Chapter 112: The Joyful x of x Festival

When the first ray of morning light struck the military banners, the sound of war drums echoed across the revolutionary army's encampment.

Soldiers from various battalions marched out of their tents in full gear. Under the command of their officers, they formed neat lines, preparing for today's grand parade.

Fighting desperately in dire straits and emerging victorious over a formidable enemy had a profound impact on the soldiers. This manifested in several ways, including but not limited to the following: increased self-confidence, trust in their superiors, growing courage, and refined combat skills.

Toward the commander who had led them to victory, they felt deep reverence, admiration, and a strong willingness to follow and obey commands—especially orders concerning promotions and rewards.

In private, many were inquiring about what kind of rewards their contributions would earn them. Rumor had it that the organizational structure would change, with each commander leading three thousand men, and that many more officer positions would open up.

Aside from official ranks, there would be medals akin to the peerage of the Han court, as well as wealth and land. Word was that the land grants would not exceed twenty mu, but those who had distinguished themselves would be given priority in choosing. Another rumor suggested that most people's rewards would be distributed privately by newly appointed military and political officials, and only those with exceptional performance would earn the privilege of being personally appointed and decorated by the general himself during the parade.

Meanwhile, another group—the newly surrendered former Han soldiers who had been dispersed among various units—watched with a mix of apprehension, envy, and anticipation. They had saved their lives, would secure a plot of land, and now had a chance to build a future and achieve greatness. For now, however, all they could do was wait and observe.

Regardless, the moment Wang Luo stepped out of his tent, a thunderous cheer erupted from the entire formation. Wang Luo looked toward them and waved in acknowledgment.

Behind him followed a contingent of over twenty people, all clad in pristine white armor and riding white horses.

These horses had been captured from the Han army's camp. The mount Wang Luo rode was a small mare. Liu An had specially chosen it for her gentle temperament, ensuring that even a relatively clumsy rider would not be thrown off.

A military review was not like directing a battle, where standing on a high vantage point at the rear with flag signals and drumbeats was sufficient. An event like a parade required neat formations, fluttering banners, symbolic attire, and other elements to further reinforce the group's sense of belonging and centripetal force.

He raised his head and glanced at the crowd.

Not only would the captives be affected, but even the contractors would suffer a permanent, inescapable psychological impact.

According to the arrangement, the Wuzhou team was positioned on the right side upon exiting the main camp.

Wang Luo looked toward them. They seemed to have formed two distinctly separate groups. Lin Feirui, who had inexplicably burst into tears yesterday, stood in the front row today acting completely normal. Seeing Wang Luo's gaze turn toward her, she smiled sweetly and bowed in greeting.

Beside her, Red Lightning raised his right hand and gave Wang Luo a rather sloppy military salute. Regardless... certainly some of them would join my new team. Combined with the previous members, the preliminary framework could finally be established.

With a vast amount of equipment produced by forging, supplemented later by exchanging universal points for additional gear, recruiting people would not be difficult. The newly joined members would dilute their sense of superiority and arrogance, while also providing them with an outlet for their vanity and desire to teach.

The pressure brought by the scenario's inherent difficulty combined with psychological satisfaction was basically enough. They would feel content with the assistance provided by the team; compared to other teams, they would feel fortunate. On this foundation, the team could be gradually expanded according to future developments. Who knew how many people existed in this entire realm? In short, it would expand to its absolute limit.

With these thoughts, he rode closer to the Wuzhou contingent. As he approached, he looked at Lin Feirui, recalling her tears from yesterday.

Very interesting. He drew closer to her and gently lifted the beautiful team leader's chin with his finger.

Startled, she lowered her head and stepped back a few steps. Around her, several other members of the Wuzhou team stepped forward, shielding her behind them.

It seemed... somewhat frightened? Very well, then. Although she was more attractive and better suited for such an occasion, lacking cooperation made it quite a buzzkill.

Thus, he urged his horse forward a few paces and extended his hand toward Zhou Suyan standing nearby.

This girl, who despite having received a security guarantee still chose to stand with the Wuzhou people, seemed utterly bewildered. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out; she merely looked at Wang Luo with a gaze mixed with astonishment and inquiry.

It seemed she didn't understand... She really was rather slow. At a moment like this, not having a woman by one's side—wouldn't that be a terrible loss of face? Wang Luo frowned, leaned over from his saddle, and reached his hand out to her.

"Come." She was, after all, his female companion in this scenario; surely there was nothing difficult to grasp about that. Wang Luo called out, then glanced back. A soldier immediately dismounted and cleared his seat.

"Let... let me go up?"

"Yes, come on." Wang Luo grew slightly impatient. "Hurry up! Don't keep so many people waiting!"

Zhou Suyan glanced at Lin Feirui, then looked at her own teammates, and hesitatingly mounted the horse. Wang Luo took her hand, and the two rode side by side.

"I... you... why didn't you tell me earlier... I didn't dress up today..." she whispered in a tiny voice, looking on the verge of tears.

Naturally, it was because he had forgotten beforehand; with so many things to consider, it was simply impossible to manage everything... Only upon coming here and seeing them had it crossed his mind.

Women, much like armor, banners, horses, and formations, were a necessary condition for proving one's strength. "It's fine. Most of the soldiers have seen you anyway."

And so they continued forward. Along the way, the soldiers cheered and began chanting slogans.

"No wealth hoarded, no throne inherited! For country and people, we divide the land and fields!"

As they reached the next battalion, the prepared soldiers shouted the subsequent verses.

"Tilling the earth for the myriad people, all are our brothers! United as one heart, we conquer every strong enemy!"

Majestic and brimming with murderous intent.

Wang Luo looked at his subordinates and waved at them, prompting even louder cheers.

These soldiers had previously understood little of the meaning behind such slogans—and probably still didn't grasp how much hostility these words would provoke among landlords, nobles, and emperors. Yet, at his demand, they chanted them incessantly: they shouted them during battles, during marches, upon victory, before death, in moments of despair, shouting them themselves and hearing others shout them—these slogans would eventually merge into their souls and become a part of their lives.

That ruling class would surely hate them to the bone and resort to countless frantic measures. Excellent. The frenzy and stupidity of the enemies were the best catalysts to drive neutral residents into joining their side. Coupled with the goodwill expressed through land distribution, the intertwining of these two forces would cause the revolutionary army to grow larger and larger like a rolling snowball.

Strengthening his own team, imparting knowledge to them, and cultivating their habit of studying and reflecting during lulls in combat—in the future, once the force expanded, they could serve as officers, thereby fully digesting the power provided by the newly emerged supporters.

In this way, the Han army's greatest advantage could be nullified. The crucial factor now was time; he probably wouldn't be able to stay here much longer.

He felt a subtle pang of lingering affection.