The Song Dynasty on the Sand Table

Chapter 18 Going Down the Mountain to Explore
Yue Wenxuan's video of "Qi's Army Defeats the Japanese Pirates" became an instant hit once it was uploaded.

That evening, the number of views skyrocketed. Many people immediately @ed or forwarded the video to their friends after watching it, and it spread from person to person. Some history enthusiasts even paid out of their own pocket to help Yue Wenxuan invest in Douyin+.

This time the spread is even faster...

The comment section is even more lively.

Long-time fan Wu Jianxia also jumped in: "I've heard about Qi Jiguang's story of fighting against the Japanese invaders, and I've also heard about the Mandarin Duck Formation, but I only knew about it in text form before, so I only had a vague understanding. Now that I've seen this video, I know how the real Mandarin Duck Formation works. Thank you to the UP host for explaining it to me."

The rest of the audience also praised: "It's wonderful!"

"The UP host is amazing. He reproduced the Mandarin Duck Formation perfectly."

"The Qi family army is mighty."

"I have to forward this video and also support Douyin+."

"Hey, you only care about the battle formations, and no one cares about the special effects? The 3D modeling and animation level of this special effect are both world-class. Compared to Hollywood blockbusters, it's not inferior, and may even surpass it."

The comment section is bustling with activity...

Yue Wenxuan opened the backstage and saw that just this one video brought him more than 400 new fans in just one night. The X video cooperation plan actually increased his income by thousands of yuan. The most outrageous thing was that the model of the same style as the Mandarin Duck Formation sold more than sets, and his commissions skyrocketed.

某音给这套“鸳鸯阵模型”设定的佣金比例为20%，其中6%为平台服务费，剩下的14%按10%、5%、85%的比例分成，岳文轩能拿到的数值，也就是商品价格乘以14%再乘以85%。

The price of the Mandarin Duck Formation model is 225 yuan, and Yue Wenxuan can get 26.78 yuan for each one sold.

More than 400 models were sold that night, and Yue Wenxuan's income exceeded yuan overnight.

Seeing this income, Yue Wenxuan couldn't help but feel a little happy.

A notification suddenly popped up on his phone. The vendor selling the Mandarin Duck Formation model had sent him a private message via a certain audio app: "Author of 'Plastic World,' thank you for promoting our products. Thanks to your help, we sold hundreds of Mandarin Duck Formation models last night. As a token of our gratitude, we'd like to give you a few more sets. If it's convenient, could you provide us with a delivery address?"

Yue Wenxuan couldn't help but feel secretly delighted: if someone gave me a model for free, I wouldn't refuse it. With this sandbox, I could use any model that wasn't too outrageous.

I sent the address to the other party, but only gave him the address of the community without giving the specific house number. Anyway, these days express deliveries are sent to Cainiao Station for collection, so there is no need to give the specific house number, and I can completely protect my privacy.

After he dealt with all these troubles, he looked at the sand table again and saw that the rebel soldiers were "selecting positions".

They were about to start practicing the Mandarin Duck Formation, so of course they had to fix their positions.

The soldiers were divided into eight teams based on their closeness to each other, with 12 people in each team.

Essentially, every squad is formed from bonds between fathers and sons, brothers, and neighbors from the same village. These bonds are the most reliable, and only then can one be so confident in their teammates' support. The saying "fathers and sons always fight together" isn't just a pretentious adage; it's the truth.

Each team selected its most prestigious leader and the least skilled or timid one as a cook. Then the remaining ten people began to scramble for position.

"I want to be a long card player. I'm the only one who can carry such a big door panel."

"I am good at wielding a knife, and I am a rattan shield bearer."

"I want to be a wolf-whip master."

"I'm a boring hand."

"Why do you have to be a wolf-whip hand? I want to do this too." "Then we can only fight."

So two neighbors from the same village ran to the side and decided the position with their fists. A moment later, one of them came back covered in dust and dirt, while the other one smiled arrogantly and said, "The position of wolf-whip master is mine."

There is only one person in the entire army whose position is undisputed, and that is Zhang Dashu.

He stood in the middle of the field, carrying a whole tree on his shoulders, and shouted, "I'm going to be a wolf-whip master. Who's for it, who's against it?"

The other eleven people on his team said in unison: "We all agree."

His position was thus happily decided.

Seeing this, Yue Wenxuan couldn't help but shake his head and laugh: "Being a captain is the coolest thing. You get the most bounty after killing the enemy. Why are you trying to grab the Wolf Whip Hand?"

However, after thinking about it carefully, Zhang Dashu didn't seem very smart. If he became a captain, he might give orders blindly. It would be more suitable for him to be a soldier under the command of others.

After the positions are divided, it’s time to divide the equipment...

The rebel soldiers divided the door panels, hay forks, bamboo brooms, whole small trees and other things according to their positions, then returned to the line and stood in front of Qi Jiguang.

Qi Jiguang waved his hand and said, "Today's training will be the Mandarin Duck Formation. I will transform you into an elite army within a month, not just a bunch of ordinary Yiwu people."

Zhang Dashu said stupidly, "We are not from Yiwu."

Qi Jiguang turned his head and glared at him, saying, "You are not allowed to talk while forming a battle line. Come here, tie him up and flog him forty times according to military law."

Zhang Dashu: “…”

The military court team jumped out from the side, tied Zhang Dashu to the ground, swung their military sticks, and beat him with forty sticks.

Afterwards, the eight mandarin duck formations began their hard training.

Meanwhile, Madam Gong Er called over several soldiers who hadn't been assigned to the Mandarin Duck Formation. "We didn't assign you to the Mandarin Duck Formation because you're smart and more suited to scout duty. Descend the mountain immediately and explore the countryside at the foot of Mount Laoshan. Those who are brave can venture a few steps toward the county town. Be sure to thoroughly investigate the situation outside the mountain."

After hearing this, the scouts' faces looked quite solemn.

A few days ago, the group had taken refuge in the mountains, pursued by the Jin bandits. In their minds, the world outside the mountains was a den of wolves and tigers, with Jin bandits' cavalry rampaging through the countryside, killing anyone they saw. Someone as clueless as Zhang Dashu would have a hard time returning alive if they went outside.

Madam Gong Er: "Use the woods and villages to conceal your movements. Do not roam freely on the vast plains. If you can get into the county town, do so. If you can't, forget it. Don't try to get yourself killed by your own bravery."

The scouts clasped their fists and said, "As you command!"

Madam Gong Er: "If you see anvils, hammers, furnaces, coal, and other items in the villages outside the mountains, you must find a way to get them back so that we can imitate the immortal weapons. We can't just keep using bamboo brooms and pitchforks as wolf whisks and halberds."

Scouts: "Don't worry, Madam Gong Er, I will definitely complete the mission."

Madam Gong Er: "Oh, and there's salt. Although the True Lord gave us food, the salt we brought up the mountain is almost gone. You should go to the salt fields on the coast and explore. If the salt fields are still in the hands of the Song Dynasty, then negotiate with them to buy salt. If the salt fields have been taken away by the Jin people, then you can steal them if you can. If you can't... humph..."

At this point, Madam Gong Er showed a stern expression on her face: "Find out how many Jin thieves are stationed in the salt field, and report back to us. Then we can find a good day, go down the mountain, kill all the Jin thieves, and grab some salt to enjoy."

When Yue Wenxuan heard this, he exclaimed in his heart: This woman is quite ruthless, I like her.

(End of this chapter)