Chapter 85: Looking Up at the Sky (III)

Spears flew through the air as Li Kuo thrusted and parried left and right, his movements both fierce and powerful!
“Great! Excellent!”
Seeing Li Kuo wield the long spear so skillfully, Ba Weier couldn’t help but applaud. Yet before his applause faded, he felt the blindingly sharp tip of the spear aiming at him. Shocked, Ba Weier forgot to dodge.
He instinctively closed his eyes, but the expected pain never came—the spear tip stopped just an inch from his throat.
“But, Commander, why?”
Ba Weier stared at Li Kuo in confusion. In his eyes, this Tang general was the kindest commander he knew. He had patiently taught him the essentials of using a spear and taken time after morning drills and dinners to practice with him. Could such a person suddenly turn against him?
“Never trust others completely. In life, one can only trust oneself.”
Li Kuo’s tone was cold. With today’s experience, Ba Weier would surely not trust others so easily again.
“Remember, you are a soldier. Your best friends are the weapons in your hands.”
Li Kuo put away his spear and sighed. “Enough. It’s almost dawn. Go and do your exercises quickly. If you’re late, the instructor will scold you again.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Ba Weier replied repeatedly, filled with gratitude toward the young man.
“Never trust others completely. In life, one can only trust oneself.”
Indeed, one can only trust oneself in life!…
Although it was still the third hour of the day, the soldiers standing at attention on the training ground kept sweating profusely. Since General Zhang had emphasized the importance of training in leather armor, no one dared to take off their heavy, stuffy armor even though their undershirts were already soaked.
“Stay focused! Hold your arms straight! Are you orphaned—dead father or dead mother? With that gloomy expression, you can’t even hold a simple pole straight. Better go back to your quarters and enjoy comfort. Your family makes plenty of money from spices—why come to the army? War isn’t a game. Even a moment of distraction could cost you your life. Don’t end up harming yourself and everyone else in battle.”

As the instructor of this hundred-man team, Zhang Yanji had gone gray from worry over everyone’s training. Back when they trained in Chang’an, although they did suffer under the strict training of their instructors, they were all determined and dedicated, and it didn’t take long before they became skilled with spears. But now, these brats clearly came to the military camp just to live off others’ labor. Looking at their listless demeanor, there wasn’t a hint of a soldier’s spirit! If they were mere mercenaries from a vassal state, it might have been tolerable, but they had been forced by General Gao into the official ranks of the Anxi Army. Now they were part of the Anxi Army, and such shame would bring disgrace to everyone.

“As the old saying goes, a knife for a year, a staff for a month, but a spear for a lifetime. Though you’re holding just a white wax pole now, every move you practice is the foundation of spear use. Even if not everyone of you will use a spear, the principles remain the same. Use more strength! Hey, you there—don’t slack off! Keep your arm steady and thrust hard! If you don’t kill the enemy, the enemy will kill you!”

Zhang Yanji imitated his former instructor’s style by swinging his whip fiercely, scaring the lazy Hu soldier in front of him.

“Ah!”

“Still daring to shout? What a worthless good-for-nothing!”

Zhang Yanji glared at them fiercely and spat out a thick glob of phlegm. Damn these guys—they were complete scum! With General Gao about to inspect the training results of the new recruits in each unit, how could he present them in such a shabby state? They might be willing to lose face, but Zhang Yanji certainly couldn’t!

Just as he was frustrated, he suddenly noticed Ba Weier in the back of the line. The guy was burly, and even from several rows away, he was easily recognizable. Heh, though this guy wasn’t very smart, he was hardworking. If he gave him some guidance, maybe he could help boost Zhang Yanji’s reputation!

With that thought, Zhang Yanji nodded at Ba Weier: “You, step forward!”

Ba Weier thought Zhang Yanji was calling someone else, so he continued to hold his spear steadily, following the instructions given by Li Kuo. It wasn’t until Zhang Yanji called out impatiently a second time that Ba Weier hurriedly stepped forward under everyone’s gaze.

“General Zhang, did you call me?”

“Mm.”

Zhang Yanji nodded slightly and said, “I heard you have quite a lot of strength?”

“Hehe, General, you’re joking. I used to be a pig butcher—just full of brute strength.”

Ba Weier scratched his head and laughed.

Zhang Yanji frowned upon hearing this. He came from a noble family and despised identity the most. Although he had spent a long time with Li Kuo, which had somewhat diminished his sensitivity to such things, many aspects were deeply ingrained in him and couldn’t be changed just by wishing to do so.
If it had been some other identity, it might have been fine, but he was a pig butcher… That was simply too unsuitable… Zhang Yanji cleared his throat lightly and said, “I plan to make you the standard-bearer of this unit. What do you think?”
“What? You want me to be the standard-bearer?”
Ba Weier’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Zhang Yanji.
It wasn’t surprising that Ba Weier reacted so intensely. Since ancient times, the standard-bearer has been regarded as the soul of an army. An excellent general could often inspire the entire army’s fighting spirit, motivating soldiers to fight bravely. Courage was essential for soldiers, while strategy was crucial for generals. And a commander’s tactics were reflected in the standard flag—used for charging, flanking, converging, and encircling. That small flag encapsulated thousands of years of military history in China; it determined the fate of tens of thousands of soldiers on the battlefield. Thus, the standard-bearer had to be a trusted confidant of the commander, someone completely reliable.
Currently, General Gao was dividing the newly recruited Hu soldiers into groups of a hundred, with each group trained by a commander or higher-ranking officer. But in reality, after training, these soldiers would still return to their respective regiments and battalions and wouldn’t form independent units. So, the role of standard-bearer was more symbolic, representing that the person carrying the flag had the commander’s trust.
Receiving this position meant officially gaining the commander’s recognition and entering his inner circle—its symbolic value far outweighed any practical benefits. But why would the general choose someone like him, a self-taught martial artist who had only started fighting recently?
Moreover, he was a Hu person—why did the general trust him so much?
“Stop talking nonsense! Will you do it or not?”
Zhang Yanji hated delays and was already impatient. He demanded sharply.
“Ah, I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”
Ba Weier was stunned by this sudden good fortune and felt a bit euphoric.
He was an orphan, having lost his parents since childhood. As long as he could remember, he had lived a hard life with a man who made a living by butchering pigs. After that man died of a serious illness, Ba Weier took over his job and continued butchering pigs. Good fortune seemed to have never been his side, but today, how did it happen that he became the standard-bearer of this unit?

“There’s never any fairness in this world. If you want something, you must do your utmost to get it. Children from poor families must work a hundred times harder than those from wealthy families to succeed. Things that others reach for with just a stretch of their hand require hard work and sweat from poor children to obtain. But if you don’t even have the courage to strive, then you’re a complete coward, destined to fail for life.”
These were the words General Li Kuo once said to me, and now they sound so sensible.
Yes, even if I only have a slim chance, I must give it my all!……