Chapter 62: One Thousand Taels Secured!

"Enter the arena!"

At the herald's command, the five men of Iron Forest Fortress stepped into the drill ground.

Opposite them, the elite guard battalion of the Yanmen Garrison had already formed their ranks.

"Begin!"

The war drums beat in a sudden thunderous rhythm.

The five men of Yanmen Garrison scattered instantly.

Three of them charged forward in a frontal assault holding lime-tipped wooden spears, while the other two flanked around the sides.

It was a textbook encirclement formation.

Yet the five men of Iron Forest Fortress stood motionless, remaining right where they were.

"Scared out of their wits?" the bearded soldier laughed aloud, thrusting his spear straight at Hu Dayong's chest.

"Bang!"

Hu Dayong suddenly sidestepped, the spear tip grazing past his armor.

A white fog of lime powder exploded into the air.

At the exact same instant.

One-Eye lunged forward with explosive force, his wooden spear striking heavily against the bearded soldier's wrist!

"Crack!"

The lime powder burst, and the bearded soldier's wrist instantly turned white!

"One casualty!" the referee shouted.

The Yanmen Garrison soldiers were momentarily stunned. Before they could react, One-Eye and Wang Tiehu simultaneously charged out.

Wang Tiehu dropped low and rolled forward, driving his wooden spear straight into his opponent's knee pit;

meanwhile, One-Eye swung his spear in a fierce smash, driving back another adversary.

Zhang Xiaoyan and Er'gou stood at the rear, their wooden bows pulled to the limit.

"Swish! Swish!"

Lime-tipped arrows accurately struck the chests of two Yanmen Garrison soldiers, leaving glaring white marks!

"Retreat!"

In the span of just a few breaths, the Yanmen Garrison had suffered one casualty and two retreats!

The surroundings of the drill ground fell instantly silent.

The bearded soldier's face turned livid, and he roared, "I'll tear you to pieces!"

He brandished his wooden spear and charged forward.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The lime-tipped wooden spears crossed and clashed, the movements of the Iron Forest Fortress five flowing like clouds and water.

The bearded soldier was instantly knocked to the ground with a flurry of thrusts.

"I'll jab you to death!"

"Take this!"

Several fellows maliciously poked the downed bearded soldier with their wooden spears.

"Retreat!"

The commander called out instantly.

Only a single Yanmen Garrison soldier remained on the field.

Holding a wooden spear, he stared with wide-open eyes at the five men of Iron Forest Fortress.

A dead silence gripped the entire arena.

The referee froze for a moment before loudly announcing:

"Iron Forest Fortress—wins!"

Around the drill ground.

Every observing soldier stared with wide eyes, finding it hard to believe.

The soldier running the gambling book twitched at the corner of his eye.

"One to ten odds... one hundred liang... a thousand liang..."

***

Lin Chuan appeared before him, standing there unawares as a faint smile touched his lips:

"Pay up."

...

On the spectator viewing platform.

Liu Chongshan, the commander of the Yanmen Garrison, turned black in the face.

His own elite guard battalion had been utterly routed by a few garrison fortress soldiers.

And defeated so swiftly, too!

It was simply outrageous!

"General Liu!"

The commander of the Yunzhong Garrison beside him held back a smile, feigning concern as he spoke,

"Could it be that your esteemed garrison's elite guards... didn't rest well last night?"

Veins throbbed on Liu Chongshan's temples: "Humph! Pure luck!"

Zhao Mingde, the Vice Minister of War, stroked his beard with a light smile: "Interesting!"

He turned his gaze toward Chen Yuanshan: "General Chen maintains exceptional military discipline. Even garrison fortresses are trained to such elite standards."

Chen Yuanshan laughed heartily: "Commander Lin of Iron Forest Fortress is truly a capable man!"

"Oh?" Zhao Mingde paused slightly. "To receive such praise from General Chen, does this man possess some extraordinary talent?"

"He also holds the concurrent post of Deputy Commissioner of Armaments for our Xilong Garrison, and recently forged a new device called the 'Wind-Thunder Cannon'."

"Wind-Thunder Cannon? I would like to hear the details."

"This device can launch fire-thunder projectiles over a hundred paces, specifically designed to counter the Tatar heavy cavalry. Once the martial exercises conclude, I invite all lords and officials to step over and take a look."

"Oh? Such a formidable weapon, this official must certainly observe it..."

...

Lin Chuan carefully folded the thousand-liang bank note.

He tucked it into the inner leather lining close to his chest.

Gambling was not strictly prohibited within the military, and the garrison commanders maintained an ambiguous attitude toward it.

The victors naturally suffered no consequences, whereas the losers inevitably faced military floggings.

The veteran soldiers along the edges of the drill ground were entirely unphased.

The borderlands were bitterly cold, and gambling was a tacitly permitted pastime.

The ordinary privates wagered their pay, while the officers gambled on spoils of war.

Even the Ministry of War dignitaries observing the martial displays often engaged in gambling under the guise of "adding stakes."

Yet despite gambling being allowed, such massive stakes should still not be flaunted openly.

Lin Chuan raised his eyes to sweep across the surroundings.

Several quartermasters were staring at him, their faces written full of unwillingness.

"Brother has quite the lucky hand!"

The plump quartermaster who had run the book sidled up, squeezing out a reluctant smile. "Coming back next time?"

"Next time I'm still betting on Iron Forest Fortress." Lin Chuan patted his shoulder. "Remember to raise the odds a bit."

The plump quartermaster's smile froze on his face.

Naturally, he understood the implication behind those words.

The lord standing before him had likely locked down this gambling book for good.

At the edge of the drill ground, a few veteran soldiers watching the spectacle whispered among themselves:

"Did you see that? The men from Xilong Garrison are truly arrogant!"

"That goes without saying! General Chen was demoted straight from the capital..."

"No wonder his subordinates dare to act so wildly..."

Turning a deaf ear, Lin Chuan walked straight toward the rest area of Iron Forest Fortress.

Hu Dayong was currently leading the brothers in wiping down their weapons.

Seeing Lin Chuan approach, One-Eye grinned broadly: "Boss, where is our life-risking pay?"

"What's the rush?"

Lin Chuan fished the bank notes from his bosom.

"One for each."

The eyes of all five men widened into circles.

A single match earned a hundred liang!

Even more profitable than killing Tatars!

Wang Tiehu took the bank note, his eye sockets instantly turning red.

"Commander... following you always brings silver..."

Zhang Xiaoyan nodded as well: "N-n-n-no..."

"Never thought you could earn this much?"

Er'gou took over the sentence, drawing a roar of laughter from the crowd.

Hu Dayong lowered his voice: "Commander, if we win money like this, won't it be too conspicuous?"

"Conspicuous?" Lin Chuan sneered. "In military gambling, victory relies on capability. To win is skill, to lose is deserved."

As he spoke, his gaze swept across a few skulking figures not far away.

They were men from the Yanmen Garrison, glaring bitterly in this direction as they gnashed their teeth.

"Still, everyone stay alert tonight."

Lin Chuan shifted his tone. "Winning money is a minor matter, but losing face... some people might find it hard to sleep tonight."

The other squads of the Xilong Garrison had also returned.

Seeing Lin Chuan and his men, their attitude grew noticeably more enthusiastic.

The vanguard camp captain cupped his fists from afar: "Well fought, brothers!"

The soldiers behind him also crowded around, clapping shoulders and exchanging warm pleasantries, completely devoid of their previous arrogance.

One-Eye muttered sarcastically: "Did the sun rise from the west today?"

Lin Chuan smiled without a word.

The military was always like this. If you had ability, people would naturally come to court your favor.

As for those whose eyes had turned red from losing?

He glanced toward the direction of the Yanmen Garrison, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

The drums on the drill ground sounded once more.

The next round of matches was about to begin, and the men returned to the sidelines.

The pace of the squad confrontation matches was extremely rapid.

Five versus five, the slaughter often failed to last even the time it took to burn a single stick of incense.

The sixteen garrisons of the northern frontier, nearly fifty squads in total, took turns entering the arena.

Amidst flashing blades and flying spears, victories and defeats were decided instantly.

By dusk, the drums gradually subsided, bringing the first day of battle to a close.

The only teams advancing with complete victories were the Eagle-Soaring, Tiger-Valiant, and Xilong Garrisons.

The remaining garrisons experienced mixed fortunes: two shield-spear squads of the Black Stone Garrison advanced steadily; a scout squad of the Yunzhong Garrison won narrowly through swift hit-and-run tactics; while the Ning边 (Ningbian) Garrison squeezed into the next round purely through the stubborn defense of a blade-and-shield squad.

As for the most miserable of all, it was none other than the Yanmen Garrison. All three of their squads had suffered utter defeat, with even their elite guard battalion falling at the hands of Iron Forest Fortress.

Along the edge of the drill ground, soldiers from various garrisons discussed the events with mixed joy and sorrow.

"The Xilong Garrison's momentum is far too fierce this year!"

"What on earth is the background of those garrison fortress soldiers from Iron Forest Fortress?"

"The Yanmen Garrison suffered such an ugly defeat..."

Wang Tiehu spoke in a low voice: "Commander, who do we face tomorrow?"

Lin Chuan looked toward the elevated platform in the center of the drill ground, where Ministry of War officials were compiling the rosters.

"No matter who it is..."

He weighed the wooden spear in his hand.

"We fight them just the same!"