Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 815: Intimidation (Part 2)

Although Chancellor Chen is a civil servant, he has witnessed military parades before, and engages in casual conversation with ease.

On the other hand, Minister Dong and others are somewhat shaken by the fierce aura of the martial artists.

"Today’s military parade, there won’t be bloodshed, right?" Minister Dong softly asked Minister Yang beside him.

Minister Dong has been vigorously promoting the reform of the Imperial Examination, making him unpopular at court. Only Minister Yang is willing to interact with him: "Using knives and guns, it’s all real. Some minor injuries are not surprising, and seeing blood is not uncommon."

"Didn’t you see Doctor Sun leading a group of female medical officers by the side? They’re prepared for the injured soldiers."

Minister Dong glanced at the composed Sun Zelan, Doctor Sun, and couldn’t help but gossip in a low voice: "By the way, I heard Doctor Sun and Guard Qin are a couple. Are they still not married?"

High-ranking officials gossip privately, much like women in the marketplace. Minister Yang chuckled softly: "I heard from Yang Zheng that Guard Qin has admired Doctor Sun since childhood, and Doctor Sun has not married, so Guard Qin kept waiting. This has been going on for over ten years. Doctor Sun will be twenty-six after the New Year and should be getting married soon." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Guard Qin is the only son of General Qin, favored and trusted by the Emperor, now a legitimate seventh-rank military officer, matching well with Doctor Sun."

"Shh, stop talking. The military parade has started, look over there!"

Minister Dong straightened his body and looked into the distance.

The viewing platform is six feet high, which is sufficient. However, it’s quite a distance from where the soldiers are performing. No matter how good your vision is, you can’t see clearly; you can only watch the commotion from afar. Occasionally, sounds of exclamations are heard.

The martial artists in the army are coarse men, initially mindful that the Emperor and high-ranking officials are present, refraining from swearing. After a while, as they got engrossed in their battles, they disregarded these considerations. Many pointed at opponents with flying spit, cursing while fighting.

Several Great Generals felt somewhat uncomfortable, silently cursing their soldiers for not being up to the mark while secretly checking the Empress’s facial expressions.

Jiang Shaohua smiled slightly: "Since childhood, I’ve often visited military camps. When I was in Nanyang County, I would stay in the camp for one or two months at a time. The way military men fight, I’m well accustomed to it. Generals, no need to worry about these things."

The generals awkwardly smiled.

Jiang Shaohua suddenly stood up: "Can’t see clearly from here, I’ll go over there to take a look."

The ministers were all startled and hurriedly persuaded her. Even the Left General frowned: "With swords and arrows flying in the military grounds, if anything happens to the Emperor, what should we do? Moreover, if the Emperor goes, the soldiers might get too excited and cause an incident."

Mainly because this is the Heroic Guard Camp. Any slight mishap to the Emperor, the Left General would bear the heaviest responsibility. Thus, his opposition was most resolute.

Jiang Shaohua didn’t insist, seeing the ministers’ firm opposition, she sat back.

As half the day passed, the first military parade concluded.

The military officer responsible for scoring walked over briskly to report: "Your Majesty, the first session of today’s military parade has concluded. The top three in stone lifting are all from Nanyang Guard Camp’s personal soldiers."

"Those who took the top three spots in archery are also from Nanyang Guard Camp."

The moment the words fell, everyone was silent, looking either at the Left General or at Generals Bao, Sima, and Song.

But mostly, they were watching the three commanders of Nanyang Guard Camp.

Qin Zhan is never a low-key person, grinning widely: "The soldiers did us proud. Come, bring the list over, let me see who’s on it. We must reward them well."

Even Meng Dashan leaned over to look at the list, and after reading it, he laughed: "The top three in stone lifting are all from One Camp. As for archery, the top three are all from our Two Camp."

"Brother Liu, your Three Camp hasn’t made a name for itself yet!"

Liu Hengchang smiled faintly: "No rush, wait until the cavalry drills, then watch our Three Camp shine."

Qin Zhan and Meng Dashan laughed together.

The Left General and others couldn’t bring themselves to smile, their faces were increasingly grim. Especially the Left General, his temper flaring as if it was about to explode.

The Nanyang Guard Camp people stole the spotlight, the Capital City’s forces were completely overshadowed, making the main generals lose face in front of the Emperor, Chancellor, and ministers.

Jiang Shaohua glanced over the generals with grim faces, smiling to comfort: "The military parade spans five days, today is only the first day. No one needs to rush, and when returning to the army tents, refrain from kicking tables and cursing."

How could they not be anxious?

According to insider sources, the Left General was the angriest, with the military officials responsible for the parade being scolded vehemently by him. Generals Bao, Sima, and Song were also quite furious, banging tables and cursing in tents.

Jiang Shaohua listened to the gossip brought by Lu Zhen and Lu Sheren, chuckling leisurely.

She went to great lengths to summon the Guard Camp to Capital City, precisely to use their formidable prowess to intimidate the arrogant and fierce forces of the Capital City. Let them see what truly are Da Liang’s elite soldiers, what it means for there to always be someone better.

Especially the Left General, who is proud and arrogant, to subdue him, he must be genuinely suppressed.

...

Consecutively for five days.

The Left General’s mood worsened day by day.

Losing the first day, he could comfort himself that the Guard Camp’s soldiers were skillful in single combat, given they were originally the Commander’s personal guards.

Losing the second day, he could say that the Nanyang Guard Camp consisted of cavalry, making their proficiency in riding and shooting understandable.

What to say after losing the third and fourth days of contests?

Most exasperating and infuriating was the assembly and drill of hundreds of troops, originally the Heroic Guard Camp’s forte. Crushing the Imperial Army’s Divine Martial Camp and Brave Camp was no big deal. But unexpectedly, the invincible formation was defeated by the Nanyang Guard Camp’s formation.

The Heroic Guard Camp assembled quickly, but the Nanyang Guard Camp was even faster.

The Heroic Guard Camp’s soldiers were strong, but the Nanyang Guard Camp’s soldiers were stronger, moving like the wind, changing formations faster. Plus, they had many tactics specifically against cavalry, deploying unexpected moves to catch opponents off guard.

Previously, the Heroic Guard Camp triumphed over the Imperial Army’s Divine Martial Camp and Brave Camp, basking in glory. But they were quickly crushed by the Nanyang Guard Camp. The formations clashed, and the Heroic Guard Camp’s meticulously selected cavalry lasted less than an hour before breaking.

The Left General left the military grounds with a darkened face, disregarding formalities with others, without even bidding farewell to the Empress.

Jiang Shaohua was quite magnanimous, smiling at the ministers: "The military formation drill saw the Nanyang Guard Camp taking the lead. The Heroic Guard Camp came second. The Left General probably feels dissatisfied and unhappy, occasionally misstepping. Everyone need not mind the Left General."

The Left General lost face. Did Generals Bao, Sima, and Song not lose face?

They lost face completely, didn’t they?