Scarface knew about the Auxiliary Soldiers' tradition, which was why he was among the veteran soldiers, aiming to teach that arrogant Jiang Che a lesson.
Two jars of Shao Daozi were almost a month's worth of his pay.
And it was the price a single Auxiliary Soldier had to pay; how could he possibly endure that?
The moment he saw Scarface, Jiang Che knew he had to go all out this time. They had a prior grudge, and the other party definitely wouldn't hold back. One wrong move could lead to serious injury.
There were no referees, no commands.
A group of veteran soldiers charged forward, each finding their target. As expected, Scarface's target was Jiang Che, a cruel smile appearing on his lips.
He then leaped up, his tensed fist smashing towards Jiang Che's face.
It was impossible to kill Jiang Che in front of the commanders, but crippling him was certainly feasible. He believed that as long as he aimed accurately, Jiang Che wouldn't last until they reached the border.
The fist wind swept out. Jiang Che gritted his teeth and quickly turned his head. Scarface's first punch missed, and the next followed immediately, blocking Jiang Che's escape routes and completely dominating the fight.
If nothing unexpected happened, Jiang Che would be crippled today.
But Jiang Che, having successfully completed the sacrifice, was no longer the weakling he was when he first joined the camp. He could forcefully restrain a warhorse about to bolt, meaning his strength was greater than the opponent's.
He didn't know any techniques, and his stance was unstable, but sometimes, strength to a certain degree could compensate for these flaws.
Stumbling back several steps, Jiang Che gritted his teeth and lunged forward, grabbing Scarface's waist. The latter was startled and tried to shake him off with a forceful throw, but he couldn't.
With a cold snort, he raised his elbow and smashed it down fiercely.
"Bang!"
The powerful force landed entirely on Jiang Che, making his legs go weak, but he immediately braced himself again. He raised his knee and fiercely rammed it towards the opponent's lower body.
"Ah!"
Even though Scarface managed to narrowly avoid the most vital area, Jiang Che's knee strike still hit the inside of his thigh, another vulnerable spot on the human body.
It made him let out a roar.
Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Che ignored everything else. Like a bamboo shoot emerging from the ground, he grabbed the opponent's waist and slammed him down hard. He then rode on top of him, gritting his teeth, and threw punches repeatedly.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Scarface blocked his face with his arms, curling his body. Although he managed to avoid some punches, being pinned down, he still took several of Jiang Che's blows.
Most importantly, Jiang Che showed no signs of stopping.
Yesterday, when the other party had come looking for trouble, Jiang Che could only endure it due to his strength and status, even taking off his padded jacket in the freezing winter. But now that he had a chance for revenge, he would certainly return the favor.
If the other party wanted to cripple him, he would cripple the other party first.
His chest, shoulders, face... wherever there was an opening, Jiang Che's fists smashed into it, venting his anger.
"Stop hitting, I surrender, I surrender..."
Scarface repeatedly shouted, his voice sounding a bit distorted because his face was already swollen, and several ribs were broken. Even breathing in caused him pain.
Their fight had also attracted the attention of more than half the training grounds.
Why? Because all the Auxiliary Soldiers from the same batch as Jiang Che had been knocked to the ground. The Auxiliary Soldiers from previous batches were also all down, and only he was pinning down a veteran soldier and beating him severely.
Even with the opponent's pleas to stop, he showed no intention of ceasing.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Stop!"
Several veteran soldiers around them were acquainted with Scarface. They couldn't just stand by and watch him be beaten to death by an Auxiliary Soldier, so they shouted and rushed forward, preparing to pull Jiang Che away.
But Jiang Che had no intention of stopping. While pinning Scarface down and hitting him, he dodged the few veteran soldiers.
As the commotion intensified, their fight also caught the attention of the commanders at the edge of the training grounds. The leader stroked his long beard and looked at Liu Zhi beside him with interest.
"I didn't expect there to be such good talent in the Auxiliary Barracks. What's his name?"
"Reporting, sir, this person's name is Jiang Che. He's from Yanggu County and was originally a fisherman," Deputy Commander Liu replied quickly.
With hundreds of people in the Auxiliary Barracks, it was difficult to remember one person, but yesterday's fight had left a deep impression on him. After returning to the barracks, he had someone look up some information about Jiang Che.
However, it was only a minor inquiry, to prevent any further incidents before the Auxiliary Barracks departed. He hadn't expected Jiang Che to make a name for himself today by taking down Wu Da Bala.
"Do they have a feud?"
Captain Zhu continued to ask, looking at the situation on the field.
"Yesterday..." Deputy Commander Liu quickly narrated the events of the previous day.
"Oh, I see. Tell them to stop," Captain Zhu nodded and then instructed.
"Yes."
Deputy Commander Liu cupped his hands in acknowledgment and quickly ran to the center of the training grounds, ordering them to stop.
As Deputy Commander Liu was about to speak, Jiang Che couldn't make a move. He quickly retreated, and the other veteran soldiers immediately helped Scarface up from the ground. However, Scarface was now weak and his face was bruised and swollen.
Scarface looked up at Jiang Che, seeing that the latter was still staring intently at him. Remembering how ruthless Jiang Che had been when he attacked earlier, he felt a sudden pang of fear in his heart for some reason. He instinctively dared not meet Jiang Che's gaze and quickly lowered his head.
"I didn't expect you to have some real skills, kid."
Deputy Commander Liu sized Jiang Che up and down, offering praise, a stark contrast to his indifference yesterday.
"Commander, you flatter me. I wouldn't dare."
Jiang Che quickly cupped his hands in greeting.
"Alright, alright, you can go back for now."
"Yes."
Returning to the ranks, Jiang Che maintained a calm expression. However, the surrounding Auxiliary Soldiers looked at him with awe, keeping their distance. He even heard some of them whispering his name.
The sparring continued, and a few others also showed promise, holding their own against the veteran soldiers. But none of them had Jiang Che's impressive record. He hadn't just won; he had also severely injured a veteran soldier.
After the sparring ended, the Auxiliary Soldiers who had slept in the same tent all came forward to flatter Jiang Che, treating him as their leader. The most obvious sign was when people in line for food voluntarily made way for him.
The cook who served the food saw it was him and no longer fumbled. He even helped him pick out the fattest piece of meat.
His status was vastly different from his previous standing.
It also made Jiang Che understand a principle even more clearly.
Fists equal power.
"Jiang Che, Deputy Commander Liu wishes for you to enter his tent for a drink."
While he was eating, a soldier ran up to Jiang Che and cupped his hands in greeting.
Swallowing the last bite of fatty meat, Jiang Che placed his bowl on the ground and nodded:
"Okay."
All those around him, whether Auxiliary Soldiers or regular soldiers, looked on with envy. At the same time, the Auxiliary Soldiers' gazes towards him became even more respectful.
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