Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1191 Determining the Victory and Establishing the Young Lin Army

As soon as the shouts from the crowd began, Zhang Hu had already assumed a fighting stance, fist clenched against his chest. Gan Xiang, carrying a wooden sword, strode forward, feinting with the blade, aiming straight for Zhang Hu's face—this was a "feint" technique taught to him by his father, Gan Ning. Unfortunately, his execution was too weak; Zhang Hu easily dodged, grabbing Gan Xiang's wrist and twisting it, sending the wooden sword clattering to the ground. Gan Xiang tried to struggle, but Zhang Hu tripped him with his foot, causing him to stumble and fall onto the felt-covered ground, his face flushed as he shouted, "That doesn't count! I haven't even used my real skills yet!"

"I'll take you on!" Wu Niu roared as he charged forward. The guy was as strong as a young bull, and he started throwing straight punches. Zhang Hu, relying on his agility, dodged left and right, but Wu Niu's punches were like the wind, forcing him to have nowhere to retreat. Just when he was about to be cornered, Zhang Hu suddenly crouched down, seized the opening in Wu Niu's punch, and grabbed his arm and pulled him back—this move should have been able to subdue him, but Wu Niu was too strong. Not only was he not pulled down, but he also grabbed Zhang Hu's wrist in return. As the two struggled, Wu Niu snatched the wooden knife from Zhang Hu's hand with his other hand, threw it away with a "thud," and then grabbed Zhang Hu's waist and slammed him to the ground. Zhang Hu was caught off guard and fell solidly onto the felt.

"Bravo!" A chorus of cheers erupted around him. Wu Niu, hands on his hips, panted, his face beaming.

Ma Xiang, standing anxiously on tiptoe, saw Wu Niu's smugness and quickly tugged at Dian Man's sleeve. Dian Man, who had long been unable to contain himself, inherited his father Dian Wei's simple-mindedness. He took off his outer robe, revealing his strong arms, and walked to the center of the field, saying in a deep voice, "Wu Niu, let me play with you."

Wu Niu had just won a match and was full of energy, swinging his fists as he charged forward. But Dian Man, though he looked strong, was quick. He didn't dodge or flinch, taking both of Wu Niu's punches head-on without even flinching. Instead, he grabbed Wu Niu's fists, pulled them into his arms, and then pushed him away—Wu Niu stumbled back several steps, almost falling to the ground.

"Who else?" Dian Man wiped his face and looked at Pan Hu, who was eager to try, not far away. "Why don't you all come along!"

Pan Hu's eyes blazed with fury as he and Wu Niu attacked from the left and right. Dian Man remained calm, parrying Pan Hu with his left hand and holding off Wu Niu with his right, occasionally tripping them up. After a short while, the three of them were rolling around in a heap on the felt mat, Zhang Hu grabbing Dian Man's trouser leg, Wu Niu clinging to his arm, while Dian Man grinned and pinned them both to the ground, rendering them unable to move.

The crowd burst into laughter. Ma Chao announced loudly from the stage, "Alright, alright, no need to judge this round—Dian Man is fighting two against one and still has the upper hand. Ma Xiang's side wins!"

Ma Yue stood aside, somewhat unconvinced, but still stubbornly shouted, "A bet's a bet! The next event is archery, we'll see!"

Dian Man got up from the ground, helped Pan Hu and Wu Niu up, patted the dust off them, and said with a simple smile, "Thank you for your humility, you two worked together quite well." Pan Hu snorted, but couldn't help wiping the grass clippings off his face—the earlier competition had long since turned into lively fun, and no one really took it to heart.

In the second round of archery, several rows of targets had already been set up along the edge of the training ground, their red-painted bullseyes particularly conspicuous in the sunlight. Zhang Xiu's son, Zhang Yi, was the first to step forward. The boy had inherited his father's composure. He stopped thirty paces away, raised his hand to draw an arrow from his quiver, and with a slight twist of his wrist, the long arrow twirled neatly at his fingertips. Then he nocked the bow, drew it taut, and released it—with a "whoosh," the arrow landed firmly on the bullseye, its fletching still humming.

"Bravo!" Cheers erupted from the stands. Zhang Xiu stroked his beard, a hint of smugness on his face.

As soon as Zhang Yi stepped down, Gan Xiang took a hard bow from the weapon rack—nearly twice as thick as an ordinary bow and arrow, its body gleaming with a dark light, clearly forged from refined iron mixed with ox horn. He weighed it in his hand for a moment, then gestured with his chin at Zhang Yi: "Thirty paces is nothing special. Your strength is far from sufficient."

Having said that, he strode to a distance of forty paces, took a deep breath, and with his arm muscles bulging, forcefully drew the hard bow to its full extent. "Watch carefully!" Before his words were even finished, the arrow had already shot through the air and pierced the bullseye with a "thud," the fletching almost completely embedded in the wood.

"That strength!" Pound couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. "No wonder he's Gan Xingba's son, he's got a ruthless streak!"

Before the cheers had even subsided, Ma Xiang couldn't contain himself any longer and strode into the field: "Let me give it a try!" He was the son of Cheliji, the King of the Western Qiang, and was naturally gifted in archery. He had also received personal instruction in archery from Ma Chao. As he walked to the forty-step line, his gaze fell on Gan Xiang's arrow. Suddenly, he raised his hand, drew an arrow from his quiver, and nocked a bow like a full moon.

"Whoosh—" The bowstring vibrated loudly, and an arrow was shot out, flying straight towards Gan Xiang's arrow tail! With a "thud," the two arrows collided at the bullseye. Ma Xiang's arrow actually pierced through the bullseye, and Gan Xiang's arrow also pierced through the wooden target, with the arrowhead protruding from the back!

"Excellent archery!" The generals roared in praise. Pang De slapped his thigh and laughed, "This lad's archery skills are quite reminiscent of the Liang King back in the day. He's got real talent!"

Ma Yue, listening from the side, frowned deeply, tightened his grip on the bow, and suddenly stepped forward: "I'll do it!"

Xu Huang joked from the stands, "Is the young master going to show off his skills? Ma Xiang has received personal instruction from the King of Liang, so you'd better be careful not to embarrass yourself!"

Ma Yue didn't even turn his head, and snorted coldly: "Although I haven't personally witnessed my father's archery skills, the skills that Uncle Ziyi (Taishi Ci) taught me are not inferior to anyone else's!"

He had the target moved back to a position forty paces away, then drew three arrows from his quiver and nocked them side by side on the bowstring. Everyone was astonished—a rapid-fire arrow strike! This was a skill no ordinary child could master!

Ma Yue took a deep breath, his left arm steadily supporting the bow, his right hand hooking the string with three fingers, his gaze fixed on the bullseye like a hawk's. "Watch the arrow!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—" The three arrows rang out almost in quick succession. The first arrow had just pierced the bullseye when the second one followed closely behind, striking the tail of the first arrow. Before the crowd could cheer, the third arrow shot out with a whooshing sound, actually piercing through the gap between the first two arrows and punching a hole through the bullseye. The arrowhead, along with wood chips, flew out from behind the target!

The training ground fell silent for a moment, then erupted in thunderous cheers. Even Zhang Xiu couldn't help but nod in approval: "This kid has mastered about 80% of Taishi Ci's rapid-fire arrow technique!"

Ma Yue lowered his bow, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead, yet he looked up at Ma Xiang with youthful pride in his eyes. Ma Xiang raised an eyebrow at him, a smile involuntarily playing on his lips—this round was clearly won by Ma Yue.

Standing on the reviewing stand, Ma Chao looked at the spirited young men in the training ground, clapped his hands sharply, and said in a booming voice, "Good! Ma Yue won this archery match beautifully! Ma Xiang, do you accept it or not?"

Ma Xiang wiped the sweat from his brow. Though somewhat unwilling, he shouted loudly, "I admit defeat because I'm not as skilled! But I might not lose in the upcoming military simulation!"

The surrounding generals burst into laughter. Pang De stroked his beard and said, "This kid's got a tough tongue! But military matters can't be won by brute force alone."

Ma Chao raised his hand to signal for silence and said in a deep voice, "In that case, let's deduce the military formation! Ma Xiang and Ma Yue, each lead forty men, divided into attacking and defending sides, with a half-hour limit, to see who can gain the upper hand!"

A simple topographical map had already been drawn in lime in the center of the training ground, with the outlines of mountains and rivers clearly visible. Ma Xiang waved his hand, and led forty boys to quickly form a formation, a spearhead formation—the vanguard as sharp as arrowheads, with the flanks following closely behind, clearly intending to use speed to break through.

Seeing this, Ma Yue calmly directed his youths to change formation, their flanks spreading out like bird wings—the Crane Wing Formation. This formation, though seemingly loose, allowed for flexible encirclement, perfectly countering the fierce charge of the Arrowhead Formation.

"Charge!" Ma Xiang shouted, charging forward first, followed closely by the boys shouting and pounding their feet on the ground, their momentum quite impressive.

Ma Yue stood in the center of the formation, his eyes fixed on the enemy's formation. As the spear-wielding formation charged close, he suddenly shouted, "Change formation! Half-moon formation!"

At his command, the originally outstretched Crane Wing Formation rapidly contracted, its wings bending inwards to instantly transform into a crescent shape, firmly trapping Ma Xiang's vanguard. Ma Xiang realized this was bad, but it was too late to stop. His vanguard was forced into the crescent formation's arc, where it was firmly restrained by the youths on either side.

"Flank on the left!" Ma Xiang had a sudden inspiration, wanting to have the flank go around and tear open a gap.

Ma Yue was prepared and shouted, "Spin to the right! Lock down the left flank!" The crescent formation spun in response, like a closed iron ring, trapping Ma Xiang's men firmly in the center.

Despite their desperate charges, Ma Xiang's youths were unable to break through the encirclement and were instead tightened their grip. Less than half an hour later, Ma Xiang and his men stopped, panting heavily, and said, "We're not fighting anymore! This formation has changed so much; there's no chance of breaking out!"

Ma Yue finished his attack, walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Your spear formation is fierce, but it lacks variety. I might not be able to win next time we compete."

Ma Xiang grinned, revealing the candor of a young man: "Next time? I'll definitely beat you next time!"

Gan Xiangwu, with his booming voice, patted Ma Yue on the shoulder and shouted, "Ma Xiang? We won two out of three games! Come over here and pay your respects to the boss!"

Ma Xiang glanced at the group of friends behind Ma Yue, who were trying not to laugh, then looked at Ma Yue again, snorted, but still stubbornly walked forward. Just as he was about to bend down, Ma Yue grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing, brother?" Ma Yue smiled and took his arm, his tone sincere. "I'm just doing this 'boss' thing for fun. You'll always be my brother." He turned to the crowd and said loudly, "We're gathered together not because of winning or losing, but because of our friendship! From now on, we'll share the good times and the bad. Nobody should use the title of 'boss' to intimidate anyone!"

Ma Xiang was stunned for a moment, then punched him lightly: "You're good at talking, kid!" Although he said that, the awkwardness in his eyes disappeared, and he became more enthusiastic.

“Yes!” Ma Yue pulled everyone together. “Just like our fathers fought back-to-back on the battlefield, we should do the same—” He raised his fist. “We should be loyal to each other and share everything!”

"Alright!" the crowd responded in unison, their fists clashing together with a series of muffled thuds.

Ma Chao stood on the command platform, his gaze sweeping over the boys below, who were arm in arm, laughing and joking. A satisfied smile appeared on his face. He cleared his throat and said in a steady, powerful voice, "Ma Yue."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yue immediately suppressed his smile, his expression brightened, and he stepped forward, clasping his hands in a salute: "Your subordinate is here!"

Ma Chao looked at him, his tone filled with expectation: "In these years of fighting in Xiliang, many soldiers have sacrificed their lives, leaving behind orphans scattered everywhere, helpless and alone. They must eventually have a place to return to so that the deceased can rest in peace." He paused, then solemnly announced, "From this day forward, these orphans will be gathered together and organized into the 'Young Lin Army.' You will be the commander-in-chief, responsible for training them and protecting them. Do you dare to accept this?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Yue raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He looked up at his father, his tone firm: "Why wouldn't I dare! Father, rest assured, I will live up to your expectations and make this army an impregnable bulwark of Xiliang, protecting the orphans and contributing to Xiliang!"

"Good!" The generals below the stage burst into laughter.