Chapter 1469: Military Law

The large force led by Zhang, although they had set out very early, was forced to march rapidly to make up for time because the distance was so great. He feared that if they arrived too late, he wouldn't even be able to find the bones of that Small Team; if he were lucky, he might still be able to find a few living people.

Therefore, their speed was already several days faster than a normal march. They were originally on a normal march this day, expecting to rest for one night and arrive at the Western Development Group by tomorrow, but they heard a continuous sound of cannons.

Everyone was all too familiar with that sound; there was nothing else that could make that kind of noise except for the bombs of Huaxia. Every Soldier of Huaxia heard it. Although the sound was from a very far place, the area here was relatively open, so the sound could travel very, very far.

Zhang secretly thought that things were bad, but he still confirmed his conjecture with the people around him: "Is that the sound of bombs? It sounds very much like it to me."

"Division Commander, this is indeed the sound of bombs, and they are ringing so densely that it must be a great battle. Moreover, listening to the sound, it should be from the direction of the Western Development Group. Aside from the Western Development Group, there is no other place that has so many bombs. The bombs that Regimental Commander Hun and his men brought were not many, and after such a long time, they have likely been used up already."

Zhang suddenly felt the situation was grave. If the team led by Hun were all killed, it would still be within the range of acceptable losses for Huaxia. Although they were all elite troops and Huaxia had few Soldiers, it would not cause a significant impact on Huaxia after all.

However, the Western Development Group was different. It was a stronghold that Huaxia had spent so much time and energy to build. Such a long and good road was all built for the Western Development Group. If the Western Development Group were captured, it would be a severe blow to Huaxia.

If he could arrive in time and successfully rescue the Western Development Group from its crisis, he would have performed a great service. But if the Western Development Group could not hold out at this time, he should not think about advancing any further in his life; he might even have to suffer severe punishment, and at the very least, he would have to bear the charge of failing to provide support.

Whether for his own future or for Huaxia, Zhang now had to rush to the Western Development Group. He only hoped that the Western Development Group could hold on and would not fall so quickly.

"Pass the order to the whole army! Increase speed! March day and night to reinforce the Western Development Group!"

Once Zhang's order was given, it was passed backward. Everyone received the order; what was originally a fast walk had now become a light jog. Fortunately, everyone's bodies were strong enough and they had received sufficient training, so this jogging march was still bearable.

It was just that the equipment everyone carried was relatively heavy, and they had to march day and night. Whether everyone could persist was an unknown. If they were lightly equipped, it would be fine, but whether they would still have combat capability by then was unknown.

Time soon reached night, and the moon was very bright, but there was still no intention to stop. As a commander, Zhang was running in the lead, so the Soldiers behind naturally could not have any complaints. If Zhang were riding an ox, they might have dissatisfaction in their hearts, but Zhang was running right along with them, and all the officers were the same.

The quality of Huaxia's Soldiers was high enough; they could follow orders, and even if they couldn't hold on, they had to. This was the manifestation of their high combat effectiveness and high execution.

But because they were truly too tired and their energy was almost exhausted, everyone felt weary, and the speed under their feet slowed down a lot.

Zhang's Adjutant was worried and whispered by Zhang's side: "Division Commander, the Soldiers are now reaching their limit. They haven't even eaten dinner yet. At this speed, we can indeed reach Huaxia before the sun rises, that is no problem, but by then, I'm afraid everyone will have no combat capability. The oxen are already almost unable to go on. If the enemy is too strong, I'm afraid we..."

Zhang understood, but he was also anxious in his heart. Seeing that everyone was like this, he took the lead in slowing down: "Fine, notify everyone to camp on the spot, light fires and cook, eat and rest. Before the sun rises, continue the march to maintain combat capability."

Once the order was given, the Soldiers immediately deflated. Some sighed, which was nothing, but some cheered, which was a big problem.

So, before they could sit down, the Adjutant immediately called everyone up again: "Get up, all of you! I can consider your sighing as being tired, but who was that person who shouted? What do you want to do? What, you can't even endure this little bit of hardship?"

The Soldier who had cheered knew he had made a big mistake. He was already prepared to be dragged out for criticism and potentially being discharged from the army upon returning, feeling extreme regret in his heart.

But at this time, Zhang came out to speak. He pressed the Adjutant down: "Enough! I know everyone is exhausted. I have also been running without stopping for a moment. As Soldiers of Huaxia, you have been given enough preferential treatment. You train for moments like this, to repay Huaxia. Do not feel it is hard; this is what you should do!"

"This time, I will spare you and will not pursue who it was. You remember this matter well, and when you fight tomorrow, give it your all! If such a thing happens again next time, it will be treated as disturbing the morale of the army and will be severely punished without leniency!"

"Yes!" The Soldiers all felt relieved in their hearts. Division Commander Zhang was still quite good; otherwise, they would likely have been punished again.

"Everyone sit down, rest in place, arrange for people to take turns standing guard. Once rested, continue the march tomorrow."

Everyone sat down with a rustle, unloaded their equipment, and prepared to find firewood to spend the night. Only one person remained standing. He saluted Zhang: "Report to the Division Commander!"

Zhang turned his head: "What is it?"

"Report to the Division Commander, that shout just now was me. I have realized my mistake. Thank you, Division Commander, for giving me this opportunity. I will definitely not let down your expectations tomorrow, nor will I let down the cultivation of Huaxia. I will kill the enemy well and repay Huaxia!"

The Division Commander smiled with gratification: "Good, daring to acknowledge a mistake counts as having responsibility. Remember what you said, and I will watch your performance tomorrow!"

"Yes!" After the Soldier said this, his heart felt much lighter, and he was very grateful. Huaxia was still the best; if he didn't fight for his life for Huaxia, who else would he fight for?

The Division Commander turned away, walking slowly, and said to his Adjutant: "At times like this, everyone is very exhausted. Appropriate venting can be treated lightly, or just reprimanded verbally like this. Do not shake the morale of the army before the battle."

"But if it is anything else, wanting to truly shake the morale of the army, or wanting to desert in the face of battle, that must be dealt with seriously. Our Huaxia military law must be strict when it should be strict, and like this, when it should be loose, it should be loosened. Do you understand?"

The Adjutant learned his lesson: "Understood, Division Commander. In the future, I will definitely judge and handle things according to the situation."