chsdbacks Chapter 53 7 for 6
Chapter 53 7 for 6
"I'm not worried about you."
Ye Qingxue paused, "But what about the Crown Prince's side..."
"Let's talk after the martial arts demonstration," Lin Yan interrupted her. "Right now, we only have the martial arts demonstration."
On the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the entire army held a grand military exercise.
The training ground was located at the Beidaying Training Ground outside Zhenbei City, covering an area of three li in circumference, with various colored military flags erected on all four sides.
Cao Yan, the deputy commander of the Northern Military Government, sat on the main stage.
On both sides sat the commanders of each battalion and the civil and military officials of the military government.
To the east of the drill ground was the Vanguard Battalion, to the west was the Left Vanguard Battalion, to the south were the other three battalions of the Zhenbei Army, and in the most remote corner to the north was the Supply Battalion.
"Look over there."
Someone in the vanguard battalion's ranks scoffed, "The supply battalion is participating in the drills too? Aren't they in charge of the granaries?"
"I heard they've got a new commander-in-chief, and he wants to show off his power."
"Show off? With that bunch of old, weak, sick and disabled? I think Governor Cao wants to embarrass them."
In the supply battalion's ranks, Sun Dayong clenched his fists.
"Don't move," Xiong Kuo pressed him down. "Words won't help."
Sun Dayong gritted his teeth and released his grip.
Lin Yan stood at the front of the line, his expression calm, as if he hadn't heard a thing. But every soldier behind him heard it clearly. No one spoke; they simply stood even straighter.
Cao Yan stood up and read out the rules for the martial arts demonstration.
In the first round of the team battle, the matchups were determined by drawing lots.
The vanguard battalion was assigned to the supply battalion.
When the match-up list was announced, a burst of laughter erupted from the training ground.
Hu Tai stepped out from the ranks of the former elite battalion. He was a burly man with a fierce face and a nine-ringed broadsword hanging at his waist. He walked up to Lin Yan and sized him up.
"Deputy Commander Lin."
He emphasized the word "Deputy," saying, "I've long admired your name. I heard you guarded Iron Coffin Cliff for fifteen days and captured Gu Li alive?"
Lin Yan looked at him without saying a word.
"A place like Iron Coffin Cliff is a strategically important location; anyone could defend it."
Hu Tai patted the sword at his waist. "There's no cliff to lean on in the training ground. If your men can last even a stick of incense, I'll consider it a loss, and I'll resign as commander."
Lin Yan remained silent.
Hu Tai snorted and turned to leave.
"That son of a bitch."
Sun Dayong gritted his teeth and whispered, "Commander, why don't you talk back?"
"Would it be useful to argue back?" Lin Yan glanced at him. "Winning is better than saying anything."
The martial arts demonstration begins.
The supply battalion and the vanguard battalion each sent sixty men to fight in the designated training area in the center of the training ground. There were referees outside the area, and Cao Yan and several deputy commanders watched the battle from a high platform.
The sixty men of the vanguard battalion formed a standard military formation, four ranks deep, with swords and shields in front and spears behind, supported by light cavalry on both sides.
They were all equipped with brand-new armor and swords, and their shields were painted with the tiger head insignia of the Vanguard Battalion.
The sixty men of the supply battalion were arranged into twenty groups of three, scattered across the field, looking completely disorganized.
On the high platform, Fang Dahai, the commander of the Left Vanguard Battalion, laughed, "Commander Cao, is this your newly promoted Deputy Commander Lin? This formation looks like a bustling market."
Cao Yan didn't speak, he just looked at the audience.
"start!"
As soon as the drums sounded, the vanguard of the elite battalion pressed forward. The swordsmen and shieldmen advanced in unison, their footsteps shaking the ground.
The supply battalion did not go to meet them.
Lin Yan stood at the back of the formation, his right hand raised.
Twenty three-person teams spread out like water to both sides, and the vanguard battalion's frontal advance missed its target. Then, the twenty teams flanked the enemy from both sides, taking turns attacking the flanks.
Just as the swordsmen and shieldmen on the flank of the vanguard battalion raised their shields, the swordsmen of the frontal assault group arrived.
After blocking one attack, the attacking group immediately scattered and retreated, while the retreating group rushed in from another direction for another round.
The elite battalion's formation began to fall into disarray.
Their swordsmen and shieldmen were used to facing the enemy head-on, and had no idea how to deal with skirmishers attacking from the flanks.
The spearmen were in an even more awkward position, as their spears couldn't be turned around at all in the dense formation.
Hu Tai yelled from the sidelines, "Tighten up! Tighten up the formation!"
But it was too late.
Lin Yan waved his right hand, and the twenty groups simultaneously squeezed into the middle.
The formation of the vanguard battalion was completely disrupted. The sixty men were crammed together, their swords and shields clashing with their spears, and their spears clashing with their own men. They were completely unable to organize an effective defense.
With only half an incense stick burned, more than half of the sixty men in the vanguard battalion had already been "killed"—the drills used wooden swords and spears, which were covered in white ash, and white marks on the body were considered signs of death.
On the high platform, Fang Dahai's smile froze.
Cao Yan stood up, looking at the battle below, his face expressionless.
Hu Tai, below, was frantic with worry, yelling, "Scatter! Scatter and fight! Fight them one-on-one!"
But spreading them out won't help either.
The soldiers of the Vanguard Battalion are all skilled individually, but their three-man formations are designed to prey on isolated enemies. You've just cut down one, and the other two are already sidling up from the side, their wooden swords covered in white ash.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all sixty men of the Vanguard Battalion were "killed in action".
On the supply battalion side, seven men were lost.
The entire room fell silent.
The referee paused for a few moments before raising his flag, "The supply battalion wins!"
The troops that had been laughing and joking just moments before had all fallen silent by the training ground.
Sun Dayong slammed his wooden sword into the ground, turned to look in the direction of the elite battalion, said nothing, and just grinned. The supply battalion soldiers also remained silent, standing there, each one more upright than the last.
Lin Yan walked out from behind the formation and stood in front of Hu Tai.
"Commander Hu," he said, "your men didn't even last an incense stick's time."
Hu Tai's face turned a deep purplish-red, and he couldn't utter a single word.
Lin Yan didn't look at him again, turned around and walked towards the high platform, clasping his hands in a fist salute to Cao Yan.
Cao Yan looked at him, remained silent for a few moments, and then nodded, "The supply battalion, record this as the first victory."
That evening, the supply battalion's barracks were as lively as if it were Chinese New Year.
Tao Guanzi stewed all the cured meat he had stored for half a month. Sun Dayong, drunk, started bragging, saying that he had single-handedly killed three swordsmen and shieldmen from the Vanguard Battalion.
Xiong Kuo sat in the corner wiping his knife, a rare smile on his lips.
Lin Yan sat at the entrance of the barracks, leaning against the door frame and looking at the stars.
Ye Qingxue walked over and sat down next to him.
"The way Governor Cao looks at you has changed today," she said.
"What kind of look is that?"
"It was a test before," Ye Qingxue said. "Today it's recognition."
Lin Yan remained silent.
Ye Qingxue turned to look at him, "The opponent in the second round is Zuo Fengying. Fang Dahai watched the whole match today and adjusted the formation overnight after returning. He won't make the same mistake as Hu Tai."
"I expected it."
Lin Yan said, "The soldiers of the Left Vanguard Battalion are even more difficult to fight than the Vanguard Battalion. Fang Dahai is a man..."
He looked at the firelight of Beidaying in the distance, and didn't finish speaking.
The night wind blew by, carrying the dry chill unique to the North.
The daytime hustle and bustle on the drill ground had dissipated, leaving only a few soldiers on night patrol carrying lanterns. Lin Yan stood up and dusted off the corner of his clothes. "There's another round tomorrow, get some rest."
Ye Qingxue watched Lin Yan's departing figure, pursed her lips, and remained silent, but her eyes shone even brighter in the darkness.