The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 154 Good Brothers

At this moment, Zhang Xianzhong naturally had no idea what Jiang Han was planning.

He simply felt that this Mountain Tiger truly lived up to his reputation; as expected of a powerful bandit, he was indeed generous and magnanimous in his dealings with others.

To offer three thousand shi of grain in one go—this kind of generosity is something that ordinary, stingy rebel leaders would never do.

But Zhang Xianzhong never expected that the generous and magnanimous "Tiger of the Mountain" in his eyes had already set his sights on his two adopted sons.

Zhang Xianzhong was not a god after all, and could not predict the future.

He could never have known how dazzling his two adopted sons would become in the future.

At present, in his opinion, the older Sun Kewang is quite brave and has some strategy, and can barely lead a team of soldiers to charge into battle.

As for Li Dingguo, he was still quite young and his body hadn't fully grown up yet.

Aside from the intelligence emanating from his brows, I can't really see anything particularly outstanding about him for now. I can only keep him by my side for the time being and observe him further later.

After all, it was only the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign. Li Dingguo, who would later "defeat two famous princes and shake the world," was only an eleven-year-old boy at the moment.

Zhang Xianzhong was completely unaware of Jiang Han's intentions. At this moment, he was overjoyed and was preparing to follow Zhao Sheng to the rear camp to inspect and receive the grain.

Just then, Sun Kewang, who had been following behind him, suddenly spoke up:
“Father, the camp of the Mountain Tiger leader is well-organized and far superior to that of our army.”

"Dingguo and I want to travel around and learn from other people's methods of setting up camp and deploying troops, so as to see if we can make some progress."

"How about we have your personal guards go with you to check the grain first, and Dingguo and I will look around and then come back?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong paused, pondered for a moment, and felt that Sun Kewang's words made a lot of sense.

Compared to the camp of the mountain tiger, their own camp was indeed worlds apart.

It's always a good thing to let my two adopted sons see and learn more, broaden their horizons.

Zhang Xianzhong first turned his head to look at Zhao Sheng, who was leading the way, his eyes carrying a hint of pleading.

Zhao Sheng nodded; he was shrewd enough not to object.

The commander-in-chief was willing to spend three thousand bushels of grain to win over Zhang Xianzhong, which must have been for a reason.

He didn't want to ruin the commander's plans.

Seeing Zhao Sheng's straightforwardness, Zhang Xianzhong was relieved and nodded to Sun Kewang.
"Alright, you can go ahead."

"Remember, observe and learn as much as you can. This is someone else's camp, so be careful with your words and actions and don't cause trouble."

"You must not trespass into the forbidden area, or you might get detained and I'll have to come and ransom you."

"Yes, Father!"

Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo responded in unison, and then bowed to Zhang Xianzhong to take their leave.

After walking side by side for a while, Sun Kewang said to Li Dingguo:
"Second brother, I'd like to visit the Right Camp and see how the military market is managed and operated."

"Would you like to come with me, brother?"

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo shook his head:
"Brother, I won't go."

"I want to wander around and look around by myself, and I'll go back on my own later."

Li Dingguo was a thoughtful and independent person from a young age.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have run to Zhang Xianzhong's bandit camp at the tender age of ten, clamoring to join the army and rebel.

Sun Kewang didn't mind, but gently instructed:
"In that case, Second Brother, you may go by yourself."

"Just be careful, this is their territory after all. Don't get into any conflicts and cause trouble for no reason."

Li Dingguo cupped his hands in greeting and replied:

"Don't worry, brother, I understand."

Thus, the two brothers went their separate ways.

Sun Kewang was more interested in the management of logistics and supplies, as well as the military market in the right wing, so he went straight to the market to find out more.

The young Li Dingguo, on the other hand, was clearly more interested in military campaigns and battles.

He glanced in the direction, then started running towards the Zuoying training ground with great enthusiasm.

At this moment, dust filled the Zuoying drill ground, and drums resounded continuously.

Shao Yong was leading a group of new recruits in rigorous training in slashing and sprinting on the training ground. The shouts and cries filled the air, creating a lively scene.

Meanwhile, Li Laowai stood with his hands behind his back, instructing the infantry on how to drill in formation.

Li Dingguo crouched down, hiding behind the fence at the edge of the drill ground, craning his neck and straining to peer inside.

He looked at the cavalrymen galloping across the training ground, their movements swift and agile, and his eyes were filled with envy and longing.

Li Dingguo was still young, and his father never allowed him to go on campaigns with the army.

On ordinary days, at most, one can ride a donkey around the camp and have some fun.

Li Dingguo now hopes that he can grow up quickly, and one day he will ride his horse and lead his troops to roam the world and completely overthrow that damned court!
Just as he was engrossed in watching and couldn't resist moving closer, a sudden shout came from behind him:
"Hey! You little brat, where did you come from?"

"Don't you know this is a heavily guarded military camp?"

"Go back to the market and have some fun. Don't peek around here, or I'll mistake you for a spy and arrest you!"

Upon hearing the sound, Li Dingguo was startled and quickly turned his head away.

The speaker was a boy of similar age to himself, about twelve or thirteen years old, and taller and stronger than himself.

The boy was wearing a slightly worn, mandarin duck battle jacket and was carrying a command flag in his hand.
On his left cheek, there was a light red scar that stretched from the corner of his mouth to his neck, adding to his fierce appearance.

The speaker was Yu Chengye.

After being rescued by Li Liyuan in Yan'an Prefecture, Yu Chengye recuperated for more than half a month. Once he recovered, he kept pestering Jiang Han to let him join the army to take revenge.

Jiang Han was so bothered by him that he had no choice but to put him under Shao Yong's command, so that Shao Yong could train him properly and hone the kid's skills.

As for his younger sister Yu Chenglin, Jiang Han entrusted her to the Ma family, whom he knew in Yan'an Prefecture, and she was recognized as the head of the Ma family, Ma Denggao, and settled down temporarily.

Yu Chengye was still young, so Shao Yong naturally couldn't let him actually go into battle.

He was simply put in charge of being an auxiliary soldier in the camp, doing tasks such as relaying orders and patrolling, which was a way to let him get used to the rules and life in the army in advance.

Li Dingguo saw that although the newcomer was wearing a battle robe, he was about the same age as himself and looked like just an ordinary soldier.

As a result, the tension in his heart dissipated considerably, and instead, a sense of resentment arose.

He puffed out his chest and retorted defiantly:
"Who are you calling a little brat?!"

"I am a general under the Eighth Prince, and I am the second oldest among my four brothers!"

"and who are you?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Chengye looked Li Dingguo up and down, and was amused by him:
"You? And you call yourself a general under my command?"

"They're not even fully grown yet, are they?"

As he spoke, Yu Chengye actually reached out and casually ruffled Li Dingguo's little head a couple of times.

"So what if he's an adopted son?"

"Let me tell you, Commander Jiang Shangshanhu is my uncle. Isn't he much more powerful than your adopted son?"

Seeing that Li Dingguo was thinner and smaller than himself, Yu Chengye felt a mischievous urge and deliberately patted his chest:
“I think you are younger than me and shorter than me.”

"How about this, you call me 'brother' today, and I'll protect you from now on!"

Li Dingguo was still young, and the soldiers in his own army still treated him like a child.

Now that I've finally seen someone my age in the military camp, my competitive spirit has been stirred up.

He curled his lip:
How old are you?

"Let me tell you, in our army, I have two sworn brothers who are older than me!"

"If anyone should be protecting you, it should be you calling me 'brother,' and me protecting you from now on!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Chengye's youthful spirit was also ignited, and the two of them started talking back and forth, their tempers rising and their voices getting louder.

After exchanging a few words, the two boys got a little impatient.

They immediately decided to settle the matter with their fists, and whoever won would be the boss!
The results are self-evident.

Yu Chengye had trained under Shao Yong for some time and learned a few basic martial arts skills. Moreover, being older, he was naturally stronger than Li Dingguo. The two grappled, and after only a few rounds, Li Dingguo was pinned to the ground by Yu Chengye and received a solid beating.

Although the blow wasn't severe, it still made Li Dingguo lose face and look quite embarrassed.

"Are you satisfied?"

Yu Chengye, perched atop Li Dingguo, looked down at him smugly and asked,
"Quickly call me brother!"

Li Dingguo was beaten senseless, his face burning, and he was both angry and annoyed.

But he knew he was no match for the scarred boy in front of him, so he could only turn his head to the side, stubbornly refusing to speak.

Seeing that Li Dingguo remained silent, Yu Chengye did not continue to make a move.

He rolled over and got off Li Dingguo, then dusted himself off and asked:

"Hey, speaking of which, how did you guys end up here?"

"I heard that you Eighth King and Old Hui have been hanging around Puxian County all this time?"

When Li Dingguo heard him mention his painful past, he could only say sullenly:

"What else could it be? We can't beat the government troops."

"We were chased by those damned Guan Ning soldiers all the way, and we couldn't even get a hot meal!"

Upon hearing the words "Guan Ning soldiers," Yu Chengye perked up and deliberately raised his voice:

"Huh? You can't even beat the Guan Ning soldiers?"

"It's incredible."

Li Dingguo was so angry at his irritating appearance that he almost jumped up and shouted:
"You make it sound so easy!"

"The Guan Ning soldiers are the strongest army in the world, the elite of the elite."

"Even the Heavenly King Heng was chased away by them, so isn't it normal for us to suffer a temporary setback and be unable to defeat them?"

"What's so strange about that!"

Yu Chengye stroked his chin and said in a pretentious manner:

"Well, I didn't really think those Guan Ning soldiers were that powerful."

"Last time in the Lüliang Mountains, the Guan Ning soldiers were also defeated by our commander and fled in disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons."

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo immediately perked up, forgetting his anger, and quickly leaned forward to ask:
"Hey, buddy, tell me quickly, how did you defeat those Guan Ning soldiers?"

"Tell me the details!"

Seeing that he had taken the bait, Yu Chengye revealed a sly smile and deliberately spoke in a affected tone:

"Want to know?"

"Then call me 'brother' first, and I'll tell you!"

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo's face immediately fell, and he pouted, appearing somewhat unwilling.

But the curiosity in my heart was like a cat scratching at me, and I just couldn't suppress it.

Left with no other choice, he could only mumble a few words:
"elder brother"

Upon hearing this, Yu Chengye proudly raised his chin:
"That's more like it. You're smart to know what's good for you!"

"But that 'brother' sounded so insincere. You'd better speak louder next time."

After saying that, he cleared his throat and began to tell the story vividly:

“Let me tell you, it was in April of this year that we ran into Guan Ning’s soldiers on a narrow road in the Lüliang Mountains.”

"As a result, they were routed and their armor was shattered. In the end, they didn't even care about their own troops and ran away as fast as they could."

After hearing this, Li Dingguo said with some doubt:
"real or fake?"

"Are you guys really that good?"

Seeing that Li Dingguo did not believe him, Yu Chengye was not angry. Instead, he took Li Dingguo's arm and led him to the side of the training ground.

He pointed to Li Laowai, who was instructing new recruits in the drill ground and whose figure was still somewhat hunched, and said:

"did you see it?"

"That's Chief Li, I usually call him Uncle Lao Wai."

"Back in the Lüliang Mountains, it was Uncle Lao Wai who led the charge. He fought the fierce general Cao Bianjiao one-on-one, and the two fought for more than a dozen rounds in the rain, with neither gaining the upper hand."

"In the end, Uncle Lao Wai hardened his heart, picked up Cao Bianjiao and rolled down the cliff. The two of them fell into a coma."

Fortunately, I survived, but it took me several months to recover!

After saying that, he pulled Li Dingguo along and searched around the training ground. Finally, they found Cao Er wiping his waist knife next to the water vat, his upper body bare.

Yu Chengye leaned forward and said to Cao Er with a smile:
"Brother Cao, could you do me a favor? Could you show me your right hand so this young man can see it?"

Cao Er is now the fourth sentry commander under Shao Yong, and he is quite familiar with Yu Chengye.

Although somewhat confused, he readily extended his right hand and presented it to Li Dingguo.

Li Dingguo took a closer look and couldn't help but gasp.

Cao Er's entire right hand, from wrist to fingertips, was almost entirely covered with grotesque, crisscrossing scars, as if it had been burned.

Especially on the back of the hand, at the base of the thumb, there was a piece of unusually smooth, pink new flesh the size of an infant's fist, growing abruptly there, forming a stark contrast with the surrounding skin, which was shocking to behold.

Yu Chengye pointed to Cao Er's hand and said to Li Dingguo:
"did you see it?"

"The wound on Brother Cao's hand was from being burned by gunpowder in the Lüliang Mountains!"

"At that time, it was raining heavily on the battlefield, and the fuses of the artillery got damp and could not be lit."

"At the critical moment, Brother Cao almost shoved his hand into the fire door before he finally fired a shot."

"It was this one shot that sent Cao Wenzhao, the commander of the Guan Ning army, flying, which secured the victory in one fell swoop."

He paused and added:
"Originally, Brother Cao's hand was almost ruined. The physician even said that he might not be able to save his life."

"In the end, our commander-in-chief personally intervened and pulled Brother Cao back from the jaws of death!"

Hearing this, Li Dingguo finally believed Yu Chengye's words.

Looking at Cao Er's terrifying right hand, and recalling the battle scene Yu Chengye had just described, he couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

He couldn't help but ask:
"You... your commander, besides being good at leading troops into battle, can also heal the wounded and save lives?"

When Yu Chengye saw that his younger brother had finally believed him, a proud smile appeared on his face.

He patted Li Dingguo on the shoulder heavily and began to boast about his Uncle Jiang even more enthusiastically.

"Of course! Our commander is skilled in both literature and martial arts!"

"Not only was he generous and skilled in warfare, but he was also knowledgeable in traditional Chinese medicine, saving countless lives!"

"It's no exaggeration to say that there are very few things in the world that can stump our commander!"

Honestly, if Jiang Han himself heard these words, he would definitely give a thumbs up and praise them:
Good lad, I knew I hadn't spoiled you for nothing!

Looking at Li Dingguo's adoring expression, Yu Chengye felt even more smug:
"So, are you convinced now?"

"So I'm telling you, if you call me 'brother,' you're definitely not losing out!"

He paused for a moment, then adopted a haughty and magnanimous demeanor.

"You little rascal, you've been lurking around outside the training ground for ages. Tell me honestly, are you just envious and want to learn a few moves?"

Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo's eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously.
"Want to learn!"

Yu Chengye chuckled and casually hooked his arm around Li Dingguo's neck. The two of them put their arms around each other's shoulders, looking every bit like inseparable brothers.

"Leave it to me. Whenever I have free time, I'll come to the training ground and teach you a few moves. I'm quite proficient at a few tricks!"

"Okay brother!"

"Good lad, you're on the right track! Come on, I'll take you to the kitchen to find something to eat to fill your stomach, and then I'll teach you when we get back!"

"Thank you bro!"

　I'll update to 4K first, and then 4K later.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)