Chapter 167: The Small Contest

The Anqing Guard's Dajiaochang parade ground blazed under the high sun overhead. Though it lay near the river, not a breath of cool river breeze could be felt — the stifling, humid summer had arrived. All around, the drone of cicadas grated on the nerves even more.

Wu Dacai blinked hard a few times, using the motion of his eyelids to slightly shift the path of a drop of sweat sliding down from his forehead, sending it trickling along the bridge of his nose.

But more sweat still covered his forehead, and the short white tunic on his body was already completely soaked through. After the three-li morning run during dawn drill came half a shichen of long-spear practice. Every day, long-spear training consisted of six rounds of thrusting, fifty thrusts per round — five rounds against straw men, one round against wooden men. In the morning they had to complete three rounds of thrusting, leaving his arms sore and aching from the exertion.

After long-spear practice, they drank water and rested briefly, then came another chaotic session of formation drill. Only those who passed the formation drill were granted a quarter-shichen rest.

Unsurprisingly, none of the six squads got any rest. It turned into a quarter-shichen of standing-at-attention drill — a training that had once been unbearably tedious, yet now felt like the easiest thing of all. This was still only the morning, but Wu Dacai already felt his strength giving out.

In his first few days at Dajiaochang, Wu Dacai had still felt some excitement. The Seal-holding Commander of Anqing Guard had cleared the parade ground in just two days. There had been a row of shopfronts along the south side by the street — he heard that Lord Pang had specially permitted them not to be torn down — but those bamboo and timber merchants, having no place to store their stock, had already been moving one after another to West of the City. The areas where bamboo and timber had once been stored were all cleared out. This parade ground had originally been designed for sixteen hundred men; though some parts were still encroached upon, it was enough for five hundred men to use.

As the training intensity grew greater and greater, and the weather hotter and hotter, the hardship of training proved no less than farming. That initial excitement had long since vanished without a trace.

In that brief moment of distraction, a large drop of sweat suddenly rolled down from his forehead. Wu Dacai had no time to adjust, and the entire drop ran into his eye. A sharp sting shot through him, but his hands dared not rise to rub it. He could only blink incessantly, his eyes welling with tears.

From the position of the Third Hundred-Company Commander's Bureau ahead to the right came a thud as a figure collapsed. Two hired farmers emerged from the shade of the trees, dragged the fainted man back under the trees, and gave him water while fanning him.

Wu Dacai wished he could faint too and get some rest, but he knew that although it would bring a moment's ease, it would be recorded in the books. Just today, one man who frequently fainted had been dismissed. That man was now kneeling outside the camp gate, but Lord Pang had clearly declared that those eliminated would not be taken back.

The two taels of silver each month were vital to Wu Dacai's whole family. What infuriated him was how many people came to compete for it. Lord Pang had posted recruitment notices at the camp gate, the city gate, and the ferry crossing. More and more refugees fleeing from Qianshan, Susong, Taihu, and other places arrived every day. Business at the ferry crossing was poor, so the boatmen, porters, and trackers coming to enlist were also increasing. There were already more than five hundred men on the parade ground, yet new arrivals still came every day for assessment, right there in the southeast corner. All the soldiers in training could see it, and everyone feared someone would snatch their rice bowl away. So no matter how unbearable it got, Wu Dacai could only endure.

A group of men came from the southeast corner to the center of the parade ground, followed by several men from the First Bureau carrying a pile of armor over.

Wu Dacai knew they were about to select new recruits. Every time, those who passed the initial screening would train for three days — not even studying military law, only practicing with weapons. After three days, they would take the field for a contest. Only those who passed could enter the camp and fill the squads. Getting into the camp was far harder now than before.

Among those twenty-odd new recruits, five men began donning armor. This kind of chain mail was the only five sets the Anqing Garrison Command possessed. To prevent serious injury, they had to wear a layer of cotton armor over the outside. With the addition of a rattan shield and wooden sword, these new recruits carried a load of at least forty-odd jin.

At that moment, Yao Dongshan strode over to the First Squad, called over the squad leader, and said loudly, "Today's assessment of the new long spearmen will be provided by our bureau. Pick two men to go."

The squad leader acknowledged the order, came back and scanned the ranks, then pointed at Dong Mingyuan and said, "Dong Mingyuan, step forward."

Dong Mingyuan stepped out in silence. Testing new recruits was no good job. If by any chance a new recruit defeated you, not only would you lose face in public, it would also be recorded in the books, and you would most likely be rated as Inferior. But Dong Mingyuan had no choice. Because Yao Dongshan had not avoided the others back then, everyone in the squad now knew his history. They all understood that the Centurion had no regard for this man, so naturally the squad leader would show him no courtesy either. Whatever jobs others were unwilling to do all fell on his head.

The squad leader looked over the ranks again and pointed at Wu Dacai. "You, step forward."

Wu Dacai cursed his luck inwardly. Now the squad leader seemed to be singling him out a bit too — he wondered if it was because he was too close to Dong Mingyuan. The two exchanged a glance, and in silence removed the sandbags strapped to their limbs. Instantly, a wave of lightness washed over their bodies. No one knew whose wretched idea these sandbags were — they had to be worn during all drills.

The two went to the southeast corner and put on black smocks, then strapped a vest-shaped wooden board onto their bodies, mainly to protect the vital areas of the chest and abdomen. After that, they went to the weapons rack and took practice long spears. The spearheads were made of wood and wrapped in a layer of cotton cloth, their weight essentially the same as real long spears.

According to Lord Pang's organization, the garrison battalion's basic troop types were only Long Spear and Sword and Shield — eight long spearmen and two sword-and-shield men, with only the squad leader using a flag spear. Whether recruiting long spearmen or sword-and-shield men, veteran long-spear fighters were always brought in for paired practice.

Listlessly, Wu Dacai inverted his long spear and rolled the spearhead around in a tray of ash. After shaking off the excess white ash, he returned to the field. He swept his eyes around — the First Bureau had selected five men in total, and all their faces looked tense.

The camp-entry selections were all one-on-one. Pang Ding, who was in charge of recruitment, was currently boosting the morale of those new recruits.

Yao Dongshan was also rallying the veterans on his own side. Lowering his voice, he said, "Today's picks are all sword-and-shield new recruits. If one thrust doesn't hit, brace against his shield. Don't let them get close — the moment that wooden sword touches you, you've lost. Several hundred men are watching. Don't you fucking embarrass me. How you fight, that damned clerk will record it all. I don't know how many points get deducted, but an Inferior rating is clear enough. And it'll drag down my rating too. Whoever loses badly, I'll punish him by making him wash clothes for the whole squad for a month."

Wu Dacai hurriedly nodded, his heart growing even more worried. An Inferior rating meant elimination at any time. He stole a glance across the field. The new recruit opposite him was lean and dark, with high cheekbones. The left side of his face was sunken in, asymmetrical with the right. Once you had seen that face, you would never forget it.

The man had already donned his armor and was now lifting the rattan shield in his hand. The shield was three chi in diameter and weighed nine jin, yet he seemed to lift it with ease. He glanced toward Wu Dacai, his gaze cold and fierce. Wu Dacai gulped audibly. This man did not look easy to deal with.

He had heard that many of the recent arrivals were River Bandits and Mine Bandits — the very people the Anqing Guard had once been specifically tasked to guard against. Now, with a quick change of clothes, they were all about to become government troops.

A roll of drums sounded from the General Command Platform. Yao Dongshan and Pang Ding both withdrew. Jiang Guoyong came to the center and briefly outlined the rules: if the sword-and-shield man got his body against the spearman, he won; if the long spear scored a hit, the spearman won. Finally, he added a few words of encouragement to the new recruits.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes around them watched the center. Wu Dacai felt an indescribable misery. For the first time, he regretted coming to be a grunts.

The sword-and-shield new recruit across from him swung the rattan shield in his hand a few times, looking eager and ready, showing not the slightest trace of nervousness.

Beside him, Dong Mingyuan suddenly said in a low voice, "Whoever ends up in the same Squad of Five as that bastard across the way is in for terrible luck."

Without shifting his gaze, Wu Dacai replied, "Why?"

"Have you forgotten the military law? If a sword-and-shield man dies in battle and his Squad of Five achieves no Meritorious Service, the entire squad is beheaded without exception."

"What the hell kind of military law is that?" Wu Dacai felt like covering his face. Meritorious Service was defined as breaking the enemy formation, capturing the flag, or killing a general — those who could achieve such merit would probably not survive anyway. So the entire Squad of Five was forced to rescue the sword-and-shield man at all times. Whoever shared a Squad of Five with such a combative sword-and-shield man would indeed bear far greater risk.

The second roll of drums sounded from the platform. A blue square banner emerged from the General Command Platform — this was the Inspection Flag. Beneath the flag was none other than Lord Pang, followed by today's duty officer, the Centurion of the Second Squad, Wang Zenglu.

Pang Yu held a triangular command flag in his hand and stood at the head of all the formations. The third roll of drums sounded.

Pang Yu pointed the triangular command flag at the Sixth Bureau, which was passing by.

"Kill!"

The Sixth Bureau roared in unison, every man shouting as if he wanted to tear his throat apart. This was an indispensable daily item on the parade ground, called the "Shout Comparison." They had to shout no fewer than seven or eight times a day. Those who shouted well and those who shouted poorly were both recorded in the merits and demerits ledger. Once a month, there was a merits-and-demerits comparison used to rate each Hundred-Company Commander's Bureau.

As the Inspection Flag advanced, each bureau roared in turn, and the atmosphere on the parade ground shifted palpably.

When the Inspection Flag returned to the General Command Platform, Pang Yu stood beneath the Garrison Commander's banner. A bugle sounded below the platform.

In the center, Jiang Guoyong bellowed, "Sword-and-Shield Soldiers! Advance slowly with shields raised!"

The big drum beside them beat out a rhythm. The group of sword-and-shield new recruits lifted their shields and advanced at a slow pace. Several Centurions observed from the front, checking whether their shields provided complete cover. This was the fundamental requirement for sword-and-shield men — only those whose cover was complete could even begin to discuss anything else.

As the drumbeats grew faster and faster, the sword-and-shield new recruits' footwork began to fall into disarray. It was clear that these new recruits had rarely experienced being watched by so many eyes; their movements were all somewhat distorted.

Wu Dacai kept his attention on that opponent. By position, it was definitely that man he would face. The man's head was above the rim of the shield, and that asymmetrical face was very striking.

"Sword-and-Shield Soldiers! Withdraw with shields raised!"

The group of sword-and-shield men retreated backward. Even from Wu Dacai's position, he could see gaps opening up in some of their coverage. Yet when the drumbeats stopped, no one was eliminated.

Jiang Guoyong shouted loudly, "Military law is set. On the battlefield, no man has a path of retreat. To tolerate unskilled martial arts in peacetime is to make an enemy of your own life. Lord Pang's camp does not tolerate the timid or the unskilled. Today we recruit new sword-and-shield men into the camp, and so we hold a small contest, selecting the best to enter the Lord's camp. New recruits and veterans alike, exert yourselves! First group, take the field!"

Wu Dacai took two breaths, fastened his helmet onto his head, and carried the one-zhang-two-chi long spear to the center.

Sure enough, that Wai Lian stood across from him. Wu Dacai could see the sweat covering his face. Wearing cotton armor in such hot weather, even without sleeves, was miserable enough.

The surrounding gazes still made Wu Dacai somewhat flustered. He swallowed and tried his best not to look at those people. Jiang Guoyong stepped back, clearing the space for combat.

Wu Dacai leveled his long spear, aiming it at the sword-and-shield man. The long spears they used were made of old bamboo, extremely hard. The spearhead weighed only five taels — a very light and handy weight — so the spear could be gripped at the very end of the shaft, following the Yang Family spear technique.

The sword-and-shield man across from him raised his shield. Wu Dacai stared at the center of that shield. A rattan shield was high in the middle and low at the edges, shaped like a pot lid, but the outer rim curved upward to deflect arrows sliding along the shield's arc from slipping into the sides and wounding the bearer.

That Wai Lian's head was above the upper rim of the shield. He was half a head shorter than Wu Dacai and not as burly, but he showed not the slightest fear. His feet bounced lightly, his fierce eyes fixed on Wu Dacai, the very picture of belligerence.

Wu Dacai held a complete advantage in height and weight, and his weapon was longer too, yet deep down he felt a hollow unease, as if his one-zhang-two-chi long spear might not be enough to stop this man.

At that moment, a drum roll sounded. Before the drumbeats had even faded, Wai Lian, shielding his body with his round shield, swiftly lunged toward Wu Dacai.

Startled, Wu Dacai thrust his long spear out at flying speed. Wu Dacai had served as an examiner against sword-and-shield men once before. Some new recruits, the moment they saw the spearhead coming, would immediately flail their rattan shields wildly to parry — that was caused by cowardice.

His opponent, however, did not retreat in the slightest. As the spearhead struck the round shield with a thud, the white ash on the spearhead burst into the air. The shield took the thrust head-on, then immediately swung to the left.

The rattan shield swung aside, and Wai Lian reappeared in the ash-clouded line of sight. Wu Dacai's spearhead had gone wide. Panic rising in his heart, he hurriedly pulled back his spear to prepare the next thrust. Wai Lian took a great stride forward, rushing in along with the withdrawing spearhead, faster than Wu Dacai could retract it.

With his rattan shield forward and the ash-stained wooden sword raised, a combative, fierce light flashing in his eyes, Wai Lian hurtled swiftly toward Wu Dacai's black tunic.