The camp changed after the rescue.
Guards treated him with indifference instead of suspicion. Overseers barked less when he walked past. And most importantly, the sergeant now relied on him for structural planning.
This newfound position provided three things:
1. Access to more areas of the camp
2. Authority to move a few laborers at will
3. Reduced scrutiny on his comrades
He used every advantage meticulously.
Where overseers saw a "skilled slave," he saw cracks in their system.
Where guards saw "useful labor," he saw opportunities for placement and planning.
One afternoon, while examining the ramp where the collapse had occurred, he overheard two guards discussing troop movement.
"Frontier unrest… Xiongnu pushing the border again."
"Officials say we might need to send laborers to reinforce the northern front."
"Better in the battlefield than here."
"Better for Qin, you mean. Not for the slaves."
He froze.
A shiver went up his spine.
War.
If laborers were sent to the frontier, chaos would erupt—and through chaos came opportunity.
That night, he gathered Zhang, Hu, and the others in the outcrop. Even the child listened.
"War is coming," he said quietly. "Qin may need manpower everywhere. That means inspectors, relocation, and conscription."
Zhang's eyes glinted. "Conscription… commander, soldiers can earn ranks. Even slaves can become warriors if they prove their worth."
"True," he replied. "But conscription also means separation. We might be sent to different forts."
Zhang frowned. "So what is the plan?"
He inhaled deeply.
"We need more men."
Hu looked worried. "Recruiting is risky…"
"Yes," he said. "But staying weak is even riskier."
He explained the next step: discreetly identifying strong-willed laborers who could be trusted. Men who had nothing to lose. Men who wanted to survive.
They selected two.
A scarred middle-aged man named Chen, who never bowed when beaten.
And a quiet youth named Ming, who moved silently like a shadow.
Both were brought to the outcrop one night. Both listened to him speak of survival, unity, and eventual escape.
And both accepted.
Now their cell was six.
Small.
Hidden.
But growing.
The system rewarded their expansion.
[Unit Count: 6]
[Basic Formation: Unlocked]
[Morale Boost: +2]
Training began at night.
Short, quiet drills.
Zhang leading spear stance.
He teaching timing and formation steps.
They moved like the beginning of an army.
But the camp wasn't blind forever.
One night, as they practiced in the shadows, the child who had been watching them suddenly tensed.
"Someone's coming!"
They froze.
Torches flickered across the far end of the camp.
Two guards were walking an unusual route.
He signaled.
Everyone melted into the shadows.
The guards paused near the broken granary.
"Strange… thought I heard something."
"Probably a rat."
"Yeah… but check anyway."
His heart hammered.
If they found the new hiding spots…
If they found any one of the six gathered together…
Then everything would collapse.
Zhang's hand drifted to the makeshift spear they had hidden.
Not yet, he thought. Fighting now would doom them.
Instead, he whispered, "Scatter at my signal."
The torches grew closer.
Now.
In complete silence, each of them slipped away into the dark—one toward the latrine area, one toward the ramp, two toward the sleeping grounds, and he himself lay flat in the dirt, blending with the shadows beneath an overturned cart.
The guards walked past the cart, muttering.
"Nothing here."
"Yeah… maybe we're too paranoid."
They left.
Minutes passed before he let himself breathe.
When they regrouped later, Zhang exhaled shakily. "We need better cover."
Hu nodded. "And more caution."
But he wasn't discouraged.
Because he saw something else now.
Not fear in the faces of his men.
But determination.
The embers of rebellion had begun to burn.
---