Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 55 Come on! Brother Yu, let's have a spar!
The snow had just stopped, and the temple stood in the twilight. The dirt road was muddy, and the people were covered in dust after their arduous journey. The burly man from Mount Tai and the young man from the Way of Peace looked at each other, both scrutinizing and pondering.

A wise bird chooses its tree to perch on, and a virtuous minister chooses his lord to serve. Since he has not yet achieved widespread fame, how could he expect brave warriors to bow down before him?
“Brother Yu, although our Taiping Dao has come under the name of the Duan family, an official clan, we have our own Yellow Heaven Way, dedicated to relieving the suffering of the common people and saving the world! For more than ten years, three great physicians and their disciples have been practicing this way. In Yanzhou, Taiping Dao has also widely distributed talismans and medicines to treat the sick and save lives, providing relief to tens of thousands of refugees!”

Zhang Chengfu straightened his chest, tilted his head slightly, and looked at the burly man who stood eight feet tall before him. He met the man's gaze sincerely and spoke in a loud voice.

"Heaven bears witness to our deeds, and we are willing to tell you frankly! The Li family of Chengshi County owns tens of thousands of acres of land in the south of Dayeze. They are exploited by the government through taxation and lending, and they also charge rent, driving hundreds of ordinary people to their deaths! This powerful family is our target, but we are using the name and influence of the Duan family to facilitate our actions."

"The Li family keeps a private army with many followers and acts ruthlessly. If you are afraid, you may leave with your men! The several hundred strings of cash that I spent to recruit you should be given to you as a gift to the brave warrior and to befriend a chivalrous hero like you!"

"."

Upon hearing this, Yu Jin raised his eyebrows, looking at the mature young man who spoke so vehemently yet with such utmost sincerity. He shook his head and said solemnly.

"Why say such things? Since we've come with the money, we're prepared to fight to the death. The so-called Cheng and Li families are just a few powerful clans, not worth our attention! As for our original plan... never mind! If you want to kill them, just give the order!"

Hearing this, Zhang Chengfu pondered for a moment and roughly guessed Yu Jin's thoughts. After thinking for a while, he spoke frankly again.

“Brother Yu, the path of the Way of Peace is to walk alongside the common people, not to attain high office and wealth, or to sit high in the halls of power. If you do not agree, then after this, you may leave with your men! Whether you go to join the army or to a wealthy family, the Way of Peace will not stop you!”

"."

This time, Yu Jin frowned, remained silent, and showed surprise and hesitation on his face. He looked Zhang Chengfu up and down carefully, observing the genuine respect in him, before finally speaking after a long while.

"We are obliged to serve the emperor and repay his kindness! The Way of Peace has provided relief to our communities and has received favors from my family. We are not ungrateful people... Please give us your orders! I will do my utmost."

Zhang Chengfu's eyes shone as he observed the expression of this chivalrous man from Mount Tai, and he gradually came to understand him. This man, Yu Jun, was in his early twenties, of humble origins, with no way to serve him, and had yet to encounter a wise ruler. Though young and composed, he still possessed the air of a chivalrous hero!

Chivalrous heroes believe in loyalty and righteousness, repaying kindness with their lives and keeping their promises. Such figures, once they join a side and establish a bond of loyalty and trust, are unlikely to easily switch allegiances unless faced with a catastrophic event like capture. However, the Taishan heroes, ignored and suppressed by the imperial court, and even the Taishan followers themselves, have no affinity for the Han dynasty; instead, they are closer to the common people of Taiping Dao!

"Excellent! Excellent! What a fortunate thing it is for me to meet Brother Yu! I should treat him with the respect due to an elder brother!"

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Chengfu smiled and bowed respectfully. Seeing the young man's actions, Yu Jin's face showed surprise, and a strange feeling welled up inside him; he simply said...

"Since you have summoned me, why do you say such things? Do not bow! Do not bow!"

Zhang Chengfu ignored him and simply completed the formal bow. Yu Jin, after receiving the bow, was speechless and could only stand there like a rock. Zhang Chengfu, however, smiled gently and asked for guidance.

"I have long heard of your exceptional martial arts skills and your expertise in training the disciples of Mount Tai. I wonder if you could instruct us in a few ways?"

"Hmm? You want to learn martial arts from me? What do you want to learn?"

"What can Brother Yu do?"

"What I practice regularly are spear and sword and shield, which I have been practicing since I was twelve years old, for more than ten years. And what we people of Mount Tai practice, whether for a long time or a short time, are all these two!"

"Archery, sword and shield? These are all skills used in battle, which shows that you have lofty ambitions."

Zhang Chengfu smiled, turned around and fetched two 2.5-meter-long sticks. He handed one to Yu Jin and took one for himself.

"The spear has a long blade and a long handle, making it easy to injure someone if you practice with it. Why don't you use this long staff to spar with me a bit? You can also give me some pointers!"

"A long staff? This staff doesn't have the blade of a spear, so it's lighter and the blade slashes and sweeps it makes are a bit less satisfying... Hmm, let's test it out first!"

Having said that, the two men stood apart, each holding a long staff. Then, Yu Jin lowered his waist and assumed a horse stance, preparing for a defensive move, waiting for Zhang Chengfu to attack. Zhang Chengfu, however, remained calm and focused. He first slowly advanced, closing to within five steps, then suddenly strode forward, charging forward with a loud shout!
"Go!"

This strike was like a venomous dragon emerging from its lair, thrusting straight out. The spear tip whistled through the air, unstoppable! Yu Jin raised an eyebrow, firmly planted his horse stance, twisted his waist and abdomen to generate power, and suddenly raised his hands to parry upwards with the spear!
"boom!"

The two sticks clashed violently, separating with a heavy thud. Yu Jin's expression shifted, surprised by the boy's strength, which was not much inferior to his own. His hands didn't stop for a moment; the long stick he had raised fell back down. This was an extremely fast diagonal slash, cutting along the boy's stick towards his wrist!
"Go!"

Zhang Chengfu took a step to the side, advancing instead of retreating, thus avoiding the "slashing" blow of the long staff. Then, with a loud shout, he suddenly stepped forward and slashed down, the wooden staff crashing down on his head!
However, before the heavy blow could land, a glint of light flashed in Yu Jin's eyes! He took a quick step forward, and the handle of the staff behind him also grew longer in an instant, turning the long staff into a short staff and the spear into a short spear, and thrusting out sharply at close range!

"Whoosh whoosh!"

"?!"

Zhang Chengfu froze on the spot, watching the three clubs swiftly pierce his chest. The three clubs were light and swift, striking three vital points in quick succession. If this were on a battlefield, he would already be dead. And if he were wearing armor, he might not be dead, but he would certainly be severely wounded!

"Wow! You're young, but you're strong and brave. You managed to charge forward twice in a row, undeterred! On the battlefield, you'd be a spearhead for breaking through enemy lines!"

The battle was over. Yu Jin sheathed his staff, a smile spreading across his face, tinged with admiration. From those few exchanges, he could see the young man's fearless spirit. This boy had a solid foundation and considerable strength; if he were one of his own nephews or nieces, he would be a fine candidate for a valiant general!
"call!"

Zhang Chengfu let out a long sigh, sweating profusely, and sheathed his long staff. Their exchange had lasted only three rounds, both fought with all their might, neither retreating, until the distance between them was only half a meter. The young man, after a few moments of reflection, wore a clean smile and respectfully asked for guidance.

"Brother Yu, could you please give me some pointers on those few exchanges just now?"

"Ok!"

Yu Jin nodded slightly, observing the young man's unwavering spirit. Then, his expression turned serious, and he spoke earnestly, without holding anything back.

"Of all these exchanges, your first 'thrust' was the best! On the battlefield, you need to have this kind of fearless spirit to face death when you strike head-on! In a one-on-one fight, even a highly skilled martial arts master could be caught off guard and struck by your thrust, instantly deciding life or death!"

"To block such an attack with a spear, the best option is an 'upward thrust'! The action of thrusting the spearhead upwards can be used for both attack and parrying. The timing of this thrust is crucial; you can deflect the shield, pull back and then thrust, followed by a 'pike'. The shield-deflecting thrust is the most practical technique against swordsmen and shieldmen, but it requires excellent eyesight and hand strength!"

"Your strength is definitely enough, but your eyesight depends on practice and experience. If you get even stronger later, you can use a downward smash to break the shield and then a thrust, aiming for the head, face, and neck!"

"And against an opponent without a shield, you can, like I just did, use the rebound force to deliver a lightning-fast 'light slash'! The spear's blade is long; a mere sweep of the opponent's arm, wrist, or fingers can incapacitate them! When fighting with a spear, you must fully utilize its length—the longer the better—and apply skillful force to the long tip of the blade. Skillful force doesn't mean weak strength; its characteristic is speed..."

At this point, Yu Jin paused, then said very seriously.

"When you faced my slash, you could have retreated, dodged, or blocked... but you chose to advance! This advance, in the struggle for that fleeting initiative, sacrificed the length of your spear, which became extremely dangerous, turning into a life-or-death struggle in an instant!"

"This choice, while courageous and fearless, often allows you to win against weaker opponents by relying on your courage, momentum, and the advantage of the first move... but it becomes too risky when facing a strong enough opponent!"

"When you advanced, you used a heavy slash again. Your spear is too long, so choosing a heavy-bladed strike, while powerful and difficult to defend against, could be fatal in an instant... but it slows you down! In close combat with a formidable opponent, where life and death are decided in an instant, you won't have the chance to unleash such a powerful move! So, I sheathed my spear and used the fastest thrust among short spears. If it hits you once... then you won't be able to unleash that charged heavy strike!" "However, in group combat, with coordinated comrades providing cover and dedicated personal guards offering protection, your wide-ranging, powerful moves can indeed break through enemy lines! But there's still one thing: those who don't know how to control their power won't survive long on the battlefield. The more valiant the vanguard, the more trapped they are, and the easier it is for them to die!..."

This insightful instruction left Zhang Chengfu deep in thought for a long time before he bowed again.

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Yu!"

Afterwards, the two practiced their moves for a while. There were no complicated or fancy techniques; they just thrust, lunge, short thrust, and continuous thrusts; lift, upward lift, downward lift, and block; slash, blade slash, horizontal sweep, cut, and return cut.

These practical combat techniques don't involve any fancy moves; they focus on power and speed, as well as reaction time and timing. Therefore, they require a coordinated, full-body power generation method, originating from the feet, channeling force through the legs, waist, back, and shoulders, gradually amplifying the power until that final, explosive thrust delivers immense force to the arm and weapon!

There's also the footwork, which needs to be both steady and agile. Practice this by using stances like the horse stance, bow stance, and crouching stance. The center of gravity should be heavy and stable, and the legs and hips should shift as nimbly as flowing water.

"Footwork and power generation are coordinated with attack, evasion, and blocking! An advance with footwork is a thrust. A retreat with footwork is a block. The flicking and slicing depend on timing; the force used must be skillful and concealed!"

"Yes, all of this actually requires practice in real combat! Just talking and listening won't help, and it's also useless if your opponent is far inferior. I used to have several friends who were exceptionally skilled in martial arts, and we often sparred together, always learning something new. But then they committed a crime and went on the run, and I lost my sparring partners..."

At this point, a hint of nostalgia and regret appeared on Yu Jin's usually cold and solemn face.

Zhang Chengfu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately thought of the names Zang Ba and Chang Xi. However, since Yu Jin hadn't mentioned it directly, he didn't bring it up either. After delivering this extremely concise instruction, he looked at the twilight descending in the west, affectionately grasped Yu Jin's arm, and smiled.

"Come on! Brother Yu, it's getting late, let's go have dinner and some drinks!"

"Ok?"

The burly man from Mount Tai was clearly a little uncomfortable being grabbed by the young man. But after a few breaths, he still nodded and bowed.

"promise!"

For the next seven or eight days, Zhang Chengfu stayed with Yu Jin, eating together but sleeping separately. Whenever he had free time, he would diligently practice spear fighting under Yu Jin's guidance. After all, in this era, finding a skilled master was extremely difficult!

He not only learned martial arts himself, but also brought Gao Daonu along. After practicing for a few days, he asked Yu Jin to lead several dozen Taishan warriors to demonstrate the tactics and techniques of a small team to the Yellow Turban leaders.

While these leaders and their followers were fierce and fearless in combat, they lacked the coordination and discipline of the Taishan troops brought by Yu Jin. It would be ideal if they could learn from their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses to improve their ability to fight against the government army in open battle!

"Then I, Yu, will make a fool of myself and lead my disciples in a demonstration!"

Before arriving here, Yu Jin hadn't expected to receive such treatment within the Taiping Dao. This courtesy stemmed from Zhang Chengfu's status within the Taiping Dao and the respect he showed him. This burly man was calm and meticulous, and didn't speak much. After a few brief words, he gave an order.

"Array up!"

At a command, dozens of Taishan warriors quickly split into two ranks, with Yu Jin leading the way with his spear in the center. The dozen or so swordsmen and shieldmen in the front rank, each holding a heavy rattan or wooden shield, knelt in front. The dozen or so spearmen in the back rank followed closely behind, their spear tips standing upright above the shield formation, forming a dense thicket.

The formation of the Taishan troops differed from the government army's three-section formation of halberds and spears, swords and shields, and bows and crossbows; they only had two sections: swords and shields and infantry spears. Their shields were slightly smaller, and their infantry spears were noticeably shorter than their long spears.

Zhang Chengfu observed carefully and felt that these two formations were simpler and easier to execute, as well as more flexible and adaptable, and should be more suitable for small-scale battles, especially in complex terrain.

"Enter the formation!"

At another command, the shield and spear formation marched forward in unison, advancing slowly. The Taishan warriors moved in perfect unison, trudging through the snow. The front ranks of shields formed a wall, while the rear ranks thrust out and retracted their spears steadily. The group of over thirty men, like a huddled hedgehog, rolled forward!

"Change columns!"

Yu Jin paused, and the shield-bearers in the front row immediately shifted half a step to the sides. The spearmen in the back row then stepped forward two steps, switching positions. Then, the shield-bearers who had just retreated turned around, and the spearmen followed closely behind. In just a few breaths, the hedgehog formation changed direction, swiftly and decisively.

"Change formation again! Withdraw!"

Dozens of men changed formation again, turning back to face the crowd. Maintaining their facing direction, the Taishan warriors slowly retreated, their shields still pointing outwards in a tight defensive posture. The entire formation retreated in an orderly fashion, gradually closing in on their original positions. Zhang Chengfu looked again and saw that the shield wall remained intact, the forest of spears stood firm, and their advance and retreat were as swift as an extension of their own arms.

"Excellent! Truly disciplined and impressive! What do you think, fellow commanders?"

After this drill was completed, Yu Jin stood silently in the spear-wielding formation. Zhang Chengfu looked at the Yellow Turban leaders with varying expressions, his face full of admiration. He waited patiently for a moment, and seeing that no leader spoke up, he smiled and said loudly.

"Heaven bears witness! The formations of these Taishan warriors are far simpler and more effective than those of the government troops, and even stronger than those of my Taiping Dao disciples!"

"I am not exaggerating! In terms of courage, we are all capable. But an army cannot fight if it is not in formation! Now that we have seen this formation, we should learn from it!"

"I will request the two great physicians to organize a twenty-man squad, trained by the chieftains of each prefecture and kingdom, to practice infantry, spear, sword, and shield techniques. Then, each of our squads will follow the Taishan tribesmen and learn infantry, spear, sword, and shield techniques for a period of time. Once we have achieved results, we will have a competition to determine the winner and see which chieftain is the strongest! And if we find that this formation is indeed effective, we can also promote it to the elite disciples of each prefecture and kingdom!"

"However, if any leader is afraid of losing, they don't have to participate. They can just bring their disciples and watch from the sidelines to cheer each other on! How about that?"

Upon hearing these words, the chieftains exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat subtle. Zhang Rao, the chieftain of Qingzhou, frowned deeply, speechless for a moment, stumped by these words.

After a moment's thought, Bu Si, the leader of the Yanzhou tribes, along with his chieftains Zhang Bo and Liang Zhongning, nodded in agreement.

"Excellent! The Yellow Turbans of Dongjun agree!"

Then, Fan Shuo, the leader of the Jiyin Canal, Peng Kui, the leader of the Dayeze Canal, and Hou Sheng, the leader of the Jibei Canal, also laughed.

"Very well, I will obey your will!"

The chieftains of Yanzhou successively expressed their opinions, and Zhang Chengfu's sharp gaze finally turned to Zhang Rao of Qingzhou. This was the first time he had collectively offered advice to the chieftains, which was tantamount to a tacit "command." Before eliminating the Cheng family, he certainly did not have the prestige to give such "commands" to the chieftains.

"Commander Zhang, do the Yellow Turbans of Qingzhou dare to participate in the competition?"

Upon hearing this, the most senior leader of the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou frowned and remained silent for a long time. He looked at the situation on the field, at the smiling young man, and then at Yu Jin standing with his spear, before finally nodding.

"Can!!"

A gust of wind swept by, and the group settled down, following Zhang Chengfu's initial "suggestion." Meanwhile, the Heavenly Physician Zhang Bao stood discreetly behind the latticed window of the ancestral temple, silently observing for an unknown period. Seeing the group's agreement, he seemed lost in thought but remained silent. When the group dispersed and returned, Zhang Bao had vanished.

(End of this chapter)