The Innocent Heart - Chapter 30

Before Huo Qubing could utter a word, Liu Che seemed to have guessed what he wanted to say and waved his hand: “Qubing, you are still too young. If you want to train in the Northern Army, wait two more years.”

Having said that, he turned back to Guan Yueyao: “Yesterday, I heard Zhongqing mention that you were teaching Qubing saber techniques at the Wei residence, and he has made considerable progress these past days. He wishes to learn your training methods to use in the army. I think that since that is the case, why not have you join the army as Zhongqing’s deputy general to assist him in training the soldiers of the Northern Army.”

In truth, this was not just a suggestion Liu Che made on a whim. Hearing Wei Qing mention Huo Qubing’s recent progress had stirred his heart. While cultivating the next generation of generals—those familiar with military strategy, brave, and resourceful—was a crucial task for the Han Army at the moment, the allure of training a well-disciplined, ferocious force capable of matching ten opponents with one man was equally immense for Liu Che. Furthermore, among the new generation of generals, the one Liu Che favored most and was most willing to nurture was still Huo Qubing, whom he had watched grow up. Liu Che’s internal scale of priorities was shifting, which led to this present probing.

Guan Yueyao felt a little challenged. After all, he might be able to train just Huo Qubing, but to ask him to assist Wei Qing in training… He had been the one being trained all his life; asking him to train others felt a little overambitious.

“Teaching Qubing is because this subject and he are good friends; rather than teaching, it’s more like mutually training together. But if this subject is to instruct the soldiers in the army, this subject truly… does not know if I can handle such a great responsibility.”

Guan Yueyao did not hide these concerns but honestly and thoroughly laid them bare before Liu Che. Yet, Liu Che did not seem to abandon his idea because of his words. On the contrary, Guan Yueyao’s modest attitude, stemming from his lack of confidence, actually pleased him.

“No matter. This time, what I intend for you to train are only the four hundred men that Zhongqing plans to personally lead. Even if it fails, it won’t affect the overall situation. Just relax and teach them that set of saber techniques and training methods entirely.”

Liu Che was an impatient person. He inquired about the opinion in the morning and dispatched Guan Yueyao to the Northern Army’s encampment outside the capital city in the afternoon.

According to the Han military system, a portion of the army officers stationed in the capital were composed of Langguan (Gentleman of the Palace). Guan Yueyao was already a Langzhong (Gentleman of the Middle), so entering the army did not mean joining as a regular, low-ranking soldier.

The first time he walked into the barracks with Wei Qing, although he had changed into military uniform, his face was still boyish. When Wei Qing announced that he was appointed by His Majesty to jointly drill the troops, it still caused quite a stir in this small unit.

“Alright, starting today, Langzhong Guan will be responsible for the military drill together with me. You are to obey his orders as if you were obeying mine, without exception.”

Guan Yueyao stood on the high platform with Wei Qing, listening to Wei Qing’s speech beside him, feeling his ears ringing from the sheer volume. He discovered for the first time that the Wei Qing he had always considered gentle actually possessed such a commanding presence.

“Yes!” The crisp, uniform response of the four hundred men echoed across the training ground.

In this place, one had to shout to speak. This was Guan Yueyao’s initial impression of the military barracks.

Fortunately, he was adept at shouting at the top of his lungs.

“Langzhong Guan, what do you plan to teach us today?” The first day of training officially began. Guan Yueyao was still counting the weapons on the rack by the edge of the training ground when a rather sarcastic voice sounded behind him.

Guan Yueyao turned around, only to find that there was more than one person standing behind him. Dozens of pairs of eyes followed his turn and settled on him.

Guan Yueyao bit his lip and surveyed the faces. These soldiers all looked older than he was, mostly between fifteen or sixteen and their early twenties. In their eyes, there was disdain, envy, and more, seemingly, distrust.

Yes, if an instructor even younger than he was suddenly parachuted in front of Guan Yueyao in the past, putting himself in their shoes, he would also be unconvinced without first verifying the newcomer’s capabilities.

Fortunately, whether it was the martial arts academy, the delinquent youth group, or now the military barracks, strength was what mattered.

“Today, let’s start with a round of testing,” Guan Yueyao met their scrutinizing gazes and said seriously.

He needed to first determine the physical condition of these soldiers before deciding the focus of the training, didn’t he? The incident happened too suddenly; Liu Che had only given him a single afternoon to think. Guan Yueyao could only rely on memory and experience to come up with this method to stall for time in such a short period. He would get through this afternoon first, and then go back tonight to discuss it thoroughly with Lord Wei.

“Testing? What is that?” The crowd was utterly confused by Guan Yueyao’s proposal.

“Run one lap around this training ground,” he said, pulling out a bundle of incense sticks he had prepared at noon from his sleeve. “Anyone who reaches the end before one-sixth of this incense stick burns down is considered qualified.”

As his voice faded, a clamor erupted among the crowd. The onlookers gathered more and more, gradually swelling from a few dozen to a dense crowd of several hundred.

“How can that be run? Isn’t that too demanding!” someone complained.

“Since Langzhong Guan says so, he must certainly be able to run it himself,” someone mocked.

“What kind of ludicrous test is this! Where is Lord Wei! Let Lord Wei command our training!” others shouted out in dissent.

The scene immediately became chaotic. Meanwhile, Wei Qing was silently listening to the commotion outside from his tent nearby. He wanted to see if this young man could truly command respect. If he were to step out now, he could naturally quell the soldiers’ doubts and dissatisfaction. But in the army, an instructor who cannot earn respect through his own ability is a danger on the battlefield.

Yet, he was ultimately worried about Guan Yueyao. Wei Qing, like Liu Che, cherished talent, and moreover, Guan Yueyao was considered a person recommended by the Wei family, deeply associated with the family in the eyes of outsiders.

“Guo Chun, if the soldiers outside become too unruly in a moment, step out and stop them,” Wei Qing remained seated in his tent, attending to business, but spoke with a worried look to his confidant waiting nearby.

“Understood.”

However, what Wei Qing worried about did not happen; the commotion outside quickly subsided.

What happened exactly? Wei Qing couldn’t help but become curious. He stood up, went to the edge of the tent curtain, lifted a slit, and began to secretly observe.

“Alright! Pick out the ten fastest runners among you, and let’s have a race. If I can finish within the time limit, you will all honestly proceed with the test, one group at a time. Agreed?” Guan Yueyao shook the incense stick in his hand and asked in a loud voice.

“Agreed!” Someone quickly responded to Guan Yueyao’s proposal, eager for the challenge.

Guan Yueyao was jogging toward Wei Qing’s tent when the soldiers were discussing the selection of participants for the race. Wei Qing had just rushed back to his seat upon seeing Guan Yueyao approaching his tent, when Guan Yueyao’s head popped in.

“Brother Wei, lend me someone, please.” Guan Yueyao asked Wei Qing with a smiling, deferential expression.

“What is difficult about that? Guo Chun, you go.” Wei Qing did not find this request difficult and quickly nodded his assent. Conveniently, all the soldiers in the army knew that Guo Chun was Wei Qing’s confidant; with him present, even if things got out of hand, the soldiers would likely not dare to be too reckless.

“But what do you need him for?” Before Guan Yueyao and Guo Chun left, Wei Qing finally could not contain his curiosity and voiced the question in his heart.

“To help me watch the incense and time it,” Guan Yueyao’s voice drifted back from outside the curtain.

What an impatient person, Wei Qing shook his head with slight helplessness.

But could he really outrun those grown men? Although Wei Qing highly acknowledged Guan Yueyao’s ability, he was still nervous for him.

Liu Che’s original intention was to first train a group of elite soldiers and strong generals in the Northern Army to practice the new tactics and fighting styles proposed by Wei Qing. The four hundred soldiers allocated to him for this tactical experiment were the elite of the Northern Army. Their physical condition was far superior to that of ordinary recruits. Furthermore, these men also had an advantage in age. It was understandable that these men would also be more rebellious than ordinary soldiers.

Thinking of this, Wei Qing couldn’t help himself; he stood up again, returned to the side of the tent curtain, and secretly observed.

On the training ground now, the soldiers had nominated ten tall, robust men. The ten men lined up at the starting point, each separated by a good distance. Guo Chun, holding a signal flag, stood by the side of the track. Beside him was a small temporary table upon which an incense burner with an incense stick was placed.

Wei Qing shifted his gaze to Guan Yueyao and saw that he was standing at the starting line in a rather unusual posture, seemingly prepared. Guo Chun held a tinder-lighter in one hand and raised the signal flag high above his head with the other. The edge of the training field was already crowded with soldiers who were not participating in the race; everyone was anxiously awaiting the signal to drop.

Finally, the incense stick was lit, and Guo Chun’s countdown simultaneously began.

“Three! Two! One! Go!”

As his voice fell, the ten men at the starting line shot out like arrows. Cheers quickly erupted on the field. Wei Qing watched Guan Yueyao’s figure, mixed among the ten burly men, seeming about to be swallowed up by them. His heart involuntarily pounded; he couldn’t help wanting to cheer him on internally. If he continued running like this, he might finish within the time limit he set, but he probably wouldn’t be able to take the lead.

But this kind of middle-to-long-distance running not only tested burst power but, more importantly, the endurance to maintain speed. To keep their advantage over Guan Yueyao, the soldiers exerted all their strength in a sprint at the very beginning. However, after sprinting at full speed for two hundred meters, their breathing began to falter, and their speed gradually slowed down.

The soldier running at the front was keeping his head down, gritting his teeth and trying hard to push forward, when he suddenly felt a gust of wind sweep past him. He turned his head and saw that it was the youth named Guan Yueyao, whose footsteps were light and who passed him. He was somewhat startled and clenched his jaw, wanting to overtake Guan Yueyao again, but it seemed every time he got slightly ahead, Guan Yueyao easily surpassed him again.

Finally, with the finish line in sight, the soldier watched Guan Yueyao, who was running beside him, turn and smile at him, then suddenly accelerate, dashing toward the finish line, leaving only a retreating figure behind.