Chapter 41 Polo Training Soldiers

  The next morning, he was woken up early to practice martial arts. He followed Yang Feng in silence to the cafeteria, where thousands of people were eating together, creating a spectacular scene that startled Qing Xia.

  The action was slightly slower, and only the leftovers were left. Yang Feng quietly gave all his share to Qing Xia, and after eating a few mouthfuls, he went to the training ground.

  In ancient times, military training was nothing more than this, constantly running and changing formations, then chopping at wooden stakes. Yang Feng repeatedly looked at Qing Xia with concern, ready to help her cover up at any time. But he didn't expect that this woman was not as weak as he had imagined, following a group of men running and killing, although slightly panting, her face pale, but she didn't fall down.

  On the other hand, Qing Xia was very depressed. This body is really not good enough. If it were himself, this kind of training would be a piece of cake. How could he be like this, panting like a donkey?

  After formation training is equestrian training, and Nanchu's equestrian training is particularly special, it's actually a polo match.

  The whole team is divided into twenty teams, with one hundred people per team, riding on horseback, using a large club to fight for a ball, and scoring a point by hitting it into a fixed hole. It's similar to modern football, but here they ride horses, and there are many people, no offside restrictions, so it's more difficult and dangerous.

  Qing Xia looked at the wooden stick that was as tall as her shoulder, and felt a wave of dizziness in her head. She knew she was agile and nimble, but that didn't mean she had the strength to match a man's.

  At this time, Yang Feng suddenly walked to Qing Xia's side and said in a low voice: "Later, follow me."

  "Got it." Qing Xia muttered a response, having no choice but to admit that she was really bad at this.

  A loud drumbeat sounded, and two thousand people simultaneously urged their horses to gallop, sending yellow sand swirling everywhere. Qing Xia sat on her horse, unprepared, when Yang Feng suddenly pulled the reins taut. The warhorse let out a long whinny and burst into an excited gallop, causing Qing Xia's body to lean back, almost falling off the horse.

  "Be careful!" Yang Feng's back seemed to have grown eyes, and the whip in his hand suddenly flew over, wrapping around Qing Xia's waist and pulling her steadily back onto the horse.

  "Hold onto the horse's neck!" Yang Feng yelled back at Qing Xia as he galloped forward on his horse. Qing Xia listened and held onto the horse's neck, struggling to find her balance.

  In the midst of the rolling yellow sand, two thousand horses and men came and went, a piece of dust flying everywhere, with the sound of people's voices and the coarse curses of the soldiers. This horse training had no restrictions on the big sticks in the hands of the soldiers except that they could not hit the legs of the horses, so it was not long before many soldiers were bleeding from their bodies. If everyone hadn't been wearing thick armor, there might have already been people killed.

  Under the flying wooden stick, Qing Xia couldn't help but feel dizzy and her eyes were spinning. She could drive a car, an airplane, a submarine, or even a warship perfectly, and if conditions allowed it, she was confident she could even operate an aircraft carrier. But sitting on this most primitive medieval mode of transportation, she could only hold onto the neck of the runaway horse like a bear clinging to a tree.

  "Yang Feng! Catch!" Hong Da Hu Zi suddenly shouted, his large stick swinging, not only slapping aside a big soldier who was trying to sneak up on him, but also hitting the polo ball high into the air, flying rapidly in Yang Feng's direction!

  Everyone suddenly turned their horses around and rushed towards Qing Xia and Yang Feng. Qing Xia was held by Yang Feng, with no chance to escape, and could only watch as a large group of people wildly rushed over, kicking up clouds of dust that choked the air, countless clubs smashing down on the two of them with all their might.

  Qing Xia's eyes widened, her pale face turned even whiter. Such brutal training was simply unreasonable. In the midst of danger, she couldn't care less about being afraid of the frenzied warhorse below. With a small grasp, she quickly grabbed the collar of the soldier closest to her, spun around and punched him squarely in the mouth and nose. The man never expected that this seemingly frail little soldier would have such quick reflexes. In an instant, he was knocked off his horse by Qing Xia's punch, and with a loud crash, his armor clattered as he fell to the ground. The warhorse, now without its master, kicked out wildly, sending several other nearby soldiers tumbling to the ground.

  "Xiao Xia! Well done!" A loud shout came from outside the crowd, Hong Dayuan suddenly raised his whip and led a team of soldiers to charge forward frantically.

  Yang Feng wielded a large stick up and down, like a dragon. In an instant, the soldiers near him were beaten to the ground, clearing a path. Yang Feng cracked his whip and shouted loudly, "Xiao Xia, follow me!" The horse's hooves flew swiftly, and in a flash of lightning, they broke through the encirclement. At this moment, the ball had just fallen to the ground.

  The wooden stick swung out instantly, Yang Feng exerted great force to lift it up, and the black horse ball suddenly drew a winding trajectory in mid-air, accurately dropping into the goal frame.

  "Haha! Goal!" The thunderous applause erupted, drowning out Qing Xia's cheers. This was still the first goal of the game, and Hong Dayuan laughed loudly and said: "Yang Feng, you little kid!"

  Qing Xia was overjoyed in an instant, and the tension and fear from earlier vanished into thin air. She hugged the horse's neck with great enthusiasm.

  Yang Feng turned around, gave a slight smile to the crowd, and looked at Qing Xia, who had stuck on a fake beard, tied his forehead tightly, and painted his face black, not looking like himself at all. Yesterday's annoyance flew away.

  "Hey kid! Don't be so smug, let's have a rematch!" someone shouted loudly from the crowd.

  Qing Xia sat on horseback, looking very pleased with himself. He turned his head back and shouted loudly: "Compare? Compare! Afraid of you?"

  "Haha! Right! Let you guys lose until you're convinced!" Hong Dayuan, relying on his seniority in the army, also laughed and scolded: "Yang Feng, bring out your skills, let these turtles take a look!"

  The sky was filled with dust again, Qing Xia followed behind Yang Feng, galloping wildly on horseback, a large stick waving in the air, her small body like a sharp knife inserted into the crowd. Just as the curtain of the central military tent of the Eighteen Schools was slowly lowered, Chu Li stood quietly at the door, saying to Xu Quan, his personal guard behind him: "Go and investigate that person's identity, give me a detailed report tonight."

  "Yes," Xu Quan replied, and then asked in doubt: "Is the one Your Highness is referring to that small Wu Chang who dared to be rude to you yesterday?"

  "En," Chu Li lightly hummed in agreement, then said: "If this person has a clean background, he should be a talented individual. If there's no problem, let's transfer him to the Black Guard."

  Black Guard? Xu Quan's expression changed slightly, and he said in a low voice: "Subordinate obeys orders."

  Chu Li sank into thought for a moment, then spoke again: "And also that small soldier beside him, young and seemingly skilled with his hands, you should investigate him as well."

  "Yes," Xü Quán hastily said: "Yesterday, the secretary reported to me that this little soldier was transferred from the Green Camp Army. The general of the Green Camp Army was transferred to the Northern Frontier, and the temporary organization is a bit chaotic. What's strange is that the Imperial Secretariat hasn't presented his transfer order yet. I'll go and urge them in a few days."

  "Wang Ling has grown old after all, and his work has also become lax. It's time for him to retire." Chu Li said indifferently, her voice carrying a chill that was colder than the ice and snow of winter. "Lin Mu Bai is a man of integrity and handles matters with skill. What's most valuable about him is that he serves the country with no personal motives, not a pioneer, but a talent for maintaining stability, fully capable of taking charge of the document management of the Imperial Secretariat."

  "Yes!" Xú Quán knew that just these few words would establish a new noble family in Southern Chu, and said in a deep voice: "I will take care of this matter. I suppose Wang Taiqing also wants to retire and enjoy his old age."

  Chu Li walked to the side of the long table, sat down, and on the table was a huge map. Chu Li raised one hand, carefully tracing the vast territory on the map, slowly falling into deep thought.

  "Your Highness! The person sent by Princess Dan has been waiting outside for a whole night, isn't it time yet?" Xu Quan said in a low and tentative tone.

  Chu Li's eyebrows rose slightly, her eyes coldly gazing at the personal attendant who had been by her side since childhood. In a chilly tone, she said: "If she doesn't leave now, take some soldiers and break her legs."

  "Yes!" Just one glance, and a cold sweat broke out on Xu Quan's forehead. He had followed Chu Li since he was young, from being a hostage in the state of Qi to returning to Shengdu, where every step was fraught with danger, and now that he held great power and occupied a high position, he still couldn't fathom his master's mind. With caution, he retreated from the gate, gave a few orders to his subordinates, and a soldier quickly led out a warhorse, which Xu Quan mounted swiftly.

  After a while, he arrived at the gate of the military camp and said a few words to a girl in pink palace attire. The girl's face turned pale and she quickly left, and after a while, she returned to the Chu State Imperial Palace.

  The princess leaned back on the beautiful woman's support, wearing a hundred butterfly embroidered golden silk dress, which made her skin as white as snow and her eyebrows and eyes like paintings. After hearing the maid's report, she smiled faintly: "It's not that I concealed it, but the prince didn't want to hear about this woman. It's heaven's will, can't blame others."

  "Sister," said a woman sitting on the warm couch, with a face that was 70-80% similar to Dan Fei's, frowning and speaking cautiously: "If His Highness finds out that we detained the Green Camp military servant who went out to report, I'm afraid he will be furious."

  "Is the dragon's face shaking with rage?" Dan Fei smiled faintly and said in a cold voice, "He doesn't dare to. The 13th prince has deep roots, even if he falls, there is still the Prince of Huainan holding on. Within three years, the politics of South Chu will be unstable, without the support of my Zhu family, this emperor will not be stable. Our lord is a person with a heart for the world, how can he stay forever in this poor and barren land in the south? His eyes are on the north."

  With a crisp sound, she opened up a pomegranate, revealing the crystal-clear fruit inside. Her snow-white fingers were tightly pinched on a bright red pomegranate, and the juice splashed out, but she seemed to be unaware of it. Her eyes coldly stared ahead as she said in a low voice: "Last time, the big fire at Fulu Palace didn't burn this wretch to death. This time, I'll see where she can run!"

  Outside the window, the sun was high in the sky, but under its bright rays, it was the coldest winter day in southern Chu.