Chapter 4: I have no desire for promotion; staying alive is what matters most

The Great Qin’s military merit system was incredibly strict.

Beyond the mutual supervision among the soldiers, there were specialized military merit officers. Once anyone dared to falsely claim or seize another’s military merit, it would be reported directly to the King of Qin, resulting in severe punishment without pardon.

When the system was first implemented, perhaps some powerful nobles dared to defy it, but now, no one dared.

“Bao Qiu was killed by a soldier from your logistics corps?”

Wang Ben, standing to the side, looked surprised.

“Reporting to General Wang, this is true.”

“Bao Qiu had discarded his armor and was feigning death in a pile of corpses. When my logistics soldier approached, he suddenly sprang up and killed two men. Fortunately, this soldier from my logistics battalion struck and killed him,” the military commander replied immediately.

“Bao Qiu, to die at the hands of one of our Great Qin’s logistics soldiers... you truly died an unjust death.”

Looking at Bao Qiu, whose eyes were wide open in a state of eternal resentment, Wang Ben sighed.

A logistics soldier!

They were not a combat unit; they only handled miscellaneous tasks like clearing the battlefield and tending to the wounded.

For a Han general to die at the hands of a logistics soldier was indeed a humiliation.

Wang Jian glanced at Bao Qiu, not caring much.

“Take him away and bury him with the Han soldiers.”

“As for the logistics soldier who killed Bao Qiu, promote him according to the military merit system.”

“Raise his rank by three grades and promote his noble title by one level.”

After saying this, Wang Jian turned and headed back to the camp.

To a General-in-Chief like him, this was a trivial matter—nothing more than Bao Qiu having bad luck to die at the hands of a logistics soldier, and that soldier having hit the jackpot.

“Understood.”

The military commander immediately accepted the order and withdrew.

“Have the battle reports and casualty statistics been compiled?” Wang Jian asked.

“They have been tallied and registered; they will be rushed to Xianyang today,” Wang Ben replied.

“Include the fact that Bao Qiu was killed by our logistics soldier in the report as well. It can be considered an interesting anecdote,” Wang Jian said with a smile.

Wang Ben nodded immediately: “Understood.”

“By the way.”

“Where is that girl, Yan’er?” Wang Jian suddenly asked.

Wang Ben hesitated, not knowing how to put it.

“Hmm?”

Wang Jian’s brow furrowed, and he barked, “Speak!”

“She followed Li Teng to Yangcheng,” Wang Ben said helplessly.

“Why didn’t you keep an eye on her?” Wang Jian was somewhat angry.

“Father.”

“Don’t you know what kind of personality Yan’er has? You shouldn’t have agreed to let her join the army this time in the first place.” Wang Ben, conversely, sounded a bit resentful.

Hearing this, Wang Jian glared, also feeling quite helpless.

“You think I wanted to bring her? Ever since she heard the news of the expedition, she’s been pestering me relentlessly,” Wang Jian said.

“Father, don’t worry.”

“She has your five hundred personal guards protecting her, and General Li Teng is looking after her too. She won’t be in any danger,” Wang Ben said with a smile.

“Forget it.”

“Let her play. Once we return this time, I’ll marry her off and let her husband’s family keep her in check,” Wang Jian said indignantly.

Wang Ben laughed: “Father, can you really bear to? Besides, who in all of Xianyang doesn’t know Yan’er’s personality? Who could possibly be taken with her?”

……

Late at night!

The corpses on the border battlefield had all been cleared away.

Thousands of logistics soldiers had returned to the camp to rest.

Outside the tents, it was pitch black.

Beside a small campfire, Wei Quan and Zhao Feng sat, roasting a piece of meat.

“Kid Zhao,” Wei Quan began.

“What is it?” Zhao Feng replied.

“Aren’t you even a little bit anxious?” Wei Quan asked.

“Anxious about what?” Zhao Feng was puzzled.

“You killed that Bao Qiu today and performed a great service. This is a merit that could get you a three-grade promotion and a noble title.”

“How can you be so calm?” Wei Quan asked in surprise.

“I don’t have that much yearning for promotion,” Zhao Feng said honestly.

Hearing this, Wei Quan’s expression in the dark was one of utter astonishment.

“Kid, do you not know that a higher rank means a higher annual salary, and a noble title means you get land?” Wei Quan said.

“I know,” Zhao Feng replied with a smile. “But what’s so good about being promoted? I’m only serving for two years before I go home. I have a mother and a younger sister waiting for me to take care of them. I can’t afford to die on the battlefield.”

“You really are different,” Wei Quan sighed.

“It’s not being different; it’s just being afraid of death and valuing my life.”

“No matter how high the rank, it’s not as good as being alive.”

“Hundred-man commander,” Zhao Feng asked, “how long have you been in the army?”

In the army, Zhao Feng’s philosophy was to offend no one and treat everyone with a sincere smile. There wasn’t much complexity in the ranks, but Wei Quan was the only one he had truly befriended.

“I was conscripted at fifteen; it’s been about eight years now.”

“If I could, I’d hope to stay forever so I could earn enough salary to support my family.”

“Life isn’t easy in these times. If it weren’t for my salary, my family would have starved to death long ago,” Wei Quan said slowly.

To this, Zhao Feng did not reply.

In this era, grain was not enough for everyone to have a fair share, let alone enough for everyone to eat.

Starvation was very common, especially once winter arrived; countless people froze or starved to death.

This was an unsolvable problem.

When Zhao Feng was in his hometown, his family had a small plot of land, enough for the three of them. Zhao Feng also had a naturally good physique, and he could harvest quite a bit from hunting in the mountains. Being proficient in various hunting traps from later generations, he often had a surplus to trade with the villagers. As long as he didn’t crave luxury, life was carefree.

“Kid Zhao,” Wei Quan spoke again.

“Go ahead, Hundred-man commander,” Zhao Feng replied.

“Stop calling me Hundred-man commander all the time. I’m nearly ten years older than you; just call me Brother Wei,” Wei Quan said with a smile.

“Brother Wei,” Zhao Feng immediately called out with a smile.

“Eh,” Wei Quan accepted it with peace of mind.

He then leaned in and sat down next to Zhao Feng.

“Since I’ve accepted the title of ‘brother,’ and in light of you saving my life, I’ll teach you a few things.”

“Do you want to hear them?” Wei Quan looked serious.

“Brother Wei, tell me. I’m listening,” Zhao Feng nodded immediately.

“I saw that sword strike today.”

“To kill Bao Qiu accurately from ten zhang away... you’ve got some serious skills, kid.”

“With your ability, you’re better than those elite soldiers.”

“You were hiding your strength during training in the recruit camp, weren’t you? Otherwise, how would you have ended up in the logistics corps?” Wei Quan said, looking as if he had seen right through Zhao Feng.

“Haha.”

“I had no choice; I didn’t want to die in battle.”

“Logistics soldiers don’t have to face the front lines; they don’t have to risk their lives. I came to the right place.” Zhao Feng neither admitted nor denied it.

Back in the recruit camp, Zhao Feng had indeed hidden his strength. If he had performed too well, he would have been assigned to the main combat battalion as an elite soldier. So, during training, if he needed to use ten percent of his strength, he only used five, successfully remaining in the logistics corps.

“Kid Zhao.”

“As someone who has been oppressed by power, I want to tell you one thing...”

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(End of chapter)