Chapter 176 Assassin

Lin Changning knew that the King of Chu would rebel, so she wasn't particularly surprised, since she had already sided with the winning side.

As long as no major problems arise, they should be able to climb the ranks steadily.

"There are no fools among the princes. It's unlikely that a simple order to mobilize troops will work. Perhaps some benefits will be offered. Moreover, even if troops are sent from various regions, they all have different masters and are unlikely to be very united. The generals sent by the court have already suffered several defeats. It will be even more difficult to gain the trust of such people."

Qi Rong nodded in agreement: "That's right, so for now we can only wait and see how things develop."

After finishing their business, Lin Changning went straight back to the training ground, a mischievous smile creeping onto his lips as he looked at the group of people still running.

In times of unrest, if we want these people to grow up quickly, we need to take extraordinary measures during this extraordinary period. Let's start with a 10-kilometer cross-country run today.

At the very least, we need to improve people's physical fitness first. Once the equipment is ready in a couple of days, we can begin specialized training.

With no Tartars around lately, Lin Changning is getting restless. She even dreams of chasing and killing Tartars in the middle of the night. Sigh, a peaceful life is definitely not suitable for her.

"Lushan, assemble! Target: North Mountain outside the city!"

After receiving the order to secure the luggage, Lu Shan quickly began to organize the team. Lin Changning stood at the front of the team, and after the team was organized, he led the group out at a jog.

It should be about ten kilometers from here to Beishan and back. Today we're just doing off-roading, but in a few days we'll start trying off-roading with loads.

Of course, Lin Changning would personally lead the training. After the group of people lined up with Lin Changning, they ran in unison along both sides of the street towards the city outskirts.

As they passed by, all the people watched them with curiosity. Since the trial students usually trained in the training grounds and did not come out at will, these people were wondering if something had happened that caused the King of Chu to come out for the whole group today.

Many people with ulterior motives quickly slipped away from the group and disappeared into the crowd.

However, Lin Changning didn't care about these people and was focused on leading them out of the city.

Upon arriving at the city gate, Lin Changning presented his waist token: "Right Guard of the King of Chu, today I am going out of the city for training in the North Mountain!"

The soldier guarding the city took the token and examined it carefully. He then looked at the group of people behind him. Although he was a little confused, he returned the token to Lin Changning and made way for him.

Lin Changning trained frequently in modern times, so ten kilometers was nothing to him. In the border region, the amount of exercise was much greater, so he only had a thin layer of sweat on his head after running for quite a while.

Lin Changning led his men at a jog along the official road toward the North Mountain. At first, they were fine, and the group still had energy. However, after running about half the distance, many of them began to pant heavily, and their formation and pace became somewhat scattered.

Lin Changning frowned, feeling that these people's physical fitness was simply too poor. It was less than five kilometers, yet it seemed to have taken half their lives.

Lin Changning didn't stop, but jogged back to look at the faces of the people. Several of them were thin and their faces were already pale, so they probably wouldn't be able to finish the race.

After running for a while longer, Lin Changning looked at the sky. It was still early, and if they could keep running until they reached Beishan, they could rest before heading back.

Lin Changning stood quietly at the front of the line without saying a word, leading the people forward. Fortunately, the military discipline was strict, and not many people fell behind.

Seeing that it was almost noon, the soldiers who were getting closer and closer to the North Mountain seemed to have a sudden burst of energy, as if they had suddenly regained their strength. Lin Changning felt quite gratified and led his men to the North Mountain.

Upon arriving at their destination, a group of soldiers collapsed to the ground. Lin Changning frowned and said, "Don't lie down. Get up and walk around, or you won't be able to stand up tomorrow."

After getting everyone up, Lin Changning led them slowly into the woods. The morning sun was already quite strong, and since they had just finished running, they naturally wanted to find a cool place.

After finding a grove of trees, Lin Changning and his men sat down to rest. A group of soldiers took out their water pouches and began to gulp down their drinks.

Lin Changning's face was also flushed from the heat. He fanned himself with his hand and felt a little cooler before taking small sips of water from the water pouch.

If they rest for another half an hour, they should be able to run back in time for lunch.

Lin Changning clutched his stomach, feeling a bit hungry, and pondered what lunch might be like. Their meals were prepared separately by the kitchen, usually consisting of three dishes and a soup, one meat dish and two vegetable dishes, with a bucket of rice provided.

She could certainly finish the food. Although the cooks of the Right Guard of the King of Chu could not cook as well as those of the King of Chu's residence, the food was still quite delicious and the portions were generous. So she usually ate lunch by herself in her tent.

Today, while off-roading with others, Lin Changning's stomach started growling almost as soon as he sat down. It was a pity that he hadn't brought any food with him, otherwise he could have had something to eat.

Lin Changning leaned against the tree, his eyes glazed over.

Lu Shan and the group of soldiers around him didn't dare to breathe loudly, because Lin Changning was looking into the distance with a sullen face, seemingly in a bad mood. They had all witnessed the skills of this commander, who could knock someone down with a single punch.

I heard that several human traffickers were boiled alive last night. If they made a mistake, would they also be boiled alive?

As the group was resting, they suddenly heard the sounds of close combat coming from the woods not far away.

Lin Changning quickly rolled over and stood up, his ears perked up. How could there be anyone in broad daylight?

Thinking of something, Lin Changning gripped the knife at his waist, frowned, and slowly crept towards the direction from which the sound came.

Lu Shan called two soldiers who also carefully followed Lin Changning in that direction.

They came out for training today carrying nothing but their swords and water bottles.

Let's find out more about the situation first before making any decisions.

In the woods—

Chang Zhiyuan and He Qi, each holding a stick, shielded the two girls behind them, while a group of skilled镖局 (bodyguard agency) members drew their swords and engaged in battle with a group of masked men.

The bodyguards employed by the He family were all skilled, but they couldn't withstand the formidable martial arts of the newcomers.

More than twenty masked men surrounded the man, their target being the two girls behind Chang Zhiyuan. He Qi and Chang Zhiyuan were surrounded by a group of bodyguards, each holding a sturdy wooden stick to protect the person behind them.

Chang Zhiyuan's refined and handsome face was now calm and stern, and he blocked the occasional burly men who rushed in.

A wooden stick was swung around with a whooshing sound, while two girls hugged each other and hid behind the two men. Although their faces were pale, they did not hold back and followed closely behind Chang Zhiyuan and He Qi.

Seeing that he couldn't subdue the burly man who was leading the group, he said coldly:

"I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. Hand them over, and we'll leave! Otherwise!"