Chapter 4: Li Zhen's Sniper Rifle

  In just three days, news of Yang Zhengqing's murder had spread far and wide.

  At the same time, news of Wu Qigong's upcoming battle also spread.

  Innumerable generals ridiculed Wu Qigong for being overconfident, and severely scolded Li Zhen for seeking death. However, Li Zhen was not bothered at all, wholeheartedly preparing to battle the Taiping Army. This was his first time presiding over a major war after crossing over, and he had to win decisively and beautifully, and absolutely could not fail. As the saying goes, "knowing oneself and knowing others is the key to winning every battle", Li Zhen sent out hundreds of scouts to infiltrate Yangzhou and gather intelligence.

  Next, Li Zhen began training soldiers under Wu Qigong's command.

  The soldiers under Wu Qigong's command were lazy and slack, far from being able to achieve the level of discipline. In a short period of time, it was almost impossible for Li Zhen to train them into shape, and it was also hopeless to pin his hopes on these soldiers.

  Therefore, Li Zhen shifted his focus to firearms.

  Li Zhen asked Wu Qigong for more guns, but learned that Qi Shan had better ones and asked Qi Shan for one.

  Qishan guards used rifled guns, which were more advanced.

  The bullet fired from the rifle barrel rotates when it is fired, with high accuracy and long range, and greater power. Although the rifle does not meet Li Zhen's requirements, the current technology is not enough, so he can only use it temporarily. After Li Zhen received the gun, he made some rough modifications to the rifle, re-installing a scope for long-range shooting.

  In the arena, Li Zhenzheng is preparing to test his gun.

  He carried a crude sniper rifle and ordered: "Prepare a hundred-step target!"

  At this moment, the soldier held an arrow target 100 paces away. A hundred paces is about 80 meters, which is not far, but suitable for Li Zhen to test his sniper rifle. Li Zhen waved his hand and let the soldier retreat, holding the sniper rifle with his left hand, resting the gun butt on his armpit, gripping the trigger with his right hand, and aiming at the arrow target 100 paces away through the scope.

  Bang!!

  The trigger was pulled, and a muffled sound rang out.

  Li Zhen rubbed his sore shoulder, the recoil of this rifle was a bit big and needed to be improved. But for now, Li Zhen didn't have the technology or conditions, he ran towards the target with big strides, looked at the arrow that hit the red heart, but it was still a bit off. Li Zhen directly adjusted beside the shooting range, starting to calibrate the scope.

  Thus, Li Zhen was able to hit his target from 100 paces, 200 paces, and finally at 250 paces.

  Two hundred and fifty steps, is almost 200 meters.

  Exceeding 200 meters, the sight can't keep up, and neither can the bullet and barrel, resulting in the shot bullets having no accuracy. Therefore, Li Zhen's current distance is 200 meters.

  "General Qian, General Wu requests your presence."

  "Got it!"

  Li Zhen carried a sniper rifle and went to Wu Qigong's barracks. Li Zhen arrived at Wu Qigong's barracks and asked, "General, what do you want me for?"

  Wu Qigong sighed and said: "Li Zhen, He Ming has set obstacles for us."

  "Who is He Ming?" Li Zhen asked.

  Wu Qigong said: "He Ming is also a general in the army, and I have some grudges against him."

  "General, what exactly happened?" Li Zhen asked.

  Wu Qigong's face was filled with a sense of helplessness, and he sighed: "I just received news that Qi Shan is preparing to send you 1,200 soldiers to help us fight against the bandits."

  "General, this is good news!"

  "Wu Qigong said loudly: 'Good, I'll tell you, the problem lies here. You used to be just a hundred soldiers' commander, with a low official position, and didn't understand the situation in the military camp. In the Jiangbei Grand Camp, there is a battalion of extremely fierce soldiers, all of whom are brave and fierce warriors who are difficult to control. The 1,200 men given to you are precisely those unruly soldiers.'"

  When he said this, Wu Qigong's facial muscles all trembled slightly, and he continued to say: "The leader of these soldiers is a thousand general named Huang Shihai. Although Huang Shihai was also just a thousand general, he was arrogant and no one obeyed him. Even if it were Qi Shan, the great master, who couldn't control Huang Shihai, throwing Huang Shihai to you would be like throwing a hot potato, which could lead to disaster."

  Li Zhen's heart skipped a beat as he thought of the "him" that Qi Shan and Wu Qigong had mentioned, wondering if Huang Shi Hai was indeed the person they were referring to. Li Zhen asked: "General, is Huang Shi Hai the person you mentioned to His Excellency?"

  Wu Qigong nodded and said: "It's indeed Huang Shihai."

  "General," said Li Zhen, "although it is a disaster, it may also be a blessing!"

  Li Zhenming understood that He Ming had persuaded Qi Shan, deliberately using Huang Shihai to deal with him, and taking the opportunity to deal with Wu Qigong. However, Li Zhen was pleased because he urgently needed to establish his own team.

  Wu Qigong saw Li Zhen very optimistic, and said in a low voice: "Many generals in the army want to conquer Huang Shi Hai, and they have tried their best. In the end, they all ended up with egg on their face. He Ming also went there, at that time He Ming swore to the adults that he would conquer Huang Shi Hai, but in the end he was tossed around by Huang Shi Hai until he was half dead."

  Li Zhen asked: "Since Huang Shi Hai is disobedient, why keep him?"

  Wu Qigong said in a low voice, "In the Jiangbei camp, there is an insubordinate Huang Shi Hai, like a thorn stuck in his throat, which must be uncomfortable for the adults. However, they do not dare to remove Huang Shi Hai because the bandits are still lurking around. If Huang Shi Hai were removed, the army would lose its mainstay and the adults wouldn't even be able to sleep soundly."

  Li Zhen nodded and understood Huang Shi Hai's situation.

  Qishan disliked Huang Shihai, but needed him to maintain the situation, so he could only hide Huang Shihai. Once a crisis occurred in Jiangbei Dazhan, he would let Huang Shihai go into battle.

  Unless it's something particularly dangerous, Huang Shi Hai is only responsible for guarding the camp.

  Li Zhen listened and became even more excited.

  He wants to establish himself in the military camp, then he needs a group of trusted followers.

  Huang Shi Hai is unruly and unmanageable, an outcast in the Jiangbei Grand Camp. Even Lian Qi can't control him, clearly isolated within the army. If Li Zhen were to tame Huang Shi Hai, he would absolutely be a trusted confidant.

  Opportunity!

  This is his chance!

  General, you lead the army to fight against the bandits, and the other generals are waiting for you to defeat them. Especially He Ming, who is even more so. Now that He Ming has voluntarily pushed Huang Shi Hai over, it's a great opportunity for General. As long as he gets Huang Shi Hai's support and has an elite soldier, General will become the pillar of Jiangbei Camp, and even if He Ming and other generals want to attack him, they won't succeed.

  Wu Qigong showed a look of intention, but said: "Although it is said so, it's not easy to do!"

  "General, let me handle everything."

  Wu Qigong took a deep breath and said, "Alright, you can go ahead and do it. As long as I'm in the military, I won't let you be affected." Wu Qigong stared at Li Zhen, feeling that the person in front of him was not just a small soldier, but someone with great ambitions.

  "General, rest assured, I will not let you down."

  "Haha......not bad at all!"

  The tent flap lifted again, and a figure walked in from outside. Li Zhen looked up to see that the newcomer was He Ming. He Ming strode in with a faint smile on his face, his voice cold as he said, "Qishan has issued an order, instructing you, Li Zhen, to take command of one battalion of soldiers under Huang Shi's banner. Li Zhen, the lord has high expectations of you; don't disappoint him."

  He Ming smiled slyly at Wu Qigong, with a schadenfreude expression.

  This is what happens when you go against him.

  Li Zhen looked at He Ming's complacent and arrogant attitude with disdain, and said in a low voice: "General He, please tell the adults that Li Zhen will not disappoint their expectations and will complete the tasks assigned by the adults."

  Pausing for a moment, Li Zhen continued: "I heard that General He once thought of taking down Huang Shi Hai, but unfortunately ended in failure. Hmph, not everyone can be like General He, swaggering in and then slinking away with their tail between their legs. I, Li Zhen, will not disappoint your expectations, I will definitely suppress Huang Shi Hai and train a contingent of obedient soldiers."

  "Wu Qigong, let's take a walk and see."

  He Ming's eyes flashed with indignation as he turned and left.

  Wu Qigong looked at He Ming's departing back and said: "Li Zhen, you shouldn't have provoked He Ming."

  Li Zhen said: "General, is there a chance for you and He Ming to reconcile?"

  Wu Qigong smiled wryly and knew that reconciliation was impossible. He changed the subject, his voice sinking as he said, "At present, our top priority is to defeat the bandits. As long as we defeat the bandits who avenged Yang Zhengqing, everything will be easy to say. Li Zhen, at this time, you can't relax, and you must ensure that nothing goes wrong, understand?"

  "General, rest assured, I understand."

  Report!

  Outside the tent, a loud and clear voice suddenly came.

  Wu Qigong's body shook and he was startled.

  Li Zhenping calmly shouted: "Come in!"

  The tent door curtain rolled up, and a majestic and powerful man walked in. This person was tall and sturdy, with temples like knives, eyes like electricity, a full forehead, a straight nose bridge, thick lips, and a beard under the chin that stood upright like steel needles. His arms were thick and strong, his waist round and broad. Standing in the big tent, he exuded an aura as majestic as a mountain or a peak.

  Li Zhen nodded slightly, and in his heart he couldn't help but praise the good man. He had a guess about this person's identity. The man raised his head to look at Wu Qigong, with a stern expression, his eyes cold and piercing, which made Wu Qigong involuntarily take a step back.

  Wu Qigong pretended to be calm, raised his head and sternly asked: "Huang Shihai, what are you doing here?"

  Li Zhen's mouth curled up, this man was indeed Huang Shi Hai, a true tiger general!

  PS: Tomorrow 10 chapters, thank you everyone.