Chapter 81

Just as the sky began to brighten, Chen Qing gathered the generals to discuss the strategy for the new recruits' martial arts competition.

Chen Qing spoke frankly to everyone, "I have thought about it all night, and I believe we actually do not have an advantage. On the contrary, compared to the elite troops Zhang Jun and Liu Guangshi have selected from tens of thousands of people, we are at a disadvantage. If we want to advance to the semi-finals or even the finals, we not only need strength but also brains."

Chen Qing pointed to his head and smiled, "Seventy percent strength, thirty percent strategy. The right strategy can double our competitiveness. Everyone, share your thoughts and see what effective strategies we can adopt."

"I know where to buy croton seeds!" Zheng Ping said excitedly, clenching his fist.

Everyone burst into laughter, and Chen Qing glared at Zheng Ping, "Is your level so low? Still thinking about croton seeds? You've followed me for so long for nothing."

"Can we win without playing dirty?" Zheng Ping muttered under his breath,不服气地.

Hu Yan Tong chuckled, "Actually, I think what Old Zheng said makes sense!"

"Look! Look!" Zheng Ping's eyes lit up; he had found a kindred spirit and straightened his back a bit.

"Even Hu Yan agrees. I said that dirty tricks can also be an effective means. Commander, don't look down on them just because they are dirty tricks."

Chen Qing shook his head, "Listen to me finish. What is the good strategy in my eyes?"

The hall fell silent, and Chen Qing spoke calmly, "The good strategy I refer to is to tap into potential and form the best combinations. For example, for the archery unit, we will definitely select the best archers.

But among these archers, some may also be very good at hand-to-hand combat or have excellent physical fitness. How do we tap into all three advantages of the same soldier?"

Liu Qiong, who had been silent, suggested, "We can adopt multiple response plans and run several units simultaneously."

Chen Qing gave a thumbs up, "General Xiao Liu is smart, hitting the key point. We need multiple plans to handle different situations, which requires each soldier to participate and form temporary units based on my command flags."

Zhao Xiaoyi hesitated, "But we don't know what the competition items are."

Chen Qing waved his hand and smiled, "There are only a few possibilities: archery, military formations, and practical combat, etc. There won't be horse archery or naval battles. The key is that the competition is conducted by units, with 500 people per unit. To prevent cheating, the competition items may be announced temporarily, but as long as we prepare thoroughly and formulate multiple plans, we can handle it."

Hu Yan Tong said after a moment, "Commander is also selecting elites from 1,500 people."

Chen Qing smiled slightly, "You're right. Others select elites from tens of thousands of people, but we don't have that luxury, so we have to pick the best from the available."

Chen Qing's plan received unanimous support from everyone. That morning, they finalized eight plans, formed eight mobile units, and established eight corresponding command flags.

Then, based on each soldier's strengths, they were assigned to eight different combat units, with the strongest soldiers even joining five units simultaneously.

After the plan was set, they conducted different combination training every day to ensure each soldier understood their role.

At the edge of the training ground, Chen Qing patted Zheng Ping's shoulder with a smile, "Let's talk over here."

Zheng Ping, confused, followed him to the side. Chen Qing whispered, "This morning, you said where to buy croton seeds?"

Zheng Ping's eyes widened, "What?"

......

Time passed quickly, and half a month went by. The day of the competition was drawing near.

That morning, Chen Qing and Hu Yan Tong arrived at the new martial arts academy. The academy was built by the Qiantang River, about 30 miles from Lin'an City, covering about 100 acres, with a training ground of 50 acres for practicing horse archery and galloping.

There was even a large dock for training naval forces on the Qiantang River.

This place was not only for martial arts exams and studies but also for training Song Dynasty generals, serving as the highest military academy.

In the martial arts hall, over a hundred officials and competition generals gathered, and Academician Zhu Shengfei, who was also the Deputy Minister of War, was reading the emperor's decree. His seniority was even higher than that of the Chief of the Military Council, Li Hui, making Zhu Shengfei the leader of this new recruit training competition.

Over 70 generals stood straight, listening intently to the emperor's instructions.

Hu Yan Tong nudged Chen Qing with his elbow, nodding forward and whispering, "The youngest one is Yue Fei!"

Chen Qing's spirits lifted as he looked behind Zhu Shengfei. Behind him stood seven generals, all wearing silver helmets. These were all deputy commanders or above. Chen Qing recognized two: Han Shizhong and Sun Wo. Sun Wo was originally the commander of the Western Army and, due to his connections, was strongly recommended by the Chief of the Military Council, Li Hui, to become the deputy commander of the Divine Martial Central Army, which was under Liu Guangshi.

Among them, besides Liu Guangshi, Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, Sun Wo, Li Heng, and Ju Shigu, there was a young commander around 30 years old, who should be Yue Fei.

Chen Qing saw Yue Fei, who had a serious expression, sharp eyes, a long face, and eyebrows like arrows. He indeed looked impressive and talented, worthy of being the top general of the Southern Song Dynasty.

Next, Li Hui announced the competition rules, which consisted of three parts: the preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds. The preliminary round was divided into five groups: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Each group consisted of four regular army units and three martial arts academy units. The top two teams from each group with the highest points would advance to the semi-finals, which were elimination matches. The five teams that eliminated their opponents would enter the finals, and the last day would be the new general selection competition.

Next was the group draw, with the main commanders of each team drawing lots. Chen Qing stepped forward and saw Wang Bo, whose army was the third martial arts academy unit. Wang Bo's team was drawing lots among the 15 martial arts academy units, while Chen Qing was drawing lots among the regular army units.

Wang Bo also saw Chen Qing, gave him a half-smile, and drew a lot before leaving.

Chen Qing drew a lot from the regular army units, which was the Fire lot.

The Fire lot was the fourth group. Hu Yan Tong whispered to Chen Qing, "Cao De also drew the Fire lot!"

Cao De's 2,000 troops, which Chen Qing had seen with his own eyes, were selected from tens of thousands of new recruits. They were tall, well-trained, and very strong, even surpassing veterans who had served for years.

Chen Qing had always suspected that they were originally from the imperial army, disbanded and sent home, and then re-recruited, so they were also considered new recruits.

This was also the advantage of Liu Guangshi, Zhang Jun, and Han Shizhong, who had recruited tens of thousands of new recruits and then selected the elites from them, making each of their units very strong, unlike Chen Qing, who had no choice.

At this moment, Hu Yan Tong returned with news and smiled at Chen Qing, "I just found out that Liu Guangshi and Zhang Jun requested not to be in the same group, as it would be unfair to them. So, the top five units—Liu Guangshi, Zhang Jun, Han Shizhong, Yue Fei, and Li Heng—were considered elite units and drew lots yesterday. Each of the five groups has one of their units. The strong opponent in our group is Cao De's unit, and no one else."

Chen Qing breathed a sigh of relief. If Yue Fei's unit were in the same group, it would be a real headache, and he might not even make it out of the group.

......

The entire new recruit training competition lasted five days. The first day was the group stage, the second day was the semi-finals, the third day was a rest day, the fourth day was the finals, and the fifth day was the new general selection competition.

The rewards were not yet announced, and everyone was filled with anticipation.

On the second day of the sixth month, a large camp appeared in the wilderness outside the martial arts academy. The camp was ten miles long and five miles wide, capable of accommodating 100,000 troops.

The tents in the camp stretched as far as the eye could see. The 35 units, ranging from 2,000 to 1,000 people, all moved into the camp the day before. The camp was divided into 40 zones, and Chen Qing's unit was stationed in Zone Yi Wu, consisting of 200 large tents.

A large flag stood in the center of the tent, with the words "Western Army" written on it.

The atmosphere in the camp was lively, with laughter and cheers everywhere. Each unit was eager to seize the opportunity presented by the competition.

......

The time was 3 PM, and the competition rules stated that the event draw should be conducted 15 minutes in advance, which was at 2:30 PM.

Chen Qing led 1,500 soldiers to the training ground. The first three matches had already ended, and six units had advanced to the semi-finals.

Seven units were neatly lined up on the training ground, waiting for the draw to begin.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The drum beats sounded, and a War Ministry official shouted, "Commanders, step forward!"

The seven commanders approached a small table, where a lot tube was placed. The official picked up the tube, shook it for a moment, and a lot jumped out. The official slowly drew it out—it was a yellow lot: a 50-mile run!

The seven commanders all breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone was afraid of drawing the military formation, which was scored subjectively and could lead to unfair scoring. As for running, it was a basic training exercise for the army, and there were no major issues for any unit.

"Let me explain the rules to you all!"

The official loudly addressed the crowd, "Each unit will send 500 people, each with a number plate. They will run to the 25-mile mark, where officials will be waiting. The soldiers will exchange their number plates for another one and then run back to the finish line.

I want to warn you all that both number plates must be registered on both sides. The results will be verified, and if any cheating is detected, the team will be directly eliminated, regardless of their performance. You must tell your soldiers to keep their number plates and not hand them over to others."