The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 456 Guo Jing Boards the Ship
If we disregard historical fact and focus solely on the world of The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing is undoubtedly a brilliant military strategist.

When Guo Jing was the Right Marshal of the Mongol Western Expedition, he was able to stand alone and lead the Mongol Western Route Army to victory after victory with a variety of ingenious strategies. He always took the lead in battle and ultimately destroyed the Khwarazmian Empire. Guo Jing deserves the greatest credit for this war of annihilation.

Even Temujin greatly acknowledged and feared the offensive power of his army, which is why he later threatened Li Ping's life to prevent Guo Jing from returning to the Southern Song Dynasty.

In Temujin's eyes, Guo Jing was skilled in attack and excelled in surprise attacks, and would inevitably become a major threat to the Mongol conquest of the world in the future.

If Guo Jing were merely a highly skilled martial artist, or simply a prince consort, Temujin would never have valued him so highly.

In the world of The Return of the Condor Heroes, Guo Jing guarded Xiangyang and led the army and people to resist the Mongol army for decades. In terms of defensive capabilities alone, no one in the world could match him.

The Mongol cavalry was the strongest force in the history of cold weapon warfare. From the day it rose to power, it swept across the world, reaching the banks of the Rhine River. The Western Xia, Tibet, and Dali kingdoms were destroyed one after another, and China was unified once again.

Yet, with such a powerful army and such formidable military strength, Guo Jing, relying solely on the strength of Xiangyang and with the corrupt Southern Song court constantly hindering him, managed to extend the Southern Song's life by several decades. Such military command ability was enough to shake the world.

Even if Xiangyang fell decades later, it was simply a matter of the inevitable course of events. Guo Jing was outnumbered and unable to resist the relentless march of history; it was definitely not due to a lack of ability on his part.

Of course, this is all just fiction in martial arts novels, but Wu Chengyu is currently living in a martial arts novel world.

Gold is easy to come by, but a general is hard to find, let alone a commander-in-chief. In Wu Chengyu's eyes, Guo Jing was a potential marshal.

He has to train a new army and find a way to overthrow the Southern Song Dynasty, so he will inevitably be overwhelmed in the future.

Hong Niangzi was also a talented leader, but unfortunately, she was stationed in the Jin Kingdom for many years and had no time to help him with his affairs.

As for the rest, Xiao Lu has good military strategy, but he is currently infiltrating Western Xia. Li Geda can only be used as a killing tool. Song Mu is a promising talent and is definitely a general capable of charging into battle, but it is still unknown whether he has the ability to command a large army.

Wu Chengyu knew he had no talent for commanding troops and fighting battles. It would be a big no-no for an amateur to lead an expert, so he needed a trustworthy and capable person to help him command the new army.

Therefore, Guo Jing, whose abilities have been proven in the original work, whose character and personality are absolutely trustworthy, who is also his disciple, and to whom he has been kind, is the only suitable candidate.

If in the future we can really overthrow the Southern Song Dynasty, destroy the Jin and Mongol dynasties, and establish a unified Han dynasty again, then Guo Jing would at least be a Grand Marshal of the Army, wouldn't that be more promising than the so-called great heroes?

When Wu Chengyu went to Mongolia to find Guo Jing, besides wanting to meet the protagonist and take him as his disciple to fulfill his long-cherished wish, this was also the main reason.

Now he intends to take advantage of Guo Jing and Li Ping's hatred towards Wanyan Honglie and the Jin Dynasty, and pull Guo Jing onto his side.

However, Wu Chengyu still didn't explain all his plans. Everyone thought he was preparing to resist the Jin dynasty, and no one expected that Wu Chengyu also wanted to overthrow the Southern Song dynasty. These things would have to wait until Guo Jing got on the pirate ship.

“Jing’er, since that’s the case, you’ll probably have to come with me. I’ll be training a new army in Suzhou. Once we get there, you’ll just be a lowly soldier, starting from the bottom and working your way up. I won’t give you any special treatment.”

“Master, Jing’er understands. Jing’er is not afraid of hardship, I only hope that one day I can avenge my family.”

"Alright, since that's the case, I'll give you two more gifts." As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Chengyu took out the Wu Mu Legacy from his bosom, which was of course a handwritten copy.

"This is a military treatise, a priceless treasure of our time. It is the legacy of Yue Fei, written by Marshal Yue himself. It contains the ultimate principles of military strategy and methods for commanding and training troops. You must study it carefully."

Upon hearing that the military treatise was written by Yue Fei, those present were once again moved. Yue Fei was a taboo subject in the imperial court, but his reputation among the common people was extremely high.

Especially for figures like the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan, their admiration for Yue Fei was ingrained in their very bones. If Yue Fei were still alive, they would not hesitate to die for Marshal Yue.

After these people had been looking at the Wu Mu Legacy for a long time and finally calmed down, Wu Chengyu pointed to the smiling A Ku and continued.

"This third gift is a gift from your martial aunt to you. It is the Northern Beggar's ultimate skill, the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. It is the most suitable martial art for you."

Even if Wu Chengyu wanted to change Guo Jing's life trajectory, he didn't want Guo Jing to lose the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, or rather, he couldn't imagine what Guo Jing would be like without the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

He had discussed it with Hong Qigong before, and Hong Qigong readily agreed. Besides Wu Chengyu's assurance of Guo Jing's character, Hong Qigong had also just received a life-saving favor from Wu Chengyu, so he couldn't find any reason to refuse.

On the one hand, the Beggars' Sect's signature martial art, which only the sect leader could learn, was never the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, but rather the Dog-Beating Stick Technique. Hong Qigong himself would often teach a few moves to the sect members who had made meritorious contributions.

On the other hand, A-Ku had already mastered the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. In A-Ku's heart, his brother was far more important than his master. Even if Hong Qigong disagreed, A-Ku would definitely not refuse as long as Wu Chengyu asked.

"Junior nephew, the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms are very powerful, but also very difficult to learn. I will teach you well."

Wu Chengyu felt much more at ease. With Duan Tiande, the Wumu Legacy, and the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms—three great gifts in a row—Guo Jing would surely be won over and become his trump card.

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan exchanged glances, and Zhu Cong said, "In that case, why don't we also do our part?"

"My seven brothers and sisters, if there is anything I can do for you, I, Wu Chengyu, will certainly not hesitate to ask. However, training a new army is not something that can be done overnight. We will not be making any major moves for several years. Now that you have finally returned to Jiangnan, you might as well take a few years to recuperate. If you need anything in the future, I, Wu, will definitely come to you for help."

Furthermore, since Jing'er is leaving with me, Sister-in-law Guo will need someone to take care of her. It's best if what we do, and the contact between Jing'er and Sister-in-law Guo, remains unknown to outsiders; that's the safest approach.

The Seven Heroes of Jiangnan were willing to roam the martial arts world, but joining the army was really difficult for them, so after listening to Wu Chengyu's words, they stopped insisting.

"Alright, Jing'er, say goodbye to your masters and your mother, pack your things, and we will set off for Suzhou in three days."

There's no need to act like a child. Suzhou isn't far from Jiaxing, and I can come back to visit my mother again sometime in the future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The straight-line distance from Jiaxing to Suzhou is only seventy or eighty kilometers. In those days, the roads were not smooth, and the Beiwei Army was escorting a lot of supplies. It took them two days to return to Suzhou.

Upon returning to Yanyun Manor, after a winter of renovation, it had undergone a complete transformation.

Yanyun Manor covers a large area, but has few buildings. In addition to the original houses being repaired, several rows of houses were built on the open space in the southeast corner of the manor, making it look more like a military barracks.

When Wu Chengyu and his men left, they left behind only a few people to guard the manor, as well as the elderly, weak, women and children that the Beiwei Army had brought from the north.

The elderly, women, and children have been housed in the original houses of the resort. After a winter of rest and recuperation, their health has improved, their complexions have returned to normal, and they are now eagerly doing whatever they can in the resort every day.

The newly built barracks housed five hundred veteran soldiers, all of whom were selected by Hong Niangzi from the rebel army and were specially responsible for training the soldiers.

Don't underestimate these veterans; their average age is over forty, and some are even in their sixties with gray hair.

Each of them had some kind of disability; if they were in a regular army, they would have been discharged long ago, and they would no longer have the ability to charge into battle.

But these people all joined the rebel army in their teens and crawled out of piles of corpses over the years. When it comes to the ability to kill enemies on the battlefield or the ability to survive on the battlefield, they all have unique skills.

These people have survived to this day not just because they are lucky, but because if they were to participate in a forced march or fight against a large army, their physical strength would certainly not be able to be maintained.

However, in close combat or skirmishes, each of them can inflict heavy casualties on the enemy in a short period of time.

He may appear weak and listless, or like a seasoned veteran, but when it comes to the methods and timing of killing, he could teach a new recruit many years.

Even the elite Beiwei Army could be killed by these veterans if they were careless; this is no exaggeration.

Wu Chengyu was also very familiar with the leader of these men. He was one of the brothers Wu Chengyu had saved when the Southern Song court was chasing after them. Later, he went to the north to help Hong Niangzi train troops. This time, he was sent back. Not only did he know how to train troops, but he also knew the situation in Jiangnan very well and could take charge of things on his own.

"Brother Lin, I didn't expect it to be you. It's been so many years, but you haven't lost any of your charm."

"Haha, the first time I met you was at that mountain temple, eating the roasted meat you made. Many years have passed, and you and I have become like-minded comrades-in-arms again. It is truly a great joy in life."

Brother Lin's real name is Lin Xiao. He was one of Wu Chengyu's earliest companions in the fight against Song Dynasty spies at the Mountain God Temple. Their connection is indeed quite deep.

"However, when we came here, Hong Niangzi said that from now on you can't call me brother, I have to respectfully call you General."

"I don't know if I've obtained my identity as the commander of the Suzhou militia. As long as there are no outsiders, we'll still be brothers."

At this moment, Jiang Fei, the Beiwei Army soldier who stayed behind, also came over: "Greetings, Master. You've finally returned. You left behind five thousand taels of silver, but it's all gone in the past few months of repairing and renovating the manor and feeding hundreds of people."

"Master Wu Zhengliang from Wujiapo said he would give me some money to tide me over, but I didn't dare ask him without your permission. Fortunately, you've finally returned."

Jiang Fei was one of the best soldiers in the Beiwei Army, but he was exhausted these past few months. He was eager to fight on the battlefield, but building the manor and supervising the construction was a real challenge for him. There were seven or eight hundred people, including the elderly, women, children and five hundred veterans. With seven or eight hundred mouths to feed every day, it was a real test for him.

"It's alright. This time we brought back several hundred thousand taels of silver, as well as a lot of military equipment. You and Song Mu should put these supplies away properly. For the foreseeable future, we'll have enough military supplies."

Lin Xiao frowned: "Several hundred thousand taels of silver is indeed a lot, but if we build military camps and carry out large-scale construction, recruit soldiers and spend several years training new recruits, especially since the army we want to train is not something that a single Gusu militia can possess, this amount of silver probably won't last for more than a few years."

Wu Chengyu had long been prepared for this. He waved his hand and said, "What we need now is enough. I have a plan. There is a great treasure waiting for us to develop."

There are two main things to do now. One is to go and ask Master Wu if I have obtained the official position.

Another thing I want to discuss with you is where to find soldiers; we need quite a few.

(End of this chapter)