Chapter 232 Huang Zhong: This arrow is the result of thirty years of skill!
The capital of Ba County was Jiangzhou County (Chongqing).

Night enveloped the city. Looking down from the sky, only a few scattered lights pierced the darkness.

One of the largest Mars is in the east of the city, which is Gan Ning’s residence.

As a thief official, it was reasonable for Gan Ning to have a mansion bigger than that of a county governor. As long as you have money, you can do it.

Tonight, more than three hundred strong men in armor and armed with weapons gathered in the mansion.

These are Gan Ning's brothers who have been with him through life and death for more than ten years and are trustworthy enough.

However, there are a few big mouths among them and leaks of information are inevitable.

but!
So what!

Gan Ning never feared any enemy. In his early years, he could kill anyone he wanted to kill. Now, he would plan carefully before taking action against anyone he wanted to kill. He would eventually do it.

The temperament remains unchanged, but the person becomes more mature.

"brothers!"

Gan Ning sat astride a warhorse. Jiangzhou City was similar to Yangzhou and was in urgent need of war horses. Even if Gan Ning was rich, he could only get together more than 20 horses, of which only five were war horses.

"We're going to do something big tonight!"

Gan Ning pointed to the west of the city, which was the direction of the governor's mansion in Ba County, and said, "Wang Xian is unjust."

"I am following the orders of the governor of Yangzhou to suppress the bandits!"

Yangzhou Mu?
Gan Ning's brothers are not all stupid, there are some smart ones among them, who immediately heard the hidden meaning in Gan Ning's words.

However, smart ones are always a minority, and most people are stupid.

"Suppress the bandits! Suppress the bandits! Suppress the bandits!"

The shouts of more than 300 people immediately startled the nearby people, who lit up lights to check.

"set off!"

Jiangzhou City is full of mountains and forests, and even the main urban area is uneven.

Most people build their houses on the hillsides, which are too low and at risk of being flooded by the river.

Gan Ning led his men down the middle of the mountain first, and then up the middle of the mountain.

Wang Xian was also a ruthless man. He did not dare to live in the former county magistrate's residence in the small basin at the foot of the mountain. Instead, he lived in a private house halfway up the mountain in the west of the city.

When Gan Ning led his men to the new county governor's office, suddenly the lights came on and countless torches appeared inside and outside the mansion.

"Gan Ning! You've fallen into the trap!"

Wang Xian climbed to the top of the building and shouted, "Why don't you surrender?"

Gan Ning and his brothers were horrified and shouted in confusion: "Disaster!"

"What a disaster!"

Gan Ning was also very panicked and shouted, "Retreat!"

More than 300 people have been cooperating for many years, supporting each other, and ran two miles along the mountain road without any casualties!

"stop!"

Gan Ning reined in his horse, and more than 300 people stopped noisily but obediently and surrounded him.

At this time, there were only a dozen or so torches left. Gan Ning swept them away with the faint light. The brothers threw away their weapons and armor and looked in a mess.

"Laojiu!"

Gan Ning shouted loudly: "Are there any pursuers behind us?"

"Brother, no!"

Gan Ning slapped his saddle and said angrily, "How dare Wang Xian deceive me!"

Seeing his brothers looking over, Gan Ning explained, "If I were Wang Xian, I would never let anyone escape and would chase him all the way to the end!"

"But Wang Xian didn't chase him out, which means he doesn't dare!"

"Why don't you dare?"

Gan Ning shouted: "Because he is afraid of me!"

Everyone thought it made sense.

"Brother, tell me, what should we do?"

Gan Ning's face changed, and he said sternly: "I, Gan Xingba, have been in Ba County for more than ten years, and I have never suffered such a humiliation."

"Brothers! Follow me and fight back!"

After saying that, Gan Ning turned his horse around and was the first to rush up the mountain.

the other side.

Wang Xian, the prefect of Ba County, was leading people to collect the armor and weapons left behind by Gan Ning and others.

The real situation was not what Gan Ning expected, but Wang Xian did not want to cause any more trouble.

As everyone knows, Gan Ning is quite brave and has three thousand soldiers under his command as the county magistrate, but they are not Wang Xian's soldiers, but Liu Yan's soldiers.

All Wang Xian could mobilize were the 500 men he had just recruited. These men were poorly armed and had no courage to chase Gan Ning.

The news that Gan Ning was going to rebel was naturally spread by his big-mouthed brothers.

Wang Xian was naturally prepared.

But no, it was something no one expected.

Gan Ning dared to launch a surprise attack!

"Oh no!"

"Gan Xingba is back!"

Wang Xian's troops, who were originally happily picking up equipment, suddenly ran back in panic, dispersing Liu Yan's troops who were lined up behind them.

Seeing this, Gan Ning excitedly waved his sword and let out an inaudible roar.

Wang Xian's side was defeated and collapsed beyond recognition.

Fortunately, the residence behind them was not far away. If they entered the courtyard and guarded it in an orderly manner, Gan Ning would have no chance.

Unfortunately, no if.

The only thing the fleeing soldiers thought about was their own lives. The gate, which could originally accommodate five or six people at a time, was packed with people, and less than eleven people escaped.

Moreover, those who escaped did not immediately organize an effective resistance, but instead began to burn, kill and loot.

When Gan Ning and his men arrived, the defeated soldiers crowded at the door and scattered, revealing the county governor's mansion in chaos.

After taking a look at the filth inside, Gan Ning sneered and was too lazy to go in. He chased after the fleeing soldiers and killed them all the way.

This chaos lasted until dawn.

Gan Ning did not dare to stay for too long. He ordered his men to pack up their valuables, organize the spoils, and then retake the Jiangzhou Wharf.

Three poles in the sun.

Gan Ning ordered everyone to move all the things onto the boat.

"Old Nine, don't touch those ships."

"The dry season hasn't arrived yet, and the big ships can't leave Ba County!"

Generally, the dry season of the Yangtze River is from December to February of the lunar calendar. At this time, the water level is the lowest, the turbulent water flow will slow down, and the reefs under the water surface will be exposed. This is the best time for large ships to travel.

"Don't look at it, Old Thirteen. Even the Mengchong Battleship won't work!"

Old Thirteen wondered, "Brother, then these big ships will be left to Wang Xian the dog thief?"

"Why keep it?" Gan Ning asked unhappily, "Will you not burn it all?"

Everyone thought it made a lot of sense.

Soon, a raging fire broke out at Jiangzhou Wharf.

A fleet of small and medium-sized boats sailed downstream along the Yangtze River.

...

November 13, Jiangling County.

There are five days left until the deadline for recruiting generals.

Many brave and strong people from Jingzhou came.

Yangzhou is far away, and only a lot of people came from nearby Lujiang County and Yuzhang County, but no one was particularly outstanding.

this day.

Wen Pin didn't want to wait with Huang Zhong any longer, so he decided to participate in the ranking promotion system to be selected as a military general.

Jinmao still followed the original practice of recruiting in Yangzhou and set up four checkpoints, but this time the last checkpoint was guarded by Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Dian Wei.

With a powerful general in charge, Jinmao also increased the rewards for passing levels.

If you can pass three levels in a row, you can become a royal guard. If you can pass four levels in a row, you can become a general!

This is also the reason why Huang Zhong and Wen Pin were reluctant to leave.

The two had arrived in Xiangyang City a long time ago. On the first day, they witnessed someone passing through three gates but being defeated by Dian Wei in one blow. They were immediately shocked.

"The governor of Yangzhou has many brave generals under his command!"

Even though the two of them boasted of their extraordinary bravery, they were not sure of winning against Dian Wei, or the probability of winning was extremely low.

But Wen Pin was young after all, and couldn't stand the loneliness, so he went to compete.

The first three levels went smoothly, and no one could fight Wen Pin for ten rounds.

In the fourth level, Wen Pin challenges Zhang Fei!

After these days of observation, I found that Dian Wei was good at fighting on foot, Guan Yu was good at using underhanded tactics, and only Zhang Fei was not very good at fighting on foot.

And a martial arts competition is precisely a battle on foot.

Wen Pin boasted that he was as good as Zhang Fei in foot combat. "Boy! Do you want to fight me today or tomorrow?"

Zhang Fei was very impatient. Ever since the first person who challenged him appeared eight days ago, it was as if everyone knew that he was easy to bully and everyone wanted to challenge him!
To Zhang Fei's surprise, Wen Pin said on the spot: "Let's fight now!"

"Good boy!"

Zhang Fei laughed loudly, picked up the long wooden spear that didn't fit his hand well with one hand, pointed it at Wen Pin and said, "Let me see the power of the embroidered spear!"

On the opposite side, the wooden spear held by Wen Pin was only half as long as Zhang Fei's, which was also the reason why Zhang Fei made fun of him.

The two of them stood still, immediately attracting a lot of attention.

There is a feeling between masters.

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were not masters of martial arts, but they were gifted and incredibly strong.

If we only talk about martial arts, the two can only rank in the top ten.

Zhang Fei naturally also felt that Wen Pin was not simple. He put away his contempt, strode forward, and shook his long wooden spear, with the tip of the spear covering the opponent's whole body.

"kill!"

Wen Pin did not dare to be careless. He focused his attention and advanced instead of retreating.

"Bang Bang Bang!"

As soon as they met, the guns of the two men collided with each other with a loud bang.

"Well done!"

Zhang Fei stood up, twisted his hips, and swung violently, using the spear as a long stick.

Wen Pin raised his hands like a tripod and lay down, barely avoiding the heavy blow.

Wen Pin was about to thrust forward with another somersault, but Zhang Fei suddenly changed his tactics and swung his back pole around his waist.

"state!"

"Crack!"

The two wooden spears could not withstand the huge force of the two men and broke on the spot.

Zhang Fei was in high spirits, holding a half-broken wooden spear in one hand and imitating Dian Wei's use of double halberds, and continued to charge forward.

Wen Pin had seen Dian Wei's double halberd techniques, and Zhang Fei was still a little short of that.

But Wen Pin no longer had any suitable weapons in his hands, and could only use the broken gun to hold on.

After thirty rounds, Wen Pin was exhausted and showed a flaw.

Seeing the opportunity, Zhang Fei exerted all his strength, hoping to achieve success with one strike.

He never thought that Wen Pin was cheating and deliberately exposing his flaws. He knew that if he continued to fight, he would still be the loser, so he had to do this.

Zhang Fei let out a strange cry. His old strength was gone and his new strength had not yet come, but he suddenly generated a surge of new strength from somewhere and turned defeat into victory, blocking the attack.

Wen Pin sighed inwardly, knowing that he was no match for his opponent. If he continued to fight, he would only suffer. So he jumped out of the fighting circle, clasped his fists and said, "I give up!"

"伱!"

Zhang Fei angrily threw the two broken poles to the ground and said, "I'm not satisfied yet. Let's fight for another 300 rounds, and I'll recommend you to be a general!"

Wen Pin, however, saw through his words easily and mocked him, "The governor of Yangzhou is not your father. Can you recommend him just because you want to?"

"Stinky boy!"

Zhang Fei was so angry that he screamed and was about to rush up and punch and kick the other person, but was stopped by another person.

"Huang Zhong challenges Captain Zhang!"

However, Huang Zhong had already passed three rounds without realizing it and was about to challenge the fourth level on the spot.

Zhang Fei was already angry, and what Huang Zhong did was disastrous.

"Somebody come!"

"Bring me my Zhangba Snake Spear!"

This incident soon alarmed Jinmao.

When Jin Mao arrived at the parade ground, everyone bowed and saluted.

"No need to greet, warriors."

Jin Mao rushed over in a hurry and started scolding Zhang Fei.

"Zhang Yide!"

"How many times have I told you?"

"This is recruiting, not fighting."

"Can you put some thought into your brain and stop thinking about your few bottles of wine all day long?!"

"Can you do it?"

"You can't do this!"

Zhang Fei was indignant and pointed at Huang Zhong and said, "My lord, this old fellow has no moral principles."

"He didn't give me time to rest and tried to take advantage of me."

"I'm so angry!" Zhang Fei said in a lower and lower voice, "I just want to teach you a lesson."

Jin Mao then noticed Huang Zhong and asked in surprise, "How old are you, old general?"

Although Huang Zhong is tall and strong and looks strong, the few gray beards on his face show that he is a veteran who is at least forty years old.

In an era where the average life expectancy is less than 50 years, this is an age when one will soon be buried.

Therefore, Jinmao couldn't help but wonder, can he still beat someone so old?

However, after Huang Zhong spoke, all doubts were dispelled.

"Huang Zhong is not worthy of the title of general. Please ask the governor to withdraw your order."

It turned out to be Huang Zhong!
Jin Mao was extremely excited. Another of the Five Tiger Generals had appeared and he had to be captured.

Fortunately, after years of experience, Jin Mao was finally able to control his expression and simply nodded, but he betrayed himself as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Zhang Yide is my trusted and beloved general. He is usually known for his recklessness. Please don't be offended."

"This competition will be conducted according to your ideas. We will compete the way you say!"

Zhang Fei's face changed suddenly. Everything was going fine at the beginning, why did the tone suddenly change?
Is this how you are going to betray your beloved and trusted general?
"Lord!"

Jin Mao waved his hands impatiently and said, “If you can’t do it, get off!”

Zhang Fei looked at Jin Mao with resentment on his face. He was a good brother when he was needed, but kicked him away when he was not needed.

That’s how you play it, right?
In the end, Zhang Fei held back.

Fortunately, Huang Zhong knew his own limitations and said, "It's all up to the governor."

Seeing that Huang Zhong was so well-behaved, Jin Mao changed the rules for him for the first time.

"From now on, the fourth level will be changed to cavalry combat! Infantry combat! And archery!"

"Win two out of three!"

"The winner can become a general and command a thousand men!"

This general is not that general. What Jin Mao meant here is not to directly appoint him as a general, but to regard him as a talented general.

Even so, people like Wen Pin who had passed the exam were still feeling uneasy.

Fortunately, there is a second chance to challenge, so everyone is not in a hurry.

But there are also people who are anxious.

Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and Dian Wei, who served as examiners, were very anxious. The three of them had serious subject imbalances. None of them was good at shooting, especially Dian Wei, who was not good at cavalry fighting.

"My lord!" Dian Wei asked anxiously, "I am not good at riding and shooting. What should I do?"

Jin Mao waved his hand confidently and said, "Don't worry, I have my own arrangements."

Then, the competition between Huang Zhong and Zhang Fei began.

In terms of cavalry combat and infantry combat, the two were equally matched and each had his own strengths.

Huang Zhong was not as good as Zhang Fei in cavalry combat, and was slightly inferior to Zhang Fei, so he was defeated by Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei was defeated by Huang Zhong by half a move in a foot fight.

The two tied 1-1.

When it came to archery, Huang Zhong started to show off.

Zhang Fei took fifty steps and hit the target five times out of five, which drew cheers from the whole audience.

Huang Zhong was old after all, and after two rounds of fighting totaling 150 bouts, he was exhausted and had some difficulty getting up.

But his next behavior puzzled everyone.

Huang Zhong first came to the same line where Zhang Fei had just shot, and then retreated.

Sixty steps.

Seventy steps.

Eighty...ninety steps!

He retreated a hundred steps before stopping.

At this point, the target is only the size of a finger joint.

Huang Zhong took a deep breath, took off the long bow behind him, drew the bow and put an arrow on it.

"Whizzing"

Ten arrows were fired in a row without stopping.

Every arrow hits the bull's eye!

(End of this chapter)