Chapter 21: The Ceremony (Part 2)

“Present weapons to the most outstanding individuals!”
To everyone’s surprise, the first group to receive weapons were eleven wounded soldiers who were supporting each other. In this attack on Haiyang City, there had been six deaths and fifteen injuries; these eleven were all lightly wounded and could now walk with each other’s help, though four still couldn’t get up. Their once-pale faces now showed a hint of color. In most armies of that era, wounded soldiers were simply abandoned, but now they received the highest honors. Since they could barely hold a rifle, Liu Yu didn’t formally hand over weapons but instead solemnly gave them two removed gun mechanisms. The gun mechanism is the most crucial part of a pistol or rifle—only with it can the weapon function properly for loading, firing, and ejecting shells. Without it, a rifle or pistol is nothing but scrap metal.
“These were taken from Ji Ge’s two guns. Things are tough right now, so we have to make do for now!” Liu Yu repeated his promise: “Everyone will get a gun.” He didn’t know where he got so many new weapons, but the wounded soldiers had absolute trust in him. They carefully took the mechanisms, which seemed like scrap metal, and bowed to Liu Yu: “From now on, we’ll serve the commander for life. We’ll be part of the Liu Regiment in life and as ghosts after death. If we break our promise, may heaven strike us with lightning!”
Now came the main part. The first to receive a weapon was Sima Tai from the external faction. He handed his Spencer to Jiang Ningxue, who then passed it back to Liu Yu. Sima Tai solemnly swore, “From now on, we’ll serve the commander for life. We’ll be part of the Liu Regiment in life and as ghosts after death. If I break my promise, may a red knife pierce my heart!” He meant it sincerely; he truly believed such a life was wonderful.
The next was Liu Haohao. All previous guns were taken back and redistributed. Whether they were veterans of the Liu Regiment or newcomers, everyone solemnly received a better or identical foreign-style gun—some with breechloading, some with muzzleloading. No matter what type of rifle it was, they all swore an oath.
“If I go back on my word, my sons will be born without buttocks!”
“If I fail the Liu Regiment, may heaven send iron nails to kill me.”
For the people of that era in China, superstition about ghosts and gods was stronger than lofty ideals, and they would never dare break their promises lightly. Under the rising sun, this temporary group, originally united by self-interest, now became a new, unified force through these oaths.
“Zhang Biao…”
Hearing his name, Zhang Biao rushed back. Liu Yu, smiling in the sunlight, took away his single-shot gun and handed him a top-quality Spencer: “Make do for now.” Imagining the good days when he’d carry many guns, Zhang Biao said excitedly, “We’ll serve the commander to death. If the commander treats us well, we’ll treat him well, the Liu Regiment well, and our own consciences well! If I fail the Liu Regiment, may I wear a green hat for life.”

“Good!” Such oaths of allegiance once again drew rounds of applause. Everyone felt satisfied, though in reality it was impossible for everyone to be content. After all, only ninety-one breechloaders were available for distribution among the members of Liu’s camp, yet there were 252 people who needed them. Moreover, Liu Yu and Jiang Ningxue alone had four guns, making it impossible to distribute them fairly. As the saying goes, it’s not the lack but the uneven distribution that causes problems. This excellent distribution plan ensured that at least everyone could get a weapon slightly better than what they already had, so everyone felt they hadn’t lost out. Besides, Liu Yu promised, “A new batch of breechloaders will arrive soon.” Currently, the older members of Liu’s camp had about sixty breechloaders, while the newcomers had only one-third as many—a huge disparity. Yet in Lian Jincheng’s eyes, everyone ignored this unfairness. “Not bad!” Lian Jincheng commented indifferently. “They really know how to invest.” Each breechloader came with seventy bullets, enough for a major battle, or even a whole year of use if one were to roam the martial world—Liu Yu didn’t provide more bullets simply because seventy was already a heavy load. Or rather, although Liu Yu gave only one-third of the breechloaders to the newcomers, he still handed them the guns outright, not restricting them at the critical point of ammunition. If they wanted to leave Liu’s camp, they could just take the guns with them. Most of those who didn’t get a gun continued to hope for the next batch. Lian Jincheng even thought maliciously, “If they knew our boss can only bring in twenty more breechloaders, would there be a mutiny?” Everyone was excited, chatting among themselves about their weapons. Yet the group remained in neat formation. Just as Lian Jincheng was lost in his thoughts, Liu Yu gave a loud order. “Everyone, fire one shot into the sky! To bid farewell to the martyrs!” To honor the dead. The living must create an even brighter tomorrow. Over 200 rifles fired at once! The sound of gunfire was like thunder; emotions surged like the sea. Individual groups and individuals began to merge into the vast sea of Liu’s camp. Next came the change of guard. The members of Liu’s camp, now armed with new guns, went to various key positions to take over, with a gun-handover ceremony held for each person. But this time it was much simpler—no need for Lian Jincheng to oversee it, and Boss Deng also joined in. The two whispered about business matters, watching the soldiers who had received new guns take oaths. Boss Deng couldn’t help but say, “This Commander Liu is truly someone capable of achieving great things…” As he spoke, his sharp eyes noticed something: “That’s not right!” Lian Jincheng hadn’t noticed anything yet, but three people were already rushing over. Now he had to admit that in some aspects, Deng Cunyu was far stronger than him. It was Sima Tai, Liu Suiyun, and Jiang Linyang, who were in charge of inventory checking. Liu Yu stopped the gun-handover ceremony and asked them, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem with the inventory? I’ll go settle accounts with Fan Fushu!”