Chapter 30: The Little Soldier Wu Peifu

  Of course, Zhou Xianzhang is directly responsible for Gege's exposure, but Liu Buxuan also has an inescapable responsibility!

  Liu Buzhen's fault was that he was too clean and too poor! As a general-level officer, the second-in-command of the Beiyang Navy, he couldn't even afford to stay in an inn, and instead stayed in the reception hall of the Wubei Academy with his noble wife, He Shougege. If he had taken Gege to an inn, how would Zhou Xuanzhang have gotten his chance?

  The salaries of the Beiyang Fleet officers and soldiers were the highest in the Qing army, and the Beiyang Fleet was also a way to make money. Many officers opened up smuggling operations using military ships, and they all got rich, buying houses and concubines on Liu Gong Island. Only this Liu Buzhen donated his entire general's salary to support the sailors, leaving him with very little, so he had to take his daughter to live in a free hostel, where she was gawked at while taking a bath!

  Just for this, Liu Buxian should die!

  And then He Xiangyu confirmed that Zhou Xuanzhang had been watching her bathe all along, instantly enraged, trembling with anger, tears streaming down her face, the long sword in her hand quivering, pointing directly at Zhou Xuanzhang's throat, wanting to cut him in two with one slash.

  Suddenly, there were loud voices outside the door, and someone shouted: "Zhou Xianzhang! Zhou Xianzhang, you damn thing, where have you gone to die!"

  "Search, search every household, dig three feet underground if you have to, but bring me that bastard Zhou Xuan Zhang!"

  "Damn it, catch this son of a bitch, I'll skin him alive!"

  Among the crowd, a voice shouted out: "You can't go in!"

  "Get out of my way! Run, Zhou Xuan Zhang, everyone is going to die! You can't escape either!"

  "Zhou Xianzhang is not inside, it's Ge... no, it's the Beiyang Navy..." Cherry doesn't know Zhou Xianzhang is inside, she still thinks there's only one person, Gege, inside.

  "It's the Emperor himself, even I have to go in!"

  The crowd outside was in a state of extreme agitation, as if each and every one of them had an irreconcilable feud with Zhou Xuanzhang.

  Zhou Xuanzhang was extremely desperate, the people outside wanted to flay him, and those inside wanted to behead him. Having reached this point, he could be said to have been unlucky to the extreme; if he didn't die, what would become of him?

  "Brother Mian Xiu... No, Gege, I offended Gege last week and am willing to die under Gege's sword." He said, closing his eyes and waiting for death.

  "Zhou Xianzhang! You dare to be stubborn, look at my sword!"

  She stretched out her hand and pushed forward, just as she was about to use force, the door creaked open with a loud bang, and a large group of people rushed in.

  The first one was the chief instructor Cui Bo.

  Tianjin Martial Arts Academy has 6 German instructors and 9 Chinese instructors, with a total of one instructor, Cui Bo, responsible for overall teaching work.

  Chui Bao is over forty years old, called up by the imperial court, gentle and elegant in manner, a peacemaker, always slow to react, even when faced with urgent situations, he remains calm and composed, never losing his composure.

  Today, however, Choi Bong was crying with a long face, sweating profusely, as if he had lost his last penny. Behind him, a large group of instructors and students were following in an uproar, each with a long face like Choi Bong's, looking flustered.

  Choi Bao-yi saw Zhou Xuan Zhang, originally a crying face, suddenly radiant, and others were also delighted.

  Cui Bo rushed over a few steps, ran to the bedside, but saw Min Xiu holding a treasure sword pointing at Zhou Xuan Zhang's throat. Cui Bo shouted: "Spare your life!" and pressed down on Min Xiu's sword.

  The guards rushed forward, lifted Zhou Xuzhen up and ran out.

  Min Xiu was furious. Under the bright daylight, these people actually snatched Zhou Xuanzhang from under her sword! This is simply an open robbery of justice!

  With a loud shout, he stood in front of everyone, his sword at the ready: "Halt! Leave him for me!"

  Cui Bo hastily rushed up to Min Embroidery and said: "First, I represent all the teachers and students of Tianjin Martial Arts Academy to thank the Beiyang Navy for capturing Zhou Xuan Zhang! Another day, I will represent Tianjin Martial Arts Academy to personally send a brocade flag to the Beiyang Navy. Today, the situation is urgent, and I hope this young man can forgive me."

  Only then did Mian Xiu realize that although Zhou Xuan Zhang had seen her naked, she was now wearing the uniform of the Beiyang Navy, and in the eyes of these people, she was a sailor of the Beiyang Navy, not a princess!

  "Where are you going to take Zhou Xuanzhang?" Min Xiang asked.

  "Take him to the martial hall and behead him!" Cui said.

  "Beheaded? Why do you want to behead him?" Min Hui was puzzled, she wanted to behead Zhou Xuan Zhang because Zhou Xuan Zhang had desecrated her icy and pure noble status, but these people from the Martial Arts Academy wanted to behead Zhou Xuan Zhang without knowing what it was for.

  "Zhou Xuan Zhang openly offended Li Zhong Tang, a crime that cannot be forgiven!"

  "Unjust!" Zhou Xuan Zhang shouted loudly, willing to admit that he had offended Gege or say that he was a deserter, but he never expected that Cui Bao would come with a group of people to arrest him, and the charges brought against him were not desertion or peeping at Gege's bath, but offending Li Hongzhang.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang stayed in the school for eight months and had never met Li Hongzhang, although Li Hongzhang often came to the school for inspection and met with students. Zhou Xuan Zhang was an inferior student, so he didn't have a chance to meet him.

  He hasn't even met Li Hongzhang, so where does this crime of "offending Li Zhongtang" come from!

  "Unjustly accused? Unjustly accused my ass! You young punk dared to offend Li Zhongtang, that's one thing, but now everyone is suffering because of you. Zhou Xianzhang, Li Zhongtang is furious, you're dead for sure!"

  Before Zhou Xuan Zhang could respond, Min Xiu exclaimed in great joy: "Good!" and put down the sword in his hand, clearing the way.

  Min Xiu doesn't care what crime Zhou Xuanzhang has committed, she just cares about one thing: will the school behead Zhou Xuanzhang!

  Min Hui was seen by Zhou Xuan Zhang, the most feared thing is that this matter will be spread out, a dignified He Shuo Ge Ge being checked by a small soldier, her face would be lost. Now, Cui Bao said to behead Zhou Xuan Zhang, Min Hui put down his heart, as long as Zhou Xuan Zhang died, there was no evidence of death, this matter would not be pursued, and the reputation of Ge Ge would be preserved.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang was carried by the crowd and rushed towards the Wén Wǔ Hall.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang was desperate, thinking that watching the princess bathe was a capital offense, being a deserter was a capital offense, and offending Li Zhongtang was also a capital offense. In any case, it was all the same death sentence! He didn't even bother to argue, allowing these people to drag him to the Performing Martial Hall.

  In front of the martial arts hall, a sea of dark faces was silent, and the students were all standing at attention in front of the martial arts hall. Seeing Cui Bao and others carrying Zhou Xuanzhang over, each and every one of them cast angry, disdainful, and gloating eyes on Zhou Xuanzhang.

  Chui Bo brought Zhou Xuan Zhang to the front of the martial arts hall and shouted: "Kneel down!"

  Zhou Xuan Zhang's anger surged, thinking of the past half year, always on edge, afraid of being beheaded, being cautious everywhere, and paying attention all the time. In the end, he still ended up with a public execution! Either way, it was death, Zhou Xuan Zhang couldn't help but feel a surge of pride, standing tall and not kneeling, shouting loudly: "The Tianjin Military Academy is a new-style school, we don't do kneeling ceremonies!"

  "You're still so stubborn!" Cui Bo shouted: "Zhou Xianzhang, do you know what crime you've committed?"

  "The students don't know!" Zhou Xianzhang loudly shouted: "Even if the students are guilty, a guilty person still has dignity, a man of seven feet tall, how can he be made to kneel just by being told to kneel?!"

  "Ah, ah, ah..." Cui Bao didn't expect Zhou Xuanzhang to be so tough and was choked for half a day, unable to speak: "Alright, Zhou Xuanzhang, you're a good man, you're a hero. When we meet Li Zhongtang later, I hope you'll remain heroic and not end up being all bark and no bite!"

  "Please rest assured, Master, a beheaded person is only a scar the size of a bowl, I will never bring shame to the Tianjin Martial Arts Academy!"

  "You still have the face to mention Tianjin Martial Arts Academy? The academy is almost destroyed because of you!" Cui Bao scolded: "You wait and see!"

  Chui Bao said, and hastily entered the martial arts hall.

  Zhou Xuan Zhang was carried by several guardsmen, standing at the gate, looking up at the sky with a heroic and fearless attitude.

  "Good job, Big Brother Zhou!"

  Zhou Xuanzhang looked down and saw that the speaker was a small soldier who was carrying him. Although this soldier was not tall, he had a tiger-like head and brain, full of spirit, and was very different from those listless soldiers of the Qing Dynasty.

  "Either way is death, can't die too miserably!" Zhou Xianzhang said: "I don't know the surname and name of this brother?"

  "Little General Wu Peifu."

  " Wu Peifu?" Zhou Xianzhang felt that the name was very familiar, and he remembered the political class taught by the instructor, who said that there was a big warlord named Wu Peifu, who suppressed workers' strikes. Could it be this person?

  Zhou Xunzhang looked up and down at Wu Peifu, unable to see what made this little soldier capable of suppressing the workers' strike. However, Wu Peifu had a certain heroic air about him, especially in his eyes, which shone with a fierce and untamed spirit.

  "I see that Wu brothers are extraordinary in appearance, how can they be willing to stay in the guard camp as a small soldier?"

  Wu Peifu smiled and said, "To be honest with you, Brother Zhou, I also plan to take the entrance exam for Tianjin Military Academy. However, according to the rules, if one wants to enter the academy, they must first serve as a soldier in the army camp for several years. After serving as a soldier, the officer will recommend them, and only then can they qualify to take the entrance exam for the military academy. So, I became a soldier."

  "Wu brothers have great ambitions and will surely make their dreams come true."

  Wu Peifu shook his head: "Before seeing Big Brother Zhou, I indeed thought so, learning the art of literature and martial arts, and being a match for the imperial family, but now, I have changed my mind."

  "Don't you want to enter Wu Bei Academy?"

  "Yes." Wu Peifu sighed: "I see that Big Brother Zhou is full of heroic spirit, he must be a hero. But, heroes like you, just because they offended Li Zhongtang, can be killed at will. The imperial court treats the world's heroes like this, it's chilling."

  Just then, a loud shout was heard: "Who is making a disturbance outside the martial arts hall!"

  A military officer in full uniform walked out of the main gate of the drill hall, his face gloomy, pointing at Wu Peifu: "Even a small soldier dares to discuss the imperial court, take him away! Behead him immediately!"