Chapter 17: Brothers Fighting Within the Same Room

That night, Jiang Jiang Mingyu stayed overnight in the Eastern Palace; as usual, he slept alone in a guest room, yet tonight sleep was especially difficult, and he remained awake all night.

As soon as he closed his eyes, images flooded his mind: the Crown Prince whispering softly in his ear, and the scenes of helping him remove his green robe and undergarments!

It involuntarily raised goosebumps all over his body.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu did not sleep a wink all night; he never expected the current Crown Prince to be a homosexual!

Fine, if you are a homosexual, that's one thing, but why the hell are you setting your sights on me? I am a steel-straight man!

Yet the Emperor's grace is vast; if he does not comply, he will likely lose his power, or even his life. But if he does comply, how can he ever face the elders of Jiangdong again? Now he is truly riding a tiger and unable to dismount.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu decided to first play the fool, doing his best to make excuses, delay, and find reasons to avoid the situation; if all else failed, he would have to seek help from Prime Minister He.

Alas, my strength is still insufficient; if I were a powerful minister, the Crown Prince would surely think twice before acting. For now, I can only take one step and see what comes next...

Early the next morning, before dawn, the Crown Prince, accompanied by the Crown Princess, entered the palace to pay respects to the Emperor; traveling with them was half a cart full of Mopan Mopan Xungu mushrooms.

Each was packed in a brocade box, one mushroom per box, stacked into a small mountain.

The Imperial Palace sits right next to the Eastern Palace, separated by only two walls; if one takes the inner imperial road, passing through two gates, one arrives immediately.

The Crown Prince and his wife were gone and returned in no more than half an hour.

After returning to the Eastern Palace, under the service of the eunuchs, the Crown Prince quickly changed into armor.

Fish-scale armor plates overlapped, a heart-protecting mirror guarded vital points, a hat-shaped helmet blocked out the sky, a long sword hung at his waist; clad in silver armor and a golden helmet, he shone brilliantly!

Once mounted on his exclusive steed, the white Hanxue Treasure Horse, his vigorous and heroic appearance instantly made Jiang Jiang Mingyu feel admiration and submission.

The Hanxue Treasure Horse reared and galloped on its two hooves; the Crown Prince waved his long sword as if he could sever heaven and earth. That straight back, those broad shoulders, displayed the bearing and heroic spirit of an emperor.

The Crown Prince's figure, galloping with joy, possessed the aura of a hegemon while subtly hinting at the elegance of a scholar.

It held both the boldness of laughing at the world and the sigh of a life filled with sorrow.

In that moment, Jiang Jiang Mingyu seemed to understand why so many people were willing to follow the Crown Prince, swearing to serve him unto death.

It turns out that a person like the Crown Prince was born to possess the Jiangshan and loyal ministers, and deserved to achieve great deeds.

Alas, if only the Crown Prince would stop setting his sights on me, Jiang Jiang Mingyu murmured to himself.

The Crown Princess led the Eastern Palace maids and eunuchs, kneeling on the ground to respectfully see off the Crown Prince.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, a mere civil official without armor, wore only his green court robe and black gauze cap; after mounting his horse, he left the Eastern Palace with the Crown Prince's guard, heading east, exiting the inner city, passing through the Green Dragon Gate, and soon arriving at the Left Guard Command Office in the eastern suburbs of the outer city.

At this time, on the parade ground within the office, three hundred fully armored soldiers, holding tower shields and long spears, were already training.

They formed pairs: one holding a spear, one holding a shield, engaging in close combat with another pair of the same formation, attacking and defending against each other.

Standing on the command platform of the parade ground, supervising the training, the Commander of the Foot Army—General Du Gu Qiubai—upon seeing the Crown Prince arrive, gave a single order; instantly, all three hundred armored soldiers ceased combat and quickly reformed their ranks. Soon, three neat and uniform square formations stood arranged before the command platform.

The Crown Prince, riding the Hanxue Treasure Horse, slowly approached the parade ground. A gust of wind blew, causing the Crown Prince's purple-gold crown tassels and cape to flutter, making him appear exceptionally heroic.

The Crown Prince surveyed the parade ground; the three hundred fierce warriors stood like statues against the wind, their postures straight, their expressions stern, their momentum overwhelming.

General Du Gu Qiubai was also clad in full armor, and even heavier; as he walked, it clinked and clattered, with the sound of metal plates colliding ringing out from time to time.

According to military custom, because General Du Gu Qiubai was wearing armor, he was exempt from the grand salute; he merely clasped his hands and bowed to the Crown Prince, counting that as his greeting.

After paying his respects, General Du Gu Qiubai respectfully invited the Crown Prince to inspect the troops.

The Crown Prince and his entourage walked slowly to the front of the square formations; the soldiers shouted together: "Respectfully welcoming Your Highness to inspect!" The volume of their voices was enough to deafen the ears.

The three hundred fierce warriors raised their long spears and tower shields, saluting the Crown Prince in perfect unison.

The Crown Prince smiled slightly, inwardly marveling greatly.

His Longyang Army truly lived up to its reputation; training such a strong and powerful force was no easy feat.

The Crown Prince waved his hand to signal that the formation could disband; the three hundred fierce warriors immediately put down their weapons, performed the grand salute to the Crown Prince in perfect unison, and then dispersed to resume their individual training.

While the Crown Prince inspected the troops, Jiang Jiang Mingyu followed behind him.

On this scorching hot day when the autumn tiger roared, every soldier on the parade ground was drenched in sweat and panting heavily; even the Crown Prince, clad in full armor, was already sweating profusely after walking only a few steps.

In contrast, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, dressed in light summer clothing, appeared much more relaxed.

"How much longer must the troops train?" the Crown Prince asked.

"Replying to Your Highness, less than half an hour remains; this morning's drill can conclude shortly," General Du Gu Qiubai replied respectfully.

"Very good..."

The Crown Prince then gave instructions: "Since Lord Jiang has rarely accompanied this Prince to inspect the Left Guard Command Office today, you shall have them perform the 'Five Elements Mandarin Duck Formation' for Lord Jiang to broaden his horizons."

"This subordinate receives the order!"

General Du Gu Qiubai immediately turned around and ordered the three hundred armored soldiers below: "All troops, change weapons to the Five Elements Mandarin Duck Formation equipment now, begin!" Upon hearing the order, the three hundred armored soldiers below quickly, accurately, and methodically changed their weapons.

The weapons of the Mandarin Duck Formation were relatively complex, including tridents, wolf-brooms, rattan shields, and long spears; furthermore, the formation differed greatly from the previous grouping; this time, it was five men per group, ten men per squad.

Behind one rattan shield soldier followed two spear soldiers, one trident soldier, and one wolf-broom soldier; these five formed a unit, which was then paired with another five to form a squad.

Because the weapons were diverse, the tactics flexible, and two units formed a squad supporting each other from flanking positions, it was called: the Five Elements Mandarin Duck Formation.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, who knew nothing about military affairs, watched the three hundred armored soldiers on the parade ground brandishing shields and spears, jumping and dancing for a long time; he only knew what they were doing, not why. Meanwhile, the Crown Prince and General Du Gu Qiubai standing beside him were critiquing and pointing things out, talking and laughing.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu reached out and touched the old scar on his chest; recalling the memory of being stabbed by the Crown Prince's spear last year, his heart trembled! He prayed silently: Oh my God, please do not make me go down and duel anyone later!

Half an hour later, General Du Gu Qiubai gave the order: "Drill session over." Then the entire army began moving toward Wangshitang.

Under General Du Gu Qiubai's lead, the Crown Prince, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and their entourage arrived together at Wangshitang; today's lunch would be eaten within the Left Guard Command Office.

The troops' rations were relatively rough and could not compare to those of the Eastern Palace.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sat alone at a Shangshan Shangshan Jian table; two armored soldiers successively brought two pieces of baked flatbread, a bowl of meat soup, and a large jug of cloudy wine.

Shortly after, Xiao Chengzi, who had accompanied them, came over.

He pulled a gourd-shaped jar from his sleeve and introduced it: "Lord Jiang, this is Hu Jiao salt; it can make the flatbread and soup more flavorful!" Having spoken, he sprinkled several pinches of Hu Jiao salt into Jiang Jiang Mingyu's meat soup and flatbread himself.

Halfway through the meal, Jiang Jiang Mingyu began to feel an unbearable heat; he involuntarily pulled open his collar to let air in and dissipate the heat.

He looked at the group of armored soldiers before him, who had not yet removed their armor; how could they possibly eat a meal like this?

But looking up, he saw that the armored soldiers in Wangshitang were talking and laughing, eating flatbread in large bites and drinking wine in large gulps, showing no sign of unbearable heat at all.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu turned his head and glanced at the Crown Prince again; at this moment, the Crown Prince was also looking at him, with an indescribable smile on his face!

As if expecting something.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu thought: Not good, could it be... the pepper salt Xiao Chengzi added to my food just now was a trick!

Thinking this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately put down the half-eaten flatbread, and dared not touch that bowl of meat soup again, drinking only from that pot of cloudy wine.

After the armored soldiers had eaten nearly enough, General Du Gu Qiubai suddenly gave the order: "Troops, all attention! Remove armor!"

Upon hearing the order, the armored soldiers, with lightning speed, swiftly stripped off every single piece of their armor, cloth garments, leg bindings, and wrist guards! Three hundred armored soldiers instantly became three hundred bare-chested big men, all gathered inside the canteen!

Jiang Jiang Mingyu hadn't even had time to figure out which play they were putting on this time.

Nearby, Xiao Chengzi was already helping the Crown Prince remove his armor; in a short while, the Crown Prince also sat shirtless at the Shangshan Shangshan Jian, his face still wearing an expression of spring breeze and success!

The Crown Prince: "Why is my lord still wearing clothes?" The words had barely left his lips when Xiao Chengzi had already walked behind Jiang Jiang Mingyu, preparing to help him undress!

At this moment, General Du Gu Qiubai walked over, grabbed Xiao Chengzi's right hand, and said: "Xiao Chengzi, come help this old man remove his armor first; my age makes my hands and feet unsteady."

Having spoken, he forcefully pulled Xiao Chengzi's hand, took a swift step, and led him away to the inner hall.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, like a stunned cat, watched Xiao Chengzi disappear from his sight; snapping back to reality, he locked eyes with the Crown Prince again.

"Aren't you hot?" the Crown Prince asked.

"N... not hot."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, speaking slightly stutteringly, said: "I am from the south; at this moment... for me, it is still quite cool!"

The Crown Prince nodded, said no more, took another sip of wine, then turned to the deputy general "Sen Lang" and ordered: "Let the soldiers have some fun."

After Sen Lang gave the command: "Tong Shi Cao Ge!", inside the canteen, all the soldiers cheered in unison, immediately pairing up two by two, facing each other and taking their stances!

In an instant, inside the canteen, between the big men, muscles bulged, and raw power exploded between arms and chests.

The two sides grappled in pairs, strength and technique blending; the chaos of the scene surpassed even that of a battlefield.

The momentum of three hundred people was like booming thunder, deafening; sweat intertwined like a gushing spring, nourishing the strength and beauty of the contest.

Beneath skin like copper and iron, blood vessels pounded, and hot blood boiled.

They seemed to have forgotten life and death, caring only for victory or defeat before them; only this brief and fierce contest could accelerate the heartbeat, surge the hot blood, representing the ultimate embodiment of lofty ambition for a human being.

Victory alternated between the two sides, indistinguishable, seeking only, amidst the frenzy, the extreme ecstasy that drives body and mind mad.

Three hundred big men stirred up a storm, creating waves within this narrow space, merging into one, splashing up an endless rain of hot blood.

The canteen was filled with an absurd atmosphere.

A day originally of serious military life now appeared especially bizarre.

The three hundred tough men seemed to have forgotten their identities, focusing solely on indulging in pleasure, chasing after that feather-light, fleeting joy.

【86】 The three hundred tough men seemed to have forgotten their identities, wanting only to indulge in pleasure, chasing that joy as light as a feather, fleeting in an instant.

This scene, seen in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes, was both absurd and abrupt!

Even though Jiang Jiang Mingyu had transmigrated, right now those three hundred tough men, like beasts, were constantly crashing against his cognition; at this moment, his values, worldview, and outlook on life—these three views—were rapidly collapsing!

Only now did Jiang Jiang Mingyu realize that the "Ge" in the deputy general's phrase "Tong Shi Cao Ge" was not that "Ge" (halberd); it should be "Tong Shi Cao 'Ge'" (brother)!