Chapter 75

"His Majesty the King, just select a thousand troops from the Yuezhi to be trained by General Chen. After ten days, let them engage in a military drill with the two thousand troops under General Veshtika! General Chen will surely win again!" Li You said with determination.

"Even the cavalry of the Xiomi tribe can be defeated? The martial skills of the Han soldiers are indeed superior to ours, but if the soldiers were from the Xiomi tribe, you would certainly not win!" Before the Yuezhi king could speak, the noble from the Kushan tribe could not help but speak up. The Xiomi tribe was the weakest of the five tribes of the Yuezhi. Veshtika's defeat had disgraced all the nobles of the Kushan tribe, so he found the Xiomi tribe as a shield!

"Our Xiomi tribe has also fought bravely for the Yuezhi. If it weren't for the heavy losses we suffered in the battle against the Xiongnu, how could we have ended up like this? If it weren't for your Kushan tribe running away quickly, the outcome of the battle against the Xiongnu would still be uncertain!" The noble from the Xiomi tribe said indignantly.

"Exactly, if it weren't for my Panton tribe holding back the Xiongnu's pursuit, how could your Kushan tribe have the situation you have today?" The people from other tribes also joined in, and the high platform became chaotic!

"Enough, at this time, you are still arguing!" The Yuezhi king had a headache. If the five marquises could unite, the Yuezhi would not have been defeated step by step by the Wusun. Now, with our strength alone, we probably cannot resist the attack of Lijiaomi! I hope these Han guests can bring me good luck! I hope the military tactics mentioned by this envoy are truly as miraculous as he says. The Yuezhi king had already made his decision, "Since that's the case, the Han envoy will select a thousand men from my Yuezhi troops for training, and we will have the drill after ten days!"

Lijiaomi's preparations for the attack still needed some time. At least in these ten days, they would not attack here. Therefore, the Yuezhi king did not mind allocating part of his troops to verify his suspicions. If they could still win under these circumstances, should I consider letting the Han general help me command the battle against the Wusun?

"Since His Majesty is willing, we have no objections! However, His Majesty must agree to a few conditions!" Seeing that the Yuezhi king was indeed interested in Chen Qingzhi's command skills as he had expected, Li You immediately said.

"Envoy, please speak. As long as I can do it, I will comply!" The Yuezhi king was a decisive person.

"First, the thousand men will be arranged by your country, but they must also pass our review. If they are all old, weak, or sick, it would not be glorious for General Veshtika to win, right?" Li You first blocked the possibility of others cheating.

"Second, His Majesty must provide a camp for the thousand soldiers to train! Horses, weapons, and food are essential. After all, we cannot let these soldiers train on an empty stomach, right?" Military training is a high-intensity activity, and logistics must keep up.

"Third, please grant us a token of authority. Once these soldiers enter the camp, they must follow our arrangements. If they disobey, we have the right to punish them! Whether it's flogging, whipping, or even execution, it will be up to us!" Otherwise, how would these soldiers follow Chen Qingzhi's arrangements?

"Fourth, please lend us General Veshtika for a few days to help with the training!" This is to coordinate the relationship. And I imagine the Yuezhi king is also worried about handing over these troops to us, so let Veshtika participate to ease his concerns. "As long as His Majesty agrees to these conditions, we will surely win again in ten days!"

"Good! Let's do it this way! Veshtika is familiar with our Yuezhi military affairs. He is the best person to lead you in selecting the soldiers!" Shocked by Chen Qingzhi's superb command, the Yuezhi king made his decision immediately.

"Complying with His Majesty's command! I will certainly help the Han envoy select suitable soldiers!" Veshtika stood up and bowed, for a general, there is nothing more attractive than learning more advanced methods of warfare! He began to feel fortunate that his defense area was assigned to the east gate, otherwise, he would not have met the Han envoy and obtained this precious opportunity.

As they spoke, Veshtika also arrived at the high platform. He had not even bothered to remove the white spots from his body, glaring at Li You and Chen Qingzhi with a look of不甘 (unwillingness), "This battle was due to my negligence! Next time, you will not have such an opportunity again!"

The Yuezhi king left with his ministers, and Veshtika looked at Li You, hesitating to speak. Finally, encouraged by Li You, he said what he wanted to say, "Respected envoy, do you think the soldiers for this selection can also be chosen from my Kushan tribe? The Kushan tribe is the most valiant and skilled among the five tribes of the Yuezhi, and they will surely satisfy General Chen."

After a moment's thought, Li You understood his concerns. Veshtika was not only the most outstanding general of the Yuezhi but also the pride of the Kushan tribe. Losing to the Han Empire's army was one thing, but if he lost to the Xiomi or Panton tribes, it would be a heavy blow to the Kushan tribe, greatly affecting their status in the Yuezhi. Therefore, he wanted to turn the next drill into an internal conflict of the Kushan tribe!

This way, even if they lost, it would only mean that Veshtika's command was inferior to Chen Qingzhi's, and it would not be thought that the Kushan tribe's combat ability was inferior to the Xiomi and Panton tribes. They could still maintain their status in the Yuezhi.

"This is not impossible, but your tribe's soldiers must be able to endure hardship and follow discipline!" Li You immediately agreed. With his support, Chen Qingzhi would find it easier to train these soldiers.

That day, Veshtika selected over a thousand soldiers from his own troops. After being selected by Chen Qingzhi and Li You, they joined the training ranks.

At first, these proud soldiers of the Kushan tribe were somewhat不服 (unwilling) to follow Chen Qingzhi's discipline. However, after Chen Qingzhi decisively executed several soldiers who disobeyed orders and received strong support from Veshtika, the soldiers were immediately intimidated! They began the arduous training under Chen Qingzhi's command.

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed! The second drill between Chen Qingzhi and Veshtika was about to begin! This time, the battlefield moved from the city to the outskirts.

The two armies faced off to the south of the city, waiting for the Yuezhi king's command to begin the second battle. Whether Chen Qingzhi would win again or Veshtika would wash away his previous disgrace would be revealed within two hours.

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