The military exercise lasted for two hours.
Shen Youying was initially very interested in watching it, but gradually she started to lose interest.
Having grown up alongside her father and brothers, she had witnessed many truly elite soldiers. Now, looking at these soldiers in front of her, whose fighting style seemed more like a performance than actual combat, she felt somewhat disillusioned.
She lowered her head, covered her mouth with her hand, and quietly yawned, idly wondering when the hunt would begin.
Seeing this, Xue Shen leaned closer to her and asked in a low voice, "How do these elite troops compare to the Shen family army that your father and brothers once led?"
Shen Youying looked troubled.
If Father hadn't been dismissed from his post, given his temperament, he would probably have used a long spear to knock down these so-called elites and beat them to a pulp.
Xue Shen couldn't help but smile, and deliberately said, "I heard that these are all elite border troops transferred here. They should be no less than the Shen family army of yesteryear, right?"
Shen Youying couldn't stand others smearing the Shen family army, and couldn't help but say, "Not even close."
The founding emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty relied on military generals to conquer the country. Therefore, after the establishment of the dynasty, in order to prevent the military generals of the current dynasty from causing trouble like those of the previous dynasty, he intentionally weakened the power of the military generals in the army and separated the power to command troops from the power to deploy troops.
The Privy Council held the power to mobilize troops, while the power to command troops was held by the generals appointed by the emperor.
In the event of war, the emperor would appoint generals to lead the army and command the battle, while the Privy Council would be responsible for troop deployment.
Because of various methods of suppressing and controlling military generals, in this dynasty, soldiers hardly know their generals, and generals don't know their soldiers. No general can now earn a great reputation through military achievements like in the previous dynasty, and even have personal troops following them, who are given the name of a certain army.
Her father and brothers were the only exceptions.
My father rose to the position of Privy Councilor, and my elder brother was stationed in the northwest Qin-Feng Road. He was incredibly brave and repelled the invasions of the Tubo and the Northern Rong on many occasions.
Two generations of hard work made the Shen family famous throughout Northwest China. The name of the Shen Family Army also spread far and wide.
In reality, no army belonged to the Shen family. However, whenever troops were mobilized to fight the enemy, the banner of the Shen family army would be raised, and the Tibetans and Northern Rong people would be so frightened that they would turn tail and run. For this reason, the soldiers in the army were proud to fight under the command of the Shen family father and son, and called themselves the Shen family army.
"I don't really see it," Xue Shen said, resting his chin on his hand with interest as he continued to press, "If a foreign enemy were to invade, would these soldiers have any chance of winning?"
Shen Youying looked at him hesitantly, not understanding why he would ask her about such an important military and political matter.
Neither the King of Qin nor she, a woman, seemed to be concerned with border wars.
But the King of Qin was clearly waiting for her answer. Shen Youying hesitated for a moment, but still didn't dare to say that she couldn't win. She only stammered, "I think... there might be."
In reality, she didn't think so.
She had seen soldiers who truly exuded a murderous aura. Those soldiers who had fought bloody battles were different from ordinary soldiers. Even after leaving the battlefield, a single glance from them still revealed an astonishingly fierce aura that chilled people to the bone.
The soldiers that my elder brother led were all like that. They were soldiers who had fought to the death against foreign tribes on the border. They would never be so weak and feeble, relying on shouting to build up their spirit.
If all the soldiers on the border were like those on the training ground, how could they possibly defend against foreign tribes that are even more ferocious and bloodthirsty than tigers and wolves?
Shen Youying couldn't imagine it, and even became somewhat worried.
But what could a woman confined to her home do about such important national and family affairs? So she could only remain silent.
Instead, Xue Shen suddenly laughed, a slightly sarcastic laugh, as if talking to himself: "You can see the problem, but some people just can't."
As he said this, his expression became distant, and he didn't even look like himself anymore.
Shen Youying stared at him, pondering the deeper meaning behind his words.
Before he could figure it out, Xue Shen said again, "It's over."
Shen Youying looked up and saw that the military exercise had ended and the soldiers had left the training ground in formation.
Next comes the most important event: the autumn hunt.
Emperor Cheng'an first read the sacrificial text, then gave some words of encouragement before announcing the official start of the autumn hunt.
He was clearly in high spirits, not only offering several imperial gifts as rewards, but also saying, "I heard from the forest ranger that a rare white tiger has entered the hunting grounds this year. The white tiger is wild and untamed, and its whereabouts are rarely seen. If anyone can hunt the white tiger this year, he will be granted an official position and rewarded with a thousand gold pieces."
Many young men from prominent families present had not yet entered officialdom. Upon hearing that hunting a white tiger would result in receiving an official position from the government, they immediately began to rub their hands together, eager to try their luck.
Among them, the King of Chen was the most excited.
Since Xue Heng was made crown prince, many opportunists have sided with him. However, having lost the emperor's favor and embroiled in scandals, he faces a difficult situation in court. If he can seize this opportunity to hunt the white tiger and gain his father's reward, he might be able to turn the tide.
Prince Chen's expression brightened, and he gave the Crown Prince a defiant look.
Xue Heng glanced at him indifferently, adjusted his wrist guards, and, with his bow and arrows and men, spurred his horse into the forest.
*
Once the others made their move, Shen Youying couldn't resist any longer.
She kept glancing towards the entrance of the hunting grounds, hoping that some of the women would go down first so she could follow them in. But after waiting for a long time, no one moved first. She had overheard several ladies talking about going to the hunting grounds to relax today.
As a result, none of them have moved!
Shen Youying bit her lip anxiously, her eyes filled with tears.
If someone who didn't know better saw her, they wouldn't understand that she was hesitating about whether or not to take the lead; they would only think that she had been bullied and wronged.
Sitting to the side, Xue Shen watched the various expressions on her face and thought to himself that she was still a playful child after all. No matter how composed and dignified she pretended to be on weekdays, she couldn't hold back her temper right now.
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