Chapter 41: The Hot Potato

  "Lord Gu, I'm at your command. Please take care of me!" Yue Po Xu said with a smile.

  "Haha, I may not have led troops before, but I also know the principle of strict military discipline. You little scoundrel, if you embezzle funds, bully civilians, and commit evil deeds, I won't go easy on you!"

  "How could that be, General? The troops I'm giving you are the elite of the Gengning Army, the most crack troops. Not only have they not been idle, but their numbers even exceed the quota. Although it's said to be two thousand, in fact there are two thousand one hundred and thirty men."

  "Alright, let's take this token and go experience the elegance of the Guanning Army!"

  As they spoke, Yue Po-wu led the way in front, followed closely by Gu Zhenhua, and headed towards the military camp. Wu Sangui was momentarily stirred up and agreed to give Gu Zhenhua two thousand cavalrymen to command.

  To be honest, Gu Zhenhua was also in a dilemma. As soon as Wu Sangui returned to Shanhai Pass, he would collude with the Manchu Qing dynasty. And that guy Dorgon was extremely cunning and would never allow Wu Sangui to have his feet on two boats, which means that at the time, this great Ming "loyal minister" would definitely be dealt with.

  A brief honeymoon period!

  It's clear that collaborating with Wu Sangui is out of the question for now, as Li Zicheng's troops are everywhere outside, and taking the sea route is not an option, which would only lead to a more miserable outcome.

  It seems that another great escape is needed, but since one foot has stepped into the whirlpool of history, it cannot be watched with eyes open as the Qing dynasty enters the pass lightly. At least this small butterfly will have to flail its wings desperately, and the size of the storm it can stir up depends on its own abilities!

  Gu Zhenhua silently calculated in his heart, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the front of the military camp. Gu Zhenhua suddenly raised his head, only to see that on the drill ground, several hundred soldiers were standing scattered about. This group and that group were chatting and laughing, creating a noisy scene.

  "What's going on here?"

  Yue Po Xu's face turned bright red as he hummed and said, "Sir, these guys probably don't know you're here for inspection. I'll go notify them right away!"

  Yue Po Xu was about to ride into the camp when Gu Zhenhua grabbed his arm, a smile spreading across his face.

  Gu Zhenhua had also been in the army before, he was very clear about the nature of soldiers. The military camp is a place where only the strong and fierce can gain recognition from soldiers and have prestige.

  Compared to the armies of later generations, the Xuanwu Army was even more thoroughly warlordized. The relationships within it were complex and intricate. An outsider who wanted to lead them would definitely be excluded. This group was giving itself a warning!

  But the more this was so, the more it stirred up Gu Zhenhua's anger. He suddenly spurred on his war horse and charged into the military camp. The war horse let out a loud whinny and galloped wildly around the drill ground, kicking up clouds of dust that scattered everywhere, causing several soldiers who were chatting to swallow mouthfuls of sand.

  Pffft!

  "Which son of a bitch is so blind, I'll twist off his head!"

  A tall soldier burst into a loud scolding, Gu Zhenhua's war horse didn't stop, ran around the school field in a circle, and many soldiers also got sand in their mouths. This group of arrogant Gengning Army were all furious.

  When Gu Zhenhua's war horse stopped, the group of people rushed over, and the tall soldier also rushed over. The guy had a face full of fleshy meat, staring with a pair of cow eyes, panting heavily.

  "Pointing at Gu Zhenhua, he questioned: 'You little brat, what are you, daring to tease me? Are you trying to get your head chopped off and served as a dish for me to drink with?'"

  "Hushan, shut up!" Yue Po Xu said angrily: "This is the loyal and brave general Gu Zhenhua, who was appointed by the commander-in-chief to take charge of the army. Your military discipline is not in order, and you dare to be rude, do you want to be punished by military law?"

  Hu Shan slanted his eyes, coldly smiling: "I, Hu Shan, only know of a Ping Xi Bo, don't know what Zhong Yong Bo is. The Guan Ning army isn't some place where just any tom cat or stray dog can come to show off their strength. Wanting to control me? First ask my fists."

  "Despicable!" Yue Po Xu pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword and said loudly, "Hu Shan, apologize to Master Jue immediately, or I'll chop you down."

  "You're in a high position, so you can chop me down, and I won't be able to say anything. But if you think I'll listen to this guy, that's just wishful thinking!"

  "You!" Yue Po's face turned liver-colored with rage, and he suddenly drew his waist knife.

  "Capture them and take them away. In the military camp, we are all brothers, there's no need to resort to violence."

  Gu Zhenhua finished speaking, looked at the soldiers present with a smile, and then said: "Fellow soldiers of the Guanning Army, I suppose many of you think that Gu Zhenhua is something, what qualifications does he have to control us!"

  "There's nothing wrong with thinking that way, if you were in a different position, maybe I'd think the same. It's okay if everyone is dissatisfied with me, but you can't joke about your own lives. I just rushed into the military camp without any obstacles and ran around the drill ground, no one stopped me. Do you know what situation we're facing? The enemy army of 100,000 bandits is right outside the capital, they could come in at any moment, if it was the enemy who just came in, it wouldn't be as simple as eating sand."

  Gu Zhenhua's words made many people in the audience lower their heads, they were only thinking of showing off to Gu Zhenhua and indeed neglected the issue of defense, which was an absolutely unacceptable mistake before a major battle.

  "I, we..."

  Hushan wanted to argue, but Gu Zhenhua waved his hand and said loudly: "All of you listen up! Immediately follow the rules and get the military camp on high alert. Don't allow any negligence. Do you want your own laziness to implicate the brothers from other camps?"

  Gu Zhenhua's words were not a direct order, but they forced these guys to shut up and obey without any argument, just as Gu Zhenhua said, you can't harm your own sworn brothers!

  The soldiers didn't dare to resist anymore, and could only restore the defense of the camp gate. They also sent out sentries in the distance. On the side, Yue Pozhu couldn't help but praise Gu Zhenhua, this Lord Gu was indeed capable, and once the soldiers obeyed his orders, they would lower their heads.

  As expected, when the soldiers gathered in the schoolyard again, their momentum couldn't help but drop, and some people didn't even dare to straighten their backs, exchanging glances with Gu Zhenhua.

  "I want to compete with you, and only if I win will I be convinced." Hu Shan said loudly, his face red with excitement.

  "Alright, what would you like to compare, poetry, songs, or moral essays?"

  "I don't know those things, I'll just compare strength with you!" Hu Shan said with a snort, knowing that he was a roughneck, yet still talking about poetry and songs, wasn't that bullying?

  Gu Zhenhua burst out laughing: "Those sour scholars' stuff I won't even bother with, and I'm really afraid you want to compare?"

  As soon as the words came out, everyone present couldn't help but burst into laughter. When they looked at Gu Zhenhua again, their eyes were different, not like those officials who pretended to be profound. Straightforward and straightforward, like a soldier!

  Hú Shān took a big stride and walked to one side of the school field, where several stone locks of different sizes were placed. He looked around, chose the heaviest one, gripped it tightly with both arms, and exerted his strength.

  "Get up!"

  A stone lock weighing 300 catties was lifted, and the surrounding soldiers all applauded. Hu Shan was also proud of himself, the stone lock was raised to chest level, his left hand suddenly loosened, and he lifted the stone lock with one arm.

  "Good!"

  More people shouted good, Hu Shan held on for about 10 seconds, then let go, and the stone lock fell to the ground, smashing a deep pit.

  "Lord Gu, I won't play any tricks either, as long as you can lift it up according to the rules, I'll admire you!"

  Gu Zhenhua also walked over with a smile, took a look at the stone lock on the ground: "This thing is probably around 300 catties, with this strength, taking the imperial martial arts exam would be no problem!"

  Gu Zhenhua said, his right hand grasped the stone lock, and he saw him use one arm to exert force, shouting loudly, the stone lock slowly rose from the ground.

  "Good!" Yue Po Xu was the first to shout, Gu Zhenhua used one arm to lift the stone lock, obviously increasing the difficulty compared to Hu Shan, and everyone else also stared tightly at Gu Zhenhua.

  Only to see Gu Zhenhua slowly lifting the stone lock to around chest level, then straddling his legs, his right arm slowly lowering, when the stone lock was almost on the ground, he bent his arm again and lifted the stone lock up, as if playing with dumbbells.

  Gu Zhenhua's movements were not fast, but the faces of the people in the scene changed, and with Shi Suo's ups and downs, the hearts of these soldiers also fluctuated up and down.

  Hushan's mouth was wide open, he wasn't stupid, and suddenly picked it up, relying on explosive force, but this slow lift emphasizes endurance, the difficulty is several times higher than his own!

  Gu Zhenhua lifted it ten times in a row, his face flushed red with excitement, and laughed as he put the stone lock on the ground: "Hu Shan, you come try!"