Chương 15: Recruiting Soldiers, Guan Yu vs. Qin Qiong

Qin Qiong That morning.

A lively meeting was held in the prefectural governor's mansion of Zhuojun.

Liu Ce sat in the main seat with his legs crossed, looking down at the officials below, including Prefect Zhao, Commandant Wang, and Chief Clerk Zhou.

He knew perfectly well that these old foxes had become more and more obedient since they were intimidated by the Xuanjia Army last time.

Liu Ce tapped the table and announced his new decree: "Gentlemen, I plan to recruit another two thousand new soldiers, adding to the three thousand already in the county seat, making a total of five thousand men!"

Upon hearing this, Prefect Zhao and Commandant Wang exchanged a glance. Here we go again? Don't they think it's free to maintain an army?

Before they could even speak, Liu Ce unleashed his ultimate rhetoric.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of the military pay and food! You just need to focus on recruiting people, and leave the training to Guan Yu and Zhao Yun."

(Liu Ce: Damn it, I spent so many days in Zhuojun, spent so much money, and raised so many people, all for today, and guess what? There isn't a single commander, and the troops are barely enough to train.) (Passerby A: Didn't you get the Li Shimin template? How come you still... Dude, I'm a boss now, why would I do everything myself? What boss do you see like that?)

"Prefect, you are a man of great wisdom! In these turbulent times, a strong army is the only way forward!" Prefectural Assistant Zhao was the first to jump up and express his opinion.

"That's right! That's right! Our Zhuojun army is strong and well-equipped, let's see who dares to invade!" Commandant Wang quickly chimed in.

In fact, these people have a very clever plan in mind.

The new governor is shrewd and a member of the Han imperial family. He also commands elite troops. A direct confrontation would only lead to trouble, so it's better to go with the flow.

As a result, the conscription bill, which might have been a long and drawn-out debate, was passed unanimously in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Liu Ce chuckled inwardly, "Li Shimin's model of governance is truly impressive; his ability to manipulate people's hearts is like playing a simulation management game!"

He casually tossed aside trivial matters such as troop training and food allocation to his subordinates, and began to devise his "entertainment activities" for the afternoon.

It's time for some fierce battles from different eras to spark some action!

At noon, after the meeting ended, Liu Ce strolled back to the backyard, ate two large bowls of rice, and then went into his study.

He closed the door, opened the system, took out his virtual phone, and ordered a "tiger-head gold-inlaid spear, double gold maces, armor, and sword" for Qin Qiong, and a "Bagua Xuanhua axe, armor, and sword" for Cheng Yaojin.

We ordered some more food later.

As Liu Ce placed his order, he chuckled, "Guan Yu versus Qin Qiong? Not bad, today I'll put on a real-life version for you!"

"System check..."

[Ding, in progress...] Name: Guan Yu, courtesy name Yunchang Gender: Male Age: 21 [Strength]: 103 (Top-tier) [Commander]: 86 (Second-rate) [Politics]: 68 Intelligence: 75 (Third-rate) 【Charm】: 91 [Appearance]: 71 [Hobbies]: Stroking his beard, arrogance ……

[Ding, in progress...] Name: Zhang Fei, courtesy name Yide Gender: Male Age: 20 [Strength]: 103 (Top-tier) [Commander]: 72 (Third-rate) [Politics]: 48 Intelligence: 72 (Third-rate) 【Charm】: 72 [Appearance]: 60 Hobby: Drinking ……

Name: Qin Qiong, courtesy name Shubao Gender: Male Age: 23 [Strength]: 104 (Top-tier) [Commander]: 86 (Second-rate) [Politics]: 71 (Third-rate) Intelligence: 76 (Third-rate) 【Charm】: 82 [Appearance]: 78cm Hobbies: Horses, making friends ……

Name: Cheng Yaojin, courtesy name Zhijie Gender: Male Age: 22 [Force]: 95 (first-rate) [Commander]: 86 (Second-rate) [Politics]: 88 (Second-rate) Intelligence: 83 (Third-rate) 【Charm】: 75 [Appearance]: 72cm Hobbies: Drinking, enjoying life In the afternoon, the training ground was filled with a murderous aura.

Liu Ce moved a chair over, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds to crack, and cleared his throat.

"Gentlemen, all practice without real combat is useless! Today, let's have a friendly match: Guan Yu versus Shu Bao, and we'll stop when we've made our point!"

Upon hearing this...

Guan Yu and Qin Qiong exchanged a glance. One stroked his beard and squinted, while the other clasped his hands and sneered. The tension was palpable!

Guan Yu narrowed his phoenix eyes, brandished his sword, stroked his beard, and sneered: "My greatsword weighs eighty-two catties."

Qin Qiong clashed his two maces together, the sound like a booming bell: "Each of my maces weighs sixty-five jin."

The Green Dragon Blade crashed down like Mount Tai, and Qin Qiong met it head-on with his crossed maces—"Clang!" The sound made the surrounding soldiers cover their ears.

Guan Yu's swordsmanship was powerful and sweeping, while Qin Qiong dodged and weaved, striking the weakest points of the sword's trajectory with his double maces.

Fifty rounds passed, and the ground was covered with deep craters from the blades and maces. Qin Qiong's double maces also bore many deep marks.

Liu Ce even forgot to eat his sunflower seeds: "Holy crap, this is more exciting than watching a movie!"

Zhang Fei squatted nearby, cracking sunflower seeds and yelling, "Second Brother! Cut his lower body!" Cheng Yaojin jumped up and down in a panic, shouting, "Old Qin! Gouge his kidneys!"

They fought for another thirty rounds.

Guan Yu suddenly roared, and his Green Dragon Crescent Blade slashed down like lightning, while Qin Qiong crossed his double maces.

"Snap!"

One of the maces snapped in two! The entire arena fell silent, and Qin Qiong stared at the broken mace handle for a long while.

Liu Ce rushed into the arena and addressed Qin Qiong.

"Weapon wear and tear is normal! Don't panic, Uncle Bao. I ordered new weapons for you a while ago, they'll arrive in a few days! And you, Zhijie, too."

In a little while.

Zhang Fei, itching for a fight, insisted on challenging Cheng Yaojin.

"Old Cheng, let's have a go! My spear is the perfect weapon against all kinds of axes!"

As it turned out, Cheng Yaojin was at a disadvantage after swinging his axe three times. After a dozen or so moves, Zhang Fei beat him so badly that his tiger's mouth went numb, the axe slipped from his hand and stuck into the ground, and he squatted down to the side rubbing his wrist.

Now some people might ask, why doesn't anyone challenge Liu Ce to a duel?

Haha, at first, when they heard what Guan Yu and the others said, Qin Qiong and Cheng Yaojin didn't believe it either. As a result, they were given a "love lesson" by Liu Ce with the Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd. Now they avoid him whenever they see him.

(Cheng Yaojin: Damn it! If I ever challenge my lord to a duel again, I'll be a dog.) After the training session ended, Liu Ce waved his hand and said, "Come back to my place with me for hot pot!"

The group rushed into Liu's residence, where they saw a copper pot bubbling over charcoal fire, the aroma of chili oil making Guan Yu and the others secretly swallow their saliva.

Liu Ce popped open several bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) with a "bang," and the smell of alcohol made Cheng Yaojin sniffle.

"What kind of wine is this? It smells even stronger than my old Cheng's vinegar!"

After some explanation...

Zhang Fei was panting heavily from the hot tripe he was eating, but he still insisted on having a drinking contest with Cheng Yaojin. After three cups, he started bragging.

"Back in Taoyuan... hiccup! I knocked out a wild boar with one punch!"

"Uncle, sesame oil and minced garlic with a spicy hot pot is the authentic way." Guan Yu carefully prepared the dipping sauce for Qin Qiong.

Qin Qiong was so moved that his eyes widened slightly.

Zhao Yun silently poured wine for everyone, and while he was at it, he fished out Zhang Fei, who was drunk and about to fall into the pot.

Liu Ce summarized from the side: Zhang Fei and Dian Wei are two simpletons, Guan Yu and Qin Qiong are a case of becoming friends after a fight, and Zhao Yun is the same.

"Cheers to a bright future!" Liu Ce raised his glass.

"Cheers!"

……

After the event ended, Liu Ce, with a toothpick in his mouth, looked at the mess in the courtyard and mentally calculated: the real end of the Eastern Han Dynasty was about to begin.