Phi-Fic Chapter 1068 Shuqing Competition (Part 2)
Chapter 1068 Shuqing Competition (Part 2)
Xiong Tai's gaze immediately locked onto Yue Yun beside Li Che, and his fighting spirit surged.
After Li Che nodded slightly, Yue Yun stepped forward steadily.
Compared to Xiong Tai's imposing physique, Yue Yun's tall and upright figure appeared much thinner.
He unfastened his sword and handed it to his personal guard, then casually picked up a standard-issue long spear commonly used in the army from the weapon rack.
He casually weighed it in his hand, then walked to an open space outside the tent and bowed to Xiong Tai, saying, "Please."
The two stood still, and the crowd fell silent instantly.
Luo Yueniang clenched her fists subconsciously, her eyes darting nervously between the two of them.
Most of the Shu generals looked expectant. Xiong Tai's bravery and strength were recognized by them as the pinnacle of the Shu army. Even if Yue Yun's martial arts were superb, they thought he would have difficulty resisting him.
After all, military generals understand the principle that brute force can overcome any skill.
No matter how skilled one is in martial arts, if one encounters an opponent with superhuman strength, one can only suffer defeat.
Xiong Tai gave a low shout and took the iron halberd from his personal guard.
Without further ado, he suddenly exerted force with his feet, and with a fierce gust of wind in his hand, he went straight for the middle road of Yueyun.
The moves are wide and sweeping, with an intimidating aura, aiming to achieve victory in one strike.
Despite Xiong Tai's overwhelming offensive, Yue Yun's eyes remained calm.
He didn't even retreat; just as the halberd was about to strike him, his footwork shifted slightly, like flowing water.
His figure instantly transformed into a phantom shadow, narrowly escaping through the gaps in the halberd's attack.
At the same time, the spear in his hand also moved.
The spear shot out like a dragon, so fast that it left only a faint trail of cold light in the air!
The spear tip thrust straight in, precisely targeting Xiong Taiyin's exposed right wrist as he swung his halberd.
Xiong Tai had not expected his opponent's movements to be so unpredictable, and his counterattacks to be even more cunning and swift.
But he was experienced in combat, and when he felt the coldness on his wrist, he roared and instinctively swung his halberd back to block.
However, Yueyun's gun was too fast.
With a soft hiss, the cold glint of the spear tip struck the small branch of the iron halberd.
Xiong Tai felt a sharp, jarring force coming from his right wrist, which made his subsequent exertion of force momentarily halt.
In that split second of hesitation, Yueyun's gunshots struck again, like a persistent, insidious attack.
This time, the spear tip transformed into several cold stars, enveloping Xiong Tai's face, throat, and shoulder blades—several vital points.
It's hard to tell what's real and what's fake, and it's moving even faster than before!
Xiong Tai was forced to wield his halberd like a wheel, desperately trying to protect himself. The heavy iron halberd brought with it a whistling sound, but it was always a fraction slower than Yue Yun's spear tip.
clang!clang!clang!
Several rapid clangs of metal clashing rang out, sparks flying.
Yue Yun seemed like a ghost wandering on the edge of the halberd's wind, his footwork exquisite and unparalleled. His spear sometimes thrust swiftly straight, sometimes parried deftly, and sometimes lashed out at the halberd shaft like the tip of a whip.
Every move was precisely aimed at the gaps in Xiong Tai's power transition.
This giant, despite possessing the strength to uproot mountains, was trapped in an invisible net, unable to exert even 70% of his full power. He roared repeatedly, and his steps began to become somewhat unsteady.
What's the use of having high attack power if you can't hit anyone?
Yueyun, on the other hand, has maxed out attack speed!
In just over ten rounds, Yue Yun seized the opening in Xiong Tai's center gate, and his spear suddenly changed from extreme movement to extreme stillness. Then, like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, he launched a swift, straight thrust!
"Ding!"
After a particularly clear, sharp sound, Xiong Tai felt a force coming from the halberd, and his right hand instantly went numb and he could no longer hold it.
The heavy iron halberd flew out of his hand and crashed to the ground a few steps away, embedding itself deeply in the soil.
The next second, the entire venue fell silent.
Xiong Tai stood there dumbfounded, his right hand hanging in the air, his face full of disbelief.
His superhuman strength, which made him famous, seemed so clumsy in the face of Yue Yun's fast, accurate, and ruthless marksmanship.
Having succeeded in his attack, Yue Yun immediately withdrew his gun, retreated, and stood at attention with his weapon in hand.
After regaining his composure, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Xiong Tai again, saying, "Thank you for your humility."
You could hear a pin drop inside the tent.
The Shu generals were all bewildered. Their most valiant general, Xiong Tai, had been defeated, and defeated so decisively.
Yueyun's gun was ridiculously fast, beyond their comprehension.
Is this the strength of a top-tier military commander?
Luo Yueniang also loosened her clenched fist, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
Her feelings were naturally complicated after her old subordinates suffered a setback, but it was still better than winning against Yue Yun and embarrassing the emperor.
Yu Daliang's face flushed red, and he opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.
Li Che took everything in view before slowly speaking: "Commander Xiong possesses astonishing strength and his halberd technique is fierce and powerful. He is indeed a rare and formidable general."
"However, fighting on the battlefield is not just about strength. Yue Yun's gun technique was honed in the midst of a million soldiers; it is a true killing gun."
Li Che glanced at the still-shocked Shu generals and said calmly, "The Qing army has no shortage of individual bravery, but the strength of the Qing army lies in the system formed by thousands of soldiers like Yue Yun."
"Every soldier in my Qing Army is trained to kill with a gun. We don't follow any rigid techniques; we only care about who can take the enemy's life the fastest."
Seeing that the Shu generals seemed to be deep in thought, Li Che spoke up: "The martial prowess competition is over, now it's time to compete in archery. Who among you will send?"
But then Yu Daliang took a deep breath and decisively took a step forward.
"Good!" Li Che nodded and said, "General Yu, now that you have stepped forward, you must be skilled in this area?"
Yu Daliang took a deep breath, clasped his hands and said, "This humble general dares not claim to be the best, but I have been practicing archery since childhood and have some knowledge of riding and archery. I request Your Majesty to send someone to instruct me."
Li Che saw that he had long arms and broad shoulders, large knuckles, and thick calluses on his hands and fingertips, which indicated that he had been practicing archery for many years.
Li Che smiled, then suddenly stood up, took off his black cloak, and casually tossed it to Yue Yun behind him.
Then, he personally stepped down from the main seat and walked up to Yu Daliang.
"Your Majesty?" Yu Daliang was taken aback, somewhat confused.
Li Che looked at him and said calmly, "In this contest, I will compete against you."
The tent fell silent for a moment, followed by several suppressed gasps.
Yu Daliang looked up in astonishment, and subconsciously said, "Your Majesty..."
"What?" Li Che raised an eyebrow, a half-smile on his face. "Does General Yu think that I, having lived in the deep palace for so long, can no longer draw a bow or ride a horse?"
"This humble general dares not!" Yu Daliang quickly bowed.
Although he was in Shu, how could he not have heard of the young emperor's illustrious military exploits beyond the Great Wall?
The name of the emperor on horseback had already spread throughout the army, and the achievement of destroying a country was not surprising to Li Che.
Yu Daliang simply couldn't believe that an emperor who had already ruled the world could still retain some skill in horsemanship and archery.
After all, the fancy martial arts demonstrations performed before the emperor are worlds apart from the horsemanship and archery skills honed through life-or-death battles on the battlefield.
He hesitated for a moment, but still braced himself and said, "Your Majesty, in the Shu army, the archery competition is not a static shooting at a target, but rather two generals riding warhorses and shooting at each other with bows on the training ground."
"Although the practice arrows used were with the arrowheads removed and wrapped in thick cloth, the horses were moving at high speeds and the arrows had no holes, so they were bound to get bumped and damaged."
"Your Majesty's life is of paramount importance, and the fate of the nation rests upon you. How can you lightly venture into such a dangerous place? Perhaps it would be better to send another general..."
“No need.” Li Che interrupted him, and walked straight to the weapon rack placed on the side of the tent, his eyes sweeping over the bows on it.
"Let's compete according to the rules you mentioned. Since this is a military competition, it should naturally be conducted according to military methods."