The next morning, Liu went out for a jog. It was a habit that he had developed when he practiced martial arts on the mountain. Tong Yuan didn't pay much attention to it at first, but Zhao Yun started to run with Liu out of curiosity. Unexpectedly, after a long time, she saw the benefits. It was much better to practice martial arts after running. Besides, she could eat breakfast now, and her body was stronger than before.
He didn't know how to get there, so Old Liu ran around the Zhen Family Compound. He didn't expect that he would run two thousand meters in a circle. It was obvious how big the Zhen Family Compound was.
After running two laps back to the Zhen family's courtyard, Zhen Yan was already waiting for him." Brother-in-law, you're not familiar with Wuji's road. Don't get lost."”
"Thank you, Big Brother Zhen. I just ran two laps around the courtyard and didn't get lost.”
"By the way, big brother, can you help me find a place to practice martial arts? I have to practice martial arts for two hours every day.”
"Yes, there is a training field in our backyard. The guards train there every day. Xuande, I'll bring you there now."
"No rush. I'll call the security guards first.”
Hence, the two of them went to the guest room and woke up Chu Yan. Seeing that it was her lord who called her, Chu Yan quickly put on her clothes, carried her large saber, and Old Liu's Yu King Spear, and ran out unsteadily.
Seeing Chu Yan struggling, Old Liu hurriedly reached out and took his divine lance. Zhen Yan did not know the weight of these two weapons and thought that Chu Yan looked strong but was actually just a silver wax spearhead.
Chu Yan was not a general who was known for her strength. It was only when she fought with Old Liu yesterday that she mistakenly thought that Old Liu was a scholar. That was why she dared to fight with Old Liu head-on. Otherwise, she would have been able to fight with Old Liu for a few rounds and not be knocked off her horse in one round.
When they arrived at the martial arts field, it was indeed very big. It was almost the size of a standard football field. On the side were knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, hooks, forks, and other weapons. There was also a stable with many warhorses.
Walking to the center of the training ground, Old Liu began to practice the Overlord Spear Technique, which he was already familiar with.
Seeing that someone was practicing martial arts, many servants had already surrounded them. Some of them even went to tell the masters and young ladies about it. In the end, not long after, all the elders and young people of the Zhen family came to the martial arts field.
Everyone watched as Old Liu slowly waved the divine lance. Each move was powerful and heavy, as if it had the power to split mountains and crush rocks. As he danced, it became faster and faster. Gradually, a ball of black fog ran east and west. At the end of the dance, Old Liu shouted, It was!
The divine lance shot out like an arrow towards an arrow target on the other side of the training field. It hit the bullseye and smashed the target into pieces before falling to the ground.
The others were still fine and were just watching the show. However, Chu Yan was not a weak general. When she lost yesterday, she thought that her lord only won because he was stronger than her. Today, when she saw Old Liu's Overlord Spear Technique, she was so shocked that she was dumbfounded. Her mouth was wide open for a long time.
It turned out that his lord's martial arts could not last more than ten rounds even if he put in 120% of his energy and performed to the highest level. In the past, when he fought with his brothers in the village, none of them could last more than three rounds under his hands. It seemed that his lord's martial arts could only be described as terrifying.
After a long time, everyone shouted loudly…
Cai looked at Old Liu again. He was calm and composed. Other than a little sweat on his forehead, it was impossible to tell that he had just practiced for half a day.
Zhen Jiang stood in the crowd and looked at her future husband, who was like a god. She felt an indescribable joy in her heart. She stared at Old Liu without blinking. At first, she was worried that Old Liu wouldn't hurt her, but the more she looked at him, the happier she became. She also joined everyone in cheering.
Old Liu had already seen everyone coming, but since he had already started practicing, he didn't stop until he used the last move of the Overlord Spear Technique: The Heavenly Fairy shattered the target 20 meters away.
Seeing that Zhen Yi and his wife were both present, Old Liu hurried over to them and knelt on both knees." My respects to the two elders."”
Zhen Yi quickly went forward to help Old Liu up." Xuande, I didn't expect your kung fu to be so good. You can be said to be a talented person in both civil and military affairs." Jiang 'er marrying you will put our hearts at ease.”
Zhen Jiang also came in front of Old Liu and took out his handkerchief to wipe his sweat. Old Liu was filled with joy, enjoying this sweet gentleness.
A few servants saw that Old Liu's Yu King Spear was still on the ground and hurried over to help him get it back. One servant reached out to pick it up, but he couldn't do it with one hand. He used both hands to pick up the spear and quickly asked the others for help. Another servant came over and carried it with two people. They shouted slogans before they took the spear back.
Their shouts attracted everyone's attention again. Zhen Yan asked,"Xuande, what is this weapon of yours called? It looks like a sledgehammer.”
Old Liu replied," This weapon of mine was used by the Great Yu in ancient times. It's called the Yuwang Spear and weighs 129 jin.”
The fact that it was so heavy shocked everyone. They looked at Old Liu in a new light. Moreover, after seeing Old Liu practice martial arts, everyone knew that Old Liu's martial arts were far beyond their imagination.
After returning to the dining hall and having breakfast, Zhen Yan went to the market to recruit people. Meanwhile, Old Liu asked the head of the Zhen family's guards, who was also a famous local martial arts master named Hu Kui, to gather the two hundred servants of the Zhen family to the martial arts field.
Seeing that there was nothing else to do here, Zhao Sheng bid farewell to Old Liu and Zhen Yi. Then, he brought Zhao Neng and a steward of the Zhen family back to Zhen Ding.
When Old Liu brought Chu Yan to the martial arts field, the 200 servants of the Zhen family had already arrived. Everyone was standing in the martial arts field, unorganized.
When they saw Old Liu, they hurriedly straightened their backs. Many of them had seen Old Liu practice martial arts in the morning, so they looked at him with admiration and respect.
Seeing Hu Kui standing in front of the team, Old Liu reached out and called him over. He asked,""Master Hu, how do you usually train these servants?”
Hu Kui hurried forward to reply. After listening to him, Old Liu realized that Hu Kui's martial arts were not bad, not much worse than Chu Yan's. However, his ability to teach his disciples was far inferior. Every day, he just let everyone hold a sword and practice with him. There was no sparring. To put it bluntly, it was just for show. It was not practical at all. Therefore, until now, these servants only knew a few moves.
When Zhen Jiang went to Zhen Ding yesterday, he had also brought more than 20 servants with him. However, when they fought against Chu Yan's group of bandits, it was clear who was stronger. Although they fought with all their might, they did not manage to hold them off for long. If not for Old Liu…
If they arrived, the outcome would probably be complete annihilation.
Old Liu said," How about this? Now, I want to select some people from among you. Those who can be selected will have half a catty of meat and two catty of food to eat every day. Moreover, they will be paid 5,000 coins a month. Are you willing?"”
After Old Liu said that, everyone was naturally willing. Being a servant in the Zhen family was already a good treatment. They could eat their fill every day and see some meat and fish. They could also get a salary of 1,000 copper coins a month. The conditions that Old Liu had promised them were several times higher than before. Who wouldn't be willing? Therefore, everyone shouted in unison that they were willing!
"However, you will first have to pass my selection. Only those who meet the requirements will be able to receive that treatment. Moreover, the training in the future will be very difficult. Those who can't persist will be eliminated at any time, which means that they will be sent back.”
Although they heard Old Liu say so, the conditions were too tempting, so the servants still shouted that they were willing.
" Alright then. My selection criteria are very simple. Our training ground is about a mile wide. Today, we'll run along the wall. If you can run more than thirty laps in an hour, I'll run with you. Security, you'll join us too." Chu Yan quickly agreed.”
Old Liu had done some calculations. Thirty laps was equivalent to fifteen thousand meters. Those who could finish it in an hour must have outstanding physical fitness. Looking at the servants in front of him, it would be good if thirty of them could last.
This condition seemed so simple. The servants repeatedly shouted,"Okay, let's start."
Just then, he saw Zhen Jiang and a few of his younger sisters and brothers at the martial arts field. Old Liu called Zhen Jiang over." Jiang 'er, bring a few people over to be the judges and count the laps we've run. Also, get the butler to get some servants to prepare some cold water for everyone to drink after the run. But remember, you must not let them drink too quickly.”
When everything was ready, Zhen Jiang took a gong and struck it to give the order. The two hundred people ran along the wall. Old Liu ran in front. He wanted to lead the crowd so that they wouldn't run too slowly.
In the beginning, everyone could still keep up, but from the third lap onwards, some people could not. Zhen Jiang asked the servants to help the servants who could not run to the middle of the field so as not to affect others. The further they ran, the more people who could not run. After ten laps, there were only half of them left, about a hundred people.
By the time they reached the 20th lap, half of the time had passed. There were only 30 or so people who could keep up with Old Liu. There were still 20 or so people who were running, but they were already far behind. Some were trapped for one lap, some were trapped for two laps, and the most was trapped for five laps. Fortunately, Zhen Jiang found many people to keep time, so everyone had to keep an eye on 10 laps, so there was no confusion.
Old Liu began to speed up. This way, some of the servants who had reached their limits would soon be unable to hold on any longer. However, there were still about ten people who followed them. Among them were Chu Yan and Hu Kui. Old Liu looked at Chu Yan and realized that she did not sweat much. Back then, she was not like now. She was running in a singlet and shorts. Instead, she was wearing a small shirt and long pants. It seemed that the history books said that Chu Yan was agile and fierce. Her nickname of Flying Swallow was indeed true.
He wanted to see how fast Chu Yan could run. There were only two laps left, so he didn't have to run with everyone else…
Old Liu started a new round of acceleration. This time, he did not hold back. When he started running, he was really faster than a galloping horse. Others were already unable to keep up, but Chu Yan could still keep up with Old Liu. When Old Liu sprinted past the finish line, Chu Yan was only 20 meters behind.
Soon after, Hu Kui also finished half a lap behind them. Before the gong rang for an hour, another twenty-three people had crossed the finish line.
However, after these people finished running thirty laps, some fell to the ground and some vomited on the ground. Regardless, Old Liu had selected the first batch of personal guards.
Zhen Jiang gave the list of the 23 people to Old Liu. Old Liu asked everyone to go back and rest. At this time, Zhen Yan's newly recruited servants had already started to enter the Zhen family. By lunchtime, there were already more than 600 people, including more than 10 blacksmiths and carpenters. Old Liu asked Zhen Jiang and Hu Kui to let these 600 people take the exam in batches in the afternoon according to the way he selected people in the morning. Those who passed would stay. In addition, he would find 50 people who could read and write from these people. The smarter ones were spies.
If Zhen Yan could still recruit people in the afternoon, then he would continue the test and try to complete the selection today.
The next morning, all the servants who passed the test would be brought to the manor outside the city to form a personal guard. Old Liu would personally start training them. As the spies needed to have knowledge of business, they would be trained in the Zhen family's courtyard.
After giving these instructions, Old Liu brought Chu Yan and the dozen blacksmiths and carpenters that Zhen Yan had found in the morning. Under the guidance of the butler, they came to the Zhen Family Manor outside the city.
Zhen Family Manor was located in the south of Wuji County, about ten miles away from the county. Just as Zhen Yi had said, it occupied an area of more than 300 acres and was surrounded by walls.
A large river flowed in from the northeast corner of the courtyard, passing through the courtyard diagonally and flowing out from the middle of the western courtyard wall, naturally dividing the courtyard into two irregular parts.
There were many houses in the manor, but there were only a few servants guarding the manor and some tenants farming in the surroundings, so the entire manor seemed empty.
Old Liu asked the butler to settle down the residence of the blacksmiths and carpenters first, and then selected two people to be the steward of the carpenters and blacksmiths. Then, he asked him to send a steward to be responsible for the logistics supply of the manor in the future. The main thing was to build more houses and solve the food and drink problems for the hundreds of people on his side every day.
Taking out his notebook and pen, Old Liu patrolled around the courtyard and kept writing down things in the notebook. The butler had never seen Old Liu's pen and notebook before, so he was very curious. He took a closer look and saw some words that he did not recognize. There were also some pictures. He thought that this son-in-law was really amazing. No wonder his daughter fell in love with him at first sight.
After wandering around for more than an hour, Old Liu had basically figured out the natural situation of the manor. Then, he brought the butler and the craftsmen to the front of the houses.
The few houses at the back were the residences of these craftsmen. The few rows of houses in the middle were relatively neat and tidy. They were used as barracks for the personal guards who would come tomorrow. Then, Old Liu asked the butler," Have the two stewards been chosen?”
The butler quickly brought two people over and introduced them to Old Liu." The steward of the carpenter in front is the best carpenter in the city. His name is Lu Qi, and he claims to be the descendant of Lu Ban."
He didn't know if it was true or not, but Lu Qi's carpentry skills were indeed brilliant. In Wuji and even the entire Jizhou, no one could compare to him.
The blacksmith's manager had just arrived in Wuji recently. His name was Qu Peng. It was said that he was the descendant of Ou Yezi, the sword forging master of the Spring and Autumn Period. Although no one had seen his craftsmanship, they had heard of his ancestor's name and made him the manager.
Old Liu asked them to come over and said to Lu Qi,""Manager Lu, look at this thing I drew. Can you make it?”
He tore a piece of paper from his notebook and drew a common bunk bed used in schools and military camps. Beside it, he marked that it was six feet long and three feet wide. The lower bed was two feet above the ground, and the upper bed was five feet above the ground. Between the bunk bed and the lower bed, there was a ladder for the upper bunk to go up and down. It was one and a half feet wide. To prevent the person sleeping on it from falling off, there were wooden boards half a foot high and four and a half feet long on both sides. The top of the ladder was just empty.
After Old Liu finished drawing, Lu Qi said," No problem. This is too simple. How many beds do you want to make?”
"I estimate that we can recruit more than 200 personal guards this time. You can make 150 beds. In addition, you can also use such beds in your residence.”
Lu Qi said," If we have enough wood, two carpenters can make seven or eight sheets a day. We have nine carpenters now, and we can make thirty sheets a day. We can finish it in five days.”
"Alright, Butler, do we have any wood here?”
"Yes, the Zhen family's timber warehouse is in this courtyard. It's that big wooden house over there. It's filled with wooden planks and square timbers. There are also many logs outside.”
"Alright, send someone to bring Steward Lu to get the wood and start working on it immediately. You must finish it as soon as possible. By the way, Steward Lu, after you finish one, let me take a look first before continuing.”
Lu Qi agreed and went to work with his group of carpenters.
#Review: 18770029449 Time:11 July 2019 5: 18PM #Release:18770029449 Time:11 July 2019 5: 18PM #
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