"White Tiger Battalion! All men fall in!"
Though Zhou Fugui had been promoted by Murong Bole to the position of battalion deputy general, he was still in Albugu's Valiant Battalion. Zhou Fugui's troops should not have been called the White Tiger Battalion. However, at this time, Zhou Fugui had nearly three thousand soldiers under his command, more than enough for a full battalion.
At the same time, Zhou Fugui disdained to be ranked below Albugu and no longer wished to be part of the Valiant Battalion. Thus, he named his troops the "White Tiger Battalion."
As for Albugu, he was naturally gloating. Albugu considered the White Tiger Battalion to be, in essence, a suicide squad, the first wave of troops to be sent to attack Guangling Commandery. Therefore, what name Zhou Fugui gave his men was of no consequence to him.
It would be even better if Zhou Fugui named his troops the "Corpse Battalion," that would be marvelous indeed...
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Upon receiving the order, the three thousand soldiers of the White Tiger Battalion, under the shouts of their banner and squad leaders, formed neat rows.
"Ten banner generals, step forward and report!"
Zhou Fugui, clad in gleaming iron armor, sat majestically on his horse and commanded loudly.
"Your subordinate obeys the order!"
The ten banner generals were Dian Meng, Xu Mancang, Suo Dachen, Pan Jianguǐ, Feng Cheng, Gu Gounu, Liu Qingmiao, Liu Changshun, Sun Siming, and a Jie person named Budegude. Among them, Sun Siming was from Zhou Fugui's hometown.
Budegude, a Jie person, was a foreigner who had had a rather rough time. He always liked to associate with Han people. He even participated in the affair of the heretic monk misleading the masses and was saved by Zhou Fugui. Because Budegude was skilled in archery and horsemanship, Zhou Fugui promoted him to be a cavalry banner general.
Budegude was naturally filled with gratitude towards Zhou Fugui.
The ten banner generals stepped forward in unison upon hearing the command and reported their statuses.
"First, sing the military song for me!" After reporting, Zhou Fugui pointed his horsewhip at Dian Meng and the other ten banner generals and said.
Although the rank of battalion deputy general in the Yan army was still far inferior to those like Murong Tengge, it was still a significant position. Zhou Fugui was increasingly becoming like a great general commanding thousands of troops... in other words, he was increasingly exuding an aura of command.
Dian Meng and the other ten banner generals exchanged glances, not understanding what Deputy General Zhou Fugui meant. Budegude was even more bewildered, how could he possibly know the military song of the White Tiger Battalion?
"Do you say there is no clothing? With you, my comrade. When the king leads his army, sharpen my spears and halberds. With you, let us share the same enemy! Do you say there is no clothing? With you, my comrade. When the king leads his army, sharpen my spears and halberds. With you, let us stand together! Do you say there is no clothing? With you, my comrade. When the king leads his army, sharpen my spears and halberds. With you, let us stand together!"
Feng Cheng was the first to obey the order and begin singing. The banner generals then joined him in loudly chanting the White Tiger Battalion's military song, while Budegude simply opened his mouth wide, but remained silent, feigning participation.
As the banner generals sang the military song, the soldiers of the original White Tiger Banner also joined in, their voices growing louder and louder until they resounded across the wilderness.
After finishing the song, "Qin Feng: Wu Yi," Zhou Fugui waved for the generals and soldiers to quiet down and then, pointing at the more than two thousand Han soldiers who had narrowly escaped death, he said loudly, "You are all condemned prisoners!"
"Battalion Commander Zhou speaks the truth..." said a forty-something Han man named Sun Fu, tears in his eyes. "We are indebted to Battalion Commander Zhou for our rescue. Otherwise, we would be just like those brothers..."
"I had the fortune of meeting Battalion Commander Zhou once before. At that time, I saw at a glance that Battalion Commander Zhou was a man of unwavering righteousness!" Qian Liu, the first person Zhou Fugui had rescued, loudly seconded.
You saw a fart, you sycophant, Zhou Fugui thought, shaking his head as he looked at Qian Liu.
"Indeed, indeed! Battalion Commander Zhou is righteous and his spirit shines through the sun and moon!"
"We have escaped peril, but alas, for those brothers who met a tragic end."
"Wuwuwu..."
"......"
As the survivors spoke, some began to weep. Many in the Han army were related to each other.
After Zhou Fugui again waved to silence the clamor, he continued, "Do you think you have escaped peril and danger now? Far from it! You have merely gained a few more days of life, merely prolonging your existence! Greater dangers await you, more untimely deaths! You are all condemned prisoners, and am I not? Are the two hundred valiant soldiers of the original White Tiger Banner not also?"
Zhou Fugui paused, then continued loudly, "Someone wants me dead, but it won't be that easy!"
"Canglang!" With a sound, Zhou Fugui angrily drew his waist saber, pointed it diagonally at the sky, and roared, "If heaven wills my death, I shall destroy heaven! If earth wills my demise, I shall destroy earth! Brothers, let us beg for life with the sabers in our hands! Do you say there is no clothing? With you, my comrade. When the king leads his army, sharpen my spears and halberds, with you, let us share the same enemy! Do you say there is no clothing? With you, my comrade."
"Beg for life! Beg for life! Beg for life!"
"Do you say there is no clothing? With you, my comrade. Do you say there is no clothing? With you, my comrade."
Everyone shouted along with Zhou Fugui, some even shedding tears.
Just as Zhou Fugui said, how difficult it was for them to survive in this world. There were always people who wanted them dead, so they would follow Zhou Fugui and beg for life with their sabers.
From this day on, Zhou Fugui's troops had another alias besides the White Tiger Battalion: the "Begging for Life Army" or the "Begging for Existence Army."
"All banners and squads, lead your troops for training!" Zhou Fugui then ordered loudly.
Zhou Fugui knew in his heart that survival could not depend solely on a few slogans; it required real skill. Though time was short, it was better than nothing.
"Yes, Battalion Commander!" Everyone responded loudly in unison.
Murong Huiying, who had personally escorted the provisions to Zhou Fugui, happened to witness this scene and was shocked.
What kind of person is he? Murong Huiying thought to herself. With just a few words, he had ignited the fighting spirit of the entire army. With just a few words, he had transformed a dispirited and demoralized force into what seemed like a pack of wolves...
.........
"Deputy General Zhou, would you accompany this princess for a walk?"
Murong Huiying rode her horse over and said to Zhou Fugui, who was directing the training of the White Tiger Battalion soldiers.
Murong Huiying had enjoyed reading Han literature since childhood and had learned some principles like "men and women should not touch," but at heart, she was still a child of the grasslands. Grassland children dared to love and hate, and when they encountered someone they admired, they expressed it directly, unlike the subtle and convoluted ways of the Han people.
At this moment, Murong Huiying did not feel any love, let alone affection, for Zhou Fugui. However, she found that conversing with Zhou Fugui always brought a sense of indescribable novelty.
"Oh, at the princess's command, how could this humble officer dare to refuse?" Zhou Fugui nodded upon hearing this, gave a few instructions to his subordinates, and then spurred his horse, following Murong Huiying.
The White Tiger Battalion had just been established, and with the addition of a large number of personnel, the affairs of the camp were numerous and complicated. Zhou Fugui did not wish to spend time strolling, chatting, and joking with this so-called Princess Ziyue. However, at this time, Murong Huiying held many advantages over him, so he had no choice but to comply.
Moreover, Murong Huiying taking Xiaoqing as her maidservant had actually helped Xiaoqing immensely, and by saving Xiaoqing, she had also greatly helped Zhou Fugui. Zhou Fugui was immensely grateful for this.
Besides, Murong Huiying was a peerless beauty. Zhou Fugui thought to himself that accompanying a beautiful woman and admiring her "heroic demeanor" was quite pleasant. It was a pity, however, that she was the daughter of someone who wished him dead...
"Ouch, thump!" Zhou Fugui was lost in thought when his horse suddenly reared. Caught off guard, Zhou Fugui tumbled to the ground.
"Heh heh!" Murong Huiying was startled, and when she turned to see Zhou Fugui's disheveled state, she couldn't help but chuckle, "Deputy General Zhou speaks grandly, yet your horsemanship is so mediocre..."
Nonsense, Zhou Fugui thought as he rubbed his sore backside, cursing inwardly. No matter how good my horsemanship is, how can it compare to yours, having grown up on horseback since childhood?
In front of a princess of the great Yan, the only one who referred to himself as "Old Master" was probably Zhou Fugui, though only in his mind.
The hundred or so warriors of the Fiery Battalion guarding Murong Huiying followed at a distance, trying not to disturb the pair. However, upon seeing Zhou Fugui's clumsy fall, they began to whisper and mock him.
.........
"Giddy up... giddy up... giddy up..."
Zhou Fugui and Murong Huiying arrived at an unknown river. It was winter, but the river had not frozen over; only a thin layer of ice covered its surface, while the water flowed silently beneath.
Sparse snowflakes fell intermittently, leaving the riverbanks half black and half white. Willow trees lined the river, and in the distance, several egrets played and flew over the river, breaking the ice to catch fish.
The scenery, like an ink wash landscape painting, was truly breathtaking.
Murong Huiying, dressed in a dark red leather robe, rode her horse along the riverbank. Her posture was upright, her figure shapely, and her long, raven-black hair flowed behind her. Her agile and heroic bearing was equally captivating.
Zhou Fugui held his reins, standing still and quietly admiring the beauty of the landscape and the person.
Behind Zhou Fugui stood rows of the Fiery Battalion's cavalry, watching either the landscape, Murong Huiying, or Zhou Fugui...
"Deputy General Zhou, why aren't you moving?" Murong Huiying, tired from riding, approached Zhou Fugui on her magnificent steed and asked.
Zhou Fugui shook his head slightly.
Riding around, playing, and digesting their meal? Zhou Fugui was not in the mood for that. Secondly, he did not want to embarrass himself further in front of Murong Huiying. What if he accidentally fell off his horse again... It might be acceptable to embarrass himself in front of Murong Huiying, but if it reached the ears of the White Tiger Battalion soldiers, wouldn't it diminish his authority as a general?
"Deputy General Zhou, do you hate me?" Murong Huiying asked softly when Zhou Fugui remained silent.
"Why should I hate you?" Zhou Fugui replied calmly. "Your father, the Grand Governor, promoted this humble officer to banner general and camp supervisor. This is a debt of recognition and a sentiment of promotion. This humble officer is deeply grateful, so why would I hate you? How would this humble officer dare to resent a princess of the great Yan?"
"It seems you still hate me," Murong Huiying said softly.