Words Strategize for the World

After leaving the prefectural military office, Fang Hao realized it was around evening. So he took Lai Fengwu to the post station to find Niu San.

Niu San was a quiet, reserved person. When Fang Hao and Lai Fengwu arrived at the post station, Niu San was practicing martial arts.

Seeing Niu San practicing with great enthusiasm, Fang Hao stood aside and watched carefully. He found that Niu San's martial arts skills were indeed extraordinary; not only did his punches create a lot of wind, but his fighting style was also awe-inspiring.

When Niu San finished his last move, he shouted "Good!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Niu San froze. When he turned around and saw that it was indeed Fang Hao, he was overjoyed. Niu San immediately rushed over and knelt on one knee, saying, "Young Master, are you alright? I'm so sorry I couldn't find reinforcements to save you quickly enough."

Fang Hao never expected that Niu San was so loyal and felt so guilty for not finding reinforcements.

Fang Hao quickly stepped forward, helped Niu San up, and held his hands, saying, "Niu San, I know you did your best, I don't blame you. From now on, you, Niu San, and Lai Fengwu are my good brothers, Fang Hao's good brothers."

Niu San didn't think much of it until Fang Hao finished speaking. But Niu San felt a surge of excitement. The young master actually called himself his brother!

"Niu San, from now on, you will call me 'Lord' like Feng Wu does, and stop calling me 'Young Master'."

After Fang Hao finished speaking, Lai Fengwu was startled again: Fang Hao? ???

The name has been changed too? My lord has really changed; the changes in just a few hours are indeed enormous.

Seeing Fang Hao's transformation, Lai Fengwu knew in her heart that her lord's future achievements would be even greater.

So he clasped his hands in a bow and said, "Since our lord treats us as brothers, we will certainly live up to your expectations."

As she spoke, Lai Fengwu tugged at Niu San.

Seeing what Lai Fengwu did, and after being pulled by him, Niu San immediately realized what was happening and said, "My lord doesn't look down on Niu San and treats us as brothers. I will definitely repay him with my life."

The two men's expressions of loyalty filled Fang Hao with a sense of pride. Judging from their attitude, it was clear they were genuinely pledged allegiance.

At that moment, besides feeling a surge of pride, he also felt a sense of accomplishment, believing that more people would follow him in the future.

"Great, great, great! With Feng Wu and Niu San's help, this is wonderful!"

Reaching out to help the two up, Fang Hao turned to Niu San and said, "Niu San, from now on you'll be doing great things with me. Your name isn't suitable; how about I change it to Niu Da?"

"Awesome..."

Niu San kept repeating the name Niu Da, and the more he said it, the smoother it sounded.

"Thank you, my lord."

"Haha, good. Tomorrow we'll recruit soldiers and prepare for battle."

After some preparation, night fell. During dinner, there was plenty of wine and meat, and the three of them ate very happily, which could be considered Fang Hao's reward for the two of them's hard work and dedication during this period.

The next morning, Fang Hao led the two men to set up a table, chairs, recruitment notices, and two stone locks in the busiest part of the market.

"Fellow countrymen, as the saying goes, 'The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every citizen.' Now, the hegemonic nation is attacking our country, a time of crisis. The hegemonic nation is trampling on our land, slaughtering our people, and bullying our compatriots. Any man of courage should join the army, fight on the battlefield, and make a name for himself. Now the opportunity has come. With the general's permission, we need to specially recruit two hundred soldiers. As specially recruited soldiers, their treatment will be better than that of those recruited before. If you are selected now, each of you will receive a settlement allowance of 10 taels of silver, and the selected soldiers will also receive an additional 5 taels of silver as compensation."

As soon as Lai Fengwu finished speaking, a crowd gathered around to ask if it was true.

Niu Da, standing to one side, said in a gruff voice, "It's true, absolutely true."

After saying that, he picked up a package beside him and patted it, saying, "Look, this is the silver. This silver is limited because we only need two hundred people, and they must be strong and under 25 years old. If you can lift these two stone locks for 10 breaths, you'll pass the test."

When people saw that there was real money, they immediately crowded around the table to sign up.

"Please don't push, everyone stand in a line and come one at a time."

After lining up, first state your name, then go to the side to test your strength.

With 200 soldiers, the process was quick, but due to the large number of people and the chaotic situation, it was already afternoon when it was finally finished.

All the selected people came according to the requirements, so all 200 of them are in good physical condition.

After everything was settled, Fang Hao took Niu Da to the county government's military affairs office to ask the officials from the previous day for weapons and armor.

"Good, you acted quickly. Here is my written receipt; you can go to the military camp and ask the logistics officer for a replacement. In addition, with this document, you can rest in the military camp."

Fang Hao recruited 200 people, but now that he's dealing with officials, he's got some ideas.

"Sir, how can I obtain an additional 100 sets of weapons and armor?"

The official suddenly stared at Fang Hao, quite surprised.

"Why did you take 100 extra sets? Armor and armor are strictly controlled; what are you up to?"

The official's expression made Fang Hao realize something was wrong, but he quickly recovered. These extra 100 men were also for defending against the Hegemon's attack; what did it matter?

Unbeknownst to him, Fang Hao's thinking was also changing. If it were before, he certainly wouldn't have recruited 200 people, nor would he have thought of asking officials for more equipment, much less that the extra 100 people recruited were for the country's benefit.

Is there absolutely no selfish motive involved? Impossible.

This is change.

Fang Hao composed himself, then, with an upright and righteous expression, said, "The saying goes, 'Be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures.' Though I am not a saint, I have a patriotic heart. Since the invasion of the Hegemon Kingdom, I have been deeply worried. It was precisely for this reason that I abandoned my studies and joined the army with my teacher, Qu Zheng, in the capital, all for the purpose of defeating the Chi Kingdom. Now, as I am recruiting soldiers, many passionate young men are willing to throw themselves into battle and shed their blood for the Chi Kingdom. How could I refuse them? What do you say, sir? That is why I have shamelessly requested a set of military equipment and armor for these soldiers. Is there anything wrong with that? Please, sir, see for yourself."

These words were spoken from the standpoint of serving the country, leaving the other party with no reason to refute them. Furthermore, he explicitly stated that he was a student of the Qu family, a family of high-ranking officials. Clearly, as an official of a prefecture or county, it was a question of whether the other dared to disrespect him.

"this……"

"Sir, although you are in a difficult position, you cannot discourage our enthusiasm to sacrifice ourselves for the country."

As he spoke, Fang Hao quietly handed over a large silver note.

The official took the banknote, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, and then put it in his pocket.

"Alright then. Considering your and your soldiers' patriotism, I'll give you an extra 100 sets, but you must kill as many of the traitorous dogs from the Overlord Kingdom as possible for the sake of the Blazing Kingdom."

"Haha, very well, I will certainly live up to your expectations, sir."

Fang Hao was overjoyed and happy with his own change. He wouldn't have been so shameless in the past. But now that he was going to change, this was the only way.

In addition to recruiting soldiers, he also wanted to buy some warhorses, but he had no way to do so. He had been rewarded with a thousand taels of gold yesterday, and since he was keeping it, he figured it would be useful to buy warhorses eventually.

"Sir, I'd like to buy some warhorses, but I don't know where I can buy them?"

"Warhorses? These are rare items; Taoshan County doesn't sell them. However..."

Seeing the official's expression and hearing this, Fang Hao immediately handed over another large silver note.

After the silver notes were put away, the official said, "We don't have any warhorses for sale. However, there are still some warhorses left in the camp that we can allocate to you, but the number is not large."

"Thank you, sir. I would be extremely grateful if you could allocate the funds to me."

As he spoke, he handed over another silver note.

"Haha, good, good. Seeing your youthful promise, you're sure to achieve something on this expedition. I'll grant you the remaining horses from both generals."

In the era of cold weapons, the importance of horses is self-evident. Therefore, being able to resolve the horse issue so quickly was a pleasant surprise. Holding the certificate, Fang Hao returned to his camp, overjoyed.