Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Destiny Dominates Husband Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Destiny Dominates Husband The two men took their seats, and Yang Minghao offered tea while Yang Zhenshan and Zhao Yuan made small talk.
“Actually, there’s something I’ve been very curious about?”
“What is it?”
“Has General Zhou never been married?”
This question had been weighing on Yang Zhenshan’s heart for quite a while, the gossip-fueled fire nearly bursting from the top of his head.
Unfortunately, he really did not know who to discuss this matter with, so he had kept it to himself all this time. Today, with a chance to have a casual chat with Zhao Yuan, he couldn’t resist asking.
Hearing this question, Zhao Yuan’s body jolted, and he quickly looked around in all directions to make sure there was nobody else in the study. Only then did he let out a sigh of relief.
“Mr. Zhengshan, this matter must not be discussed carelessly in front of others.”
Seeing his intensity, Yang Zhenshan quickly nodded in understanding.
“General Zhou has never been married, but she has been engaged twice!”
Zhao Yuan let out a long sigh and continued, “General Zhou is also a person with a difficult fate. Both betrothals ended with her fiancés dying before the wedding.”
“It is widely rumored in the Capital City that General Zhou is a jinx to her husbands, and this matter has become a taboo in the Duke Mansion. Mr. Zhengshan, be sure not to mention this in front of General Zhou!”
Jinx!
Yang Zhenshan was stunned.
He had considered some possibilities, such as Zhou Lan being a widow, or that she was already married with her family residing in the Capital City.
But he had never imagined that Zhou Lan might be a jinx to her husbands.
Naturally, he did not believe in such superstitious sayings; it was just that Zhou Lan was unfortunate to have met two short-lived fiancés.
“So that’s how it is!”
For a moment, Yang Zhenshan did not know what to say, and could only show a look of sudden realization, avoiding the continuation of this topic.
“Mr. Zhao, our garrison’s stock of military provisions is running very low, and we need your help to sort this matter out!” Yang Zhenshan clumsily changed the subject.
Zhao Yuan waved his hand nonchalantly and said, “Old Li mentioned it to me yesterday, and I have already ordered the preparations. If everything goes well, they should arrive by tomorrow!”
“In addition, now that you are Camp Soldiers, you will also receive a salary. Tomorrow, I will bring you three months’ salary in advance.”
The mention of salary made Yang Zhenshan’s eyes light up.
Furthermore, they were not only not defaulting but also paying three months’ salary in advance.
“Do we have ample soldiers’ pay?”
Zhao Yuan curled his lips and said, “It’s not that we have ample salary, but the Left Camp’s salary is well provided!”
“With General Zhou here, nobody in Chongshan Town dares to embezzle the Left Camp’s salary!”
Yang Zhenshan’s eyes sparkled even brighter.
The importance of backing the right superior.
He was no longer the newbie who had just arrived at Chongshan Pass.
The nature of the soldiers and officers in Chongshan Pass was now crystal clear to him.
Theft of pay and provision by military officers was rather common, and it was often a collective crime, with officials high and low colluding with each other.
Not to mention officers exploiting the soldiers unfettered, skimming off military salaries, encroaching on garrison lands, ordering arbitrary labor, and treating the soldiers as personal servants, enslaving them at will.
It was only because Linguan Castle was newly established and the surrounding farmland was barren and infertile that these things did not fall upon Yang Zhenshan’s head.
Of course, this was also because Zhou Lan supported Yang Zhenshan, which deterred some petty villains from running amok in Linguan Castle.
Therefore, backing Zhou Lan was undoubtedly the most correct choice for Yang Zhenshan at present.
…
Zhao Yuan left, and the next day, ten carts of provisions were delivered to Linguan Castle, along with three months’ worth of their salary.
This included not only the soldiers’ pay but also that of Yang Zhenshan and his group.
Receiving a salary for the first time, Yang Zhenshan was very happy.
He had been at Chongshan Pass for nearly two months and finally saw his earnings returned.
Of course, the happiest were not him, but Yang Mingwu and his group of young men.
After all, Yang Zhenshan had some family wealth and did not lack this bit of salary, but it was different for these youngsters. They came from poor families and followed Yang Zhenshan to Chongshan Pass with the hope of advancing their careers and fortunes.
Although they’d been well-fed and warmly clothed over the past month, they had not received any income and were becoming somewhat anxious.
After all, they had families back home waiting for their support.
Though he was happy about his salary, what pleased Yang Zhenshan even more was the Kui Niu Skill that Zhou Lan had given him.
In the early morning, on an open ground outside the garrison.
Under the morning light, the tip of the spear was like a dragon, stirring up muffled sounds of thunder as it moved, condensing streaks of glinting Jin Qi.
The Jin Qi twined around the tip of the spear, surging out like a spirit snake emerging from its hole, carrying immense power and seemingly capable of tearing apart anything in its way.
Suddenly, Yang Zhenshan leaped up, crossing a distance of ten feet in mid-air, then with a tap of his toes on the outer wall of the garrison, he sprung up another dozen feet, his spear slicing through the air with a thunderous roar as the flashing silver light pierced straight towards the rising sun.
As the light from his spear receded, Yang Zhenshan landed firmly on the ground; he looked at the Gold-plated Flying Fish Spear in his hand with shining eyes and a slight smirk on his lips, feeling the vigorous Jin Qi within his body.
At this moment, Yang Zhenshan felt a sense of boundless pride with his spear in hand.
Having reached the Acquired Realm in his cultivation, and with the boost from the Kui Niu Skill, his strength had improved by leaps and bounds.
However, all of this was due to his physique far surpassing that of his peers.
Long-term consumption of Spiritual Spring Water had endowed him with recovery, explosive, and endurance abilities far beyond those of his peers, even his speed, reaction, and all the senses were superior.
The enhancement to his physique from the Spiritual Spring Water was comprehensive, and both realm and cultivation techniques were built on top of one’s physical condition; meaning the stronger the physique, the greater the enhancement to one’s strength by the realm and cultivation techniques.
Of course, Spiritual Spring Water is not an unparalleled existence in this world; there are many Treasure Medicines and all sorts of rare natural treasures.
Those from noble families and prestigious clans had resources far exceeding those of lowborn martial artists.
Take the Kui Niu Skill as an example; in Yang Zhenshan’s eyes, it was an exceptional Cultivation Technique, but to Zhou Lan, it was just an ordinary one.
Perhaps Zhou Lan had casually copied it from Duke Ning Mansion, or maybe she had acquired it unintentionally.
Since she gave the Kui Niu Skill to Yang Zhenshan so effortlessly, it showed that she didn’t place much value on it.
After feeling the power of the Kui Niu Skill once more, Yang Zhenshan turned around and returned to the garrison.
…
In the fifteenth year of peace, on May fifteenth, at the training ground in front of Linguan Castle’s government office.
“Form up, form up!”
“No talking!”
Yang Mingwu stood in front of the ranks, shouting loudly.
Yang Zhenshan sat on a chair, with shiny pieces of silver on the table before him, while Old Li beside him grinned from ear to ear as he ground the ink.
The distribution of salary!
The entire sky above Linguan Castle was filled with an atmosphere of joy.
“Li Dazhu!”
“Present!”
A man with an honest face stepped forward, eyes unable to hide his anticipation as he looked towards Yang Zhenshan.
Yang Zhenshan stood up, handed him the prepared silver, and said, “Today you’ve received your salary, but soon you’ll have to fight on the battlefield. Are you ready?”
“Responding to your excellency, I am ready!” Li Dazhu shouted loudly.
Yang Zhenshan patted his shoulder and said, “I’m looking forward to your performance!”
“Song Sanshi!”
“Present!”
…
Yang Zhenshan distributed salary to each soldier, saying a word or two to each.
He wanted every soldier to know who had given them their salary, and also wanted them to understand that by taking this salary, they would soon have to risk their lives on the battlefield.
The soldiers receiving the salary were visibly joyful, immensely grateful to Yang Zhenshan. The military households secretly watching were also elated.
Now they were not afraid of going to the battlefield; they were afraid of hunger and poverty.
They hadn’t forgotten those days of fleeing for their lives, always in a state of anxiety, hungry and cold, unable to sleep, constantly at risk of slaughter by the Northern barbarians.
Compared to that time, their current lives were more stable and affluent.
Even better than the life they had before fleeing.
After the salaries were distributed, the soldiers’ enthusiasm for training increased even more.
And the training shifted from basic to actual combat training, including night-time drills, live combat, patrols and inspections, and everything else Yang Zhenshan could think of was arranged for them.
At the same time, Yang Zhenshan had Yang Minghao record the details of the training process.
He wanted to summarize a complete strategy of military training so that if he had the opportunity to train troops on a larger scale in the future, he could use this as a reference.