Chapter 461 Yan Tongzhi
On both sides of the training ground, the soldiers of the other guards who were originally sitting on the ground were already staring wide-eyed, and their bodies involuntarily leaned forward. Several of them stood up straight and stared carefully at the right guard in front.
They had never seen such a force before. It wasn't driven by the centurions wielding whips or by veterans holding the line, but those three hundred men were like a solid block of molten iron. Even their shadows on the ground were perfectly aligned, and their steps were uniform, as if they were all one person.
"Good heavens, Ma Zi, when they ran over, there wasn't a single sound under their feet?"
An old soldier with a weathered face smacked his lips, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the hem of his clothes. He had fought alongside the Tartars on the frontier for nearly seven or eight years, and he had never seen such a force, neither on his own side nor on the Tartars' side.
"Sigh, our garrison has trained elite soldiers for three years, but there are always a few who are a beat slow when they line up. These men from the Right Guard look like they were all made from the same mold."
The two whispered to each other, and after a moment of silence came a cacophony of voices as the people from the various garrisons below, after their initial shock, began to whisper amongst themselves.
"These are no ordinary soldiers! Did you see their eyes? They're like wolves eyeing their prey!"
The centurions and commanders sitting at the front of the group looked at each other and then sighed. Wang Er touched his arm, which was still sore from the bruises Wei Shao had given him, and sighed deeply: "We're not as good as them."
A commander standing next to Wang Er felt a chill run down his spine: "It's fortunate they're our men. If the imperial court could train soldiers like this, I'm afraid..."
Wang Er nodded in agreement. Although he was illiterate, he knew that if an ordinary soldier encountered such a disciplined and uniformly coordinated force on the march, he would probably be quickly defeated.
The Right Guard is remarkable, and the person who trained such an army is even more remarkable. Thinking this, Wang Er and several other commanders looked at the young man standing next to Qi Rong.
A thought inexplicably arose in his mind: his own subordinate was inferior to Lord Lin on the other side, and they were no match for the soldiers trained by the other side.
Several commanders sighed and remained silent, but Wang Er, after a moment of dejection, suddenly laughed: "Why are you all looking so down? Isn't it a good thing to have someone like this as our comrade-in-arms?"
Although Wang Er was illiterate, his words immediately enlightened the others. Yes, they were comrades-in-arms, not enemies, so why were they so discouraged? With such strong comrades, everyone's chances of survival on the battlefield were much greater!
Li Mingde and Li Mingxiu had almost led Commander Yan to the platform when Commander Yan suddenly stopped halfway there, staring intently at the soldiers training.
After watching for a while, he swallowed hard and looked back at Li Mingxiu in disbelief: "Nephew, are these your soldiers?"
Li Mingxiu had long known how Lin Changning trained his troops, and he himself had been trained by him for a long time. He was somewhat shocked when he first saw it, but he got used to it and was fine. Looking at Commander Yan's expression, he knew that Commander Yan was shocked.
He said, feigning composure, "Yes, they are our soldiers."
Commander Yan suddenly squatted down, swallowed hard, gasped, and clutched his head, refusing to move any further.
Li Mingxiu and Li Mingde watched speechlessly as the person squatted down with their head in their hands. However, seeing that the person wasn't too far from the platform, they didn't rush to urge them and quietly stood beside them waiting.
Commander Yan felt a surge of emotions. The troops had just been so perfectly disciplined and obedient; they were clearly a rock-solid example of strict military discipline!
When he first arrived, he was still thinking about how to bargain with the King of Chu. What's the point of bargaining now?
Trying to take down a team like this is like having your teeth chipped off the moment you try!
The fact that the King of Chu had ignored him for so long made him very uneasy. He knew that the King of Chu did not have many generals under his command, and many of them were tied up on the frontier and could not move. This time, he thought that he would definitely have to save his life, and if all else failed, he would surrender to the King of Chu.
But he definitely had to haggle with them to get more for himself. However, upon arriving here and seeing the disciplined troops, Commander Yan wanted to slap himself a few times. What was the point of haggling? With a team like this, they could conquer the world, or even the Heavenly Court!
Don't upset the King of Chu and get yourself killed!
Commander Yan, who had just been drawing mushrooms in the corner, suddenly stood up, his face contorted with dejection. He rubbed his face with his rough hands and put on an extremely enthusiastic smile.
He shook off Li Mingde and Li Mingxiu and ran towards the stage, heading straight for the King of Chu. Li Mingde and Li Mingxiu, thinking he was about to be assassinated, were so frightened that they immediately followed, ready to order their men to detain him.
Just moments before, Commander Yan, who had been so assertive on the road, stumbled onto the platform, having lost one shoe, and knelt before the King of Chu with a thud.
She let out a loud cry and burst into tears.
"Your Highness! You've finally seen me, Old Yan! I've waited so long!!! To abandon the darkness and come to see you as soon as possible, I rushed here from the border. But alas, my family is still in the hands of the court, so I could only pretend to fight for them. When I saw the Crown Prince, I surrendered without saying a word, but he didn't even let me see you properly and just imprisoned me! Your Highness!!!"
Li Mingxiu: ……
I don't know who said they wanted to take his head off that day.
He was so tough just now, but now he's howling so loudly it's unbearable to watch. Li Mingxiu silently shifted his gaze, slowly walked to the King of Chu's side, and whispered, "Father, bring the person here."
The King of Chu was also somewhat speechless. He waved his hand to let his son sit down, then looked at Commander Yan with a complicated expression and said, "Old Yan, what's going on?"
Commander Yan kowtowed three times with a loud thud: "I've come to pledge allegiance to Your Highness! I've heard that Your Highness is preparing to raise an army, and I, Old Yan, am willing to be your vanguard, no, your dog! Whoever you command, I'll pounce on and gnaw on, not even spitting out the bones!"
The King of Chu pondered for a moment. In his memory, Old Yan was a slippery and stubborn man. He had sided with him without any coercion. Could it be a trap?
For a moment, King Chu was worried that Commander Yan was up to no good, and he didn't dare to agree. Seeing that King Chu was silent and seemed to be thinking about something, Commander Yan rubbed his knees and shuffled forward, continuing, "Your Highness! You must take me, Old Yan, with you when you raise an army! I know the defenses of many cities, which city's garrison commander likes to eat braised pork hock, and which city's official likes to drink. I know it all. Taking me is definitely worth it!!!"
The King of Chu pondered for a moment, feeling that there was something fishy about the matter. He frowned and thought for a while: "I don't need many officials here, except for a centurion. Old Yan?"
Commander Yan gritted his teeth: "I'll do it! I'll even be a common soldier for the prince!"
Anyway, the King of Chu knew his abilities and would promote him sooner or later.
The more Commander Yan acted this way, the more suspicious the King of Chu became. He rubbed his fingers against the empty teacup and turned to look at Old Qin. Old Qin had also dealt with Commander Yan before and suspected something was amiss. After giving Commander Yan a few suspicious glances, he met the King of Chu's eyes and said, "Your Highness, you're mistaken. One of my centurions has already been promoted. I don't need any more men."
Commander Yan: ...
What does that mean? They wouldn't even take him as a common soldier? Has the King of Chu's forces become so well-off now?
It was indeed a miscalculation, but after thinking it over, Commander Yan gritted his teeth, kowtowed, and said, "Then I'll serve as a common soldier for Your Highness!"
The King of Chu pondered for a moment, glanced at Qi Rong, and said, "In that case, let him join the Right Guard and follow Xiao Liu."
Commander Yan looked up at the King of Chu with some confusion. Who was Xiao Liu? Commander Qin kindly pointed to Lin Changning, who was training troops over there, and said with a smile, "That's Xiao Liu. His surname is Lin and his given name is Changning. He is the Right Guard Commander and also the King's son-in-law. Old Yan, you're in luck."
Commander Yan glanced over, and his expression changed drastically when he saw Lin Changning's face.
You bastard!!!
Why is it that he was always threatening to chop up that little devil of a devil that day?!
My life is over!
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