Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 463 - 437

Chapter 463: 437

In the evening, after returning to the military camp, Zhang San lay on his bed and began to ponder what he should do next.

First, Peng Hu seemed not too intelligent, as long as he misreported the number of fallen soldiers afterward. It would be possible to profit from the deceased’s pensions, even uncover the fraud of drawing pay for non-existent soldiers. Without death, one would still be skinned.

Secondly, He had left a mark for the Town Martial Office and would meet with the Hidden Martial artists from the northern Town Martial Office in three days. If possible, he planned to establish a branch of the Town Martial Office in the north.

Of course, the goal was not, or not only, to help the Town Martial Office establish a branch; he could also take the opportunity to establish a stronghold for the Heavenly Punishment Sect.

Who said a branch of the Town Martial Office couldn’t also be a stronghold for the Heavenly Punishment Sect?

Combining the two, earning double from a single job, that’s true harmony and stability!

Last was the matter of his own strength.

To lift the curse on himself, Zhang San needed to cultivate the Five Viscera Wheel Seas.

Previously, he had no choice but to break through to the Red Gold Wheel Sea while avoiding assassins.

Moreover, through the cultivation of the Red Gold Wheel Sea, he had gained the experience of breaking through to the Spiritual Platform Realm.

However, he always felt his proficiency in Martial Styles was not enough; rushing to break through to the Five Viscera Wheel Seas may lead to failure.

Zhang San wasn’t sure if he was overthinking or if he really needed to talk to someone about it.

Just then, Zhang San heard the sound of weapon practice outside.

Could it be someone was still training at this late hour?

Could it be Changsun Wuji?

Is this guy a playboy on the surface but a secretly hardworking top student in disguise?

Zhang San approached the door and slightly parted the curtain.

Then he saw Changsun Bubai practicing martial arts outside.

Sure enough, I knew Changsun Wuji probably wasn’t that diligent.

Zhang San went outside, cupped his fists towards Changsun Bubai in greeting but did not speak.

After all, the other was still in practice, and he wanted to avoid disrupting him.

At this moment, Changsun Bubai’s long lance moved in his hands like a black dragon spiraling around him, guarding against all approaching enemies, crushing them all to pieces.

At this moment, Zhang San couldn’t help but think of Yuwen Chengwang whom he had encountered in the Yuwen Mansion before.

That was the first time he met someone of the same Realm whom he felt was undefeatable.

And the opponent didn’t rely on a variety of abilities to counter him; the opponent simply relied on Martial Style, yet had the momentum to shatter any Technique or means he used.

Suddenly, Zhang San had a realization; perhaps what he needed to open up the Five Viscera Wheel Seas wasn’t guidance but the confidence in cultivating the Five Viscera Wheel Seas, which tended more towards Martial Styles.

In the Path of Techniques, he was highly accomplished and powerful. When facing enemies, he mostly relied on Techniques, so when he broke through to the Red Gold Wheel Sea, he could fight while breaking through—despite it being a crucial moment, he could remain as carefree as the drifting clouds and flowing breeze.

There was nothing else, only confidence.

But now, even though he clearly had enough time and energy to prepare for the breakthrough to the Five Viscera Wheel Seas, he always felt a sense of powerlessness and didn’t know how to begin.

It was actually because he lacked confidence.

Or to put it another way, he felt that on this path, he was neither strong enough nor knowledgeable enough.

After finishing his practice, Changsun Bubai looked over at Zhang San not far away.

Zhang San immediately said with a cupped fist, "The spear Techniques of the Military Envoy are indeed powerful!"

"Don’t flatter me. You’re up so late, something on your mind?"

Zhang San said with a sad face, "I want to cultivate the Five Viscera Wheel Seas, but I always feel that my Martial Style is lacking. I probably need some guidance from a strong and kind-hearted senior."

Changsun Bubai let out a cold laugh and glanced over at the rack of weapons beside him.

"Choose one, let’s spar."

Zhang San knew this meant Changsun Bubai agreed to give him guidance, so he quickly grabbed a Horizontal Blade and got ready.

"You like the Horizontal Blade?"

Zhang San nodded and said, "The Horizontal Blade was the first I came into contact with, and the Blade Technique I’m best at is also with the Horizontal Blade."

Seeing how confident Zhang San was, Changsun Bubai put down his Long Lance and switched to an even longer spear.

The Long Lance in Changsun Bubai’s hands was originally about three meters long, but now he had switched to a spear that was four meters long.

The spearhead alone was nearly three feet long!

"Come on!"

As Changsun Bubai spoke, Zhang San immediately executed the Eight Steps Xun Flash, closing in on Changsun Bubai.

Clang! Slap-slap!

The first clang was Changsun Bubai deflecting Zhang San’s blade with his spear.

The two slaps were Changsun Bubai’s spear lightly tapping on the insides of Zhang San’s thighs.

Zhang San immediately retreated, and sweat instantly broke out.

"That was just Changsun Bubai showing mercy. If it were a battle between two armies, I might have been smashed to pieces just now."

Such a terrifying lance technique!

Zhang San continued to attack, but this time the assault wasn’t much better than before. He simply retreated swiftly the moment his attack was blocked, barely avoiding Changsun Bubai’s long lance.

After two more attempts, Zhang San stood still with a puzzled face, thinking for a long time.

"I don’t understand. I have already used techniques and martial styles, reaching the fastest speed I can. And you, Military Envoy, hardly used any qi at all. So how could you block me time and again?"

Changsun Bubai burst into hearty laughter, pointing to the long lance in his hand, "Because it’s very long!"

"Come, look at these long weapons in the army, aren’t they all especially long?"

Following the direction of Changsun Bubai’s finger, Zhang San looked and saw a patrol of soldiers also carrying long lances, the same kind Changsun Bubai was using during his martial practice, which were about three meters long.

"A longer reach means greater strength. When two people fight, you haven’t even approached me yet, and I can already hit you. As long as I’m not particularly slow, how could I possibly not block you?"

Zhang San’s brow furrowed tightly as he tried to understand.

Changsun Bubai continued, "The perplexity you’re experiencing, many martial artists who join the army have faced it, especially those coming from the Town Martial Office like you."

"Who are the enemies of you martial artists from the Town Martial Office? They are martial path forces causing trouble, martial families; these people either cultivate martial styles, techniques, or know a bit about rune arrays, mainly embracing versatility and change, right?"

"So for you, a weapon like the Horizontal Blade can handle almost any situation; no matter the battle scenario or the type of enemy, your Horizontal Blade is always applicable."

"But it’s different in the army. Our enemies are the Tujue, who are best at horse archery. We need to fight them on horseback, and thus we need powerful weapons suited for combat on horseback!"

"Moreover, among the Tujue, there is no lack of heavily armored cavalry equipped with Armored Cavalry Equipment. They come and go like the wind, so without longer weapons, we have no way to fight them on the battlefield."

At this point, Changsun Bubai felt that Zhang San was still struggling to comprehend.

"Let me put it another way. You’re aware that soldiers need to train, but do you understand the difference between ’practice’ and ’drill’?"

Zhang San was taken aback.

Is this even a serious topic?

Changsun Bubai continued to explain, "’Practice’ refers to martial practice. Improving personal physical fitness and martial strength so that one has greater combat power in single combat, allowing them to kill the enemy and save themselves. The Horizontal Blade can achieve this."

"But ’drill’ refers to formation training. Soldiers need to learn to coordinate with their squad, knowing how to advance and retreat together. This way, they can move fluidly in battle and protect themselves while attacking the enemy more effectively. So at this point, what soldiers need is not individual strength but to form a whole with others. So, do you think it’s more effective to have shorter weapons or longer ones in forming this whole?"

Hearing this, Zhang San suddenly realized and hurriedly asked, "Does this mean that if the enemy’s long spear is only ten feet long, while our long lances are fourteen feet, the enemy can’t touch us, but we can stab them? Especially in a military formation, when numerous long lances strike together, the enemy would be forced to retreat. And once they retreat, they’ll be in disarray!"

Changsun Bubai nodded.

"That’s why, although the army does have techniques for the Horizontal Blade, those are mostly used for messy free-for-all fights. The emphasis isn’t on lethality but on harming the enemy while preserving oneself. Relatively speaking, the advantage of long weapons is more pronounced in large group battles. Thus, my way of martial arts is ’long!’, one-inch longer, one-inch stronger! Think about it, is your Horizontal Blade, less than four feet long, any match for my long lance of eighteen feet?"

Hearing Changsun Bubai’s words, Zhang San looked again at the weapons on the racks, and his gaze towards them changed.

"Personal strength is important, but weapons are equally important. And to choose a weapon, one must understand the weapon, know the true way of combat!"

At this revelation, Zhang San suddenly thought of something and continued, "I once encountered a martial artist of the same realm as me who could fight me to a draw just with his martial style, and I even felt he might have a slight chance to beat me! At that time, he was using a long weapon!"

Changsun Bubai found that Zhang San was quite smart and was about to fully grasp the concept.

Therefore, he decided to give him one more hint.

"The Path of Techniques focuses on change. With infinite changes, there are infinite utilities."

"The Path of Runes focuses on combinations. There are limited laws, but infinite combinations."

"The Martial Style Path focuses on attack and defense. Defense can only last temporarily, but an attack can break through for eternity!"

At that moment, Zhang San realized that although he had always been most skilled with the Horizontal Blade, it was only suitable for his past self.

If he wanted to carve his own path in Martial Style, the best way was to find a long weapon that was primarily designed for attack.

So his gaze swept over the surrounding weapon racks and finally landed on a Mo Blade.

Looking at the Mo Blade that was seven feet long, with a three-foot blade and a four-foot handle.

"Although it seems a bit shorter than ideal, I think I can start with this. Military Envoy, may we have another bout?"

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[Note 104]A brief explanation of weapons

First, let me clear up a mistake in this book. In previous descriptions, I had calculated one foot to be approximately 30 centimeters, but I became confused when I researched information about the lance today.

Because in the "Shi Ming" from the Eastern Han period it is written that "an eight-foot spear is called a lance when carried on horseback, signifying its handiness for quick killing." This means that a lance reaching a length of eighteen feet could be understood as the same weapon used by Zhang Fei, the serpent halberd.

Then, when I looked up information on lances, it was said that horse lances are typically four meters long.

But at thirty-three centimeters per foot, eighteen feet would nearly be six meters. How could it be four meters? Are you making fun of me for failing my calculus class?

After searching for a long while and checking other sources,

I found that a foot during the Han Dynasty was approximately 20 to 23 centimeters. So eighteen feet really is about four meters.

Going forward, let’s stick to converting one foot as 30 centimeters, making one zhang three meters. So, when you see long lances of fourteen feet, please refrain from complaining about why the author’s measurements don’t even reach the standard of eighteen units.