167. "Insult"

Zhang Xuan saw that Nie Zheng’s posture had severely deformed, and Nie Zheng’s legs were visibly trembling. Yet, Zhang Xuan said nothing more, merely wishing to test where Nie Zheng’s limit lay. As for Yang Zaixing and Yang Hu, they had already been ignored by Zhang Xuan; Zhang Xuan was not surprised at all that these two could stand this long, as they were often dragged along by him for "punishment stands." Having long wondered why Zhang Xuan was so obsessed with standing motionless for hours on end, the two had simply followed his lead until they grew accustomed to it, eventually giving up asking questions.

The other children were cheering Nie Zheng on, as he was, after all, the only one who dared to directly challenge the monitor. However, only a short while later, Nie Zheng could no longer hold his ground. With a thud, he slumped to the ground. Nie Rong quickly hurried over to his side to massage his calves. "Not bad. Although your posture at the end was far from standard, lasting this long is still commendable—at least far more impressive than little Yunzi. Keep up the good work! All of you, head back to rest early! We might be getting up early tomorrow. Remember to sleep with your clothes on tonight; that's just a piece of advice, take it or leave it. Also, tomorrow, the sound of the gong will be the signal. The moment you hear the gong, assemble right here. Understood?"

"Un-der-stood!" all the children shouted back at Zhang Xuan.

Finally, while dismissing his own squad members, Zhang Xuan said without the slightest blush or hint of shame, "I'll leave the laundry for the next few days in your capable hands. The mere thought of washing clothes in such freezing weather makes my whole body uneasy, and now I can finally rid myself of this discomfort. We should play games like this more often!" Without even glancing at the expressions of his squad members, Zhang Xuan walked right up to Yuwen Chengdu. "Second Brother, you're losing your touch! You can't even outlast the members of our squad. Looks like during the next evaluation, you're practically guaranteed to come in last."

"Little Xuanzi, it’s far too early to be making claims like that. There are still thirty days left! We’ll see about that! Today was merely a warm-up. When the evaluation arrives, our squad will display absolute strength. Right, everyone?!"

"Right!" Yuwen Chengdu’s squad felt as though they had been gravely insulted and were determined to prove something in the days to come, roaring out their response.

"We shall wait and see! Though I certainly don't hold high hopes for you," Zhang Xuan said with a smile, as if he could already envision the scene thirty days hence of Yuwen Chengdu’s squad finishing dead last. Seeing Zhang Xuan’s grin, Yuwen Chengdu clenched a fist and playfully punched the air in his direction.

"Everyone, get some rest early! Training only officially begins tomorrow; tonight was merely an appetizer!" With that, Zhang Xuan pulled Yang Zaixing, Yuwen Chengdu, and Yang Hu aside.

"Little Xuanzi, why’d you drag us over here? Got something special to impart? I was planning on putting them through a bit more drilling myself."

"Oh, Second Brother, feeling all fired up and ready for a major campaign, are you? Forget it for today; we have an early morning tomorrow!"

"An early morning?" Yang Zaixing and the other two blurted out in unison!

"Is an early morning really that strange? It's just waking up early, is there any need to make such a big fuss about it? Whenever it's not raining, we wake up early all the time! What's the big deal?" Zhang Xuan said with total calm.

"Running? But given their current state, it feels like they've already slightly overdrawn themselves today, especially Nie Zheng. Will he even be able to hold on tomorrow?" Yang Zaixing offered a relatively fair observation.

"I’m not worried about Nie Zheng at all, so what are you lot fussing over? Big Brother, Second Brother, Tiger, remember one thing: in the midst of training, there is no such thing as mercy! An exceptional soldier is forged and tempered through hardship. They all possess the potential to become outstanding soldiers; we cannot waste their innate talent! As long as they haven't fainted, drill them hard, push them to the absolute limit. The sweat they shed now is merely to ensure they shed a little less blood on the battlefield later. Approach their training—and your own—with that mindset!" Zhang Xuan watched as Nie Zheng was being supported back toward the wooden cabins by Nie Rong and Shi Qian.

"Are you planning to train every single one of them to be worth ten men?" Yang Zaixing watched the score of children walking back toward the dwellings.

"If we are capable of it, why not? Or rather, they could be worth even more than ten men! If we don't show a bit of ruthlessness toward ourselves and them, heaven knows where our limits truly lie! Come on, let's go practice the spear and the blade; I know you lot still have energy to spare. By the way, Big Brother, your goal is to be a match for a hundred! Second Brother, Tiger, same goes for you—though being a match for a hundred is merely a starting point for you two. Ideally, you should strive to become unmatched military commanders on par with Xiang Yu. The revolution is not yet complete, comrades, and we still have a long and arduous road ahead of us!" Before the three could even react, Zhang Xuan had already walked back to the wooden cabin to retrieve his weapon of choice for martial practice—a wooden staff.

Yang Zaixing and the other two exchanged glances for a moment. "This Little Xuanzi holds truly towering expectations for us. A match for a hundred! A commander capable of defying ten thousand! Still... it's not entirely out of reach."

"That's right! After all, I am determined to become a renowned general who campaigns across the battlefield, just like the Champion Marquis. Being a match for ten thousand—that is the true goal I strive for!" Suddenly, the three felt their blood surging through their veins. Clenching their fists tightly, they silently carved a sacred vow deep within their hearts.

Throughout the course of their sparring and dueling, Zhang Xuan distinctly felt as though Yang Zaixing and the other two had been injected with chicken blood. They completely altered their usual demeanor, unleashing such fierce and ferocious attacks that Zhang Xuan was left utterly bewildered. As the "culprit" behind it all, Zhang Xuan simply massaged his slightly sore arms after the sparring session ended, completely clueless as to why the three of them had undergone such an abrupt transformation.