Reborn as a Cube Man in the Late Ming Dynasty

Dang Shousu said, "We need to discuss this matter. We will give you an answer tomorrow at 9:00 AM here."

The man didn't press too hard, and said loudly, "Alright, everyone, think it through."

After he finished speaking, he left with his men.

Dang Shousu and more than 60 others settled down in a mountain gully.

They set up a tent, built a small fire, placed two iron pots on the stove, and cooked two full pots of brown rice porridge. They sprinkled some pickled vegetables on top and tore off small pieces of dried chicken to put into the porridge.

Everyone took wooden bowls and shared them, one bowl for each person. The two pots of porridge were emptied in no time. Even the rice grains stuck to the rim of the pots and the rice water left at the bottom were wiped clean with the flatbreads they had brought.

Dang Shousu held the porridge, not in a hurry to eat, but took out a small cloth bag from his pocket and carefully sprinkled some white sugar into his bowl.

He held his chopsticks, swirling them in the bowl: "I think it's okay to go."

Liu Er tossed dry flatbread into the porridge bowl without stopping, asking, "We're impersonating Li's men. If we really join the Yansui Army, Wu Zimian will check the roster and our true identities will be exposed immediately."

Dang Shousu put down his chopsticks, blew on the rim of his bowl, and sipped his porridge in a circular motion: "You're right, but it was Wu Zimian who called us back."

"What do you mean?" a Nirvana soldier asked vaguely, half a biscuit dangling from his mouth.

"If it were anyone else, I really wouldn't dare go." Dang Shousu drank his porridge, hesitated several times, and then added some sugar. "But Wu Zimian is different. Think about it, why did he specifically choose this time to contact us?"

"Ultimately, no matter how greedy he is, he's still afraid of being held accountable by the imperial court."

"Too many of his men have already deserted; if this is reported any further, he himself won't be able to cover it up. What he needs right now is military merit, even if it's just hastily acquired, at least it can at least offset some of the blame."

Liu Er scooped out the softened piece of pancake and stuffed it into his mouth: "But what if he finds out we're not Commander Li's men, but imposters?"

Dang Shousu said calmly, "So what? He wants military merit, not necessarily to kill us."

He lowered his voice: "Besides, can't you see how rotten this court is?"

Wu Zimian embezzled military pay, received salaries without working, and even sold many horses along the way, causing all this trouble. Yet he's still doing well, isn't he? Although trouble was bound to come sooner or later, the fact that he's been able to keep it a secret for so long speaks volumes.

"If he can suppress something like this, do you think he'd actually expose it just because our roster doesn't match?"

Dang Shousu shrugged: "As long as we can actually lead men to kill the Jurchens, he'll have earned merit. As for whether we're actually under Commander Li's command, as long as everyone pretends not to know, then no one will know."

"Of course, most importantly, Young Master Bai will have an extra pair of eyes."

"How many soldiers and how many muskets and cannons are in each region... which generals are capable, which generals are at odds with whom—these are things that no one would tell us on a voluntary basis in normal times."

"Once you join the army, you'll gradually see all of this clearly."

He looked at Liu Er, waiting for him to make a decision.

The Nirvana soldiers lowered their heads, eating rice porridge and flatbread in silence.

Liu Er lowered his head and pondered.

Having infiltrated the Yansui Army, there was always a risk of being exposed.

But once they succeed, they also gain a lot.

If it were Brother Zhiming, Wuzhen, Wei Shi, and the others, what would they do?

After a long while, Liu Er finished the rice porridge in his bowl. He took a deep breath and said firmly, "It's definitely worth it. Let's go and give it a try."

One of the Nirvana soldiers said with a helpless smile, "We were originally serving as border troops in Guyuan, but I never thought that after all this time, we would have to go back."

The other person nodded and said, "That's true. But if we infiltrate, we can at least hear some rumors beforehand if anything seems amiss."

"Good thing! When we joined the Nirvana Army, we were prepared to die at the cost of our lives. If we are discovered, the worst that can happen is that we die."

One soldier muttered, "It doesn't matter if I die. The sooner I die, the sooner I can go back to Licheng. I kind of miss it there."

"What do you miss?"

"Roast chicken!"

The soldier said matter-of-factly, "I haven't had it in so long, I've almost forgotten what roast chicken from Licheng tastes like."

The crowd burst into laughter.

Yes, if they lose the bet, the entire squad will die, that's all.

Once the agreement was reached, they packed up the pots and pans and went into their tents to rest.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, everyone rushed to the agreed location.

The trusted confidant was already waiting there.

Upon seeing Dang Shousu and his group from afar, Na Qinxin felt a jolt in his heart.

That's it!

He rode forward a few steps to meet them: "You are all punctual. Come, follow me, I'll take you back to camp first."

The confidant didn't care that Liu Er and the others each had two horses.

He figured it was normal for these people to have a few stolen warhorses since they dared to chase and kill the Jurchens outside.

Dang Shousu asked, "Where is the camp?"

"Jizhou".

The confidant casually said, "Currently, all the troops sent to defend the emperor are being transferred eastward. We will temporarily stay in the Jizhou area and await orders from above."

The group followed the trusted confidant on their journey.

Along the way, one could see small groups of soldiers coming to the aid of the emperor.

As the sun began to set, a long stretch of camps appeared in the distance, with banners erected outside the camp gates and several soldiers standing guard on both sides with swords at their sides.

The confidant dismounted, took out his waist token, and handed it over.

The guard took it, inspected it, and then clasped his hands in a fist and let it pass.

"Go in."

The group then entered the camp.

Dang Shousu calmly surveyed his surroundings.

Some of the Nirvana soldiers had complex expressions.

That familiar feeling is back!

Not long after they walked, an officer in armor came to greet them.

The confidant cupped his hands and said, "Commander Zhao, these are the people I mentioned earlier."

Commander Zhao nodded, his gaze lingering on the herd of horses for a moment, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"Who's in charge?"

Dang Shousu stepped forward: "I am Dang Shousu, greetings, Your Excellency."

Commander Zhao ran his fingertips over the pages of the register and said calmly, "All the defeated soldiers returning to camp must be checked against the roster on the spot to verify their origins. Report the names and hometowns of the men under your command, and verify them one by one."

The air tightened slightly after he finished speaking.

"Can."

Dang Shousu remained unfazed, showing not a trace of guilt.

"There's just one thing I'd like to ask you about first."

"Since General Wu sent people to find us, should we re-incorporate these sixty-odd men into General Li's old unit, or should we be reorganized as newly recruited remnants?"

"If we're verifying based on the old register, we should contact Battalion Commander Li for confirmation. Where is Battalion Commander Li?"

Commander Zhao was taken aback.

Where is Li Chengshan now?

They've all run away! Where is he supposed to find them?

Commander Zhao glanced at the roster in his hand, his expression turning somewhat grim.

This is troublesome.

If no one knows where they've gone, how can he verify it?

We can't determine whether these people are real or fake based on an old book. These people were personally brought back by General Wu.

Of course, he could also ask his fellow officers, such as centurions, captains, garrison commanders, or colleagues, to identify him.

But wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?

After a moment of silence, Commander Zhao looked up and said, "Commander Li's whereabouts are currently unknown."

Dang Shousu showed no surprise: "Then this roster will probably be difficult to verify."

Commander Zhao realized that this matter was beyond his control.

If we investigate, but Commander Li himself is not here, there is no way to verify; if we don't investigate, the identities of these people in front of us are indeed questionable. It was Commander Wu who took the initiative to send people to find them.

Forget it, it was Wu Zimian who found them, just don't let it get to me!

General Zhao rubbed his temples and closed the roster in his hand.

"I can't make the decision on this matter. You all wait here while I go and consult General Wu."

Dang Shousu cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your trouble, Commander."