ATPnovel Chapter 100 Hoon-gwi disrupts things, the legion drills!
Chapter 100 Hoon-gwi disrupts things, the legion drills!
"Uncle Bao!"
Just as the blade was about to be drawn, a seemingly weak but actually powerful hand gripped Qin Qiong's arm tightly.
Li Jing.
His face was as cold and stern as a block of ice that had stood for millennia. Although he did not lash out, the cold light that flashed in his narrow phoenix eyes was three times colder than the ice and snow of winter.
"Do not act rashly."
Li Jing's voice was extremely low, only Qin Qiong could hear: "This is a provocation. They'd love for you to draw your sword. This is right under the Emperor's nose; if you draw your blade, it will be considered 'charging an imperial messenger with a weapon, plotting rebellion.' They don't even need to lift a finger; any of the Imperial Guard commanders present could kill you on the spot according to the law! His Highness will also be implicated in the crime of 'mismanaging his subordinates and allowing them to commit violence!'"
"Although we don't know why the two are here, there must be a conspiracy!"
Seeing this oppressive scene, Yuwen Huaji laughed even more wildly.
He wanted to provoke these people, to see how these "country bumpkins" dared not speak out against their anger.
However, just as he was about to say something even more unpleasant...
A figure stepped down from the command platform.
It was unhurried, yet carried an indescribable sense of oppression.
Yang Yan walked step by step to Qin Qiong and Li Jing, using his body to block the two malicious gazes directed at his subordinates.
He wasn't angry; instead, a playful smile appeared on his face.
"Yuwen Huaji, what you say makes sense."
Yang Yan's voice wasn't loud, even carrying a hint of a gentle smile, but his eyes looked past everyone else, fixing directly on Yuwen Huaji's arrogant face. Though his voice was soft, it was like a fine needle, clearly piercing the tense and noisy atmosphere of the training ground.
He slowly walked to the group of ragged, mud-covered soldiers, using his back to block their disdainful gazes.
"Theory without practice is ultimately superficial; the proof is in the pudding."
Yang Yan turned around: "Since General Yuwen thinks that the soldiers I selected are a rabble, just filling in the ranks, then why don't we... ask the elite soldiers under your command to give them some 'guidance'?"
He emphasized the word "guide" very heavily.
Yuwen Huaji was taken aback at first, then, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, he suddenly cracked his whip and laughed wildly.
"Excellent! Excellent! This humble general couldn't be happier! It will save these useless fools from disgracing our Great Sui Heavenly Army when they go to Lingnan, and even worse, from harming Your Highness's precious daughter due to inadequate protection—that would be a truly grave offense!"
The imperial guards behind him also joined in the laughter, their laughter filled with a mocking, cat-and-mouse game.
In their eyes, this was not a competition at all, but a one-sided massacre and amusement.
Seeing this, Yang Xuangan, fearing the world wouldn't be chaotic enough, also rode forward and looked down at Li Mi, tauntingly saying, "Li Xuansui, I don't think we need to wait seven days for our duel. There's no better time than today; let's settle it all in this exercise!"
Yang Yan's gaze remained fixed on Yuwen Huaji, and his voice suddenly rose, like metal striking the ground, resounding throughout the entire Daxingyuan training ground:
"A simple contest of individual bravery is too petty! We're all commanders; if we're going to compete, let's go all out!"
He suddenly spread his arms wide, his scarlet cloak fluttering in the evening breeze like an eagle spreading its wings: "My newly selected 1,500 soldiers will face your Imperial Guards! A drill on the training ground, Yuwen Huaji, do you dare to accept the challenge?!"
boom--!
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured into boiling oil, causing an uproar throughout the training ground.
Even Li Jing, who had always maintained a calm and composed expression, couldn't help but twitch his brows and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
His Highness has gone mad?!
Qin Qiong was so anxious he almost ground his teeth to powder, whispering, "Your Highness! No! These brothers have just endured the 'Mountain of Knives' and 'Lifting Stone Locks,' their strength is already exhausted. Now, facing the well-rested Imperial Guards, this..."
"Your Highness, are you joking?" Yu
Wen Hua laughed until tears almost came out. He pointed at the group of shaky soldiers and looked at Yang Yan as if he were a fool.
"These 1,500 peasants don't even have many decent suits of armor, yet they dare to face my 500 fully armed elite left guards? Your Highness, you're like an ant trying to shake a tree, inviting humiliation!"
From within the Imperial Guards came sneers: "Has Your Highness gone mad from reading too much?" "We are the most elite personal guards of the Left Guard; defeating these thousand-plus infantrymen will only take the time it takes to brew a cup of tea!"
Yang Yan remained unmoved, coldly retorting, "What? Are you scared?"
This rhetorical question was utterly contemptuous.
Yuwen Huaji's smile froze instantly, then turned into anger. Being looked down upon by a useless imperial grandson who only knew how to study made him feel greatly insulted.
"Afraid? Hahahaha!" Yuwen Huaji laughed in anger.
"This humble general is afraid that if we win too badly, it will reach His Majesty's ears, and he'll say that our Imperial Guards are bullying the old, weak, and disabled! Why don't you go and gather some more men, Your Highness? Three thousand against five hundred? Or five thousand? It would be truly humiliating for the Imperial Guards to face this bunch of useless fools when their numbers are evenly matched!"
A suffocating sense of oppression filled the air.
That was the naked contempt of those in power over those in power, the natural arrogance of the elite over the ragtag ones.
Yang Yan did not answer immediately.
He slowly turned his head and looked behind him.
There stood the thirty newly selected squad leaders and the more than one thousand soldiers who had just passed the test.
They were indeed tired.
Some people's legs were still trembling, some people's faces were covered with a mixture of sweat and dirt, and some people couldn't even stand up straight.
but.
Yang Yan saw their hands.
Those rough, calloused hands were now clenched into tight fists, with veins bulging on the back of their hands like wriggling earthworms.
Although their heads were bowed—a habit formed from long-term oppression by the powerful and wealthy—their jaws were clenched, their cheeks bulged, and their chests heaved violently.
That was anger.
It is the resentment and anger of being publicly humiliated and treated like pigs and dogs!
Even a clay figure retains some earthiness, let alone these courageous men who dare to walk through mountains of knives.
Yang Yan smiled.
"No need for three thousand, no need for five thousand."
"I'm saying, 1,500 garrison soldiers against 1,000 Imperial Guards!"
Li Jing stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, such a large-scale inspection is extraordinary. It requires His Majesty's decree or approval from the Ministry of War to be in accordance with regulations."
Yang Yan: "It's alright, I understand!"
Yang Xuangan looked at Yang Yan as if he were a madman, then leaned close to Yuwen Huaji's ear and said in a sinister tone, "Brother Yuwen, since the Prince of Changning wants to die, why don't we grant him his wish? We can take this opportunity to completely cripple this so-called 'personal army,' and see what he'll rely on to establish himself in Lingnan!"
Yuwen Huaji licked his lips, his eyes revealing greed and ferocity.
He could see that Yang Yan was gambling with his life, so he decided to be ruthless.
"good!"
Yuwen Huaji slapped his saddle and shouted, "Since Your Highness is in such high spirits, then this humble general shall humbly comply! In that case, let it be 1,500 against 1,000 Imperial Guards! As for Li Xuansui's individual duel earlier..."