Rebirth of a Star General: Chapter 42
THE WEAKEST IN THE ARMY
Translator: Syph
Editor: Reki
“I can’t draw this bow.”
The nearby recruits looked at He Yan with a dull expression. Instructor Liang’s face showed a look of disbelief, and he almost thought that he misheard him.
What does he mean ‘I can’t draw this bow?’ Does he take it for granted, saying something like that so confidently? Instructor Liang had led many soldiers, but this was the worst one he had ever seen!
It really pissed him off!
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Wang Ba didn’t expect He Yan to be so frank. He thought that He Yan was arrogant and naturally had some unique skills in his hands. But this result was simply unacceptable.
“I don’t have enough strength in my hands, which is why I can’t draw this bow. Why should I waste time? It would be better to give the crossbow to the brothers who need practice. In a few days, my hands will be strong enough to draw the bow.”
“He Yan, the practice field is not a place for you to play.” Instructor Liang said with a sunken face. He had assumed that this young man would work hard and endure hardships, and his determination would surely lead him to succeed. He didn’t expect him to take his incompetence for granted.
“I didn’t take it as a place to play.” The boy’s eyes were clear. He pondered for a while, then made a concession, “Then how about after training today, I will attempt to draw this bow tomorrow?”
Instructor Liang’s nose was crooked in anger, “He Yan!”
He Yan actually thought to bargain with him! Does He Yan regard this guardhouse as a vegetable market? He was very satisfied with the progress He Yan made so far in the run, as he improved day by day, but a crossbow is not a simple matter. The strength in hands was not something that could be achieved overnight. Where did his confidence come from that he even blurted that he could draw the bow by tomorrow?
Now, Head Instructor Liang began to regret not heeding to Du Mao’s words. Instead of paying too much attention to He Yan, he should’ve placed him as a guerilla soldier earlier, which could’ve saved him the trouble of dealing with the current situation. At his age, there was nothing he could do, even if he was angry.
Not wanting to see He Yan’s innocent face, Teacher Liang waved his hand to him, “Fine then. Go over and run five laps with a sandbag on your back!”
He Yan let out an “Oh”, obediently walked over and picked up the sandbag, and went up the long road.
Even though she did as she was told, her obedient behavior felt like a punch on the face of Instructor Liang, which made him even more frustrated. He turned his head and decided not to look at the boy who made him angry.
He Yan ran slowly, and there was one more person beside her, the person who provoked her earlier, Wang Ba.
“Kid, you are so weak, you still dare to come to the barracks?” Wang Ba smiled wildly, “You can’t even draw the bow, and you still dare to speak out?”
“This brother,” He Yan said as she ran, “You stare at me all day long, are you really afraid of me?”
“Afraid of you?” Wang Ba was taken aback.
“If you are not afraid of me, you wouldn’t have to follow me all day for the fear that I will steal your limelight.”
“Who is afraid of you?” Wang Ba simply wanted to yell at her. What kind of person was this? No words entered this person’s ears or affected him in any way, and instead, he interrupted the words in his own set of opinions.
“You might be aware that private fights are forbidden in the army,” He Yan made a “hush,” motion to him, “If one gets caught, they’ll be dealt with a military baton. There are supervisors everywhere in the mountains, even if you want to pick a fight with me, now is not a good time.”
That was true.
Wang Ba stared at her, smiled, and said, “If I wanted to pick a fight with you, why would I do it in private, you can’t even draw your bow… In the arena, I can make you kneel and beg for mercy.”
“Oh.” He Yan responded carelessly, “Okay, let’s see you in the practice field. Until then, I don’t want to see your face.” After she spoke, her pace seemed to quicken. She carried her sandbag on her back and left Wang Ba far behind.
Wang Ba looked at her brisk back, only to feel dazed and cursed. After that, he turned and walked away.
…
The crossbow training finally ended after the sunset.
The recruits rushed over for food, eager to fill their stomachs, while the instructors gathered together to eat their dinner and talk about the anecdotes of their respective teams today. If there were recruits with good qualifications, they were even more likely to show them off.
Liang Ping wanted to boast about Wang Ba and Shi, but when he thought of He Yan, he felt stuffy and was afraid of her name being mentioned, so he simply bowed his head to eat in silence. Unexpectedly, as he became more and more afraid, Du Mao asked without concern, “Instructor Liang, how did your team’s He Yan perform today?”
Liang Ping had nothing to say.
An instructor next to him laughed and said, “He! Haha, he gave up before he drew the bow, and even said, ‘I can’t draw this bow.’ His tone was calm, but the expression felt sarcastic, which seems to be ironic. Instructor Liang was so angry at that time, his face turned blue.”
“Didn’t even draw the bow?” Du Mao was also surprised, “That’s ridiculous.”
“That kid doesn’t look like someone who can stay in the barracks. You don’t know, at the time, he even said that if he gave him a day, he would be able to draw it tomorrow. I said ‘Where did Instructor Liang pick up such a treasure?’ I doubt him,” the instructor who spoke nudged his head, “There’s something wrong here.”
As they talked, someone came in. It was Xiao Jue and Cheng Li Su. Everyone immediately put down their chopsticks and stood up to salute “General Xiao, Noble Cheng.”
“I heard you all were talking lively about something from afar… so, what were you laughing about?” Cheng Li Su asked with a grin.
This young man who was used to having a happy appearance happily ate and drank in Liang Zhou these past few days. Although they didn’t know why the well-dressed and well-fed ‘Noble of the Capital’ wasn’t at home with his good fortune, and instead came to Liang Zhou. Moreover, he was brought by Xiao Jue, so they must give him a bit of face and dare not neglect.
The instructor who talked about Liang Ping at the beginning spoke first, “We were talking about the training of the recruits today. There is a recruit under Instructor Liang who can’t even draw the bow and said that he would be able to draw it tomorrow. Master Cheng, don’t you think it’s funny?”
“Hey, he can’t even draw the bow. Wouldn’t he be worse than me?” Cheng Li Su was shocked. He was already known as the weakest scholar and soldier among his brothers in his family. But he could definitely draw crossbows. He didn’t expect to be able to meet someone weaker than him here, so he immediately became interested. He turned to look at Xiao Jue, “Uncle, did you hear that? At least in Liang Zhou, I am not the worst.”
Xiao Jue glanced at him, but seemed to not care. After he got a cold response, he was not annoyed, but instead turned to several instructors, and enthusiastically asked, “What is the name of that strong man, who shares the same aspects as me? I must meet him and become brothers with him.”
Liang Ping, “…”
“Hey, Instructor Liang, what’s the name of that recruit?,” The instructor who spoke strained his memory and recalled, “He…what was after that?”
What did he do wrong, why did God treat him like this? He was embarrassed in front of the General, Liang Ping wanted to cry a little, but under all the eyes, he bit the bullet and said, “He Yan.”
The young man who had always been indifferent raised his eyes suddenly.
He Yan?
