4 First Battle , General Wang Qi and Piao...

Changwenjun army's main camp is focused on teaching the recruits sentry, reconnaissance as well as training them for cavalry and many other on field experiences.

The recruits were taught how to ride horses as well as how to properly operate their weapons on a horseback. They were also taught various fundamental formations used by cavalry on a battlefield.

Jizhong took some time getting acquainted with horse riding. Although it wasn't very difficult for him to aim properly from a horseback but making the horse follow his rhythm while letting go of the reins to focus on shooting is certainly going to take time getting used to.

During this time Jizhong was slowly developing friendly relationships with some of the recruits in his batch. He was also making good acquaintances with the instructing offices and vice captain Bi.

Vice captain Bi was good natured person and would often come to personally instruct the recruits on various subjects. Although he was from a noble family he behaved cordially with all the people in the camp which made him well liked among all the people.

With all this happening two more months passed and the undercurrents of the rebellion became more and more turbulent, people in the camp got more and more busy. Even the newly recruited soilders were given some temporary tasks, most of these constituted of acting as guards in various locations.

The recruits were often assigned as guards for various noble houses of the King's faction and the royal palace in a cyclic order as the training neared its end . This was due to authorities being more and more concerned about their safety and being suspicious of the regular guards.

Jizhong continued his regular training as well as absorbing the new things he was learning in the camp. He slowly adjusted to the common bow provided in the army which was made of flexible mulberry wood. His old bow was also slowly worned out and he felt it was no longer adequate for use.

As now he was already somewhat experienced in crafting the Gakgung bow and he could easily obtain materials needed for making it here in the capital city he was not much worried by this.

Jizhong too was assigned the guard duty from time to time. During one of these tasks he was assigned as a guard in the royal palace as well. When he arrived at the palace for the first time he was absolutely flabbergasted by its sheer size and its marvelous architecture.

Although he was not able to roam the palace freely and observe the various sections of it, he was still able to roughly see the outlines of various sections of the palace as well as some important places in it, including the royal court which was in the center of the palace as well as many areas which were residential zones for many relatives of the royal family and some court officials. Each of these areas has their own exclusive gardens and ponds for the leisure of the nobles.

The newly recruited soilders were arranged as the reserve unit of the main army which would be deployed when needed.

Finally one more month passed and the tension reached its peak. The main army was mobilized and the reserved forces too were asked to wait near the Shuda hills which is close to the capital city for support . The forces were only informed that Changwenjun and a proportion of the main army are escorting someone very important out of the city today.

Jizhong didn't remember every detail from the manga as it had been a long time ago since he read it and this was even more so for the part in the beginning , he only remembered some major events and general direction of the plot.

But still he connected the dots from the current situation and guessed that this important personnel being escorted was most likely Piao who was disguised as the king. If so then they will have to face a seizure by Wang Qi and his army.

Thinking about this Jizhong was getting more and more nervous. He had never killed a person till date so the battle was already going to be tough for him, but he knew that to make his mark in this world he would have to bloody his hand at some point in time. Thus Jizhong steeled himself and started preparing for the upcoming battle.

He packed ample of arrows and his new Gakgung bow which he made, along with an army bow and a spear. His new bow was a little heavier than the older one as it neared forty five pounds but it range is longer and its penetration power higher. He donned an armor which was relatively light and flexible and mainly focused on protecting the chest , torso and back.

The emergency of the situation and the palpable tension in the air all suggested the situation in the royal palace has already regressed to a level which was not in the calculation of Chagwenjun at all.

After waiting for some time at the Shuda Hills the people waiting here started hearing sound of horses hoof. On the horizon appeared two armies clashing each other in a conical formation while getting closer. There was a wagon vaguely visible in between the formation on the left.

At this time the reinforcements waiting here have already been informed that the escort is actually the king to make them understand the gravity of this task. Only Jizhong knew that this is most likely Piao but even he cannot be too sure so he kept his vigilance and prepared himself.

The signal was given to the army to protect the king's carriage and it stated descending down the hill from the blind spot , suddenly from the other side of the hills from another blind spot fresh troops of Wang Qi's army descended and the battle become more and more chaotic.

Jizhong can make out the visage of Changwenjun at the forefront of the approaching army engaged in a melee with someone who was very tall and muscular. Jizhong guessed this must be General Wang Qi. He truly is the monster bird of Qin. His momentum alone was enough to shake the resolve of the entire unit and in turn deter their charge.

Hearing the shouts , wails and cries with blood flowing and people falling everywhere , Jizhong's mind went abuzz while his eyes became hazy. He has never experience such a scene before and it was enough to make even the most valiant person tremble. But still there was a voice in the back of his head which was shouting for him to focus and regain his composure because if he didn't then he won't survive this battlefield. In a battlefield even the most powerful of warriors can fall in a moment of carelessness.

Slowly his eyes regained their sharpness and he immediately nocked an arrow and shot at the approaching soilder and the arrow hit him right in the eye. Jizhong felt a weird feeling welling up in him at this sight which he suppressed and once again started firing arrows at the enemies while directing his horse appropriately.

The battle was in full swing as Changwenjun's army was hoping to break through the blockade and safely lead the carriage out of here, but suddenly Changwenjun is pushed by Wang Qi's fierce attacks and a moment of distraction leads him to falling down the cliff . This greatly affects the morale of the army and hopelessness starts filling the soilders on his side.

Jizhong's arrows were already almost all used up as not only did he target the enemies coming after him but also assisted others in their battle and in the chaotic situation he was not able to keep the enemies from closing in on him, which left him with no choice but to use the spear to defend himself. He too had sustained some injuries on his arms and thighs as arrows and spear had gazed passed it. He was not able to dodge all the blows thrown his way. Many of the enemy archers had focused their fire power on him in the beginning when the enemies were no able to approach him to deal any blow at close combat range.

Suddenly an enemy soilder neared the king's carriage and successfully killed the charioteer, the situation for the Changwenjun army degraded further as the morale hit the rock bottom but Piao kicked the enemy soilder off his horse and occupied it and ordered the soilders to reform. The soilders seeing their king's momentum regained their morale and once again started to break through the enemy formation.

At this point Piao asked vice-captain Bi to divide the unit in two and go search for Lord Changwenjun. But then another batch of fresh enemy troops started coming in and the situation became grave once again and Piao started to move up the hill to break the enemy formation and divert their attention so that Bi and the remaining soilders can escape from here and search for Changwenjun.

Jizhong saw this scene and although he felt pity for Piao , he admired his courage and valiance even more. Under Bi's order he and the rest of the unit gave their all to break through the encirclement and finally succeeded. Jizhong used the rest of his arrows to help Piao break through on the other side, his arrows were fast and precise , aiming for the soft spot of the armor's defense. This was all he can do for now to help Piao escape from here.

He also shot some arrows at the section which Wang Qi was leading personally to slow down their momentum. He was successful in injuring some of the soilders surrounding Wang Qi. It is at this moment he felt an enormous pressure coming from Wang Qi as he focused his gaze on Jizhong which made him almost breathless but then it disappeared just as quickly.

After some time Bi's unit which included Jizhong and nearly fifty other soilders escaped the encirclement and started descending the hill towards the side when Changwenjun fell. They were all injured to various degrees but they didn't slow down in the least as they wanted to make the most of this chance that Piao had created for them to escape. They saw a stream flowing in the region and followed it in the hopes of locating Lord Changwenjun.