Chapter 5 Spring Dawn (Fourth Down)

  Three days' time, fifty new recruits were trained to obey orders like a well-oiled machine, and then they went to maintain order at the recruitment fair. If there was any mistake, military law would be enforced! After much effort, Wang Xuan finally figured out what he wanted to do! Heaven have mercy, even if all the servants in the Wang family were added together, they wouldn't exceed this number. It still relied on Cloud Aunt's command and dispatch, every time Wang Xuan himself intervened, the outcome would definitely be chaotic, and nothing could be accomplished in the end.

  Helpless, he had to think of a way to push the task to Zhao and Li, the two deputy captains. The two deputy captains were also very nervous. Zhao Huaiyu spread his hands and honestly told Wang Xun that before becoming a deputy captain, he had always been a personal soldier under Zhou Douwei. Learning from Zhou Douwei's style back then, he could offer some advice to Wang Xun. If Wang Xun wanted to force the burden on him, he would definitely refuse.

  Li Yuanqing was even more direct, counting on his fingers to let Wang Xun see his past experience. As a martial arts practitioner, he was hired by Chang Qing as a private instructor for the Anxi Army's gun and stick training because of his decent long-range shooting skills. He had never led troops alone before, and the reason why he could provide strategies for Wang Xun earlier was partly because he had been in the military for so many years, although he hadn't eaten deer meat, he knew how deer ran. The other half of the reason was that Wang Xun was humble and eager to learn, willing to let him command randomly.

  "What can I do now?!" Wang Xuan loudly lamented as he saw both deputy team leaders starting to shirk responsibility.

  "It's okay!" Zhao Huaiyu squeezed his small eyes and whispered, "Under the military rules, aren't there supplementary clauses? Even if you messed up, considering it's your first offense, at most it would be a caning. It can even be divided into several times..."

  "Take this!" Wang Yun splashed the water from the basin, soaking Zhao Que's deputy and turning him into a drowned rat. "We three are like ants on a rope, if I get beaten, you two won't be able to escape either. When the time comes, I'll just say it was you two who were being arrogant and interfering..."

  Although they said so, the three of them still carefully counted and made every effort to familiarize themselves with the team in the shortest time. Fortunately, Wang Xuan's duel with Qi Heng had a huge impact. The new recruits of the 7th Traveler's 2nd Team felt that their captain was giving them face, so they were very cooperative with his command. The old soldiers of the 7th Traveler's 2nd Team also felt that their captain still had some real skills and was not completely relying on his family background as a second-generation ancestor, so they did not intentionally make trouble for him. Moreover, Wang Xuan himself was generous and never stingy with money, nor did he take advantage of the small benefits of his subordinates. The rewards obtained during training were always distributed fairly to everyone. After several rounds of training, the 7th Traveler's 2nd Team indeed became one of the best among all the teams that had been trained.

  Every morning, with a team of fifty people, they marched around the White Horse Fortress in unison, and Wang Xuan felt a surge of heroic spirit rising to the sky. It was as if he were leading not fifty people, but five hundred, five thousand, or even fifty thousand people. The sound of horses' hooves on the tower, the slash of swords through the air, the wind whistling by, and the aura of killing intent all around. As he continued to fantasize, this path of being a soldier was truly the right choice. But when he suffered setbacks during training and sparring, even losing face in front of everyone, he felt that it would be better to just stay at home and live a life of idleness, rather than being ridiculed by so many people like a street performer. Thus, he wavered between the emotions of "vowing to conquer" and "it's better to return", and three days passed in this way. On the fourth day, early in the morning, the new recruits of the 7th Regiment, 2nd Battalion received orders to gather their equipment and head straight to the central drill ground of White Horse Fortress.

  This time, the Flying Dragon Imperial Guard was reorganized, and talented young men from good families were selected through open martial arts competitions in the civilian world to join the army. This was a proposal made by the Emperor himself and passed after discussion by civil and military officials in the imperial court. Therefore, many well-informed people in the capital paid great attention to it. It is worth noting that the Tang Dynasty was founded on military power, with the saying "no scholars in the Lingyan Pavilion". Although the Emperor has recently emphasized literary governance and has no intention of expanding the territory, from Liaodong to Anxi, the Tang generals still make the barbarians tremble at the sound of drums. Moreover, the promotion path for military officers is much fairer and more convenient than that for civil officials. From the distant past, there were heroes like Xue Rengui, and in recent times, there were four great generals: Geshu Han, Gao Xianzhi, Guo Ziyi, and Feng Changqing, all of whom achieved their fame through outstanding military achievements rather than family background.

  Feilong Imperial Guards are the Emperor's personal troops, although not as highly valued as the Inner Palace Imperial Guards, their promotions are extremely fast. Normally, they only need to put out fires and clear the drainage canals in the capital, and they can be promoted several ranks. If they're lucky enough to catch the Emperor's eye, they might even be exceptionally promoted to a high-ranking general of the Imperial Guard.

  All these factors combined, resulting in the White Horse Castle's main entrance being packed to the point of bursting this morning. Many rich and noble families have children who are not eligible to inherit their father's title, nor do they have the determination to study day and night to obtain honors. They pinned their hopes on today's competition. Seeing that the sun had already risen above the treetops, but the entrance was still closed, some people grew impatient and began shouting loudly, "Open the door! Open the door! Are the military officer positions already predetermined? If they are, then don't deceive us anymore!"

  "It's so late and you're still not opening the door? How strange if there wasn't any trouble!" Someone was stirring up trouble, taking advantage of the situation to shout loudly.

  "Your Majesty personally promised to grant official positions based on martial arts skills!" "Even if Your Majesty is wise, you can't overcome the treacherous officials in the court!" In an instant, the commotion grew louder and louder, as if they wanted to knock down the gates of the martial arena.

  "Charge forward, no matter who it is, fight directly!" Wang Xun led the team's Imperial Guard to arrive just in time, and according to their previous plan, they shouted orders at the brothers.

  "Now!" Fifty Flying Dragon Guards immediately raised the short rods in their hands and, without saying a word, beat them forward along the road at the school gate, shouting loudly: "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Do you want to rebel? If you're in a hurry, you can't eat hot tofu. If you don't want to rebel, just stand honestly on the side of the road and line up!"

  It is true that "the wicked have the wicked to punish them". The crowd that was making a ruckus at the gate earlier were beaten until their faces were blue and swollen, but they immediately quieted down. Holding their bruised heads, they retreated to one side and waited obediently for the officer's orders.

  "Release the tripwire!" Seeing that one move was successful, Wang Xun's confidence grew. He looked around and frowned, giving orders.

  The guards responded with a loud and clear "Yes, sir!" even more neatly than usual. They tied the red-painted halberds to the pillars on either side of the school gate, pulling them outwards along the road, three rows on each side, spaced about five or six steps apart. Then they fixed them in place with white wax sticks, from the main gate all the way out to over twenty yards away. Only then did they tidy up again. Next, ten guards stood on either side, waving their rods and ordering the young men from good families who had come to take the exam to line up and enter through the passageway marked out by the ropes.

  After entering the school gate, two deputy team leaders were responsible for registration and identity verification. According to the exam items of the Liang family children, they issued a marked card number. Then, under Wang Xun's command, three other partners each led several guards with the card numbers marked, leading the examinees to designated areas one after another. During the procession, not even half a smile was given, and anyone who dared to step out of line would be immediately beaten with a stick, until they begged for mercy repeatedly.

  Although this method is a bit rough, the effect is not ordinary. The good family children who came to take the test were beaten and immediately understood that the military camp was different from the outside, putting away all their arrogant hearts and carefully following orders. And the Feilong Imperial Guards of the new Seventh Regiment's Second Team felt a sense of pride and belonging in their hearts because they had beaten their opponents into submission. They thought they were superior to others, although just a few days ago, they too had been dealt with by the old soldiers until they were miserable.

  The good family children were brought to the assessment site, and the responsibility of the Feilong Forbidden Guard of the Seventh Brigade of the New Army Camp was announced. Another team of guards will receive the examinees. Once again, according to the description on the name list, re-verify their identities and start arranging the test.

  After being busy for a whole hour and a half, the crowd of people who came to sign up slowly thinned out. Inside the big drill ground, however, the applause grew louder and louder, obviously some of the young men from good families who came to sign up were quite skilled, opening the eyes of both the examiner and the applicants. Wang Xun remembered Yuwen Zhi in his heart, so he instructed Zhao Huaiyu for a few sentences, asking him to temporarily take over guarding the gate. He turned around, wiped off his sweat, and walked quickly towards the inside.

  He had only taken a dozen or so steps when he saw Ma Fang running towards him from afar. Under the sunlight, his small face was flushed red and the sweat beads on his forehead were clearly visible. Upon seeing Wang Xun, he immediately bent down at the waist, panting heavily as he loudly shouted: "Second Brother, quickly go take a look, Yuwen's kid has met his match!"

  "It's nothing!" Wang Xuan smiled and responded casually. "His kung fu was originally loose, I couldn't even beat him, let alone..."

  "Not fists and feet!" Ma Fang panted, waving his hand, "It's bows and arrows. Today I've really met a master! Yuwen Xiaozi is far inferior to him, not just by a little bit!"

  "Something like that!" Wang Xuan couldn't help but be slightly stunned. Yuwen Zhi had been with him since childhood, and he knew exactly what level he was at. Due to his personality, this person couldn't take hardship, so his foundation in fist and footwork was quite ordinary. Otherwise, he wouldn't have tried to bully Li Bai during the previous period and ended up getting beaten until his nose was blue and his face was swollen. But when it came to archery, Yuwen Zhi was a genius. Saying that he could hit the mark at a hundred paces was somewhat exaggerated, but within a range of a hundred paces, having eight or more out of ten arrows hit the center of the target wasn't something difficult for him.

  "Hurry up and go take a look. Many people know you, see if they can help Zida cheat. Otherwise, he will definitely lose!" Without giving Wang Xun time to think, Ma Fang pulled his arm, "Hurry up, hurry up, one more second late, not to mention the first place, even the top three are not guaranteed for Zida!"

  Note 1: Ce Xun was a way of recording merits during the Sui and Tang dynasties. Generally, after three promotions by Ce Xun, an official would be promoted one rank.