Chapter 57

A county official rushed in with a group of constables. They held water and fire sticks, but what could a mere twenty or thirty of them accomplish?

A minor official in charge of the martial academy dormitory ran up, panting, and said, "Don't go back for now; wait until the situation calms down."

Hu Yan pulled him by the arm and asked, "What exactly happened?"

The minor official looked distressed and said, "The martial students and the imperial students got into a fight. The imperial students were injured, and the news spread, causing them to start causing trouble."

The martial students and the imperial students lived together, so conflicts were common, but it was unexpected that the tension would escalate so quickly.

Chen Qing asked for more details and soon learned the cause: it was due to Wang Bo and his group.

This year was the first year of the martial academy, and the management was strict, prohibiting martial students from renting houses outside. Wang Bo and his group, who were used to luxury, were unwilling to share a room with two others, so they set their sights on the imperial students' dormitories.

The imperial students' dormitories had over a dozen courtyards for the upper-level students, with three people sharing a courtyard and each having their own room. However, not all of these courtyards were occupied, and three of them were empty. Wang Bo and his group forcibly moved in.

The other imperial students envied these single-occupancy courtyards but lacked the qualifications to live there.

If they couldn't live there, they wouldn't allow others to do so either. Over a dozen imperial students went to argue, and a fight broke out. The imperial students were no match for the martial students and suffered greatly.

The news spread, and the three thousand imperial students became agitated, surrounding the martial students' dormitory, demanding an apology and for the martial students to leave the imperial academy.

Chen Qing and Hu Yan looked at each other in dismay. It was only the first day of registration, and the official opening was two days away, yet such a commotion had already erupted.

...

By the first watch, the situation was still unresolved. The dormitory management brought several dozen blankets for them to sleep on the floor of Qingyang Tower.

Chen Qing couldn't sleep, so he asked the official to bring his bow and borrowed a quiver of arrows to practice archery at the small training ground.

Over the past month, Chen Qing hadn't let his skills rust. He practiced diligently every day, even when traveling by boat to Lin'an, he would go ashore to practice archery every night.

Chen Qing's horseback archery was already proficient, but his weakness was his lack of solid fundamentals, which were primarily about keen eyesight. The method to improve eyesight was simple: shooting at a copper coin during the day and a burning incense tip at night. Chen Qing chose the latter, lighting an incense stick and shooting at the flame from a hundred paces away every night.

The surroundings were exceptionally quiet, with only the sound of insects. The dormitory was still in dispute, but Chen Qing was alone, practicing archery.

At a hundred paces, an ordinary person couldn't see the flame of an incense stick, but Chen Qing saw it clearly. He pursed his lips, drew an arrow, and shot it while running sideways. The flame of the incense stick disappeared instantly.

From behind a nearby tree, Hu Yan watched with his mouth agape. Good grief! Master Chen's archery is so impressive!

...

At dawn, Hu Yan ran over like a gust of wind, "Old Chen, the situation has escalated."

Chen Qing shook his head to clear his drowsiness and sat up, asking, "What happened?"

Hu Yan looked around. Chen Qing had slept on the corridor outside the room all night. He stared in amazement.

"You can really sleep! This is cold, hard bluestone! You actually slept through the night without a blanket?"

"I'm used to it. Tell me what's going on."

"The imperial students are demanding an apology. Wang Bo and his group are not the type to apologize. The officials tried to calm them down, but as soon as they left, a group of imperial students came to protest again. Another fight broke out, and over a dozen imperial students were injured, with two having their arms broken."

"Then what?"

"The imperial students are furious and have gone to sit-in at the palace. The situation has escalated."

Chen Qing felt a headache. Are these imperial students bored? Over a few dilapidated houses, they went to protest at the palace. If they had this energy, they should go to the front lines to support the army.

Although Wang Bo was detestable, the imperial students were targeting all martial students, including Chen Qing himself. Involving his own interests, Chen Qing was naturally dissatisfied with the imperial students.

"This issue has roots from the beginning of the year. When the decision was made to carve out a part of the imperial academy for the martial academy, the imperial students opposed it in a joint petition. The Ministry of War assured them that their interests would not be infringed upon, and the martial academy was established. But after yesterday's incident, the imperial students are now settling old scores."

Chen Qing sneered, "It seems they are determined to drive us away."

"Exactly!"

Hu Yan sighed, "With this incident, I doubt the martial academy will open anytime soon."

...

The situation had indeed escalated. The imperial students' protest alarmed the emperor, Zhao Gou, who was in the imperial study of the Chui Gong Hall, listening to Han Shizhong's report on the situation in the north of the Yangtze River.

Zhao Gou was young, the same age as Chen Qing, of medium build, fair-skinned, and delicate in appearance.

Zhao Gou did not want war. He had been taken hostage by the Jin soldiers, and the nightmare of his time in the Jin camp made him fear the Jurchens from the bottom of his heart. However, the Jin army's aggressive attacks left him no choice but to resist.

At this moment, Prime Minister Lu Yihao hurried into the imperial study. Seeing someone else there, he hesitated and was about to leave.

"Prime Minister Lu, what is it?" Zhao Gou called out to him.

"Your Majesty, I have urgent news to report!"

"Go ahead!"

Lu Yihao glanced at Han Shizhong and said, "Your Majesty, the imperial students are sitting in protest in front of the Donghua Gate."

Zhao Gou felt a headache. During the Jingkang Incident, the imperial students' movement had been a constant presence, and their protests had proven effective, gradually forming a political force. Zhao Gou did not want to see another imperial student movement under his rule.

"What happened?"

"Your Majesty, it's the same as before, a conflict between the imperial students and the martial students."

Lu Yihao then detailed the events of the previous night, concluding, "This time, the martial students were more arrogant, forcibly occupying the dormitories, which led to the conflict. I believe, Your Majesty, that punishing the martial students would help to quell the protest."

Zhao Gou frowned, clearly displeased. "I established the martial academy to select talent, not to cultivate bullies. For such an incident to occur on the first day of the academy's operation, how can I continue to support it?"

Han Shizhong, who had been listening, could not help but speak up, "Your Majesty, may I say a few words?"

"Minister Han, please speak!"

"Your Majesty, I also take this martial academy seriously. As you said, it is to cultivate talent for the Song army. Yesterday, I visited the martial academy and found some concerning issues."

"What issues?"

"Your Majesty, I found that only thirty percent of the martial students come from the military, while the remaining seventy percent were admitted through various connections. Most of them are children of eunuchs and nobles, and many are former guards. They are clearly just here to get a martial academy degree and then take up official positions. This goes against the original purpose of the martial academy and disappoints Your Majesty's expectations."

Zhao Gou's face flushed. He had agreed to accommodate the children of meritorious officials, but he hadn't expected so many to be admitted, filling seventy percent of the spots.

"What do you suggest to change this unfavorable situation?"

"There are two methods, which I have named the Sharp Knife Method and the Blunt Knife Method."

Lu Yihao was interested and asked, "Minister Han, could you explain the Sharp Knife and the Blunt Knife in more detail?"

Han Shizhong smiled, "The Sharp Knife Method is simple: directly expel the seventy percent of noble children from the martial academy. This is the Sharp Knife Method!"

"Inappropriate!"

Lu Yihao immediately rejected it, saying to Zhao Gou, "Your Majesty, if we expel them now, it will disappoint many ministers!"

"I understand. This method is indeed inappropriate, and I do not support it!"

Han Shizhong knew they wouldn't agree, so he added, "Since the Sharp Knife Method is inappropriate, let's try the Blunt Knife Method. Intensify the training and continuously hone their willpower, turning these pampered noble children into qualified soldiers!"

"This method is good and acceptable!"

Zhao Gou readily accepted the Blunt Knife Method, but it wouldn't solve the immediate problem of the imperial students' protest.

"What are the imperial students demanding?" Zhao Gou asked.

"Your Majesty, the imperial students have only one demand: for the martial students to immediately move out of the imperial academy."

Zhao Gou paced back and forth, hands behind his back. This issue had already caused trouble at the beginning of the year, and the court had decided to build a separate martial academy outside the city. Mixing the martial and imperial students indeed led to conflicts.

"When will the martial academy outside the southern city be completed?"

"Your Majesty, it will take at least two months."

"Tell the imperial students that the martial academy will move out in two months."

Lu Yihao sighed, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid that won't work. They demand that the martial students leave today. They are extremely angry and insist that the martial students leave immediately."

"Do you think I want to mix the martial and imperial students?"

Zhao Gou was genuinely annoyed. "If we had the space, the martial academy wouldn't be mixed with the imperial academy. Lin'an is in ruins, and where can we find suitable buildings and land now? Do you want me to temporarily suspend the martial academy and send them back?"

Han Shizhong smiled, "Since Your Majesty agrees with my Blunt Knife Method, why not implement it now? Give the martial students some challenging tasks to keep them busy, so they don't stay in the imperial academy. This will also test their abilities and hone their willpower. By the time they complete the tasks, the new martial academy will be ready, and the talents Your Majesty needs will emerge from among them."

Zhao Gou and Lu Yihao exchanged glances. Giving the martial students tasks was a feasible solution.