After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Chapter 239 The Chaotic Era Begins

On the wide, flat ground, several large arenas stood, and on each arena, two people were engaged in a fierce wrestling and fighting match.

The Zhenbei Army has strict military regulations. Soldiers are not allowed to fight privately if they have conflicts, and those who violate this rule will be severely punished. However, the army is full of hot-blooded young men, and they cannot be suppressed all the time. Therefore, the Marquis of Zhenbei ordered that a martial arts competition be held in the army every month.

In the martial arts tournament, anyone who wins five consecutive victories can challenge a higher-ranking opponent, regardless of whether the opponent is a centurion, commander, or general.

As the incense stick burned out, the outcome of the matches gradually came to a conclusion. On one of the arenas, someone was no match for his opponent and quickly drew his long sword to attack. Since there was no rule against using weapons in the martial arts tournament, none of the generals sitting below spoke up to stop him.

With a clang, everyone looked up and saw that the soldier who had been holding the iron sword was now empty-handed. Turning their eyes, they saw that the man opposite had withdrawn his long leg. It turned out that the other party had reacted quickly and kicked the soldier's wrist before the soldier could even grip the sword properly, causing the soldier's weapon to fall to the ground.

Upon seeing this, the soldier conceded defeat, clasped his hands in a fist salute to the person opposite him, and then stepped off the stage.

A tall man stood on the arena, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, with sharp eyes that pierced the air. He looked down at the soldiers gathered below and shouted, "Who dares to come up and fight?"

The man's bravery and agility in defeating four men in a row caused the soldiers below to hesitate to respond, and it was also observed by the generals.

Li Xiu stared intently at the soldiers on the arena: "Whose men are these? If no one claims them, I'm coming over."

Tian Kang clicked his tongue: "You? That man was promoted by Lord Zheng. He was brave and fearless in the city defense battle. If he is trained well, he might be on par with you and me in a few years."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiu was taken aback and turned to look at the young military supervisor sitting below the Marquis of Zhenbei. The surrounding environment was noisy, and he wondered if the other party had heard their conversation.

He was talking to the Marquis of Zhenbei when suddenly, the young military supervisor seemed to notice his gaze, turned his head to look at him, nodded slightly to him, and then turned his gaze back.

"Let me meet you!"

A rough voice pierced the sky, and then a strong figure leaped onto the stage, standing opposite Deng Ting.

As everyone looked over, some soldiers felt the man looked familiar, while others' expressions changed: "How could it be him?"

The new recruits didn't recognize the muscular man in the ring, but the veterans knew him very well and began telling the recruits about the man's background.

Meanwhile, on the stage, the muscular man looked at Deng Ting and lazily clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Li Jian, please enlighten me."

"Deng Ting".

Deng Ting glanced at the other person's frivolous demeanor and replied calmly.

His face was calm, but a wary look appeared in his eyes. The person opposite him seemed nonchalant, but his gaze was sharp and expressive, indicating that he was no ordinary person.

With a slight shift of his feet, Li Jian moved as if transforming into a gust of wind, attacking Deng Ting.

"Wow! That's fast!"

The crowd gasped in surprise. Deng Ting's eyes widened in shock, but he quickly reacted and turned his body. However, his opponent seemed to have anticipated his dodge and blocked him. Deng Ting retreated and dodged in the opposite direction.

Li Jian pressed forward relentlessly. No matter how quickly Deng Ting dodged, Li Jian could strike swiftly, leaving his opponent with no way to escape, just like a cat catching a mouse.

A murderous glint flashed in Deng Ting's eyes. He stopped dodging and raised his hand to strike at his opponent. Li Jian did not dodge and went straight to meet the attack. Neither of them held back, and their forces collided head-on. Due to the interaction of their forces, they were forced to retreat. Deng Ting used his agility to retreat four steps and stop, while Li Jian retreated three steps and stopped.

Upon seeing this, a look of seriousness crossed Deng Ting's eyes.

Li Jian looked excited, staring at the people not far away like a wolf seeing a bone, and laughed loudly: "It's been a long time since anyone can fight me on equal terms."

"You're good!"

Meanwhile, the veteran said to the new recruits, "Don't underestimate Li Jian. He's a centurion now, but he used to be a general."

The new recruit was very surprised and curious after hearing this: "Then how did he go from being a general to a centurion?"

In the army, a centurion is a junior officer who can command a hundred soldiers, but he is no match for a general who commands thousands of soldiers.

The veteran looked complicated and explained, "Commander Li is arrogant and has been drinking and fighting in the army many times. He has been punished and demoted by the Marquis more than once, but he has never changed his ways. Last time, he secretly led only a few dozen men to launch a night raid on the Northern Barbarian camp without the Marquis's knowledge. Although he beheaded the Northern Barbarian general, he was demoted to centurion by the Marquis for disregarding military orders. He was not in the camp a few days ago because he was in charge of transporting military supplies."

Listening to the veteran's introduction of the muscular man, the new recruits were all speechless, not expecting the man to be so powerful. Now, looking at Deng Ting on the stage, fighting back and forth with Li Jian, they couldn't help but feel admiration.

Engaging in a fierce fight with Li Jian, Deng Ting sensed the terrifying power of his opponent. The two exchanged blows for the duration of an incense stick burning, each move utilizing their full strength. Deng Ting didn't reveal his own power, but his arms felt slightly numb, while Li Jian's breathing remained steady.

We can't keep dragging this on.

Deng Ting quickly rolled backward, drawing his cold blade from his waist, and looked up at Li Jian: "There's no point in us continuing to fight. Let's use our best weapons to settle this once and for all."

After fighting hand-to-hand for a long time, Li Jian had gotten his fill and wanted to end the fight quickly. He reached out and caught a long spear thrown up from below the ring, pointing the spearhead at Deng Ting: "Come on!"

After saying that, the two attacked each other together, their combined strength leaving no chance for the other to survive.

The clash of weapons produced a deafening sound, and the soldiers below the arena gritted their teeth. This was no martial arts tournament; it was a revenge-seeking event.

Everyone was wondering who would win between Li Jian and Deng Ting. The soldiers placed bets one after another. Gambling was not allowed in the military camp, but they were just having fun to create an atmosphere.

Even the generals sitting below the Marquis of Zhenbei became interested and began to discuss who would win.

Normally, Ping Jin is taciturn, but he did not look away from the fight on the stage just now. He took in Deng Ting and Li Jian's performance and commented lightly: "Deng Ting's martial arts are superb and his movement is extraordinary. Li Jian can break through all techniques with his strength. He is like a man who can hold off ten thousand men. Deng Ting is no match for him."

Tian Kang pondered for a while. Although he had a good relationship with Lord Zheng, he couldn't speak against his conscience. Li Jian had served in the army for many years and personally went to the front lines. He was truly incomparable to an ordinary centurion. Otherwise, why would the Marquis still protect him after he repeatedly disobeyed military orders, at most demoting him and whipping him? Wasn't it because he cherished the other's talent?

Thinking of this, Tian Kang looked at Li Xiu, who was not speaking, and said sourly, "I wonder if your Li family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke. You and Li Jian are both fiercer than the other."

Li Xiu ignored him, his eyes fixed on the two fighting on the stage, or more precisely, on the cold blade in Deng Ting's hand.

The knife looked ordinary, no different from the ones they used, but Li Xiu was with the knife every day and knew its material and structure best. He could tell with the naked eye that Deng Ting's knife was no ordinary weapon without even touching it.

Suddenly, the battle on the stage changed. Li Jian, who had been fighting Deng Ting at a leisurely pace, seemed to have gotten bored and wanted to end the fight quickly. He thrust his spear straight at Deng Ting's face. The soldiers below held their breath, predicting in their minds that Deng Ting's sword would be knocked off by the spear and he would fall miserably off the stage.

Some new recruits couldn't bear to look and turned their heads away.

Suddenly, someone nearby exclaimed, "Look! Look!"

The recruit turned his head and looked over, then his eyes widened. He saw that Deng Ting, who had been at a disadvantage, had changed his stance and wielded a cold blade to strike the spearhead. Li Jian, with his stable lower body, did not retreat an inch even when he directly met Deng Ting's full-force attack.

Thinking that his opponent was trying to use this to defeat him, Li Jian didn't take it seriously and raised his hand to defeat his opponent with his spear. Unexpectedly, the spearhead loosened, and Li Jian frowned and looked up at the top of the spear.

Before everyone's eyes, the extremely sharp spearhead shattered into pieces and fell to the ground. As everyone was shocked by the scene, Deng Ting raised his leg and kicked. Li Jian felt a strong wind rushing towards his face. He looked away and turned his head to dodge, but in mid-air, Deng Ting seemed to have expected it. He turned to the side and kicked Li Jian in the chest, and Li Jian fell off the stage.

At the edge of the ring, Deng Ting stood upright, looking directly into the eyes of Li Jian below.

Escorts are different from soldiers. When escorting caravans and their owners across the mountains and rivers of the state, the former not only have to guard against bandits along the way, but also be wary of those with ill intentions in the caravan. The martial arts techniques taught by the army are upright and straightforward, like the blazing sun. Escort agencies are different; they teach anything, as long as it can save lives.

Taking advantage of Li Jian's distraction, Deng Ting knocked him off the stage, and he didn't feel that he was inferior to Li Jian.

Li Jian didn't care that he lost to Deng Ting. He looked up at his opponent, or rather, at the knife in his hand. He hadn't noticed it before, but now that he saw it, the knife was gleaming coldly, and the blade was so sharp that it seemed capable of cutting through gold and jade. It had indeed shattered his spear into pieces. How could he have thought of such a knife as an ordinary one?

A look of fascination appeared in Li Jian's eyes: "Where did you get your knife?"

At the same time, all the generals witnessed the cold blade shatter the spear, and their expressions were shocked. Some of them stood up immediately: "That blade...?"

Tian Kang spoke quickly and bluntly: "What exactly is that knife made of? Such a divine weapon, if I had one, I would go to the battlefield and cut off the heads of the northern barbarian generals as easily as cutting melons and vegetables."

Marquis Zhenbei remained silent. Li Xiu pondered for a moment and said, "In terms of sharpness, only weapons made of refined steel can compare with it. However, refined steel is rare, and it is impossible for a centurion like him to obtain it."

Tian Kang surprisingly did not refute.

In the Zhenbei Army camp, not every general has a weapon forged from tempered steel. This method of forging weapons is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and there are very few craftsmen who are proficient in this art. They are all in the hands of the imperial families. If you want them to forge weapons, you have to wait from the beginning of the year to the end. It's not true that every general has one.

Tian Kang glanced at the young military supervisor beside him and said without thinking, "Deng Ting is no good, but Lord Zheng is! Lord Zheng used to serve in the capital and has connections with the families of the Ministry of Works. It shouldn't be difficult for him to commission a weapon made of refined steel."

Upon hearing this, the generals looked at the young military supervisor. Some secretly rubbed their hands together, wondering if they could get close to Lord Zheng and ask him to use his connections in the capital to get them weapons made of refined steel.

Before they could even speak, Lord Zheng said, "That knife wasn't forged from refined steel."

"In fact, it was forged using a weapon-forging method that my craftsmen unintentionally discovered."

what?

The generals were in an uproar.

Tian Kang reacted quickly and said to Zheng Hao, "Lord Zheng, I wonder if I could trouble your craftsmen to help me forge weapons since I have prepared the materials and labor costs myself?"

As soon as he said this, Tian Kang attracted angry glares from the other generals. "You're so quick-witted!"

"Lord Zheng, we also won't cause you any trouble. We'll provide the materials and labor costs ourselves!"

The other generals chimed in.

The young military supervisor remained calm and stern, yet spoke with ease: "This method is not yet mature. Each craftsman needs to expend a great deal of effort to forge it, and it takes about ten days to complete one weapon. Do you still want to order custom-made ones?"

"Of course!"

Tian Kang immediately said.

Ten days is not a long time. In the past, when he asked someone to forge weapons with refined steel, it took him more than half a year to complete them.

Zheng Hao nodded slightly and said to Da Zhuo, "Write down the weapons that General Tian and the others want to order and give them to the craftsmen."

Da Zhuo should be.

As the generals surrounded Da Zhuo, each stating the weapons they wished to have custom-made, the Marquis of Zhenbei rose and gestured for the young military supervisor to follow.

Upon entering the tent, the Marquis of Zhenbei turned to Zheng Hao and said, “The General of Chengdu Prefecture was found to have privately minted weapons and copper coins. His Majesty ordered the Grand General to lead an army to punish the rebellious minister. The lesson of the past is still fresh in our minds. Zheng Hao, do you know your crime of privately minting weapons?”

In response to the Marquis of Zhenbei's questioning, Zheng Hao remained remarkably calm: "My lord, do you know what happened after the General led his army to punish the traitor?"

"Upon arriving at Jiading Prefecture, which is adjacent to Chengdu Prefecture, the General was unable to capture Chengdu Prefecture due to the natural defenses. The soldiers suffered from acclimatization problems and were plagued by poisonous snakes and insects, resulting in many deaths. His Majesty issued an edict the day before yesterday, ordering the generals of all the southern prefectures to assist the General in pacifying Chengdu Prefecture."

The capital city and Youzhou Prefecture are thousands of miles apart. Why did Zheng Hao know about the imperial decree announced by His Majesty the day before yesterday so quickly?

Marquis Zhenbei realized once again that the other party had grand ambitions.

Zheng Hao: "Your Excellency can see for yourself how many of the generals in each prefecture will obediently follow His Majesty's orders this time."

After speaking, the young military supervisor raised his hand in salute and then left the military camp.

Marquis Zhenbei remained where he was, his tiger-like eyes fixed on the other man, and he did not look away even after the young man left the tent.

The first year of the Qianyuan era.

Shi Yi, the general of Chengdu Prefecture, was arrogant and harbored rebellious intentions. Previously, the imperial court had entrusted him with military power due to the remote and treacherous terrain of Sichuan, but Yi relied on this fortification, privately minting armor, weapons, and coins, and secretly amassing a rebellious army. When Li Zhi, the prefect of Chengdu, discovered his treachery, he reported it to the court. Fearing for his life, Yi led his personal guards to surround the prefectural government office at night, killed Li Zhi, and seized Chengdu in rebellion.

Upon hearing of the rebellion, the imperial court dispatched General Gao Yuan to quell the unrest. Gao Yuan led his troops into Sichuan, but Shi Yi, cunning as he was, instigated Wang Zhen, the commander-in-chief of Qiongzhou Prefecture, and Zhao Qi, the commander-in-chief of Meizhou Prefecture, to rebel together. The three prefectures joined forces and resisted orders from their strategic locations. The government troops suffered repeated defeats, their supply lines were cut off, and they were caught in a dilemma.

Upon hearing of the rebellion in the three prefectures of Chengdu, the Emperor was furious and ordered all the southern prefectures to quickly send troops to assist the Grand General in quelling the rebellion. However, the generals of each prefecture secretly wavered, delaying their dispatch and observing the outcome. Within ten days, the rebels' power grew even stronger.

Before long, the prefects of Tongchuan, Suining, Jiading, and Chongqing were all misled by Shi Yi and raised troops in response. Yi then gathered the forces of the six prefectures, proclaimed himself King of Shu, established a separatist regime in the southwest, and coveted the Central Plains.

The general's isolated army was overwhelmed and suffered a crushing defeat. He fled back to the capital in the dead of night.

The Emperor was shocked and enraged!