Chapter 7: The Development of a Murderer

Moreover, martial arts require a significant amount of time and effort to practice; as the saying goes, ten minutes on the battlefield equates to ten years of training off the field. Today, Chen Dexing can act as a ruthless killer on the battlefield, which is the result of over a decade of hard training. From a young age, he has devoted himself solely to martial arts and the study of military texts, never engaging in productive labor, embodying the very essence of a bourgeois young master. It is exceedingly difficult for farmers, who toil day in and day out and barely manage to have a full meal throughout the year, to develop formidable skills for the battlefield. This is also one reason why agrarian societies struggle to cultivate and maintain strong military power. In contrast, nomadic peoples, whose livelihoods are closely tied to military activities and the use of bows and horses, find it much easier to develop powerful martial capabilities. Once these agrarian societies, which have the potential to produce weapons and food in abundance, lose their territory, it becomes quite easy for them to rapidly form a strong combat capability.

There is an ancient saying in China: "The poor can cultivate literature while the rich can cultivate martial skills." This means that the impoverished can study literature, endure hardships such as hanging from beams or pricking their bones with needles, carve holes to let in light, and catch fireflies to read at night in a small gauze bag. Although the poor often cannot achieve fame through their studies, they can still learn. However, martial training must be pursued by the wealthy. This martial training is not like that found in martial arts novels, nor is it akin to street performances. Rather, it involves learning the art of warfare, including horsemanship, archery, various pole weapons, and military strategy from books. The expenses of raising horses and acquiring various equipment are simply beyond the means of an ordinary farming household.

Indeed, it is perverse! Chen Dexing's mind is filled with too many images that can be associated with perversion! ... Of course, not the kind of images involving Japanese women being tied up with ropes, but rather scenes of slaughtering various animals ...! ... First, it was killing cats and dogs; at that time, Chen Dexing was merely five or six years old! Then came the slaughtering of pigs, just like killing a person now, using a large knife to chop off the pig's head while it was still alive! At that time, Chen Dexing was only thirteen or fourteen years old! And the one who turned Chen Dexing into such a pervert was none other than his biological father, Chen Huaqing—an old pervert who, apart from not having a red face, looked quite similar to Guan Yu! Then came the slaughtering of pigs, just like killing a person now, using a large knife to chop off the pig's head while it was still alive! At that time, Chen Dexing was only thirteen or fourteen years old! And the one who turned Chen Dexing into such a pervert was none other than his biological father, Chen Huaqing—an old pervert who, apart from not having a red face, looked quite similar to Guan Yu!

Chen Dexing brandished a heavy iron ring-headed knife, glaring with a pair of ringed eyes, and with a loud shout, he struck at a young general from the Dong family, as if a god of death had descended upon the world

At this moment, Zhu Yi, the Mongolian Grand Marshal, was riding atop a magnificent steed from the Western Regions, standing at a height of five feet. He was adorned in armor crafted by the finest armor artisans of Yanjing, beneath which he wore luxurious silk garments. On his feet were meticulously stitched boots made of calfskin, and at his waist hung a treasured sword, forged from Uzi steel, capable of slicing through iron like mud, with its scabbard embedded with various gemstones.

This Marshal is a typical Mongolian, tall and robust, with a face resembling a large pancake, slightly prominent cheekbones, and small, cold, piercing eyes that give an overall sense of gloom. He gazes at the battlefield where the fighting is taking place, a barely noticeable cold smile flickering at the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, he speaks in a rapid-fire Mongolian dialect. Although he had followed the Grand Master King Mu Huali to the Han region long ago, and most of his subordinates are Han, he scorns the idea of learning the Han language. He gazes at the battlefield where the fighting is taking place, a barely noticeable cold smile flickering at the corner of his mouth. Suddenly, he speaks in a rapid-fire Mongolian dialect. Although he had followed the Grand Master King Mu Huali to the Han region long ago, and most of his subordinates are Han, he scorns the idea of learning the Han language

On the battlefield, the sounds of killing reverberated through the heavens! The third wave of the Mongolian Han army's assault finally bore fruit, breaking through the formation of the Song army led by Chen Dexing, resulting in a chaotic melee with the Song troops.

Of course, there are exceptions. Li Juan, the governor of Yidu Province, was not very willing to associate with Kublai Khan and had consistently ignored the orders from the Jin Lian Chuan Shogunate. However, this time he was quite eager to send his adopted son Li Xiong and daughter Li Cuixian with an army of six thousand to cross the Huai River, reportedly to avenge his biological father Li Quan. Li Quan was the leader of the Red Jacket Army, a peasant uprising in Shandong during the late Jin Dynasty, who took advantage of the chaos at the end of the Jin Dynasty to occupy a large territory in Shandong, claiming it for the Song Dynasty. However, the Southern Song Dynasty imposed a set of civil governance principles on this warlord, resulting in a series of unforeseen events. Li Quan even allied with the Mongols to instigate a rebellion, openly opposing the Song Dynasty, and ultimately met his demise at the gates of Yangzhou. This upheaval is historically referred to as the Li Quan Rebellion. However, Li Quan's death was not the end, but rather a new beginning.

I must truly be a psychopathic killer... Chen Dexing felt a bit strange; he, a law-abiding citizen from the 21st century, had only been in this body for a few days, yet he was already capable of beheading living people without feeling any fear, and instead felt an overwhelming sense of exhilaration. "It seems to be the result of two memories merging? The original Chen Dexing was indeed a pervert!"

As for other Han generals, Ye Liugan could look down upon and disdain them, but when it came to Li Yan, Ye Liugan did not dare to act recklessly—after all, this individual was a relative of Genghis Khan and had a brother-in-law, King Tatar, who was on brotherly terms with the Mongolian khan

In contrast, Kublai Khan, the fourth brother of the Mongolian khan, who oversaw the affairs of the Han territories in the southern desert, was much easier to get along with. All the noble families and households were willing to support the court of Jinlianchuan (located in the Jinlianchuan grassland, it was a summer retreat for the Jin Dynasty emperors, where Kublai established his court to manage the affairs of the Han territories)

Li Xiong'an replied, "It seems that the troops of the Dong family have exhausted their strength." Liu Gan's gaze lingered on Li Xiong, the adopted son of Li Ruan, the commander of the Loyal and Righteous Army, and he smiled as he said, "Is it not time for the soldiers of the Li family to take the field?"

However, not everyone in this Wu Rui army has a perverse father—being perverse is not enough; one must also be wealthy and capable! Having a father who is an old pervert and serves as a commander, along with being a civil official who graduated as a martial scholar, naturally means that the family is wealthy landowners. Just on the eastern bank of the Grand Canal in Yangzhou, there are over 1,000 acres of land and dozens of tenants. This is how they have the financial means to cultivate a maniacal killer like Chen Dexing!

What a hassle! Chen Dexing cursed the old pervert in his heart again, then brandished his large knife and charged at another soldier from the Dong family. That said, under the training of the old pervert, Chen Dexing had indeed honed some real skills, and in just a few moves, he managed to kill the other person.

As the knife struck, blood erupted like a volcanic eruption, splattering all over Chen Dexing's face. The blood still bore the warmth of life, the freshest it could be, with a slightly metallic taste. The headless body had yet to collapse, its two arms flailing desperately, as if trying to retrieve the severed head and press it back onto the neck.

This is how the Mongol Empire was formed

Li Ruan's adopted son is a middle-aged man, dressed in a silk shirt, wearing a mink hat, and carrying an ordinary curved dagger at his waist. He is unremarkable in appearance, resembling a mediocre minor official. Beside him is a handsome "young man" with long eyebrows extending over his fair cheeks, resembling the wings of a flying swallow. His eyes are exceptionally bright, and his tightly pressed lips are charmingly red—he should be her, indeed, Li Ruan's daughter, Li Cuixian. Disguised in male attire, she follows her adoptive brother's army southward. It is said that Li Ruan is negotiating a marriage for her with a certain Mongolian noble, and perhaps one day she will become Her Highness the Princess!

After attacking three times without victory, the Han people are indeed useless! His narrow eyes scanned left and right, and several Han army generals dressed in Han attire but wearing sable fur hats remained expressionless, as if they could not understand Mongolian. There was not a single lord of ten thousand households here, and Liu Gan had a very poor reputation among the Han army, often being insulted and beaten. Naturally, the various lords could not afford to provoke him and could only avoid him. Thus, they mostly sent less important family generals to lead troops to invade Song, and the soldiers sent would not truly risk their lives; everyone was merely going through the motions.

The old pervert still speaks with conviction: "You are a dignified warrior, born in an era of conflict, destined to go into battle sooner or later. The study of warfare must have been honed since childhood. When the time comes for you to achieve great deeds, you will understand your father's painstaking efforts today..."

Because Li Quan's son Li Ruan inherited his father's territory, army, and official position in Shandong, he has continued to serve as the governor of Yidu Province for the Mongols, ruling over most of Shandong for more than twenty years, and has proven to be quite capable in governance. He now commands an elite force of around 70,000 to 80,000 troops, making him the most powerful among the Mongolian Han military nobles in terms of territory and military strength. Not long ago, he married the granddaughter of Öchigin, the younger brother of Genghis Khan, and has formed a familial bond with Tatar, the Mongolian prince ruling the northeast. This time, he intends to take advantage of the Mongols to avenge his father's grievances.