The Great Song Dynasty's Soul-Forging in Progress

Seeing Qin Tiedan's energetic appearance, Wang Zhonghua smiled and said to Di Qing and Ouyang Xiu, "Lord Ouyang, General Di, you flatter me. My brother is straightforward, but absolutely loyal and reliable. He's a good candidate for a soldier."

Di Qing laughed loudly, "Excellent! The army needs such loyal and brave men! Qin Tiedan, you should return to your unit and do a good job. Following this general, you will surely have your day to achieve great things!"

"Yes, General!" Qin Tiedan then remembered to salute, clasped his hands in a proper salute, and gave Wang Zhonghua a deep look before leaving the tent under the guidance of his personal guards, turning back every few steps.

The tent returned to calm, but this brief incident had made the atmosphere both solemn and humane. Wang Zhonghua knew that he not only had to infuse this army with soul, but also had to fight his way out and secure a future for countless brothers like Qin Tiedan who had entrusted their lives to him! This heavy sense of responsibility made every step he took from now on even more resolute and cautious.

Old Ouyang stood up, his expression solemn, naturally exuding the authority of someone long accustomed to a high position: "Defense Commander Di, General Wang, and all generals, now that you have a strategy, you must act swiftly and decisively! From this day forward, the military and political reforms in Chenzhou will proceed accordingly! Personnel appointments, training manuals, and organizational adjustments within the army will all be handled entirely by you two. Anyone who outwardly complies but inwardly resists, regardless of their rank or background, will be punished for delaying military operations—execution first, reporting later! I am here to uphold justice for you all!"

"Your humble servant obeys! We will not fail Lord Ouyang, nor His Majesty!" The men inside the tent responded in unison, their voices resolute and echoing throughout the tent. This time, the voices of Zhang Biao, Li Xin, and the others clearly carried more sincerity and conviction.

Outside the tent, the night was as dark as ink, and the chill was biting. But inside this central military tent, a fire of reform, powerful enough to sweep through Chenzhou and even potentially influence the fate of the Song Dynasty, had been quietly ignited. Wang Zhonghua knew that the most difficult part—putting the blueprint into practice and facing the ensuing open and covert attacks—had only just begun.

The reforms at Zhanghuatai Camp, strongly promoted by Wang Zhonghua and Di Qing, were like ice cubes thrown into boiling oil, instantly triggering a violent reaction. Wang Zhonghua's entire set of training strategies—from cultivating the military spirit of "defending the homeland" to ensuring food and supplies, rigorous training, establishing reconnaissance battalions, and promoting alcohol disinfection—each aspect challenged the foundation of the old system.

Resistance was everywhere. The outward compliance but inward resistance of the old officers, the complaints of the lower-ranking soldiers due to the sudden increase in training volume, and the various delays and oversights in the supply of provisions by the Chenzhou government all made the implementation of the new laws extremely difficult. In particular, a group of mid- to high-ranking officers, led by Captain Zhang Biao, while acknowledging some of Wang Zhonghua's ideas, were filled with disdain and doubt about the unheard-of "reconnaissance and infiltration," "small-team tactics," and the introduction of underhanded tactics into the regular army.

"General Wang, it's not that we're being presumptuous," Zhang Biao finally couldn't hold back during a military council, his bushy beard trembling slightly with emotion. "Soldiers are meant to be well-fed and clothed, and their duty is to fight honorably, to be skilled in archery and horsemanship, and to obey orders without question! What you've described—infiltrating the mountains, capturing prisoners, and assassinating—that's the business of wandering knights and bandits. How could it be the business of a well-trained army like ours? Can a few dozen elite soldiers really defeat thousands of bandits by sneaking into the forest? This humble general... simply cannot believe it!"

Although Li Xin, Zhou An, and others beside him did not speak out directly, the suspicion in their eyes was obvious.

Wang Zhonghua knew that empty talk was useless; the army only respected strength. He looked at Di Qing, who nodded slightly, signaling him to go ahead and do it.

"What Commandant Zhang said makes sense," Wang Zhonghua said calmly, but his gaze was sharp as a knife. "However, warfare is based on deception. Mountains and swamps are also battlefields. The bandits will not only fight us in formation on the plains. Theory is no substitute for practice! Since you all have doubts, how about... we have a martial arts demonstration?"

"Martial arts demonstration?" Zhang Biao was taken aback.

"Good." Wang Zhonghua walked to the map of Laoya Mountain hanging in the tent. "The training ground will be set up deep in Laoya Mountain. Time limit: six hours."

He pointed to the map and marked out a dense mountain forest area with a radius of ten miles.

"The rules are as follows: Du Ziteng, one of my subordinates, will lead twenty 'Dark Arrow' team members to enter the mountains and forests one hour in advance to lie in ambush. During the six hours, their mission is 'survival' and 'harassment'."

"Captain Zhang, you, along with Vice Captain Li and Military Advisor Zhou, will lead three hundred of your most elite soldiers into the mountains to conduct a search and encirclement operation. Your mission is to capture or kill as many members of the Dark Arrow team as possible within the time limit."

"Both sides used wooden swords and spears coated with lime. Any marks left on the body constituted 'casualties,' resulting in withdrawal from the battle. To simulate real combat, the 'hidden arrows' could use training crossbows, ropes, traps, etc., without arrowheads within a limited range. The soldiers could also use gongs, drums, and horns to simulate a large army march."

Wang Zhonghua surveyed his generals, his voice steady: "This battle is intended to test mountain warfare, squad coordination, and reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance capabilities. If our three hundred soldiers can 'annihilate' or 'severely damage' the twenty hidden archers, it will prove that Commander Zhang's words were true, and I will place even greater emphasis on a grand formation in future training. If the hidden archers can successfully maneuver, or even... inflict heavy casualties on our three hundred soldiers, then I ask that you all fully cooperate with this new training method in the future, and there should be no further objections! What do you say?"

Twenty to three hundred! A staggering ratio of one to fifteen!

Zhang Biao almost thought he had misheard. He stood up abruptly, his face flushed with excitement: "General Wang, is what you say true?! Do you look down on us men under your command?"

"There's no joking in the military. Try it and see!" Wang Zhonghua said calmly.

"Very well! This humble general accepts!" Zhang Biao clasped his hands in a fist salute, his voice booming like thunder. "If I cannot even take down twenty men who have ventured into the forest, this humble general Zhang Biao is willing to resign from my position as captain and start over as a common soldier!"

Li Xin, Zhou An, and the others rose to their feet in agreement, their eyes blazing with fighting spirit. They refused to believe that three hundred well-trained and fierce soldiers could be no match for twenty cunning "hidden arrows"!

It was the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, early morning. Laoya Mountain was shrouded in a thin mist, and the chill was biting.

Du Ziteng led twenty carefully selected "Dark Arrow" team members, like twenty ghosts, silently blending into the depths of the dense forest. They were all dressed in gray-brown outfits that blended into the environment, their faces were painted, they were equipped with specially made training equipment, and their eyes were as calm as a cheetah.

An hour later, Zhang Biao, Li Xin, and Zhou An led three hundred soldiers, all eager for battle and fully armed, into the mountains in a grand procession. Drums and gongs sounded, and horns wailed, attempting to intimidate the hidden "enemy" with their imposing presence.

However, they soon realized that it was as if they had punched cotton.

The dense forest obstructed visibility. The soldiers' search formation quickly became loose in the complex terrain.

"Whoosh!" A headless crossbow bolt shot out from the treetop, accurately "hitting" a squad leader in the back. White ash exploded, and according to the rules, he was "dead."

"Watch out above!" Before the exclamation had even faded, a large net woven from vines descended from the sky, covering five or six soldiers.

Traps! Traps everywhere! Sharpened branches, deep pits, cleverly disguised tripwires... every step could lead to death.

Although it was just a drill, the realistic touch was terrifying!

The "Dark Arrow" team members are like ghosts in the forest; they never engage in direct combat, striking and retreating swiftly without lingering. Working in groups of three, they provide mutual cover, using the terrain to their advantage as they take turns retreating, sometimes launching surprise attacks from the flanks, sometimes harassing from behind. Their movements are incredibly agile, and their teamwork is so seamless that they seem like one person.

The soldiers possessed immense strength, yet had nowhere to use it. The dense undergrowth slowed their movements, and the unfamiliar environment left them like headless flies. Panic began to spread like a plague.

"Over there! Chase him!" A group of soldiers spotted a member of the "Hidden Arrow" team and gave chase, but unknowingly they were led to a pre-arranged ambush point. Several people suddenly appeared from both sides, wielding wooden swords and instantly "injuring" several more people.

Zhang Biao was furious and personally led his team to attack, but they couldn't even catch a glimpse of the "hidden arrow." Li Xin tried to divide his forces to encircle the enemy, but communication relied mainly on shouting. In the complex mountain forest, orders were transmitted slowly, making it difficult for the various squads to coordinate effectively.

Time passed second by second.

As the number of casualties among the three hundred soldiers continued to rise, Zhang Biao's heart was bleeding.