Meng Wu Mobilizes Troops

Three days later.

A black torrent of the Qin State central army arrived at the foot of Yang City. A tall, burly general clad in armor entered the city with over a dozen personal guards. He was broad-shouldered and thick-backed, with a square face and mouth, tiger-like eyes, and thick brows, looking somewhat similar to Meng Wei.

Meng Wei personally led men to the city gate to welcome them. Upon seeing this man, he revealed a warm smile and bowed with cupped fists.

"Elder brother, it has been a long time. How have you been?"

This tall general was none other than Meng Wei's elder brother, Meng Wu.

Meng Wu laughed heartily, "Hahaha, I am doing well! How have you been lately?"

"Extremely well." Meng Wei's sharp gaze swept over and locked onto the young general beside Meng Wu, the smile on his face deepening, "Eh, this lad looks somewhat familiar."

The youth, who had been keeping his head slightly lowered beside Meng Wu, finally looked up, revealing a bright, youthful smile, "Second Uncle! You recognized me. I was just saying that after several years, you surely wouldn't be able to."

Meng Wei patted his shoulder, "How could I not recognize you? I watched you grow up, but after a few years, you have actually grown taller than me."

Meng Tian chuckled, "If I didn't grow tall and strong, how could I go to the battlefield to kill enemies and earn merit?"

"Good!" Meng Wei praised, then looked at Meng Wu, "Elder brother, did you read the letter I sent?"

Meng Wu nodded, "I read it, I read it. Since when did you learn to boast, you brat? That story was truly unbelievable!"

Meng Wei sighed helplessly, "That lad truly possesses the talent of a fierce warrior capable of facing ten thousand men. When have I ever deceived you, elder brother?"

As they spoke, the two arrived at the main gate of the military camp beneath the city wall—the Sima Gate.

Meng Wu took out the tiger tally and the King's official documents to verify them with Meng Wei, "I have come to requisition troops and provisions. The King has ordered me to bring the army to Nanyang to pressure and intimidate Han; military regulations cannot be ignored."

"I certainly trust your judgment, but the central cavalry, especially the Assault Cavalry Battalion, are all elites. They have passed through layers of selection and cannot have people stuffed into them casually. You know this."

"However, since he is your trusted subordinate, I will naturally make proper arrangements for him."

Meng Wei was speechless. He claimed to trust his judgment, but if he truly did, wouldn't he be begging for the man?

He's treating me like someone trying to pull strings!

In that case, don't come begging me later.

Meng Wei thought to himself, not at all anxious, and said, "Very well, military regulations indeed cannot be ignored. Let him serve in the county garrison for a year first."

"However, the new recruits summoned some time ago are due for their assessment. Since you have arrived, come with me to see how this batch of recruits fares. Those who pass the assessment will be transferred together to join the army and head to the front lines; it can be considered tempering on the battlefield."

"Very well." Although Meng Wu was not particularly interested, he did not refuse.

He had not seen his brother for a long time and wanted to take the opportunity of requisitioning troops to catch up; besides, requisitioning troops and grain would take time anyway.

At this moment, on the training field, nearly a hundred new recruits were already wearing black armor, carrying bows, arrows, and three days' worth of rations.

This load weighed a full fifty to sixty jin.

For the upcoming assessment, they would have to maintain this weight throughout their movements, and many recruits had already begun to complain bitterly.

As Zhao Cheng was being assessed for the elite soldier rank, the armor he wore was not the leather armor of the ordinary recruits, but bronze lamellar armor.

The armor plates were rectangular with rounded corners, stitched together with leather strips or hemp rope, making them heavier and sturdier.

Yet, he was full of vigor, moving as usual without feeling the weight at all.

When Meng Wei led Meng Wu's party to the training field and ascended the high platform, he had already noticed them, and his heart held a guess.

Meeting Meng Wei's gaze from afar, Zhao Cheng nodded slightly.

Meng Wei smiled and ordered his subordinates, "Begin."

The clerk on the field held the documents and stated, "The assessment content: a three-li sprint with a load, climbing over low walls, crossing trenches, lifting stone locks. Ordinary soldiers must draw a five-shi bow, while elite soldiers must draw a twelve-shi bow and shoot at moving targets."

"The cavalry assessment content: riding at full speed with one hand on the reins, emergency stops and turns, leaning down to pick up objects, crossing trenches, jumping over low walls, circling poles on horseback, and mounted archery at moving targets sixty paces away."

The cavalry assessment was to be conducted after the standard assessment, meaning it was cumulative.

After the clerk finished speaking, he gestured for the assessment to begin.

Nearly a hundred new recruits immediately began to sprint with their heads down, but one of them had already taken the lead, pulling a significant distance away from the others in just a few breaths with incredible speed!

Moreover, he was still accelerating, rushing like a tiger descending a mountain, his momentum fierce and unstoppable!

On the high platform, Meng Wei and Meng Wu chatted and laughed.

"Meng Wei, your method of training troops is as good as ever. These new recruits all look quite promising."

"Not as good as you, elder brother."

"You're being humble now. Once Nanyang is taken, the destruction of Han will not be far off. By then... eh!"

As Meng Wu spoke, his peripheral vision suddenly caught the swift, tiger-like figure on the training field, and his attention was involuntarily drawn to it.

He looked closely, feeling somewhat surprised.

This youth, running at such high speed, was actually wearing bronze armor, yet he could still maintain such a pace. His physical strength was impressive; he just wondered how long he could keep it up.

For a three-li assessment, exerting such force from the very beginning—he feared the lad would lack stamina later on.

Thinking this, he shook his head and continued talking to Meng Wei, though his peripheral vision never left the youth.

Zhao Cheng was still accelerating; in a short span of time, he had already put half a li of distance between himself and the new recruits behind him, arriving at the first low wall.

This low wall was barely half a zhang, or about one and a half meters high. He didn't even consider climbing it; with a push from his feet, his entire body soared over it like a bird, clearing it directly before easily leaping across the trench.

In no time at all, he had sprinted three li. When he arrived before the stone locks, his face was neither flushed nor breathless, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Meng Wu was somewhat surprised by this. He stopped chatting with Meng Wei and began to watch intently.

He saw Zhao Cheng walk straight up to the two millstone-sized twelve-shi stone locks, then grab one in each hand...

He lifted!

The two millstone-sized stone locks were slowly raised above his head. He looked as steady as Mount Tai, his body not trembling in the slightest!

"This!"

Meng Wu was shaken, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

What incredible physical strength!!

He silently looked toward Meng Wei at his side, only to see Meng Wei smiling with a calm, composed expression, saying nothing at all.

Meng Wu opened his mouth, but remained silent, continuing to watch.

Meng Tian, standing to the side, could not help but ask, "Second Uncle, are the specifications of the stone locks here the same as everywhere else? Are those truly twelve-shi stone locks?"

Meng Wei laughed, "Naturally. The specifications for the stone locks are the same everywhere; would I dare to fake such a thing?"

Meng Tian was somewhat shocked, "What a heaven-sent, god-like strength. This lad looks to be about eighteen, yet his physical power is so astonishing—he has the strength of a thousand jin. He will undoubtedly be a peerless fierce general in the future."

Meng Wei smiled with restraint, "He just turned sixteen this month; he's merely a green recruit who joined the army a little over a month ago."

"This..." Meng Tian was truly stunned. He had assumed this was one of Meng Wei's trusted subordinates brought out to perform so he could be transferred into the Central Army; he never expected this to be a mere recruit!

Meng Wei pointed toward the training field, "What's the rush? Watch the assessment."

The real test hasn't even begun yet.

I'd like to see if your father comes begging me for this man in a little while...