Chapter 77. Spring and Autumn, Warring States Period (16) Spring Recruitment Begins

     Ye Mo now knows who Yuan Shui is, he is an independent agent.

     She scanned Wang Wu with her mental power. She behaved very normally, and it was difficult to observe anything with the naked eye, but the emotions she revealed when she spoke were still extremely different from usual.

     Wang Wu’s mind went back to the scene when she returned to the farm.

     Zhang San asked: “What do you mean?”

     “Aren’t Yuan Shui and Zhu Yuan’s missions outside Chuyang City? Yandu is a good choice.” Wang Wu mentioned the two agents who were still in the farm. They have been learning the language and have gained something.

     “But in this case, the identities of Yuan Shui and Zhu Yuan will be exposed. Will Li Jing have a bad impression of us because of our concealment? It will be detrimental to future cooperation.”

     Li Si thought for a while: “It is not difficult for Li Jing to guess our identity. She has high IQ and EQ. She will not rashly break the cooperation plan with us because of this matter. But now that it is exposed, it may reduce her impression of us. It is better to let He Shisi go, Zhu Yuan joins the female corps to replace her to assist Sun Ba, and Yuan Shui follows He Shisi as an excellent reserve.”

     “…”

     “Okay, let’s do it!”

…

     Wang Wu should have returned home immediately, but unexpectedly, a sensational escaped slave incident occurred that night.

     There are 2,642 people left out of the 3,000 reserve forces, 355 died, and 3 escaped.

     Yes, 3 escaped.

     Among the 3 escaped people, there is 1 agent.

     Zhang San’s original plan was for 12 agents to join the army, and the remaining 3 agents would take advantage of the chaos to leave Chuyang City after the spring recruitment and before Chuyang City was besieged to find new tasks and trigger new skills.

     Before, these 3 agents spent their time secretly learning languages other than Chu except for working in the fields. They have discovered that some of the serfs were serfs in the war, and they knew more than just Chu language.

     Who knew that plans could not keep up with changes. 

     Now one agent stayed to replace He Shisi, one agent left the city with He Shisi, and only one agent was left unknown. Now, this last agent has decided his own future.

     Taking advantage of the chaos among the reserves, he’s chosen to become a runaway slave.

……

     Being a farmer is too hard and tiring. The heavy work is basically more than 12 hours a day. At first, they disliked the breakfast and dinner meals that were worse than pig food, but later they couldn’t even eat the pig food.

     Under this high-intensity schedule, the reservists began to split in different ways and directions.

     Except for the 15 agents, the remaining reservists are sweet-talkers who coax some honest locals to teach or work for them; some use their family advantages to discuss how to change to easier jobs; some are really sick or pretend to be sick, some use their brains to change the environment with intelligence…

     There are also those who risk their lives to escape. The leader is a reservist who knows the history of Wuqi. It doesn’t matter if they die early or late. If they continue like this, they will definitely die of exhaustion.

     In addition, several people have achieved breakthroughs in their spirit, strength, agility, and physical attributes while working in the fields. They also discovered the magic of the survivor app, which added a lot of confidence.

     Due to the lessons of the first night, the plan of this small group is very careful and secretive. When they saw that the farm was a little chaotic due to the spring recruitment, they felt that this was the only opportunity.

     Scout He Shisi was the first to discover this expanding small group. The agents reminded them implicitly not to mess around, but the effect was not good.

     Zhang San and his companions entered the dungeon and received the order from the Bureau of Investigation of Unnatural Events that safety comes first and mission comes second. They cannot forget the mission and fail the country’s expectations just because of a small group.

     The night before yesterday, more than 300 reservists killed five peasant soldiers and fled from the farm, running to the mountain southeast of the farm. They had inquired in advance that there was a way out on the other side of the mountain.

     The mountains near the West Suburb Farm are twice as short and many times less than the ranch. The wild wolves, wild boars, tigers, etc. on the mountain have been cleared by the peasant soldiers of the manor to prevent them from going down the mountain and ruining the crops.

     But they still miscalculated.

     Even if the beasts were cleared to protect the crops, the danger of the mountains in the primeval forest was beyond their imagination. Only one agent had a good understanding of such an environment.

     After knowing the situation, this agent felt that this was also an opportunity, so he chose to take the opportunity to go out of Chuyang City to inquire, bid farewell to the other 14 agents, and headed for a dangerous unknown road.

     Those who escaped were killed, died, or captured. Until yesterday noon, the numbers on the system APP showed that only three of the escaped people were still alive, but no one knew what their future fate would be.

     However, the peasant soldiers did not find the three serfs, which basically means that they have escaped successfully and are heading towards a completely unknown road. The outside world is very dangerous. You should know that one of the survivors who escaped from Chuyang City before has died. I hope they can survive.

     The bloody lessons of the small group scared the reservists for the second time.

     Several people committed suicide or asked for death. One group of people just wanted to live in peace for 60 days. It didn’t matter if they worked in the fields or had two meals a day. All their hopes were after 60 days.

     Another group of people began to consider other possibilities, such as joining the army, such as signing up for female private soldiers for training. It was these things that made Wang Wu return to the mansion two days later, and the people who went to Yandu were finally selected.

…

     The memories ended here. One agent had left Chuyang City, and three agents including He Shisi had left Chuyang City.

      With so many accidents, it’s no wonder that Wang Wu’s mood is a little off, but she really hides it well.

     Ye Mo raised her eyebrows and said nothing, helping them to complete the plan.

     First, two guards of civilian origin were sent to spend a day and a night to temporarily teach He Shisi and Zhu Yuan the wisdom of surviving in the Spring and Autumn, Warring States Period at the farm. It would be best if He Shisi disguised herself as a man.

     The more realistic the disguised women are, the better. Fortunately, the serfs are not delicate and tender. He Shisi has learned professional courses on camouflage voice in modern times.

     Ye Mo also prepared gold, copper coins, rations, weapons, pills, etc. for He Shisi and Zhu Yuan. She learned in advance that a medium-sized civilian caravan of silk and cloth would pass through Yandu from Chuyang City in the near future, and paid them to follow the caravan to avoid other accidents on the road.

     This preparation couldn’t be more thorough.

……

     On the 19th day of the Chen month according to the traditional Chinese calendar, with clear skies, it is an extremely auspicious day suitable for various auspicious activities. Today also marks the annual spring recruitment day in Chuyang City

     It is just dawn, and the streets and alleys of Chuyang City have begun to bustle, as if celebrating a festival.

     Families with young men or young adults enlisting in the army would wake up very early. The father or mother would personally send them to the horse field in the western suburbs and hand over the birth date (in Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches) of the young men or young adults to the junior official at the horse field.

     “Spring: Jia and Yi, East, Wood; Summer: Bing and Ding, South, Fire; Autumn: Geng and Xin, West, Metal; Winter: Ren and Gui, North, Water; Wu and Ji, Center, Four Seasons, Earth.“^[1]The Chinese zodiac system classifies years into five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) corresponding to the five directions and seasons

     The alchemist can preliminarily deduce the five elements of each person’s root bone according to their birth time. This method has a 40% accuracy rate, which is 10% higher than the accuracy rate of divination.

     The fortune teller of later generations is a profession derived from the skills of the alchemist. The heavenly stems and earthly branches here are very different from the birth date of later generations. After all, the calendar calculation method is different, and the days are also different.

     The alchemist cannot see through all the birth dates. Divination of good and bad luck is not necessarily correct, and fortune-telling of fate is even more a fantasy. The fate of a person is most related to the soul, and the soul is almost unpredictable.

     When there are people with particularly excellent birth time in the army, the alchemist will record these names. If this person does not pass the spring recruitment test, he will be combined with the spring recruitment performance to determine whether to give him another chance and conduct in-depth talent tests.

     There are one or two such lucky people every year, not many.

     Watching their sons, husbands or brothers enter the horse farm, some turned around and left, and more people stopped where they were, looking for an open space to stand or squat and wait. Here, they can see a small part of the horse farm from a distance.

     This is already outside the scope of the horse farm, and the waiting people are all civilians in Chuyang City. The soldiers did not stop them. Maybe when they joined the army, their parents also waited outside like this.

     Unlike free civilians, the serfs and horse slaves who signed up for the army came to the horse farm in an organized and orderly manner under the leadership of the manor manager and the farmers, including the farm where the special forces team was located.

     It was just that the accident of the escaped slaves the night before made the farm screen the soldiers who signed up for the army in advance, which was also the first problem faced by the reservists who chose to join the army.

     The spiritual energy factor in the air of this world is relatively weak compared to the ancient times, but it is still rich compared to the later generations. The spiritual energy is conducive to the growth of all things. Therefore, the physical fitness of ordinary people here is higher than that of modern people.

     However, the long-term overwork of the serfs will damage their lifespan and physical fitness, and their physical fitness is also lower than that of ordinary people in this world. Basically, the civilian slave soldiers recruited every year will simply adjust their bodies first, which is also a small reason why the serfs want to be soldiers.

     The physical data of the reservists are simulated with modern bodies. For healthy people like agents, it is not so difficult for them to beat the serfs, but to get a high ranking in the spring recruitment, they have to try their best.

     The remaining people are sub-healthy or physically weak. They must break through at least one or two points of strength or agility attributes within a limited time, otherwise they will not be able to pass the farm work.

     However, modern people are smart, and some people secretly bribe or take other routes. There are successes and failures. There is indeed more than one fair and upright way to success.

     In short, due to various reasons, Zhang San and his team only had 451 reserve soldiers present, about one-fifth of the total number of men.

     During the waiting process, the reserve soldiers strictly abided by various etiquette regulations. After two bloody lessons, they not only understood the cruelty of this copy world, but also tried to figure out how to survive.

     The farm manager handed in all the birth dates of the serfs. Like the physical data, the heavenly stems and earthly branches of the reserve soldiers’ birth dates were 80% to 95% the same as their modern birth dates.

     After taking the list, a Taoist priest took a quick look and showed surprise on his face. He discussed a few words with the Taoist priest next to him. The two looked at the list again, and the first Taoist priest said “good” to the uneasy farm manager.

     According to the information obtained so far, Zhang San speculated that the second round of system testing was more humane than the first round. Among the more than 3,000 reserve personnel entering this dungeon, some people should be suitable for this dungeon.

     It depends on whether they can seize the opportunity.

…

     Many people gathered on both sides of Yangcheng Street. When the Mohist disciples led by Meng Sheng passed by, they caused cheers. It can be seen that the Mohist School has a high status in the hearts of the common people.

     Wang Xue, who had been in seclusion for many days, finally had the first opportunity to go out for a walk because of her excellent performance in piano music. She traveled with other young Mohist disciples and looked at the world curiously all the way.

     After a while, the lady finally set out.

     Ye Mo’s car was no longer the same as the last one, but a carriage without a screen. There were two fewer maids in the car and two more loyal guards. Archers stood on the left and spearmen stood on the right. A hundred guards led by Gong Ziyi guarded the car.

     A red dress has almost become Mi Wenjing’s symbol, but the style of her dress today is a little different from before, and her hairstyle is even simpler, but she has a domineering aura that is rare among women.

     The people knelt down to pay their respects, and only began to discuss the red-dressed noble lady in a low voice after the carriage went away.

     “The young lady’s dress is so beautiful.”

     “The young lady seemed to smile at us just now.”

     “I heard that the young lady joined Momen, so amazing. I want to join Momen like the young lady when I grow up.”

     “The young lady is a very filial and kind person. Miaomiao, if you want to join Momen, you need to learn from the young lady’s character.”

…

     Perhaps because someone in this world has manipulated public opinion, perhaps because of Mi Wenjing’s status as a noble lady, or perhaps because the average education level of the people is low and few people think seriously, in a few days, Ye Mo’s reputation among the people of Chuyang City has been rising, and she has become a model among noble ladies.

…

     The carriage entered the horse farm.

     From officials to guards to those who signed up for the army, they all knelt or saluted.

     Such a scene makes the reserve soldier standing in the crowd feel the most impressed. They are basically envious, but only a few of them will turn this envy into a goal and motivation to keep moving forward.

     While saluting, Wang Xue playfully blinked her right eye.

     After getting off the car, Ye Mo first performed a master-disciple salute to Meng Sheng. Meng Sheng would not be polite to his disciples and accepted it directly.

     The master and disciple were very happy.

     When the officials witnessed this scene, they confirmed the truth of the rumors. Many people abandoned their efforts to persuade the young lady to conform to the strict etiquette of a noblewoman of Zhou Li. Some people also felt desperate about the future of Chuyang City.

     “Stand up.”

     “Thank you, young lady.”

     Ye Mo invited Meng Sheng to sit in the upper seat on the left with the courtesy of a disciple. After he sat down, she sat in the deputy seat on the right. The remaining officials sat down one after another, and the remaining 60,000 guards, civilians, and slaves could only stand.