When Qin Shilei returned, Zhang Qiang had already gathered the members of both corps.
"I intend to establish a combat legion, the Rock Legion, and am now recruiting members, with preferential admission for existing corps members."
Qin Shilei stood on a high platform, his voice echoing across the entire square.
Following this, Zhang Qiang announced the entry standards, as well as the benefits and rules of the legion.
The external admission standard was Plastic Six-star, while corps members only needed Plastic Five-star. Those with special abilities could have their requirements lowered.
This cultivation requirement could be met by three-quarters of the corps members.
Upon joining the Rock Legion, individuals and their families would receive protection and a minimum living guarantee from the legion.
After joining the Rock Legion, members could use contribution points to exchange for various supplies in the legion's treasury, including crystal cores, ability pearls, and combat skills.
Twenty percent of the profits from the legion's unified operations would go into the legion treasury.
In reality, the rules of the Rock Legion were largely similar to other factions.
Other factions drew either twenty or thirty percent of the profits from group activities.
The only difference was the addition of contribution points, which could be exchanged for items.
Qin Shilei had an excessive number of bronze treasure chests.
Some blue-grade items, or even inferior green-grade items, were of no use to Qin Shilei and his group.
He had also put them up for sale on the trading system, exchanging them for crystal cores.
However, there were at least a thousand blue-grade items and two to three hundred green-grade items in his Qiankun Ring.
These were perfect for incentivizing the legion members at this time.
As soon as Zhang Qiang finished speaking, the crowd below began to whisper and discuss amongst themselves.
Kong Qingshu, standing beside him, also asked with confusion, "Why bother building a new legion from scratch when you could have directly and forcefully absorbed these two corps?"
Qin Shilei chuckled, "Corps have military affiliations, which are not ideal. Re-establishing a combat legion allows them to make a fresh choice, and gives us more options."
Kong Qingshu instantly understood that Qin Shilei aimed to build a force completely independent of military influence.
Qin Shilei turned and asked, "Why aren't you at all opposed to me doing this? It seems like I'm poaching from the military."
Kong Qingshu smiled gently, "The military understood this possibility when they proposed the establishment of civilian corps and won't deliberately suppress such developments."
"The military's aim in establishing civilian corps is to create a citizen army in response to the apocalypse."
"Let me share some inside information: the military is also taking this opportunity to gain control over some civilian corps."
What she didn't say was that she herself was also the leader of a civilian corps.
The corps she led was specifically chosen for its strength, and was currently managed by her trusted subordinate as deputy leader.
"I see," Qin Shilei said, enlightenment dawning on him.
After all, with a General Staff behind them, every move the military made likely had multiple considerations.
Someone asked, "Commander, what will happen to our corps after you establish the Rock Legion?"
Qin Shilei replied, "The bridge is broken now, and the corps cannot cross the river to kill zombies or search for supplies. The purpose of forming the corps no longer exists. Let's just keep the corps name for now."
"Of course, you can continue to exist under the name of the corps, and even conduct group activities in other directions of Hequ District."
The gist of it was that the corps would be nominal, and Qin Shilei would not pay much attention to its affairs.
Another person asked, "If our guild of over a hundred people collectively joins the Rock Legion, can we be organized into a company for group activities?"
Qin Shilei said sternly, "No guild will be allowed to have sub-guilds within it. We won't necessarily disband all of you, but you will be assigned to different combat halls based on your individual strengths."
The person's expression changed, and their heart became entangled.
Many leaders of small guilds or small combat teams below also lowered their heads in deep thought.
Another person asked, "What if my cultivation level hasn't reached the requirement yet? Can the commander make an exception?"
Qin Shilei replied, "Since you were my soldiers before, if you reach the required cultivation level in the future, we will still give you priority admission."
"Now that the bridge is broken, if we join the Rock Legion, how can the commander guarantee that we can obtain supplies and crystal cores for upgrades?"
Someone voiced the question that was on everyone's mind.
Qin Shilei drew his Blood Soul blade and pointed it upwards, stating confidently, "I, the number one person in Nanzhuang City, the one who slayed the Zombie King, will establish the Rock Legion to become the number one combat legion in Nanzhuang City, and in the future, the number one combat legion in the Great Xia Nation."
The people behind him looked at Qin Shilei with dazzled eyes, infected by his boldness, and unconsciously shouted, "Rock Legion, invincible in battle!"
"Rock Legion, invincible in battle!"
"Rock Legion, invincible in battle!"
Zhang Qiang, along with He Kaige's former subordinates, and dozens of others, shouted in unison, exuding considerable momentum.
Qin Shilei raised his hand to stop their shouting, "We will begin recruiting now. Zhang Qiang and He Kaige will be in charge."
The area below immediately became lively, with people discussing whether or not to join the Rock Legion.
"Old Li, are you joining?"
"Of course, I am. If I don't cling to this powerful leader, who else would I cling to?"
"Are you willing to abandon the Wolf Fang Guild you painstakingly built?"
"My little guild with less than a hundred people is hardly worth mentioning. Besides, if you have strong enough abilities, you could become a captain or even a deputy hall master, which is better than being a leader of a small guild, isn't it?"
"Fool, it's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. We were forced to submit to others because of the military. Now is the perfect time to go solo."
"I think you're the fool. Do you really think it's that easy to be a guild leader? What if you run out of food in a few days and everyone leaves, leaving you as a lone commander."
"Hmph, you underestimate me too much. Can't my guild become one of the top ten guilds in Nanzhuang City?"
Everyone had witnessed the prowess of Qin Shilei and An Qian, and had experienced the benefits of sheltering under a large tree, so the vast majority were willing to join the Rock Legion.
Of the remaining 2416 people from the two corps, 607 did not meet the cultivation standard.
Seventy to eighty people had character flaws, over two hundred were unwilling to abandon the forces they had built, and finally, 1489 people joined the Rock Legion.
All the former company commanders, except for one who left with his guild, joined the Rock Legion.
When the Rock Legion rose to prominence, the more than two hundred who had left either fell into hardship or stagnated, their regret beyond measure.
Some even attempted to join the Rock Legion again, only to be informed that they had permanently lost their eligibility.
Qin Shilei temporarily divided the Rock Legion into five halls: Green Wood Hall, Crimson Fire Hall, West Gold Hall, Dark Water Hall, and Internal Affairs Hall.
Zhang Xiaoli was appointed Hall Master of Green Wood Hall, An Qian of Crimson Fire Hall, Zhang Qiang of West Gold Hall, and He Kaige of Dark Water Hall.
Each person's attribute coincidentally matched the attribute of their hall's name.
Zhang Cheng, Liang Xin Hui, and He Yuyao were temporarily appointed as the head and deputy head of the Internal Affairs Hall.
There was still a vacant Yellow Earth Hall, which would later be filled by individuals with significant contributions from within the legion.
The former company commanders largely became current captains, under the jurisdiction of the respective Hall Masters. Those who performed excellently would be promoted to deputy hall masters.