to work in the Second Battalion, had food every day, and received a monthly salary of one gold per soldier. They could just lie around and collect money like fat pigs.
Of course, aside from these freeloaders, there was another group within the Second Battalion.
Although no one supervised them, they still woke up at dawn every day, holding wooden weapons and practicing tirelessly in the mountain fort's training ground.
These were teenagers who deeply admired the bandits and the mountain fort, dreaming of becoming bandits and the legendary figures who upheld the fort's reputation.
Thus, despite being ignored, they practiced martial arts daily, believing it was a test from the Fort Lord, and they hadn't been abandoned.
Many shared this passion and belief, at least eighty percent or more of the soldiers, especially since they had joined the Second Battalion recently, and their youthful enthusiasm remained. If another two or three months passed, this enthusiasm would likely diminish by half or more.
In a 6-9-1-2-1-0 version, this was a mistake-free chapter!
Among these passionate soldiers was Zhao Er.
One could say this youth was the most passionate and aspiring to become a bandit among all the soldiers. He took the lead in practicing tirelessly, even when no one paid them any attention.
He was the first to arrive every morning and the last to leave every night.
Many were inspired by his dedication and resumed their efforts, especially since this youngster's basic gun technique was quite impressive, making him the fastest-improving soldier in the entire Second Battalion. Thus, he held a significant amount of prestige within the Second Battalion.
Over time, Zhao Er gradually took over the training of the Second Battalion.
On this day, as Zhao Er was enthusiastically training with most of the Second Battalion's soldiers, he suddenly felt the vigorous training voices behind him stop.
"What's going on? Why did they all stop?"
Zhao Er grumbled and turned around, only to freeze in his tracks.
"Well done."
As Lu HaiKong, clad in Thick Mountain Armor and wielding a Ghost-Faced Axe, approached him and patted his shoulder lightly, Zhao Er couldn't help but shed tears of joy...
(End of Chapter)
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