mtl008 Chapter 153 Lezhou Guard
Chapter 153 Lezhou Guard
Just like an exercise or a military parade, the people of Lezhou City should know who is protecting them and what kind of strength those people protecting them have.
On May 15th, a summer morning, the sun shines through the gauze-like clouds and falls on the streets and alleys of Lezhou City.
The whole city was immersed in a lively atmosphere because the first martial arts competition of Lezhou Wei had opened.
In front of the City God Temple, five stages have been set up, waiting for the show to begin.
In the east building facing the arena, there were gold, silver and bronze medals weighing one jin each, as well as a pile of eight hundred taels of reward silver.
The soldiers had not yet taken to the battlefield, but the streets and alleys were packed with people, and the nearby teahouses and restaurants were fully booked.
"Our city lord is so generous! This is the first time I have seen so many silver ingots in my life. There must be several hundred taels. I even want to join the army." The short man said enviously while looking at it from the foundation stone of the pillar.
A short man nearby heard him, glanced at him, and jokingly said, "You have to win the fight to get that. With your tiny body, it's hard to even climb up."
"Isn't it said that there are 50 people in a team, a group competition?"
"The team points competition has 50 people on each team, competing in bare-knuckle combat, boxing, staff techniques, spear techniques, sword techniques... and even a power-pull treasure hunt. Everyone has to play a role. What kind of skills can you perform?"
"Oh, I can't do it, how capable are you?" the little guy asked unhappily.
"I can't do it either, so I'm just watching the fun from the audience! This one fun event is enough for me in my lifetime."
The man's answer immediately dispelled his anger.
"Virtue!" The two smiled at each other. Since they could not be the protagonists, they were both spectators, so they continued to occupy their respective seats and guard the best viewing seats, waiting for the competition to begin.
Flags are flying on the arena, and colorful flags are fluttering in the breeze, indicating that a fierce competition is about to begin.
With the orderly beating of drums on the stage and the loud morale cheers of the soldiers, the passion of the people of Lezhou, which had never been ignited before, was completely ignited.
"Oh oh oh..." Amid the cheers of Lezhou people, the first competition began.
Today, Xu Siyu also took advantage of the situation, wearing a heroic red outfit, and watched the battle on the high platform above the ring with General Cui of Yicheng Camp.
They are all young and strong men!
Xu Siyu's eyes revealed appreciation and anticipation.
Twenty teams were present, with a total of five hundred people.
Each team was composed of ten soldiers stationed in Lezhou and new troops transferred from the Yicheng camp. This competition was their first integration.
In preparation for this competition, Lezhou asked people from the Yicheng camp to guard the city gates for five days.
The gongs rang out, and the flashes of swords and knives crossed the arena...
The rules of the fight were agreed upon in advance and the swords used in the competition were specially made. Therefore, there were sounds of breaking, cries of pain, and people stumbling off the stage, but the overall scene was bloody but not gory.
In every competition, every winner received thunderous applause and cheers from the audience, and the people of Lezhou were also proud of the skills of the new Lezhou guards.
"General Cui, would you consider working in Lezhou?" Xu Siyu said this to Cui Feihu, sincerely recognizing his abilities.
All the beautiful skills on the stage were learned from him. Xu Siyu values talent.
She heard that the Yicheng camp would be withdrawn back to Changjia Prefecture, and Cui Feihu's whereabouts in Pingxiang were still unclear. If she didn't recruit him now, when would she?
"Lord Anle is joking. I, Cui, have decided to go to Donghuai Prefecture." Cui Feihu politely declined, while also expressing his firm intention to leave.
It's not that he looks down on Xu Siyu, but his original intention of joining the army was to fight and kill the enemy, and defending the city was not what he wanted to do.
Donghuai Prefecture is the closest prefecture to Lichao, and he, Cui Feihu, is going to be a soldier in the southern expedition.
"Oh? The court has made its decision?"
"My Lord, the situation on stage is very intense. You should pay more attention to it." Cui Feihu didn't want to talk to Xu Siyu about the details of the court's military action against Li Chao. Such military and national affairs were considered the highest state secrets, and Xu Siyu was obviously not in the core circle.
Xu Siyu didn't feel bad either. She asked her own questions and it was up to others to answer or not.
"Alas, it seems that General Cui has little connection with Lezhou. After the competition is over, I will give General Cui a few pots of light wine and wish him a bright future."
Xu Siyu saluted Cui Feihu with a fist.
When he turned around again, his expression was no longer as relaxed as before.
Combined with the recruitment order issued a few days ago, it is very likely that the Ming Dynasty will attack Li Dynasty again.
However, the natural disaster had just passed and people's livelihood had not yet fully recovered. In Xu Siyu's opinion, such a big fuss was definitely not a good thing.
However, Cui Feihu is right.
The battlefield is in the east, thousands of miles away from Lezhou, so it is not her turn to worry about it. She just needs to live a good life in Lezhou.
Then, Xu Siyu focused on watching the competition.
The arena was set up for five days, and all five hundred Lezhou guards had taken to the stage, and the winner was finally decided.
Fan Boyu also sorted out the guard records, which would facilitate his subsequent team arrangements.
After getting the final results, Xu Siyu happily issued the city lord's order, announcing the rankings of the 19 teams of Lezhou Guard and their respective rewards.
People on the stage are praising, while people below are questioning.
"Why are there only nineteen teams? Aren't there twenty?"
Some people were dissatisfied with the result because they did not see some talented players get rewarded.
Although there are no casinos in Lezhou, some gambling stalls are still there and are taking advantage of this competition to do business.
These people may be very particular about the outcome of the competition.
As the controversial voices grew louder, Xu Siyu realized that the atmosphere was set, and then she signaled Fan Boyu to call the hidden team.
"Team Seven, please come up!"
The last but most important fifty soldiers stood on the highest platform of rewards.
The people saw what they considered to be the bravest guards, and were curious about how their city lord would reward these fifty soldiers.
"The third one from the left is the one I'm pinning down. He's incredibly strong. He can knock down two people at once with his bare hands."
"That short guy in the middle, eh, that's him. He looks ordinary, but he's a very accurate shooter. He never misses the bull's eye."
……
After the people's praises had lasted for a while, Xu Siyu asked Fan Boyu to hand out the captain's tokens of the Lezhou Guard to these fifty people.
Xu Siyu used the loudspeaker again to ensure that everyone could hear her voice.
"You are the best guards of my Lezhou Guard. As a reward, each of you will receive a fine horse and fifteen taels of silver."
Everyone had heard of the generosity of Anle Earl of Lezhou, but now these soldiers from Yicheng who had just been assigned to Lezhou as city guards felt relieved when they could suddenly receive their previous year's military salary.
"This City Lord announces that all members of the Seventh Competitive Team have been promoted to captains of the Lezhou Guard! Captains, please select nine members from among the four hundred and fifty brothers behind you to form your own teams. Once your teams are confirmed, Military Supervisor Fan will assign you specific tasks and dormitories..."