The setting sun brought its last rays of light, and as night fell, the thirty thousand Goguryeon soldiers who had been kneeling for the entire day were dragged back to the main camp by the Tang army. Their legs had long since gone numb, and they could no longer stand.
Dust was raised in front of the camp. The soldiers of the coalition army who were watching from afar were so angry that they wanted to kill them immediately. However, they felt a chill in their hearts and an indescribable fear of the Tang army.
When all the Goguryeon soldiers were dragged into the camp, the gates slowly closed. At this moment, the Tang soldiers shouted from the turrets on both sides of the gates,"Hey, stop in front of the three of you. This is an important place in the military camp. Anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy.”
The soldier who was closing the gate looked out through the gap of the gate. He didn't know when, but three young men in their twenties with dusty faces had appeared a hundred steps away. If it weren't for the dust, this would have been impossible under normal circumstances. However, at this moment, he found that the Tang soldiers only shouted at the three men to retreat, but did not attack them. The reason was that the three men were all dressed in Han clothes.
The burly man in white stepped out first and bowed to the camp gate. Then, he shouted,"Generals, we three brothers heard that the government was recruiting soldiers. We three brothers admired the illustrious reputation of the Dragon Cavalry Army and specially traveled thousands of miles from the Dragon Gate of Jiangzhou in Shanxi Province to come here. We hope that you can make it convenient for us three brothers to enter the camp to take the test and contribute to the Liaodong war.”
This man in white was Xue Rengui. Although he looked like he was in a storm, his words were full of vigor, like the sound of a horn, lingering in the air above the Tang military camp. In the face of the fierce shouts of the soldiers, his words were clear and reasonable. This was very noticeable a thousand years ago, when the psychological quality was obviously very low.
The soldier on the corner tower usually liked to listen to storytellers talk about legendary things. Now that he heard that the white-robed man had come from Jiangzhou, Shanxi Province, and had gone thousands of miles to seek refuge, coupled with Xue Rengui's words, he immediately intimidated the Tang soldier. He shouted at Xue Rengui and the other two from the arrow tower,"Don't be anxious, I'll go and inform my general now.”After saying that, the soldier climbed down from the watchtower and ran towards the camp.
"I hope we can enter the camp smoothly." Niu Hu looked around the military camp.
Bruiser was the most disappointing one. He sat on the ground and crossed his fingers in front of his chest. He raised his head and started to pant," Three Pure Ones, Buddha, Bodhisattva, please bless us brothers to become soldiers. It was not easy to travel thousands of miles. We even wore out a few pairs of straw sandals. As long as we can join the Dragon Knight Army, we will definitely buy a roast chicken for you."”
Niu Hu, who was at the side, scoffed and scolded with a smile,"It's the Three Pure Ones Holy Man, Buddha and Bodhisattva. Why is it just a roasted chicken?”
"What do you know? You haven't seen the world." Bruiser looked at him with disdain.
"How am I inexperienced?" Niu Hu was indeed inexperienced, but he couldn't lower himself in front of Bruiser.
"Didn't you see how big sister-in-law Xue was eating? She was taking small bites. That's the style of a young lady from a rich family. Buddha and Bodhisattva might be like that. Unlike you, you can stuff three steamed buns in one mouthful. You're the reincarnation of a hungry ghost, and it's as if you've never eaten in your life.”Bruiser sniffed and pursed his lips, looking like he was looking down on him.
Niu Hu wasn't good with words, so he couldn't win Bruiser's argument. However, Niu Hu liked to bicker with Bruiser, and he had his own trump card. He used violence to solve problems. He came up and lifted Bruiser up." Say it again."”
Seeing Niu Hu use this move again, Bruiser conceded and muttered,"Alright, you're right. One roast chicken isn't enough.”
Niu Hu immediately let go of Bruiser and rubbed his chin." Actually, it's almost enough. A portion of Buddha and Bodhisattva, plus some other dishes to go with the wine. A roast chicken is almost enough."”
Bruiser rolled his eyes, speechless. Where did this idiot come from? Yours Truly was so smart, but why was he surrounded by these hot-blooded idiots?
Frowning, Xue Rengui stared intently at the camp gate. He didn't have the leisure to care about these two. He clenched his fists tightly and was obviously very nervous.
His future, the rise and fall of his family business, and the gaze of his wife leaning against the door, all depended on this moment. Xue Rengui could not think of any other way to change his family background other than joining the army. Xue Rengui did not want to live the poor life he had before, the poor life where his wife could only eat wild vegetables when she was pregnant. Therefore, he had to join the army. Just as his wife had said, he had to join the strongest Dragon Knight Army.
The night before he left home, Xue Rengui did not sleep at all. The ambition of a man was burning in his heart like a raging fire. Along the way, he dreamed of leading countless iron cavalry to conquer the world. Like Huo Qubing, Wei Qing, and Ban Dingyuan, he would establish a great cause and leave his name in history. Xue Rengui had never been so eager to think about something. If it were not for the health of his two brothers, Xue Rengui would have rushed to Liaodong day and night. That kind of itch was simply a kind of torture.
Now, everything depended on the present. Even if a knife were to stab Xue Rengui, he would not notice it.
Finally, just as Xue Rengui was looking forward to it, a small gate slowly opened in the Tang camp. A Tang soldier rode a black horse and rushed toward Xue Rengui and the other two.
Xue Rengui felt his heart beating faster and faster. Niu Hu and Bruiser, who were farting, also stopped and looked straight at the knight.
"Phew!"
"You guys came from Shanxi, right?”
"Yes, my name is Xue Li, also known as Rengui. The two beside me are my companions, Niu Hu and Liu Sanfu. We are all from Jiangzhou, Shanxi.”
"En, come with me. My general has seen it hard for you, so he's willing to serve you. However, whether you can become soldiers of the Great Tang will depend on your own abilities. If you don't do well, you might even become coachmen or cooks.”The soldier who came over was the soldier who shouted on the arrow tower just now. He looked up and sat on his horse, rolling his eyes at the three of them. His words were even more arrogant. In fact, this was the usual attitude of the veterans in the military camp towards the new recruits. It was very normal. It was not kind, but it was not malicious either.
The warhorses were slowly walking in front of them, leisurely strolling in the courtyard. Xue Rengui and the other two followed closely behind. The three of them chatted as they walked. From their conversation, Xue Rengui knew that this soldier was called Wu Yiniu. His grandfather had helped him get it, meaning that he would get back a cow for the Wu family as soon as possible. Xue Rengui had also read the hidden meaning. This was also a child of a poor family.
And their general was actually the famous Cheng Yaojin of the Great Tang. The proverb of a Cheng Yaojin appearing out of nowhere was not only passed down in later generations, but also spread like a legend among the people of the Great Tang.
Duke Lu, one of the founding dukes of the Great Tang, always had astonishing luck in every battle, winning by surprise and was praised by Li Shimin as a blessed general.
When Xue Rengui heard people talking about Duke Lu, they would always be envious of him. Xue Rengui didn't know much about Duke Lu's life, and most of the rumors in the market were fabricated. However, Xue Rengui was very afraid of generals like Cheng Yaojin. This kind of unpredictable and lucky perverted general was an invisible killer on the battlefield. By the time you discovered him, the other party might have already slit your throat.
They finally entered the Tang army camp. Xue Rengui followed Wu Yiniu closely, but Niu Hu and Bruiser were looking around. Wu Yiniu, who had already dismounted, frowned inwardly. At the same time, he regarded Xue Rengui even more highly.
Along the way, Xue Rengui looked at the Tang army patrolling the road with their chests puffed out. A sudden desire rose in his heart. It was the desire of No.1 Middle School to blend in.
"Alright, we're here. You guys wait here first. I'll go in and report to the general.”
"Brother Wu, please." Xue Rengui replied in a low voice with a good attitude.
Wu Yiniu looked at Xue Rengui with satisfaction. He walked forward and shouted loudly,"General Bing, the three men from Shanxi have arrived.”
"Yiniu, you little bastard, what nonsense are you talking about? Bring them in, they're all just idiots.”A duck's voice came from inside. It was very ear-piercing, but it was very manly. It was very suitable for the identity of an old soldier ruffian.
After Wu Yiniu heard Cheng Yaojin's curses, not only was he not angry, but he also happily waved at Xue Rengui and the other two, signaling them to come over.
"After you go in, be more daring, okay? This old Duke did not like cowardly cowards.”Wu Yiniu said to Xue Rengui in a low voice.
Xue Rengui understood and cupped his hands towards Wu Yiniu. He nodded knowingly and smiled.
Opening the tent, they saw a topless Cheng Yaojin doing push-ups in the tent. Xue Rengui and the other two were dumbfounded. Apparently, the three of them had connected the bad things and were shocked by Old Demon Cheng's shameless and obscene actions.
However, after a short pause, Xue Rengui immediately pulled the dumbfounded Niu Hu and Bruiser to kneel on the ground and shouted,"Xue Li and his two brothers Niu Hu and Liu Sanfu from Jiangzhou, Shanxi Province, greet State Duke Lu.”
Cheng Yaojin, who was sweating profusely, ignored the three of them and suddenly shouted,"150." After saying that, he lay on the couch and panted heavily.
Bruiser pursed his lips and muttered,"Only 100! Yours Truly's worst is 200!"
"Shut up!" Xue Rengui frowned and scolded Bruiser in a low voice.
He took a towel from the shelf beside him and wiped his body. He threw it to the side and sat on the couch. He opened his two short legs and took a deep breath before saying,"I heard that the three of you came from Shanxi. Say a few words of Shanxi dialect for me.”
Xue Rengui understood what the old man meant and immediately said a few words in the most standard local dialect of Longmen in Jiangzhou, Shanxi Province. Niu Hu and Tie Dan also loudly said a few words in their hometown language, mostly auspicious greetings.
"Mm, not bad. Although I am from Shandong, I am very familiar with Shanxi dialect during the war. It seems that you are really from Shanxi. I ate Shanxi vinegar back then, and now I am still drooling.”Cheng Yaojin licked his lips, looking like he was drooling.
Niu Hu and Bruiser both laughed foolishly. They felt that this Duke was very amiable, unlike the high-ranking officials in their hometown. Xue Rengui, on the other hand, understood in his heart that this old Duke still didn't trust him.
"Old Duke, Shanxi doesn't only have aged vinegar. There are also dough, red bean porridge, meat pies, and the most famous knife-cut noodles in Shanxi. The top chefs put the noodles on their heads and cut them into pieces before bringing them into the country. It can be said to be the best in Shanxi."
Niu Hu and Tie Dan looked at Xue Rengui strangely. Normally, Xue Rengui was not a talkative person, so why did he talk about so many Shanxi snacks in front of the old Duke today? What they didn't see was that Xue Rengui's seemingly irrelevant chatter had told them everything that an authentic Shanxi person should know. He even mixed in a few words of local language, which only an old Shanxi person would know. At this moment, Cheng Yaojin looked at the three of them with a truly friendly gaze.
"Alright, alright, quickly get up. Aiya, I forgot to let you all get up. Speaking of which, this general is still very grateful to you Shanxi men. In the past, if it wasn't for a personal guard from Shanxi blocking a knife for this general, this general might have already killed him. mom. Go to hell."
"Thank you, State Duke Lu.""Thank you, State Duke Lu.""Thank you, State Duke Lu." Xue Rengui and the other two cupped their fists and stood up.
"Hmm, since you want to join the army, you should know that this is a life and death business, especially when I heard that you want to join the Dragon Riders. Hahaha, that's the Crown Prince's personal army. Not everyone can enter. They are all men who have crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. I heard from my disciple that they will all be officials in the future. So, if you want to join the Dragon Riders, you must have some skills. Tell me what you are good at.”
"I'll say it first, I'll say it first. High Duke, my name is Liu Sanfu, and I'm best at saber techniques. I'm short, but I'm fast. I can accurately chop off a horse's leg, so there's no horse leg that I can't chop off.”Bruiser puffed out his chest and said proudly. Even Xue Rengui nodded, apparently agreeing with Bruiser's words.
Cheng Yaojin smiled." Not bad. You can use it to sneak attack the other party's generals."”Cheng Yaojin's words made Bruiser's chest stand even higher. "However, warhorses gallop on the battlefield. You have to be careful not to be trampled into meat paste.”Cheng Yaojin's tone was still very calm, but the words he said made Bruiser's heart tighten, and his chest shrank back at a visible speed.
"What about you? Do you have any skills?" Cheng Yaojin turned around and asked Niu Hu with a smile.
"Reporting to the Duke, I, Niu Hu, don't know anything. I'm just strong. I've been practicing martial arts with Brother Rengui for more than ten years, and my best skill is hammering.”Niu Hu pounded his chest and shouted.
"Oh, I have to say. His Majesty's fourth brother, Li Xuanba, is an expert in using hammers. He has two golden hammers. Back then, when he was at his peak, Duke of Hu, Brother Qin, was able to take every round.”
"Uh... Niu Hu, who had wanted to brag, smiled awkwardly. Naturally, he didn't dare to compare himself to Li Xuanba, who was a perverted bull.
"I am naturally far from being the best man in the world, but I can also swing a thirty jin sledgehammer with each hand. Moreover, Big Brother Xue taught me the Plum Blossom Hammer Technique passed down from my ancestors. I feel that I can become a Dragon Knight.”Although Niu Hu was not as good as the legendary number one hero in the world, he was still very confident that he could become a member of the Dragon Cavalry.
Cheng Yaojin smiled and looked at Xue Rengui, who had left a deep impression on him." What about you, Xue Rengui? What do you know?”
With a straight face, he said with extreme pride,"Returning Duke, Rengui is proficient in all 18 martial arts. He is best at halberds and archery.”
"Oh, really? "You're good at using the Heaven Scorching Halberd? That's rare. Not everyone can use the Heaven Scorching Halberd. As far as I know, other than the Western Chu Conqueror Xiang Yu, the others who are good at using the Heaven Scorching Halberd are all rumors. However, my disciple, the Crown Prince, is an expert in using the Heaven Scorching Halberd. Even I'm not." Cheng Yaojin smiled awkwardly and changed the topic."Is archery very powerful? How is it compared to my Great Tang Crossbow?"
"Reporting to High Duke, Rengui's arrow can shoot anything within 300 steps. It can pierce through huge rocks.”At this moment, Xue Rengui did not look like a farmer at all. He looked down on the world with pride.
Cheng Yaojin was furious and shouted,"Xue Li, Xue Rengui, you dare to kill me?"”
Xue Rengui was not surprised. He stepped forward and smiled confidently."Ren Gui can be said to be the High Duke's demonstration to verify whether Ren Gui's words are false at all.”
Cheng Yaojin calmed down and looked at the confident Xue Rengui. He was surprised and asked doubtfully,""How strong would that bow be?"
"The ancestral ten-picul bow 'Armor Pierce'.”
"Come, let me see." Cheng Yaojin asked curiously.
"The bow is outside.”After saying that, Xue Rengui, who was eager to show his approval, immediately walked out quickly.
This was the first time Cheng Yaojin jumped off the bed. The tent was lifted, and Xue Rengui walked in with a long object wrapped in white cloth. The white cloth was lifted, and a giant bow as tall as a man was carried in.
He stepped forward and dodged the longbow's Armor Penetration. He looked at it in surprise and even tried to pull it open, but he could only pull it open by half. He let out a deep breath and sighed,"Good bow, really good bow, but I can't use it. Quickly demonstrate it.”
Xue Rengui pretended to be indifferent. He forced himself to step forward and finish off his own Armor Break. He didn't even take a breath and slowly drew the bow until it was fully drawn. It must be known that the slower he drew the bow, the more strength he used.
"Good, good, good. If your archery skills are really as good as you say, coupled with such a strong bow, taking the head of a general from a million soldiers will be as easy as taking it out of a bag.”Cheng Yaojin clapped his hands in surprise.
"Thank... Coo..." Xue Rengui retracted his bow and prepared to be humble, but his stomach started to protest, causing Xue Rengui to blush.
"Hahaha, looks like you haven't eaten yet. How about this, it's already late. Tomorrow, I'll let the entire army watch you shoot arrows. When the time comes, don't disappoint your Duke. Wu Yiniu, come in and lead the three of them to eat until they're full.”Cheng Yaojin laughed and patted Xue Rengui's shoulder.
Niu Hu and Bruiser looked at each other strangely.
Xue Rengui was overjoyed and bowed to Cheng Yaojin. Cheng Yaojin was stunned for a moment and then smiled. This kid, isn't it just a meal?
Then, Wu Yiniu brought Xue Rengui and the other two to get some food.
two hours later
"General, general…"
"What's the matter? Why are you bothering me?" Cheng Yaojin was just about to sleep when he was woken up by Wu Yiniu.
"General, Xue Li and Xue Rengui have already eaten four roasted chickens, three catties of beef, and more than thirty bowls of rice. There's nothing left to eat now.”Wu Yiniu's words were filled with shock, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"What?" Cheng Yaojin was shocked and sat up straight. He was too gluttonous. When I was young, I didn't even eat half as much as him. He was really a good-for-nothing, a big good-for-nothing.”
Cheng Yaojin dragged his shoes and rushed out of the tent without caring about his clothes. He said to Wu Yiniu,"Let's go, bring me to take a look."
In the kitchen, Xue Rengui and the other two were eating food specially prepared for hungry generals at midnight. When Cheng Yaojin arrived, he stared blankly at the empty wooden bucket in front of him. The rice grains in the wooden bucket had been scraped clean, and the white pottery plate on the table was full of leftover chicken bones.
Xue Rengui hugged a large bowl of soup and smiled foolishly at Cheng Yaojin. He even licked his lips, as if he had not had enough.
" Extraordinary people really do extraordinary things. Old Cheng is ashamed of himself." Cheng Yaojin gave him a thumbs up and shook his head.
Xue Rengui smiled awkwardly as his stomach rumbled again.
" Oh, my God, he's really not full." Cheng Yaojin gasped.
The lovely dividing line.
[Little Demon Dream Whisper: There is no such thing as the most awesome, only the most awesome. The big guys have to give me great rewards for their votes.]
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