Chapter 8: Martial Arts Competition
Actually, judging by the rules, the position of General of the Tabai Army should have been held by Middle General Wu, Wu Shengliu.
He came from a poor family and was the sixth child. Because his family didn’t have enough food, he enlisted in the military. Over his many years in the army, he had always been known for his bravery. He had never lost a martial arts competition on the training ground, and he didn’t even care about his own life when leading troops into battle. Before even reaching thirty years of age, he had been promoted to the position of Middle General, and it seemed he would soon be able to lead the entire army and realize his long-held wish.
Who would have thought that a young nobleman from the southern capital, not yet twenty years old, would suddenly be appointed to a Middle General position equal to his. When General Xu of the Tabai Army died in battle, he entrusted the Tabai Army to this inexperienced young man in front of tens of thousands of soldiers. Wu Shengliu felt it must have been Duan Xu’s prominent family applying pressure, forcing General Xu to do such a thing against his will.
When facing a great enemy, he endured it. Now that Liangzhou had been reclaimed, he didn’t show a good face to Duan Xu, and only hoped Duan Xu would quickly return to the southern capital. After all, the flying swords and arrows on this border weren’t something a smooth-skinned, delicate young nobleman could withstand.
Currently, Wu Shengliu was standing in the courtyard of the governor’s residence. Meng Wan offered him a seat, but he refused. He merely crossed his arms with a flat face, and said impatiently, “I still have to go back to train the troops; if you have something to say, say it quickly!”
Duan Xu, with a handsome smile on his face, walked casually into the courtyard. Behind him, Captain Han, who guarded the city, also entered.
“Middle General Wu has been busy training the soldiers these past few days, you must be tired.” As if not seeing Wu Shengliu’s scowling face, Duan Xu patted his shoulder. Duan Xu was half a head taller than him, making Wu Shengliu feel oppressed by his aura.
Wu Shengliu felt even more suffocated.
Duan Xu ignored Wu Shengliu, who was still standing stiffly in the courtyard. He sat straight down, picked up a teacup on the table, and smiled, “Now Captain Meng, Captain Xia, Captain Han, and Middle General Wu are all here. To be frank, my people and Middle General Wu’s people are all here. The condition of the army is somewhat stable now, and I want to promote a Captain to Middle General.”
Wu Shengliu lowered his arms, glaring at Meng Wan and Xia Qingsheng with displeasure, “Who does the General want to promote? Xia Qingsheng?”
“Yes. What do you think?”
Wu Shengliu became furious. Did Duan Shunxi really think the Tabai Army was his own? Having just reclaimed Liangzhou not long ago, he’s already rushing to insert his own people into the army?
He slammed the table, making the teacup on the table jump, and yelled, “How many times has Xia Qingsheng participated in battles in the Tabai Army?”
“Four battles, killing more than ten thousand enemies with three thousand cavalry. Even though soldiers died, none retreated,” Duan Xu answered.
The Daliang army hadn’t fought in any major battles for years; their military discipline was very loose. When fighting the Danzhi army, they often fled, and the Tabai Army in its early days was no exception. After Duan Xu took command of the Tabai Army, military law was extremely strict. Anyone who avoided battle or retreated would be killed without mercy. The number of soldiers who died due to military law reached over a thousand. Some time ago, the soldiers who accepted bribes while overseeing the distribution of burial plots were all punished with forty lashes by him.
Hearing that, Wu Shengliu felt even more offended. He said loudly, “That’s because you gave him the most elite soldiers. Besides, in all those battles he participated in, wasn’t he just following you…”
Realizing that if he continued speaking he would start praising Duan Xu, because after all, the Tabai Army could reclaim Liangzhou thanks to Duan Xu’s merits. Wu Shengliu stopped his words, raised his chin, and said, “I do not accept this. My brother Han has amassed many military achievements during his three years in the army. To be honest, General Duan, your previous Middle General position should have belonged to Brother Han. Now that you’ve been promoted to General but want to appoint someone else as Middle General, I do not accept it!”
Duan Xu turned to look at Captain Han. This tall, large man with a scar on his silent face stood in the wind. He was only in his early twenties, yet he was as calm as black stone. Duan Xu smiled and asked, “Han Lingqiu, do you accept it?”
Captain Han didn’t seem to expect his name to be called. He cupped his hands in greeting; saying he accepted it wasn’t right, and saying he didn’t accept it wasn’t right either. He then lowered his head and said, “Lingqiu will listen to the decisions of you two Lords.”
Duan Xu looked at him for a moment, then shifted his gaze to this spacious courtyard. The bare winter trees were sparsely scattered at the edge of the courtyard, making this grand courtyard look even more spacious. The ground in the courtyard was paved with green bricks, and on both sides were weapon racks. The previous Governor of Liangzhou had also been a person fond of practicing martial arts during his lifetime.
“I heard Middle General Wu is fond of martial arts and has never lost. Would you care to spar with me?” Duan Xu stood up, raised his arms to stretch his muscles, then smiled at Wu Shengliu, “If I win, the person I recommend will be appointed. If you win, the person you recommend will be appointed. How about that?”
Hearing this offer, Wu Shengliu felt this bet was exactly what he wanted. He then burst out laughing and said, “A true gentleman’s promise cannot be taken back; the General must not break his promise.”
His immense strength and high martial arts skills were well-known in the Tabai Army. From the previous few battles, he could see that Duan Xu indeed possessed some martial arts ability. But at most, the young nobleman only knew a few flashy but impractical moves.
Wu Shengliu grabbed his long knife. With his head held high and chest puffed out, he walked to the center of the courtyard first.
Chen Ying, sitting on the roof of the front courtyard of the governor’s residence, witnessed this scene and couldn’t help feeling anxious.
“Why does Brother General want to fight that uncle? That uncle is much more muscular than Brother General, and his face is fierce. At a glance, you can tell he’s very good at fighting. Isn’t Big Brother definitely going to lose!”
He was wearing the hooded hat Duan Xu gave him the other day. The black gauze covered most of his body, and He Simu sat beside him. On the roof ridge between the two of them was a plate of sunflower seeds. The two of them casually leaned on the roof of the governor’s residence, eating sunflower seeds while watching the show.
He Simu had placed a spell on the hooded hat. The person wearing it would be invisible and unable to be seen by ordinary humans. She herself had a hundred ways to disappear, so even though she and Chen Ying were sitting on the roof, no one in the courtyard could see them.
She told Chen Ying that this was also part of a magic trick, and Chen Ying, this easily fooled child, believed it without hesitation.
“That Middle General Wu is definitely going to lose,” He Simu said casually while chewing on a sunflower seed.
Chen Ying turned his head in confusion, “Why? Middle General Wu looks much stronger.”
“The shape of his skull is ugly.”
“…Skull?”
“Yes, I’ll tell you Chen Ying, to judge a person you have to look at the shape of their skull. Look at this person, the back of his head is flat, his forehead is also flat, the top of his head isn’t high. Far below the quality of Duan Xu’s skull shape.”
“What does a good skull shape have to do with martial arts?” Chen Ying grew even more confused.
He Simu smiled and waved for him to come closer. Chen Ying obediently approached, and He Simu whispered something in his ear secretly and falsely, “People with good skull shapes have tough destinies.”
Chen Ying nodded in understanding, “So that’s how it is.”
“Middle General Wu, please give me some guidance,” Duan Xu stood in the courtyard, casually cupping his hands in greeting to Wu Shengliu.
Wu Shengliu returned the greeting perfunctorily. He immediately raised his long knife, assumed a stance, his eyes glaring fiercely like a wild tiger ready to pounce on its prey.
On the other hand, Duan Xu stood still in place. His hand held the Powang Sword, but the sword had not yet been drawn from its scabbard.
“Draw your sword!”
“If it’s truly time, I will definitely draw my sword.”
“In that case, I won’t hold back anymore!” Before he even finished speaking, Wu Shengliu had already swung his knife at Duan Xu, with the force of crashing thunder, he shouted, “Watch the knife!”
Duan Xu remained completely motionless, until Wu Shengliu was only a step away from him, only then did he step his right foot back half a step.
He Simu narrowed her eyes.
The wind around Duan Xu underwent a very subtle change. The wind, which was like a loosely interwoven spider web, distorted slightly for a moment, occurring in just the blink of an eye. Utilizing that half-step backward, Duan Xu moved quickly with unimaginable speed, dodging Wu Shengliu’s knife attack. With a single rotation of his body that made the hem of his clothes flutter, he was already behind Wu Shengliu.
He raised his knee and struck the opponent’s waist hard. Wu Shengliu reflexively leaned his body backward. Duan Xu raised his hand and crossed his sword over the opponent’s neck, while his other hand grasped the sword’s tip and pulled it back forcefully.
A chokehold move executed with extreme cleanliness and decisiveness. The movement exploded instantly and stopped abruptly, as fast as lightning, leaving only an afterimage.
The long knife in Wu Shengliu’s hand clattered to the ground.
Had the Powang Sword been unsheathed at this moment, then what fell to the ground would not have been a knife, but Wu Shengliu’s head.
After a moment of silence, Duan Xu released Wu Shengliu. Holding his neck, Wu Shengliu coughed violently.
“Thank you for your leniency.” Duan Xu cupped his hands and smiled, his breathing steady. That lethal move hadn’t depleted his energy at all.
The sunflower seed in He Simu’s mouth, she only just remembered to bite it.
Chen Ying was so shocked that he stood up and nearly slipped and fell. He Simu immediately reached out to pull his body, while her eyes remained fixed on Duan Xu in the courtyard.
Chen Ying staggered, trying to stand straight. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. “What just happened? I… I hadn’t even seen it clearly, and Brother General already won?”
An ordinary human’s eyes indeed had a hard time seeing it clearly.
He Simu smiled casually, then said, “What happened? What just happened was like a six-year-old child charging fiercely, but then getting slapped and knocked to the ground by a grown man.”
The difference in strength between Wu Shengliu and Duan Xu was massive. That difference didn’t lie in the physical strength that Wu Shengliu was so proud of, but in reflexes, speed, and tactics.
And also experience.
This young general must have killed many people.
Even far more than the people Wu Shengliu had killed.
At this moment, Wu Shengliu also couldn’t believe it. Holding his neck, he sat on the ground panting heavily; with dizzy eyes, he slowly looked at Duan Xu, who stood before him and supposedly had smooth skin and martial arts moves that were nothing more than show. With great difficulty, he said, “How… could you…”
“Middle General Wu thinks that the young noblemen from the southern capital are all just wasting time. Your guess is accurate, there are indeed many such youths there, but…” Duan Xu bent down, pulled Wu Shengliu up from the ground, and smiled, “I am not one of them.”
When Wu Shengliu could finally stand straight, his view of Duan Xu had changed. Although there was still a bit of lingering resentment, his curiosity was far greater.
Duan Xu put his Powang Sword back on his waist. He said, “I know you’ve never liked me all this time, General, but you’ve never made things difficult for me on the battlefield. This is because when facing a strong enemy, you understand the situation well and prioritize the greater good. Your dissatisfaction when I enforced military discipline was because you cherish the soldiers and felt I was too harsh. But General, you also know the huge difference between us and Danzhi’s elite troops. If military discipline is not strictly enforced, we will only die faster.”
Wu Shengliu’s face alternated between red and pale. He was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, “If you win, you win; why talk so much. I lost, I ask for guidance from Captain Xia in the future.”
He gave a perfunctory salute to Xia Qingsheng, and while rubbing his neck, he said, “I won’t object whenever the General announces this; I will also support General Xia. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave.”
This sentence was the most polite thing he had said since Duan Xu entered; after all, he even referred to himself as “I”.
Han Lingqiu looked at Duan Xu for a moment, then followed Wu Shengliu, saluted with his sword, and took his leave.
Duan Xu folded his arms across his chest while watching the two men leave. He then sighed, “This Middle General Wu truly has a sincere personality. But with that temperament and way of speaking, if he were in the southern capital, he’d probably be swallowed whole without leaving a single bone behind.”
The sunlight shone brightly, a clear and warm afternoon sun. Chen Ying looked at Duan Xu, who was smiling brightly in the sunlight. With a soft voice, he said, “Brother General is amazing.”
Meanwhile, He Simu rested her chin on her hand and smiled, “Not only does he have a good skull shape, he also has a great physique, extraordinary.”
Chen Ying then rubbed his own head, and asked He Simu hopefully, “Sister Xiaoxiao, what about my skull? Is my skull shape good?”
He Simu smiled, touched Chen Ying’s forehead, and said, “Your forehead is full; you’re a child with a bright future.”
Meng Wan suddenly felt bewildered under the roof, “Is the sky raining sunflower seed shells?”
He Simu smiled, picked up Chen Ying, and ran away silently.
