Chapter 451 He wants to slap me in the face?
When Qian Yu and Zhao Yuling arrived, their elders had already warned them that their biggest rival in the race to be the vanguard was the prince's newly appointed son-in-law.
The two of them had heard a bit about Lin Changning, about his immense strength, superb swordsmanship, and unparalleled mastery of dual swords. They didn't quite believe the claim of immense strength, having fought on the battlefield for so many years and never seen anyone with superhuman strength.
He thought he was just a young man with superb swordsmanship. Qian Yu even thought that perhaps this young man had won the princess's favor and was able to climb to this position.
A sense of contempt inevitably arose in my heart.
Commander Qian gave Qian Yu advice many times, but his own son didn't take it seriously. After the group followed the Prince of Chu to the training ground, Qian Yu's gaze involuntarily fell on Lin Changning, who was standing next to Li Mingxiu.
After looking him up and down, he sneered inwardly.
He looks to be of average build, neither thin nor strong, yet he possesses superhuman strength.
Qian Yu snorted inwardly. He was just another spoiled brat who rose to power through nepotism. Look at his face, he's quite handsome. No wonder the princess likes him. He'd better hope he doesn't beat him until he begs for mercy. That would be too embarrassing for the prince.
Zhao Yuling's gaze toward Lin Changning was also somewhat unfriendly. Commander Zhao coughed lightly when he saw his son's hostile look and gave him a sideways glance.
Zhao Yuling silently withdrew his gaze, glanced at his father, and then turned away, withdrawing his hostile look.
Commander Zhao sighed inwardly. This boy had been in love with the princess since childhood. When the princess got married, he was at the border and couldn't make it back. He regretted it and got drunk several times in the army. A few days ago, when he learned that the princess had returned to Taiyuan, he happily drank several more times.
Originally, he had planned to mention it to the Prince upon his return, but alas, the Princess was already engaged, and his own child was a step behind. Thinking of this, Commander Zhao couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
She felt a pang of heartache looking at her own child, but after pausing when she saw Lin Changning across from her, she said softly, "Jiakun, don't go too far."
Hearing his father call him by his courtesy name, Zhao Yuling hummed in response but didn't say anything more.
She withdrew her somewhat hostile gaze from Lin Changning and stood quietly behind her father.
Lin Changning naturally sensed the two unfriendly gazes. Before he could say anything, Li Mingxiu put his arm around his shoulder and gestured to the two of them with his eyes.
"The one on the left is Qian Yu, and the one on the right is Zhao Yuling. Both of them are skilled with the sword, just like you. I've heard from others that their swordsmanship is also quite good."
After the people had settled down, the King of Chu stood on the high platform and gave a speech to encourage the soldiers. Then he turned to look at the three commanders. Zhao Yu received a signal from his eyes, stepped forward, clasped his hands, and said to the King of Chu.
"Zhao Yu, the commander, dares to request permission from Your Highness to be the vanguard and charge into battle for Your Highness!"
Not to be outdone, Zhao Yuling immediately knelt down on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist and said to the King of Chu, "I, Zhao Yuling, am here to serve as your vanguard. I hope Your Highness will grant my request!"
The King of Chu feigned difficulty, looking at the two men with a look of unease. Suddenly, he laughed, "Very well! You are all elite soldiers under my command. The position of vanguard is crucial to the morale of the army and the success or failure of this battle from the outset. Since both of you are eager to be first, let's follow the army's rules—a public contest! The winner will claim the position based on merit, and the loser will accept it willingly. The entire army will witness the vanguard's true abilities. This position will only be given to those who have the confidence and ability to shoulder the responsibility. What do you say? Anyone with ambition is welcome to challenge me. The winner will be the vanguard! A reward of one hundred taels of silver!!!"
Upon hearing this, many soldiers below began to stir with excitement. King Chu glanced silently at Lin Changning and saw his son-in-law and son squatting together, whispering to each other.
When Lin Changning squatted on the ground and heard the King of Chu say that he would reward him with a hundred taels of silver, his eyes lit up: "Is there such a good thing? Then I'm definitely taking this silver."
Li Mingxiu also squatted down on the ground: "I've been thinking that Luo Zhong's salary for you isn't low, and your family's embroidery shop is a well-known cash cow. How come you're so greedy for money?"
Do you want free money?
"..."
"want!"
"That solves everything."
"Father is watching us."
"Uh-huh!"
After realizing what was happening, Lin Changning saw the King of Chu staring at him, stood up, coughed lightly, and strode forward.
“Father! Now that the vanguard position is up, all the soldiers in the army are eager to be the first. As your soldier and your junior, how can I back down?”
If you can participate in the competition, if you win, you will charge ahead to clear the way for the army and share your burdens; if you lose, you will willingly serve as a support to hone your skills and serve you again in the future.
"It is my duty as a son, and I also wish to show my filial piety to you. Please allow me to give it a try, Father!"
The King of Chu raised his hand and gently helped you up, saying in a deep voice, "Get up. Since you have stepped forward, you should know that there are no exceptions in the army, including those related by marriage or father and son. I will allow you to join the competition, but remember: on the field, only the winner and loser matter, not the father-in-law and son-in-law."
Lin Changning clasped his hands and stood up, his voice loud and clear: "Yes, Father!"
Commander Zhao stepped forward at that moment: "In that case, let's begin. The first item is hand skills. Whether or not you use weapons is up to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yuling walked straight up to the platform, his gaze towards Lin Changning was naked and filled with hostility: "I don't need weapons, so where is Lord Lin?"
Lin Changning jogged towards the stage, flipped onto it, and then smirked at Zhao Yuling, shrugging: "Since Lord Zhao doesn't need to, then I won't either. Let's have a contest of martial arts skills."
He stopped, extended a hand, and said to Zhao Yuling in a rather gentlemanly manner, "Please go first, Lord Zhao."
Looking at Lin Changning's handsome face, Zhao Yuling gritted his teeth. If it weren't for this kid intercepting him, his father would have already gone to the Prince's mansion to propose marriage on his behalf.
Seeing that Lin Changning was being presumptuous and letting him make the first move, he didn't say a word and started punching Lin Changning in the face.
Lin Changning: ...
Honestly, what she hates most is hitting someone in the face first.
Lin Changning quickly dodged Zhao Yuling's attack by sidestepping, then turned around and landed behind Zhao Yuling, delivering a powerful kick to Zhao Yuling's back.
Zhao Yuling's kung fu was indeed impressive. He was able to react quickly in such a short time, dodging her kick with a sidestep, and then turning around to throw another punch at Lin Changning's face.
After easily dodging the attack, Lin Changning felt a little suspicious. Why did he feel that the man surnamed Zhao was deliberately trying to slap her in the face?
Somewhat uncertain, Lin Changning pulled back even further.
Zhao Yuling thought Lin Changning was scared, so he sneered and scolded, "What kind of hero always runs away? You might as well go back and be a coward!"
After saying that, he threw a hard punch at Lin Changning's face.
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