Chapter 58

At the Wu Xue Qingyang Tower, a hundred martial students stood in neat rows, silently listening to the Deputy Minister of War, Wang Hao, giving them a lecture.

"Yesterday's incident is not entirely your fault. The key issue is that our martial academy does not have its own campus, and we are mixed with the Imperial College, which naturally leads to conflicts..."

Wang Hao was truly frustrated. Today, the emperor summoned him for a scolding and gave him an additional task.

The Ministry of War is an awkward position in the court. In the early Song Dynasty, the Ministry of War's major powers were taken over by the Military Council, and personnel management was under the Ministry of Personnel. The Ministry of War was jokingly called a redundant department. It wasn't until the Yuanfeng Reforms that the Ministry of War regained some of its powers, but it was still weak, and the Ministry of Personnel still firmly held the most important personnel management powers.

The martial examinations are under the responsibility of the Ministry of War. The first session of the martial examination had an incident last night, which displeased the emperor.

However, Wang Hao agreed with Han Shizhong's suggestion: to find some tasks for these troublemakers to do, to temper their spirits. They would officially start classes after the new campus was built in two months. Otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause with the Imperial College students.

"Our new martial academy campus is still under construction and will take about two months to complete. The emperor's idea is that we can delay the start of classes for two months..."

The martial students were immediately in an uproar. Wasn't this a delay in the martial academy? Were they going to be dismissed and sent home?

"Quiet!" a military officer shouted, and the hall fell silent.

Wang Hao waved his hand and said, "Of course, we won't let everyone go home. The emperor has decided to find some tasks for everyone to do during these two months. Prime Minister Lu, the Military Council, and various departments have discussed and proposed twenty tasks, divided into three categories: A, B, and C. Completing the tasks will earn rewards, and not completing them won't be a big issue, but the evaluation will be a bit worse."

Wang Hao gestured, and someone posted the tasks on the wall. The crowd murmured, and Huyan Tong nudged Chen Qing with his elbow and whispered, "This Deputy Minister Wang is speaking so casually! A worse evaluation means a dim future. You'll be at a disadvantage from the start, with a lower rank and a less desirable posting."

"Those who don't complete the tasks should be punished, but I'm more concerned about how the tasks will be distributed. There are only twenty tasks for a hundred people."

"That is a problem."

Huyan Tong raised his hand and asked, "Deputy Minister Wang, how will the hundred martial students be divided into twenty tasks?"

This was everyone's concern, and the hall fell silent again. Wang Hao smiled and said, "The tasks are not for individuals but for teams. I hope you understand what I mean!"

Chen Qing suddenly understood. They were supposed to form teams, which was quite interesting, a bit like forming a party to fight monsters in the future.

At this moment, the attendants posted three large sheets of paper on the wall, filled with the twenty tasks.

The crowd surged forward, surrounding the three sheets of paper, much like the announcement of the imperial examination results.

Wang Hao stood aside, stroking his beard with a satisfied smile. Han Shizhong's suggestion was indeed good. If these young nobles' wildness wasn't tempered, they would cause even more trouble in the future.

The tasks were divided into three categories: A tasks were to suppress bandits, B tasks were to train troops, and C tasks were to escort, garrison, and other miscellaneous duties, with most tasks being to train troops.

However, the crowd noticed that the rewards were not specified.

"Deputy Minister Wang, why are the reward columns blank?"

Wang Hao smiled and explained, "The rewards are decided by the emperor. Due to the time constraints, they haven't been finalized yet. But remember, one gets what one deserves. The emperor will not treat you unfairly."

Since the tasks were divided into three categories, everyone understood that A tasks were the most difficult but also the most rewarding. Almost everyone's eyes were drawn to the A tasks.

There was only one A task: to lead two thousand troops to suppress the bandits led by Zhang Kui in Muzhou.

Seeing Zhang Kui's name, everyone gasped. These weren't just bandits; they were remnants of the Liu Miao rebellion!

The Liu Miao rebellion was suppressed two years ago, and Zhang Kui, a fierce general under Miao Fu, escaped into the mountains with hundreds of men, his whereabouts unknown. At the beginning of the year, Zhang Kui appeared in Muzhou, the old base of Fang La's rebellion, and colluded with the remnants of Fang La's forces. He quickly gathered thousands of men, occupied the mountains, and continuously harassed nearby counties. In recent months, he had become a major threat to the court.

Qi Yun, a young noble, whispered to Wang Bo, "Should we take on the A task and make a name for ourselves?"

Wang Bo glared at him, "Are you an idiot? The court plans to send Han Shizhong with ten thousand troops to suppress them. Now they want us to lead two thousand troops. It's clearly a test. Do you forget how Liu Zhe and Yao Jun died?"

Liu Zhe, the司马 of Wenzhou, led two thousand troops to suppress Zhang Kui and his few hundred men hiding in the Yandang Mountains. Liu Zhe was killed, and the two thousand troops were defeated. Zhang Kui obtained countless armors and then moved to Muzhou, where he killed the military commander Yao Jun. If it weren't for the governor He Jian's defense of Chun'an County, the entire Muzhou would have been occupied by Zhang Kui.

Everyone knew about the deaths of Liu Zhe and Yao Jun.

In an instant, no one stood under the A task notice. Everyone looked at the B and C tasks. They came to the martial academy to become officials, not to die.

Chen Qing didn't join the crowd. He stood at the back, waiting for everyone to leave the A task notice before calmly stepping forward to read it. He wasn't interested in the other tasks but found the A task intriguing.

Huyan Tong saw Chen Qing standing under the A task notice for a long time and was about to remind him not to do something foolish. Unexpectedly, Chen Qing stepped forward and tore off the A task notice.

Huyan Tong's eyes widened, and his scalp tingled. My goodness! He was just a step too late.

The hall was silent, and everyone's eyes were on Chen Qing. They looked at each other, and many covered their mouths to laugh. There was indeed a fool. Did he think they were just a bunch of bandits?

Wang Bo, who was temporarily preoccupied with the dormitory issue, was delighted to see Chen Qing take the A task. Directly dealing with him would lead to complaints from Huyan Tong, but using Zhang Kui to eliminate him was a brilliant plan.

Huyan Tong, ignoring the strange looks from others, pulled Chen Qing aside and whispered, "You don't understand the situation. They are not bandits but remnants of the Liu Miao rebellion, with strong combat capabilities. If you choose this task, it will be a disaster!"

Chen Qing smiled. Could they be stronger than Wanyan Loushi? He wasn't afraid of tens of thousands of Jurchens, let alone a few defeated soldiers.

Chen Qing smiled faintly, "Great fortune comes with great risk. How can you advance without taking risks?"

He walked to Wang Hao, bowed, and handed him the notice, "I will take the A task!"

"You are..." Wang Hao didn't recognize him.

"I am Chen Qing, under the command of Wang Yan, the Western Army's General."

"So you are Chen Qing!"

Wang Hao's eyes narrowed. The top scorer in the exam, no wonder he dared to take the A task. But he came from Shaanxi and didn't know the situation. Could good archery skills alone deal with Zhang Kui?

"Who will you work with on this task?"

Chen Qing looked back at Huyan Tong, who felt uneasy. You didn't ask me before taking the notice, and now you're dragging me into this.

"Alright! Alright! I'll join you."

Huyan Tong had no choice, being a descendant of Huyan Zan.

"Count me in too!"

Another young general raised his hand. His name was Liu Qiong, the nephew of General Liu Ziyu and currently under Wu Lin.

This time, Zhang Jun gave three martial academy spots to Wang Yan's subordinate Chen Qing, Wu Jie, and Wu Lin, and the last spot went to the son of the governor of Chengdu, who had no connection with Chen Qing.

The A task was proposed by Han Shizhong and approved by the emperor. Wang Hao was unsure how to arrange it, but Chen Qing's decision made it easier for him.

Wang Hao nodded with a smile, "Alright! You three will report to the Military Council tomorrow morning."

...

On the way back to the dormitory, Huyan Tong complained, "Chen, you should have asked me first! Everyone avoided the A task for a reason. Zhang Kui was a commander in the Imperial Guard, skilled in martial arts and good at leading troops. He has defeated the government forces twice and killed two important officials, becoming a major threat to the court. If you had asked me, you probably wouldn't have taken the notice."

Liu Qiong couldn't help but laugh, "Huyan, General Chen once led a thousand soldiers to resist thirty thousand Jurchen troops at the Arrow Pass. The Jurchens suffered heavy casualties and couldn't capture the pass. General Chen became famous in the Western Army. You didn't know that?"

Huyan Tong's mouth dropped open. A thousand against thirty thousand? Such a thing was unbelievable. He was stunned.

Chen Qing put his arm around Huyan Tong's shoulder and smiled, "You are a descendant of the Huyan family. Follow me to suppress the bandits, and I'll make you famous in Lin'an."

Huyan Tong blushed, "The Huyan and Yang families are just stories told by street performers. Don't take them seriously!"

"Then you should strive to make those stories come true."

The three returned to the dormitory and found that the screen by Ding Tao's bed was gone. Ding Tao was busy packing, seemingly preparing to move.

"Ding, what are you doing?" Chen Qing looked at him curiously.

"Heh! A fellow townsman invited me to live with him. I refused, but I couldn't resist the hometown sentiment. Brothers, I'm really sorry."

"No problem, I was worried my snoring at night would disturb your sleep."

"Heh! You two, I'll go first." Ding Tao picked up his suitcase and bag, laughed awkwardly, and quickly left.

Huyan Tong watched him coldly. After Ding Tao left, Huyan Tong huffed, "He's afraid of being implicated and is trying to distance himself from you."

"How could I implicate him?"

"If you fail, the martial academy will give you a very poor evaluation. Since you share a dorm, he won't get a good evaluation either. Of course, he wants to stay away from you."

Liu Qiong suddenly said, "Since there's an empty spot, why don't I move in? Living with the two from Bashu and Jingzhou is uncomfortable. They talk about women all day."

Chen Qing waved his hand, "Go pack your things!"

"Alright!" Liu Qiong happily agreed and ran off.

Chen Qing smiled at Huyan Tong, "Don't underestimate him. He's only nineteen, but he has inherited family martial arts, and his archery and spear skills are excellent, not inferior to your Huyan family's spear."

"Heh! I'll have to test him one day."