across the Quartet

Chapter Three

The alchemist who was restrained by Gai Nie was angry and laughed, but the pulse door was in the hands of others after all, so he could only politely say: "Little brother, you misunderstood, I am also a soldier of Zhao Guo."

"Do you have a military badge?"

"This...I..." The alchemist seemed to be unable to make up his mind what to say for a moment.

Ge Nie thought for a moment, and then he came up with an idea, and said: "It's okay, if you are really a soldier of our army, I just need to bring you back to the camp, and I'll find out if I ask you." With one lift of his arm, he threw the whole person on his shoulders like a sack, and jumped down the cliff.

The alchemist was so taken aback that before he could utter a word, he fell straight down from the sky.He only felt a cloud blowing toward his face, his throat was filled with cold wind, and he thought that my life was over—but he saw Gai Nie standing firmly on a branch growing at the bottom of the mountain, the thick crown of which was covered by them The two of them bent down heavily from top to bottom, and then lifted it suddenly—Gai Nie jumped forward several feet with the force of this bounce.

It wasn't until the outline of Zhao Jun's camp gradually appeared in front of his eyes that the alchemist came back to his senses and shouted: "Wait, wait! This step is indeed not a spy of Qin, now I believe it!"

Ge Nie didn't stop on his feet, and continued to run forward with his head buried.

"What you just said is very true. When you return to Zhao Jun's camp, you can prove your identity; but if you and I enter the camp like this, I'm afraid there will be some trouble..." the alchemist shouted, "If you don't believe me, Just look for a token in the lower sleeve and you will know."

Hearing this, Gai Nie stopped, put down the alchemist, and then really took out something from his sleeve.It was a heavy leopard-shaped talisman with four characters engraved on the bottom - "Sima Shangyin".

Gai Nie took the exquisitely crafted copper talisman and looked it over several times, and asked, "You... are you a soldier under General Sima's tent?"

"...Next is Sima Shang."

"..." Gai Nie was startled and quite excited.It is heard that General Sima is extremely wise and unparalleled in strategy, and is General Li Mu's most powerful help-the two of them are life-and-death friends who have had a tacit understanding for many years, and it is also a good story that everyone in the Zhao army praises.And at this moment, he finally recalled that when he first joined the army a month ago, he had a relationship with this person.

It's a pity that Ge Nie's facial expression is really subtle, he is not a familiar person and can't see any changes; Sima Shang only felt that this person's face was as deep as water, very deep, and couldn't help panicking; he knew that he really didn't look like a man. The general, who looked like a warlock, hurriedly said: "Your Excellency, do you still have any doubts? The attire below actually has some personal origins: the first teacher was an authentic Taoist alchemist, but he has been famous in the past and the present. There is also a lot of learning; when I was studying, I was only interested in the method of marching and forming an army taught by my teacher, but after all, I have been taught by my teacher, and I can be regarded as half a Taoist disciple."

"Taoist..." Gai Nie muttered to himself, and quickly released his acupoints in an instant; then he clasped his fists and made a military salute: "General Sima, this subordinate acted recklessly and bumped into the general, I hope you will forgive me." .”

"To guard against the Qin army's meticulous and careful actions, what crime is there?" Sima Shang stretched his wrists and said with a wry smile: "Your honor is so good! I just can't believe it. It is really a blessing for my Zhao army to be so hidden among the recruits. It’s just that I don’t know where the little brother learned from?”

The face of the recruit on the opposite side immediately darkened, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience of telling you about the abandonment of my disciples."

"Abandoned...abandoned apprentice..." General Sima gasped.Those who are like this will be discarded, and those who are selected should become immortals, right?He pondered for a moment, then re-opened his mouth and said, "Just now I saw that you strike, little brother, although you use the technique of grasping, but judging from the distribution of calluses on your knuckles and palms, it seems that you have practiced swords for many years in the past, but is that so? "

"Exactly." Gai Nie nodded, and had to admire this man's vicious eyesight.

"From my point of view, even among the well-known swordsmen in Handan, it's rare to see a master like you." Sima Shang continued, "Little brother has such strength, why didn't he enter the famous Chibao camp when he joined the army?" Woolen cloth?"

Gai Nie said frankly: "I have heard that when the two armies are really engaged in hand-to-hand combat, among the tens of thousands of people, even if one person has the strength to fight an bear and a tiger, he is no more than the courage of a man. Although there are many experts in the Red Leopard Camp, most of them are in vain. Their skills are vain and flamboyant, and if they are not practiced with soldiers on weekdays, they will not be able to advance and retreat with our elite soldiers in battle, and they will not be able to integrate into one body; such a swordsman battalion, with a mere hundred people, is nothing but a loose sand, and it is impossible to attack and defend the battlefield. How effective it is."

Sima Shang's eyes were shining brightly, and he smiled and said, "Little brother is indeed very knowledgeable. So you would rather start your career for nothing, experience the battlefield yourself, and be promoted step by step based on your military achievements?"

"Yes."

Sima Shang twisted his beard and smiled.This young man is superb in martial arts, with a plain and heavy temperament, just like a beautiful jade hidden in a stubborn stone; with a little carving, it will become a great weapon in the future.

"Before the fourth watch tomorrow, come and wait for me on the cliff just now."

Ge Nie clasped his fists to agree, and wanted to say something, when he heard a gong not far away; he hurriedly gave a military salute, and ran away without a trace.

Sima Shang saw clearly his skill of dodging and shifting, and sighed a few more times; he waited until the recruit ran away before sneaking up behind him.Now that he has moved his mind to cultivate new recruits for the Chinese army, he also wants to test it with his own eyes.

When the gong sounded three times, the dust had just settled under Ge Nie's feet, and he was mixed impartially among a row of recruits who were waiting for dinner.Several people in the same team looked around and found that there was one more person, and they were all shocked.

"When did Brother Ge come?"

"Just arrived."

"Just arrived? There was clearly no one here just now. Could it be that you got out of the ground? What happened?" the corporal asked in a bad tone.

"..."

Ge Nie made up his mind not to speak, and the corporal chief had nothing to do with him; after all, he came back on time just a little bit.

"It's just in time. The army's team came to the county today, and the general gave each camp some fresh fruits and vegetables." Niu Er smiled and shook his shoulder, "Hey brother Ge, let's take a picture .”

Gai Nie took a round melon from Niu's second hand, and put it on one of the raised thighs to stabilize it. The edge of the palm of his right hand seemed to be light and soft to cut on the skin.But there was a muffled sound, the melon split into two halves, the gap was very neat, just like being cut by a real knife.Niu Er and the others were overjoyed when they saw it, and touched two more melons for Gai Nie to open.

"Tiangang true energy, no self, no sword..." Sima Shang saw this scene from a distance, and his scalp was numb with shock—yes, there were many soldiers among the group of soldiers who were roughly chopping melons with their bare hands, but watch them slap When I photographed the appearance of the juice splashing and melons flying around, I knew that it was only relying on brute force.However, the young man with "Ge Da" written on his military badge just now, his kung fu is very similar to the "invisible sword energy" mentioned by Taoists. .

Of course, the group of recruits who were with him couldn't tell anything, only that he was particularly skillful in chopping.

Such a waste!Sure enough, it's still too wasteful! !

Sima Shang covered his face and ran away, finishing the scroll overnight.In the early morning of the next day, he wrapped a dozen catties of bamboo slips in linen and rushed up the mountain before the fourth watch; but he saw that the recruit was already waiting on the top of the mountain.

"General." Ge Da bowed on one knee and gave a military salute with a very respectful expression.

"Children can be taught." Sima Shang was very pleased, he helped him up and brought the big package in front of him, saying: "You can take this book and study it for now, with your qualifications, you will be a pillar of the army in the future."

Gai Nie thanked him for taking it, opened it and saw that it was "The Art of War of the Grand Duke".

"General...this book..."

"what happened?"

"—I read it earlier."

"...Huh?" Sima Shang was stunned for a while, and finally forced a sentence through his teeth, "It's okay... at this time tomorrow, can you come again, little brother?"

"As ordered."

The next day, Sima Shang memorized a box of descendants and Wu Bingshu.Although he couldn't bear it, Gai Nie had to tell the truth.

...also read it before.

On the third day, another "Ten Arrays of the Sub-Saints" was brought.

Still read it.

Another day.Sima Shang did not recite the bamboo slips from the bookcase this time, but took out a roll of silk books from his bosom with slightly trembling palms, and said: "This book has been treasured by me for many years. Although it does not describe the art of war, it outlines the great way of heaven and earth. The evolution of all things is endless, and it can be said to be divine."

As soon as the silk cloth was unfolded, Ge Nie's eyes widened immediately.He choked on the cold air and began to cough uncontrollably.

The first straight line of inscription on the right side is "Seven Techniques of Yin Talisman in Guiguzi Classic".

"You've seen this too, haven't you?!" Sima Shang tremblingly said.As a senior expert who tried his best to support the younger generation, he was already desperate.How could this be jade in the rough? It was Heshibi who had been thrown away carelessly!

"No... I haven't seen it..." For the first time in his life, Ge Nie voluntarily lied.This book was required to be recited by Zongheng's disciples in its entirety, would he say it?

Sima Shang felt at ease, but his heart was still difficult to calm down for a long time; his mind turned back to his original question: such a talent in both civil and martial arts, why is he an "abandoned disciple"?

After Gai Nie put away the silk book, he bowed to the ground again and said, "General, although I have practiced the Six Secrets and Three Strategies when I was young, I have never fought in person. I am just talking about soldiers on paper. A real confrontation on the battlefield is about commanding the army." Practice, the art of order and prohibition, but I ask the general to teach me."

"Okay, I have ambition." Sima Shang heaved a sigh of relief and smiled, "Although I am shallow, I have spent many years in the army and have learned some lessons. If you are in the camp but have questions, just ask me."

Ge Nie thanked me gladly.He and Sima Shang are actually very different in status, but Gai Nie has always been relatively insensitive to this kind of identity, Sima Shang also loves talents, and the two will meet in the mountains from time to time, discussing military affairs and morality, just like master and apprentice.It's a pity that Sima's deputy will be Li Muzhi's arm, and also serves as the captain of the Chibao Battalion. He is really busy with military affairs on weekdays, so he can't see him often.

Sima Shang actually meant to promote Gai Nie to be a confidant, but it is a pity that Gai Nie is really stubborn - the main guards are all selected from the elite sergeants, and the treatment is much higher than that of ordinary soldiers, and they even have titles ; If he won a title without an inch of merit, he would not do it even if he died.

Seeing Ge Da categorically refused, Sima Shang had a higher evaluation of him in his heart, so he smiled and said, "Forget it, you should train hard in the infantry battalion first, and when you become a centurion in the future, I have something important for you to do."

"Is it important?"

"That's right. After a few months, if there is no fighting, it will be Zhao Jun's usual autumn hunt. At that time, there will be competitions among the battalions of the three armies to add to the fun. Riding, shooting, defending, throwing, pouncing, lifting, etc. can all be used Competition. The Red Leopard Battalion is a place where swordsmen excel, and there must be sword fights. Of course, soldiers from other battalions can also participate."

"The general means...you want me to challenge the masters of the Red Leopard Battalion?"

Sima Shang smiled mysteriously and said, "Besides the challenge, there are other intentions. I will watch the battle from the sidelines, and I will make it clear to you."

Gai Nie didn't quite understand it, so he could only deal with the matter; anyway, sword fighting is his old profession, and he can't suffer.

Around the time of the Lixia solar term, Guo Kai, the most popular veteran of the two dynasties in the Zhao Kingdom, suddenly came to Dongyuan to work in the army, and brought hundreds of jars of Handan Wangjiu along with him.The whole army had a lot of carnival and drinking.However, Gai Nie noticed something strange in this joyful atmosphere: Rewarding the three armies should have been ordered by the king, but this time Guo Kai made a big show, and he came to condolences to the soldiers in the town in his own name. ; This person's monstrous power in the court can be seen from this.General Sima never appeared in the mountains again, and sent a secret letter to Gai Nie, asking him not to leave the camp alone in the near future, so as not to arouse suspicion.

Gai Nie has always been confused about this kind of court disputes and scheming, and only has a vague premonition.Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to think about it.Before the harvest time of that year, the frontline spies suddenly sent an urgent report: Qin's county soldiers in Hexi and Shangjun seemed to be moving, and they were afraid of targeting me in Taiyuan, Langmeng and other important places.Fearing that the northwestern gate of Handan might be lost, Li Mu personally led [-] flying cavalry, plus [-] infantry recruits who had only practiced proficiently for a few days, and went to Jingchaoguan to set up defenses in advance.Ge Nie was also among the accompanying infantry.

The long-awaited beacon battlefield is right in front of you.