Chapter 24: The Real War God

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  Where is the father who was weak and had difficulty walking? In these days, Qin Mu Bai has been busy with his own affairs and hasn't paid much attention to his health condition. He didn't expect such a big improvement!

  "Drink, drink, drink!"

  Consecutive angry rebukes, gun flowers fluttering in mid-air like silk, tearing through the sky and bursting out with sparkling lights, each move taking lives, every style eccentric!

  "What incredible marksmanship!!" Qin Mu Bai couldn't help but exclaim loudly!

  This is the legendary Qin Shubao!

  The master of the twelve Qin family meritorious gates, the first fierce general of the great Tang Dynasty!

  A set of gun moves came down, Qin Shubao pulled the horse back and fell in front of Qin Mubai, inserted the long gun in front of him, and asked seriously: "Have you seen it clearly?"

  "I roughly got it. But Father was too fast, I didn't catch a few moves." Qin Mubai replied, coming back to his senses.

  "Can't recall a few moves, that's right!" Qin Shubao stroked his beard, furrowed his brow and said seriously, "Tai Chi emphasizes intent over form. The Qin family spear technique prioritizes practicality in killing the enemy, not adhering to conventional norms. When two sets of martial arts are combined, it becomes even more flexible and adaptable with a balance of hardness and softness. Your father just demonstrated this set of spear techniques, but I myself can't recall several moves."

  "Hmm... how should I cultivate then?" Qin Mu Bai asked in confusion.

  "It's very simple." Qin Shubao gave a cold smile and stared at Qin Mubai, "Fight against me, and I'll teach you hand in hand in actual combat!"

  "It's another showdown! ...... Qin Mubai was a bit stunned, and many places on his body transmitted a piercing pain."

  "Less nonsense, let's get on with it!"

  ……

  Two hours later, the sky had darkened.

  Qin Mubai dragged his almost crippled body back to the room. Seeing him like this, Liu Shi burst into tears.

  "Cheng Lao Gui has had too much wine and his hands are heavy, how can your father be so heartless?"

  Qin Mubai was in severe pain all over his body, but he was extremely happy and delighted. He tightly grasped his mother's hand and exclaimed: "Mother, you should be happy too!"

  "Seeing you being beaten like this, how can a mother be happy? My child, aren't you being beaten silly?" Liu's wife said, wiping away tears and sobbing.

  "Mother! Didn't you see that - Father's condition has improved greatly, and he can even ride a horse and shoot a bow now?!" Qin Mu Bai exclaimed with surprise.

  Liu's eyes widened in surprise, and her face suddenly lit up with joy: "Ah! I'm so silly to have forgotten this - child, I'll call Fourth Sister to help you apply medicine and take care of you. I'll go see how your father is doing!"

  "Mother, hurry up!"

  After seeing off his mother, Qin Mubai lay down with a loud wail, and his body was in great pain!

  Father was indeed not bragging. Now he can at most recover a bit of mobility in his legs and feet, dragging a body that is still not healthy and agile, and the shooting skills he showed are much more wonderful and domineering than Cheng Zhijie's!

  At this time, Qin Mubai thought that according to some performance standards, the ranking of good men based on their martial arts values was obviously nonexistent in real history. People like Yuwen Chengdu and Luo Cheng were all fictional characters. The same is true for many versions of "The 18 Heroes of Sui and Tang", where more than half of the people do not exist at all. Even someone like Li Xian could be portrayed as a cow-nosed old Taoist, like Zhuge Liang, a semi-magical military strategist, which shows the richness of the imagination of ancient writers.

  Only Qin Shubao's bravery is unmatched, that is the real and consistent one known throughout the world —— The establishment of the Qin family's twelve halberds, the second-class upper pillar country Wuhun officer, is the best proof.

  The twelve-square halberd bestowed by the Emperor is to commend Qin Shubao's great military achievements! And "Shangzhuguo" this second-class martial arts officer, is a supreme "Combat Hero" medal, and there is only one person in the Zhenguan Dynasty, Qin Shubao. Moreover, the emperor has said to the public on more than one occasion, "The bravest general in the world, Shubao is the first!"

  Since then, Qin Mu Bai has also read a lot of books, including official histories and unofficial ones, as well as handwritten notes. According to many records, during the conquests that pacified the world, whenever they were about to go into battle, if there was an enemy general showing off his bravery in the enemy's formation, Li Shimin would order Qin Shubao to lead the vanguard and first dent the enemy's morale. Qin Shubao had always been up to the task, and it wasn't just once or twice that he beheaded enemy generals amidst a multitude of soldiers. During the attack on Wang Shichong, Qin Shubao inserted his trusty iron spear into the ground below the city walls as a show of intimidation. Several small soldiers were sent by Wang Shichong's general to pull out the spear, but they couldn't budge it. A few days later, Qin Shubao arrived, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, he effortlessly pulled out his spear, patted his horse, and rode off with a flourish. The enemy army was left staring in shock, and not one of them dared to surround and chase after Qin Shubao alone!

  Another powerful proof is that in the imperial palace of the Great Tang Dynasty, the eight-foot iron spear used by Qin Qiong when he was at war is still preserved. Whenever there are banquets for foreign guests or grand court banquets related to military affairs, this iron spear will be taken out for viewing and appreciation.

  Qin Shubao's spear was eight feet long, made of refined iron and weighed dozens of kilograms, which did not match any wooden-handled spears in the Tang Dynasty. Moreover, according to current conventions, a spear over eight feet should be called a "meng". For example, Cheng Zhijie used an eight-foot horse meng (one foot in the Tang Dynasty was equivalent to about 30 centimeters).

  But Qin Shubao said he was using a spear, so it's a spear!

  People all over the world, from emperors to ordinary people, call this gun "Qin Gun", representing the strongest martial arts in the great Tang Dynasty, a country that values military strength!

  "A tiger father can't have a dog son, it seems I still need to practice my martial arts! As Cheng Zhi Jie said, even if not for the future of going to battle and killing enemies, having this skill as a foundation for one's life is not bad. Qin Mu Bai thought to himself, 'I wonder how Father views my decision to switch jobs? He and Cheng Zhi Jie are both old veterans who have been through battles and officialdom for decades, their experience is richer than mine and their vision is more piercing than mine, they are both excellent teachers. Tomorrow I will go ask him about this matter...'"

  Soon, Fourth Sister Frost came to apply ointment on Qin Mu Bai. Towards this clever and considerate younger sister, Qin Mu Bai also grew more fond of her. The siblings chatted for a long time, and naturally the topic couldn't help but revolve around Li Ke. At first, Qin Mu Bai was still somewhat puzzled about the situation between his sister and Li Ke, thinking that his sister was unilaterally infatuated with him like Cinderella's love for Prince Charming. Through these days of interacting with Li Ke, he discovered that the charming Li Ke indeed had genuine feelings towards his younger sister.

  "Why did Father always refuse to agree to their marriage? And, I have never seen Wu Wangfei Yang in the palace before, nor has Li Ke ever mentioned her. Where is that Wu Wang's legitimate wife now and what kind of person is she?"

  Many doubts began to rise in Qin Mubai's mind, and he secretly pondered how to figure them out one by one. He had promised his little sister that he would make it happen. Letting lovers become a couple was also a great deed of boundless merit. Moreover, the object of his affections was his own younger sister.

  The next morning at dawn, Qin Mubai, who was used to getting up early, was still fast asleep when the door was knocked.

  The sound of the door creaking was loud and powerful with a fierce rhythm, clearly the person knocking on the door wasn't using their hand but something like a stick.

  "Who?"

  "Still not getting up?" It was actually Qin Shubao.

  "Dad? Come quickly!" Qin Mubai wiped his eyes and jumped out of the warm quilt, without even washing his face or rinsing his mouth. He threw on a piece of clothing and followed his father to the back courtyard's polo field.

  Qin Shubao leaned on his crutch, his expression stern and his eyes solemn, saying: "My son, how can you lose to someone else's son in a martial arts competition? If the Emperor selects soldiers for the Imperial Guard, you must win first place!"

  "Oh, Father, you already know? I was going to discuss this matter with you." Qin Mu Bai said.

  "Qin Shubao said, "You and Cheng Yaojin had a martial arts competition at that time, Li Xian told me."

  "It was him..." Qin Mu Bai was slightly surprised, thinking it was Cheng Zhi Jie who told his father.

  "Cut the nonsense, just remember that you must win. Your archery skills are not what I'm worried about, but your horsemanship is really poor. From today on, all your time will be spent practicing martial arts. When serving in the palace, don't hang out with Li Huan and those idle rich kids; there are many soldiers and martial artists there, compare and learn from them; when you're back home, if Cheng Zhi comes, ask him for guidance; at other times, I'll supervise you myself!"

  "Yes, son will obey. But father, your body..."

  "This isn't something you should worry about." After a pause, Qin Shubao continued, "After practicing Tai Chi and drinking medicinal wine, especially after broadening my mental state, my body as a father has improved significantly. Although it's still far from recovery, at least I've regained one or two tenths of my health."

  "That's good......" Qin Mu Bai let out a light breath and nodded his head in delight. Then he asked again, "Father, you seem to have some prejudice against the King of Wu?"

  "Absolutely not," Qin Shubao said resolutely. "On the contrary, I think he's a very good young man. In many ways, he's much better than you."

  "That's father, why..." Qin Mu Bai thought for a moment and decided not to mention his sister for the time being. He said, "Like Uncle Cheng, do you also want me to leave the Wu Wang Fu?"

  "The reason is simple." Qin Shubao's eyes flashed with a hint of unusual light, and he said in a low voice, "Among the many sons and nephews of the emperor, Li Ke can be said to be the most like the emperor. His bloodline is also the noblest, and he has a good reputation among both officials and civilians. He is intelligent, capable, well-versed in both literature and martial arts, and has great ambitions and aspirations. Even the emperor himself praised him as 'a hero of my class'."

  Qin Mubai seemed to have understood the meaning behind his father's words, nodded and said: "But Wu Wang Ke is a concubine-born son, compared to the legitimate crown prince, Wei Wang and others, his status is the lowest. However, he happens to be the one who is most capable and closest to the Emperor in everyone's eyes. As a result, these advantages of his have become the fatal weakness that his brothers are wary of and jealous of, right?"

  "Not bad. It seems you still understand a thing or two," Qin Shubao said, "Now, the Crown Prince is not filial, and the Emperor favors the King of Wei, seemingly with the intention of abolishing him. As a result, all the princes are somewhat restless, their hearts to seize the throne and contend for the position of heir apparent are evident. Li Ke may not have shown it too clearly, but he has always been the most prominent among the princes. Especially many old ministers seem to see in him the shadow of the Emperor when he was young. Therefore, Li Ke is absolutely a troublemaker. Even if he doesn't intend to contend for the position and keeps a low profile everywhere, he will inevitably become an obstacle in the eyes of other princes. A tree wants to be still but the wind won't stop, the Wu King's residence is destined to be a place of trouble! Do you still need to stick with him and wade through this muddy water?"

  The tree wants to be still but the wind will not stop?!

  Qin Mubai's heart skipped a beat: just a few days ago, Li Ke had also said this to him!

  It seems that the fact is indeed as Father said - the struggle for the throne has already begun, and Li Ke has also been involved.

  This is indeed a dangerous signal. From ancient times to the present, whenever such things happen, in the end there will always be a large number of people who fall. The son of heaven and the minister of heaven, the prince who successfully seized the throne, cannot tolerate his former political opponents continuing to exist in the world, threatening himself.

  It's nothing new for brothers to fight and kill each other, or even for a mother like Wu Zetian to personally kill her own children. Didn't the Xuanwu Gate Incident in our dynasty witness one of the most famous coups? At that time, Li Shimin not only killed his brothers and forced his father to abdicate, but also eliminated all their descendants, not even sparing infants still in swaddling clothes, cutting them down to eradicate any future threats.

  Conversely, if Li Jiancheng and his cohorts had succeeded, Li Shimin would have met a similar end.

  But those who followed Li Jiancheng and Li Yuanji at the time, mostly ended up with no intact eggs under a destroyed nest. People like Wei Zheng, a die-hard former crown prince who was spared by Li Shimin due to his exceptional talent, were indeed in the minority.

  Struggle for the throne, has always been bloody, no room for mercy or luck. No wonder, both Father and Cheng Zhijie demanded Qin Mubai to stay away from King Wu and work by the Emperor's side instead. Having personally experienced the Xuanwu Gate Incident, they naturally understood the pros and cons deeply.

  "Father, I understand," Qin Mubai said. "Although Li Ke is on good terms with me and has treated me well, when it comes to the overall situation and major interests, I don't need to risk my life and the rise and fall of the entire Qin family just because of this personal favor."

  "You can think that way, which proves you have some wisdom." Qin Shubao nodded in satisfaction. "As I said earlier, from a personal standpoint, I also like Li Ke very much. But from a broader perspective, I hope you can stay away from him a bit. Now there's an opportunity to leave the Wu Wang Fu in a logical and reasonable manner, isn't that good? This way, you won't offend Li Ke, nor will it seem like we're ungrateful. After all, serving the emperor has far greater significance than following the Wu King. Li Ke won't say anything either. And your personal relationship with him also needs to be handled carefully."

  "Uh, I'll be careful with the measurements, Father can rest assured." Qin Mubai responded, thinking to himself: This is probably also the reason why Father doesn't want to marry Fourth Sister off to Li Ke... he thinks he's a sharp-tongued troublemaker who will bring calamity to the entire Qin family in the future.

  "Alright, that's all I have to say. The conversation between us father and son is not to be mentioned to anyone outside. Since you claim to be clever, you should understand everything." Qin Yubao furrowed his sword-like eyebrows and shouted sternly, "Mount your horse and practice martial arts! You must strengthen your weak points in horsemanship and archery within the shortest time possible, so that when the Emperor selects soldiers for a martial competition, you can win first prize at once! Otherwise, roll up your bedding and leave the Qin family on your own, and from now on, change your name and surname and don't say you're my son!"

  "Yes, Father!"

  .??，！