Xu Di has never relaxed his training. Although he doesn't have much training equipment to use on a regular basis, he has always been doing some basic training exercises to keep his physical fitness at its best.

For the past few years, Zheng Boyuan has been training himself relentlessly, almost obsessively, in a self-destructive manner. He firmly remembered what Xu Di had told him: "Sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime." Over the years, he has led by example, and the soldiers he has trained have become extremely skilled in combat.

After Xu Di started the competition, his eyes and mind were only on the training equipment in front of him. After going through them one by one, Zheng Boyuan was evenly matched with him. When the two of them had their packed marching packs on their backs, Xu Di slowly began to pull Zheng Boyuan behind him.

The training ground had a running track, with bricks lining both the inner and outer sides, and a gravel surface. Xu Di was wearing his usual cloth shoes with thick soles, which were a bit uncomfortable on the surface. Each lap was about 400 meters, so ten laps would be 4,000 meters, or 4 kilometers. Xu Di ran at a steady pace, adjusting his breathing as he ran. Zheng Boyuan followed closely behind Xu Di, and Xu Di could hear that his breathing rhythm was okay at first, but gradually became erratic. Xu Di shook his head as he ran, deciding that today he would show this somewhat arrogant brother-in-law why flowers are so red.

After adjusting his breathing rhythm, Xu Di sped up. He knew that when running, he had to pay attention to his breathing rhythm. If he adjusted his breathing rhythm, he wouldn't feel tired while running.

It wasn't until the eighth lap that Zheng Boyuan finally gave up and stopped gritting his teeth and continuing to follow Xu Di. Xu Di also pulled Zheng Boyuan further and further behind, and by the time the tenth lap was over, Zheng Boyuan had already fallen half a lap behind Xu Di.

After Xu Di finished running, he took off the backpack he was carrying and threw it on the ground. He then slowly ran in place until Zheng Boyuan reached the finish line. Xu Di then slowly stopped and said, "Throw away the pack and jog slowly around here. Don't just lie on the ground and not move."

After Zheng Boyuan did as Xu Di asked, he slowly recovered and said with complete admiration, "Brother-in-law, no wonder everyone says you are the ultimate instructor. I am truly convinced today."

The soldiers watching from the sidelines were also impressed by Xu Di. No one had expected that Xu Di, who looked like a weak and frail scholar, would have such amazing physical qualities.

Xu Di smiled and said, "I never stop training, and you shouldn't either. Train hard in the coldest and hottest winters, rain or shine. If you practice diligently, you'll do even better than me. I'll say it again: sweat more in peacetime, bleed less in wartime. Don't think that training is too boring. Human potential is gradually extracted in this kind of boring training."

Everyone cheered. Xu Di knew in his heart that he was able to defeat Zheng Boyuan not only because of his diligent practice, but more importantly, because he was now learning internal strength from several guards. With internal strength, a person's potential would be greatly stimulated.

Zheng Boyuan led Xu Di to his office. Upon entering the barracks, he found a room that Zheng Boyuan had used as his office. Next to it was the training room. Xu Di had built a large sand table for them in the room. The sand table was designed according to the terrain around the Bohai Sea, including not only the terrain of Dengzhou but also some places near the Bohai Sea.

However, some small islands in the sea were not marked. Xu Di had never been out to sea on a ship and did not know the exact size or location of those small islands.

However, Zheng Boyuan planned to take his team out to sea in a few days when the weather was warmer, to find out the exact location of the islands, mark them when they returned, and most importantly, to investigate the strength and weaknesses of the pirates and Japanese pirates at sea. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle.

Zheng Boyuan poured tea for Xu Di. It wasn't very good tea, but Xu Di didn't care at the moment. He drank three bowls in a row before putting down the bowl and saying, "I came here this time to ask you for help."

Zheng Boyuan nodded and said, "Just tell me what it is, and I'll help you with anything I can."

Xu Di then recounted the Zhou family's story in detail. Zheng Boyuan listened with a furrowed brow and said, "I know this Mingguo Duke's Mansion you mentioned. I even drank with some of their young masters before. It used to be a down-on-its-luck duke's mansion. Later, I heard that they joined the Third Prince and have been working for him ever since."

Xu Di nodded and said, "It's their family. One of their daughters is working in the Third Prince's residence. The root of this matter is actually the Third Prince. Whether it's the Duke of Ming's mansion or the Zhou family, they are all the Third Prince's people. It's just that the Zhou family is doing it more discreetly. Moreover, the old master of the Zhou family is no pushover either. You see, he usually doesn't show off. All the big and small matters in the family are handled by his eldest son. He's obviously an old fox."

Zheng Boyuan frowned and said, "What can I do to help you?"

Xu Di said, "I don't have enough manpower. I'll have to go to Qingzhou to arrest people, and I don't want the county yamen runners to do it. Give me some manpower then."

Zheng Boyuan nodded and said, "I can give you manpower, but I need to have a legitimate reason for doing so."

Xu Di sneered twice and said, "What do you mean by 'just cause'? When the time comes, you can have your men change their clothes, and my men will quietly arrest those leaders of the Zhou family, and you can help escort them to the county government."

This journey takes you all the way from Qingzhou to Penglai, a long and arduous one. Moreover, the Zhou family has significant influence, and who knows if the Third Prince has any other men in Qingzhou? If someone tries to kidnap someone, the soldiers who are helping to escort them will have to fight them.

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!