Three Kingdoms: A Million Soldiers Grown from the Fields

Chapter 246 Let's work for the martial arts tournament!
The north wind blowing from the Taihang Mountains, sharp as a knife, fiercely swept across the towering cement and stone walls of Jinyang City.

It was winter, and the sky was a heavy, leaden gray. Fine snowflakes were swirling in the wind, dancing through the crisscrossing streets and alleys, sneaking into the collars of people's heavy winter coats and causing them to shiver.

However, Jinyang's winter, which should have been quiet, is now unusually lively.

The world's number one martial arts tournament!

These eight words, like sparks thrown into boiling oil, ignited the spirit of warriors throughout the thirteen provinces of the Han Dynasty.

Since last year, invitations to heroes have been sent out like snowflakes in all directions. In just a few months, heroes and warriors of all kinds, with different accents and attire, have been pouring into Jinyang like rivers flowing into the sea.

A rough count shows that the number of people registered as martial artists and who received temporary tokens in Jinyang already exceeds three or four thousand! This does not include the merchants who flocked there to witness the spectacle.

There were also wandering knights who didn't intend to fight but just wanted to watch the excitement, idlers, and even commoners with their families. Tens of thousands of people filled this already prosperous city to the brim. The inns were full, the rental prices skyrocketed, and even the shack areas outside the city were crowded with people.

With more people, there are naturally more problems.

These martial artists, from all corners of the country, were all local tyrants. Their blood boiled with the desire to fight on the arena and make a name for themselves. Suddenly confined to this unfamiliar city, and tightly bound by the strict laws of Bingzhou, their pent-up fighting spirit and unvented energy fermented and swelled in the harsh winter, like barrels of flaming oil piled up by a fire, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

The pressure on the judicial officer has increased dramatically.

During this period, few judicial officers had a full night's sleep; their eyes were bloodshot, more so than spider webs, and they all looked like demons who had come down from the battlefield.

These judicial officials, embroidered with the mythical beast Xie Zhi on their chests, took turns patrolling the streets and alleys, taverns and inns of Jinyang, day and night.

The iron ring-pommel swords they carried at their waists had hilts that gleamed from the sweat of their palms.

A brawl that broke out over a spot on a brazier in a corner of a tavern had just been suppressed, and the blood hadn't even been wiped clean when news of another brawl broke out in the Mule and Horse Market in the south of the city.

"According to the law! Anyone who engages in a private fight with weapons shall be detained for fifteen days and sentenced to hard labor! Anyone who injures another shall be punished even more severely!" Chen Yin's voice pierced through the cold air, resolute and leaving no room for negotiation.

Before him stood seven or eight bruised and battered men, bound by wooden shackles, their heads hanging low in dejection. One of them, defiant, raised his head and muttered, "Commander Zhao, we were just stretching our muscles..."

"Stretch your muscles?" Chen Yin laughed, and he seemed quite pleased with himself.

"That's great! Since you guys enjoy stretching your muscles so much, the people at the quarry and the city wall construction site will definitely love you! Take you with you!"

With a cold shout, the patrolling officials, like wolves and tigers, dragged away the group of unlucky souls who had run into the line of fire.

Chen Yin's gaze swept over the crowd of onlookers, among whom were many arrogant-looking martial arts practitioners with weapons at their waists.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to everyone's ears: "Bingzhou has its own rules! No matter if you're a dragon crossing the river or a tiger descending the mountain, in Jinyang, dragons have to coil up and tigers have to lie low! Those who can't abide by the rules have plenty of places in the prison and the hard labor camp! Those who want to make a name for themselves on the stage, you'd better wait patiently until April!"

The air was bitterly cold, and a hint of apprehension flickered in the eyes of the outside martial artists who were watching.

Jinyang was indeed different. The officials and yamen runners they rarely respected in the past were all skilled here. The crowd slowly dispersed.

Their fighting spirit grew stronger every day.

For the sake of security in Jinyang and the surrounding areas, 500 soldiers from the Jinyang city garrison were temporarily transferred to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice.

Zhang Xian then ordered Zhao Shi, whose position in the Yanmen area had become much more stable, to lead a thousand Anbei soldiers back to Jinyang. Only in this way could the increasingly intense martial spirit be suppressed.

However, this is also a good thing, at least it proves that the martial artists who came to Jinyang this time are basically skilled in martial arts.

Having resolved the issue of public security, Zhang Xian also improved the medical reform system, launching special efforts to tackle some common, sudden illnesses and diseases that affect the health of newborns.

Under his leadership, Bingzhou's medical system has a more sound institutional management and professional title classification.

Don't think that professional titles are bad; on the contrary, they are the fastest way to arrange suitable doctors to suitable places.

While the current system of professional title classification may bring drawbacks in the future, its advantages cannot be eliminated.

As arguably the best physician in Bingzhou and even the entire country, Zhang Xian was naturally in charge of all aspects of the medical system examinations in Bingzhou, including setting the questions, creating the exam papers, and administering the assessments.

However, to outsiders this might seem like it's only aimed at the healthcare system, but Zhang Xian himself knows that he's trying to select talent through exams.

Once the operational logic of this model is understood, Bingzhou will fully enter the examination mode.

To put it more bluntly, it was about changing the recommendation system to the imperial examination system!
Time passes day by day.

Zhang Xian and other high-ranking officials in Bingzhou still have endless official duties to attend to every day.

However, in his spare time, Zhang Xian also made some teasing remarks about Xiahou Lan.

If it weren't for this medical reform, he wouldn't have known that his simple-minded younger brother already had a woman he liked.

He often used this to chat with Zou Wan whenever they ate at the General's Mansion.

But jokes aside, he was also concerned about his younger brother's marriage.

Within a few days, detailed information about the Xinyi family was on his desk.

After reviewing the information, he ordered that the family be removed from the list of targets.

It's not enough for him to be someone with ulterior motives; he has never cared about background or anything like that. He'll let things develop naturally between the two of them, and he'll naturally step in to support them when needed.

To his surprise, this girl named Xinyi passed the medical examination and the intermediate medical examination at the age of sixteen.

If it weren't for the fact that the advanced physician exam requires extensive case experience to identify the traps hidden in the questions and to provide treatment methods and prescribe medications based on actual patient conditions, this girl might have been able to directly obtain the advanced physician qualification certificate.

It's important to understand that under the current medical system reforms in Bingzhou, a senior physician can now be considered an official.

Physicians, especially intermediate-level physicians, are more responsible for practicing medicine in the community and are the cornerstone of the entire medical system.

Becoming a senior physician allows one to be stationed in a county, wielding considerable influence among local medical staff and having the authority to undertake specialized research projects.

Above senior physicians are great physicians, great physicians who create their own titles, and some other titles that he hasn't yet decided on.

After all, there are only three great physicians in Jinyang now, and they are all his old team members that he brought from Taoyuan.

The path of practicing medicine requires the accumulation of experience over time; one cannot become a truly good doctor by relying solely on medical books.

"He is indeed a talented individual."

Zhang Xian put down the information he was holding and stopped paying attention to those trivial matters between men and women.

Now, there are even more people in Jinyang City who are of interest to him.

Information about Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and Gan Ning was placed on his desk as soon as he entered the city.

It's safe to say that who wins the title of "Number One in the World" is no longer important.

These three individuals alone are enough to make up for the resource consumption caused by this conference.

A thousand troops are easy to get, but a general is hard to find!
Whether Xu Chu and Dian Wei had the ability to lead troops was not important.

One Gan Ning is enough to make up for the current shortage of naval forces in Bingzhou, adding strength to the future struggle for supremacy!
However, these three are quite interesting now.

Besides Xu Chu, Dian Wei and Gan Ning are both on a grand journey of working.

Unfortunately, not everyone has a decent family background like Xu Chu.

Gan Ning may have had it before, or even before he came to Bingzhou, but it is certain that it disappeared after he arrived in Bingzhou.

Dian Wei, needless to say, was a big, poor guy whose most valuable possessions were his two short halberds.

These days, their lives can only be described as ordinary.

Zhang Xian's lips curled into a smile; he didn't rush to unleash his power immediately. Having been in power for so many years, he had cultivated a calm and collected demeanor.

For talented individuals, rashly adopting a condescending attitude can sometimes have the opposite effect.

It would be better to let them make contact after the World Martial Arts Tournament begins.

A martial artist, a man of martial arts, lives by the principles of martial arts; this perfectly exemplifies my humble talent, for I am most skilled in the way of martial arts!
Winter in Jinyang City was not a pleasant time for Dian Wei and Gan Ning.

The biting wind swept by, stirring up not only snowflakes but also the embarrassment of the empty pockets.

Xu Chu was lucky.

Although the Xu family of Qiao County was not a top-tier powerful family, they were still considered well-off local gentry.

Before leaving, his father gave him a generous amount of travel money, so after arriving in Jinyang, the seventeen-year-old boy spent his days practicing martial arts and occasionally missing his hometown, his life was no different from that at home.

But Dian Wei and Gan Ning didn't have it so easy.

In the west of the city, near the city gate and market area, at the front of a small alley, hangs a wooden sign that reads "Chen's Blacksmith Shop," which is where Dian Wei is now staying.

The shop was fairly well-lit, with a forge emitting an orange glow and scorching heat, dispelling the winter chill.

The air was filled with the smell of coal smoke, iron, and sweat.

Dian Wei was shirtless, his bulging muscles glowing like red-hot irons in the firelight. Sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the anvil and instantly rising in a small puff of white steam.

He wielded a large hammer, each swing accompanied by a dull, resounding crash!
"clang--!!"

Mars, like a torrential downpour of golden-red rain, burst forth violently in a radial pattern, creating a truly beautiful sight.

He was hammering wrought iron. Nowadays, besides repairing farm tools, the only other business of blacksmith shops in the countryside is forging iron to supply the workshops under the craftsmen's camp.

However, due to the recent influx of outsiders, they have also received a considerable number of orders for weapon repair and manufacturing.

The owner of the blacksmith shop, Chen Laochui, was a lean, withered old blacksmith with a face full of wrinkles like old tree bark.

He sat in a chair near the door, his gaze occasionally turning back to look at Dian Wei with a complicated expression.

This burly man in the blacksmith's shop was as efficient as three of his former apprentices at blacksmithing! But at this moment, he felt more heartache and apprehension.

“Dian… Dian the Warrior…” Seeing Dian Wei strike again with his hammer, Old Hammer Chen finally couldn’t help but stammer, “Gently… gently! That anvil… is a family heirloom, don’t break it!”

Dian Wei paused for a moment, his hammer stopping in mid-air.

He slowly turned his head, his large, expressionless face, reddened by the fire and covered in coal ash, responded in a deep voice, "Understood."

He casually slammed the sledgehammer into the ground beside him, producing a heavy, dull thud.

He grabbed a chipped, broken earthenware jar at his feet, tilted his head back, and gulped down most of the still-warm water. Water stains mixed with sweat streamed down his chest.

He stood silently by the fire, his imposing figure and the fire's reflection making him seem to occupy half the shop's space.

For him, blacksmithing was just another form of venting, a means to earn a place to live and make a living.

Apart from the pair of short halberds carefully wrapped in rags and leaning against the corner of the wall on his back, he had nothing of value on his body.

Living in Jinyang is no easy feat.

I can't afford to stay in an inn, and I have no money to rent a house.

It was only because Old Chen saw that he was strong and had nowhere to go, and that he urgently needed manpower to make a batch of farm tools, that he took him in to stay in the woodshed behind the shop, providing him with two meals of coarse food and a meager wage.

"Master Craftsman Chen, is the ring-pommel blade I requested sharpened yet?"

A rough, booming voice rang out from the doorway.

A stranger wearing a fur coat peeked in. When his gaze swept over Dian Wei's terrifying body, he subconsciously shrank back and lowered his voice.

Old Chen quickly stood up, forcing a smile: "Alright, alright!"

He walked to the terrazzo in the corner, picked up a ring-pommel sword that had been sharpened and was gleaming with a cold light, and handed it to the man.

The man took it, weighed it in his hand, tested the blade with his finger, and nodded in satisfaction: "The quality is alright, I'm off!"

He turned to leave, but couldn't help glancing back at the silent Dian Wei, muttering, "This big guy... he looks creepy... where did you get him?"

Old Chen chuckled twice and brushed it off vaguely.

Once the man was out of sight, he breathed a sigh of relief, walked over to Dian Wei, and said with a sigh, "Brave Dian, it's a waste of your strength to use it for blacksmithing. When spring comes, you'll definitely make a name for yourself on the arena and earn a bright future!"

Dian Wei didn't speak, but only mumbled a "hmm".

Meanwhile, in the lower reaches of the Fen River, there was a river bend far from the hustle and bustle of Jinyang City.

The river was frozen solid, and the ice layer was thick. The cold wind swirled snowflakes across the empty river surface.

Several dilapidated fishing boats were frozen on the shore, covered with thick snow, and looked lifeless.

Gan Ning was wrapped in a worn sheepskin coat, and the bright rooster feather on his head stood stubbornly upright in the cold wind, though its color had faded considerably.

His face was not good. He kicked the thick ice shell on the side of the ship, making a dull sound and sending ice shards flying.

"Damn it! What bad luck!" he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with frustration and irritation.

He was extremely angry.

Upon arriving in Jinyang, though the brocade sails had fallen, his ambition remained undiminished.

He had a dozen or so men who needed food and lodging, which was a huge expense.

After eating and drinking for ten to fifteen days, the money they brought was already running out.

Gan Ning's wild nature remained. Seeing the frequent merchant ships coming and going in Jinyang and the developed water transport, he wanted to return to his old ways and do a few "no-capital deals" on the Fen River, just to raise some travel expenses for his brothers before going to the arena.

The results of it?
Jin Fan's entrepreneurial journey was thwarted halfway through.

The city's judicial officer had long been keeping an eye on this gang of thugs.

While they were still preparing their plans and scouting the location, Judge Cao arrived, drawn by the scent of the place.

Gan Ning and his gang were also hot-blooded; they were just scouting the area, and a few vague words were enough to move on.

However, under the persistent questioning of the judicial officer, and given their inherent contempt for government officials, the group ended up in a full-blown brawl.

Then this group was given a month of hard labor in reformatory life. The young men were subdued and, considering that they were new to Bingzhou Judicial Office, they were even given a fishing job.

Stop thinking about hitting people every day and start fishing to support yourself.

After all, we can treat your first offense as a first-time offender, but the second time, you'll be facing the Bingzhou Iron Army.

Think of the Hu people, think of the Jingguan (a mound of corpses), think of the martial arts tournament that is coming soon.

Gan Ning and his companions then dutifully began their fishing careers.

Fortunately, the fish from Fen River are quite good; over the past few months, they've actually accumulated more than they did when they first came to Jinyang.

(End of this chapter)