Chapter Sixteen: The Eve of the Great War

  Half a month later, the Qi Guo escort couldn't wait any longer and followed Shen Luo's suggestion to take a step ahead and reunite in Ninggu County, the first county after leaving the mountain.

  Qin Lei continued to hone his vanguard team at a steady pace, not because he was biased, but because the situation demanded it - the vanguard team was too important.

  The training of the reconnaissance team is interesting and challenging for some people, but it's a source of distress and torment for others. Therefore, Qin Lei stipulated that members can voluntarily withdraw from the team, but once they do, they will not be allowed to regret their decision for life. The other two teams have many people who are eager to experience the novelty of reconnaissance training and learn more from the lord, so they all ask to transfer teams. This is also why no one wants to actively quit the reconnaissance team.

  After a period of daily interactions, the team members have fully accepted this prince 'instructor' who eats and lives with them and knows everything about them, no one pays attention to his age.

  Qin Lei stipulated that only the top 25 of each squadron were eligible to sign up for the Vanguard, undoubtedly elevating the level of the Vanguard. This was Qin Lei's idea, and he planned to build the Vanguard into a special forces unit in the future.

  At a general assembly, he announced this decision in front of nearly three hundred people and also announced that from now on, no matter how many people were under his command, only these three hundred people could call themselves "instructors."

  On the other side, Zhang Jianzhi and Shen Lu were tongue-tied. The emperor's method of buying people's hearts was flawless, rewarding without costing, and could even evoke a sense of honor in these people. From now on, these three hundred would be the most elite among the imperial guards. Zhang and Shen both revered Qin Lei as their idol.

  Fifty qualified people signed up, Qin Lei kicked two team leaders back, then drove the remaining forty-eight people to a mountain, giving them an hour to hide, and told them that if they were not found within half an hour, they could join the scout team.

  An hour later, Qin Lei told the candidates that from now on, they would be implementing a non-fixed quota elimination system. Those who couldn't find anyone this time would all be eliminated and then scattered into the mountains...

  At best, one of the five team members will be eliminated. The scouts were so excited that they wanted to dig three feet underground to find all the radishes, and now they uniformly refer to rookies as radishes.

  The difference between professionals and amateurs soon became apparent. The hunters' team members calmly went up the mountain, using a wooden stick to poke at the top of the trees, and a radish would fall down with a pitiful cry. In the bushes, another radish would jump out with a "ah" sound after being stirred. Throwing several beehives into a cave, they would sneak away with a wicked laugh. Before long, several radishes came running out of the cave with pitiful cries and jumped into the small stream below.

  One by one, the radishes were pulled out. After a chaotic half-hour, eight of them still couldn't be found.

  This means that twenty scouts will be eliminated, and eight new radishes will be added. Among the eight radishes, one named Shen Qing is particularly clever. He digs a hole by the side of the mountain path, covers it with a wooden board, sprinkles some floating soil on top, and then slips in through a narrow opening. People who have played hide-and-seek know that the person being sought will always unconsciously take two steps before starting to look, so Shen Qing uses this habitual thinking to his advantage by hiding at the starting point. As a result, all sixty scouts pass by without discovering him. Shen Qing is also ranked first by Qin Lei in this round.

  The most tragic was a man named Shi Meng. At that time, he was also hiding in the cave, but when the bees rushed over, he curled up in the corner of the wall and bit his teeth without making a sound or rushing out.

  After the test was over, Iron Eagle loudly called for the eight winners to come down the mountain, but one of them was missing. When everyone searched and found Shi Meng in a cave, his face was swollen beyond recognition, his whole body was swollen, and he had already fainted.

  When they were carrying him down the mountain, this stubborn brother woke up and barely opened his swollen eyes to look pitifully at the instructor. Qin Lei wanted to laugh and felt heartache, nodded at him, and let people hurry to treat him. The fierce brother finally relaxed and fainted again.

  Looking at the dejected and unselected players, Qin Lei let out a sigh and promptly announced that all unselected team members could participate in the next selection. As a result, morale soared even higher, with those who were not selected gritting their teeth to make up for their previous failure in the next round, while those who were selected trained desperately, fearing they would be eliminated next time.

  ~~~~~~~~~

  No matter how slow the journey is, there will be a day when it ends. In early June, Qin Lei and his guards finally arrived in Ninggu County. At this time, the guards were in high spirits, like an unsheathed sword with its blade exposed.

  After spending five days in Ninggu County, he finally dragged himself onto the road. The guards from the Qi army had also gotten used to his slow pace and no longer urged him on.

  A fine steed came from the west, disrupting Qin Lei's rhythm.

  "Who would have thought that the situation within Qi would deteriorate to such an extent?" Shen Luo shook his head and sighed. The Wei guards who were sent to Yingzhou to handle matters reported back that the place had already reached a boiling point of public discontent, and with just a spark, a riot broke out, which was now escalating by the minute, with signs of spreading throughout the entire state. The Qi army troops were pouring in continuously, doing their utmost to suppress it.

  This is the strange phenomenon of Qi State, three-legged tripod standing in Qi State's decline. In order to counterbalance the oppression of Qin and Chu, Qi State had to invest heavily in military equipment. Thirty years ago, Zhao Wujiao established a military household system, separating military families from taxation. Although this would lead to endless troubles in the long run, at least for this generation, it effectively protected the military's enthusiasm. The army was well-equipped and the officers' and soldiers' income was not low.

  The astronomical military expenses, combined with the extravagant lifestyle of the upper class, were almost entirely passed on to the poor people. The people were so miserable that they would rebel, but the rebellion would be suppressed by the powerful army. After suppression, there would be even more severe exploitation, leading to another rebellion, and then another suppression.

  Drinking poison to quench thirst, this is Qin Lei's definition of Qi Guo's national policy.

  Qin Lei, Shen Luo and Zhang Jianzhi quickly adjusted the plan of the leading group, ordering the troops to speed up their advance, marching a hundred miles a day, striving to reach Yingzhou City before the riot was suppressed.

  This change left the Qi state's vanguard speechless with frustration, and they fell behind after just three days. It also stunned many forces, who had set various traps in their plans, only to watch helplessly as these 300+ cavalrymen charged forward fiercely, never to return.

  Seven days later, one day's journey from the turbulent Yingzhou, Qin Lei had the troops stop to rest for a night. He was waiting for information on several aspects and also bidding farewell to several people.

  On the edge of the camp, a robustly dressed Iron Eagle solemnly looked at the young master. He was most impressed by Qin Lei's transformation. Under the sunset, Qin Lei's slender and straight figure had become more prominent compared to several months ago, and he had also grown much stronger, already able to hold his own against Iron Eagle. But what changed the most were his eyes, bright and determined, making him look much older than his actual age.

  Especially after entering Qianzhou, Qin Lei commanded with ease and dispatched troops at will. He also trained a group of family soldiers to obey his orders like an extension of his own arm, making them highly disciplined. Even Tieying, who was proud of being the best in the army, learned a lot from him.

  The original timid and afraid of trouble, muddle-headed prince suddenly transformed into the current bold and powerful Qin Lei. Tie Ying was delighted from the bottom of his heart. Five years ago, because he offended the nobles, he who was originally in high spirits took over as the successor to the retired predecessor in Shangjing, and had no future prospects.

  These past few months, I've seen the changes in Your Highness's body. The iron eagle that had been dormant for a long time has slowly regained its fighting spirit. Now he wants to go alone to the west of the capital to see His Majesty and deliver a personal letter from Your Highness. This is the key to Qin Lei's entire plan, if something goes wrong, everything will become meaningless.

  Qin Lei faced Tie Ying, silent, his facial contours even more profound in the twilight. He didn't know if Tie Ying could safely reach Hangu Pass, but for now he had no choice but to trust this big guy who had been with him all along.

  After a long time, the two hugged each other tightly, Iron Eagle turned over and mounted his horse, galloping away without saying another word or looking back.

  Shen Luo and Wang Jianzhi also left Qin Lei half an hour ago, they were tied to three small teams, going north, crossing the river, along the northern shore westward, entering the border of Qin from the grassland. Although this road has made a big circle, with Qin Lei attracting firepower for them, it should be safe.