diymy Chapter 15 Sparring
Chapter 15 Sparring
Although Zhao Yun corrected himself in time by calling him "brother," it still fell into the ears of those who were paying attention.
Zhang Fei, sitting below Liu Bei, could no longer contain himself.
He was already reckless by nature, and now, after drinking several bowls of yellow soup, his dark face turned purplish-red.
He slammed the wine bowl heavily onto the table.
He glared and shouted:
"My eldest brother is a member of the Han imperial family, so it's fine for him to condescend to be a county magistrate. But with all our abilities, are we really going to be some lowly squad leader or platoon leader in this small Pingyuan County?"
He looked at Zhao Yun with a defiant gaze:
"This pretty boy doesn't look like he's got much weight to lose, how come he's in the position of commander?"
"Third brother! Don't be rude!"
Liu Bei's expression changed, and he sternly stopped him.
Guan Yu slightly opened his phoenix eyes. Although he did not speak, his hand stroking his beard slowed down.
He clearly had reservations about his own brother being relegated to a subordinate position.
He was always arrogant, and apart from his elder brother Liu Bei, there were few heroes in the world who could catch his eye.
Zhao Yun remained unmoved, sitting upright as if he hadn't heard Zhang Fei's provocation.
Li Zhao laughed.
He knew that these three brothers were heroes of the time, and that to truly win their hearts, benevolence and food alone would not be enough; he would have to show his real skills.
"The brave warrior Yide was quick-witted and outspoken."
Li Zhao put down his wine cup and laughed, "In the army, martial prowess is paramount, which is the natural order. Zilong is the military commander of Pingyuan County, in charge of all military affairs in the county. Yunchang and Yide are both fierce generals capable of defeating ten thousand men. It would be a disservice to them to be relegated to the ranks of ten or so."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.
"How about this? We're in high spirits right here in the hall. Why don't we invite Zilong to have a friendly spar with these two valiant men? It would be a good opportunity for us to broaden our horizons. What do you say?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei immediately perked up, jumped to his feet, and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Alright! I, Old Zhang, have been itching for a fight! Pretty boy, how about a little spar with me?"
Just as Liu Bei was about to stop him, he saw Zhao Yun stand up and bow to Li Zhao, saying, "Since the Ming court has given its order, how dare I disobey?"
He then turned to Zhang Fei and said calmly:
"Brother Yide, please."
The group moved to the open space in front of the hall.
Sun Fu ordered his men to light torches, illuminating the area as brightly as day.
Since it was a friendly sparring match after drinking, and it was inconvenient to use weapons, the two agreed to only fight with their fists and feet.
Zhang Fei didn't hold back. With a loud shout, he pounced like a black bear, his fist, as big as a casserole dish, whistling through the air as it hurtled straight for Zhao Yun's face.
If that punch landed, it would break at least a few bones.
Zhao Yun remained calm and composed, shifting his feet and sliding back three feet as lightly as a willow catkin, barely avoiding the punch.
Zhang Fei's punch missed its mark, and before he could recover, he lunged forward. Zhao Yun seized the opportunity, sidestepped to his ribs, changed his fist into a palm, and gently pushed him away.
This push, seemingly weak and powerless, actually contained a clever trick. Zhang Fei felt a surge of force, stumbled a few steps, and almost fell flat on his face.
The garrison commanders watching let out a murmur. They had been trained to the point of exhaustion by Zhao Yun and knew all too well how formidable this young captain was. Seeing him force the dark-faced giant to retreat with a single move, their admiration only grew stronger.
Zhang Fei steadied himself, his already dark face turning even darker.
Feeling humiliated, he roared and pounced again, this time with all his might, his moves wide and fierce.
Zhao Yun continued to avoid direct confrontation, instead using his agile movements to weave and entangle the enemy. He was like a slippery eel, and no matter how hard Zhang Fei tried, he could never catch a glimpse of his clothes.
After fighting for more than twenty rounds, Zhang Fei was panting heavily, his forehead covered in sweat. Although he possessed immense strength, he was powerless against Zhao Yun's skillful and ingenious fighting style in this confined space.
Guan Yu, observing from the side, saw it all clearly, a hint of surprise flashing in his phoenix eyes. A true expert's skill is immediately apparent. This Zhao Yun, so young, had already reached a level of martial arts mastery, especially his composure and calmness in the face of battle, which was truly rare.
After fighting for more than ten rounds, Zhao Yun saw that Zhang Fei's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated. Suddenly, he rushed forward, reached out with both hands, grabbed Zhang Fei's wrists, and pulled and pushed them in.
Zhang Fei felt dizzy and disoriented as Zhao Yun swung his massive body through the air and slammed him heavily to the ground.
"Bang!"
Dust flew everywhere.
The hall was deathly silent.
Zhang Fei lay on the ground, unable to recover for a long time. He was thick-skinned and didn't suffer any serious injuries from the fall; his main concern was losing face.
Zhao Yun stepped forward, extended a hand, and said calmly, "Brother Yide, you flatter me."
Zhang Fei stared blankly at the outstretched hand, then slapped it away. He scrambled to his feet, dusted himself off, and grumbled, "You pretty boy, you've got some strength. I, Old Zhang, have lost!"
Although he was reckless, he was also a straightforward man. He accepted his defeat without resorting to cheating.
At this moment, Guan Yu, who had been silent all along, suddenly stood up and walked to the center of the arena. He cupped his hands in greeting to Zhao Yun and said in a deep voice, "I, Guan Yunchang, would also like to learn a few moves from General Zilong."
Seeing his third brother suffer a loss, he naturally wanted to get revenge. Moreover, he was also eager to test Zhao Yun's abilities.
Zhao Yun did not refuse, and clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Brother Yun, please."
This competition was even more exciting than the previous one.
Guan Yu was nine feet tall, possessed immense strength, and his moves were steady and refined, far surpassing Zhang Fei's brute force.
The two exchanged blows for over fifty rounds, but neither could gain the upper hand.
Finally, the two exchanged a palm strike and each took three steps back to their positions.
Guan Yu stroked his beard and sighed deeply:
"General Zilong is truly a divine being! I admire him greatly."
Zhao Yun also cupped his hands in a polite gesture and said, "Brother Yun's martial arts are superb; I am ashamed to admit my inferiority."
After this exchange, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's attitudes toward Zhao Yun completely changed.
Soldiers admire those with ability the most, and Zhao Yun's ability to fight them to a draw demonstrates his strength.
Seeing that the time was right, Li Zhao returned to his seat and said with a smile, "The three of you are all formidable generals of our time. Meeting you today, I can see that your reputations are truly well-deserved. With the three of you in charge of Pingyuan County, what is there to worry about?"
That very night, Li Zhao appointed Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as military commanders, placing them under Zhao Yun's command to assist in training the thousand elite garrison troops.
With the addition of these three fierce generals, the military strength of Pingyuan County has been elevated to a new level.
Liu Bei then took office and took over the civil affairs and land reclamation of the county. He was already skilled in these areas, and with ample financial and logistical support, he handled them with great ease.
In this chaotic world, Pingyuan County has become a veritable paradise.
However, the good times did not last long.
Two weeks later, news came from Ji County.
When Gongsun Zan learned that Liu Bei had not only failed to take over Pingyuan but had instead become Li Zhao's deputy, he was furious. He considered this a blatant betrayal and irrefutable proof that Li Zhao was trying to win over Liu Bei in order to seize control of Youzhou.
At this time, Gongsun Zan was locked in a stalemate with Yuan Shao at the Pan River front, and his supplies were running low. He was already extremely agitated. The news from Pingyuan County became the final straw that broke his composure.