Chapter 5, Comparison with Arrows (Part 1)

"There is no certainty, it is merely a matter of luck." Di Su said while kissing the arrow feathers repeatedly, "If luck is on our side and we hit the target, we will be rewarded with as many as five gold cakes."

The person laughed and said, "Look, even Meng Tang can't recognize me, yet he still remembers your voice"

Li Gan readied the crossbow, holding it in his left hand while his right hand hooked the trigger. He aimed at the mountain ahead, and with a click, the bolt was swiftly released

"Houses in the capital are quite expensive; where could one possibly afford ten gold ingots?" Zhao Zhongwen said with a smile

Di Su also excitedly interjected, "I would save up and choose a nice house to live in the capital."

Ziqing naturally said after taking a sip of water while looking up

Report to the General, thirty.

Di Su meticulously refined the arrow feathers, carefully examining them under the sun, leaving no stray hairs unattended. Zhao Zhongwen was polishing the arrowheads, striving to make them smooth and sharp.

Yi Ye looked at her for a moment, smiling helplessly. Next to him, Xu Datie heard this and muttered to himself: "Then I will give it to my mother, and also to my younger sister."

In the fourth row, a soldier took his place and hit the target, descending with great joy and excitement

The current Emperor has appointed Huo Qubing as the General of the Cavalry, commanding troops for training. This move has caused discontent among many in the court, especially among the military generals. Although Huo Qubing led eight hundred elite cavalry last year to capture two thousand and twenty-eight enemy soldiers, earning the favor of the Chancellor and achieving significant victories, including the beheading of the Xiongnu's great-grandfather and the capture of the enemy general, his bravery is often regarded as mere luck by most, attributing it to coincidence. This time, Li Gan has come to the army under the pretext of transporting crossbows, which is actually the intention of General Li Guang, who wishes to observe how this evidently overly young general trains his troops. However, most still believe that his previous success was merely a stroke of luck, purely coincidental.

"Hardware biscuit! The large one or the small one?"

In terms of age, Li Gan is slightly older than Huo Qubing by two years. Although his words are extremely polite, there is a hint of mockery in his eyes. Knowing that he is also intentionally testing him, Li Gan, by nature benevolent, does not take offense. He slightly cupped his hands to the crowd and then took the six-stone red crossbow from Huo Qubing's hands, along with the crossbow bolts.

Huo Qubing clapped his hands in praise and said: "What a precise shot, indeed a tiger father begets no dog son"

Li Gan set down his crossbow, turned around, and humbly shook his head with a smile, saying: "My father is capable of using a ten-stone crossbow, while I can only manage a mere six-stone crossbow. I have already brought shame to my father."

Yi Ye looked at the target in front of him, which had been hit by a hundred arrows without a single mark, and imagined it replaced by a stick of incense. He was momentarily speechless and after a long pause, finally asked: "Do you have any confidence?"

The soldiers in the third row took their positions, but no one hit the target

The person is quite small, yet their tone is rather grand! Zhao Zhongwen chuckled and shook his head

Huo Qubing set down the crossbow, turned around, and went to retrieve the six-stone red crossbow. Raising his eyes, he happened to see Li Gan, and then smiled at the soldiers, saying: "Everyone, please hold on... This is Li Gan, the son of General Li Guang. Today, I have specially invited him to demonstrate his skills for you all. You should pay close attention and learn well!"

Of course, it is the smaller one

So far away..." Yi Ye squinted his eyes at the flickering incense head. In the night, the incense head appeared as a tiny point, making the distance seem even more remote. "This is too difficult!"

Huo Qubing held a drawn crossbow in his hand, clearly having tested several bolts, yet his expression revealed neither satisfaction nor dissatisfaction. Beside him, a dozen soldiers were also testing the drawn crossbows. Li Gan glanced at the wooden target, noting that about fifty percent of the shots had hit the bullseye, a performance that could be considered quite impressive, which was something Li Gan had not anticipated before.

Have you really obtained the gold ingot

In the fifth row, the soldiers took their positions, and Zhao Zhongwen was also among them. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting in silence, when suddenly they heard someone chuckle from the side of the training ground, followed by the words: "Forget it, I should have known better than to come here and let you see the joke."

Is there anyone in our army who has hit the target

Yi Ye shot the entire quiver of arrows, yet not a single arrow struck the target. He smiled in response to the jeers around him, then sat down, leaning against Xu Datie's back, watching Zhao Zhongwen and Di Su busy at work. Looking around, he noticed that there were quite a few others doing the same with their arrows, while another group was occupied with their bows.

If one can hit the target while riding a horse, a reward of ten gold cakes will be given Zhao Zhongwen added as he turned his head

You are my brother, so it is only natural that I give it to you

"Qing'er, if you hit the target and win ten gold cakes, how do you plan to spend them?" During a break, Yi Ye asked her with great interest.

Huo Qubing shrugged without speaking, waved his hand to signal the soldiers to continue their training, and then turned to Li Gan and said: "By the way, in our army, Meng Tang is an old subordinate of your father, and his archery skills are exceptional. Do you recognize him?"

No

Oh. Ziqing put down the arrows and organized them into their respective quivers

Zi Qing thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "I don't know, just take it."

Well

Another voice said: "Shooting in the dark is inherently difficult, even more so than hitting a target a hundred paces away. To achieve it among a hundred people is already a challenge."

Yi Ye laughed for a while, then bent down to the ground, intensifying his arm strength training, as if he suddenly had something to look forward to. However, Zi Qing remained the same as before, practicing archery in the same manner, yet consistently missing the target.

Huo Qubing smiled and said: "Just in time, today is the archery assessment at the Zhenwu Camp. Since you and Meng Tang are old acquaintances, why not join me after your meal to take a look?"

Montang discerned the sound and turned his gaze in that direction, asking in surprise, "Third Young Master?"

Although Huo Qubing was young, his military rank was higher than his own, and Li Gan nodded in acceptance of the order

Is the assessment very difficult? Why is everyone so anxious? Yi Ye was puzzled. Although the archery assessment was in the afternoon, both Zhao Zhongwen and Di Su were quite skilled in archery, and passing the assessment should be a piece of cake, completely unnecessary to be this tense

Hmm? Just one arrow can provide food for a year, where can one find such a good thing! Yi Ye couldn't help but feel a bit delighted, "I only learned today that there are such good things in the military."

"Even if it's small, five gold biscuits are quite good!" Yi Ye's eyes sparkled; this reward was indeed generous. Just then, Ziqing returned with a large stack of arrows, and he hurriedly said to her: "Qing'er, Qing'er, do you know that besides the afternoon assessment, there is another one at night, and those who hit the target can receive five gold biscuits"

If it were an ordinary person, even with the strength of 6 stones, they would have to brace the crossbow against their waist and pull the string with both hands. However, Li Gan merely rested the crossbow on his left shoulder and, using only his right hand, pulled the string back to the notch. This act alone elicited gasps of astonishment from the soldiers around him

The soldiers in the second row took their positions, yet still no one was able to hit the target

The incense has been lit, its end flickering in the darkness of the night. A row of soldiers stands at the other end of the training ground, the night wind sweeping through them, the firelight reflecting in their shining eyes, silent as crows and sparrows.

Before coming here, Li Gan had only met Huo Qubing twice in Chang'an, and they had not conversed. He was well aware that Huo Qubing, as the nephew of Empress Wei Zifu and General Wei Qing, held an extraordinarily noble status, and being exceptionally brave and favored by the Emperor, he presumed that Huo Qubing would likely have a high opinion of himself. Therefore, he had prepared himself to be sent back immediately after delivering the crossbow equipment, but he did not expect Huo Qubing to take the initiative to invite him to the Zhenwu Camp.

As he spoke, Li Gan stepped forward, lifted Meng Tang, and greeted him with a smile, saying: "Brother Meng."

Quickly think of something

Of course! Zhao Zhongwen's eyes revealed an unmistakable anticipation, "... if I could also hit the target, I could buy a cow when I return home, and I could also renovate the house."

The wooden target he aimed at was nearly 300 paces away, differing from the 200-pace target used by the soldiers before. To the naked eye, the red dot at the center of the target was almost imperceptible, yet one could only hear the sound of the crossbow bolt hitting the target, having already struck the bullseye.

Oh? Five gold cakes! That is enough for our family to eat for a year

Give me

Zi Qing was taken aback for a moment and shook his head, saying: "I don't know."

Zhao Zhongwen and Di Su stood quietly in the line, holding their bows; Yi Ye, Zi Qing, and Xu Datie were among the onlookers in the crowd. During the afternoon assessment, all three of them were deemed unqualified, and therefore had no eligibility to participate.

Of course there is

As night falls, on the parade ground of Zhenwu Camp

He is currently a cavalry lieutenant in the Zhenwu Camp...'' Huo Qubing seemed to recall something and asked Zhao Ponu beside him, ``What is today's date?''

Di Su was not discouraged and thought to himself: "Indeed, why should I buy one for myself? In the future, when I achieve great merit, the Emperor will naturally grant me a residence."

Zhao Zhongwen laughed heartily as he put his arm around Di Su's shoulder, then shook Xu Datie, saying, "We must remember this clearly, no matter what we say." Xu Datie followed suit with a silly laugh.

"When the time comes, you all can stay at my house," Di Su said, shaking his head proudly. "I will specifically assign someone to attend to you and wash your feet; you just need to sit back and relax, without even having to pour the water yourselves. I guarantee you will be taken care of comfortably." Throughout the day, Di Su felt the most comfortable moment was when he washed his feet every night before going to bed. Unfortunately, he still had to pour the foot-washing water himself. In his view, the greatest enjoyment for the wealthy was having someone to attend to them while washing their feet.

Li Gan smiled faintly: "I recognize him." Of course, he recognized him; half a year ago, Huo Qubing had taken Meng Tang away, and his father had indeed been furious for several days, which had caused him no small amount of trouble.

Everyone laughs

Upon hearing this voice, Montang felt a chill run down his spine. He quickly leaped down from the high platform, parted the crowd, and knelt on one knee to pay his respects: "I, a humble servant, did not know that the general had arrived, and I have been remiss in my duties. I hope to be forgiven for my offense."

Montang leaped onto the high platform with great strides, his gaze sharp and swiftly surveying the soldiers before he spoke: "As per the old rules, draw your bows outside the line. Those who hit the target will be rewarded with five gold pieces, and those who hit while on horseback will receive ten gold pieces. Let us begin..."

Zi Qing paused for a moment, raised her eyes to look at him, wanting to say something but hesitating, ultimately not speaking out, and lowered her head again to arrange the arrows.

"What does the afternoon assessment count for? The real challenge is tonight!" Disi glared at him, "From a hundred paces away, you only need to light a stick of incense, but you must hit the tip of the incense. Do you think that is difficult?"

Huo Qubing waved his hand nonchalantly: "Get up... this person you know, I need not introduce him to you again."

The soldiers in the front row had already drawn their bows and nocked their arrows, whoosh, whoosh, a row of arrows shot out... Zi Qing focused his gaze, and the row of incense heads that served as targets remained unchanged, none extinguished

Zi Qing made a sound of "hm" but did not respond further

Xu Datie murmured softly: "I really don't understand the point of shooting this; it would be better to catch two birds, at least we could roast and eat them"