Chapter 55

"Brother, please step aside!"

Chen Qing quickly moved to the side, and a group of people came from behind. The one who asked him to move aside was a servant, who pushed open the side door and stood respectfully to one side. Then, four young men dismounted from their horses, handed the reins to their attendants, and walked in.

The four young men all appeared to be in their twenties, each tall and handsome. They were all dressed in samurai attire, wearing samurai hats, but the materials were exquisite, all made of high-quality silk from Suzhou and Hangzhou, embroidered with patterns of qilins, phoenixes, and flowers and birds, with very fine craftsmanship.

The bows on their backs and the long swords at their waists were inlaid with gold and jade, very splendid. Clearly, these were the young masters of powerful and influential families.

But Chen Qing thought it made sense. Even he had entered the martial academy to gain the qualifications for an official position. Why wouldn't others do the same?

The four young masters looked arrogant, not even glancing at Chen Qing, and walked into the side door, followed by a group of servants.

"A bunch of rich brats, do they think this is Bianliang?"

Someone behind him muttered in dissatisfaction. Chen Qing turned around and saw a man standing there, about his age, also dressed in a fine linen samurai uniform, leading a horse with a bow and a long knife on it.

"Brother, are you also here to register for the martial academy?" Chen Qing asked with a smile.

"Exactly!"

The man sized up Chen Qing and asked, "You are too, right?"

Chen Qing nodded with a smile.

The man's spirits lifted, and he quickly clasped his hands in greeting. "I am Huyan Tong, a subordinate of General Han Shizhong of the Divine Martial Army. May I ask your honorable surname?"

It turned out to be a subordinate of Han Shizhong. Chen Qing also clasped his hands. "I am a subordinate of General Wang Yan, the commander of the Sichuan-Shaanxi Army. I am Chen Qing!"

"So, Brother Chen is from the八字军 (Eight-Character Army)!"

Huyan Tong quickly looked at Chen Qing's forehead, and Chen Qing smiled faintly. "Some things don't need to be carved on the face; they can be carved in the heart."

Huyan Tong laughed. "You're right; it's my narrow-mindedness."

The two walked into the side door. Chen Qing hesitated for a moment and asked, "What does the notice at the entrance mean? Why is there an exam?"

Huyan Tong sneered. "It's quite ridiculous. When the news of the re-establishment of the martial academy by the Ministry of War was announced, it caused a huge stir. People started sending gifts, asking for favors, and using all sorts of connections to get in. The threshold of the Minister of War's house was almost worn down. There are only a hundred spots, but at least a thousand people want to get in."

"But this is a martial academy, not the Imperial Academy. Is it really that popular?"

Chen Qing knew that the Song Dynasty always valued literature over martial arts, but he couldn't understand why the martial academy would be so popular.

"You don't understand. Graduates of the Imperial Academy can only become professors in local schools, with low ranks and meager salaries, and no hope of promotion. But the martial academy is different, especially the first batch. They are explicitly assigned to command the local armies, starting at the eighth rank, which is a lucrative position. It's no wonder the nobles are fighting for spots. How many spots did your Sichuan-Shaanxi Army get?"

"Three!"

"Exactly! The prestigious Sichuan-Shaanxi Army only got three spots. Other places can't even think about it. Our commander only got two spots. The other spots... well, you saw them just now."

"Come on, you two, registration is over here!" An official waved them over.

The two quickly walked into the Qingyang Pavilion...

This was just a preliminary registration to verify their identities, followed by an exam. Only those who passed the exam could officially register.

The exam took place in the martial practice field of the Imperial Academy, which was shared by the Imperial Academy and the martial academy. It was not very large, only about ten acres.

A senior official announced loudly, "Everyone, please listen carefully. The exam consists of archery and weightlifting. For archery, there are no specific requirements. You can use our bows or your own. You need to hit the wooden target from eighty paces away, and at least two out of three arrows must hit.

For weightlifting, you need to lift a sixty-pound weight over your head. That's the requirement. If you fail the exam, I'm sorry, you'll have to go back where you came from."

Today, twenty-one warriors were taking the exam, and Chen Qing drew the ninth spot.

"First up, Wang Bo!"

A man stepped out from the line, apparently the leader of the four young masters. Huyan Tong whispered to Chen Qing, "This person was originally a palace guard, the son of Wang Jue, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guards."

"Looking at his fancy clothes, he wasn't affected by the Jingkang Incident?"

Huyan Tong sneered. "After the first siege of Tokyo by the Jin army, do you know how many nobles and wealthy families fled Tokyo? Many families had already transferred their wealth to Yangzhou, Suzhou, and other places. His family was the same."

Chen Qing became somewhat interested. Despite his fancy clothes, Wang Bo had strong arms and a graceful posture. He was using at least a one-stone bow, and being from a military family, he should have some real skills.

Wang Bo quickly walked to the shooting line, drew an arrow from his quiver, and shot. The arrow hit the wooden target's throat, earning a round of applause.

Chen Qing nodded inwardly. Not bad archery, and his hands were steady. He wasn't one of those brats who only played with birds and teased women.

Wang Bo shot two more arrows, both hitting the wooden target's throat. As for lifting the sixty-pound weight, it was easy for these warriors.

Wang Bo was the first to pass the exam and returned, looking very pleased with himself.

The other warriors followed one by one, and Huyan Tong was the eighth to go. He hit the wooden target's face with all three arrows, earning a round of cheers.

Huyan Tong bowed to a general in the distance and returned to the line.

Chen Qing curiously looked at the general in the distance. He was about forty, with a square face, sword-like eyebrows, tiger-like eyes, and a tuft of black beard. He looked very imposing. Although he was sitting with a group of officials, it was clear he was just an observer and not involved in the exam.

He must be Huyan Tong's elder!

Chen Qing wanted to ask, but the judge was already calling his name, "Ninth up, Chen Qing!"

The middle-aged general's eyes lit up when he heard Chen Qing's name, and he focused intently on Chen Qing's every move.

Chen Qing took his bow and walked forward. He didn't have his own arrows, so he borrowed a quiver from the table. The judge glanced at his bow, "Why not use a regular bow?"

Chen Qing was using his long-range bow, which was designed for horseback archery. Using it for foot archery would put him at a slight disadvantage.

Seeing that the judge didn't object, Chen Qing smiled and walked to the shooting line. A low murmur of discussion arose among the warriors.

"This guy is using a horse bow. What's the meaning of that? Trying to show off?"

"He thinks no one else can shoot from horseback, so he's showing off."

"Old Wang, what do you think?"

The young masters looked at Wang Bo, who sneered, "He must be from a small place, hasn't seen much of the world, and wants to show off. Let's just watch the show."

Everyone laughed, "You're right, this show is quite entertaining."

Although they said that, Wang Bo was watching Chen Qing closely. He had been told that this exam was just a formality, but he had received word that it was actually very important, with the results going directly to the emperor. Being first was crucial.

They were the last batch to take the exam, and the previous batches had performed poorly. Wang Bo had hit the throat with all three arrows, the best performance so far. Huyan Tong had hit the face, but one arrow didn't hit a vital spot, so he was slightly behind.

Wang Bo was determined to be first in this entrance exam.

He knew all the warriors taking the exam today, except for this one. Wang Bo felt a sense of caution.

Chen Qing drew a white-feathered arrow, glanced at the wooden target, and without aiming, shot. The arrow flew like lightning and hit the left shoulder of the wooden target, causing a ripple of laughter.

Taking a horse bow seriously for an exam and only hitting the left shoulder, not even a vital spot.

"Hey, Huyan, where is he from?" a young master named Qi Yun asked.

The young masters all knew Huyan Tong, having grown up together, but they weren't the same kind of people and didn't get along.

Huyan Tong didn't want to pay attention to him but, thinking of their families' long-standing friendship, he vaguely replied, "I'm not sure, but he's probably from the Western Army."

Everyone understood. So, he's from the Western Army, a rural area.

The Western Army had a low status, a tradition in the Song Dynasty. Just look at the fates of Di Qing and Zhong Shidao.

This was partly due to the remote location and poor communication. For example, a major victory by the Western Army was just a number, and no one except the emperor cared much, as it was too far from their lives.

The most typical example was the four famous generals of the Southern Song Dynasty who fought against the Jin: Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, Zhang Jun, and Liu Guangshi. None of them were from the Western Army.

Wu Jie, whose reputation was as great as Yue Fei, was ignored by the court. The same fate befell other Western Army generals like Wu Lin, Wang Yan, Liu Ziyu, Liu Qi, and Li Yanshan, who were all lost to history.

If even Wang Yan and Liu Ziyu were unknown, how much more so for a small Western Army commander like Chen Qing.

Wang Bo felt a sense of relief. This guy only hit the shoulder, far worse than himself. The first place in this exam was definitely his.

Chen Qing then drew a second arrow and shot, hitting the left shoulder again. The third arrow also hit the left shoulder, causing a burst of laughter. Was he so fond of the left shoulder that he was the "Left Shoulder King"?

The general outside the city, however, noticed something and his expression became serious...

The exam ended, and all twenty-one participants passed and went to complete their formal registration.

The dozen or so examiners were still debating who should be first.

"Wang Bo hit the throat with all three arrows, but the throat is not as important as the face. The first place today should be Huyan Tong, number eight."

"Nonsense! A face hit doesn't necessarily kill, and Huyan Tong's second arrow was slightly off. But a throat hit, try it yourself! He hit the throat with all three arrows, so Wang Bo should be first, and Huyan Tong second."

At this moment, the Deputy Minister of War, Wang Hao, walked over and said to the general with a smile, "General Han, your subordinate performed well today, hitting the face with all three arrows."

The middle-aged man was the famous general Han Shizhong, who was in Lin'an for a report. Today, his trusted subordinate, Huyan Tong, was taking the exam, and he was very interested in watching.

Han Shizhong shook his head. "Huyan Tong's archery is just average. Even Wang Bo wouldn't be first. Number nine, Chen Qing, is much stronger."

The officials looked at each other in surprise. One official asked in shock, "But Chen Qing only hit the left shoulder with all three arrows. Why is he the strongest?"

"Look at the wooden target," Han Shizhong said.

A moment later, a soldier carried the wooden target to the table.

Han Shizhong pointed to the left shoulder. "Today, only he hit the left shoulder three times. There should be three arrow holes, but how many do you see?"

Everyone gathered around and examined it closely. There was only one arrow hole on the left shoulder.

"Strange, he hit the left shoulder three times, but there's only one hole. How is that possible?"

Han Shizhong said calmly, "Can't you figure it out? All three of his arrows hit the same hole."

The soldiers and officials were stunned.

Wang Hao drew a sharp breath. Who is this Chen Qing, with such powerful archery?

Han Shizhong became even more interested. If his guess was correct, this Chen Qing was the one who beheaded Wanyan Loushi.

He was very low-key, but his actions were decisive.