Lord Yuan

Chapter 181 Assessment of the Crossbow Cavalry Battalion
Changli County, frontier fortress military camp.

Except for the sentries on the city wall who were diligently watching what was happening in the distance, the remaining soldiers all came to the open space in the camp.

This place is large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people, but at this time, it is almost full of people.

Among them, there were only a small number of soldiers in the military camp, only 2000 people under Zhao Jian's command, and the rest were private soldiers sent by many other powerful powers.

Compared with the standard equipment of the Han soldiers, which had been replaced by Yuan Shaohua at great cost, these private soldiers had a disdainful and arrogant look, and the clothes they wore were also of different shapes. Coupled with the commotion of Wuyangyang, it made them one after another. The noise is endless.

Zhao Jian had also served as one of the ordinary soldiers at this time, and there were Huang Zhong, Wen Chou, and Han Dang on the stage.

Looking at the private soldiers dispatched by the powerful people in the audience, they were all in their own camps and the commotion continued. Huang Zhongdang shouted loudly: "This is a military camp. If you are not from your own family, when you come to this military camp, just do it honestly." , even if your master comes here, he must stand here respectfully, instead of just being a rabble like you."

The people in the audience fell silent immediately, followed by another overwhelming quarrel.

Huang Zhong seemed to have thought of this scene a long time ago, and immediately asked people to ring the gong, and the "bang bang" sound of the gong immediately overwhelmed the movement of everyone present.

The rioting private soldiers in the audience were just stunned for a moment, and then continued to talk to others as if nothing had happened, not taking Huang Zhong seriously at all.

Unexpectedly, at this time, outside the military camp, the heads of powerful gentry families were slowly approaching with small steps.

When Gongsun Du came first, he immediately walked onto the stage, saluted Huang Zhong and others, and said, "It's all the fault of the subordinates if the discipline is not strict." His attitude was very respectful, and then he turned around and looked at the audience. Wuyangyang's head raised its voice and shouted loudly: "Every member of the Gongsun family, step forward!"

Immediately, 1000 people took a step forward with unsteady steps, raising their heads and looking at the owner of the house blankly, wondering what their intention was.

Gongsundu took a deep breath and pointed at the group of people in the audience, his eyes full of anger. He had finally boarded the big ship of Yuan Changshi. If he was ruined by these well-intentioned people, he would really not be able to cry. Go somewhere and cry.

He turned towards Huang Zhong, cupped his fists, knelt down on one knee and saluted, and said, "Anyone who is a member of my Gongsun family will treat them as if they were seeing me. Anyone who dares to disobey will be immediately expelled from the Gongsun family, including their family members. The Gongsun family will no longer protect them. "

The soldiers in the audience were startled when they heard this. They didn't understand why the head of their family, the head of the Gongsun family who was known throughout Liaodong, wanted to abuse themselves in this way. The burly man was just a nobody. If he was Yan Liang, he was These actions are not bad, but he is just an ordinary person named Huang Zhong.

But when faced with the words of their family leader, they had to listen. Their family members were protected by the Gongsun family, and the remuneration exceeded the ordinary salary level, so they were absolutely unwilling to be kicked out for a trivial matter, so they hurriedly He imitated the gesture of the head of the family and knelt down on one knee to salute.

Huang Zhong's expression softened slightly. Facing these arrogant soldiers, it would be easiest to ask their family masters to deal with them. As for whether they are willing to obey later, it is not up to them. Since they have decided to enter the military camp, it means that they have to put all their heart and soul into it. All of his attention stayed on the crossbow cavalry camp.

Of course, according to Yuan Jun's standards, it is not known how many of these 1000 people will succeed.

Huang Zhong took a rough look around with his naked eyes and came to the conclusion that it was no more than eleven, which was similar to the views of Han, Dang, and Wenchou.

With Gongsun Du's precedent, the remaining powerful families learned from him.

Soon, there was no turmoil anymore, but there was still an insurmountable gap compared with the uniform Han army.

"Everyone, you may not know, but I am a subordinate of Yuan Changshi, and I am good at using bows and crossbows." Huang Zhong said calmly.

"The purpose of gathering you all today is for the Han army's long-term plan and to select elites who are skilled in bow and horse and capable of taking charge of their own affairs. We have specially conducted this competition."

Huang Zhong pointed to the racecourse, where dozens of horses were leisurely gnawing on the turf on the ground. Not far away, there were several red-heart targets standing in the center about a hundred paces away.

"Later, anyone who decides to participate in this selection can go and give it a try. Yuan Changshi will give you a reward no matter whether you go too far or not."

Huang Zhong grabbed a golden round gold nugget from the plate behind him and said quickly: "Those who can hit the target at thirty steps will receive ten thousand coins, and those who can hit the target at forty steps will receive thirty thousand coins." , those who take fifty steps can receive one hundred thousand yuan."

There was a burst of exclamation from the audience, and they all stared at the gold in Huang Zhong's hand with fanatical faces. It was golden and even more precious under the sunlight.

Someone who believed in his superior arm strength suddenly asked: "What if it takes more than fifty steps?"

Huang Zhong smiled and said: "For every ten more steps, there will be one hundred thousand more coins. Each person will have three chances. If the arrow misses an inch, a thousand coins will be given."

"Then what if someone can hit him with a hundred steps?" Someone asked.

Huang Zhong pointed to the three seats behind him, which belonged to the three of them, and said loudly: "Then I will add one more seat. The target shooter with a hundred steps can have the same status as me."

"I don't know how far I can shoot with one step. If you are not as good as me, wouldn't you be ashamed to occupy such a position?" A naked man who looked like a foreigner stood up and pointed at the seat behind him.

Huang Zhong didn't care at all. If it came to other things, he might still be a little unsure, but if it came to archery, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for him to think that he was among the top three in the world. He immediately waved his hands and said: "When you finish shooting, I will shoot again in front of you all."

"Chang Shi wants to build a crossbow riding camp. Anyone whose equestrian skills are not good enough can retreat on their own."

Huang Zhong raised his voice: "Now, everyone please move forward and give it a try."

Faced with this almost door-to-door reward, no one would refuse. After all, even if one arrow misses, they can still get a thousand dollars, which is equivalent to their income for half a year. Everyone is gearing up and preparing for it.

Huang Zhong looked at the first person who planned to try and asked: "Which company is it from? How many steps do you plan to shoot?"

The man swallowed and rubbed his hands back and forth. Before he came, he planned to try fifty steps, hoping to get one hundred thousand dollars. From then on, he had no worries about food and clothing. As a result, he really waited until he arrived at the scene. , looking at the target that was almost shrinking into a line, he narrowed his eyes and said excitedly: "It's the Gongsun family, just shoot thirty steps."

Huang Zhong nodded and said loudly, "Gongsun family, thirty steps!"

The man took the long bow. This bow was nearly half a man's height. According to Huang Zhong, anyone with no physical disability could pull it. It was only five buckets long, and its power was not great, but it was more accurate. Thirty paces If you want to shoot through the armor from a distance, it would be a bit wishful thinking, but if you simply hit the target, it doesn't take much effort.

He held the bow in one hand, and slowly pulled the bow back with the other hand, uniting his waist and exerting all his strength on his arms. In just an instant, the bow was bent and bent. He squinted his eyes slightly and tried his best to pull the bow. The target was aimed, but the distance of thirty steps made the target extremely small.

"Whoops!" The sound of arrows piercing the air came, turning into a stream of daylight and speeding away.

Then there was no movement. Huang Zhong knew that the arrow had missed just by looking at the direction in which it was fired and the strength of his arm.

He didn't say much, he just called the soldiers to replenish the arrows.

The man sighed and secretly said that he was a little careless. Even the distance of thirty steps was a bit difficult for him. Seeing that the previous arrow was still a few steps away from the target, he was a little unsure. .

The soldier handed over the arrow without saying a word.

He started to bend the bow and shoot again. This time he learned smarter and was no longer so anxious. He slowly gathered all the strength in his body and the entire bow began to bend. Knowing that the time had come, he immediately shot an arrow. His eyes were fixed on the flowing light.

Huang Zhong smiled and clapped his hands, "Shoot the target once, thirty steps. Since the first one to hit the target, there will be a special reward of thirty thousand."

The man immediately cheered. He didn't expect such a benefit. He calmed down a little and said, "I wonder if I can still get rewarded if I continue to shoot?"

Huang Zhong had already prepared his words. He shook his head lightly and said, "A person only has one chance, but since I am the number one, I will give you one chance." As soon as he said this, there were countless sounds of annoyance in the crowd, and they just regretted why. They can't run as fast as the Gongsun family's private soldiers.

He was overjoyed when he heard this, and when he thought that he would still have [-] yuan to get later, he couldn't hold back his excitement, and he started shooting arrows again.

But it is obvious that when shooting arrows on the flat ground, one must be calm and do not act arrogantly. Even if he is so excited that he cannot even hold the bow steady, how can he hit the target? Huang Zhong has long expected this result, and it will be over as soon as the arrow escapes. clear.

He left dejectedly and came to the side where the adoption rewards were given.

Huang Zhong mounted his horse and said enthusiastically: "Anyone who can hit the target in thirty steps should stand on the right side. After the competition here is over, there are still important matters."

With No.1 taking the lead and showing it to everyone, the rest of the progress will go much faster.

Twenty targets were in action at the same time.

Continuously bending the bow and shooting arrows from dawn to dusk.

Having experienced the money reward scene in person, these people's stomachs had long been filled with excitement. Even if they had time to eat and drink, they were all focused on shooting the target.

Since the first person hit the target in thirty steps, dozens of people failed to hit the target. Most of them were still a few steps away from the target due to lack of arm strength.

Obviously, the minimum distance of thirty steps is a little difficult for them.

Of course, if there are weak people, there will naturally be strong ones.

When someone appeared who hit the target with all three arrows at fifty steps, Huang Zhong immediately went to him and said with a bright face: "You are a talented person. What is your name? You can receive a reward of 30 yuan."

Xu Da snickered secretly, but his face was extremely calm, as if these three arrows were not difficult at all, but the people around him immediately let out overwhelming sounds of envy when they heard this, and some good-hearted people even shouted to him to try six Ten paces away.

Before him, the best results were only forty steps, and only one arrow hit the target.

Huang Zhong calmly pointed to the bull's-eye, then called for a one-stone bow, glanced at Xu Da and said, "If you can shoot through the bull's-eye, you will be rewarded with a million dollars!"

He has this confidence. Since Yuan Shao made him the absolute leader of the crossbow cavalry camp, all the money he has gained recently has been placed in this military camp. Yuan Shao has only one purpose. The more elite soldiers and generals the better, he is not afraid Spending money, as long as it is worth the money, is worth millions or tens of millions.

With these words, Huang Zhong naturally straightened his back.

When they heard about one million dollars, many people were instantly shocked. Looking at the bullseye not far away, they seemed like beauties waving their hands and waiting for their luck. However, when they thought of those sixty You still need to shoot through the bull's-eye. This level of difficulty can be said to be hellish.

Huang Zhong had a calm look on his face, still holding the bow in both hands. Xu Da smiled when he saw this, took the bow smoothly, turned his head and asked suddenly: "I heard Yuan Jun said that few people in the world can match your archery skills. , Yuan Jun has never told lies, I really don’t know how far it can go if Yuan Jun praises his rare archery skills in the world."

Hearing this, Huang Zhong was stunned for a moment and looked at the man in front of him. He seemed familiar and suddenly came back to his senses. This man seemed to be Xu Da, the commander of the camp under Gong Ji. He had attacked Xianbei at night before Yuan Jun and followed Gong Ji to attack. In the Xianbei camp, many Xianbei elites were killed.

In this way, he is one of his own.

Huang Zhong immediately said calmly: "No, Yuan Jun is overly praised. Xunji is a friend of Gong Ji. Why do you come to join this crossbow cavalry camp?"

Xu Da said in a deep voice: "Yan Sima is currently training his troops. If there is no war, it will be impossible for him to achieve military merit. However, Yuan Jun has said it first. The crossbow cavalry battalion is the elite assault force outside the fortress. If you can enter it, why don't you worry about not getting any military merit? "

Then he joked: "Even Yan Sima wanted to join the crossbow cavalry camp. However, although he is proficient in swordsmanship and a peerless warrior, his crossbow skills are really unsatisfactory, so he gave up."

Huang Zhong laughed and said: "That's true. If you had said it earlier, why would you have gone through this process? Just put your name on it."

Xu Da waved his hands and shook his head: "No, Han Sheng made a promise beforehand. If he can hit the target, he will be rewarded with millions of dollars. Don't break your promise!"

Huang Zhong solemnly said: "That's not the case. Since Xunji can hit the target, he should be rewarded. Even if other people have such courage, they will naturally receive these rewards. You can't favor one and lose the other."

Xu Da nodded, then picked up the bow and tried it. It was obviously much stronger than before. He couldn't help but ask more: "How many stones does this bow cost?"

"One stone."

Xu Da stopped talking and exchanged it for a stone. Although his strength was greatly enhanced, the burst of arrows was greatly improved, but what this brought about was that more strength was needed to pull the bowstring. Ordinary people It is extremely difficult to draw a bow with one stone.

Xu Da held his breath, and his eagle-like eyes were fixed on the bullseye sixty steps away. It had turned into an extremely small red dot. Xu Da himself didn't know whether he could hit it, or whether he could even hit the target. All are unknown.

This arrow depends entirely on God’s will.

Xu Da made a "whoosh" sound and the arrow shot through the air.

In just an instant, the arrow's speed was astonishingly fast, and it was almost impossible to see the direction of the arrow. Everyone thought that the arrow would miss. After all, it was only sixty steps away, which was beyond everyone's imagination.

Unexpectedly, the power of the arrow did not diminish, and Xu Da used all his strength to penetrate straight through the center of the target. This force knocked the entire target back a few steps in an instant.

There was silence. Whether it was the frontier soldiers or the private soldiers of various tribes who relied on their superior strength, they were all staring in Xu Da's direction in shock. Xu Da suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, sweat dripping from his forehead. It's like a stream that can't stop flowing downward.

After wiping it, he joked to Huang Zhong: "It looks like Han Sheng is going to give me a million dollars, and I'll treat you to a drink later!"

Huang Zhong also showed a surprised look, then nodded with a smile and said: "Don't even think about escaping after this search."

But everyone present immediately burst into cheers. They all looked at Xu Da who was able to hit the target at sixty paces and still hit the bullseye. This is a contemporary fierce man. Such power. If you are fighting an enemy, wouldn't it be possible to shoot through both men and horses from forty or fifty steps away, when no one is in sight?

Needless to say, such a person is regarded by everyone as a representative of the fierce generals in their hearts. Even those who were shooting arrows were stunned at this time, looking at the passing here, not daring to blink, for fear of missing. a certain detail.

Xu Da knew very well that his arrow had actually taken advantage of the right time and place. Without God's blessing, it would have been impossible to achieve this effect.

He couldn't help but look at the remaining two people on the stage, Han Dang Wen Chou.

He knew that Wen Chou was sworn brother to Yan Liangnai, and his martial arts skills were not inferior to his. However, most of Yuan Jun's praises for Wen Chou were just words. His archery skills were superb and he never failed.

And Han Dang, although Yuan Jun never said much, but being regarded as the deputy general of this crossbow cavalry camp, assisting Huang Zhong, means that his archery skills are absolutely terrifying. When it is over later, he must go and see him Seeing how far these people's archery skills have reached, I can clearly understand the gap between me and them.

Xu Da also wanted to be praised by Yuan Jun, but it was obvious that although these current performances were amazing, they seemed far from the results that Yuan Jun could praise. , after all, even Huang Zhong and the other three were slightly surprised, but there were not many unexpected actions. It seemed that this was just some normal operation.

He summoned his brothers and accepted the million-dollar reward. As for whether receiving the money in public would arouse other people's evil intentions, Xu Da said that he would kill one, two, and a pair without any emotion at all. Interview.

Taking money is wrong.

(End of this chapter)