Chapter 30: Unstoppable

"Crack!"

A crisp, bone-chilling sound of a fracture echoed through the air!

Wang Ba’s unstoppable, heavy punch suddenly went limp. A piercing, agonizing pain surged from his wrist, forcing a scream from his throat that sounded barely human!

"Ah—!!"

Before he could even react, Xiao Zhan grabbed him by the shoulder with his other hand, executing a deft, skillful trip!

"Thud!"

Wang Ba’s mountain-like, burly frame was easily flipped to the ground by Xiao Zhan, kicking up a cloud of dust. Without a moment's hesitation, Xiao Zhan’s knee slammed heavily into Wang Ba’s chest!

"Ugh!"

Wang Ba felt his internal organs shift out of place. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and as his vision darkened, he nearly lost consciousness on the spot.

The entire sequence was fluid and fast as lightning! From the moment Wang Ba threw his punch to the moment he collapsed and vomited blood, only two or three seconds had passed.

The entire field fell into a deathly silence once more. Everyone looked at the young man standing over Wang Ba with a calm, indifferent expression as if they had seen a ghost.

That was Wang Ba! The strongest warrior of the Capital Garrison! Just like that… defeated in a single move?

The smile on Qin Cang’s face froze completely, replaced by boundless shock. He considered himself highly skilled in martial arts, but even he could never have defeated Wang Ba so cleanly and decisively. The techniques Xiao Zhan used were not any style they recognized; they were something… more direct, more efficient, and far more lethal.

"Now, is there anyone else who disagrees?"

Xiao Zhan stepped on Wang Ba’s face, his icy gaze sweeping across the crowd.

The troublemakers who had been shouting moments ago lowered their heads, silent as cicadas. The looks they cast at Xiao Zhan shifted from disdain to deep, visceral fear.

"Very well." Xiao Zhan stood up from Wang Ba and straightened his clothes. "Since no one disagrees, then start running!"

This time, no one dared to raise an objection. The soldiers silently picked up their sandbags, strapped them on, and began a hellish long-distance run.

Xiao Zhan did not remain idle. He signaled Zhao Tieniu and his household guards to haul heavy wooden crates into the center of the training ground.

"Clack! Clack!"

The crates were opened one by one, revealing not weapons, but neatly stacked silver ingots shimmering with an alluring luster under the sun!

Five hundred thousand taels of silver, displayed openly before everyone’s eyes! The visual impact was far more shocking than any slogan!

The soldiers, who were burying their heads in the grueling run, looked up at the sound. Seeing the mountain of silver, their eyes turned bloodshot, and their breathing grew heavy. They no longer saw mere silver; they saw wine, women, and a life of luxury and fine dining!

"Do you see this money?" Xiao Zhan’s voice sounded like a devil’s whisper. "This five hundred thousand taels is all yours! As long as you complete my training, as long as you survive on the battlefield, this money—and even more—will be yours!"

"I don't just want to make you the strongest soldiers in the Great Ming; I want to make you the wealthiest!"

"Now, for your money, for your glory and riches, run!"

"Roar!"

Someone let out a battle cry, and immediately, all the soldiers, as if injected with stimulants, roared like wild beasts!

Their eyes were no longer filled with exhaustion or complaints, only frantic greed and desire! Their paces became faster and more powerful.

Zhang Wei watched on, dumbfounded, muttering to himself, "A madman… he’s a damn madman…"

He had never seen anyone train troops like this.

First, use the most brutal violence to shatter all their arrogance. Then, use the most naked lure of money to ignite their most primitive desires!

These methods were simple, crude, yet effective to the extreme.

"Roar! Roar! Roar!"

On the training ground, the panting of thousands of soldiers merged into a dull, bestial growl. Dust flew, sweat mixed with dirt, and every face wore a ferocious expression. They stared at the mountain of silver in front of the platform, the flames of primal desire burning in their eyes.

Ten taels of silver! Meat at every meal!

These words were like an invisible whip, lashing against their souls, squeezing out the last ounce of strength from their bodies.

High up on the observation platform, Zhang Wei and the other officers of the Capital Garrison watched with pounding hearts. They had never witnessed such a scene. This was no longer training; it was a pack of starving wolves fighting viciously for food!

"He’s mad, they’re all mad…" a lieutenant muttered, his throat bobbing incessantly.

Qin Cang stood behind the crowd, his face so dark it seemed as if water might drip from it. He had expected Xiao Zhan to be making a fool of himself, courting his own humiliation. But now, looking at the frenzy ignited below, a chill crept into his heart.

This Xiao Zhan wasn't just training soldiers. He was forging demons!

"Thud!"

Finally, the first soldier reached his limit. His legs gave way, and he collapsed like a pile of mud. The sandbag on his chest pressed heavily into him, making it difficult even to breathe.

"I… I can't do it anymore… I’m not running," the soldier struggled, trying to unstrap the sandbag.

His surrender was like the first domino in a chain reaction.

"Thud!" "Thud!"

One after another, soldiers collapsed to the ground, giving up on this endless torture.

Xiao Zhan stood beside the mountain of silver, turning a blind eye to the scene. He didn't even spare the quitters a glance, watching only those who persisted.

Zhao Tieniu and several guards walked up to the fallen soldiers with expressionless faces.

"Get off the training ground yourselves," Zhao Tieniu said, his voice devoid of emotion.

The first soldier to collapse gasped for air and shouted in defiance, "Why! I’m a soldier of the Capital Garrison too! This is abuse! I’m going to report you!"

"Report?"

Zhao Tieniu couldn't even be bothered to argue; he simply signaled his guards. Two guards stepped forward, each grabbing one of the soldier's arms and dragging him toward the edge of the training ground like a dead dog.

"Let go of me! You bastards! Let go!"

The soldier’s screams echoed across the field, but not a single soldier still running looked back. They simply gritted their teeth and moved their legs even more frantically.

Because they saw that after Zhao Tieniu dragged the soldier away, he casually grabbed a silver ingot from the pile and tossed it to a soldier nearby—one who was still struggling but clearly nearing his limit.

"A reward from the Young Marquis! Keep going, and there is more!"

The soldier caught the silver, stunned for a moment, then, as if struck by a shot of adrenaline, let out a roar and somehow increased his speed!

Cruel elimination. And naked reward.

This scene dealt a massive blow to everyone’s psyche!

Persist, and you get paid! Give up, and get out!

The rules were just that simple and crude.