Chapter 1032: I Am Destined by Heaven
"My! Heaven! Rabbit! Rending! Overlord! Sword!"
Padi Tu roared loudly, leaping high into the air and swinging his sword down at his opponent.
Ma Shouying, standing opposite him, shook his head. In the heat of battle, this fellow had actually leapt into the air, hovering with both hands raised high, leaving his midsection wide open. Fighting like that, he'd be dead a hundred times over.
Ma Shouying launched a kick that landed squarely on Padi Tu’s abdomen.
Padi Tu let out a muffled groan, sent flying backward to tumble to the ground with a thud, his ancestral sword flying far from his grasp. He clutched his abdomen and writhed on the ground, crying, "Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch... Brother Ma... that was brutal... you kicked me so hard!”
Ma Shouying replied, "Making such a move on the battlefield wouldn't just cause pain; it would send you straight to the King of Hell."
Clutching his belly, Padi Tu scrambled to his feet, searching everywhere for his sword. It took him a while to retrieve it. Then, pouting, he said, "On the battlefield, there's no chance to make a move like that anymore... For years, enemies haven't even gotten close; they're all gunned down by flintlock rifles from a hundred meters away. Swordsmanship is dead, the spirit of the swordsman is dead, ahhh, it's dead, the sword is dead!"
Padi Tu spread his arms wide, palms facing the sky, and wailed, "There's no place for swordsmen anymore!"
Sun Chuanting, standing nearby, scolded him irritably, "If you were truly a swordsman, that might be a fair thing to say. But you're not a swordsman at all! You don't even know a single sword move!"
Ma Shouying couldn't help but chuckle. "This fellow."
Sun Chuanting smiled. "This guy never acts serious, but..."
He drew out the end of his sentence, "he's very popular among the new students, you know."
Ma Shouying asked curiously, "Someone like *him* is actually popular?"
Sun Chuanting said, "Even though he's a joker, he's truly kind to the new students. He always digs into his own pocket to treat the poor students to food, buys them daily necessities, and he's the first to step in if they have problems. Now, whenever the new students face difficulties, Senior Padi Tu is the first one they think of, hahahaha."
Ma Shouying exclaimed, "!"
As they were speaking, a rider on a swift horse galloped into the academy gates.
The rider shouted loudly, "Bad news, terrible news! Ah? Headmaster Sun, you're here, perfect! The Heavenly Lord has commanded that all veteran students in the academy must immediately return to their military units—everyone, at once, right now..."
At these words, Sun Chuanting was stunned. "All veterans recalled? Is something major happening?"
The rider frantically exclaimed, "The Manchus have invaded! A massive Manchu invasion!"
This startled Sun Chuanting. "This is extremely bad."
Soon, the Yellow Pole Military Academy's alarm blared, and all teachers and students gathered on the parade ground. Sun Chuanting stood on the podium and announced loudly, "Just now, news arrived from outside the passes: Huang Taiji has ascended the throne, declared himself emperor, and changed his dynasty's name to Qing. He has dispatched a hundred thousand troops to invade the passes. The Heavenly Lord has commanded that all those with military duties are to immediately suspend their studies and return to their posts."
At these words, the entire Yellow Pole Military Academy erupted.
Wang Er and Bai Mao, without a moment's hesitation, immediately rushed out, heading toward Pingyang Prefecture.
Chen Qianhu, this semi-scholarly, semi-working villain actor, also quickly returned to the Puzhou garrison.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu, two bumbling, goofy fellows, chuckled, not knowing if they'd learned anything at all. They slapped each other's palms; one hurried toward Zao Ying's cavalry battalion, the other hastened toward Hedong Circuit.
Ma Shouying cupped his fist and said, "I'm returning to Tianzhu Mountain to lead my Iron Cavalry Battalion."
Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi both jumped up simultaneously, eager to rush out. But then they suddenly realized they didn't seem to have an assigned unit...
The last time they were deployed with the army, it was leading a militia unit, accompanying Luo Xi to Shangnan County to defend against rebel incursions into Shaanxi. After that battle, Padi Tu was put in charge of the labor reform camp at Tianzhu Mountain, while Zheng Gouzi remained with Luo Xi, managing the militia.
But that militia unit was now entirely under Luo Xi's command.
Padi Tu and Zheng Gouzi froze. "Oh no," Padi Tu blurted, "where are we supposed to report back to?"
Padi Tu cried, "We're finished! We don't have a unit anymore!"
Zheng Gouzi retorted, "It's all because you're so stupid; you probably got kicked out of the militia. Now I'm stuck with your bad luck too!"
The two watched, utterly dejected, as everyone else rushed back to their posts, while they stood there like dumbfounded dolts.
Sun Chuanting walked up from behind them, smiling. "You two haven't even finished your studies yet, so it's right that you're not returning to the army, lest one mistake cost both of you your lives. Stay here and look after the new students. Coincidentally, I'm preparing to conduct a large-scale practical exercise. Padi Tu, you'll be the Red Team captain, and Zheng Gouzi, you'll be the Blue Team captain."
Both cupped their fists and cried out mournfully, "No! We don't want exercises, we want real combat!"
Sun Chuanting's face hardened. "You have no room to refuse; I just gave an order."
The two quickly straightened their expressions. "Understood!"—
Meanwhile...
Outside Dabie Mountain!
Lu Xiangheng deployed his vast army, completely encircling Dabie Mountain.
Trapped in the mountains, Chuǎng Wang, Chuǎng Jiang, the Eight Great Kings, Cao Cao, and their forces had been besieged for months. Every time they tried to break out for supplies, Lu Xiangheng intercepted them, leaving them bruised and battered, utterly miserable.
Food was scarce in the mountains. They were reduced to digging up tree bark, grass roots, and whatever else they could find to eat. Lacking salt, sugar, and any fats, they felt they couldn't endure such conditions much longer.
Chuǎng Wang had a face full of worry. More than half a year ago, the entire Gao Family Village had come to persuade him to wash his hands of his past and start anew. He hadn't listened, because at the time, he commanded hundreds of thousands of troops, was full of youthful vigor and ambition, and believed the empire was almost within his grasp.
Little did he know, he was brutally defeated in Luzhou shortly after, his seventy-two rebel factions scattered, and now, only tens of thousands remained by his side.
The rebel army's ranks were shedding men faster than a puddle in a summer drought.
His grand ambitions for conquest seemed to be nothing but a dream.
And now, it was time to wake up.
He felt utterly despondent, even beginning to question his entire life's path.
Chuǎng Wang turned to Chuǎng Jiang. "What should we do now?"
Chuǎng Jiang shook his head. "There's nothing we can do. We can only endure. Endure this most difficult period and wait for an opportunity when the government forces loosen their grip. We will surely find it."
Chuǎng Wang said, "Everyone is starving to death, how can we endure? Alas! Do we still have a chance to seize this empire?"
Chuǎng Jiang replied, "Yes! As long as this drought continues, we do."
Chuǎng Wang said nothing.
He began to doubt this.
*Perhaps, I lack the talent? Am I not worthy to rule this land?*
Just as he thought this...
A scout burst in from outside, his face alight with wild joy, shouting, "Lu Xiangheng has retreated! Lu Xiangheng has lifted the siege! He's gone!"
Chuǎng Jiang let out a sound of surprise. "Really? It's not a feigned retreat, is it?"
The scout joyfully explained, "The Manchus have sent a hundred thousand troops to invade the passes! The imperial court has no one capable of fighting; no one can withstand them. Lu Xiangheng has become the old emperor's only hope, so he has transferred him to resist the Manchu invaders!"
Chuǎng Wang was overjoyed. "Hahahaha, Heaven is helping me! It seems I am destined by Heaven!"
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