Chapter 156 Joining the Army

The Grand Commander invited them, and since Li Qinghe was also there, the three of them went together.

Before leaving, the three of them briefly discussed the plan in the room; the rest was up to them to improvise.

When they went outside, soldiers were already waiting for them.

Upon seeing them arrive, the soldier nodded to them, then verified their names before leading them to the military camp.

Because Li Qinghe had difficulty moving around, the soldier looked at him strangely for a couple more times, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you here to join the army too?"

Li Qinghe said calmly, "If they want to join the army, so naturally I will."

The soldier was skeptical, but probably felt it inappropriate to directly call the man a cripple, so his expression became even more peculiar.

Li Qinghe, ever the insightful one, chimed in, "Don't underestimate me just because I'm an old cripple; my skills surpass theirs." Then, without batting an eye, he pointed in the direction of Fu Mingyi and Xiao Qing, his expression utterly serious.

The soldier's eyes widened in disbelief.

Looking at Li Qinghe's expression, Xiao Qing almost burst out laughing.

Fu Mingyi was still the same as always. When the soldiers looked over, he nodded in agreement, "My skills are indeed inferior to theirs."

The soldier's gaze swept between them before finally settling on Xiao Qing.

Xiao Qing remained silent and taciturn, but his back was straight and his eyes were bright. Upon closer inspection, he possessed a kind of integrity that ordinary people did not have.

The soldier became more wary, thinking that he would know whether the skill was real or fake once he reached the governor's tent. So he suppressed his suspicions and didn't ask any more questions along the way.

When they arrived at Zhao Ziyuan's tent, several people had already arrived.

Just as the man had said, the Grand Commander had invited everyone who wanted to join the army.

Xiao Qing then saw Zhao Ziyuan in person.

The Zhao family members all seem to be tall and strong, with excellent physical qualities, making them natural-born soldiers.

Such a person must have certain requirements regarding their own and others' combat strength.

However, Zhao Youchen does not resemble this uncle.

Her thoughts drifted slightly as she recalled that late night, filled with the aroma of alcohol, when Zhao Youchen seemed quite different from his usual self.

He said he was an orphan adopted by the Zhao family and had lived by begging until he was eight years old...

"Fu Qingran?" Zhao Ziyuan was somewhat displeased to see Xiao Qing staring blankly at her face.

Fu Mingyi gently touched her arm.

Xiao Qing finally came to her senses, and upon closer inspection, realized the situation was dire.

She quickly prepared herself and nodded slightly to Zhao Ziyuan.

Zhao Ziyuan began to ponder.

The boy looked to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old; he was definitely a minor.

That's not a big problem.

Among those who came to him to join the army were also valiant young men his age. As long as they didn't want formal military status or a formal position, as long as they had potential, they could train in the army first, and then resolve the issue when the conditions were right. It was a good approach.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He thought to himself, "That Feng Zhengmin is so ungrateful. Over the years, I've quietly helped him solve so many problems related to the migrant population."

It's just a little money, isn't it? What a miser.

Oh dear, I've gone off on a tangent.

Zhao Ziyuan drew her attention back and looked at Xiao Qing again.

Not to mention that he is still an immature boy, his thin and weak physique really doesn't seem like the material to join the army.

Then look at the two people next to him.

A young master who looks like he comes from a good family, even if he is not extremely wealthy, should at least be from a well-off family, which is why he has such a peaceful and serene demeanor.

Well, he seems to have some martial arts skills, but I wonder how good they are.

And the other one... if he wasn't mistaken, should be someone with mobility issues.

They came from Xi County.

Xi County has a simple and honest folk culture, and the county magistrate is also decent, making it a suitable place to live.

However, in recent years, quite a few people have come from Dingzhou to Yingzhou.

They would probably be more suited to farming.

In short, he doesn't seem like the material for military service.

Thinking about it this way, he felt a sense of contempt.

Now that everyone had arrived, Zhao Ziyuan was ready to see what they were capable of.

His preferred candidates were not Xiao Qing and the others, so they were not the first ones he wanted to see.

There are eight people standing in the tent now, one of whom is about twenty years old. He is tall and muscular with bright, piercing eyes.

Zhao Ziyuan thought he was very good.

There was another kid who came in very quickly and seemed quite clever; he seemed pretty good too.

"Let's first demonstrate our martial arts skills."

“Your Excellency, my name is Zhao Yong. I can split a large rock with my palm and carry a carriage through my chest.”

Zhao Ziyuan nodded in satisfaction. "Still from the same clan. How big of a stone do you want?"

"As large as a person can embrace".

Zhao Ziyuan burst into laughter.

"Come on, get ready outside the tent, find a rock that's big enough to hug."

He paused, then asked, "How do you demonstrate the chest passing over carriages and horses?"

"Once I am ready, I can send men to drive carriages and horses across."

Zhao Ziyuan was even more satisfied, and deep lines appeared at the corners of her eyes as she smiled.

Xiao Qing felt a little uneasy.

Could this person have been a traveling acrobat before?

If he really has that ability, then he's truly amazing!

She secretly asked Fu Mingyi next to her, "Are there really people like that?"

She thought she was speaking very softly, but the big man still noticed her.

He twitched his ear and turned his head.

Seeing that it was a young boy like Xiao Qing, he proudly said, "You'll see my skills soon enough, little brother."

Zhao Ziyuan glanced at her but ignored her, then turned back to talk to Zhao Yong.

"These two skills of yours are not something ordinary people can do. Did you practice them since you were a child?"

Zhao Yong nodded, clasped his hands and said, "I have been practicing martial arts diligently with my master since I was a child, and later I traveled around with the opera troupe to make a living. Now that my master has passed away, I have decided to join the army. I have heard that the Governor is a talent scout and is very good at recognizing people. Anyone with real skills can serve under the Governor. So I have come to join the Governor."

As they were talking, everything was ready outside the tent.

Zhao Ziyuan led a few people out and invited Zhao Yong to give the test.

Zhao Yong circled the rock several times, examining it carefully from all angles, before jumping onto the large rock and shouting.

Then he slapped down with his bare hand, making a "smack" sound.

He shouted several more times and struck out with his palms in succession, about six or seven times, and the stone actually cracked open in several places.

Xiao Qing blinked, her heart surging with excitement at his shout. Watching him unleash his palm strike was even more spectacular, and she couldn't help but lean forward slightly, wanting to see those cracks more clearly.

She felt that although it depended on the angle and method, having great strength and a hard palm was a real skill.

If this man joins the army, he will surely become a fierce general!

Zhao Ziyuan couldn't help but clap her hands and laugh: "Great!"

Zhao Yong stepped down from the rock with an air of dominance and said, "Let's try riding over a carriage with my chest!"