Yue Fei's martial arts skills were indeed extraordinary. He could shoot arrows without missing a single target, and he could even hit the target from a hundred paces away.
As an equally strong man, Han Shizhong was a little unconvinced. He took Yue Fei's bow and tried to pull it, but he could barely pull it open.
He silently handed the bow to Zhang Shixun.
Zhang Shixun was a man with cheats. He had no problem pulling the bow, but when it came to accuracy, it was far from perfect. He tried to shoot three arrows, but he had no idea where they flew.
"Compared to Pengju, there's a world of difference. In short, there's a world of difference between them. Haha!"
Zhang Shixun handed the bow back to Yue Fei.
Han Shizhong said, "It's a pity that I didn't bring a long weapon. If I had, I would definitely have a duel with Pengju."
Zhang Shixun glanced at Han Shizhong and knew that he was not convinced.
This is a good thing. By competing with each other, everyone can improve.
By the time we arrived at the military camp, it was already dusk.
It was a convention that women were not allowed to enter the military camp, so Zhang Shixun arranged for his mother-in-law to stay in a nearby homestay and sent two soldiers to ensure her safety.
After returning to the military camp and having just finished dinner, Han Shizhong clamored to compete with Yue Fei.
Yue Fei did not refuse. After obtaining Zhang Shixun's consent, he jumped on his horse and fought with Han Shizhong with a spear in both hands.
I saw two iron spears like dragons emerging from water, fighting back and forth in a fierce battle.
The officers and soldiers stood outside the field, cheering for Han Shizhong.
The soldiers didn't know who Yue Fei was, so of course they had to cheer for Commander Han, whom they were familiar with.
The two fought for a long time, but they were evenly matched and neither of them had the upper hand.
Zhang Shixun was afraid that they would be injured by mistake, so he quickly called a halt.
Han Shizhong was not satisfied and complained: "Military Lord, I am in the mood, why don't you let me compete?"
"You two are well matched in chess and generalship. If you can't decide the winner by tomorrow morning, there's no point in continuing."
Han Shizhong had no choice but to give up. However, as soon as he jumped off his horse, he urged Yue Fei, "Pengju, the military commander's martial arts are even better. He wields the Fang Tian Hua Ji to perfection. He is unrivaled in the world. The last time I was challenged by him, he knocked me off my horse and I was unconscious for most of the day... Do you want to give it a try?"
He himself had suffered at the hands of Zhang Shixun, and he also wanted to let Yue Fei experience it once.
It's obvious that he is setting a trap for Yue Fei.
Yue Fei didn't know the truth and took it seriously. He looked at Zhang Shixun with an eager expression.
Zhang Shixun waved his hand and refused: "It's getting late, let's talk about it another day."
He leaned closer to Yue Fei and whispered, "Pengju, don't listen to Commander Han. My martial arts skills are still inferior to yours, but... ahem! To be honest, there's a hidden secret hidden in my Fang Tian Hua Ji. Commander Han was defeated and thought I was better than him. Little did he know, he was tricked by me and suffered a loss. He's still in the dark, hehe!"
Yue Fei couldn't help but smile after hearing this.
He didn't expect that Zhang Tianshi actually had a naughty side.
"Pengju, come with me."
Zhang Shixun took him to his military tent and personally brewed two cups of tea. The two of them drank tea and talked at the same time.
"Pengju, you were in the military before, right?"
"Reply to Master Zhang..."
"Don't call me Zhang Tianshi. It always feels weird when people call me that. I don't like it."
"That……"
"Just call me Army Commander."
"Okay, Commander." Yue Fei sat up straight and continued the previous topic: "I once served under Liu Qian in Hebei as a brave soldier."
"Are there any positions?"
"Yes, I was appointed as the squad leader."
Zhang Shixun has never been clear about the official positions in the Song Dynasty, as it is too confusing.
He secretly guessed that the so-called squad leader was equivalent to the flag bearer in the First Army, similar to the squad leader in later generations.
In short, he is an official who is as small as can be, and cannot even be called an official.
"What happened next?" Zhang Shixun asked.
"Later, my father passed away, and I returned home to observe mourning."
Zhang Shixun said, "Pengju, Han Shizhong challenged you to a duel just now. I wanted to stop him, but then I thought, it would be a good opportunity for you to show off your skills. It would let the officers and soldiers know that our First Army has a future general with exceptional martial arts skills."
Yue Fei bowed slightly and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Commander."
"Regarding your arrangements, logically speaking, since you've just arrived, have no official position, and no military merit, it's not appropriate to grant you an overly high position."
"As it should be."
"Currently, the First Army's cavalry is led by Han Shizhong and I. After you arrive, I plan to divide the cavalry into two commands, with you and Han Shizhong each leading one."
"this……"
Yue Fei was caught off guard. He did not expect to be entrusted with such an important task so soon and felt quite flattered.
"Don't say you haven't led cavalry before." Zhang Shixun looked at him with a smile. "In the fourth year of Xuanhe, you led a hundred cavalrymen to raid the bandits Tao Jun and Jia Jin, setting an ambush and capturing them alive, is that true?"
"That's true, but..."
Zhang Shixun waved his hand. "No buts, it's settled. However, before that, you have to serve as a soldier for a while. Otherwise, it will be difficult to convince the others."
Yue Fei bowed and said, "I understand. I will follow your orders."
The next day, Yue Fei appeared in the morning exercise team.
At breakfast time, Zhang Shixun, as usual, had breakfast with the soldiers.
Han Shizhong came to Zhang Shixun with his bowl in hand and whispered, "General, is this how you employ people?"
Zhang Shixun glanced at him and asked, "Why? Are you feeling sorry for him?"
"Yes, I do feel sorry for him. You brought him all the way to the military camp just to make him a soldier?"
Zhang Shixun buried his head in his food and ignored him.
"I have an idea." Han Shizhong squatted down and moved closer to him. "I'm short of an assistant. How about you let him be my assistant?"
So this was the idea.
Zhang Shixun suppressed his laughter and said with a straight face, "Don't even think about it. Yue Fei, don't even think about going anywhere. Just be a soldier."
"You...!" Han Shizhong's face flushed and he wanted to get angry.
"What?" Zhang Shixun glared at him, looked around, and then lowered his voice and said, "Uncle, believe me, I won't waste talent. Yue Fei has just arrived, so it's not appropriate to appoint him to an official position right away. Let him wait for a while before we decide."
"Oh! You should have said it earlier." Han Shizhong muttered dissatisfiedly, stood up and left.
As soon as he left, He Ji came again, "Military Lord, Yue Fei cannot be a small soldier."
"Why couldn't Yue Fei be a soldier?"
"He's a talented general."
"So what if he's a talented general?"
"Talented generals are rare and shouldn't be used like this."
Zhang Shixun finished his meal in a few mouthfuls and sighed, "I'd like to use him, but I only have the authority to appoint a flag chief. I can't let Yue Fei just be a flag chief and do anything above the rank of commander, can I?"
The military system of the Song Dynasty was a mess. Guarding against military personnel was like guarding against thieves. As long as the word "official" was involved, no matter how small the position was, it had to be approved by the court.
Of course, Zhang Shixun could recommend it to his superiors, but the efficiency of those people in the court was so low that it would take forever to make a decision.
I can't afford to wait, and I don't want to wait.
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