Chapter 28

Money is a good thing; it can make people virtuous.

The government took out the yellow Xuanhe copper coins, attracting many residents of the city to participate enthusiastically. In less than half a day, they rented several hundred empty houses and accommodated thousands of homeless civilians inside.

With walls to shelter them from the wind and rain, that night, not a single refugee froze to death in the cold night. With the army providing porridge, the hungry and cold elderly and children had a bowl of hot porridge to fill their stomachs and were no longer at risk of starving to death.

As night fell, the snow finally stopped. A bright moon hung in the sky, and the dark blue night was particularly clean, but also much colder.

Chen Qing stood a hundred paces away, holding a riding bow. He focused on a straw dummy target in the distance, drew an arrow, and placed it on the bowstring. Chen Qing took a deep breath of the cold air, pulled the bow to a full moon, and almost without thinking, shot the arrow. The arrow grazed the side of the straw dummy.

If he used a crossbow, he could easily hit the center of the straw dummy's forehead, but he was now using the riding shooting method. There was no time to aim; once the bow was drawn, the arrow had to be released. There was no time to aim, first, the eyes had to be sharp, and second, one had to find a certain feeling, which could only be gradually found through thousands of repetitions.

This wonderful feeling Chen Qing had experienced while practicing shooting from horseback, but to convert it to riding shooting was very difficult. The previous feeling could even become an obstacle, and he needed to overcome this state.

This was why he had shot over ten arrows, his arms aching and numb, yet he still hadn't hit the target once.

Chen Qing sighed, drew another arrow, placed it on the bowstring, rested for a moment, and then pulled the bowstring to full tension again...

The next morning, eight hundred newly recruited soldiers stood neatly in front of the military camp. Their uniforms were mixed, with Song army iron armor, former Liao army black lacquer leather armor, and Jin army yellow leather armor, but all soldiers wore Song army conical hats, held shields and spears, and stood in neat and uniform rows.

"I've already said what needed to be said last night!"

The young commander, Chen Qing, stood on a large rock and addressed the crowd, "Today, I will talk about training. I know you all have military experience, and you are now back in the army. Each of you has a foundation, but can you guarantee that you can easily defeat the Jurchen cavalry? If you can't, you will still die on the battlefield. This winter, I will intensify your combat and physical training. My goal is only one: to ensure that everyone can survive on the battlefield!"

Chen Qing turned and beckoned, and Xu Ning stepped forward. Chen Qing introduced him to the crowd, "This is Master Xu, whom I have specially invited to teach you some basic martial arts. He was once the chief instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards in Tokyo and is a renowned martial arts master in Fengxiang. I hope everyone will study and train diligently, learning real skills that can be used on the battlefield..."

Xu Ning, dressed in black martial arts clothing, held no weapons. He spoke calmly and loudly to the crowd, "I know you are all soldiers. Since the commander has given the order, you must obey. My training methods are very monotonous.

Starting now, you will squat in horse stance for two months, four hours each day, including light squats, deep squats, and weighted squats, gradually increasing the difficulty, and then run to build stamina in the evening.

As for spear techniques, they are just embellishments. If your foundation is not solid, even the most elaborate spear techniques cannot withstand a single charge from the Jurchen cavalry."

Xu Ning turned and called his senior disciple forward, instructing him, "You will demonstrate for everyone. If anyone slacks off, report them to Supervisor Yang!"

Supervisor Yang, who had a stern expression, was also the military judge.

None of the eight hundred new soldiers raised any objections and obediently followed Xu Ning's disciple to practice the horse stance.

Chen Qing was not surprised. He had squatted in horse stance for several years and knew its effects. Fu Mo Shan had an unstable foundation, despite his strength, and was easily defeated by Chen Qing.

"Commander wants to practice riding shooting. Shall we start now?" Xu Ning smiled and walked over.

"Anytime!"

Chen Qing took out a riding bow from his quiver. Xu Ning glanced at it, his eyes showing surprise.

"Is this... the bow you seized from Wanyan Lou Shi?"

"How did you know?"

"This is one of the three imperial bows collected by the Retired Emperor, called Dingyuan. It was taken by Wanyan Zongbi, and you could only have obtained it from Wanyan Lou Shi."

It seems the Jin emperor had bestowed a set of treasures from Emperor Huizong on Wanyan Lou Shi, not just the sword, but also the bow, and possibly the white dragon horse.

Xu Ning took the bow with one hand and praised it, "Indeed, it is a fine bow. This bow has been in the palace for twenty years and has never been used. The barbarians would only defile it. It seems the commander is its true owner!"

He returned the bow to Chen Qing and smiled, "However, I would like to see the commander shoot with a crossbow first."

"Master, please!"

Chen Qing led Xu Ning to the archery range and took the Shenbi crossbow from the table. He used his strength to draw the crossbow, and Xu Ning secretly praised him. No wonder he could use the Dingyuan bow; he indeed had great strength.

Chen Qing aimed at the target a hundred paces away and shot an arrow, hitting the center of the straw dummy's forehead.

Chen Qing shot three more arrows, each hitting the center of the forehead.

Xu Ning nodded approvingly, "Riding shooting emphasizes stability, speed, and accuracy. On horseback, the body must be stable, which requires good horse control. Speed and accuracy are the most challenging, and you must start with foot archery training, at least three years, achieving nine out of ten hits, before you can begin riding shooting. I think the commander's stability and accuracy are not issues, but speed is. Drawing the bow and releasing the arrow quickly, and good hand-eye coordination, are where the problem lies."

Chen Qing smiled wryly, "To be honest, Master, I usually aim after drawing the bow, but in riding shooting, I aim before drawing the bow, locking my gaze on the target beforehand, so I can quickly draw and release the arrow. My problem is how to find this feeling of having the target locked in my sight?"

Xu Ning smiled, "Unfortunately, I only have one hand and cannot demonstrate personally, but I can share some tips with you."

"Please, Master, teach me!"

"I once consulted the chief instructor of the archery class, Zhou Tong, who is known as the best archer in the world. His two disciples, Yue Fei and Liu Ziyu, are famous for their riding shooting, with arrows like lightning and bows like thunder. However, Zhou Tong told me that riding shooting has three levels. The first level is 'arrow in the eye,' where you draw the bow and lock your gaze on the target, hitting it with one arrow.

The second level is 'arrow in the heart,' where you decide to shoot the target, and your peripheral vision has already locked onto it. The target is always in your heart, so when you draw the bow and release the arrow, you don't need to aim; you shoot at your mental target, hitting it every time. In reality, your peripheral vision is constantly sensing the target, so it cannot escape.

The third level is 'arrow in the universe,' which is not an abstract concept. I will explain it this way: when you plan a battle, you know how to shoot the target."

"The third level is actually about knowing oneself and the enemy, ensuring victory in every battle, right?" Chen Qing smiled.

"You can say that, but you must know the enemy's skills, habits, his bodyguards, the weather during the battle, the surrounding terrain, and whether you have a high vantage point. When the enemy is completely in the environment you have anticipated, he will inevitably die from your arrow. It sounds simple, but only Sun Bin has achieved this throughout history. Think about how he shot Pang Juan."

Chen Qing laughed, "So, what I should strive for is the second level, right?"

Xu Ning nodded, "If you can achieve the second level, you can be on par with Yue Fei and Liu Ziyu. But first, you need to achieve the first level. With your crossbow foundation, I believe it should not be difficult. Your eyesight is not an issue; you just need to adjust and shorten the aiming time, then practice more to get used to riding shooting and find the feeling. I think you can reach the first level in a month."

Chen Qing mounted his horse and laughed, "Thank you, Master, for your guidance. I know how to practice riding shooting now. If I succeed within a month, I will give you fifty taels of silver as a reward!"

Xu Ning also laughed, "If the commander can achieve it, I will give you two tiger sinews, the best bowstrings in the world."