Chapter 2: All white-haired soldiers
The wind and sand eroded Yancheng, making the originally prosperous Yancheng desolate and quiet.

The broken houses, dried-up wells, collapsed buildings, everything Chu Zhongxing saw along the way told him that this was an isolated city on the verge of death.

On the street eroded by wind and sand, a few soldiers guarding the city stood crookedly. Chu Zhongxing looked around and saw only white-haired soldiers.

Lonely city?

White-haired soldier?
Chu Zhongxing felt vaguely uneasy about his situation.

“What is worse than death is being forgotten.”

The scarred old man walking in front said in a lonely voice: "Eighty-three years, guarding the northern border for eighty-three years, there has never been any news from the Imperial Merchants."

"Emperor, have you really forgotten us, the border soldiers guarding the city?"

This was the second time that the old man with scar said this. It was obvious that he was deeply obsessed with this matter.

Yes, he had been stationed at the border for eighty-three years, and the emperor turned a deaf ear to him. If it were Chu Zhongxing, he would have gone back with a knife to question the emperor.

Seeing Chu Zhongxing was silent, the old man with the scar seemed to be afraid of being forgotten by the world. He slowly told the story of Di Shang and Yancheng in an old voice: "Eighty-three years ago, I was ordered by the emperor to lead 30,000 troops to guard thirteen cities in the northern border."

Yancheng was the northern border protectorate of the Shang Dynasty.

Eighty-three years ago, the old man with scar, under the order of the emperor, led an army of 30,000 to Yancheng to guard the northern border.

At that time, the old man with the scar led an army of 30,000 imperial merchants to take charge of thirteen cities in the northern border. He forced all the surrounding barbarians to submit to him, and even the bloodthirsty monsters did not dare to set foot in the northern border.

The reputation of Emperor Shang is known to everyone in the world.

But as time went by, everything changed.

After the barbarians found that they could not capture the thirteen cities in Northern Frontier, they chose to go around and cut off the connection between Northern Frontier and Imperial Merchants, turning Northern Frontier into an isolated island surrounded by the barbarians.

The old man with the scar has been trying to contact the Imperial Merchants for the past eighty-three years, but every time he sent soldiers, they fell into oblivion and no news was ever returned.

Over the past eighty-three years, the barbarians have been gradually encroaching on the thirteen cities in the northern border. Even though the thirty thousand soldiers under the command of the old man with the scar fought to the death and refused to surrender, they still lost twelve cities, leaving only the isolated city of Yancheng.

Of the thirty thousand armored soldiers, only one hundred and forty-two remained.

"Why don't you lead your army to break through and kill Emperor Shang?"

Chu Zhongxing was puzzled. There had been no news from Di Shang for eighty-three years. Di Shang had either given up on the northern border area or had run into problems and was too busy to take care of himself. So why didn't he fight his way out to find the answer?

"Our duty is to guard the northern border. How can we cowardly escape?"

The old man with the scar snorted coldly: "As long as we are not dead and Yancheng is not destroyed, the Northern Frontier will be the territory of our Di Shang."

“Even if there is only one person left among the 30,000 armored soldiers, as long as he is still alive, the Northern Frontier will be the territory of our Imperial Merchants!”

Chu Zhongxing stood in awe.

"The general has guarded the northern border for eighty-three years, and his 30,000 soldiers are all fighting to the death and refusing to surrender. This is truly admirable."

Hearing Chu Zhongxing's flattery, the old man with the scar on his face showed great satisfaction. At his age, he was not afraid of death or losing Yancheng. He was only afraid of being forgotten by the people of Di Shang.

It would be enough for someone in the Imperial Merchants to know that in the northern border of the empire, thousands of miles away, there is a group of soldiers defending the city who will fight to the death and never surrender.

"Young man, are you still willing to stay in this lonely city?"

Walking to the top of the city wall, standing under the Emperor Shang Xuanniao flag and a flag with the word "Guo" written on it, the old man with a scar, Guo Xiaoding, asked Chu Zhongxing. His expression was very complicated. He hoped that Chu Zhongxing would stay and bring some life to this dying city, but he also didn't want Chu Zhongxing to stay here and wait to die.

Do I have a choice?
Chu Zhongxing didn't think that in this fantasy world, he could travel thousands of miles from Yancheng to the so-called Imperial Merchants alone.

Besides, even if a miracle really happened, I had no "legend" in Di Shang and would still be an "illegal household" in Di Shang.

The best solution is to stay in Yancheng and quickly build a [Resurrection Pool].

"An isolated city?" "If the invaders can go there, I can go there too. If we can retake the twelve cities in the northern border, will Yancheng still be an isolated city?"

The air suddenly became quiet, and the next second, the nine soldiers guarding the city wall burst into cheers.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

“Young people are full of energy!”

"Hahaha, we are really old, old!"

"Hahaha, if the enemy can go, I can go too. If we have to die in battle, we'll die on the way to attack the enemy!"

The old man with the scar, Guo Xiaoding, laughed out loud. Beside him, a dozen white-haired soldiers guarding the city laughed too. These smiles brought a little more life to the dead silent Yancheng.

"Young man, since you are willing to stay in Yancheng, then you will be a member of my Zhenbei Army."

Guo Xiaoding introduced the Zhenbei Army: "Eighty-three years ago, I was ordered by the emperor to lead 30,000 armored soldiers to guard the northern border.

Now there are only 142 people left in the Zhenbei Army. In the past 83 years, today is the first time that our Zhenbei Army has expanded its army!"

Guo Xiaoding shouted out the word "expand the army". The joining of Chu Zhongxing marked the first increase in the number of troops in the Zhenbei Army in 83 years.

"Xiao Cheng, go and call all my comrades to my place!"

"Xiao Li, take out my practice wine. I want to drink some with the new recruit today!"

Guo Xiaoding said to the two white-haired old men. The white-haired old man called Xiao Li sniffed and looked greedy: "Old Guo, I have told you many times to take out the farewell wine as soon as possible and distribute it to the comrades, so that they will have no regrets when they set off.

You have to wait until the day the city is captured to drink this rite of passage. What if you don't have time to drink it on that day? Wouldn't that be a waste of gifts?"

"Practice wine, practice wine. How can you drink if you don't practice?"

"If there weren't some new recruits joining today, I wouldn't be willing to take it out."

Guo Xiaoding smiled and kicked old man Xiao Li. With the help of the two old men Xiao Cheng and Xiao Li, they followed Guo Xiaoding to Chu Zhongxing in front of the general's mansion and saw the Zhenbei Army that was still alive in the entire Yancheng.

"Are there any new recruits?"

"Is it the reinforcements from the Imperial Merchants?"

"Stingy old Guo is finally willing to take out the wine for the celebration."

A group of elderly people over 90 years old stretched their necks to look towards the General's Mansion. At this moment, they seemed not to be a group of veterans who had fought for many years and swore to never surrender, but a group of elementary school students who had never seen the world.

"What are you yelling about? What are you yelling about?"

"You look like soldiers?"

Guo Xiaoding scolded the group of old men. He took Chu Zhongxing out of the general's mansion, picked up the appointment letter, and glanced at Chu Zhongxing with his only eye.

"Chu Zhongxing greets the general!"

"Chu Zhongxing, the third son of the Xunyang Chu family, received the order from the emperor"

Listening to Guo Xiaoding's appointment speech, Chu Zhongxing couldn't help but widen his eyes.

When the hell did I become the third son of the Chu family in Xunyang, and when did I receive orders from the emperor?

You are already in your eighties or nineties. Is it okay for you to lie so blatantly?

Chu Zhongxing blinked and looked at Guo Xiaoding. This old man made up an identity for himself when he had a disagreement with someone.

(End of this chapter)