Zhang Xiong, his pride wounded, refused to back down and retorted directly, "How does he compare to me?"
Sun Qiang remained silent, while Wu Jian honestly estimated, "It should be much stronger."
Zhang Xiong refused to accept defeat, stood up defiantly, and shouted, "Brother Chu, do you dare to compete with me?"
Chu Fan was not afraid, but He Yunxiao stopped him.
"Brother Chu, don't get agitated. Let's see what Mr. Fan thinks first."
Under everyone's gaze, Fan Ziruo remained calm. Her personality, which was not easily affected by external factors, proved to be a great help at this moment.
Many people who had doubts about Fan Ziruo began to be surprised and uncertain when they saw her remain calm and composed.
He wondered to himself, "Does this girl have some kind of backup plan?"
As it turned out, Fan Ziruo had no backup plan.
She stood up and said calmly, "Ziruo votes for General Zhang."
Zhang Hu's expression softened, and many people present breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'll also vote for General Zhang."
"Me too."
Amidst the rising and falling votes, Zhang Hu cupped his hands and said, "I, Zhang Hu, am in this leadership position thanks to your support. From now on, let's continue as we are now, each leading our own brothers."
Everyone echoed in agreement.
He Yunxiao nodded as well.
Zhang Hu was clever; he obtained the nominal title of "Leader of the Chu Family Army" without affecting the interests of the various minor leaders.
To He Yunxiao's utter surprise, Ruobao, who had been silent just moments before, suddenly spoke up: "General Zhang, don't you plan to reorganize the military system?"
Reorganizing the military system means disrupting the existing structure and affecting everyone's interests. A centurion commands a hundred men, but some junior officers bring three hundred men to join them. How should the extra two hundred men be distributed?
Black Tiger Stronghold has 8,000 men, and they need to find a commander of 10,000. Whose troops will fill the 2,000 vacancies?
Zhang Hu was a fierce general who valued loyalty, but he didn't understand these rules, so he looked at his second brother, Zhou Ping.
Zhou Ping, in a very chivalrous manner, said, "We are here to accomplish a great cause together. Everyone should do their best. There is no need to follow the rules of the Qi army."
Fan Ziruo's face darkened upon hearing this.
Seeing Ruobao's expression, He Yunxiao knew something was wrong. Ruobao had relinquished command for the sake of the bigger picture, intending for Zhang Hu to properly lead the Chu family army. However, he hadn't even changed the military structure, leaving the various units disorganized. This meant they remained a motley crew, each looking out for themselves, utterly unworthy of the name "Chu family army." (www.cascoo.net)
The Chu family army was once the elite force of the Qi army, a mighty army that defeated the Yan army's iron cavalry head-on.
Fan Ziruo gathered her thoughts, stood up, and asked Zhang Hu, "Yesterday, we followed the Qi army that was raiding the Yan army's siege equipment out of Yinjing City. When we came out, we found that some Qi soldiers had fallen into the Yan army's ambush. Ziruo wants to ask General Zhang, if the Qi army's plan to sabotage the Yan army's siege equipment fails, what should our Chu family army do?"
These tactical considerations stumped General Zhang Hu, the vanguard commander.
He was a vanguard general because he was good at charging into battle, but not at strategizing.
Zhang Hu looked at Zhou Ping, who also had no good ideas. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Miss Fan, the court has issued a travel ban to us, ordering us not to approach Yinjing City to avoid encountering a large Yan army alone. Therefore, I think we should remain still and wait for the Prince of Liang, who is guarding the southwest, to lead his army back to reinforce us. Then we can cooperate with the Prince of Liang to attack the Yan army."
Fan Ziru shook his head: "The Qi army in Yinjing will not leave the city. Outside Yinjing, Yan is strong and Qi is weak. The weaker party should be more flexible and adaptable, rather than waiting passively. Have you considered the consequences of the Qi army's failed surprise attack? Have you considered the consequences of the Qi army's successful surprise attack?"
Zhang Hu was speechless when Ruobao asked him a question, and could only stammer and not answer.
On behalf of his elder brother, Zhou Ping asked Fan Ziruo, "Has Miss Fan considered these things?"
Fan Ziruo nodded. "War is a matter of vital importance to the state; it is a matter of life and death, a road to survival or ruin. It is imperative to examine it carefully. As for how to deal with it, we need to first determine the extent of damage to the Yan army's siege equipment."
Zhou Ping said, "So Miss Fan, like my elder brother, doesn't have a foolproof plan."
Ruobao shook her head regretfully, "Uncle Zhou, you're being sophistical."
Zhou Ping used the same trick He Yunxiao often employed when attacking others: directly shifting the topic and obscuring the main point. He said, "Both are schemes, so why is it that when my elder brother can't answer, it's considered sophistry, but when Miss Fan can't answer, it's considered that she's confident?"
Fan Ziruo completely ignored Zhou Ping's words and said directly, "Ziruo is withdrawing her vote for General Zhang. This vote is for herself."
He Yunxiao thought to himself: Well done, Ruobao! Dad's Chu family army still needs to be kept in my own hands!
One of Zhang Hu's underlings immediately retorted to Fan Ziruo: "A gentleman's word is as good as his bond! Miss Fan cannot go back on her word!"
Fan Ziruo smiled calmly and said, "You said it yourself, you're 'Miss Fan,' so where does the 'gentleman' come from?"
Zhou Ping joined the battle, saying, "Girl, don't try to argue. A woman can also be called a 'gentleman'."
Fan Ziruo said calmly, "Uncle Zhou dares to criticize me now. Why didn't you criticize yourself when you were making your own sophistry earlier? What's wrong with me speaking according to Uncle Zhou's habits? Is this rule of speaking something that Uncle Zhou can come up with and change at any time?"
Zhou Ping was rendered speechless by Ruobao's retort.
He Yunxiao: Holy crap, Ruobao is truly a terrestrial keyboard immortal!
Seeing his eldest brother being bullied, and then his second brother being bullied as well, Zhang Xiong immediately lost his temper. He moved his mountain-like body out from behind Zhang Hu.
"Does any woman dare to fight Zhang Xiong?"
He Yunxiao would not allow Ruobao to be provoked, so he stepped forward and said, "What's there to be afraid of! I have General Chu Fan!"
Chu Fan, being an honest man, nodded and had no objections.
Zhang Xiong was about to agree, but Zhou Ping suddenly remembered Sun and Wu's evaluation of Chu Fan's combat strength and immediately said, "Wait!"
Zhang Xiong: "Second Brother!"
Zhou Ping thought for a moment and said, "We're all here as family, discussing this behind closed doors. If we really fight, it will damage our harmony. It would be better to use more peaceful means. What do you all think we should compete in?"
Some of the underlings who were loyal to Zhang Hu suggested, "Let's have an arm wrestling match!"
Many people agreed with this move, but Sun and Wu, who knew the inside story, broke out in a cold sweat.
Zhang Hu's younger brother, Zhang Xiong, lived up to his name, being famous for his broad shoulders and strong build. He had also learned a type of external martial art that focused on physical training, making him incredibly strong. It could be said that no martial artist below the level of a grandmaster could match his strength.
Although He Yunxiao was unaware of these inside details, he had full confidence in Chu Fan. Who was Chu Fan?
The protagonist of this book!
Will he lose? Impossible.
Although Fan Ziruo did not know martial arts, she lost confidence when she saw Zhang Xiong's appearance.
"He Yunxiao, how about we call it quits?"
He Yunxiao said confidently, "They want to test our strength. If Chu Fan wins, perhaps more people will vote for us. It will also be easier for you to deal with the Chu family army."
"But……"
He Yunxiao smiled confidently and said, "Don't worry, Chu Fan is very strong, he can't lose."
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