At this moment, even Wei Zhongbao and Wei Zhonghu began to smirk.
They learned from the intelligence given to them by the Minister of War that Sun Jian was a thorn in their side.
Once you arrive at the military camp, you must strike first.
The intelligence report also stated that Sun Jian was a scholar who had passed the county-level imperial examinations. Although Emperor Qianwu had personally appointed him as a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he had never served in the army or participated in any war.
It is rumored that Sun Jian was well-versed in military strategy and possessed great talent, because he once wiped out a group of bandits.
However, in their view, the extent of the exaggeration in this matter is extremely high.
They all agreed that Sun Jian, a commoner who had never been to the battlefield, was only able to defeat the bandits by sheer luck, thanks to the military equipment he had invented.
As for the rumors circulating outside that Sun Jian's martial arts skills surpassed those of His Majesty's Imperial Guard General, they were not worried.
The arrangement of troops is a matter of command by the general. It is a contest of the general who commands troops, the application of formations and tactics, the way of commanding troops and using troops. It is not a contest of martial arts at all. What use is high martial prowess?
Moreover, the weapons that both sides can use in the game are limited, consisting only of wooden swords, wooden shields, wooden halberds, and headless bows and arrows.
In Wei Zhong'e's view, if they were to actually play chess, Sun Jian, who had never entered a military camp or commanded troops, would surely lose.
In short, once the game begins, not only is brute force useless, but even strategy is ineffective; only leadership and command experience can be put to good use!
Moreover, they had planned many steps in advance, with the aim of making Sun Jian lose prestige in the Tiger Warriors on his very first day of arrival, turning him into a useless "puppet" general who was ridiculed by everyone.
Imagine a deputy commander-in-chief who commands tens of thousands of troops, but is incompetent at leading troops. What would be the outcome?
The inevitable result would be universal contempt, widespread dissatisfaction, and a complete lack of followers.
"General Liu, since you are familiar with my virtuous brother, why don't you explain the rules to him?"
Wei Zhong'e grinned and turned to Liu Shiyun, who was standing behind him.
"Here you go!"
Liu Shiyun had a vague sense of unease, but he was unaware of Wei Zhong'e's plans and therefore couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Reporting to the Deputy Commandant, our Tiger Warriors Army conducts troop drills once a month. At that time, the most courageous soldiers of the rank of squad leader and above, as well as the most valiant soldiers of each unit, will come to this training ground to participate in the drills!"
"Each exercise involves about three thousand soldiers, and the generals who command the troops are either the Grand Commandant, three Lieutenant Generals, or Colonel Generals, and are divided into three teams: A, B, and C."
"Each commanding general selects one thousand soldiers to begin a three-way chess game in the training ground. The side that surrenders or suffers heavy casualties is eliminated. The team that is left with only one of the three teams, A, B, and C, is the winner of this exercise!"
After listening to what Liu Shiyun said, Sun Jian nodded seriously. Basically, Liu Shiyun had explained the rules and details in great detail.
At this moment, Liu Shiyun was still afraid that Sun Jian would underestimate the enemy, so he added from the side: "Reporting to the Deputy Commandant, in the previous training ground exercises, the generals won by using formations, tactics, troop deployment and combat skills."
"The only weapons available to each squad of one thousand soldiers are wooden swords, wooden shields, wooden halberds, headless bows and arrows, and lassos!"
Sun Jian smiled and nodded. He didn't need Liu Shiyun to explain these things; he already understood by looking at the many weapon racks and items on the open ground.
"If you understand the rules, shall we begin?"
Wei Zhong'e couldn't wait any longer.
"good!"
Sun Jian nodded; he was curious to see what Wei Zhonge was really up to.
Wei Zhong'e gave a sly smile and waved to the Wei Zhonghu and Wei Zhongbao brothers. The two immediately understood and commanded another wave of Tiger Legion soldiers to enter the training ground.
The newly arrived Tiger Legion soldiers numbered a thousand.
However, these thousand elite soldiers were all old, weak, sick, or disabled, and their average age was around forty.
“Brother, we usually have three teams competing in the school's martial arts arena. But since you are here today, we Tiger Legion should change the rules. How about four teams competing today?”
"It will be all right."
Sun Jian smiled slightly and agreed.
"Good, my brother is decisive!"
Wei Zhong'e immediately stood up and announced to the crowd: "All soldiers, listen to my command! Today, the four teams will be divided into Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise."
"The Azure Dragon Team is led by Wei Zhongbao, the General of the Tiger Guard."
"The White Tiger Team is led by Wei Zhonghu, the General of the Tiger Guard."
"The Vermilion Bird Team is led by Liu Shiyun, the General of the Tiger Army."
At this point, Wei Zhong'e turned to look at Sun Jian and continued, "The Xuanwu Team is led by the newly appointed Deputy Commander of the Tiger Warriors, Sun Jian!"
"good!"
The soldiers below the stage shouted in unison, their voices deafening.
"interesting."
Sun Jian sneered and glanced at Wei Zhong'e.
Four teams, two pairs, it seems like no one is at a disadvantage, but who will lead the remaining group of old, weak, sick and disabled?
After arranging the teams, the next step is to select the participants.
Sun Jian originally thought that Wei Zhong'e would let his two younger brothers choose first, and then leave the old, weak, sick and disabled to him or Liu Shiyun in the end, but he never expected that Wei Zhong'e's words would be so unexpected.
"Gentlemen, my virtuous brother Sun Jian is participating in the Tiger Warriors' training exercise for the first time today, so I will let him choose first. Do you agree?"
"General, you are wise! General, you are wise!"
The soldiers below the stage shouted, their voices resounding throughout the world.
In everyone's eyes, since Sun Jian was the deputy commander appointed by His Majesty, he must have some ability. Moreover, the Wei commander-in-chief gave him priority in the selection, which can be described as being extremely kind and righteous.
These remarks not only put Sun Jian in the spotlight but also brought Wei Zhong'e's reputation and benevolence to their peak.
Those who competed against Sun Jian were all his subordinates. If he lost in this situation, what would become of his reputation as the deputy commander? How could he command respect in the future?
Sun Jian was naturally aware of this step, and therefore he was very careful when selecting his team.
Although it tests leadership skills, the individual qualities of each soldier also determine a small portion of the chances of victory.
Seeing Sun Jian carefully adjusting the troops below the stage, Wei Zhong'e grinned and deliberately raised his voice, saying, "Brother, let me recommend this wave of troops to you."
Wei Zhong'e pointed to a newly arrived group of a thousand people, consisting of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled.
"Don't let the fact that most of these soldiers are older fool you; they are excellent in every way and very obedient to orders."
"hehe."
Sun Jian sneered, "Since they are so unwilling to do it, let's leave it for other generals to use."
Upon hearing Sun Jian's words, Wei Zhong'e was not angry; instead, he laughed.
He then raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "My virtuous brother seems to have his own ideas. To be so highly regarded by His Majesty, he must have the ability to recognize talent and possess extraordinary abilities."
"Since my worthy brother is unwilling to choose the soldiers I recommended for him, then let him choose for himself!"
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