Night was dark as ink. Three hundred Xiangyong Army soldiers stood quietly on a drill ground somewhere in Xia Family Village, the glow of torches reflected on every tense face. Zha Zhongping stood on a high platform, his steel helmet gleaming coldly in the firelight. His gaze swept over the crowd, and his voice was low yet sharp as a blade: "Do you still remember the oaths you swore when you put on this uniform?"
"We remember!" the Xiangyong Army shouted in unison. "We are the sons of workers and peasants, who volunteered to join the Xiangyong Army. We bear the glory of soldiers, and I swear:"
"To love our hometown, to love our people; to abide by discipline, to obey orders; to defend our hometown, to defend our people; to fear no sacrifice, to forge ahead! To serve the people heart and soul!"
Chapter 138