Chapter 44

Xu Bangyan led his troops in a disheveled retreat from River Bend Village, galloping as if a thousand troops were chasing him. After running for over ten miles, he finally slowed down as he approached Great Qing Fort, waiting for the scattered soldiers to catch up.

Wan Baiquan, panting heavily, finally caught up.

"Son-in-law, what's so terrifying about the prayer beads Zhang Ke gave you? Why are you so scared?"

"Wan Baiquan, my dear father-in-law! Do you want your daughter to become a widow?" Xu Bangyan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said through gritted teeth, "That thing came from the inner court, the inner court, do you understand? Zhang Ke has connections all the way to the heavens!"

The words "inner court" stabbed into Wan Baiquan's heart like a knife, his life force rapidly draining away. His face was full of disbelief.

"How could Zhang Ke have any connection with the inner court? This boy has never even left Great Qing Fort, how could he have met anyone from the inner court?"

Xu Bangyan stared at Wan Baiquan and asked, "Has he really never left? Tell me the truth, it concerns our lives!"

"Well, he left half a month ago, went to Guangning, but didn't go to the capital!"

"Why did he go to Guangning?"

"That boy owed me twenty taels of silver. I gave him half a month to pay it back, and I didn't expect him to actually earn a lot of silver, turning his life around!"

Xu Bangyan's brows furrowed, his lips turning blue with anger. He pointed at Wan Baiquan and said, "Father-in-law, you've really done it! You've killed me!"

"Ah! Son-in-law, what's going on? Did he go to Guangning and not only meet Wang Huazhen but also the inner court?"

Xu Bangyan sighed, "I just heard some news. It's said that Eunuch Hong from the Imperial Horse Supervision secretly went to Guangning. Coincidentally, he encountered a Mongol disturbance at the horse market. If it weren't for the Mongols, the whole of Liaodong would still be in the dark. It's said that a young man selling sundries helped resolve the crisis, but not much is known about the specifics. Now it seems that young man is Zhang Ke, the one you forced to go to Guangning! You fool, Eunuch Hong came to Liaodong to kill people. You've offended Zhang Ke, and now you're pushing me to be the one who gets the first blow!"

With his life on the line, Xu Bangyan was not at all polite, scolding Wan Baiquan mercilessly.

Wan Baiquan, enduring the torrent of abuse, dared not say a word. Finally, when Xu Bangyan finished, he timidly raised his head, his face full of sorrow, and said, "Son-in-law, Xu大人! This can't all be my fault. Who would have thought an unknown nobody would rise so quickly. Think of a way to fix it. If not, going to his door to beg for forgiveness might work!"

"Phew!" Xu Bangyan said without hesitation, "I, a high-ranking officer, going to beg a young punk for forgiveness? I can't afford to lose face! Besides, even if I wanted to apologize, how could I get past Eunuch Hong? Take Yizhou for example, Commander Wang is old and has no son, everyone is vying for his position! Even if Zhang Ke doesn't report us, can we stop the others? They are a pack of wolves, a pack of wolves!"

Having offended someone he shouldn't have and done something he shouldn't have done, Xu Bangyan was increasingly afraid. He took off his helmet, went to the side of the road, leaned against a poplar tree, and looked up at the sky.

Wan Baiquan's face changed instantly, and he hurriedly dismounted, stumbling over to Xu Bangyan.

"Xu大人, Xu大人, don't think too much! If you die, I'm finished too!" Wan Baiquan grabbed Xu Bangyan.

"Son-in-law, as long as the green hills remain, there will be no lack of firewood. Don't hang yourself!"

"You hang yourself! If I die, I'll strangle you first!" Xu Bangyan said angrily, "Tell me, how can we make people keep their mouths shut?"

"Well... either pay them off or kill them to silence them!"

Xu Bangyan nodded, "That's right, but paying them off can only silence them for a while, not forever."

Wan Baiquan's eyes widened in shock, "Son-in-law, you're planning to kill Zhang Ke, that's great! Lead the troops over and flatten River Bend Village at night!"

"Are you an idiot!" Xu Bangyan wanted to give this guy a beating.

"Zhang Ke is someone Eunuch Hong values. If we kill him, the investigation will end us!"

"Then how do we silence him without sending troops?"

Xu Bangyan took a deep breath, looked around, and saw that the servants had obediently retreated several dozen steps. He leaned in and whispered a few words to Wan Baiquan, who nodded repeatedly, a smile finally appearing on his face. He extended two thumbs and clapped his hands in approval.

...

In the center of River Bend Village, the threshing ground was temporarily converted into a training field. Under the leadership of their captains, 250 young men stood in neat rows.

Zhang Ke walked past each row, and everyone tried to stand up straight, meeting his gaze with strong confidence. After a round, Zhang Ke was quite satisfied.

"These people were forced labor under the Tartars, more organized than ordinary farmers, and after a long escape, those with weak bodies and wills have been eliminated. The rest are good material for soldiers, they just need training!"

"Everyone, from now on, you are my soldiers. But you are different from those who receive pay. Look around, your parents and fellow villagers are watching. From today, their safety depends on you. Do you have the confidence?"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Yue Zixuan and Wu Boyan led the cheers, and the surrounding villagers clapped enthusiastically. Some elderly people, even though injured, came to support, their eyes welling with tears as they looked at the strong young men.

Blacksmith Sun Qi shouted, "Yue Zixuan, you must do your best. We want to live like humans, not be treated like cattle by the Tartars, without even a coffin when we die!"

"Uncle Sun, rest assured, anyone who tries to bully us will have to step over my body!"

"Good, well said!" The villagers cheered, and the young men's faces turned red with excitement.

Zhang Ke smiled in satisfaction and said, "No more big talk. From now on, we will hold a sword in one hand and a hoe in the other. Families with soldiers will have their land taxes halved. For those who achieve military honors, I will ensure they receive full compensation, not a single coin less. Injured soldiers will be supported by the village, and if they die in battle, each will receive twenty acres of land, and I will take care of their families and children until they are twenty years old! All of this will be engraved on a stone tablet placed next to the training field. All villagers can supervise, and if I fail, I don't deserve to lead you. However, everyone must obey orders, and those who do not will be punished severely!"

Yue Zixuan, Qiao Fu, Wu Boyan, Qiao Gui, and Ma Rufeng, the five captains, looked at each other and knelt down, followed by the soldiers behind them.

"Sir, you are fair in rewards and punishments, we are in awe. From now on, we swear to follow you to the death, with no second thoughts!"

"Swear to follow you to the death, with no second thoughts!"

The loud shouts echoed far and wide.

Zhang Ke nodded in satisfaction and smiled at Qiao Tieshan, "Uncle Qiao, start the training!"

"Alright!" Qiao Tieshan waved his hand, and about twenty people ran over with wooden spears. These so-called wooden spears were just eight-foot-long hardwood sticks with one end sharpened.

The blacksmiths were preparing to forge real weapons, but it would take some time. Fortunately, Qiao Tieshan had experience. After sharpening the wooden spears, he dipped them in fish oil, making them more resilient and capable of leaving a mark when thrust into the body.

Qiao Tieshan grabbed a wooden spear and stood in the center. He hadn't been on the battlefield for about twenty years, but facing these young men, his blood boiled. Without a word, he shook the spear and performed a set of spear techniques.

Qiao Tieshan's movements became faster and faster, the spear tip darting unpredictably, leaving the young men wide-eyed. Yue Zixuan, in particular, couldn't help but mimic the movements, eager to learn a few tricks.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the spear techniques were completed. Qiao Tieshan took a deep breath, a fine layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"What do you think of my spear techniques?"

"Good, very good!" Wu Boyan led the applause, and the others followed.

Qiao Tieshan chuckled, "Boys, let me tell you, on the battlefield, anyone who tries to show off with a spear will be the first to die!"

This statement left everyone stunned.

Qiao Tieshan said proudly, "When I went to Korea to fight the Japanese, those pirates were all highly skilled, trained from a young age, and their swords danced like flowers, fearless of death. But facing our military formation, they were all doomed. These small-nosed, small-eyed people had never seen a battle of tens of thousands. Spears like a forest, swords like mountains, no matter how skilled you are, how many can you block? Your comrades are on all sides, and fancy moves are useless. Only by charging forward, attacking continuously, will you survive!"

Qiao Tieshan tore open his shirt, revealing a muscular body covered in scars, like the roots of an old tree. The young men's faces changed dramatically at the sight.

"Let me tell you, I have over twenty wounds, all on the front, none on the back!" Qiao Tieshan laughed, "Listen up, I will only teach you how to kill the enemy, and your spear will always point forward!"

"Come, follow me!"

Qiao Tieshan lunged forward, his wooden spear thrusting steadily and quickly, "Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

After three rounds of practice, each team followed suit. After twenty repetitions, the team captains began to train their respective groups. Those who did poorly were hit without a word, causing the young men to grit their teeth and endure, afraid to complain, or they would be hit even harder!

Watching Qiao Tieshan train, Zhang Ke was surprised. He had thought that with his modern knowledge, he could impress these people and be revered as a god.

But it turned out that the training methods of the Ming Dynasty were already so advanced, truly eye-opening!

In fact, Qiao Tieshan's methods were similar to those of the Qi family army. The Ming Dynasty had been equipped with firearms since its founding, and over two to three hundred years, famous generals had developed quite modern training methods. However, the military system had collapsed, and the valuable knowledge was not put to use, allowing a group of barbarians to seize the throne.

Since everyone had the right mindset, he saved a lot of trouble.

At this moment, Ma Biao ran over, followed by a few young men who had captured someone and thrown him in front of Zhang Ke.

Ma Biao bowed, "Sir, we were hunting, and this guy was spying on us. I caught him."

Zhang Ke patted Ma Biao's shoulder, "Well done!"

His gaze fell on the captured man, and he was suddenly surprised, "Why is it you?"

...

PS: A friend mentioned that if lime gets into the eyes, it should not be washed with clear water. I checked the first aid methods, and it is correct to use a large amount of clear water, washing for half an hour. Using oil seems unrealistic...

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