White Horse, Silver Spear, Grand Commandant Gao

This strike was powerful and heavy, incredibly fierce.

The child thrust out the gun with only one hand, without any initial stance or unnecessary movements such as brandishing the gun. The entire action, from raising the hand to thrusting the gun, was completed in the blink of an eye.

The spear in his hand was like an extension of his arm, flowing smoothly without any hesitation or awkwardness.

The two stood three zhang apart, each step taking three feet, and it would take ten steps for them to touch. However, as soon as the spear rose, the tip of the spear was already in front of Gao Xingzhou in an instant!

The saying goes that a gun should not reveal its handle; a child's hand may have slipped to the end of the shaft without the child noticing, leaving only the cone-shaped tip of the shaft exposed.

He gripped the spear firmly in one hand, hovering it steadily in the air, his arm straight, showing no sign of strain, the tip of the spear not wobbling at all. His swift thrusts and sudden stops were as natural as eating and drinking.

Gao Xingzhou stared intently at the sharp spearhead less than a foot away in front of him. His expression softened slightly, but his tone remained icy: "After three years of practicing spear stance, you've finally gained some skill. Are you holding back your power because you're afraid of hurting your father?"

A long spear weighs six or seven pounds, with the fine iron spearhead weighing a full eight ounces. It is quite heavy, and even an adult man would find it difficult to straighten his arm by relying solely on arm strength.

Only by engaging the waist and hips, with muscles stretching and relaxing, and the weight of the spear distributed throughout the body, can one wield the spear with one hand and maintain stability.

Gao Xingzhou's so-called "gun stake" is a further step on this basis.

The arm and the spear are as one, and a slight change in the force applied to the spearhead and shaft can trigger a rapid reaction, which is called the practice of listening to the force.

The next step, training the waist and legs, involves transferring the power of a galloping warhorse from the waist and hips to the arms, and then through the wrists and palms to transform it into a spear stance. This is a secret spear training method passed down through generations of the Gao family.

"The tips of spears and lances are shaped like short swords, used for a single charge. Spear techniques are varied and can be used to defeat the enemy with a variety of moves."

Gao Xingzhou extended the wooden spear in his palm and gently touched the tip of his son's spear. The child shook the spear, circled around it, and then thrust it horizontally and backward. The spear, like a nimble snake, smoothly slid up the shaft, a skillful and fluid movement executed in one go.

"Why wasn't you decisive enough in clearing the opponent's weapons and heading straight for the open middle pass?"

Gao Xingzhou was quite dissatisfied. Although his eldest son had a solid foundation in marksmanship, when it came to duels, he always liked to use some tricks and opportunistic tactics, which was not the way to fight fairly and squarely, and even contradicted the principles of conduct that Gao Xingzhou had taught him in his daily life.

He beckoned with his finger: "Go ahead and attack."

The martial arts skills and combat techniques of sons of military families are vastly different from those of ordinary soldiers, stemming from fundamental differences in their backgrounds and training methods.

While techniques can be learned quickly, physical fitness, besides innate talent, requires a solid foundation built through diet and exercise. Combat reaction time, in particular, requires extensive training to develop bodily memory, enabling one to perform actions a beat faster than the average person on the battlefield.

As for the methods of attacking and defending against different weapons, these are secrets kept by martial arts families.

The child removed the gun, instead holding it with both hands, and assumed a neutral stance.

This is the foremost of all spear techniques. It can be used to strike upwards and then seize, or to strike downwards and then lift the oar. It can be used to block to the left and seize to the right, and it can be used for both offense and defense. Its variations are endless, all of which are contained in this one move.

Gao Xingzhou sized up his eldest son's stance and recited the key points: "Go like an arrow, return like a thread, quick hands and sharp eyes, pierce the face. Let's see how much of the Gao family spear technique you've mastered."

After a brief standoff, the child made up his mind.

He held the spear tip close to the ground, flicked the dragon's tail to kick up a cloud of dust, and sent it flying toward Gao Xingzhou's face to confuse him.

He then rolled forward and thrust the spear upwards at an extremely tricky angle into his opponent's abdomen.

Gao Xingzhou seemed to have expected this. He drew a circle with the wooden pole, brushed away all the dust, and easily deflected the gun. He scolded with displeasure, "These are all underhanded tactics."

"On the battlefield, arrows fly in all directions. A shield protects you from all sides. If there is a shield three feet in front of you, why should you worry about being hurt?" (Note 1)

In Gao Xingzhou's view, preemptive strikes, surprise attacks, and deception are all despicable tricks and crooked ways.

The Gao family's spear technique emphasizes proper and orthodox methods, and Gao Xingzhou was furious that his son had used such unorthodox techniques. He had a son at the age of forty, and with his wife's doting love, they had spoiled the child rotten.

After being scolded, the child twirled the spear in his hand, the tip of the spear drooping, seemingly discouraged and unwilling to fight anymore, appearing ready to give up.

Gao Xingzhou was furious, thinking that his son lacked willpower. He was about to scold and encourage him when he heard his second son, who was watching the battle from the shade of a tree, exclaim in surprise.

Turning my head, I saw him clutching his head, his face contorted in pain.

The child dragged the spear backwards and ran ahead to check if his younger brother was injured. Gao Xingzhou followed immediately.

He thought to himself, "Could it be that a fruit fell from the tree and hit my head? God help me not to get hurt, otherwise my wife will definitely complain tonight."

After running a few steps, the child in front suddenly stopped, raised his gun high with his front hand, drew the gun from the handle with his back hand, straightened his arms, and before his body turned, the gun arrived first. Using the force of his waist rotation, he thrust out a counterattack!

Gao Xingzhou knew he was in trouble; caught off guard, he was about to be stabbed.

At the critical moment, his hand moved with a thought, and he suddenly held the plain staff to his chest, blocking the base of his son's spear just a foot in front of him, preventing it from advancing any further.

The tip of the spear was only inches away from Gao Xingzhou's body, but in the end, it was all for naught.

The child under the tree pulled out a bright red fruit, took a bite with a grin, and showed no signs of injury: "Brother, I've done what I promised to do, but I still can't beat Father. There's nothing I can do about it."

The child was not discouraged when he missed his first shot. He put away his gun and chuckled, "My skills are still lacking. Since Father has told me to attack freely, I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. Please don't take offense, sir."

Seeing his lazy appearance, Gao Xingzhou's face was ashen: "Instead of practicing orthodox spear techniques properly, you're always resorting to unorthodox methods. A counter-attack spear, humph, very well!"

This move stirred up his thoughts, and Gao Xingzhou put the plain wooden spear back on the weapon rack and ordered, "Come with me to the back hall! You are all of age, and you should know about a part of the Gao family's past."

The child also put down his spear and stared at a short weapon on the wooden shelf, glancing at it with great envy.

It was a short hammer about three feet long, with a gilded head, a process known as fire gilding, where molten gold is mixed with mercury and applied to the surface, which is long-lasting.

What makes this hammer special is that its head is not the common spherical or melon-shaped shape, but rather has a semi-circular side and a flat side. The flat side has a raised section in the middle and four small bumps at the front, resembling a tiger's paw.

Imagine if such a blunt object were to hit a human body; it would be equivalent to being slapped by a tiger. Even with iron armor, the impact would still cause internal injuries and cause the person to vomit blood.

The father and his two sons walked out of the training ground. A young girl led several servants to greet them, and directed them to carry Lan Qi back. She then ordered a maid to bring a copper basin of hot water, took out a handkerchief, wrung it out by hand, and first offered it to Gao Xingzhou, then handed it to the child to wipe him.

"Thank you, Sister Xuan."

The child had exhausted himself in the brief three-round exchange, sweating profusely. He took the hot towel and wiped his face and neck, feeling much refreshed.

Gao Xingzhou watched as the young girl directed the servants to tidy up the training ground; his daughter had turned ten. That incident happened eleven years ago, and he was approaching fifty, a time of profound reflection.

Continuing to think about it would be a great disrespect to the late emperor, so he forcibly stopped his thoughts.

The father and his two sons returned to an empty room in the back hall. Gao Xingzhou lit three incense sticks and bowed to the ancestral tablet. The two children followed suit and bowed.

The ebony memorial tablet was inscribed with a line of characters: "The spirit tablet of our late father, Gao Siji, Commander of the Central Army and Prefect of Shunzhou."

On the altar in front of the memorial tablet lay a suit of gleaming silver armor, its front edge crossed diagonally into a cross shape, and its back covered with leather bags, each containing twenty-four gleaming throwing knives! (Note 2)

Two iron spears lay horizontally on the offering table in front of the altar. The child had secretly tried to lift them when his father was not around, and could only barely manage to lift them with great effort. They must weigh at least a hundred pounds. I wonder what kind of incredibly strong hero could wield such weapons.

Gao Xingzhou stared at the armor, hands behind his back, and asked without turning his head, "Which of you two will tell me about the origins of my Gao family's spear technique?"

The younger children eagerly answered, "The White Horse Silver Spear lineage originated at the end of the Han Dynasty. Zhao Yun, also known as Zhao Zilong of Changshan, became a disciple of Tong Yuan and was taught the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear. He later joined the White Horse Righteous Cavalry of Youzhou and created the Seven Probes Serpent Coil Spear."

"In his later years, Zhao Yun and Jiang Wei, the prodigy of Tianshui, developed a deep mutual respect and Zhao Yun imparted all his skills to Jiang Wei."

"The Three Kingdoms were unified under the Jin Dynasty, the War of the Eight Princes ensued, the elites crossed the Yangtze River, and the North and South were locked in a standoff. Luo Yi of Xiangyang married Gui Zhi, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, learned spear techniques, joined the army, and was highly appreciated by Qin Xu, the Grand Chancellor of the Chen State, who then married his daughter to him. After the fall of the Southern Dynasty, he invaded the Central Plains three times, and the Tang emperor had no choice but to enfeoff him as the Prince of Beiping. His son, Luo Cheng, became the seventh hero of the early Tang Dynasty, wielding a five-hook, divine, flying silver spear."

"My family, the Gao family, originated from Guizhou. For generations, we have been soldiers stationed in the Youyan region. By chance, we learned the Luo family spear technique. My father also became friends with the Golden Spear General Xia Luqi and was taught the Northern Overlord Six Harmonies Spear. He integrated and improved upon it, which is why we have the Gao family spear technique that we are passing down today."

The child finished speaking in one breath and looked up at his father, waiting for confirmation.

Gao Xingzhou nodded slightly: "Liang'er is right. There were eighteen heroes in the early Tang Dynasty, and sixteen heroes in the late Tang Dynasty. Your grandfather, Gao Siji, was the third-ranked White Horse Silver Spear!"

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Place Name Comparison

Shunzhou: present-day Shunyi District, Beijing

Guizhou: present-day Huailai County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province