Earlier.
Qin Lan received a task from Qin Huaiqiu. He asked her to help manage the military affairs, check if all the soldiers were present and if there were any sudden situations like soldiers feeling unwell. Now, she was patrolling the camp in a pure - white armor specially made for her by Sikong Ting.
This task should actually be the responsibility of General Qin Huaiqiu. By doing so, he could strengthen his relationship with his subordinates and soldiers. However, he knew that compared to himself, the soldiers were even more reluctant to accept Qin Lan, the deputy general. A large part of the reason was that Qin Lan was a woman.
Since ancient times, there had been few female generals. Families like the Qin family, where both men and women could practice martial arts, were rare. If these troops were the Qin family's army, it would be easier to handle, because everyone in the Qin family's army knew Qin Lan's strength. But these soldiers were recruited by Wu Qiuyang in the Central Plains and had never been to the Protectorate General's Office area. How could they imagine a woman like Qin Lan leading the army?
So Qin Huaiqiu assigned this task to Qin Lan, hoping that she could take this opportunity to win the hearts of the soldiers.
But people's inertial thinking was not so easy to change. People in the Central Plains were used to delicate and pitiful women, so they naturally thought that women should stay in the boudoir. Therefore, when Qin Lan patrolled the camp, few soldiers gave her a good look.
Qin Lan was naturally aware of this. She silently completed her task and planned to discuss this matter with Qin Huaiqiu later.
Just then, a guard led several soldiers and walked in front of Qin Lan, blocking her way.
Qin Lan stopped and looked up at him. Her sharp eyes were like those of a hawk, which made the guard stunned for a moment.
Good, someone was looking for trouble.
Qin Lan squinted her eyes. She knew this person. His name was Liao Ke, a fourth - rank guard.
Liao Ke looked down at Qin Lan and snorted disdainfully, "Oh, I wondered who it was. It's Deputy General Qin. Sorry, you're too short. I didn't see you."
After Liao Ke finished speaking, the people behind him started to laugh and boo.
Qin Lan was actually not short. As a woman from the border, who had practiced martial arts since childhood, she could even reach Nie Rong's shoulder. But after all, she was a woman, so she was a bit shorter than men.
"I don't mind digging out your eyes if you don't need them," Qin Lan said harshly. Her eyes were shining brightly, emitting a sharp aura.
"What did you say?" Liao Ke would never lose face in front of Qin Lan in front of everyone. He thought that as a woman, Qin Lan would definitely not dare to challenge him. But as mentioned before, the views of women in the Central Plains were very different from those in the border areas. So when Qin Lan said this, Liao Ke was stunned at first, and then his face turned pale and red alternately. He gritted his teeth and stared at Qin Lan, squeezing out a few words through his teeth, word by word, "What... did... you... say?"
Before Liao Ke could react, Qin Lan stepped forward and used a grappling technique to grab his wrist. Then she flipped her right hand and twisted his entire arm into a distorted position amidst his screams of pain.
"Aaaah!" Liao Ke let out a scream instantly. He stared at Qin Lan with a look of horror and disbelief on his face, but more of it was humiliation.
"Slandering superiors and disregarding military discipline, you should be beheaded according to the law!" Qin Lan's voice was cold. She said, "I think I'll use you as a chicken to scare the monkeys in the army!"
Liao Ke was stunned for a moment and then pleaded, "Deputy General Qin! I know my mistake. Please be merciful and spare me!"
Qin Lan still held his arm tightly, and Liao Ke couldn't break free. In fact, it wasn't that Qin Lan was strong, but that she had a good grip on the position. One inch above the wrist was the best point to exert force. Twist the wrist outward for a circle and then push it back three inches. With such a distorted angle, the person being held would completely lose the leverage point of the joint and couldn't break free at all.
"What mistake do you know?" Qin Lan's voice was cold. It seemed that she was talking to Liao Ke, but in fact, she was warning all the onlookers.
"I shouldn't... hiss... shouldn't have offended my superior," Liao Ke gritted his teeth and said.
Qin Lan glared at him again and loosened her fingers. Liao Ke's hand instantly returned to its original state, but there were several scarlet finger marks on his wrist.
Liao Ke bent down in pain. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He gritted his teeth and said reluctantly, "Thank you, Deputy General."
Qin Lan looked at his expression and snorted, "Oh, it seems you're still not convinced?"
Liao Ke lowered his head and didn't say a word, which was a tacit admission.
The on - looking soldiers around began to whisper to each other.
"She just made a sneak attack! Otherwise, how could the head guard be captured?"
"Yes! A woman with no real skills, just doing some underhanded tricks!"
Qin Lan looked around and heard all the whispering clearly.
She paused for a moment, then suddenly waved her right hand. She drew out the saber from her waist with a "shua". The blade, shining with cold light, cut through the air, creating a silver - white blade wind. Then she stabbed it forcefully into the yellow earth.
Everyone fell silent.
The long saber, with what seemed like a gentle wave from Qin Lan, had already been inserted more than two - thirds into the soil.
The precision of the force and the angle was beyond the reach of many people present.
Qin Lan's red lips parted slightly, and she said, "Say I'm not popular among you? Fine. If anyone here has objections, you can challenge me. We'll fight with real weapons. If anyone of you can win, I'll give up my position as deputy general to him!"
This condition seemed very attractive to many people.
Defeating a woman and then becoming the deputy general of the army specially appointed by the emperor seemed like a very easy thing!
The whole field was silent for a second or two. Then, the first person who didn't believe it raised his hand and shouted angrily, "I'll come! Stop your bluffing. The dignity of the Dacheng army cannot be violated. I'd like to see how capable you, a woman, are!"
"Okay!" Qin Lan sneered. "You can choose any weapon you want."
The young man stepped forward and said, "The king of all weapons, the spear."
"Sure," Qin Lan agreed very readily. She kicked a young soldier's spear forcefully. The young soldier was startled and didn't hold it firmly. The spear rolled into the air, spinning rapidly and making a "whoosh" sound.
Qin Lan stepped forward. Just as the spear was about to fall, she grabbed the shaft. Then she turned around, and the spear drew a perfect arc in the air. The tip of the spear was pointed directly at the young man's face.
"Let's start then!"
When Qin Huaiqiu arrived with Feng Zuo and Wan Chengyan, they saw Qin Lan attacking the young man like a dragon with her spear. The young man was beaten back step by step. He blocked left and right with his spear and was completely at a disadvantage.
The simple arena surrounded by the crowd was shabby, but it ignited the soldiers' passion that had been dulled by the long - day march.
It was not only because they were interested in watching, but also because Qin Lan's martial arts were so wonderful that some soldiers couldn't help but praise and clap their hands.
The young man didn't expect Qin Lan to be so skilled in martial arts. He was almost completely suppressed by her and had no chance to counter - attack at all.
Feng Zuo led the way in front of Qin Huaiqiu. He made a way through the crowded soldiers for Qin Huaiqiu and Wan Chengyan. With great difficulty, the three of them squeezed to the front. Just then, they saw Qin Lan flick the young man's spear into the air. She pointed the tip of her spear at him, then turned around and looked around the field, shouting loudly, "Who else wants to come?"
Feng Zuo frowned and leaned over to Qin Huaiqiu's ear and said, "General, shouldn't we stop the deputy general?"
Qin Huaiqiu laughed a few times and said meaningfully, "Isn't this good?"