Chapter 22: Neither Joy Nor Anger

  When the crowd of relatives and friends arrived at Xihuo Bridge, Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu had already been waiting for a while. From a distance, it was seen that today, riding horses with Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu were three or five new faces, all of whom were riding high-headed fine horses, and their clothes were also very different from those of ordinary travelers, looking more luxurious.

  "Who are those people?" Zu Zhao muttered to himself.

  "Big brother, I recognize the man in black next to Zhang Yuan. He's Zhang Yuan's older brother, seems to be called Zhang Nan, courtesy name Wenqiao." Just then, Zu Qi looked with narrowed eyes for a moment before hastily saying.

  "Zhang Wenqiao?" Zu Zhaoyu muttered to himself, as if thinking about whether he would be a great general under Yuan Shao from now on.

  "It's really strange, how did they come." Zu Ji said with a few points of doubt.

  Zu Zhao didn't think much and continued on horseback to meet Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu.

  Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu's faces showed a lot of spirit, and before Zu Zhao could even get close, they took the initiative to greet him. Those young men in fine clothes and horses had already followed them, looking at the people of the Zu family with different expressions.

  "Ancestor Zhang, come on in. Let me introduce you to my fellow clansmen. This is the eldest son of my second uncle, Zhang Nan Zhang Wenqiao. He just returned from Zhuo County yesterday and heard that I'm currently preparing for this year's bandit suppression drill with the Grand Master, so he rushed over to meet you."

  "Oh, I see. Brother Wenqiao, it's a pleasure to meet you." Zu Zhao nodded calmly and politely bowed his hands in greeting.

  "It's an honor to meet you. I've long heard of the name Zudagongzi, and today I'm lucky enough to see you." Zhang Nan was about 25 or 26 years old, not very tall, but with a sturdy and robust physique, speaking with a full and sonorous voice, exuding a military air. However, although his words were very polite, his tone and demeanor revealed another meaning, as if he looked down on younger people like an elder."

  "Brother Wenqiao, you're too polite, I don't dare to accept such praise." Zu Zhao said with a smile. He noticed that Zhang Nan's waistband had a dark yellow edge and an ornamental pattern on the surface. This kind of waistband was not something ordinary people could wear, but rather an official uniform waistband issued by the government, indicating that he now held an official position.

  "My brother Wen Qiao is currently serving as the county magistrate of Rongcheng County in Zhuo Prefecture, and he returned home to visit his relatives after taking leave a few days ago. Your esteemed name is also widely known in Zhuo Prefecture, didn't you know that?" Zhang Yuan said without any reserve.

  "Brother Wen's words are too serious, how could someone as insignificant as me be like that?" Zu Zhao said with a push and a smile.

  He could still guess a thing or two, and it was probably because he had rescued the Lu family that his reputation had spread to Zhuo County. However, after all, the mountains were high and the waters were far away, and even if there was some reputation, it wouldn't be as widespread as Zhang Yuan said. Moreover, in his heart, he felt that Zhang Nan should be considered a figure of some importance, even though he was only mentioned briefly in historical records, and being from Youbei County, he had managed to take up a county post in another county, which was no easy feat.

  "As my brother said, is Grandfather Zhang a humble person?" Zhang Nan smiled ambiguously.

  Then, Zhang Yuan introduced several others one by one, all of whom were young masters of the Zhang family from Anyang Pavilion. This time, they mainly accompanied Zhang Nan. These few young masters of the Zhang family were no exception, either being direct relatives of the Zhang family or having a wealthy family background. As the saying goes, "birds of a feather flock together," and normally, one wouldn't see them, but after Zhang Nan returned, he quickly became close with them.

  After chatting for a while, Gong Sunlong behind Zu Zhao didn't care about Zhang Nan and the others, and couldn't help but make a fuss about grabbing time to organize everyone to line up and compete. Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu, the two brothers, naturally cooperated. They didn't have much contact with Zhang Nan on ordinary days, and since Zhang Nan and the others came today, they had to show off in front of these noble relatives.

  "Minor disputes are not worth making a fuss about, I hope Brother Wen Qiao can give us some guidance." Zu Zhao said politely to Zhang Nan, and then gathered everyone to start dividing into groups.

  Zhang Nan and others stood by, occasionally commenting. As the county lieutenant, he had personally organized anti-theft and pursuit operations in previous years, so he looked down on Zu Zhao's so-called "drills". Just like what Zhang Yuan said yesterday, this "drill" was just a mess, with no redeeming qualities. That's why it would be more accurate to say that he was ridiculing rather than commenting.

  The first item of the Zuozhao organization's competition is to conduct a two-mile foot race, and then immediately shoot an arrow at a tree about 50 steps away from the finish line. The arrows used by the two teams have different colors, and the team with the most arrows wins. This is also a new trick, which can exercise speed shooting ability while exercising physical strength.

  The two teams are about ten zhang apart, and a non-participant gives an order. After that, the two teams start sprinting at the same time.

  Zuozhao personally participated in the left team and led more than 40 people from his team to charge towards the distant hills.

  At first, the two teams were running at a similar speed, after all, they were all young and strong, and had some basic martial arts skills. However, as the distance increased, differences began to emerge, and each team had its weaker members, many of whom fell behind and got farther and farther away. Zu Zhao occasionally looked back to observe the situation, and when he saw that those who had fallen behind were too far from the team, he decisively asked everyone to slow down their speed as much as possible to keep the team concentrated together.

  As for the right team, the team soon became a line, with the people running in front of them burying their heads and rushing forward, pulling along part of the middle section who could only desperately chase after them, while those who fell behind were left far behind.

  Although the people on the left team were very anxious, they had to consider Zuozhao's face and could only follow orders. The few people who were physically strong and running at the front could only listen to commands. Generally speaking, the team was able to maintain its cohesion. During this time, someone was tripped by debris underfoot, and Zuozhao personally rushed over to help him up. After discovering that the person had a sprained ankle, he called out to another person to lend a hand together, supporting the injured person to catch up with the team.

  Before long, the first few people in the right team ran to the finish line, picked up the crossbow from the ground and shot arrows at the trees in front.

  The left team led by Zuozhao was a bit slower, but fortunately, all members arrived at the same time. Moreover, they maintained a uniform speed from start to finish, and most people effectively preserved their physical strength. After everyone on the left team shot out their feathered arrows, the few lagging behind on the right team finally arrived, without even having the energy to catch their breath, let alone draw their bows.

  The final result is self-evident. When clearing the arrows on the tree trunk, Zu Chao's team had a significantly larger number than the other team.

  "Lost again?" Gong Sunlong exclaimed loudly after hearing the result of the archery competition.

  "How could this be? We were clearly the first ones to arrive!"

  "Exactly, how did they all miss?"

  The people on the left team never expected that they could still win even though they were lagging behind in the competition, and they were overjoyed. There were also a few who had a good relationship with each other, jokingly loudly mocking the losing side.

  "Gongsun brothers, everyone," Zu Zhao said with a calm and peaceful expression, smiling, "this is just the first round, no need to take it so seriously, there are still two more rounds of competition to come."

  "Zǔ gōng zǐ, nǐ kàn kan, wǒ jiù shuō ma, zǒng yǒu yī xiē rén tuō hòu tuǐ, nǐ piān piān hái bù xìn." Gōng sūn lóng hěn shì ào nǎo de shuō dào, yī biān shuō zhe yī biān hái dèng le yī yǎn nà xiē rén huì suǒ zài dì shàng chuò qì de rén.

  "Gongsun brother, it seems you still don't understand what I told you yesterday." Zu Zhao said calmly.

  "But..." Gong Sunlong was about to make some excuses, but suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him and he gained some insight. Although there were people in his right team who were dragging their feet, the left team led by Zu Zhao also had those who fell behind, yet they still won in the end, which already explained something.

  He originally had three points of trust in Zu Zhao from the bottom of his heart, and now he has verified it through actual actions, so he naturally feels more convinced. That's why he didn't continue to argue, but instead put on a deep thinking face.

  Next, Zu Zhao let everyone take a short rest. Zhang Yuan and Zhang Yu, the two brothers, were not in the same group, and at this moment they were still arguing about the victory or defeat of just now. Even though Zhang Yu usually listened to Zhang Yuan's words, he also had his own firm stance on the matter of competing with each other. From a distance, Zhang Nan and others saw that the competition over here had already ended, so they rode their horses slowly towards this side.

  Someone beside reminded Zu Zhao, Zu Zhao turned his head and took a glance, then stepped forward to meet him.

  "Wen Qiao brother, just now in the first round of competition, I don't know if there are any instructions?" Zuo Zhao asked respectfully as Zhang Nan and others approached.

  "Zhang, you call me elder brother, so I'll speak my mind," Zhang Nan said from horseback, with a somewhat condescending attitude. "Drills are serious business, and what's most detestable is carelessness and laxity. In the past, whenever our county had any military affairs, we would organize the militia to drill together, emphasizing uniformity and discipline, so that orders could be carried out without exception, thereby achieving results. But now you're dividing the troops into two groups, making them opponents of each other, which will only intensify their mutual suspicions and conflicts. How can they achieve unity in battle?"

  "Wen Qiao's words are extremely correct, I will remember them in my heart." Zu Zhao said very formally, but he had his own plans in mind. The army must indeed emphasize discipline, and this was something he had thought about long ago. However, according to the original plan, many things would have to be done gradually. As someone like Zhang Nan who was already a county magistrate, doing things with official convenience was unavoidable, and there were bound to be some arbitrary decisions.

  "In short, you are just playing around and having fun." Zhang Nan added emphatically.

  Zu Zhao still had a calm expression, but this time he didn't respond because what Zhang Nan said was indeed correct. What he was doing now was taking these people on a pleasure trip.