Chapter Twelve, Learning to Ride Horses

  "General, this is your mount. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not take away what others love. It's better for me to choose another warhorse. Your fine horse, I absolutely cannot use." Unexpectedly, Zhou Cang had given his own mount to him, and Xu Feng was greatly surprised, immediately shaking his head in refusal.

  "Xu Feng, don't be so polite. As the deputy general of the three armies, you can't not have a decent horse. This black horse has been with me for many years, its strength is not weak and it's easy to control. I heard you don't know how to ride a horse, this horse is the most suitable for you." Zhou Cang patted Xu Feng's shoulder and advised.

  "Thank you, General, for your kindness. I will not disappoint your expectations." Xu Feng felt a warmth in his heart after hearing this, and he was deeply moved. He hadn't expected Zhou Cang to be so considerate. Indeed, he couldn't ride a horse, and if he hastily found a fierce horse, it would be hard to avoid getting hurt or thrown off. Even if he made it onto the battlefield, it would still be a huge hidden danger.

  "By the way, Xu Feng, what kind of weapon are you good at using?" Zhou Cang glanced at the dagger on Xu Feng's waist and asked with concern.

  "This..." Xu Feng scratched his head, not knowing how to respond. To be honest, he had just crossed over and didn't have much experience with any kind of weapon. Knives, guns, swords, and spears were all very unfamiliar to him.

  "Now that you're a military commander, short weapons like swords are still useful for infantry battles, but they're not advantageous for cavalry battles. I think you have considerable strength and agility, so I suggest choosing either a large knife or a long spear. A knife is the most powerful of all weapons, with a strong and fierce aura that can pierce through clouds and split mountains, its power is like a tidal wave crashing against the shore, unstoppable. On the other hand, a spear is the king of all weapons, but it's also said to be the thief of all weapons. Its moves are unpredictable and varied, fast and ferocious, making it hard for others to defend against. However, if you want to master it, it takes a lot of time. As the saying goes, 'a month with a knife is like a year with a spear', practicing knife techniques is simple and easy to learn, but mastering a spear requires at least three to five years of practice. Xu Feng, what do you want to learn?"

  However, Xu Feng's words still made Zhou Cang feel a little disappointed. "I'll choose the spear after all." There was no other way, as someone who liked the Three Kingdoms period, Xu Feng still thought that spears were better - they looked cool and were practical. Moreover, he wasn't born with superhuman strength, so learning sword techniques wasn't suitable for him. Spears were agile and had unpredictable moves, requiring less physical strength. Besides, his favorite characters from the Three Kingdoms period, whether it was Yan Ren Zhang Fei, Changshan Zhao Yun, or Xiao Ba Wang Sun Ce, were all skilled in using long spears. It would be great to have a good match with them someday, and it wouldn't be a waste of time traveling back to the Three Kingdoms era.

  "Alright, I'll have someone take you to the armory later to choose a suitable long spear. However, I'm not skilled with spears myself, so I won't be able to help you. You'll need to practice more in the future, and if you can find a good teacher to guide you, that would be best. Unfortunately, with the war situation being critical at the moment, it's unlikely you'll have time to practice anytime soon." Zhou Cang said with a furrowed brow, his face full of concern.

  "It doesn't matter." Xu Feng didn't mind, although he didn't understand gunplay. However, having watched many martial arts TV shows and movies before, and often getting into fights, Xu Feng was familiar with some simple moves. With more practice in the future, and gaining more combat experience, he would be able to improve faster. The chaotic world had just begun, and Xu Feng was confident that he could master gunplay.

  Zhou Cang shared some of his combat experiences with Xu Feng, then ordered someone to take Xu Feng to find a suitable sword, while he went to inspect the barracks and oversee military affairs.

  The armory, not many weapons, mostly ordinary ones that were just confiscated recently. If you say you can find a divine weapon here, it's probably just a dream. Xu Feng selected a long gun weighing around 40-50 kilograms from among them, the weight was just right, holding it in his hand, neither heavy nor light, the gun body was made of fine steel and was quite sturdy, the gun head had a blue glow, with some slight rust spots, obviously having been stored for a long time, hardly anyone had touched it.

  "It's fine like this." Xufeng was satisfied, anyway, if he couldn't find one that fit his needs later on, he could just have someone make one according to his requirements. For now, having something usable was enough.

  With Xue Cheng and several others, leading the black horse sent by Zhou Cang, they found an empty space to let their brothers teach themselves how to ride a horse. As for Zhou Cang sending his own warhorse to Xu Feng, the three of them still felt somewhat unexpected. Unexpectedly, in just a few days, Brother Feng had gained such great respect and admiration from the leader. Following Brother Feng, several people also felt proud on their faces, and they were all genuinely happy for Xu Feng.

  "Brother Feng, riding a horse is an art, first you need to understand the horse's temperament..." Hou San pointed at the black horse, opened his big mouth and gave a passionate speech. Before long, his mouth was full of saliva, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

  "Cut the crap, since you're so smart, go ahead and show Peak a demonstration." Xue Cheng glanced at Hou San, pointing to the black horse, indicating for him to ride it.

  "Ride if you ride, Brother Feng, take a good look, I'll demonstrate once." Hou San said proudly to Xu Feng, then turned around and gave Xue Cheng and others a glance, "Take a good look, I don't easily give people demonstrations."

  He sprang onto the horse, his movements quick and neat. However, Hou San's triumphant laughter didn't last for more than a few seconds. The black horse seemed to be deliberately opposing Hou San, its two sturdy front hooves suddenly lifting off the ground, its body standing upright before violently throwing him off. Hou San was instantly thrown into disarray, letting out a panicked "Ah!" as he flew through the air like a kite with a broken string, leaving behind a beautiful parabolic curve before heavily crashing to the ground in a classic "arse-up" pose, perfectly ending the show!

  "Haha, that's it, and you still have the nerve to show off, Hou San, how is it? The feeling of being thrown isn't bad, right?" Ma Wu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  "You think we just met you? With your little weight, you still have the nerve to demonstrate to Brother Feng. Stand aside and watch me." Xue Cheng glared at Hou San fiercely and walked towards the black horse.

  "I..." Hou San did not expect it to end like this, he got up from the ground, patted the dust off his butt, and stood aside with a helpless expression, not even daring to look at Xu Feng again.

  "You!" Xu Feng pointed at Hou San, also speechless. This Hou San was indeed a treasure who could amuse people and relieve boredom.

  Xue Cheng's movements were very skilled, after all, he was also a small head under Zhou Cang's account before. He jumped onto the horse with a beautiful flip, his legs tightened on the horse's belly, and he whipped the horse to gallop around the arena in a circle. Then, he flipped off the horse and said, "Brother Feng, don't listen to Hou San's nonsense. It's easy to learn. You just need to remember two things: first, keep your legs tight and don't panic; second, pay attention to balance. With Brother Feng's skills, this should be a piece of cake for you."