Chapter 63: The Bloody Hell Are These Garrison Fort Troops?

Night fell.

Loud snores echoed all around, accompanied by the crackling of bonfires.

Lin Chuan lay on the ground, his arms pillowing the back of his head, gazing up at the night sky.

The night sky of this era possessed an almost illusory beauty.

The Milky Way stretched across the firmament like a bolt of silk, dazzling beyond reason.

It felt as though one could simply reach out and pluck a handful of stars.

He closed his eyes.

Yet what surfaced in his mind was not the starry expanse.

It was the shadows of the various competing teams from the parade grounds earlier that day.

To see the leopard through a single spot.

From the traits of a single squad, one could discern the temperament of the troop to which they belonged.

The Eagle-Soaring Guard excelled in archery, yet relied too heavily on ranged suppression; once engaged in close quarters, their formation was bound to fall into chaos.

The Tiger-Bravura Guard possessed boundless strength, but their techniques were crude, with glaring vulnerabilities.

The West Ridge Vanguard advanced steadily, yet lacked versatility, making them easy to anticipate...

To be honest, in this era, troops that could catch Lin Chuan's eye were truly as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

The problem lay hidden within these details.

During large-scale military array clashes, the momentum of thousands upon thousands of men often masked these minute flaws.

Yet what truly determined how far a troop could go were precisely these seemingly inconspicuous weaknesses.

"Squad Leader, still not sleeping?"

Hu Dayong's voice came from nearby.

Lin Chuan did not open his eyes, merely saying faintly, "Thinking about tomorrow's opponents."

Hu Dayong fell silent for a moment, then lowered his voice:

"Today our momentum was too overwhelming, I'm afraid tomorrow..."

"Afraid of what?"

Lin Chuan finally opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. "Afraid of being targeted?"

Hu Dayong said nothing, but his expression tacitly agreed.

Lin Chuan chuckled softly and looked back up at the night sky.

"So what if we're targeted?"

"On the battlefield, would the enemy ever play by the rules with you?"

A night breeze swept past, and the bonfire flickered.

In the distance, the faint footsteps of the patrolling soldiers could be heard.

Lin Chuan closed his eyes.

His mind had already begun deducing tomorrow's battle situation.

...

"The preliminary round rules have changed!"

Early in the morning, the herald's voice exploded across the parade grounds.

"Today, there will be no more solo fights!"

"Twelve squads in a melee, fighting in the same arena!"

"The victors of two rounds will decide the final outcome!"

An uproar swept through the entire assembly!

In past major examinations, the preliminary rounds were merely squad-by-squad rotation matches, with the winners advancing.

Yet this year, the Ministry of War had directly changed it into a "free-for-all brawl"!

A total of twenty-four teams had advanced to the preliminary round.

They were divided into two matches.

Twelve teams per match, sixty men entering the parade ground together!

Swords and spears have no eyes, life and death are up to fate!

The last ones still standing would be the victors!

"All squads, enter the arena!"

With a roar from the herald, the surroundings of the parade ground instantly boiled over.

"Squad Leader! What do we do?" Hu Dayong asked anxiously.

Lin Chuan's gaze swept across the eleven eyeing-us-tigerishly squads.

Suddenly, he broke into a grin: "One-Eye, you step down, I'm going up!"

"Ah?" One-Eye was stunned. "Why?"

Before he could finish speaking, realization dawned on him.

His left eye was injured, resulting in poor vision. In a chaotic melee like this, it would actually be a disadvantage.

"Squad Leader..."

Grit-toothed, he shoved the iron-wood shield and wooden saber into Lin Chuan's hands.

"Right!"

Lin Chuan took the weapons and pulled the remaining five hundred taels of silver notes from his bosom.

"Bet it all on us to win!"

"Ah?"

The five strong men drew in a sharp breath in unison.

When it came to single combat, betting everything on oneself to win was called self-confidence.

But now, in a chaotic brawl, they were still betting on themselves to win?

"Squad Leader..." Hu Dayong's voice had shifted pitch. "This isn't a single duel!"

"What?" Lin Chuan frowned. "Got cold feet?"

"Who has cold feet!" Wang Tiechu's eyes reddened as he pulled out his silver notes. "My hundred taels are going on us too!"

Zhang Xiaonian stammered anxiously: "I, I, I, I..."

He simply slapped his silver notes directly into Lin Chuan's hand.

Hu Dayong and Er Gou exchanged glances, then simultaneously dug into their pockets: "To hell with it!"

Nine silver notes piled up into a small mound in One-Eye's palm.

One-Eye looked awkwardly at the five of them.

The five of them stared back at him.

"I'm betting too!"

One-Eye hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, and directly began untying his belt.

"Damn it, what are you doing?" Hu Dayong glared.

"Taking out the silver notes!"

One-Eye fumbled around in his crotch and pulled out a stack of body-warmed silver notes.

They still radiated a trace of heat.

"Damn it, bet it all!"

The expressions of several men shifted into one of a desperate resolve to face death.

"Dong—!"

"Dong—!"

"Dong dong dong dong dong dong dong dong—!"

War drums exploded.

Sixty elites stood with swords and spears like a forest.

And the five men of Iron Forest Fortress had already wagered their entire fortunes won just yesterday!

Either stand and count the money!

Or lie down and beg for food!

At this very moment.

The quartermaster running the gambling ring looked at the one thousand taels of silver notes in One-Eye's hand.

A baseless panic welled up in his heart.

...

On the parade ground, the twelve teams stood distinctly separated.

Facing the completely new rules, the various teams displayed different states of mind.

Some squads eyed their rivals hungrily, waiting for an opportunity to strike; others exchanged covert glances, clearly having reached a tacit understanding; some cautiously retreated to the edges, unwilling to be the first bird to stick out its head; while the five men of Iron Forest Fortress...

Suddenly began running toward the edge of the field.

"Huh???"

In the spectator stands, several high officials leaned forward simultaneously.

Vice Minister of War Zhao Mingde perplexed asked, "Are they forfeiting?"

"Forfeiting... isn't that just admitting defeat?"

The Commander of Yunzhong Guard sneered aloud, "As expected of garrison fortress soldiers..."

General Chen frowned: "What trick is this brat Lin Chuan playing again?"

At the edge of the parade ground.

The five men of Iron Forest Fortress were frantically untying their leg wrappings in a fluster.

"Clatter—" Hu Dayong was the first to shake open a sandbag, yellow sand pouring out to pile into a small mound by the side of the field.

The surrounding soldiers widened their eyes: "They... they've been wearing sandbags the whole time they were fighting?!"

Wang Tiechu cursed as he tore off the weight from his waist.

"Damn it, finally get to take these off!"

The sandbag slammed into the ground with a "thud," kicking up a cloud of dust.

Lin Chuan was even more exaggerated, directly removing his outer armor.

Good grief! The lining was densely sewn with overlapping iron plates!

Across the parade ground, the bearded man of Yanmen Guard turned instantly pale:

"Th... they were fighting us with weighted gear the whole time?!"

On the martial viewing platform, General Chen burst into hearty laughter:

"Good! What a fine Lin Chuan!"

Zhao Mingde looked somewhat sluggish: "Th... this isn't against the rules, is it?"

"Rules?" General Chen laughed. "Which clause in the major examination manual says you aren't allowed to wear sandbags?!"

At this moment, the five men of Iron Forest Fortress were unburdened and light.

Lin Chuan rotated his wrists, his wooden saber carving a sharp whistle through the air.

Having shed dozens of catties of weight, that blade moved so fast its trajectory was barely visible!

"Ready?" Lin Chuan turned his head to ask.

The four strong men grinned, a blazing fighting spirit burning in their eyes.

"Squad Leader, just tell us how to tear into them!"

Hu Dayong picked up his iron-wood shield and wooden saber once more.

"How to tear into them?"

Lin Chuan gave a ferocious grin, "Follow me! If we lose, there's no silver left!"

"Can't lose—"

Wang Tiechu's eyes were red. "I'm going to marry little Cui!"

"What?"

Hu Dayong and Er Gou stared at each other in blank dismay.

"Let's move! Follow me!"

Lin Chuan tapped his wooden saber against his iron-wood shield and strode toward the nearest team.

"Dong—!"

The war drums exploded once more.

The five men of Iron Forest Fortress charged into the battlefield like fierce tigers breaking out of their cages!

The surrounding soldiers were left dumbfounded:

"Are these damn soldiers really from a garrison fortress?!"