Chapter 86

In the large tent, Chen Qing offered tea instead of wine and invited Cao De to have dinner.

Cao De was in low spirits, and he sighed softly, "The official still avoids the main issue, only punishing the minor players while leaving the masterminds untouched. This is truly frustrating."

Chen Qing smiled slightly and said, "This matter was originally a minor one. It's already good that Wang Bo was dealt with. It's impossible to punish the Chancellor and the Grand Marshal for such a thing."

"At least our team's eligibility should have been restored!"

This was what troubled Cao De the most. Wang Bo's team had been disqualified, but his team had not been reinstated, which made Cao De feel deeply aggrieved.

Chen Qing understood his feelings, but if Cao De's team were to enter the finals, what about the teams that had already lost to Wang Bo's team? It would cause a chain reaction and even affect the entire competition.

"The official has his considerations! Cao brother still has the chance to compete in the individual events. Don't let this matter affect your state of mind; otherwise, it will be counterproductive."

Cao De sighed, "You're right. Given the situation, I should strive for personal glory and not hold onto this grudge anymore."

Chen Qing raised his teacup and smiled, "Then I wish you good luck in the individual events, Cao brother!"

...

Cao De left, and Chen Qing stood alone in front of the large tent, gazing at the bright moon in the sky.

In the action to bring down Wang Bo, although Chen Qing had given a slight push, he was basically not seen in the process.

However, Chen Qing had a hunch that there was something hidden in this. Clearly, there were better methods, but Qin Hui did not adopt them, instead using a method that was easy to be caught. Why?

The matter was not that simple. This intuition made Chen Qing particularly cautious.

Chen Qing shook his head and put the matter aside. The only impact on him was that Wang Bo was expelled from the martial arts academy, which also vented his anger. The other power struggles were unrelated to him.

Compared to this case, Chen Qing now placed more importance on the new generals' competition. He had already understood that this was an Olympic selection organized by the emperor himself. This martial arts competition would affect the military landscape for the next ten or even twenty years.

This was a significant opportunity for him, and he must seize it firmly.

...

Due to Wang Bo's team being disqualified, the number of teams entering the finals was reduced from five to four. After a new draw, Yue Fei's team faced Han Shizhong's team, and Chen Qing's team faced Ju Shigu's team.

The battlefield was filled with shouts and the loud sound of drums, like thunder in the sky. The soldiers on both sides were shouting with all their might.

"West Army, mighty and invincible! West Army, victory!"

"Rear God Army, victory!"

The two teams of five hundred soldiers each were fighting fiercely on the battlefield, dust flying and covering the sky. Although they were using blunt knives and spears, the intensity of the battle was no less than that of a real battlefield.

The final was still a live combat, without halves, and the winner would be decided by a single battle, lasting half an hour.

On one side of the battlefield stood Grand Marshal Han Shizhong and Yue Fei. Their teams would compete next, and they had come to watch the match, meeting each other by chance. After all, the winner of their match would face the winner of this match in the final.

Han Shizhong glanced at Yue Fei and smiled, "Yue Grand Marshal, which team do you think will win?"

Yue Fei tightly pursed his lips, his expression solemn, "If the West Army can maintain their stamina, they have a greater chance of winning."

"I also think so!"

Han Shizhong sighed lightly, "Who would have thought that this elite team was the worst in Lin'an's garrison a few months ago. This Chen Qing is no ordinary person!"

Yue Fei was silent for a moment and said, "A strong general leads a strong army. From this team, it is clear that Chen Qing will be a formidable opponent in the final."

Han Shizhong smiled, "I heard from Zhang Xuan that Chen Qing also comes from the Eight-Character Army."

Yue Fei was taken aback, "He... he is also Wang Yan's subordinate?"

Han Shizhong nodded, "He originally belonged to the Huanqing Army. After the Fuping Battle, he was recruited by Wang Yan and appointed as the commander of the reconnaissance camp. Later, he was recommended to the martial arts academy by Zhang Xuan. I have always wanted to recruit him, but the official still wants him to go to the northwest."

Yue Fei nodded, "The Jin army's strategic focus has shifted to Shaanxi. That is his battlefield."

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

The sharp sound of the gong signaled the end of the match. The West Army soldiers were jumping and cheering, while the Rear God Army was dejected. Without counting, everyone knew that the West Army had won.

"Yue Grand Marshal, let's prepare! The next match is ours. I heard that the emperor will come to watch the final."

Yue Fei nodded, "No matter what, we will give it our all!"

...

Defeating Ju Shigu's team was not unexpected. Ju Shigu's team was the emperor's personal guard, with tall and imposing soldiers selected from various armies.

However, the selection criteria were not based on combat bravery but on appearance. As a result, most of the soldiers in this team had no combat experience and were afraid of getting injured or disfigured, making them hesitant in the match and being overwhelmed by the West Army.

The final score was 56 to 231, with the West Army winning by a significant margin.

Chen Qing's team was the first to advance to the final. The next match was between Yue Fei's team and Han Shizhong's team.

Now it was Chen Qing's turn to watch from the sidelines.

"General Chen!"

Chen Qing heard someone calling him from behind. He turned around and saw Li Hui, the Chief of the Military Council.

Chen Qing hurriedly went forward to salute. Li Hui smiled, "Congratulations, General Chen, for advancing to the final!"

"Thank you, Sir. It was just luck. If I had faced either of these two teams, I would have had no chance."

Li Hui nodded, "These two teams are indeed very brave. It's a pity they didn't meet in the final."

"But they don't seem like new recruits!"

Li Hui smiled, "That is indeed a loophole. Not just them, almost all the teams are like this. In the Military Council's records, they are new recruits, but in reality, they are all battle-hardened. This loophole is hard to avoid, and the official has tacitly allowed it."

"I have another loophole to mention."

"Go on!"

"The duration of each match is too long. The lime on the soldiers' weapons is almost gone by the halfway point. By the end, even if they hit the opponent, there won't be any white marks, leading to inaccurate results."

Li Hui stroked his beard and smiled, "You're right. That is indeed a problem."

At that moment, the bell rang, and the results of the second match were announced. Yue Fei's team narrowly defeated Han Shizhong's team, 75 to 79, and the battlefield erupted in cheers.

Li Hui patted his shoulder, "The emperor will probably arrive a bit later. You need to be prepared."

With that, Li Hui turned and quickly left...

Chen Qing watched Li Hui's retreating figure. Li Hui had come to the battlefield specifically to find him! He was surprised, as Li Hui was clearly passing him a secret message.

Considering that the final would be completed in one day, the soldiers needed some rest time. Therefore, the final match was scheduled for the ninth hour, which is from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM.

If the emperor arrived late, the final match would likely be held in the twilight, not at night, but in a half-light, half-dark environment.

In fact, in a battle between experts, the outcome often depends on the details. In the twilight, vision would be affected, and the effectiveness of night combat training would be fully demonstrated.

Li Hui's message was crucial.

Chen Qing immediately returned to the camp and found Hu Yan and Liu Qiong.

"The final needs to be adjusted. Implement Plan Five!"

...

Plan Five was the night combat plan, mainly involving soldiers skilled in night combat. Half of them were the same soldiers who fought against Ju Shigu's team in the morning, but the other half needed to be replaced.

At 4:00 PM, Chen Qing led 500 soldiers onto the battlefield.

At the same time, Yue Fei's team also entered the battlefield. Once both teams were on the field, there was no chance to reorganize. No one expected a night battle.

This showed how important the information Li Hui had given Chen Qing was. Chen Qing knew it was not because he had eliminated Zhang Kui, but because of the relationship between Li Hui and Zhang Jun.

Time passed, and by the ninth hour, the emperor still had not arrived, and the match could not proceed.

Yue Fei was anxious and approached the Minister of War, Yao Qian, asking, "When will the emperor arrive?"

Yao Qian shook his head, "I don't know. We'll have to wait a bit longer."

Another half hour passed, and it was 6:30 PM. The sky was slightly dark, and Yue Fei was even more anxious. If the emperor didn't arrive soon, the match would have to be held at night. He had not prepared for that!