Yan Liqiang was very happy with the situation at the archery academy!
During his solitary cultivation, the old batch of students, under the lead of Shi Changfeng and the rest, turned into a pack of wolves and swept past many states in the northwest. This group that suddenly popped up only targets Shatu merchant parties and left no Shatu alive. They ultimately became the nightmare of all the Shatu merchants in the northwest region.
Before, the Shatu Black Wind Bandits often targeted the Han merchants and committed countless atrocities. But now, it was finally their turn to taste what it was like being robbed in the wilderness.
Interestingly, when the Shatu who suffered losses went to the local authorities to report the crimes, the local officials pinned these crimes onto the Black Wind Bandits. This made the Shatu at a loss for words.
News was circulating everywhere in the northwest that the Black Wind Bandits were Shatu people in disguise and they only killed Han merchant caravans. All the northwest merchant groups and convoy bureaus were deeply affected by them. The local authorities and citizens detested this, but they didn’t have any hard evidence. Those Shatu bandits killed and robbed and did all the bad things, but once they took off their masks they became Shatu citizens and merchants. Due to the protection of the Writ of Grace, the local authorities and convoy bureaus couldn’t do anything to them. Now that it was their turn to suffer, the local authorities and citizens all rejoiced and laughed. As for capturing the bandits, that would be a joke. The Shatu in the northwest couldn’t do it so they could only report the crimes and then the local authorities would count the heads of the Black Wind Bandits and then do nothing about it.
In such a situation, the archery cavalry of the archery academy went through more than 30 battles in half a year and annihilated more than 30 Shatu merchant caravans. Those young people soon matured after those battles and the shower of blood and fire.
The old students formed teaching groups in the academy and became role models for the new students. Other than this, the core members of the old students became the leaders and heads of the new intake of students. Under the leadership of these old students, the new 3,000 students soon transitioned into the atmosphere of the archery academy.
The archery academy was the foundation Yan Liqiang valued the most. It was more important than the manufacturing bureau and wool factory to him. Seeing the academy going on the right path and heading to prosperity, Yan Liqiang felt assured. The manufacturing bureau and wool factory earned money; the archery academy earned people. With money and people, he would be able to protect what he wanted no matter how the world changed.
This time, Yan Liqiang stayed with the new and old students in the academy for three days. He personally took on the task of training them and taught them a new Great Ancestor Long Fist technique that was very practicable in battle. He had two meetings with the old students. On the fourth day, he heard Lei Sitong was coming to Pingxi city to check the Gan Province military equipment. Yan Liqiang took his guards and left Qinghe County and went to Pingxi City to see Lei Sitong and Wang Jianbei again.
The meeting point wasn’t in the city but in a camp outside the city. Lei Sitong invited Yan Liqiang to the camp to watch the training of the soldiers.
“Kill… kill… kill… kill…”
In the chilling wind and drum beats, the nearly 10,000 soldiers formed an orderly square formation and roared like thunder. They held their spears and stood through the ice and snow, practicing the change in their formation. When those ten thousand spears pierced out, frosty light flashed everywhere, making people’s blood boil.
Lei Sitong, who wore full armor and a red cape, had one hand on his waist and the other perched on his sword. He stood dominantly at the general stand. Yan Liqiang stood on Lei Sitong’s left. Wang Jianbei and Liu Yuchen stood on Lei Sitong’s right. The generals of Pingxi Prefecture stood behind Lei Sitong.
“Liqiang, what do you think of the men in this barrack?” Lei Sitong turned and asked.
“The soldiers here are all the cornerstone of the country, and they are great men!” Yan Liqiang said genuinely.
“Haha, well said Liqiang!” Lei Sitong pointed at the soldiers and exclaimed, “The Silver Continent has tens of thousands of countries. It’s the law of the jungle. Without them, there wouldn’t be the Great Han Empire and the citizens wouldn’t have a stable life. It’s these men’s spears and bodies that keep those ravenous wolves outside our country. They deserve to be the cornerstone of the country. Every time I look at them, I think of when I was young. I was also in the army just like them, practicing on the field before now!”
“The Provincial Governor was once a soldier?”
“Of course! This is the family rule of the Lei Clan. All men from Lei Clan must train in the military for at least six years after they turn 18. Joining the army is like cultivation, I was no exception…” Lei Sitong laughed. His eyes studied Yan Liqiang from top to bottom, “I heard you’ve been in solitary cultivation for this half year. It seems your power has improved quite a bit — even I can’t see through you!”
Yan Liqiang put on a bitter face and didn’t mind the other officers, ” I have never done anything immoral, but for some reason in this Great Han Empire, there are people from the capital to the Gulang Plains who want my head. Thus, I need to work harder. If it’s in terms of archery skills and an overt battle, I have some confidence in that. But I’m scared some people will use any means necessary. If I don’t work hard, then maybe someday my head will fly off from my neck. Then, that would be too late for regret. I still haven’t married yet, if I die like this, it would be such a pity. To be honest, I still want to find an opportunity for solitary cultivation next year…”
Hearing this, Lei Sitong shook his head and smiled bitterly. Even Wang Jianbei and the other generals couldn’t help but smile.
“Sigh…” Lei Sitong pointed at Yan Liqiang and suddenly asked, “I heard your archery academy students are also practicing formations. Who do you think is stronger, your students or these men?”
Hearing this, all the colonels on the side tuned in and watched Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang remained calm, “My students are practicing formations so that they can learn to listen to orders. If they don’t listen to me, how can I teach a few thousand students all by myself? To say who is stronger, it would depend on what. As the name Archery Academy suggests, my students are mainly studying archery. They rarely know about the other arts of war. If there is an even number of people and my students were to compete with these men in archery, then I believe my students would be stronger. After all, they practice archery more. If they were to compete in terms of spears and formation, then they would be no match…”
Yan Liqiang was honest and those generals nodded in agreement. Afterall, Yan Liqiang’s fame was there as the number one archery master in the northwest. With such a master and those students who learned for a year, these men really might not be able to win. But if it was something else, these generals would be full of confidence.
Only Lei Sitong gave Yan Liqiang a deep look but didn’t say anything and just smiled…
Lei Sitong then brought Yan Liqiang back into the hall of the camp. There was only Wang Jianbei and Liu Yuchen there as well. After serving tea, Liu Yuchen got up and closed the door.
“Liqiang, can you guess why I came to Pingxi Prefecture this time?”
Yan Liqiang looked at Lei Sitong and then at the other two before sighing, “Is it that someone is using this opportunity of the Great Han Empire attacking the Gulang plains to start trouble with me?”
