ATPnovel Chapter 144 Nanzheng Daye
Chapter 144 Nanzheng Daye
Chapter 144 The Grand Review in Nanzheng (Part 1) (Now Available!)
Zhang Fei walked past the infantry formation, checking each soldier: "Spear shafts close to shoulders! Yes! Back straight! Remember the steps, one step seven feet!"
Qian Zhao was testing the last few repeating crossbows in the crossbow camp. The crossbow bodies were newly painted ebony, the bowstrings were taut, and five eagle-feathered arrows were pressed into the quivers. He tested the mechanism, and it clicked crisply.
Zhang Wu addressed his personal guards in front of the barracks: "Today's grand review is for our own benefit! Swords must be sharp, shields must be sturdy, and combat must be fierce! But remember, orders must be obeyed without question. If I don't say stop, you'll stand tall even if the sky falls!"
Wang Wu walked up to the river camp and lowered his voice: "Brothers, we fled from Fengyi because the magistrate gave us a way to live! Let's prove ourselves and show those old soldiers that we're not cowards!"
Everyone gritted their teeth and nodded, gripping their spears even tighter.
At the beginning of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), people began to board the viewing platform.
Jian Yong arrived first, accompanied by several scribes. He set up a table to the side of the platform, ready to take notes. Next came Chen Lun, Yang Song, and other key officials of the prefecture, who took their seats according to rank. Representatives of powerful families, such as Du Xi and Wang Chun, also arrived and sat in the back row. Everyone was formally dressed and solemn.
The main seat is left empty, reserved for Liu Bei.
As the first rays of dawn pierced through the eastern mountain ridge, the sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached.
Liu Bei has arrived.
He was dressed in a black military uniform, covered with fish-scale armor, wearing a red turban, and with two swords at his waist. His horse was Chiyun, chestnut red, with its hooves treading on snow. Xun Cai rode alongside him on horseback, followed by twenty personal guards.
All eyes were on him.
Liu Bei dismounted and ascended the platform. As he passed Jian Yong's desk, Jian Yong rose to bow, but Liu Bei waved his hand, saying, "Sit down."
The voice was calm.
He walked to the head seat, but instead of sitting, he stood and surveyed the entire room.
The torchlight illuminated his profile, highlighting his features.
"Today's grand review," he began, his voice not loud, but carried across the drill ground by the wind, "is not for boasting, but for three things: first, to examine the training results of our Hanzhong troops; second, to demonstrate Hanzhong's resolve to protect our territory and its people; and third!"
He paused, then looked at the five thousand soldiers below the stage: "Thirdly, I want to comfort my fallen comrades. Your blood was not shed in vain. Hanzhong is safe, our weapons are sharp, and our successors are there."
After saying that, he sat down.
Guan Yu raised the flag on the general's platform.
The red flag is waved three times.
The drums suddenly sounded.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
Like muffled thunder rolling across the earth, five thousand soldiers roared in unison: "Han! Han! Han!"
The sound waves shook the wooden railings of the viewing platform.
The first unit: the crossbowmen.
Qian Zhao walked to the front of the formation, drew his sword, and shouted, "Fire the crossbows!"
Eight hundred crossbowmen moved simultaneously. They drew the bowstring, nocked the arrow, and raised it horizontally—all in one fluid motion. The crossbows were jet black, and the arrowheads gleamed coldly in the morning light.
"Target number one: eighty-step target!"
The target was a straw man, clad in leather armor, standing at the north end of the drill ground. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and only a blurry shadow could be seen.
"put!"
hum!
Eight hundred crossbows fired simultaneously, the sound of arrows piercing the air like a swarm of bees. Moments later, muffled thuds came from afar—the sound of arrows embedding themselves in straw figures.
"Upwards!"
The crossbowmen moved in unison, and within three breaths, the second volley of arrows was loaded.
"put!"
The second wave.
"put!"
The third wave.
Three volleys of arrows, two thousand four hundred in total. As the morning mist dissipated, everyone could see clearly: the two hundred straw figures had all been transformed into hedgehogs, their leather armor completely pierced.
On the viewing platform, Yang Song dropped his fan without even noticing.
Chen Lun whispered to the official beside him, "With this rate of fire, the Qiang cavalry will be sent to their deaths."
Du Xi watched, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee: "One shot per breath, three shots per three breaths... This is something they've trained with all their might."
The second formation is the infantry.
Zhang Fei stepped to the front of the formation, his eighteen-foot spear pausing briefly: "Advance!"
Two thousand infantrymen moved.
Spears stood like a forest, their steps perfectly synchronized. Thump, thump, thump—each step slammed into the ground, raising clouds of dust. They advanced from the south end of the training ground to the north, their pace slow but their movement as steady as a mountain.
"end!"
They all stopped abruptly, their spear tips pointing forward.
"Thrust!"
Two thousand spears thrust out simultaneously, a flash of cold light, then retracted just as quickly. The synchronized movements were chilling.
"Stab again!"
"Three stabs!"
Three thrusts, each faster than the last, the final one almost a blur. The spear tip whistled as it cut through the air.
Zhang Fei roared, "Change formation! Form a circle!"
The infantry quickly dispersed, forming ten circular formations of one hundred men each. The outer ring held their shields high, while the inner ring pointed their spears diagonally, like ten iron hedgehogs.
"square!"
The circular formation then changed, merging into two large square formations, one in front of the other, providing overlapping cover.
"Wire!"
The square formation unfolded, transforming into a long snake formation, with its head and tail connected, circling half the field.
After the formation change was complete, Zhang Fei turned around, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the reviewing stand, and announced: "The infantry drill is finished!"
Below the stage, Wang Wu's river soldiers stared wide-eyed. A young river soldier muttered, "When did I...?"
"Is it possible to train to this level?"
Wang Wu hissed, "Shut up! Look carefully!"
The third force was the cavalry.
Guan Yu mounted his horse, holding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade upside down. He reined in his horse before the battle, saying nothing, only raising his blade.
A thousand riders mounted their horses simultaneously. Their movements were swift and agile, and the horses remained calm.
"Charge and fire!"
Guan Yu spurred his horse forward. A thousand riders surged forth like a torrent, their hooves thundering. When they had gone a hundred paces, the cavalrymen simultaneously drew their bows and turned around on their horses.
The arrows were launched backward, landing precisely in the same target area the infantry had just been shooting at.
"Go back!"
The cavalry circled in an arc and turned back. As they passed the viewing platform, Guan Yu suddenly accelerated, breaking away from the main group on horseback and charging straight towards the platform.
Red Cloud Horse was fast, and in the blink of an eye, it reached the foot of the platform. Guan Yu suddenly pulled on the reins, and Red Cloud Horse reared up, its front hooves pausing in the air.
Guan Yu turned around on his horse, his Green Dragon Crescent Blade drawing a semicircle, the tip pointing directly north.
That's the direction of the Qiang region.
The horse fell, the sword was sheathed. Guan Yu reined in his horse and bowed to Liu Bei on the platform.
The thousand riders behind them had returned to their ranks, as orderly as ever.
The entire room fell silent for a moment.
Chen Lun took a deep breath and made a note in Jian Yong's file: "The cavalry is as mobile as the wind, and the commander is brave and awe-inspiring."
Du Xi whispered to Wang Chun, "With this cavalry camp, we can reach any point within three hundred li of Hanzhong in a single day, starting in the morning."
The fourth unit is the personal guard battalion.
Zhang Wu led eight hundred men into the arena, armed with wooden swords and shields. They didn't form ranks, but instead dispersed, fighting in pairs.
It's a real fight.
The sounds of clashing swords and shields, shouts, and the impact of flesh filled the air. But no one aimed to kill; each strike was deliberate and swift, and those who fell immediately rose again. The movements were clean and decisive, all deadly moves.
After a quarter of an hour of fighting, Zhang Wu shouted to stop.
"Guardian Formation!"
The guards quickly assembled, surrounding the viewing platform. Shields stood upright on the outer ring, longswords were drawn on the inner ring, and archers stepped onto the platform, their gazes directed not towards the outside, but towards the inside.
"Any assassin who comes within fifty paces of the platform!" Zhang Wu roared, "Kill them without mercy!"
A murderous aura filled the sky.
On the viewing platform, several timid officials' legs went weak.
Liu Bei stood up and raised his hand: "Take it."
The personal guards withdrew, retreating like the receding tide.
The fifth formation, the river camp.
Wang Wu led three hundred men into the arena. Instead of performing martial arts, they quickly set up a simple arrow tower, a barricade, and a moat in the center of the training ground, carrying wood and ropes. In the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, they erected the tower.
After setting up, they lined up, clasped their hands in a fist salute, and announced: "River Camp, fortification drill complete!"
Simple, but practical.
Jian Yong noted in the case file: "The river camp's fortifications are well-prepared; a building can be completed in two incense sticks' time and is ready for use."
Finally, the children's camp.