sovbooks Chapter 99 What are you afraid of? What are you coming for?
Chapter 99 What are you afraid of? What are you coming for?
"I did it on purpose."
Yang Yan stood with his hands behind his back, gazing towards the majestic training ground. "If I don't offer them substantial rewards and prestigious titles, how can I win over these seasoned soldiers in such a short time? As for the title of 'Changning Breaking Formation Army'..."
He chuckled lightly, concealing his guilty conscience: "Don't worry, Pharmacist, I had already planned this out. You can relax."
"Pharmacist, profound."
Yang Yan turned around, his expression solemn: "The matter of splitting the troops into smaller units involves a wide range of issues. The Sui Dynasty has extremely strict checks on household registration and travel permits. For more than a thousand people heading south, the 'passing point' is the Achilles' heel. These documents are issued by the Ministry of Justice and verified by local prefectures and counties, making forgery extremely difficult. Xuan Sui, do you have any clerks or officials in the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of War who can put in a good word for you? We need genuine approval documents. You should understand what I mean."
"Yes, sir!" Li Mi replied immediately.
Although Li Jing felt that Yang Yan's explanation regarding the army's designation was somewhat far-fetched, there was no point in saying anything more at this point. He could just offer a reminder, so he immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your subject will certainly do his utmost."
Yang Yan nodded, but in his heart he was frantically calculating: No, this news can't be kept secret. There are too many people at the drill ground, and Yang Guang and Yang Jian have probably already received the news.
We must strike first, before Yang Guang launches his attack!
He voluntarily entered the palace! He apologized to Yang Jian! He framed the incident as "youthful passion and eagerness to serve his country," rather than anything else!
However, just as Yang Yan was about to mount his horse, a series of extremely arrogant hoofbeats and clamor suddenly came from the entrance of the training ground.
Immediately afterwards, two figures in brocade robes, leading a squad of imperial guards with top-notch equipment, smashed through the fence of the training ground as if it were empty.
"Whoa—!"
"Get out of my way, you bunch of ignorant country bumpkins! Don't block my horse!"
Accompanied by the crisp sound of whips striking flesh and the screams of several unsuccessful soldiers, a group of splendidly dressed, spirited knights, like sharp arrows, forcefully tore through the crowd outside the training ground and rushed straight towards the command platform.
Dust filled the air, choking the soldiers around them who coughed and scrambled to get out of the way.
Yang Yan narrowed his eyes, looking at the two leaders.
The man on the left, dressed in a brocade robe with a qilin design, had a handsome face but exuded a strong sense of gloom. He was none other than Yang Xuangan, the son of Yang Su, the powerful Duke of Yue!
The man on the right is thin with deep-set eyes and a cynical, wicked smile on his lips. He is Yuwen Huaji, the eldest son of Yuwen Shu, the Left Guard General, and the future scoundrel who murdered the emperor and usurped the throne!
Immediately afterwards, a large number of Imperial Guards appeared behind them, about five hundred men.
They rode tall horses, looking down over the training ground.
Standing on the ground were 1,500 soldiers that Yang Yan had just selected.
On one side are the pampered and privileged sons of heaven, dressed in fine clothes and riding horses; on the other side are the lowly military households, dressed in rags, covered in mud and sweat.
The imperial guards didn't speak, but the contempt and disdain in their eyes, even the gesture of covering their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs, were more hurtful than any words. It was the natural disdain of the capital's nobles for "country bumpkins" and "outsider soldiers."
Yuwen Huaji reined in his horse, too lazy to even make the gesture of bowing, merely tapping it casually with his whip as a sign of respect. His gaze swept over the soldiers below the platform as if surveying livestock, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Greetings, Prince Changning." His voice was drawn out and utterly disrespectful. "This humble general is on duty patrolling the capital region today, and is in full armor, so please excuse me for not being able to offer the full courtesy."
"I heard there was a huge commotion at the drill ground, and I was worried something might have happened, so I came to check. I didn't expect it to be His Highness here... 'Training troops'?" He emphasized the word "training troops" with great sarcasm.
Yang Xuangan spurred his horse forward at the opportune moment, standing shoulder to shoulder with Yuwen Huaji. His voice was loud enough to be heard throughout most of the training ground, but he deliberately avoided looking at Yang Yan, instead scanning the weary soldiers: "General Yuwen, you don't understand. His Highness is of noble birth; when has he ever seen a truly fierce army? He probably thinks that a large number of people equates to a strong army."
He paused, pointed with his riding crop at a soldier in the front row who was unsteady on his feet due to exhaustion, and sneered.
"Your Highness truly 'loves his soldiers like his own children'! Look at them! They can't even stand up straight, how dare they pick up weapons? Your Highness, if I may be so bold, are you choosing your personal guards or laborers to fill ditches in Lingnan? If you take these people on the road, I'm afraid half of them will fall before we even leave Tongguan! The prestige of our Great Sui army is going to be ruined by this group of... peasants!"
The words "country bumpkin" were like a slap in the face, making the old soldier's face turn red, yet he lowered his head in shame and indignation.
Their newly ignited hope and newly established self-esteem were shattered at this moment by this condescending mockery.
But this is not enough.
Yuwen Huaji seemed to feel that this was not enough. He spurred his horse forward and pointed his whip at Qin Qiong and Li Jing, who were standing by the command platform, instead of pointing it at the soldiers.
"Brother Yang, you are mistaken. A cowardly soldier is a cowardly individual, but a cowardly general leads to a cohort of cowards."
Yuwen Huaji laughed loudly, his laughter sharp and piercing: "Who was helping His Highness train his troops? Oh, it's Li Xuansui! But what makes you think you can interfere in such matters? Does your father, the Duke of Pushan, know about this?!"
"And these two? I don't recognize them at all! Are there really people in Kyoto I don't know? These two who appeared out of nowhere, are they probably just country bumpkins too?!"
"Li Xuansui, you are also from a noble family, yet you spend your days associating with these uncouth people of unknown origin. Don't you find it beneath your dignity?"
Upon hearing this, Li Mi not only did not fly into a rage, but instead took half a step forward, a cold sneer playing on his lips.
He first gave a slight bow to Yang Yan, then turned to Yuwen Huaji, his clear voice drowning out the noise of the training ground: "Brother Yuwen, what you say makes no sense."
"Medical Master Li is the nephew of the late General Han Qinhu, a pillar of the state, and comes from a family with a long and distinguished scholarly tradition. Brother Yuwen, you say you 'don't know him,' could it be that you only associate with people who are good at dressing up and riding spirited horses, and have no interest in true talent and learning?"
He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over Qin Qiong, before continuing, "As for Brother Qin, a hero of Shandong, renowned for his loyalty and courage, his strength unmatched in his hometown. His Highness is eager to recruit talented individuals, appointing only the capable, which is why such valiant men have come to serve him. Does Brother Yuwen perhaps believe that serving the country requires first appearing before His Excellency, stating one's name, and having one's identity verified?"
"It is probably someone else, Brother Yuwen and Brother Yang, who rashly barged into the camp today, disturbing His Highness's selection of soldiers and 'losing their dignity,' that is truly inappropriate."
Li Mi retreated to Yang Yan's side, lowered his eyes, and perfectly concealed the fleeting, cold, venomous calculation in them.
"Yo yo yo, a hero of our time? I wonder how many moves you've managed to withstand from me!"
"Yang Xuangan, Yuwen Huaji."
Yang Yan skipped all honorifics and addressed him by his given name.
"I have been ordered to select soldiers for the southward campaign, and this place is a training ground personally approved by the Emperor. You have trespassed without authorization, galloped your horses and startled the camp, uttered foul language, and insulted the court officers and the soldiers who serve the country."
Yang Yan's gaze swept over the two men: "Is this the family upbringing of the Duke of Yue and the Left Guard General, or are you acting on your own initiative to cause trouble for His Majesty?"
"Your Highness, you flatter me. I am worried that Your Highness may be deceived."
Yang Xuangan's gaze suddenly turned vicious, filled with undisguised malice and humiliation: "These two good-for-nothings, leading this group of beggars, are probably no match for Your Highness! In my opinion, they're nothing but a bunch of chickens and dogs, a rabble!"
mob!
Everyone on the training ground watched this scene unfold. Their hands, gripping their knives, trembled, not from fear, but from humiliation.
They risk their lives for a future, but in the eyes of these powerful and wealthy, it's just a joke, a monkey show.
Are the lives of the poor really so cheap?
"Buzz!"
A very low whistling sound of a blade.
Qin Qiong suddenly raised his head, his tiger-like eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and the veins at the corners of his eyes throbbed.
Even when he was a minor official in Shandong, Qin Shubao had never been treated with such humiliation!
These 1,500 brothers were handpicked by him, and they were all men of unwavering integrity!
Humiliating him is acceptable, but humiliating these soldiers is not!
An intense, overwhelming aura of malevolence erupted from Qin Qiong, his right hand gripping the hilt of the horizontal sword at his waist.
He'd dare to chop down even the King of Heaven if he drew his sword!