Erniu took a thin incense stick and shouted, "Rest for half an incense stick's time, then begin the second test."
"Regardless of the means, take only 20,000 men!"
These words made the Qin soldiers, who were panting after passing the first test, suddenly anxious. Many of the shrewd ones had already begun to seek teammates, while some battle-hardened veterans were eager to fight, very confident in their martial arts skills, and prepared to be lone wolves.
Half an incense stick's time passed in the blink of an eye.
Erniu raised his hand and made a gesture. The soldiers who had been waiting around immediately started running with straw ropes, and in no time they had fenced off ten open areas about fifty meters long and wide.
"The fighting begins!"
"One thousand people per batch, those who fall to the ground are considered eliminated!"
Upon hearing Erniu's words, the soldiers who participated in the assessment breathed a sigh of relief. They had previously thought it would be a chaotic battle involving more than 50,000 people!
"I'll go first!"
Just then, a burly and robust young man, about eighteen or nineteen years old, stepped forward and was the first to rush into the circle, shouting, "Come and fight me in this circle!"
Erniu's eyes lit up, and he turned to Chun Ning beside him and whispered, "Remember this kid, keep a close eye on him later."
Chun Ning nodded and laughed, "You know what, this kid does have a bit of my older brother's look in him!"
As he spoke, he turned to look at the military officer in charge of the roster beside him, who immediately said, "This man is named Zhang Han, from Shu County, and his martial arts skills are quite remarkable."
"oh?"
"You two know each other?"
Erniu mistakenly thought the two were old acquaintances. After all, the Lantian camp had been garrisoning 300,000 troops for a long time, and even if the officers worked themselves to death, they could not possibly know the information of every single soldier.
The officer shook his head. "This kid is quite famous in the Lantian camp, firstly because he's a troublemaker, and secondly because he's really good at fighting."
"General Wang Ben and General Meng Wu had a huge argument over this kid back then!"
Upon hearing this, Erniu and Chun Ning were taken aback and subconsciously asked, "Then why will He Wei continue to stay in the Lantian camp?"
Meng Wu and Wang Ben are the sons of two great generals of the Qin Dynasty. If they are interested in and vying for him, this kid has a bright future. Why was he allowed to come and participate in the selection?
The officer sighed, a helpless smile on his face. "This kid's as stubborn as a mule. His personality is too strong; he stubbornly refused the offers from the two generals, insisting on accumulating merits on his own..."
These words almost made Erniu and Chun Ning burst out laughing. The Lantian camp has a troop strength of 300,000 people all year round and will not be mobilized except in special circumstances.
Several years ago, Meng Ao was defeated by Wei Wuji's alliance of states, and with the death of the late king, Qin had not launched a military campaign for a long time.
Where did this kid get the chance to make a name for himself?
The officer couldn't help but chuckle, saying, "There hasn't been any war for years. This kid's been holed up in the Lantian camp all day, isn't he going to die of boredom?"
"Hahaha...."
Erniu and Chun Ning looked at Zhang Han, who was engaged in fierce combat, and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Zhang Han's performance was truly outstanding. No matter whether they were seasoned veterans or young and strong recruits, no one could withstand a single move from him!
"Impressive skills!"
Seeing Zhang Han move like a tiger among sheep, Erniu and Chun Ning subconsciously cheered. Despite having fought several fierce battles with the wicked man, they knew their skills were far inferior to Zhang Han's.
"Chuning, we've really found a promising talent this time!"
"That's right!"
"How about we go down and have some fun?"
"Walk!"
The two chatted back and forth, and under the helpless gaze of the military officer, they mingled side by side into the ranks of the soldiers being assessed.
Of the ten boys who followed the wicked man, only two of them still wanted to continue fighting alongside him; the others received their rewards and applied to be discharged and return home.
Everyone has their own ambitions, there's nothing more to say!
Since the two chose to stay, they naturally didn't want to be gossiped about or rely on their relationship with the wicked husband to get in through connections!
They didn't have to participate in the previous physical fitness selection, since the training they received from the evil man was much harsher than this, so passing it was naturally not difficult at all.
"Last batch, move out!"
As time went by, the martial arts selection process reached its final stage, and Erniu and Chun Ning were among those selected.
"What are these two up to? I asked you to be the examiners, but you ended up taking the exam yourselves?" The wicked husband, who arrived late, looked at Erniu and Chun Ning, who were beating the idiots, with a face full of black lines.
These two were trained by him personally for more than half a year, and they cooperated well with each other. Wouldn't it be bullying them to participate in the war?
"We pay our respects to the wicked captain!"
The officers who were busy taking notes immediately saluted and greeted the wicked man as he arrived.
"No need!" the wicked man waved his hand dismissively, then asked, "Any promising talents?"
"Yes!" The officer who had spoken with Erniu earlier hurriedly said, "There is a young man named Zhang Han who is exceptionally brave and fought to the very end all by himself."
"Zhang Han?"
Upon hearing this, the wicked man exclaimed in surprise, "This man is no ordinary person!"
To avoid being disappointed by someone with the same name, the wicked man quickly asked, "How old is this Zhang Han, and where is he from?"
The officer replied, "He is from Shu County and is eighteen years old!"
The wicked husband immediately became agitated.
That's right, it must be Zhang Han, the great general who stood alone at the end of the Qin Dynasty!
Although history is far removed and there is no accurate record of Zhang Han's birth year, his place of origin is clearly recorded, and based on his trajectory, Zhang Han was probably not even twenty years old at this time.
"Go, bring him to see me immediately!" The wicked man couldn't wait to meet this valiant general.
Seeing the wicked man's excitement, the military officer also became happy. Zhang Han was indeed a good talent. As a native of Qin, he naturally hoped that Qin would become strong and prosperous, and did not want such a talent to be buried.
A short while later, Zhang Han, his face bruised and swollen, followed the military officer to the wicked husband.
"Zhang Han, pays his respects to the Colonel!"
The wicked man sized up Zhang Han, noticing his tall and strong build, square face, and imposing presence, and immediately a warm smile appeared on his face.
"You don't need to participate in the upcoming assessments!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Han's expression suddenly darkened, and the smile on the face of the officer next to him also disappeared, as if he wanted to ask a question but hesitated.
"With your strength, you are perfectly capable of joining the Iron Eagle Swordsmen. Continuing the assessment is just a waste of time and will only block other people's way for no reason!"
The wicked man's next words jolted him awake, and he was overjoyed. "Captain... this... thank you, Captain."
Looking at Zhang Han, who was so excited he was almost incoherent, the wicked husband was somewhat bewildered. Logically speaking, gold shines wherever it is; even without his help, Zhang Han's future was bright!
The officer immediately whispered in the husband's ear, explaining the reasons behind it.
Good heavens!
"So, this kid's been smoothed out?"
The officer nodded and patted Zhang Han on the shoulder, "You'd better cherish this opportunity, kid, and don't be as willful as before."
Zhang Han scratched his head awkwardly, thumping his chest loudly, promising to follow his wicked husband well.
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