Chapter 304: Chapter 187 My Soldier Chapter 304: Chapter 187 My Soldier Absolute speed and precision, Gu Changsheng’s movements were always swift, fierce, and accurate!
Like a drop of dusk from the sky, a blood-red figure swooped into the midst of the people awaiting with bated breath with the speed of a gale sweeping shadows.
Those Elite Guards near the Point General Stage were on high alert, but Gu Changsheng was too fast for them.
Fast! Very fast!
One after another, they felt a chill across their necks and upon looking down, they discovered to their horror that a faint red line, as if scratched by a nail, had already formed without their noticing…
In close quarters combat, only speed is unbreakable.
Even surrounded by enemies several times their number, Gu Changsheng remained fearless. His figure left behind a trail of faint red, leaving several men touching their necks, stunned and immobile as wooden chickens…
Zhou Mu crossed his arms and looked down from his high position at the dynamic little woman in the martial arts training ground, shaking his head indulgently.
He had thought himself incredibly talented, but it was only after meeting her did he realize there were indeed others out there surpassing oneself!
This woman he had taken a fancy to…
How could he not love her?
Just like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, Gu Changsheng roughhoused his own Elite Soldiers, and after half an hour of exertion, sweating profusely, she finally dodged a series of overwhelming attacks to leap aside.
“Is this the result of your two months of training? Did you only grow muscles instead of brains?”
With a boost from a stone below the Point General Stage, Gu Changsheng flipped up onto the platform, straightened her Cloud Brocade Red Luo Dress with her hand, and spoke with an air of cold solemnity.
Hundreds of people below had already bent down on one knee, ready to listen to their lesson.
“You know you cannot win, yet you insist on a head-on confrontation; is this your strategy? That’s just courting death! It is the act of a reckless fool!” Gu Changsheng frowned slightly, waved her hand, and continued, “Sound the Gathering General Bell, call back those on patrol duty, I have something to say.”
“Understood!”
Immediately, a member of the Female Army responded, running swiftly towards the drums and bells set up at the edge of the martial arts training ground, and with hands moving swiftly, the great Gathering General Bell resounded with its unique rhythm.
Three crescendos and three decrescendos, the bell rang urgently, echoing throughout the hundred li of the Mountain Stronghold.
The scattered Elite Guards and patrolling guards heard the bell and rushed back to the martial arts training ground at the first sound.
Zhou Mu looked at the lively young woman before him, his lips curling into a faint smile, offering her a brocade handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
“What are you going to do?”
Gu Changsheng took the brocade handkerchief to wipe her face, handed it back to him, and looked toward the eight hundred people gathering. She spoke calmly and evenly, “Without rules, we cannot form a circle. Since you are my soldiers, you need to know my rules. Obviously, I am just showing off the prestige of the Mountain King, right?”
“You don’t seem like a missy from a noble family specializing in medical skills. Instead, you’re like someone from the ranks, a seasoned veteran of countless battles.”
Zhou Mu looked at the rows of Elite Guards below and couldn’t help but express his thoughts.
He always felt that the woman he fell in love with had unparalleled martial prowess, as well as the roguishness of a soldier, and that cold, solitary pride that was irresistible to him…
All these familiar feelings blended perfectly in her, seemingly natural and not at all discordant.
“Zhou Mu, you’re right. I am someone from the ranks.” Gu Changsheng looked up at the vast expanse of sky tinged red by the sunset, her voice almost a whisper.
On the empty Point General Stage, only this beautiful couple stood shoulder to shoulder.
“Zhou Mu, in my past life, I was born into a military family; my grandfather was a founding veteran of the country. I was a young admiral, and in that life, I was showered with glory. I had power, wealth, and skill all in one, just like you, standing at the pinnacle of the pyramid, looking down upon the masses…”
A trace of loneliness passed through Gu Changsheng’s eyes, her lips curving into a helpless smile as she was enveloped in a sense of world-weariness in a moment.
“Zhou Mu, fate plays with people. Here I am, fallen from the clouds to the dust…”
A hint of moisture emerged in Gu Changsheng’s eyes. She actually missed home, her grandfather, and wearing the familiar military uniform again…
“My love, I will accompany you back to the clouds,” Zhou Mu reassured.
Suddenly her hand was grasped tightly, the warmth from the man beside her instantly reaching the depths of her heart.
Gu Changsheng looked up and returned Zhou Mu’s smile with one as radiant as flowers.
“Yes, even if I fall from the clouds and dissolve into earth, I shall not be crushed to dust. I will climb step by step, trample upon those who scorned, hurt, and harmed me one by one underfoot. Even if I do not become the sovereign ruler of all, I will be the supreme powerhouse whom none dare to bully!”
Gu Changsheng’s voice was neither loud nor soft, her tone light as a feather yet firm as a rock.
Zhou Mu was startled for a moment, pointing to the eight hundred men and women who had assembled, a trace of disagreement in his eyes, “With just these eight hundred people?”
“Yes! With just these eight hundred people!” Gu Changsheng nodded affirmatively.
Zhou Mu chuckled indulgently, shaking his head, “I know you’ve trained them well, but I have achieved legendary accomplishments with the aid of armies of a million soldiers. Even if you train each of these eight hundred to be worth a hundred on their own, they can hardly withstand the pressure of a million-strong army. Changsheng, my love, with such a small number in the face of absolute numerical superiority, you indeed have too few. If you wish to be the supreme powerhouse whom none dare to bully, I can give you ten thousand more…”
Gu Changsheng waved his hand to cut off his unfinished words, “No!”
“The value of soldiers lies in their quality, not their quantity. I have my own methods to forge them into an unbeatable team that no one in this world can rival! If we could peacefully reside in a corner of Liuzhou without any disasters or troubles, that would be fine. Otherwise, I will use them to build an impregnable defense for myself, Gu Changsheng. If anyone comes, they shall be killed, even if it’s a Buddha!”
“Give me one year’s time, just one year. Zhou Mu, after one year, I will show you how resplendent they are after their transformation!” Gu Changsheng’s face lit up with a proud smile, brimming with confidence from the corners of her eyes to her eyebrows.
Zhou Mu indulgently stroked her head and nodded, “Then this prince will calmly await your private army’s training. When the time comes, I can lay down my heavy responsibilities and hide under your wing, content to be a prince who lives off a woman’s wealth.”
“Tsk!” Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but roll her eyes, “You still don’t believe me! You actually dare to joke about your mother, just you wait! Hmph…”
“Reporting to my lord, everyone in the stronghold has assembled. Please give your instructions!”
A lean and strapping man from the front ranks stepped forward a few paces, kneeling on one knee to respectfully ask for commands.
Gu Changsheng lifted her gaze and saw her carefully selected people, standing in straight lines and orderly rows.
“Return to your ranks.” Gu Changsheng waved her hand, her red skirt fluttering as she walked a few steps to the edge of the Point General Stage, her presence majestically towering alone in front of everyone.
“We salute my lord!”
“We salute my lord!”
As she stood still, everyone knelt on one knee in unison, devoutly bowing in salute.
At that moment, another person on the Point General Stage, the imposing Prince Mu, was completely ignored…
In their eyes, there was only one lord, and that was her—Gu Changsheng!
Gu Changsheng’s piercing gaze swept over everyone, yet she did not call for them to rise. Those below the stage, regardless of gender, were all dressed in military attire, full of spirit and ambition.
Felt a chill up their spines as Gu Changsheng’s gaze passed over the kneeling figures.
“Passing my selection and examination does not guarantee you can be my soldiers. To be my soldiers, you must give me all your loyalty, swearing to serve me to death. Can you do that?” Gu Changsheng asked lightly, as she retracted her imposing aura, “Don’t rush to answer just yet, listen to me. Men should have grand aspirations, but I am a woman, dragging along a son and managing my household. All I seek in this chaotic world is a place where I can establish a home. I train soldiers merely as a precaution for unexpected times. If you leave me now, no matter whose camp you join, you will become a fierce general. Following me, you may not have the chance to exercise your military skills. So tell me, are you still willing to give me your loyalty and follow me?”
The people looked at each other with a hint of puzzlement in their faces.
“We swear our loyalty to my lord to the death!”
“If my lord finds peace in a corner of the world, we will serve my lord as maids!”
“If my lord faces danger, we will charge into battle for my lord!”
“We swear our loyalty to my lord to the death!”
The first to speak were the three hundred members of the Female Army. By then, they had already undergone a complete transformation, and in them, Gu Changsheng saw a reflection of herself.
“I reckon even if I’m not good for much, I can still manage to protect and look after a home, right?” Lau Mang scratched his head and looked up strugglingly, “My lord, if guarding isn’t suitable, then being a coachman or gatekeeper is fine too. Just assign me any task you see fit!”
Gu Changsheng looked at the reckless man before her, whom she had once cut her wrist with, and turned to share a smile with Zhou Mu.
“Haha… No way, Lau Mang, you better not take my job. I’m good at driving carts and horses!”
“I think, considering how ugly I look, with a face that could compare to Zhang Fei’s, being a gatekeeper is perfect for me. My lord, you can’t abandon me! Otherwise, I’ll have nowhere to earn my keep!”
“…”
“…”
After a round of laughter and banter, everyone solemnly straightened their faces and bowed to the ground again.
“We swear loyalty to my lord to the death! If we break this oath, may thunder strike us down!”
“We swear loyalty to my lord to the death! If we break this oath, may thunder strike us down!”
Their voices thundered to the skies, startling the birds to fly north.
Gu Changsheng watched those below swearing their loyalty, her lips curving slightly. In ancient times, pledges were taken seriously, especially by warriors, for whom a promise was as precious as a thousand pieces of gold.
“Good! From now on, you are my soldiers!” Gu Changsheng waved her Cloud Brocade Red Sleeve, lifting her arm, “If I can enjoy a peaceful era, I will grant you a lifetime of glory. If I am trapped in a time of chaos, then I will lead you to fight our way out in a bloodbath, making the world dare not bully us!”
“Within the span of one year, I will impart to you all I have learned in my life, teaching you various skills—the use of divine weapons, assassination and ambush, concealment for survival, troop formation, military tactics and strategies, and the medical use of poison… whatever you wish to learn, I will teach you everything!”
The more the crowd listened, the brighter their eyes shone, until they were dumbstruck with amazement.
This was not training soldiers; this was training generals, wasn’t it?
Gu Changsheng once again waved her Cloud Brocade Red Sleeve, and immediately around her, a menacing aura spread, her momentum unstoppable, leaving people awestruck.
“My soldiers, if you do not step into the world, that is the end of it. But if you do, I want you to shake the Four Kingdoms! Be invincible! I want the world to bow down in awe and be unable to catch up to you!”