Chapter 135

Chapter 135

Most of the time, a valiant general can lead an elite army; if the general is incompetent, his troops will likely be a disorganized mob.

First, there was the old general's superb spear technique and heroic spirit displayed at Jinjian Pass, followed by the imposing and disciplined formation of the four-thousand-strong army. By this point, Han Zongping and his surrounding generals had largely dispelled their initial disdain for the troops from the seven counties, now willing to regard the four thousand as a proper military force rather than a civilian uprising.

Han Zongping rode up to the front of the army, first looking at Xiao Zhen, Xiao Shouyi, and others, and called out loudly, "General Xiao is a hero with great courage and integrity. I have appointed him as my Right General. You are all capable officers under the old general. Are you willing to follow me as he does?"

"We are willing!"

Han Zongping then turned his horse, inspecting along the outer side of the army, circling around the four-thousand-strong force, and finally said, "I, Han Zongping, have devoted my life to serving the country. For thirty years, I have guarded the borders without slack. I am loyal to the Zhou Dynasty above and to the people below. However, as a border general, I am powerless in court matters. I watched helplessly as the late emperor was misled by a group of treacherous ministers led by Imperial Uncle Dou, leading to the southern territories falling into the hands of two bandits, causing the Zhou Dynasty to lose half its territory."

"Now, these treacherous ministers and the imperial uncle are concealing the death of the late emperor and deceiving the young emperor, worsening the situation in the court. Virtuous officials and brave generals are being suppressed and marginalized, while the people in the north suffer greatly. If I continue to stand idly by, I will betray the grace of the late emperor, the trust of the northern people, and my own patriotic heart. Therefore, I have raised troops to march south to eliminate the traitors and save the emperor and the people! Brave men of the seven counties, are you willing to follow me?"

"We are willing!"

Han Zongping: "Good! From now on, you are not only under the command of the Right General but also my soldiers. Your pay and rewards will be the same as those of the Jizhou army. Anyone who causes trouble based on factions will be punished according to military law!"

"Thank you, General!"

---

After calming the spirits of the troops from the seven counties, Han Zongping merged the two armies and led them toward Wei County.

Only then did he have the time to meet the various generals under the old general.

"This is my second son, Shouyi. My eldest son, Shouzheng, died in battle."

Han Zongping: "The Xiao family is a family of generals. The old general has no unworthy sons."

Xiao Mu modestly introduced his four grandsons and two grandsons-in-law.

Any one of these six young men, in terms of physique and presence, could match the young and valiant generals in Han Zongping's army. Han Zongping praised, admired, and envied them, wondering why he couldn't have more such sons, when his only son was a weak scholar.

Xiao Mu continued to introduce Sun Dian, Sun Wei, and Zhang Wengong: "They are the sons of Sun, the Village Headman of Lingshui Village, and Zhang, the Village Headman of Pine Village. We were able to successfully resolve the refugee crisis and the mountain bandit problem thanks to the deep understanding and righteousness of the two village headmen and the assistance of these three young men. They are also skilled in martial arts, not inferior to my grandsons."

Sun Dian smiled, while Sun Wei and Zhang Wengong humbly declined the praise.

Han Zongping: "Excellent! Wei County is a land of outstanding people and talented men!"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the only woman the old general had yet to introduce: "Is this the heroine of Wei County?"

Tong Sui wore a light blue dress, carrying a bow and arrows, always sitting upright on her horse, clearly a skilled archer.

Seeing Han Zongping look at her, Tong Sui saluted with a bow, lowering her eyes: "I am Tong Sui, a common woman. Since childhood, I have accompanied my elders on hunting trips in the mountains, learning archery. I am far from deserving the title of heroine."

Xiao Mu finally showed a less humble smile, stroking his beard: "General, don't listen to her modesty. Her archery skills are unparalleled, and I dare say that among our fifteen-thousand-strong army, few can surpass my granddaughter-in-law."

Han Zongping subconsciously looked at Song Lan.

Song Lan indeed knew Tong Sui well, but their interactions were limited to teaching at the private school and casual greetings as neighbors. He had never seen Tong Sui shoot an arrow.

He could only give Han Zongping a smile that didn't reveal much.

Several generals always followed Han Zongping, with Fan Zhao being the most talkative. When the old general praised Xiao Zhen and others, he held back, but now hearing the old general praise a beautiful young wife who could shoot accurately from a hundred paces, Fan Zhao couldn't hold back anymore. He stared at Tong Sui and said, "With such slender arms and legs, can she really do it?"

Tong Sui, seeing the ten-thousand-strong regular army for the first time, especially Han Zongping's army, was actually very excited and inspired. When Han Zongping looked at her just now, the legendary hero was so close to her that she was nervous, her hands sweating, maintaining a calm and composed appearance with great effort.

She respected and admired the generals around Han Zongping, but Fan Zhao's contemptuous gaze and disrespectful words annoyed her.

She disliked being underestimated and even more so being ridiculed by Han Zongping's army, which would bring shame to the four-thousand-strong army from the seven counties.

At this moment, from the old general to herself, each of the dozen or so people bore the honor and dignity of the four-thousand-strong army from the seven counties.

Without seeking permission from the old general, Tong Sui directly addressed Fan Zhao: "Please, General Fan, grant me your guidance."

The request for guidance from a warrior naturally meant a challenge.

Fan Zhao "ha" laughed, looked at his old friends, and said with a smile, "Alright, you've got some spirit. Guidance, then. Bring me a bow and arrows!"

Han Zongping stopped, and the surrounding generals followed suit, pulling their horses to a halt. The fifteen-thousand-strong army behind them also stopped neatly.

Fan Zhao took the bow and arrows handed to him by a soldier, looked at the bow Tong Sui took from her back, narrowed his eyes, and then brightened: "Your bow is made of golden wood?"

Tong Sui: "General has keen eyesight."

Fan Zhao itched to try, but Tong Sui's bow was too delicate, not the large bow he preferred.

Xiao Zhen rode up to Tong Sui's side and said to Fan Zhao, "I have a large golden bow at home. If General Fan's archery skills surpass my wife's, I will gift you that bow."

Fan Zhao laughed heartily: "Great! A challenge is more interesting with a prize. If your wife loses, you give me a golden bow. If I lose, I'll give you ten taels of gold. That's the reward the general gave me after capturing Wanping, still warm in my pocket."

Xiao Zhen smiled: "Agreed. If my wife wins by chance, tonight I will treat everyone to the best wine shop in Wei County."

Fan Zhao was already looking for a target.

Wherever the army passed, birds had long since scattered, and it was hard to find small animals like rabbits on the plain.

At this moment, Song Lan and Wei Qi, the two military advisors, exchanged glances, took off their jade pendants, and suggested: "General, we can hang these two jade pendants on trees. Whoever hits the pendant string wins."

On both sides of the road, there were sparse rows of poplar trees. Han Zongping ordered a soldier to hang the two jade pendants on low branches of two poplar trees about a hundred paces away, one on the left and one on the right.

It was a clear day with no wind. After the two jade pendants swayed slightly, they gradually stopped moving, the pendant strings hanging straight.

Standing on the ground, Fan Zhao drew his bow and aimed, saying frankly, "I can definitely kill enemies from a hundred paces, but hitting a jade pendant string from a hundred paces is beyond my confidence. But I won't boast. Hitting it is luck, missing it doesn't mean you can laugh at me."

Such a fierce general relied on swords and spears to break through enemy lines, not archery. However, most fierce generals were also excellent archers, far surpassing ordinary soldiers.

Saying this, Fan Zhao released the string, and the arrow shot out swiftly, hitting the center of the jade pendant and carrying it away.

Fan Zhao still played a little trick, aiming at the jade pendant instead of the string when he wasn't sure he could hit it. Hitting the pendant from such a distance was impressive enough.

Sure enough, a chorus of cheers erupted from behind him.

Fan Zhao looked at Tong Sui with a smug expression.

Tong Sui's gaze remained calm. She took an arrow, placed it on the bowstring, raised her arm, aimed, and released it in one fluid motion.

The arrow pierced through the pendant's string without making a sound, continuing its flight forward. Only the jade pendant fell onto the dirt road, raising a small cloud of dust.

While Fan Zhao and the others were still stunned, Tong Sui nocked another arrow. Everyone watched as the arrow flew toward the willow tree where the jade pendant had hung, seemingly passing through a single leaf growing on the main branch.

The speed was too fast for the eye to discern. A soldier ran over to pluck the leaf, and only then did everyone notice a crack as wide as an arrowhead in the middle of the leaf.

As Fan Zhao had said, hitting the pendant's string once might be luck, but Tong Sui first shot through the string from a hundred paces and then through a leaf from the same distance. Who could still claim this was all luck?

Tong Sui lowered her bow and gave a pointed glance at Fan Zhao's muscular arms and legs.

Fan Zhao: "..."

Han Zongping praised loudly, "Well done! Archery, spear techniques, and all martial arts—three parts rely on talent, seven parts on diligence. Who says women must be inferior to men? With so many talents around the old general, it is my good fortune, Han Zongping's good fortune, and the good fortune of the people and the Great Zhou!"

The old man led Tong Sui and the others to bow again.

After the sparring was over, everyone mounted their horses and continued on their journey.

Han Zongping asked the old man to walk with him at the front, discussing the livelihoods of the seven counties. Besides the old man's account, the fields on both sides of the road, filled with green seedlings, were also evidence. In the counties plagued by rebels and corrupt officials, people were displaced for various reasons, and vast tracts of land lay abandoned, overgrown with weeds, a sight that would make anyone sigh in regret.

But in Wei County, there was almost no fallow land.

They talked about important matters while Song Lan walked with Xiao Zhen and Tong Sui, catching up with the couple.

Song Lan mainly praised Tong Sui: "I knew Aman was skilled with a bow, but I didn't expect you to have such prowess, able to shoot through a leaf from a hundred paces. You're so modest, never boasting about it in the village."

Tong Sui explained, "Back then, I practiced archery for hunting. The targets at home were large enough, and in the mountains, I mostly shot rabbits and wild chickens. I never specifically practiced with small objects, so I couldn't really gauge how far my skills had progressed."

Song Lan asked, "When did you realize you could shoot through a leaf from a hundred paces?"

Tong Sui replied, "After the incident in Pine Village last year, Second Master speculated that the bandits from Imprisoned Dragon Ridge might attack the village. I thought the bandits would be more agile than animals, and shooting at targets wouldn't improve my archery much, so I asked my sister-in-law and siblings to throw grass for me to practice my accuracy."

Hunting relies on stealth, taking advantage of the animal's unawareness. When facing bandits head-on, they can see the archer.

Song Lan understood and sighed, "Truly a piece of unpolished jade."

Jade, hidden within a stone, shows no trace on the surface. If left in the mountains, it would remain just an ordinary stone for life.

But once discovered by someone who recognizes its value and carefully polished, the stone transforms into a beautiful piece of jade.

The chaos of war taught Tong Sui the skills to protect herself. As the daughter of a hunter from a mountain village, her abilities seemed ordinary at first glance, but they were like the subtle gleam of a piece of unpolished jade.

The old man had the discerning eye to recognize talent and brought the unpolished jade from Taohuagou into his own family.