Abandoning literature for martial arts, starting by unleashing the beauty's bow.

Zhao Rulong originally thought that he could increase his political achievements by recruiting soldiers.

However, after three years of war, he spent a lot of energy and time, as well as a lot of money, on recruiting soldiers.

However, it had no effect whatsoever.

The conscription and recruitment in Liuzhou were almost all cannon fodder on the battlefield; it was already a miracle if they could survive.

Making a contribution? Don't even think about it.

Zhao Rulong was already planning that after this recruitment, he would give up the idea of ​​gaining merit and political achievements, and not waste money on recruiting soldiers again.

…………

The next day, after having breakfast, Lu Fengnian left the inn and walked leisurely toward the northwest corner of the city.

The garrison camp in the state capital is located there.

The selection process for recruits took place at the entrance of the camp, where a fenced-off area served as the examination hall.

Before Lu Fengnian arrived at the camp, he saw a table in the examination room, behind which sat a listless military clerk.

He was wearing a military uniform, around forty years old, with a goatee, dark circles under his eyes, and constantly yawning, clearly indicating sleep deprivation.

Apart from a few soldiers in charge of invigilating the exam, the examination room was completely empty.

Recruiting has been going on for more than two months and is now nearing its end, with fewer and fewer people responding.

These people in charge of recruiting soldiers have been doing nothing more than clocking in and getting by these days.

Lu Fengnian observed the area around the military camp for a while, and finally chose a tea stall that was neither too close nor too far from the examination site, and sat down.

The tea stall was about ninety feet away from the examination hall. With Lu Fengnian's eyesight and hearing, he could see everything happening inside.

I ordered a pot of tea and drank it while observing the situation in the examination room.

Lu Fengnian sat there from early morning until noon, drinking three pots of tea, before finally seeing someone enter the examination hall.

It was a thin young man. The military clerk sitting behind the long table had probably been bored for too long, and his spirits lifted considerably when he saw someone coming.

She sat up straight, her eyes scanning the young man up and down.

The young man approached the table and asked in a low voice, "Can I join the recruits?"

The middle-aged clerk with a goatee slightly raised his eyelids. "Whether I can or not isn't up to me; it depends on whether you have the ability."

The young man then asked, "What skills are required?"

The middle-aged clerk turned his gaze to a spot not far away, where two soldiers, one tall and one short, were standing.

On the ground in front of the short sergeant was a square-cut blue stone.

Beside the tall man hung a military-grade bow, while on the innermost wall of the examination room stood a round wooden target.

The middle-aged clerk said, "It's very simple. As long as you pass those two tests, you can become a recruit."

The first challenge is to lift a stone on the ground that weighs a full 100 pounds. You will pass if you can lift it above your head.

The second challenge requires you to be skilled with a bow and arrow, and to be able to hit the target five out of ten times from a distance of forty zhang (approximately 33 meters) to pass the challenge.

"Once you pass these two stages, you will be able to become a recruit."

Upon hearing this, the young man rubbed his hands together. "I'll give it a try."

After saying that, he rolled up his sleeves and walked towards the short soldier.

"Wait a minute!"

The middle-aged clerk tapped on the table. "Register! You don't even know your name, your identity, or your background. What's the point of testing you?"

The young man said "Oh," scratched his head, and said embarrassedly, "My name is Wang Tiezhu, and I'm from Guiyang County..."

The middle-aged clerk finished registering the information and then waved his hand, "Go test your strength first."

Wang Tiezhu nodded and strode toward the short sergeant.

The middle-aged clerk also got up and followed behind him.

The short sergeant pointed to the square stone in front of him, "You can lift it three times. If you can lift it once, you pass."

If you can't lift it in three tries, you fail.

Wang Tiezhu walked slowly to the square stone, squatted down, and felt around the edge of the stone to find two good handholds.

Take a deep breath and exert force suddenly.

Unfortunately, he could only lift the stone about a foot high before he lost his grip, and the stone fell heavily to the ground, causing it to tremble slightly.

Seeing this, both the short sergeant and the middle-aged clerk shook their heads repeatedly.

Wang Tiezhu blushed. "My hand slipped just now. Let me try again."

After resting for ten breaths, Wang Tiezhu tried again.

This time, he lifted the stone to a height of two feet, but still failed.

The last time, the height was less than two feet.

Having failed three times, Wang Tiezhu felt ashamed and disappointed, and was about to leave the examination room.

The middle-aged clerk cleared his throat and said, "I just saw your attempt. You are strong enough to lift a hundred-pound stone."

Unfortunately, there were some issues with your movements, and you didn't fully unleash your potential.

"Since you're young and have a lot of potential, I'll give you a chance, and consider it passing this test."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiezhu's face lit up with joy, and he repeatedly bowed to the middle-aged clerk, saying, "Thank you, sir!"

The middle-aged clerk nodded. "Don't be too happy yet, there's still one more hurdle to overcome."

Wang Tiezhu nodded. "I will definitely not disappoint you in the next test. I know how to use a bow and arrow. I often go hunting in the mountains with the hunters in the village. I have even shot pheasants and wild chickens."

That mountain leapt weighed a full six pounds and ran incredibly fast; even our village's best hunting dog couldn't catch it. Yet, I managed to shoot it down with just one arrow..."

Wang Tiezhu spoke with great enthusiasm, his face beaming, and spittle flying everywhere.

The middle-aged clerk grew impatient. "Go ahead. I don't need your introduction. Just shoot a couple of arrows and I'll know how good your archery is."

Wang Tiezhu grunted in response, strode over to the tall soldier, and bowed slightly.

The tall sergeant handed over the bow, saying, "See that white line? That's a distance of forty zhang."

Standing outside the white line, if you can hit the target five out of ten times, you'll pass.

Wang Tiezhu nodded and took the bow and ten bamboo arrows.

He stood outside the white line, took the arrow, and drew the bow.

The movements look authentic; he must have handled a bow before.

However, it took a tremendous amount of effort, and he had to grit his teeth and grimac to finally draw the bowstring taut.

After a quick aim, with a whoosh, the bamboo arrow was shot out.

The next moment, the middle-aged clerk and the tall soldier were both dumbfounded.

The bamboo arrow was nailed to the wall, at least ten feet away from the wooden target.

Wang Tiezhu blushed immediately and quickly said, "It was a mistake, I made a mistake just now, I'll shoot again."

After saying that, he took down another bamboo arrow, pulled back the bowstring with all his might, and aimed for a full six breaths before releasing the bowstring.

However, this time it was even more outrageous; the arrow missed the target by two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters).

Wang Tiezhu blushed so much his ears turned red, and quickly said, "A gust of wind blew my arrow slightly off course, but I'll shoot again, and I guarantee it will hit the mark!"