Chapter 91
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It’s said that Wei Yuanhuan’s martial arts skills were quite decent, each move executed with precision. However, he faced Mo Jiang, who practiced military boxing fiercely and ruthlessly. Moreover, Mo Jiang was determined to make Wei Yuanhuan suffer, so every move targeted his weakest points.
Blows landed heavily, each strike aiming for a vital spot. Wei Yuanhuan was forced to step back repeatedly.
Before long, Wei Yuanhuan found himself unable to defend against Mo Jiang’s attacks. With a swift move, Mo Jiang threw him over his shoulder, then pinned him down, rendering him immobile. Mo Jiang withdrew his fist from Wei Yuanhuan’s face and smirked, “Do you give up?”
Wei Yuanhuan felt as if his bones had been shattered, his head spinning as he spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, howling, “Despicable and shameless, all your moves are lowly tactics.”
Wei Yuanhuan had never encountered such a rogue style of fighting before. Strikes to the throat, kicks to the groin—these were unconventional techniques he had never seen. In short, Mo Jiang used whatever means necessary to attack wherever he could. How could this be considered the proper fighting style for a soldier? It was no different from the methods used by street thugs and ruffians.
Mo Jiang was both amused and annoyed, releasing him and standing up. “Remember, in warfare, there’s no need for gentlemanly conduct when it comes to defeating the enemy. As long as you can win, who cares whether you’re acting like a gentleman or a scoundrel? When facing the enemy, oftentimes it only takes one fatal move. If you can’t overcome your opponent, you’ll only end up being beaten, or worse, lose your life.”
Mo Jiang’s words made sense, and Wei Yuanhuan couldn’t help but admit it, even though it challenged his beliefs. Slowly, he got up and sat down, feeling pain all over his body. He cursed silently in his heart but couldn’t find words to refute Mo Jiang.
“As for your question, once you can beat me, then I’ll answer your doubts,” Mo Jiang said cheerfully, thoroughly satisfied with his victory. He patted Wei Yuanhuan’s shoulder with a friendly smile.
With that pat, whether intentional or not, it happened to hit Wei Yuanhuan’s sore spot. Grimacing in pain, Wei Yuanhuan gritted his teeth and endured it. He had learned his lesson this time.
“Good! Let’s settle it another day,” Wei Yuanhuan said defiantly. “I refuse to believe I can’t beat you.”
“No need to wait for another day,” Mo Jiang pondered. “Tomorrow, let the stationed garrison troops compete with us guards. If any of you can win, you’ll no longer train with the recruits but with us guards instead.”
Wei Yuanhuan’s eyes lit up. “Is this for real?”
They had come to the guard camp primarily to enhance their combat skills. What’s the point of training with the recruits if they could train with the experienced guards instead? If what Commander Mo said was true, then this might be a golden opportunity.
Mo Jiang nodded. If these little rookies could win a round, then he wouldn’t need to be the commander of the guard forces anymore.
With the plan settled, Wei Yuanhuan limped out, determined to spread the news to everyone. He refused to believe that these people, considered among the best in the stationed troops, couldn’t win a single match.
The next morning, the training ground was packed with people, veterans and newcomers alike, all present and ready.
Wei Yuanhuan, still feeling the effects of Mo Jiang’s punishment from yesterday, was now being supported by two people. When he left the tent yesterday, he could still manage to move around, but as the night wore on, he felt worse. Although there were no visible injuries on his body, every bone and muscle ached, making it impossible to sleep.
Early this morning, knowing the importance of the appointment, he had to see the situation for himself. He had someone help him over. His face was burning with embarrassment; this was the first time he had been beaten like this. Thankfully, Mo Jiang had held back a bit; otherwise, he might have been bedridden for weeks.
The rules of the contest were simple: a small circle was drawn on the ground, and soldiers from the stationed troops could challenge anyone from the guard forces. If someone was knocked out of the circle, they lost.
The training ground was bustling with excitement as the new recruits eagerly prepared to witness the spectacle.
Wei Yuanhuan, unable to participate, sat on a chair on the sidelines. Seeing the bruises and marks on his face, no one dared to speak up. According to him, he had been injured accidentally while sparring with Commander Mo. If Cimmander Mo could do this much damage during a friendly match, what would happen if he really went all out? They realized they would have to tread carefully around the commander in the future.
From nearby, Commander Mo looked over with a cool gaze, causing Wei Yuanhuan to feel a sudden pang in his heart, intensifying the pain from his injuries. Thinking about how ruthless he had been towards him, Wei Yuanhuan couldn’t summon the strength to retaliate or even meet his gaze.
With the rules of the contest laid out, Mo Jiang simply declared “begin,” allowing them to freely engage.
The members of the Guard Battalion were eager and hopeful, stretching their necks and waiting, hoping to be chosen for the match. Zhou Dadan was practically jumping out of his skin, almost shouting out to be picked.
The soldiers from the Garrison weren’t fools either. They knew how to pick their battles. Boss Wei had instructed them that winning just one match would exempt them from daily drills and standing in formation. Instead, they could join the Guard Battalion for obstacle training or wilderness survival trainings, which was exhilarating just to think about.
Didn’t Great General Wei already say it? He wants them to learn the skills of the Guard Battalion well. What good can come out of training all day with those new recruits?
So, to win the competition, they didn’t care much about that. They tried to pick opponents who seemed a bit weaker in stature. Zhou Dadan was big and sturdy, clearly not an easy opponent to deal with, so they filtered him out for safety.
Even Li Man ended up being pulled into a match because of his shorter stature, which infuriated Zhou Dadan. He was tempted to curse. Why were these people so blind? They just wouldn’t pick him as their opponent.
The competition had begun, and one by one, the soldiers of the garrison were defeated. They never imagined that the Guard Battalion would have such strong capabilities. Back when they first arrived and had mock battles with the garrison, they easily defeated the Guard Battalion. But now? How long had it been? Their strength had increased to this extent?
They remembered hearing about the Battle of Xiqi Mountain, where the Guard Battalion’s five hundred men held off the enemy cavalry’s first wave of attacks. This gave the waiting Jingwei Imperial Guard the opportunity to break through the enemy’s weak flanks from both sides.
When they first heard about it, they thought it was an exaggeration. How could 1,500 men triumph over 7,000 or 8,000 barbarian cavalry? It seemed impossible, and they probably benefited from the reinforcements of the Red Robe Army that arrived later.
Many rumors suggested that the Guard Battalion actually had no real abilities and just stole the credit from the Red Robe Army to save face for Wang Ye. After all, the strength was there for all to see. It would be more believable if it was said that the 5,000 Red Robe Army soldiers repelled the enemy.
But now, it was clear that things weren’t as they seemed. These Guard Battalion soldiers were fierce and ruthless, leaving the garrison soldiers beaten and bruised on the ground.
If anyone dared to say that the Guard Battalion soldiers lacked skill, they would be the first to step up and refute it. After a few rounds, they could easily knock them down. If that wasn’t skill, then what was?
Some began to realize that perhaps it was precisely because of the Battle of Xiqi Mountain that the Guard Battalion deserved recognition for playing a crucial and decisive role. That’s why Great General Wei sent them here, to learn from the Guard Battalion soldiers.
Watching from the sidelines, Wei Yuanhuan’s face grew increasingly grim. These people, touted as the elite of the garrison, couldn’t even match a single one of their opponents from the Guard Battalion. It was simply outrageous.
He glanced over at Mo Jiang nearby, but saw that he wasn’t paying any attention to the matches on the training ground. Instead, he remained calm and composed, chatting amiably with those around him as if he had already been certain that their people would win.
Wei Yuanhuan felt a pang in his heart as he observed this. He silently looked away, realizing that he needed to reassess the strength of the Guard Battalion. Seeing is believing; his grandfather was right, there was still much to learn from the Guard Battalion.
As expected, the garrison suffered a complete defeat in the competition, with each one coming down looking disheartened. Wei Yuanhuan looked at his own people, feeling too frustrated to utter a word.
Mo Jiang walked over with a stride, looking at the group of soldiers who had just been arrogant a moment ago with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile. “Now that the competition is over, is there anything else to say?”
No one said a word, and Wei Yuanhuan felt extremely embarrassed. He stiffened his neck and said, “We lost. We accept the outcome of the bet and will follow orders in the future, without the slightest disobedience.”
Mo Jiang was very satisfied. He casually flicked away the nonexistent dust on his sleeve and said, “Very well! Remember, training tomorrow will be doubled.”
These rascals were full of energy and looking for trouble. Doubling the training would likely leave them exhausted, with no energy left for mischief.
Wei Wenhuan gritted his teeth. “Yes! However, in addition to training, I also ask Commander Mo to allow us to observe the real training of the Guard.”
Mo Jiang smiled. “If you have the energy, feel free to go.”
After saying that, he turned to leave but then seemed to remember something. He turned back, tossed a small bottle to Wei Yuanhuan, and said, “This is a healing ointment. Use it first. Otherwise, you might not even be able to get up tomorrow, let alone train.”
Wei Yuanhuan blushed and squeezed the bottle before finally tucking it into his pocket. “Thank you, Commander Mo.” He had never felt so humiliated before. In the end, it was his own lack of skill. Someday, he would surely turn the tables on this person.
Mo Jiang was still satisfied with Wei Yuanhuan’s performance. As he was leaving, he left a piece of advice, “Our Guard brothers all started from basic training. A soldier should be practical. Wanting to run before even learning to crawl is the worst approach. Your training amount is hardly worth mentioning in the eyes of the Guard brothers.”
The Guard soldiers on the field chuckled as they departed. Commander Mo was right. Only through enduring hardship could one reach the top. Weren’t they ridiculed enough in the past? But their Wang Ye had instructed them not to mind, to face their shortcomings, correct them slowly, and progress steadily. Eventually, they would earn respect.
They were somewhat regretful; this bunch of people didn’t take enough of a beating yet, and it was already over. Tsk tsk!
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