My name is Wei Qing, and I want to fight the Xiongnu.

If it were a chaotic world of fighting, mediocre people would not even have the chance to live a life of mediocrity; they would either become cannon fodder and die on the battlefield or be on their way to their deaths.

In chaotic times, life is as fragile as paper.

Chapter Twenty-Three: My name is Wei Zhongqing

In chaotic times, is life as fragile as paper?

For Wei Qing, who grew up in Pingyang County, even in this so-called peaceful and prosperous era, human life was never much thicker than paper.

Xiahou Ci's sentiments stemmed solely from his birth and upbringing in Chang'an, the capital city, and his status as the grandson of the Marquis of Ruyin.

If Xiahou Ci had been born in Pingyang County, or even more cruelly, in Mayi County, which bordered the Xiongnu, he would have lived a precarious life from the very first day of his birth—no, from the very first day his mother conceived him. When he looked at this so-called peaceful and prosperous world, he would probably have felt a bit of mockery.

Xiahou Ci gestured to the sons of the nobles, saying that if they were willing, they could also give it a try.

This "military exercise" was originally intended to test the talent of the recommended sons of noble families in the art of war.

The reason it has been "abandoned" is not due to any objective reason, but simply because the results of these sons of noble families are disastrous every time they come to take the test.

I don't expect you to have extraordinary talent for leading troops, but at least be better than the average person, right?

However, in reality, most of the noble sons who participated in the "martial arts" test for the first time could not even command an army of a thousand men properly. Often, due to logistical problems, they would self-destruct before the enemy could attack.

This made the noble sons who participated in the test feel awkward, as did the elders who accompanied them, and Xiahou Ci, who wrote the recommendation letter, equally awkward.

Later on, we stopped testing and just went through the motions.

Anyway, even after entering the Imperial Academy, one might not necessarily choose the path of conquest.

As for those with exceptional talents, like Zhou Yafu, why would they need the recommendation of the Marquis of Ruyin?

The Taiyuan Academy had already approached Zhou Bo, begging him to send their son to the academy.

Those who could find Xiahou Ci through connections were usually either incompetent or from families that were neither rich nor poor.

Upon hearing Xiahou Ci suggest giving it a try, the sons of the nobles exchanged glances, then eagerly removed their masks, found comfortable couches to lie down on, put on their masks, and entered the martial arts world.

After the sons of the nobles had all lain down, Xiahou Ci suddenly remembered that he hadn't explained the rules of the martial arts world to that kid yet.

Oh well, I'll be kicked out soon anyway.

Explaining it to him too clearly would be a waste of your breath; there's no need for that.

Wei Qing had heard Cao Can tell him a lot about "martial arts practice," but this was his first time entering the world of "martial arts practice," and he was full of curiosity about the things around him.

Wei Qing, entering the world of martial arts for the first time, found himself in a city.

There were a few scattered pedestrians in the city, each wearing a different style of mask.

Wei Qing touched his cheek and found that he also had a mask on, and immediately understood.

These masked pedestrians must be similar to me; they all entered the martial arts world wearing masks.

"Uncle Cao said that once you enter the martial arts world, you can directly invite the other party to a martial arts contest, or you can go through the matching process and find an opponent for a decisive battle."

Wei Qing recalled that he looked around and soon found a huge statue of Jiang Ziya. As the ancestor of the military strategists and a master of all schools of thought, Jiang Ziya was responsible for managing the staff of the martial arts world, and they were all gathered near this statue.

Before long, Wei Qing arrived near the statue, where there were indeed several staff members yawning and lounging on the table, looking bored.

It's no wonder the staff are like this; it's only a little past eight o'clock, and there aren't many people in the martial arts world.

Normally, the Imperial Academy is in session during the day, while the afternoon or evening is when students enter the martial arts world to spar and exchange skills.

Besides, the martial arts world isn't a marketplace where just anyone can come in.

Those who can enter the martial arts world are either geniuses from certain families or the royal family, or students of the Imperial Academy.

Even for someone like Wei Qing, Xiahou Ci should have explained the rules of the martial arts world to Wei Qing before he entered the Imperial Academy.

Therefore, the main job of these staff members is to collect intelligence, data, and war records of battles between geniuses in the martial arts world.

I'm basically bored to death in the morning and busy to death at night.

One of the younger staff members saw Wei Qing approaching, rubbed his eyes, and sat up drowsily, asking, "What's up?"

When Wei Qing asked for help, he was always very humble. He said, "Hello, this is my first time entering the martial arts world. I need to take the test to qualify for the Imperial Academy. What do I need to prepare? How can I participate in the test?"

"what?"

The staff member was stunned. What did that mean? A test? What kind of test?

When will I need to take another test to enter the Imperial Academy?

Never heard of it?

Xiahou Ci hadn't sent anyone to the Martial Arts Test for a century, and this young staff member looked to be only in his thirties. Even if he had worked in the Martial Arts World with his mother since birth, he couldn't possibly have heard of any qualification test for entering the Imperial Academy.

However, considering that this is Wei Qing's first time entering the martial arts world, then... he should just follow the procedure as it is.

The younger staff members were quite clear about this. Every year, the Imperial Academy enrolled four new students, and most of them would take a trip into the Martial Arts World. Of course, apart from a few masochistic students who chose the path of military leadership, most students would only enter the Martial Arts World a few times throughout the year.

The young staff member took a jade slip. The so-called jade slip looked similar to a bamboo slip, but the material was not bamboo, but jade.

"Code name".

"Code name? Shouldn't you be asking for my name?"

The staff member realized that the person in front of them was indeed a fledgling, knowing nothing at all.

Without the staff's explanation, Wei Qing quickly realized that if real names were to be recorded in the martial arts world, why would anyone need to wear a mask?

Masks, by their very nature, imply the concealment of one's identity.

The staff member explained to Wei Qing frankly, "In the martial arts world, some people need to use their real names and take things seriously, while others use code names. It's up to you to choose."

Wei Qing understood that the so-called code names were not to prevent geniuses from being targeted, but to protect students from humble backgrounds and without connections.

These students from the province repeatedly defied their superiors in the martial arts world, leaving those nobles humiliated and unable to save face.

In the end, he didn't die at the hands of the Xiongnu barbarians, but was instead killed by the humans in a fit of rage.

As for geniuses, they not only don't need to hide themselves, but they even sacrifice themselves to shine in the martial arts world, thereby gaining the attention of higher-ups.

Geniuses always receive preferential treatment. If you are talented enough and demonstrate overwhelming power over your peers, you will be supported by both the royal family and the Imperial Academy.

After thinking it through, Wei Qing confidently said to the staff member, "No need for a code name. Write it down, my name is Wei Zhongqing!"

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Han Army

Are you sure you want to use your real name?

When Wei Qing nodded in affirmation again, the staff didn't think much of it. After all, there have been many students who consider themselves geniuses over the years. Who hasn't been young and arrogant?

After recording the name, the staff member asked, "Which legion do you belong to?"

"Legion? What legion?"

Seeing that Wei Qing didn't understand, the staff member simply stopped what they were doing and explained, "It's about which legion you want to join. Legions are created by people who enter the martial arts world. By the way, if you want to join, you need the legion leader's approval."

Because those who enter the martial arts world are not only those students who lead troops into battle and aspire to become the commanders of the Han Dynasty.

The army is not just made up of soldiers and generals. There are also craftsmen who forge armor, yin-yang masters who predict good and bad fortune and know the eight trigrams, farmers and doctors who are responsible for logistics, food and crops, as well as people like the Gongshu family who want to test the performance of mechanical beasts, and beast tamers who want to test the ability to control beasts, and so on.

Joining a legion and having each member perform a specific role makes it the easiest way to test and obtain the results you want.

In addition, large-scale war simulations are often in the form of legions.

Especially battles involving tens of thousands of people are all fought in the form of legions.

Wei Qing was conflicted: "If I apply now, when will the legion approve it?"

"That depends on when the legion leader you applied for enters the martial arts world. If you're in a hurry, just create one yourself first. If you find that the legion isn't developing, you can cancel it. It's no big deal."

The staff clearly didn't take it seriously. Every year, or rather every quarter, a group of mischievous kids would enthusiastically create a legion, dreaming of using their abilities to recruit geniuses from various schools of thought to serve them. In just a few years, they would build their legion into a top-tier force.

The result is often just a fleeting moment of enthusiasm, quickly crushed by harsh reality, ultimately leading to the disbandment of the group, which consists of only the individual or a few close friends and family.

Wei Qing didn't quite understand either, but Uncle Cao had said that the army was very important.

Even after graduating from the Imperial Academy, the legion would not be disbanded, because it wasn't only the Imperial Academy that had "military drills," and the Han Dynasty didn't only have "military drills" in Chang'an.

The reason why you mostly see students from the Imperial Academy in the Martial Arts World is firstly because Wei Qing is located in Chang'an, the capital city, and secondly because the Imperial Academy gathers geniuses from the Imperial Academy, the Han Dynasty, and even other smaller worlds, giving it a numerical advantage.

As for those who graduated from the Imperial Academy, they were all quite old and at the age of settling down and starting a family. How could they have time to spend in the martial arts world every day?

But then again, Wei Qing didn't know any legion commanders, and he couldn't contact the ones he did know for the time being, so... why not just create one himself first?

Let's create one then, and if it doesn't work out, we can disband it later.

"Then I'll create one first."

"Right? It's no big deal. Why not give your legion a name?"

Wei Qing thought for a moment and said, "The Han army."

"What the hell..."

The staff, who were still a little sleepy, felt as if they had been doused with cold water and were holding ice in their arms when they heard those two words.

Dude, are you kidding me?!

You dare to choose such a name?

Is there a problem?

Wei Qing didn't quite understand. Was there anything wrong with the name?

The Han Dynasty now rules the human world, so its army is naturally called the Han Army. What's so surprising about that?

"Brother, let's change our name."

The staff member thought to himself: Han Army? Why don't you call it Imperial Army!

When recruiting other talents later, they can say that the Imperial Army asked me to pass on a message to you.

"Why can't we take the Han army?"

Seeing Wei Qing's insistence, the staff explained straightforwardly: "Yes... definitely yes, as long as you are human, there is no problem."

However, I must remind you that in the past few hundred years, there have been quite a few who dared to create this legion, but without exception, they all became targets of public criticism. It's not just that they were defeated and became a laughing stock; more importantly, the founders often died in the process, and the core members were also affected.