The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

"Wait a minute!" The young woman wiped away her tears, turned around quickly and ran into the house, soon coming out with a dark-colored flatbread.

"I heard it takes two days to get to Linqing from here, so take some food with you for the journey!"

"Forget it! Let's leave it for the children! I'll just grab something to eat on the way!" Zhang Tieniu quickly pressed his wife's hand down.

"There's still some sorghum at home, don't worry! It's such a long journey, how can we go without some dry food!" The young woman stuffed the flatbread into Zhang Tieniu's hand. Then she took off a silver ring from her hand and handed it to him.

"Even if you're poor, you can travel wisely! Take this ring; it might come in handy in a pinch!"

"My wife, you..." Zhang Tieniu felt a tightness in his throat. This silver ring was his wife's only valuable dowry, and she hadn't sold it despite all the hardships over the years.

"Go ahead! The children and I will be waiting for you at home!" The young woman straightened her husband's clothes.

Tie Niu carefully put the ring into his pocket, nodded heavily, and turned to leave.

. . . . . .

Today was the first day of recruitment, and Shen Lian got up very early. He led his men to the open space outside the city gate, where a large crowd had already gathered.

Not far away, dozens of large cauldrons were steaming, and a fragrant aroma wafted over. The men watching couldn't help but swallow hard! If it weren't for the soldiers standing nearby with knives and guns, some of them might have already stepped forward to ask for some.

"My lord!" Ye Zhennan and the others stepped forward and bowed when they saw Shen Lian arrive!

"Hmm! How are the preparations going?" Shen Lian nodded.

"Everything is ready, and we can start anytime!"

"Registration begins!" came a loud shout from a high place.

"Line up! Line up properly! Anyone who cuts in line, I'll whip them to death!" Several soldiers with whips began to organize the ranks. In no time, ten crooked rows of people were lined up.

Each line was marked with a line drawn in lime, and two steps away was a table. A man who looked like a schoolteacher would be sitting at the back, pen and ink already prepared.

"First one, step forward and sign up!" a soldier standing next to the man shouted.

The first person in each line quickly stepped forward and stood in front of the table.

"Name?" the man asked kindly.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, it's Chen San!" the man in his early twenties replied cautiously.

"Place of origin?" Seeing that the other party did not answer, the gentleman raised his head, glanced at the burly man, and smiled slightly.

"Where do you live?"

“Xintai County, Shajiao Village!” The man nodded and wrote it down.

"age?"

"Eighteen years old!"

"Can you read?" Chen San shook his head.

"Do you have any special skills?" The man asked, glancing at the man who was clearly a farmer.

"I learned a little carpentry from my father! Does that count?" The teacher nodded and wrote the word "carpenter" in the blank space. I couldn't help but sigh at how convenient the form the adults had given us was; you just had to fill it in according to the place, and if it didn't exist, you just crossed it out.

"Guarantee the book!"

Chen San hurriedly and carefully took out a document from his pocket and handed it over. The man glanced at it, nodded, wrote a number on it, set it aside, then took out a bamboo plaque with a number already written on it, wrote the name "Chen San" in the blank space, and handed the plaque to Chen San.

"Go over there, next!" a soldier shouted. Chen San bowed, gripped the bamboo token in his hand, and hurriedly walked to the side.

A fence stood there, and behind it, soldiers took the bamboo plaque and gave Chen San a quick physical examination. It was basically just checking if his hands and feet were intact, and if his eyes and ears were okay.

The soldier picked up the sign, ticked it somewhere, and then handed it back to Chen San.

"Go over there, you can get breakfast if you're hungry! You should thank Lord Shen, it's free. The competition starts in one hour!"

"Thank you, sir!" Chen San bowed and scraped as he accepted the bamboo token and ran towards the steaming area. The aroma of steamed buns and porridge had already made his stomach rumble with hunger.

Those who had already registered rushed over here.

"You'll have a competition later. Each person can only take one steamed bun and one bowl of porridge. No one can take more than that! Line up properly and don't make a mess," the soldier standing guard shouted.

Upon arriving here, they saw that everything was orderly. The men dared not act recklessly, and lined up to receive a steamed bun, then picked up a wooden bowl and took a large spoonful of thick porridge.

The men found a spot, squatted down, and began to eat heartily. Although there were no side dishes, they all ate with great relish.

"Brother Tie Niu, these steamed buns are so fragrant and soft. The porridge is so thick and delicious. I haven't had such a good meal in a long time. I wish I could eat like this every day!" Shi Tou took a sip of the porridge and then took a bite of the steamed bun. He closed his eyes happily.

Zhang Tieniu was in the same boat, not to mention Shi Tou, an orphan with only a grandmother. He himself rarely ate such steamed buns, perhaps only a few times a year. He had intended to bring them back for the child, but he was simply too hungry.

He and Shi Tou were able to get here these past two days only because of that vegetable pancake. He wouldn't be willing to go back like this if he got too hungry and weak to compete.

Thinking of this, Tie Niu picked up the steamed bun and took a big bite. After swallowing the bun, he could almost hear his stomach growling happily, so he quickly buried his head and drank a mouthful of porridge.

"Hmm! Not bad!" Shen Lian walked along the way, and everything was in good order, without any chaos.

"It's all thanks to the adults' good arrangements. I've seen many recruitments of soldiers, but I've never seen one so well-organized," Ye Zhennan praised, stroking his beard.

"Especially the food over there, it must consume at least dozens of dan of grain every day! The adults are truly kind-hearted."

"Hey! A few dozen loads of grain are only worth a few dozen taels of silver. The villagers have come all this way, what's wrong with me providing them with a meal? If they're well-fed, they can perform better, and I can select better soldiers." Shen Lian smiled and waved his hand.

"Come on, the competition over there is about to start. Let's go take a look!"

A large crowd had already gathered, and a soldier was shouting, "Two hundred people per group! When I say 'start,' run! Run all the way to the South Gate and back—a total of five li (approximately 2.5 kilometers). I'm not afraid to tell you, only the top thirty will be selected. Get ready and do your best!"

Soon, the first batch of two hundred people were selected, and they all looked nervously at the soldier who gave the order.

"Ready! Go!" The soldier who gave the order waved his flag sharply, and the group rushed out. Two mounted instructors immediately followed.

Stone had herded sheep for the landlord since he was a child, which gave him exceptionally strong legs. Despite his thin appearance, he was incredibly fast, known throughout the village as the fastest runner. Today, after eating steamed buns and thick porridge, he ran like the wind, quickly leaving everyone far behind.