14. Storming the Training Ground

"My daughter has come to fetch her husband home."

Two days before the Yinshanju Qingtan Conference, people who had heard the news and wanted to see the excitement gradually gathered in the capital.

Ordinary people have little interest in such refined pursuits; they are too busy making a living to be interested. It is the aristocratic families who are interested.

The city was suddenly flooded with visitors, and half of the restaurants and inns were occupied.

With more people, there will be more trouble.

Since the day Xiao Pingchuan made a name for himself at Cangshuang Tower, his reputation has spread rapidly among the powerful and wealthy.

People from outside the capital who came to the capital heard that he had the skill of hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces away, and they all wanted to see it for themselves.

Unfortunately, the general's mansion was heavily guarded, and the visiting card couldn't even be delivered.

The only letter that was delivered was an invitation from General Feng Sanhe, who was leading the army, to Xiao Pingchuan to come to the Imperial Guard's training ground for a friendly sparring match.

The General in charge of the Central Guard, who was in charge of the palace guards, held important military responsibilities and handled both internal and external affairs. His power and position were higher than Xiao Pingchuan's, so he had no choice but to accept the position.

When talking about the leading generals, one must mention the military system of the Great Liang Dynasty.

Before the emergence of the Black Flag Army, Daliang only had two military forces: the Central Army and the Outer Army.

The central army guarded the capital and was directly commanded and managed by the emperor, with its supplies and provisions also provided by the imperial court. The outer armies were the local armies of the various prefectures and counties, under the jurisdiction of the respective prefectural governors.

Therefore, the central army was backed by the emperor, the outer army by powerful families, and only the Black Flag Army had nothing behind it.

Right now, Xiao Pingchuan has humiliated Wei Xun at Cangshuang Tower.

Wei Xun's Jishe Battalion was one of the three major battalions of the Central Army. In other words, Xiao Pingchuan had also slapped the Central Army in the face.

Feng Sanhe could not swallow this insult no matter what.

"Has he arrived yet?" Feng Sanhe asked his adjutant.

"not yet."

"How could he be so negligent?"

The adjutant didn't dare to speak.

"When the men arrive, immediately pin him down and give him a few good whacks to vent your anger," Feng Sanhe said. "Remember, don't let him go until he begs for mercy."

"However, he is, after all, a General of the Cavalry personally appointed by His Majesty. If His Majesty were to hold him accountable..."

"What's there to be afraid of? The Feng family of Yingyang is a force that even His Majesty has to give way to. Why would we be afraid of a mere vagrant like him? Besides, that visiting card bears His Majesty's seal. Otherwise, how could he have obeyed so obediently?"

The last time Xiao Pingchuan went to the palace to meet His Majesty, he had somewhat angered him, so he took this opportunity to give him a warning.

The Imperial Guard's training ground was located within the capital city, right next to the imperial city, and surrounded by the residences of high-ranking officials and nobles.

Xiao Pingchuan did not bring anyone with him on this trip, as Feng Sanhe forbade him to.

"General Xiao has arrived!"

Before the person even arrived, the announcements were made louder and louder.

Xiao Pingchuan walked along the bluestone path, his eyes fixed straight ahead, passing through layers of guards and heading into the training ground. He was tall and had resolute features, exuding the aura of a thousand troops all by himself.

The drill ground was an open space with a high platform in the center. Several people sat on the platform, looking down at him.

At this moment, the sky was high and the land was vast, with not a single cloud in the azure sky, a blue so intense it was unsettling.

The wind blew, and the military flags fluttered in the breeze.

There were at least a thousand people in the drill ground, yet you could hear a pin drop; the only sound was the fluttering of the military flag.

"General Feng."

Xiao Pingchuan clasped his hands in a respectful but not arrogant manner.

Feng Sanhe smiled kindly and shouted, "Take it down."

Dozens of people suddenly surged out from all directions, rushing forward, some grabbing legs, others twisting arms, trying to pin the person to the ground.

However, Xiao Pingchuan was extremely stable and had great strength, so the group couldn't budge him for a while.

After a brief stalemate, Xiao Pingchuan gathered his energy in his dantian, let out a low shout, and shook his arm, sending everyone flying back.

"What is General Feng doing?" Xiao Pingchuan asked coldly.

"Don't you know what I want to do?" Feng Sanhe retorted.

Xiao Pingchuan shook his head.

Feng Sanhe got up, walked to the edge of the platform, squatted down, and looked down at him, saying, "The higher-ups want to test your abilities and see if you've become complacent since returning to the capital."

Xiao Pingchuan remained unmoved.

Feng Sanhe was indeed one rank higher than him.

How do you take the entrance exam?

"Rumor has it that you can easily take on a hundred men, so then take down the hundred men in front of you."

Xiao Pingchuan glanced indifferently at the hundreds of tall and burly people not far away and noticed that Wei Xun was also mixed in among them, staring straight at him.

“Do you think I’m stupid? That’s more than a hundred.” Xiao Pingchuan said.

"If I say one hundred, then he means one hundred."

Xiao Pingchuan sneered, "Fine, then come at me all at once."

Feng Sanhe stood up, waved to the people below, and said, "Just leave them breathing."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Xun was the first to rush forward, followed by a swarm of people like carnivorous ants, and Xiao Pingchuan was instantly submerged in the crowd.

Meanwhile, at the royal villa in the western suburbs, a general's personal guard quietly ran into the courtyard, and soon after, he hurriedly ran out again, heading straight for the Shen residence.

The person was arranged by Xiao Pingchuan, so he couldn't just go to the appointment without making any preparations.

However, he also knew that the Crown Prince was currently under house arrest and there wasn't much he could do, so he didn't expect the Crown Prince to be able to really help him.

On the training ground, Xiao Pingchuan fought bare-handed, each punch landing with a visceral impact. He specifically chose fighting styles that could render someone incapable of fighting in an instant, such as breaking their arms or legs or knocking them unconscious.

Almost no one can withstand three punches from him.

Wei Xun had already been kicked far away and was still lying on the ground, unable to get up.

Gradually, Xiao Pingchuan's feet were piled high with soldiers wailing incessantly, and his body was splattered with layers of blood.

Feng Sanhe's expression changed from initial smugness to shock. He finally realized that the title of "God of Slaughter" was not just empty words, and he also knew just how terrifying the Black Flag Army was.

"General, what should we do?" the deputy asked.

“Send more people, I want to see just how capable he really is.”

"yes."

Just as Xiao Pingchuan was about to take down the last few people, he thought he could finally catch his breath, but in the blink of an eye, another group appeared not far away.

He gritted his teeth, tore off a piece of his shirt, wrapped it around his bloodied fist, and mustered his strength to fight again.

He was gambling, gambling that Feng Sanhe wouldn't dare kill him, gambling that he wouldn't dare provoke a war between the Black Flag Army and the Central Army.

This battle of attrition continued until the sun was setting, and the observers included not only Feng Sanhe, but also generals from the Fourth Army, the Sixth School, and other units who had rushed to the scene upon hearing the news.

They stood silently in the stands, gazing at the powerful and terrifying figure in the arena.

The blood beneath Xiao Pingchuan's feet was already above his ankles, and the fallen people were a dense mass, with the stench of blood and wails everywhere.

Everyone was speechless, unsure how to react.

"Kill him," Feng Sanhe said through gritted teeth, feeling a tremendous threat. "This man cannot be allowed to live."

"Why?" the person next to me asked.

"If we keep him around, neither of us will have a place to stand sooner or later."

After he finished speaking, he turned and whispered a few words to his deputy.

The deputy left in a hurry, and soon after, the elite troops were all dispatched.

The people on the stage lowered their eyes, not daring to look any longer.

“Shen Suqin, daughter of Shen Jinghe of the Shen family, has arrived.”

Suddenly someone announced it loudly.

Immediately afterwards, the noise came from the gate all the way to the drill ground.

Xiao Pingchuan turned around and saw Shen Suqin, dressed in white, rushing towards him, with the guards of the General of the Cavalry clearing the way for her beside her.

"General Feng, my daughter has come to take her husband home."

Even after she finished speaking, the brawl in the training ground did not stop; in fact, it became even more chaotic due to the addition of her personal guards.

Feng Sanhe ignored her and ordered his deputy, "Take her down and throw her out."

The deputy stepped down and led his men to approach.

The general's guards surrounded Shen Suqin, not allowing anyone else to get close.

Meanwhile, Xiao Pingchuan's pressure was greatly reduced thanks to the addition of his personal guards.

Shen Suqin's eyes flashed with cold light as he said loudly, "Feng Sanhe, the Feng family's century-old foundation is about to be destroyed in an instant. Aren't you afraid?"

These words struck at Feng Sanhe's weak point and piqued his interest.

"Stop," he said, waving his hand.

The chaotic fighting gradually subsided.

"Tell me, how do you plan to destroy the Feng family?" he asked with a contemptuous smirk.

Shen Suqin took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Who do you think you're going to attack today! Xiao Pingchuan is the commander of the 100,000 Black Flag Army in the Northern Territory, not some random cat or dog on the street. If you kill him, do you think the Feng family can escape?"

"Let me put this: if Xiao Pingchuan dies here today, the 100,000 Black Flag Army will immediately march south, and everyone present will pay with their lives. We will fight to the death!"

"And your Feng family will be completely wiped out."

Shen Suqin's voice was so cold and calm, and her aura so powerful, that they all forgot that the person in front of them was just a delicate woman.

Meanwhile, these words reached everyone's ears, including Xiao Pingchuan.

He stood up, panting heavily, and looked at the thin figure not far away. He was distracted by the thought that the sachet and handkerchief in his arms were probably soaked in dirty blood and smelled bad.

“I remember Miss Shen Er isn’t married yet,” Feng Sanhe said. “Is she in such a hurry to become a widow in the Xiao family?”

"Once Xiao Pingchuan dies, the Black Flag Army will be leaderless. You can't just go south whenever you want. Who will listen to you?"

"Or I could kill you too."

Feng Sanhe's eyes were filled with murderous intent. Xiao Pingchuan had been thoroughly offended, and no one would be able to escape unscathed today.

Moreover, he had always known that the Black Flag Army was a major concern for His Majesty, and killing Xiao Pingchuan would relieve His Majesty's worries.

Shen Suqin remained calm and composed, saying, "If we cannot leave this gate alive today, the news of our deaths at the hands of the Feng family will immediately reach the Northern Border."

“Husband,” Shen Suqin turned to Xiao Pingchuan and asked, “What should the Black Flag Army do if they don’t have a general’s order?”

She's indirectly asking what will happen to the Black Flag Army if you die.

Xiao Pingchuan wiped the blood from his face and replied solemnly, "The Black Flag Army is still the Black Flag Army."

Shen Suqin turned around proudly, "General Feng, did you understand?"

"My lord, how should the Black Flag Army deal with mortal enemies?"

"A fight to the death."

Shen Suqin smiled: "General Feng, did you understand?"

"My lord, is it possible to take action against the Feng family of Yingyang?"

“I dare to touch the Shatuo, let alone a mere Feng.”

Shen Suqin: "General Feng, did you understand?"

At this moment, Xiao Pingchuan stood behind her, listening to her throw out these three questions in succession with firm and powerful words. Each question was a defense of himself. He felt hot all over, as if his blood was burning, and all his fatigue seemed to dissipate.

So this is what it feels like to be protected. Xiao Pingchuan lowered his head and smiled.

Feng Sanhe, however, had veins bulging on his forehead, and he knew he truly dared not kill the two men before him.

Shen Suqin understood. She gave Feng Sanhe no more chance to speak, turned around, stepped over the pool of blood and the people lying on the ground, and walked straight towards Xiao Pingchuan.

"General, let's go."

She wanted to help Xiao Pingchuan.

Xiao Pingchuan shook his head and said to her, "Wait for me a little longer." Then, he fixed his cold gaze on Feng Sanhe and said, "General Feng, do you want to stop now? Too late. Since we're going to have a friendly competition, and my men are here, let's begin."

After speaking, he lowered his head and tightened the straps on his hands, then pointed to the three most powerful men: "You three protect the lady. If you lose even a single hair, bring me your head. As for the rest, beat them, just leave them with a breath left."

He is always vengeful.

Seeing their general covered in blood, the guards, who were already suppressing their anger, immediately transformed into tigers unleashed from their cages upon receiving the general's order, and pounced fiercely on the weak and helpless soldiers.

This was a one-sided fight, with a dozen or so Black Flag soldiers dominating a hundred or so men, beating them so badly that they were blown apart and forced to flee.

Xiao Pingchuan jumped onto the stands and punched the onlookers, knocking them off the stage one by one, leaving his personal guards to avenge him.

Feng Sanhe's face turned ugly: "Xiao Pingchuan, do you want to rebel?"

He and Xiao Pingchuan faced off in the stands.

Xiao Pingchuan shook the blood dripping from his fist, grinned maliciously, and rushed over, knocking the man down with a single punch. He said, "Villains die from talking too much. Look at me, I've never liked talking, I only like to fight."

Feng Sanhe didn't expect him to actually dare to make a move, and before he could react, he was hit hard.

He snapped out of his daze, rolled over and got to his feet, getting into a fighting stance to confront Xiao Pingchuan.

Unexpectedly, Chai Shun suddenly appeared, tackled the man to the ground, and gave him a sound beating.

Xiao Pingchuan watched coldly and said casually, "Who told you that the Black Flag Army likes to fight one-on-one?"

After he finished speaking, he didn't forget to lean over and kick him twice more.

Only when he saw that Feng Sanhe was breathing more gasps than he was breathing in did he wave his hand to signal everyone to stop.

"General Feng, I'll make a note of this for you today, and we'll settle things later."

After saying that, he jumped off the stands and walked towards Shen Suqin.

“Let’s go home,” he said to Shen Suqin.

Shen Suqin nodded.