Rebirth of a Star General Chapter 80
Fighting for the Flag
Seven days was enough for He Yan’s leg injuries to heal. Although the injuries on her hands were not completely healed, as long as she didn’t try to pull the crossbow and practice the spear, it would not hinder her daily work.
In these seven days of waiting, the day to fight for the flag finally came.
Liang Ping visited He Yan during the first night of the flag fight and asked He Yan how she was. He Yan was afraid that he would not let her participate in the flag fight, and said hurriedly, “Very good, excellent, very, very good. Do you want to have a go with me/play two moves with me[she wants to say if he would like to fight with her as practice] Instructor Liang?”
Liang Ping thought about the match of mounted archery with He Yan before, and couldn’t help but coughed lightly, “No, if you are fine, you can accompany others up to the mountain tomorrow.”
After he left, He Yan almost cheered out loud.[because of excitement]
Hong Shan smiled and said, “Now you have got what you wanted.”
“I don’t know what it is like to fight for the flag,” Mak looked at He Yan and pleaded, “After Brother Ahe comes down from the mountain, you can tell us word by word.”
“Isn’t your brother going up the mountain too? Why just ask Ahe?” Hong Shan said.
“My brother doesn’t talk much.” Mak curled his lips.
Liangzhou Wei had tens of thousands of new recruits. Of course, not everyone can go up the mountain to fight for the flag. Moreover, it is to select people for the forward camp/battalion, so only the people with outstanding performance in the martial arena are selected. Both Mak and Hongshan can only be regarded as mediocre, so they were not eligible for competing for the flag. The only people selected in their room to go up to the mountain were Shi and He Yan.
“The injuries on your hand haven’t healed yet.” Hong Shan worried for He Yan, “When the time comes, don’t try hard. You can run away if you can’t fight, okay? All Liangzhou guards know you are great, so don’t care about winning or losing at that time. .”
“It’s too much of a loss for Brother Ahe,” Mak said, “If it wasn’t for Brother Ahe who was injured, he would definitely be first.”
“It’s okay.” He Yan said relievedly, “Even if I am injured, I would still be first.”
When the others in the room heard this, they all burst out laughing.
“Here we go again! Our Great Ringmaster is going to set up a ring on the mountain again, is there anyone who wants to bet on dry cakes?”
“Bet my ass, even the last loss hasn’t been paid yet!”
Amidst the noise, He Yan’s heart relaxed a little bit. In fact, she hadn’t competed for the flag for a long time, and the memories of the last flag fight were not too good, as she wasn’t the best at that time. But no one knows what the result would be this time.
It’s just that compared to the result of the flag race, the most important thing is the performance in the flag race. If one wants to enter the Nine Banners battalion, only the result of the race is not sufficient. Inside the Baiyue Mountain, all the Instructors would be hidden in the dark, to take in the performance of each of them. The person who performs the best might have the opportunity to enter the Nine Banners battalion.
Therefore, instead of a competition, it is more of a play, and the audience is only one person from beginning to end, that is, the second son of Xiao. She had to work hard to win Xiao Jue’s favor by taking every step beautifully and thoughtfully.
She should be able to do it.
…
Outside the guardhouse, Shen Han arched his hand toward Xiao Jue, “General, everything is ready.”
Lu Er/Green ears stomped twice on the ground next to him, as Xiao Jue stroked its head and said, “Let’s go.”
Shen Han nodded, and suddenly remembered something, ” What about Master Cheng…”
“I have sent someone to protect him from the shadows. No need to worry.” He looked in the direction of Baiyue Mountain, “It’s almost time, tell them to depart immediately.”
Shen Han responded, “Yes.”
…
He Yan came to the martial arena, she didn’t see Liang Ping, but saw Du Mao, holding a book in his hand, and marking the names of He Yan and Shi, after that the two went forward and found Jiang Jiao, Huang Xiong and Wang Ba standing aside.
“A group of five people would be formed for the competition, and you all are in the same group.” Du Mao said, “After a stick of incense, you will set out on foot from here to Baiyue Mountain. You cannot cross the mountain. Red flags are planted everywhere in the mountain. Before sunset, you must return to this place. “After a pause, he said again, “There are 30 groups of recruits going up the mountain in this flag fight. After returning to this place, the group with the most red flags would be the winner.”
“There are weapons on the weapon rack. Quickly pick the one you can use. Bows and crossbows are not allowed. Don’t hurt your fellow soldiers when fighting for the flags on Bai Yue Mountain. Don’t risk your life, don’t prioritize friendship if the friend is an opponent. “
Several people nodded together.
Jiang Jiao chose the long spear he was good at, and Huang Xiong carried his golden-backed sword. Although Wang Ba was good at bows and crossbows, he could not use them in this battle. So he chose crested axe which looked cool. Shi took an iron-headed stick, and everyone looked at He Yan, thinking that He Yan was going to take the mandarin duck knife, but she took a nine-section whip from the rack.
“You…” Shi hesitated. They all knew that He Yan was good at knives, crossbows, and spears, but they didn’t know how good she’s at using whip. A whip is not as good as a sword in terms of power.
“You’ll know when you get to the mountain.” He Yan smiled, “Let’s go.”
Several people each took their weapons and rushed towards Baiyue Mountain.
Du Mao laughed loudly behind them, “I’ll be waiting for the good news here. Go, Boys!”
The birds in the forest were so startled that they flew around everywhere, while the people disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye. Ma Damei and Liang Ping were afar, each holding the reins of their horses, as Ma Damei said to Liang Ping, “The time is almost here, let’s set off.”
…
Thirty groups of people, more than 100 recruits in Baiyue Mountain, like a fish into the sea, no one could be seen. As soon as they stepped into the woods, Wang Ba suddenly spoke out, “Wait!”
Several people stopped and looked at him, “What?”
“Someone has advanced to the mountain before us. What if they are in an ambush in the forest at this moment and we step on a trap?”
“Don’t worry,” He Yan smiled, “The fight for the flag has just begun. Everyone is busy grabbing the flag. We don’t have a flag in our hands right now. What’s the use of ambushing us. I guess at this moment, everyone would be heading to… white rocks at the mountain’s south [this place is written as shan nan baishi].”
“Why there?” Jiang Jiao asked.
“Shi, show them the map.” He Yan looked at Shishi.
Shi took out a roll of paper from his arms and slowly unfolded it, but saw several red dots on the paper, all of which were in general directions. Each group of flag contenders will have a map. The map has the location of the flag, but only the general direction. The map was very scribbled.[had not many details] There were marked for trees or rivers, only had four directions: south, east, north, and west.
“Look, there are a total of twenty flags.” He Yan pointed to the bottom red dot, “The side closest to the foot of the mountain should be the side of the mountain. When recruits enter the mountain, they will naturally search for the nearest flag first, trying to put it in the pocket. There is a small stream beside the white rocks in the south of the mountain. It is wide open and not covered by trees. This flag should be the best one to find. So I think most of the brothers who are ahead of us have gone to look for this flag. “
“How do you know it is in Mountain’s south white rocks?” Huang Xiong suspiciously asked, “There is only one dot on this.”
“I’m just guessing, but don’t worry. When I visited the mountain before, I remembered the way, so even if there are deviations, I will be able to find it after looking for it a little.
“Didn’t you get chased by a wolf the time you patrolled the mountain before?” Wang Ba couldn’t help but said, “You still remember the way?”
“Well, I watched the way when I was getting chased by the wolf, and when I came back, I remembered it again, so I’m very familiar with it.” He Yan smiled and looked at him, “You have to trust your boss, there would be absolutely no problem.”
When Wang Ba heard this, he turned his head in anger, not looking at He Yan.
He Yan laughed. It is necessary to remember the terrain and all roads on the battlefield. She had spent time in the forward battalion. The most important thing is to understand the enemy and the surrounding environment at the beginning, so as to judge the layout.
“Then what are we waiting for now? Let’s go directly to the mountain’s south white rocks and grab the flag!” Huang Xiong carried the knife on his back, “How to go, ah?”
He Yan, “…” This is one ignorant fellow.
“We are not going in this direction.” He Yan said.
“Why?” Huang Xiong frowned.
“At this moment, there must be a lot of people there grabbing the same flag. If you want to grab the same flag, we would have to face too many opponents, which is not worthwhile.” He Yan shook her head, “Don’t just try to join in the fun, instead let’s go in this direction.” She pointed in the opposite direction on the map, where there was also a red dot.
“The forest is dense here, the road is very steep, so it’s easy to get lost. I thought about it. Unless it is someone who remembers the road clearly, it would be difficult to find this flag. So it should not be easy to take it away. Let’s go straight there and take down this flag first.”
“There are only twenty flags in total. I think we can win as long as we get more than half of them. So in the beginning, we’ll for these hidden flags, as nobody would pay much attention to them, saving some of our efforts. After all, it’s a matter of fighting for the flag. It’s not the strength of the hand which should be used but this.” She said while pointing to her head.
Is this a way to complement oneself for being smart? Several people were a little speechless. Huang Xiong asked, “Do you really remember the way?”
“It’s true.” He Yan blinked and said, “I don’ forget the way.”
The young man wore a strong red-colored outfit. Although he was thin and weak, his eyes were extremely sly and agile. The sunlight shining on him from the gap in the forest made his whole person to be shining/glowing…
“Ok, ok, let’s go.” Wang Ba was the first to speak, “Hurry up, otherwise, it’ll be snatched by other if we get there too late, then what would be the point of fighting!”
Shi and He Yan were from the same group, so naturally, they wouldn’t say anything. Jiang Jiao was younger, and he admired He Yan for the fact that he was better than hin in spears, so he had no objection. Several people agreed, so Huang Xiong, the oldest, also didn’t say anything. The most important thing is that he was road blind. If there is no one to lead the way, he might simply spend three days and three nights inside.
So these five people unexpectedly joined He Yan as the head.
The five of them walked up the mountain together. Because there was no horse to ride and the mountain road was rugged, everyone was worried that He Yan would not be able to keep up. However, seeing her lighter figure and relaxed expression all the way, with no reluctance, they gradually relieved. Knowing He Yan’s physical strength, it should be no problem to climb to the top of the mountain.
And as expected, He Yan did as she said, as if she had walked the road of Baiyue Mountain countless times, keeping all kinds of trails in mind. She avoided every possible collision with other groups and walked exclusively on the trails. The road was a little difficult to walk, but the distance was much closer. Moreover, every bush that seemed to be roadless was smashed away by her, making out another path.
“You, you have to think more about everything,” He Yan sighed, “Does the road have to be straight? Isn’t it possible for it to be curved? Do people have to walk on the ground only? Isn’t it okay to learn from gecko [it’s a lizard] to climb on the wall? Rules are dead and people are alive.[1] And if you have snacks, many things are not that complicated at all.”
Everyone, “…”
Huang Xiong said dully, “I am forty-six this year.”
He Yan answered as she walked, “Yes?”
“You are only sixteen this year.”
The implication was that why a 16-year-old brat is lecturing his elders? The elders have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice![2]
He Yan said, “But you still don’t know the way.”
Huang Xiong couldn’t answer these words. What kind of person is this? He’s so thick-skinned and as stubborn as a mule.
As they talked, they climbed over a mound and saw a small flag hidden in the bushes, standing alone on the ground.
“Found it!” Jiang Jiao’s eyes lit up, and he stepped forward to hold the banner in his palm, “It’s really there!”
“It’s really been found.” Wang Ba murmured, seeing the young man leaning against the tree, and said leisurely, “I said it earlier, I won’t forget the way I passed by.”
Seeing this, the supervisor hiding in the distance of the bushes walked two steps outside and whispered, “What’s going on? Why was it found so soon?”
It stands to reason that the flag here was hidden deeply, and the road was not easy to follow. At the moment, most people should go to the mountain’s south white rock flag. Whereas at this time, their group came straight here from the beginning, and they haven’t even encountered any obstacles on the road. Did they… know where the flag was placed from the start?
“Never mind, just hurry back to report” The supervisor quickly wrote a few words on the note and sealed it in the copper tube on the pigeon’s leg.
…
In the guardhouse, black and white pieces were scattered on the chessboard, and some people were playing against each other.
A pigeon flew to the young man’s shoulder and groaned/chirped twice. The latter took the copper tube from its leg and took out the note to read it.
Shen Han looked suspiciously.
Xiao Jue handed him the note, and Shen Han took it and took a look. After a while, he was shocked and said, “They found it so soon?”
“Unexpectedly.” Xiao Jue grinned, his eyes clearer, and he said, “From the start, he went straight to this place.”
Among the twenty flags on Baiyue Mountain, the nearest was next to the south of the mountain by the white rock. Although someone had discovered it early, there were too many people who came to grab this flag, and so far there has been no winner. Instead, the one in He Yan’s hand became the first flag to be found, because no one came to grab it.
“He remembers the way?” Shen Han asked suspiciously. Even counting from the beginning of the mountain patrol, it was impossible for one to remember the road so well, and at the beginning, the recruits did not know the meaning of the mountain patrol, so they would not deliberately remember the road. It’s amazing to be able to even remember roughly half of the way.
“Not necessarily, maybe,” Xiao Jue said, “He might have known about the fight of flag ahead of time.”
Knowing it in advance, he would have deliberately noted it down when patrolling the mountain, or if one thinks deeply, He Yan might even have the specific map of Baiyue Mountain right from the start. So when he sees the flag, he will know the specific location.
Shen Han frowned, “Speaking of which, he is really suspicious. What should I do next?”
“Continue,” the young man smiled faintly, moving the chess pieces without hesitation. “It’s not over yet. The outcome is unknown. You won’t know the outcome until the end. Don’t be in a hurry.”
…
After He Yan found this flag, she took the other four people and continued walking up the mountain. Her path seems to be closer to other people’s, and occasionally she ran into other groups of recruits who she couldn’t avoid. Before the other party could find them out, He Yan let everyone lie in the grass or behind the bushes, trying not to meet them head-on.
Wang Ba was a bit dissatisfied. He was used to being the leader of the mountain bandit. He was never a coward, so he said, “We are not afraid of them, what are we hiding for? I think we should stop hiding, just go straight up and grab it!”
“It’s still early now.” He Yan explained patiently to him, “The other recruits we met may not have flags, but we do have them. Once a conflict occurs, we won’t necessarily have trophies if we win, but might even lose the flags in our hands if we lose. Isn’t it uneconomical/a big loss?”
Seeing Wang Ba was still reluctant, she unfolded the map in her hand to show Wang Ba, “I have seen it. As of now, there are three flags hidden deep in the dense forest. We have already got one, and there are two others left. If we walk along this road, we should be able to find them smoothly. The last one is close to the top of the mountain.”
“We get these three first, and after we get these three, we will be on the top of the mountain.” She said, “Wait until we get to the top of the mountain, then we can discuss what happens after that, in the long run.”
The barely convinced Wang Ba said, “That’s what you said, and there are only two more, if not,” he waved his fist, “I will make you look good! [i don’t know how to phrase he’s kinda threatening her?]”
He Yan was not afraid, and smiled while removing his fist, “You can’t be so rude to the boss.” She looked at the distance and said, “Let’s go.”
The sun was getting bigger/hotter.
Although the deep forest was not as hot as the bottom of the mountain, everyone was sweating profusely because of the rugged mountain roads. There were many birds, beasts, insects, and ants on the mountain, and there were also a few snakes on the road. What was surprising was that He Yan was able to deal with these unexpected situations easily. Compared to Wang Ba, she was like the lord of the mountain. If one doesn’t know that He Yan was a recruit from the capital, they’re afraid that others will misunderstand that she was a native hunter born and raised on Bai Yue Mountain.
She didn’t lie either. Although the road she led was a bit bumpy, she actually found the other two flags unimpeded. The last flag was pocketed by Jiang Jiao. Huang Xiong looked at the front and said with some uncertainty, “Ahead is the top of the mountain.”
He Yan nodded, “Yes.” She looked down the mountain, “We took the shortcut and looked along the way, and we didn’t meet any other group who are faster than us. We should be the first to come to the top of the mountain.”
The other recruits were busy fighting for the flag. They avoided other people on the way and only went to find the flag, so it was very convenient and also saved a lot of time.
Wang Ba sat down under the tree, twisted the water bottle around his waist and drank a big sip of water, and said, “Except for killing two snakes along the way, nothing was done. I took two axes for nothing. Are we here to find only, weren’t we here to grab?”
Avoiding others while finding the flags, and sneaking around, was quite stifling. Although Huang Xiong and Jiang Jiao didn’t say anything, they agreed with what Wang Ba said.
Shi opened his mouth and said, “We just have to win, there’s no need to be stick to the way.”
“Brother Shi is smart,” He Yan said with a smile, “If you want to compete, why not go directly to the martial arena to challenge. The challenge for the flag is not a test of personal skills.”
She clapped her hands, looked at everyone, and laughed again, “However, I never said that we should hide here all the time.” He Yan said, “Let’s all get ready.”
“Ready for what?” Jiang Jiao was puzzled.
He Yan smiled slightly, “Robbery.”
[1]How did the rules come about? People set. Therefore, all the rules can be applied flexibly according to the particularity of the matter, and they can be adjusted if they are not illegal. [ Rules ] In fact, you have to achieve your goals…
[2]This sentence is usually the elders who used the lessons of the younger generation, that they have more life experience than you.\
Join our Discord for fun and spoilers! || Support Phoenix Walk on Ko-fi for bonus chapters! || Read ahead on Patreon and support the group!
