Chapter 43: Robes and Grace (4)

“I know you don’t believe me!”
Fei Lin cast a disdainful glance at the crowd before thrusting his eight-foot-long spear forward with lightning speed. “The most important things when using a spear are stability, accuracy, and ferocity. You can’t achieve the latter two yet, so for now, just hold your wax rods straight. Don’t be fooled by this guy’s unimpressive appearance—he’s a life-saving treasure on the battlefield.”
After a brief pause, Fei Lin shared without reservation the experience he had gained from half a lifetime of warfare with these new recruits.
“Although our Tang Dynasty is powerful, it’s impossible to equip every infantryman with a long spear. The weapons you use are mostly standard long spears, which are simply spearheads attached to wax rods after some modification. Though less powerful than long spears, they’re lighter and cheaper. If you lose your spear on the battlefield, you can sharpen the wax rod with a sword to use as a weapon—whether it can save your life depends on that.”
After scanning the crowd coldly, Fei Lin finally forced out a less harsh statement.
“To earn respect from others, you must rely on your own skills. From now on, each of you must hold a wax rod for half an hour every day. Those who can’t endure it won’t be allowed to eat.”
With that, Fei Lin picked up his spear and strode away. Halfway there, he sighed, “There’s an old saying in the army: soldiers and weapons are the same. If you rely on family connections, you’re just a useless wax rod—good-looking but useless. To become a true spear, one must endure daily training and shed blood.”
“Huh, this instructor is really imposing.”
Zhang Yanji was both surprised and delighted as he waved his wax rod, drawing a semicircle in the air.
“Fools, nothing but fools. If everyone were as stupid as you, what’s there left to cherish in this world?”
Zhou Wucui stroked the spear shaft, a smirk on his face.
“You, fat idiot. What do you mean?”
Unable to tolerate such mockery, Zhang Yanji retorted immediately.
“Enough, enough. As the team leader, shouldn’t you be more magnanimous and set an example for your comrades?”
Li Kuo clearly had no solution for these two troublemakers and kept shaking his head.
“Comrades, show some spirit! Hold your wax rods straight—don’t embarrass the brigade commander!”
Not wanting to argue further with the fat idiot, Zhang Yanji gritted his teeth and shouted at the soldiers of Team Two.
“Show some spirit! After all, these are soldiers led by a genius—how can we lose to ordinary folks?”
Zhou Wucui twisted his fat waist and shot Zhang Yanji a teasing glance.

It was the height of summer, with the sun scorching intensely. Although it was only the third hour of the day, the soldiers kept sweating profusely. Since Deputy Commander Zhang had emphasized the necessity of training in leather armor, no one dared to take off the heavy, stuffy armor even though their undergarments were already soaked through.

Tu Lao San’s supervision team seemed unwilling to let the new recruits rest for even a moment. They rushed in, wielding whips and shouting insults.

“Snap out of it! Hold the spear straight! Are you orphaned—dead father or dead mother? You look like you’re about to cry. Can’t even hold a simple spear straight? Better go back to your womanizing ways. Otherwise, in battle, you’ll harm yourself and everyone else!”

Tu Lao San’s trusted men, led by Zhu Dayan, swung their whips wildly at a lazy recruit, shouting loudly.

“Ow!”

The recruit cried out in pain.

“Still have the nerve to shout? You worthless good-for-nothing!”

Zhu Dayan whipped him a few more times before satisfying his anger.

Approaching Li Kuo, Zhu Dayan looked down on the young man disdainfully, thinking to himself, “Tou Tou specifically told me to keep an eye on this kid. But aside from being a bit taller and stronger, this whinpy kid doesn’t seem to have any special qualities.”

“Commander Tu says enough with the spear practice. Now it’s time for thrusting drills. See those scarecrows over there? Thrust at them from three steps away, aiming for the center. No running up, no thinking—understood?”

Feeling a bit intimidated, Li Kuo patted his chest to boost his confidence. “What’s so hard about that? Just watch!”

With that, the young man picked up a sharpened white wax rod and ran to the east end of the training ground.

He touched the red line, took a deep breath, and focused all his strength in his waist and abdomen.

“Thrust! If you don’t stab him, he’ll kill you!”

Zhou Wucui’s voice rang in his mind, making his blood boil!

The young man stepped forward with his left foot and thrust hard with both arms—the scarecrow was instantly pierced through!

“The commander is mighty!”

“Great thrust!”

Seeing the deep hole in the scarecrow’s chest, Li Kuo smiled cheerfully, “Flattery won’t help. This is part of regular training. Everyone has to do it—no one can dodge it!”

Tsk tsk, this kid has quite strong arms! Although Zhu Dayan didn’t know how to use a spear, he was known for his brute strength in the army. He thought the kid was just taller than others, but his strength was on par with some veteran soldiers.

Zhu Dayan suddenly realized the young man wasn’t as annoying as Tou Tou had said. But out of pride, he couldn’t praise him too much.

Li Kuo bowed slightly to Zhu Dayan, then turned to order the new recruits, “Do exactly as I did just now. Ten groups per person, five times per group!”
“Understood!”
The new recruits shouted loudly, fearing they might be targeted by the Black Raksha and punished unjustly.
Hmm, this kid has potential. He doesn’t hesitate to train even with me around. He’s also quite clever—such quick-witted leaders are needed at the front of the army. Should I talk to the commander? Is there some misunderstanding?
Patting Li Kuo’s not-so-strong arm, Zhu Dayan said, “Do well, kid. Your brother has faith in you!”
Li Kuo was stunned, not understanding why the Black Raksha, who had been cold to him earlier, suddenly became so generous with praise. By the time he reacted, the Black Raksha had already walked away.
“Stop smiling and get to training. Didn’t you hear what I said? One group splits into five subgroups, each stabbing five times! Once one subgroup finishes, the next takes over, and the previous subgroup moves to the end of the line.”
Seeing the new recruits looking at him with mixed smiles, the young man cleared his throat loudly, trying to sound more authoritative.
“It seems the lord is puzzled by what just happened?”
Dou Qing noticed Li Kuo’s confusion and reminded him at the right time.
“Oh, Brother Dou already noticed.”
Li Kuo scratched the back of his head shyly and spoke softly.
“Brother Dou, what do you think of this?”
Dou Qing glanced around to ensure no one was nearby, then lowered his voice. “Actually, this isn’t strange. In our Hexi Army, there are roughly two factions. One is led by Commander Zhang Shouyu, and the other gathers around General Gao Xiuyan. These two factions fight fiercely for power, even General Geshu Han can’t resolve it. Now that you’ve just joined the Divine Strategy Army, both sides surely want to recruit you. Before they know your stance, do you think either side will be sincere with you?”
Boom—the ideal image of the Hexi Army collapsed in the young man’s mind. He was so foolish to think it was a peaceful haven. Where there are people, there are conflicts—whether it’s the Tang royal family, the civil officials, or even the border governors. He thought the coldness of the military officers and the arrogance of the new recruits were related to that, but the real issue was here. Both sides were waiting for him to take a stance, waiting for his decision. But could a mere brigade commander change the long-standing balance between them?

Seeming to understand what the young man was thinking, Dou Qing smiled and said, “You must be wondering why, among so many military officers, they are particularly interested in you. It’s actually quite simple—you are a Xuanjie Xiaowei personally appointed by the emperor. Although your rank is not high, it represents the emperor’s will. In other words, gaining you means gaining an advantage over our opponents and seizing the initiative in front of General Geshu Han.”

“But aside from the general, aren’t there many other fourth-rank generals in the Hexi army? Why do it have to be these two low-ranking officers who form a faction?”

The young man, puzzled, bowed to Dou Qing humbly, seeking his guidance.

Dou Qing bit his lip tightly and said resentfully, “If military achievements and ranks determined status, then there would be no injustice in the army. Zhang was originally one of General Geshu Han’s personal guards. He was promoted to Zhenwei Feiwei for his many acts of bravery in protecting his commander. Though his rank is low, he represents the general, so even the Xuanwei General can’t ignore him. As for Gao Xiuyan, he has even stronger backing—his distant uncle is the great general Gao Xianzhi, the Protector of Anxi. Even General Geshu Han respects him greatly!”

The young man remained silent. This was completely different from what he had imagined about the Tang army—it was far from the “moral army” described by his grandfather! It turned out that beneath all the prosperity and beauty lay ugly souls. When night fell, shady deals would be made without any regard for the feelings of those harmed. In this world, there was only strength and weakness, no right or wrong. All order was maintained through force.

With a bitter smile, the young man seemed to be talking to himself, “Then what should I do?”

Dou Qing was momentarily stunned but after thinking for a while, shared his opinion with the army commander: “My lord only needs to remain neutral and follow General Geshu Han’s lead. By quietly building his own power, he will surely be able to free himself from others’ control!”

Free from others’ control? Would they give him a chance to break the balance and rise?

A cold wind blew across his cheeks, making the young man feel extremely cold.

Liu Yun had something to say: Actually, I originally didn’t want to see Xiao Qi exposed to reality so early. But if we don’t let him gain more experience now, it might harm him instead. This time in the army is crucial as it serves as the foundation for his future political career.

Inequality exists everywhere, just as Liu Yun said—all order is established through strength. If you don’t want to be oppressed, you must become colder-hearted and stronger. Xiao Qi is growing slowly, and so is Liu Yun. Can the red tickets and collections also grow?